Do minimum acceptable diet and family caregiving mediate the associations of maternal education and household wealth with childhood stunting and wasting in Sri Lanka?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate the extent to which the associations of socio-economic position (SEP) with stunting and wasting are mediated by minimum acceptable diet (MAD) and a family care indicator (FCI) in Sri Lanka.

Design

Secondary data analysis of children from the 2016 Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey. The outcomes were stunting and wasting, the exposure was a composite measure combining maternal education and household wealth, and the mediators were binary MAD and FCI variables (adequate v. inadequate). Analyses were performed using counterfactual mediation models adjusted for age, sex and place of residence.

Setting

A nationally representative sample of children from Sri Lanka.

Participants

Mothers/caregivers of children under 36 months (4325)

SUBMITTER: Chandrasenage D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12917429 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature