THE IMPACT OF MATERNAL EDUCATION ON BIRTH WEIGHT OUTCOMES OF A CHILD: A PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHING ANALYSIS

Abstract

While the prevalence of Low birth weight (LBW) is undoubtedly a grave concern in Pakistan, the field still lacks sufficient research addressing this issue. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of maternal education on the child’s birth weight outcomes in the province of Punjab. Leveraging data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Punjab 2017-2018, this study employs propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to estimate the causal impact of maternal education on birth weight outcomes, adjusting for various confounders like maternal age, maternal birth order, insurance coverage, mothers’ smoking habits, living standards, and area of residence. The findings of the research indicate that educated mothers are more likely to have children with normal birth weights, suggesting that if mothers attend school, there is a significant 0.07*** units increase in birth weight, underscoring the substantial impact of maternal education in improving birth weight outcomes. In addition to this, district fixed effects provided a nuanced lens for understanding the heterogeneity of birth weight outcomes in different districts of Punjab. The findings of this analysis prompt a set of targeted policy recommendations. Acknowledging the strong impact of mothers’ education on birth weight outcomes, policies should be set in place for expanding educational access for women. Similarly, addressing urban-rural healthcare disparities and expanding insurance coverage can significantly improve birth outcomes. Moreover, policy makers can tailor policies to districtspecific birth weight variations in Punjab and enhance maternal and child health outcomes on a more granular scale.