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Cited by 110Global Maternal and Child HealthChild Nutrition and Water AccessReproductive Health and Contraception

Women's social networks and child survival in Mali

Adams, Alayne M, Madhavan, Sangeetha, Simon, Dominique·2002·Social Science & Medicine
DOI 10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00017-x
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Abstract

This paper explores the influence of women's social networks on child survival through a comparative investigation of two ethnic groups in Mali, West Africa. Data are drawn from a study of women's social networks and health conducted during the period 1996-97. Separate samples of 500 ever-married women aged 15-49 were surveyed at two geographically distinct sites representing Bamanan and Fulbe populations respectively. Consistent with known differences in economic risk, household structure, and cultural norms, descriptive analysis reveals a greater probability of child death among the Fulbe, and a larger mean size of total, material, practical and cognitive networks among the Bamanan. Cox regression models are used to examine the association between social network size, function and composition and the odds of child death (1-5 years). Among the various biological, household and community-level variables tested in the basic model, spacing exerts an expected negative effect on the odds of child death in both groups, while household SES predicts child survival only among Fulbe children. When variables representing the educational and psychosocial attributes of the mother are included, no effects are detected in either group. Controlling for these factors, the size of total, practical, cognitive and emotional networks are found to significantly increase the odds of child survival among the Fulbe only. Compositional variables, such as the extent to which natal kin, non-kin or husbands figure in a woman's network, nor the degree to which networks are located within household yield any significant results for the Fulbe. Among Bamanan women, however, the higher the proportion of network members living in the household, the lower the odds of child death. The paper concludes by discussing the methodological, conceptual and practical implications of these findings.

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  • Social support enhances the survival of an individual's children, meaning that being part of a supportive social network may increase reproductive success.

    “Furthermore, social support enhances the survival of an individual’s children, meaning that being part of a supportive social network may increase reproductive success [5,6].”

    From The ice-breaker effect: Singing mediates fast social bonding (2015) · cites this paper as [5]

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Authors
Adams, A. M., Madhavan, S., & Simon, D.
Affiliations
  • Columbia University (US)
  • Brown University (US)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
Corresponding author
Adams, Alayne M
ORCID
Venue
Social Science & Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2002-01
Volume
54
Issue
2
Pages
165-178
ISSN
0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00017-x
OpenAlex
W2152720749
Cited by
110
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 6
FWCI
3.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
Keywords
women's social networks, child survival, child mortality, Fulani, ethnic differences, network size, network composition, social support, household socioeconomic status, birth spacing, maternal education, Mali
MeSH terms
Adult, Child, Preschool, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Developing Countries, Family Characteristics, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant Mortality, Mali, Middle Aged, Power, Psychological, Social Support, Women, Proportional Hazards Models, Survival Analysis

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