Peer-reviewed article
Maternal Occupation and Child Stunting in Urban Karachi: A Cross-Sectional Study
Hafiza Syeda Samrina, Eiman Kalsoom ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This cross-sectional study looked at 420 mother–child pairs with children under 5 attending two hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. It compared stunting among children of mothers in professional, technical or managerial jobs with children of mothers in non-professional jobs or unemployed. About 44% of children were stunted. Stunting was lower among children of professionally employed mothers (29.4%) than among the others (47.1%), and this difference remained after adjusting for education, income, family structure and empowerment. The authors suggest that policies helping women enter professional work may benefit child nutrition.
Key points
- Overall, 44.2% of children were stunted.
- Stunting prevalence was 29.4% among children of professionally employed mothers versus 47.1% among children of non-professional or unemployed mothers (p=0.004).
- Adjusted odds of stunting were lower with professional maternal occupation (aOR 0.52; 95% CI 0.31–0.87).
- The protective association was stronger in boys (aOR 0.44) than in girls (aOR 0.61, CI 0.33–1.15).
- Interaction models suggested maternal education amplified the occupation effect.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and uses hospital-attending families in two Karachi hospitals, so it shows association rather than cause and may not represent all urban children in Pakistan. The abstract's wording that professional occupation 'independently reduces' stunting goes further than this design can support.
Abstract
Background Child stunting remains a major public health issue in Pakistan, with structural and socioeconomic determinants driving outcomes. While maternal education and empowerment have been widely studied, the role of maternal occupation type (professional vs. non-professional) in shaping child nutritional status remains unclear. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 420 mother–child pairs (<5 years) attending two hospitals in Karachi. Maternal occupation was categorized as professional/technical/managerial vs. non-professional/unemployed. Child nutritional status was assessed using WHO criteria. Chi-square, t-tests, and logistic regression were employed to examine associations, adjusting for confounders (education, income, family structure, empowerment). Results Overall, 44.2% of children were stunted. Children of professionally employed mothers had significantly lower stunting prevalence (29.4%) compared to non-professional/unemployed mothers (47.1%; χ²=8.12, p=0.004). Adjusted logistic regression confirmed the protective effect of professional maternal occupation against stunting (aOR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.31–0.87, p=0.012). Subgroup analyses revealed the protective effect was stronger in boys (aOR=0.44, CI: 0.23–0.83) than girls (aOR=0.61, CI: 0.33–1.15). Interaction models suggested maternal education amplified the occupation effect. Conclusions Professional maternal occupation independently reduces child stunting risk, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Policies promoting women’s entry into professional sectors may provide downstream benefits for child nutrition.