Table 2.
Pooled OR for the relationship between formal and informal maternal employment and childhood overweight in selected low- and middle-income countries*
| N 268 763† | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pooled OR | 95 % CI | |
| Formal employment‡,§ | ||
| All low- and middle-income countries | 0·99 | 0·89, 1·1 |
| Countries where the association did not vary by education | 1·0 | 0·90, 1·1 |
| Countries where the association varied by education: low education║ | 0·79 | 0·51, 1·2 |
| Countries where the association varied by education: high education║ | 1·2 | 1·0, 1·4 |
| Informal employment‡,§ | ||
| All low- and middle-income countries | 0·99 | 0·89, 1·1 |
| Countries where the association did not vary by education | 0·97 | 0·88, 1·1 |
| Countries where the association varied by education: low education║ | 1·2 | 0·68, 2·2 |
| Countries where the association varied by education: high education║ | 1·0 | 0·87, 1·3 |
Pooled OR are generated using meta-analysis and pool estimates across country subgroups. Childhood overweight is defined as BMI Z-score>2 based on the 2006 WHO Child Growth Standards( 33 ). Models are adjusted for maternal age (years), marital status (married, not married), number of household members, child’s age (months), child’s sex and proxy substitute childcare provider (yes, no). Models which did not retain the employment×education interaction term are also adjusted for maternal education (less than primary education, at least primary education).
Total sample size is unweighted.
The following strata experienced small cell sizes, resulting in observations being omitted from the model: Armenia (childcare proxy n 1); Bangladesh (marital status n 79); Burundi (childcare proxy n 8); Ghana (childcare proxy n 19); Mali (childcare proxy n 14); Nepal (childcare proxy n 18, marital status n 4); Pakistan (childcare proxy n 26); Tajikistan (childcare proxy n 12); Uganda (childcare proxy n 24).
Type of employment was based on four indicators: (i) employment during the last 12 months (yes, no); (ii) aggregate occupation category (skilled, unskilled); (iii) type of earnings (cash only, cash and in-kind, in-kind only, unpaid); and (iv) seasonality of employment (all year, seasonally, occasionally).
The employment×education interaction term was retained in the following countries: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Haiti, Namibia, Tanzania and Timor-Leste. The relative difference in the employment–overweight association, comparing mothers with high and those with low education, is: for formal employment, POR=1·7 (95 % CI 0·97, 2·9); for informal employment, POR=0·71 (95 % CI 0·33, 1·5).