title: Women's empowerment in agriculture and child nutritional status in rural Nepal.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between women's empowerment in agriculture and nutritional status among children under 2 years of age in rural Nepal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey of 4080 households conducted in 2012. Data collected included: child and maternal anthropometric measurements; child age and sex; maternal age, education, occupation and empowerment in agriculture; and household size, number of children, religion, caste and agro-ecological zone. Associations between the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI)'s Five Domains of Empowerment (5DE) sub-index and its ten component indicators and child length-for-age Z-scores (LAZ) and weight-for-length Z-scores (WLZ) were estimated, using ordinary least-squares regression models, with and without adjustments for key child, maternal and household level covariates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and forty rural communities across sixteen districts of Nepal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children under 24 months of age and their mothers (n 1787).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall WEAI 5DE was positively associated with LAZ (β=0·20, P=0·04). Three component indicators were also positively associated with LAZ: satisfaction with leisure time (β=0·27, P<0·01), access to and decisions regarding credit (β=0·20, P=0·02) and autonomy in production (β=0·10, P=0·04). No indicator of women's empowerment in agriculture was associated with WLZ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women's empowerment in agriculture, as measured by the WEAI 5DE and three of its ten component indicators, was significantly associated with LAZ, highlighting the potential role of women's empowerment in improving child nutrition in Nepal. Additional studies are needed to determine whether interventions to improve women's empowerment will improve child nutrition.
authors: 1Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,Keppel Street,London WC1E 7HT,UK.
authors: Kenda
authors: K
authors: Cunningham
authors: 1Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,Keppel Street,London WC1E 7HT,UK.
authors: George B
authors: GB
authors: Ploubidis
authors: 2Poverty Health and Nutrition Division,International Food Policy Research Institute,New Delhi,India.
authors: Purnima
authors: P
authors: Menon
authors: 3Poverty Health and Nutrition Division,International Food Policy Research Institute,Washington,DC,USA.
authors: Marie
authors: M
authors: Ruel
authors: 1Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,Keppel Street,London WC1E 7HT,UK.
authors: Suneetha
authors: S
authors: Kadiyala
authors: 1Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,Keppel Street,London WC1E 7HT,UK.
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Uauy
authors: 1Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,Keppel Street,London WC1E 7HT,UK.
authors: Elaine
authors: E
authors: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture / Q000191:economics; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000191:economics; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011209:Power, Psychological; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health / Q000191:economics; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Agriculture; Child nutrition; South Asia; Women’s empowerment