Influence of Maternal Exposure to Mass Media on Growth Stunting Among Children Under Five: Mediation Analysis Through the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED The issue of malnutrition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is severe. Meanwhile, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program had been demonstrated to be effective in reducing the rates of stunting among children. Hence, we aim to explore the association between maternal exposure to mass media and stunting in children through WASH behaviors. Mediation analysis was conducted using data from the 2018 Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys (MICS). Results indicate that mothers’ exposure to television and the internet in the DRC, significantly decreases the risk of stunting in children, mediated by household WASH level. Our results could inform and guide interventions and policies to reduce the stunting rate among children by promoting WASH through mass media.

A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Associated with Minimum Dietary Diversity Among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Lesotho: A Lesotho Multiple Cluster Study Of 2018

“…Community Media Exposure was also associated with MDD with children in communities with high proportions of maternal media exposure more likely to receive MDD. Mass media directly in uences people's behaviour because it is used to deliver health messages to promote social and behavioural change [48,49]. Zebodia et al, (2021) highlighted that, mass media has a crucial role in educating mothers and caregivers on appropriate complementary feeding practices especially in the diversi cation of food [22].…”