The Impact of Maternal Income on the Dietary and Nutritional Status of Preschool Children in Urban Areas

This analysis is based on the data from CHINA HEALTH AND NUTRlITION SURVEY in collaboration with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill undertaken in 8 provinczs of Chinain 1991 and 1993.Totally, 315 and 244 mother-child pairs under age 6 were investigated in urban areas. Descriptive analysis and stratified analysis are applied to investigate the impact of maternal income on the dietary and nutritional status of children. It is found that the nutrients intake by children in higher maternal income group is greater and the proportion of undernourished children is lower than in lower naternal income group. After adjustment for family income, the results show that percentage of maternal income contributed to nutritional status. The higher the percentage,the better nourished their children, especially in low income households of urban areas. So it is illustrated that maternal income may be more important for children's well-being than is the others’income in the urban families.