Does education offset the effect of maternal disadvantage on childhood anaemia in Tanzania? Evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study

Background: Despite being preventable, anaemia is a major public health problem that affects a sizable number of children under-five years globally and in Tanzania. This study examined the maternal factors associated with the risk of anaemia among under-five children in Tanzania. We also assessed whether higher maternal education could reduce the risks of anaemia among children of women with poor socio-economic status. Methods: Data was drawn from the 2015-16 Tanzania demographic and health survey and malaria indicator survey for 7916 children under five years. Adjusted odds ratios were estimated by fitting a proportional odds model to examine the maternal risk factors of anaemia. Stratified analysis was done to examine how the relationship differed across maternal educational levels. Results: The findings revealed that maternal disadvantage evident in young motherhood [AOR:1.43, 95%CI:1.16-1.75], no formal education [AOR:1.53, 95%CI:1.25-1.89], unemployment [AOR:1.31, 95%CI:1.15-1.49], poorest household wealth [AOR:1.50, 95%CI:1.17-1.91], and non-access to health insurance [AOR:1.26, 95%CI: 1.03-1.53] were risk factors of anaemia among children in the sample. Sub-group analysis by maternal education showed that the risks were not evident when the mother has secondary or higher education. However, having an unmarried mother was associated with about four-times higher risk of anaemia if the mother is uneducated [AOR:4.04, 95%CI:1.98-8.24] compared with if the mother is currently in union. Conclusion: Findings from this study show that a secondary or higher maternal education may help reduce the socio-economic risk factors of anaemia among children under-5 years in Tanzania.