Relationship Between Women’s Financial Inclusion and Children’s Nutritional Status in Rulindo District, Rwanda

Background Childhood malnutrition remains a critical public health issue in Rwanda, with stunting rates at 33%, underweight at 8%, and wasting at 1%. Stunting rates are particularly high in rural areas with 36.7% of children compared to 20% in urban areas. Women are the primary caregivers for children, and their financial inclusion could play a significant role in improving child nutritional status. Objectives The primary aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between women's financial inclusion and children’s nutritional status in Rulindo District. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted in Rulindo District (February 2024) among 315 households with children aged 6–59 months. Researchers collected data on financial inclusion through questionnaires and assessed children's nutritional status using anthropometric tools. WHO Anthro software, and SPSS version 25.0 were used to analyze the collected data. Results The study found that stunting rates are lower than national averages, where 29.5% were stunted 7.6% of the children were underweight, and 1% were wasted which was higher than national level. On the other hand, Agriculture was identified as the primary source of income for 92.4% (291) of participants. Over half, 54.6% (172), had a monthly income between 5,000 and 50,000 Rwandan francs. More than half, 54% (172), held personal bank accounts primarily used for savings related to childcare. While 74.8% (235) of participants knew where to obtain loans and 64.3% (151) had previously borrowed, 73.6% (231) were unaware of loans specifically for food purchases The study highlights income stability as key factor of women’s financial inclusion as women with consistent income are less likely to have stunted children COR (95%CI) were 3.701(95% CI: 1.363–10.44), with P-value = 0.010. Over half of women have bank account (54%) and saving for the future was associated with a significant decrease in stunting were 0.481(95% CI: 0.281–0.818,), with P-value = 0.007 and wasting 0.284(95% CI: 0.993 − 0.873), with P-value = 0.028. Microfinance membership offered a mixed picture; it is linked to a 2.67 times lower risk of stunting 2.667(95% CI:1.329–5.351), with P-Value: 0.006, but also a higher risk of underweight were 4.711(95% CI:1.171–18.95), with P-value = 0.029. Conclusion This study implies that financial inclusion enhances children's nutritional well-being, particularly among households with stable incomes. However, it highlights the need to address financial literacy gaps and explore the complexities of microfinance use.