Abstract
BackgroundHIV/AIDS can have a disastrous effect on household food and nutrition security outcomes such as stunting in children under 5. However, stunting and HIV/AIDS are highly gendered phenomena that need to be explored in order to get an in-depth understanding of the interrelationship. This study was therefore aimed at investigating gender dimensions of the impact of HIV/AIDS on stunting in children under 5 years in Zimbabwe.MethodsThe study uses a large scale nationally representative cross-sectional dataset of 13,854 Zimbabwean households for the year 2019. To test hypothesis 1, the study employs binary choice models (Probit and Logit) since the outcome variable household HIV/AIDS status is dichotomous. To test hypothesis 2 and 3, the study employs the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to circumvent the self-selection problem in the creation of treatment and control groups for households affected by HIV/AIDS and those that are not.ResultsThe results revealed that household HIV/AIDS status is independent of the gender of household head. On the other hand, the results for the PSM estimates show that the probability of the household having a stunted child under 5 years is higher for households with an HIV positive member compared to those without. In addition, female headed households with an HIV positive member are more likely to have a stunted child under 5 years compared to male headed households under similar circumstances.ConclusionOverall, the results provide evidence of a higher risk of stunting among children from households affected by HIV/AIDS. The study offers three major findings. Firstly, the study finds no significant association between gender of the household head and household HIV/AIDS status. Secondly, households that have at least one HIV positive member are more likely to have a stunted child under 5 years. Lastly, female headed households with at least one HIV positive member are more likely to have a stunted child under 5 years compared to male headed household with similar HIV/AIDS status. The findings have important policy implications towards improved integration of HIV/AIDS status, household head gender and child nutrition services in affected households.
Highlights
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) can have a disastrous effect on household food and nutrition security outcomes such as stunting in children under 5
The study finds no significant association between gender of the household head and household HIV/AIDS status
Results from a secondary analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data collected from 18 countries in subSaharan Africa [17] reviewed similar trend, where children from HIV/AIDS affected households were significantly more likely to be stunted compared to their counterparts of similar demographic and socioeconomic background but from households not affected by HIV/AIDS
Summary
HIV/AIDS can have a disastrous effect on household food and nutrition security outcomes such as stunting in children under 5. Households with people living with HIV (PLWH IV) are more likely to be food and nutrition insecure through incapacitation of the most productive household members, decreased household economic capacity, decreased household agricultural output, and increased caregiver burden [6], posing higher stunting risk to children under 5 years resident in those households. The result points to self-selection bias associated with household HIV status These results mirror those from the study of Adeyemi [13] where the results showed socio-economic characteristics such as marital status, education and income level as some of the determinants of sexually transmitted infections
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
