Social Determinants of Child Health in Colombia: Can Community Education Moderate the Effect of Family Characteristics?

Ana M. Osorio, Universitat de Barcelona and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana-Cali
Catalina Bolance, Universitat de Barcelona
Nyovani Madise, University of Southampton
Katharina Rathmann, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Contextual effects on child health have been investigated extensively in previous research. However, few studies have considered the interplay between community characteristics and individual-level variables. This study examines the influence of community education and family socioeconomic factors on child health, as well as explores their interactions. Using data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), weighted multilevel models are fitted since the data are not self-weighting. The results show a positive impact of community education on child health, even after controlling for socioeconomic characteristics. The interaction terms highlight the importance of community education as a moderator of the impact of family characteristics, such as mother’s own education and autonomy, on child health. Our findings suggest that community intervention programmes may have differential effects on child health. Therefore, their identification can contribute to a better targeting of child care policies.