@article{Asenso-Okyere:174303,
      recid = {174303},
      author = {Asenso-Okyere, W.F. and Asante, Felix A. and Nube, M.},
      title = {Understanding the health and nutritional status of  children in Ghana},
      journal = {Agricultural Economics: The Journal of the International  Association of Agricultural Economists},
      address = {1997-10},
      number = {968-2016-75861},
      pages = {16},
      year = {1997},
      abstract = {The data set of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS,  round 1, 1987 /1988) was utilized to analyse the principal  determinants
(publicly and privately) of health and  nutrition of children under five in Ghana. While in most  health and nutrition studies the emphasis is
either on  health-related factors such as occurrence of illness,  immunization, accessibility to light (electricity), the  role of breastfeeding, or on
food availability and  food-consumption-related factors, in the present study, an  attempt has been made to incorporate both  aspects
simultaneously. On the basis of the GLSS, Ghanaian  households spend at the average approximately 60% of total  expenses on food.
Changes in relative prices of the various  food commodities differently affect household food  availability. Lowering prices of relatively
cheap foods  (e.g., millet, cassava) tends to have a strong positive  effect on total household kcal availability. At the level  of the household,
the absolute number of nondependents,  presumed to represent the available labour force, is  positively correlated with household food
availability.  There is also a positive correlation between the mothers'  level of education (10 yrs of schooling and above) and the  nutrition
level of children. Occurrence of illness in  children could be shown to negatively affect their health  and nutrition status. Finally, a specific
finding in the  analysis was a rather strong negative effect of prolonged  breastfeeding on the nutritional status of children. Among  the policy
recommendations emanating from the research are:  (1) promotion of efficient production and marketing of  cassava, (2) efforts to achieve
slowing down of rural-urban  migration to prevent labour shortages in rural households,  (3) improving water and sanitation conditions,  (4)
expanding immunization programmes in particular in  rural areas, and (5) promoting better weaning practices  when children are no longer
fully breastfed.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/174303},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.174303},
}