Evaluating the Role of Maternal Income in Mediating the Effect of Mother's Education on under Five Child Mortality in Kenya

Aims/ Objectives: The study identified the role of maternal income in mediating the effect of a mother's education level on UFCM.

Study Design: We sourced secondary data from a 2014 Kenya Health Demographic Health Survey (KHDS). We analyzed data to determine mortality among the under-five children.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of mathematics and Actuarial science, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.

Methodology: We then conducted regression with mediation to assess the effect of a mother's education on UFCM in the presence of a mediator, "mothers income." We also determined the direct, total and indirect effects of the independent variable in the presence of mediation.

Results: The results indicate that maternal education is directly important on UFCM. Maternal education level also channeled its effects through maternal income. Change from no education level to primary education level would reduce the number of deaths by 1.9 deaths per 1000 children. Of this decrease, 0.5 fewer deaths were attributed to the maternal income pathway representing 26 percent of the total effect.

Conclusion: If an intervention could improve, the maternal income of mothers at no education level to that of mothers at higher education level while keeping the other aspects of social deprivation constant we could eliminate 26% of the education level effect.