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. 2020 Jul;16(3):e12977.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.12977. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Associations of maternal resources with care behaviours differ by resource and behaviour

Sulochana Basnet  1 , Edward A Frongillo  1 , Phuong Hong Nguyen  2 , Spencer Moore  1 , Mandana Arabi  3
Affiliations

Associations of maternal resources with care behaviours differ by resource and behaviour

Sulochana Basnet et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Care is important for children's growth and development, but lack or inadequacy of resources for care can constrain appropriate caregiving. The objectives of this study were to examine whether maternal resources for care are associated with care behaviours specifically infant and young child feeding, hygiene, health-seeking, and family care behaviours. The study also examined if some resources for care are more important than others. This study used baseline Alive & Thrive household surveys from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia. Measures of resources for care were maternal education, knowledge, height, nourishment, mental well-being, decision-making autonomy, employment, support in chores, and perceived instrumental support. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of resources for care with child-feeding practices (exclusive breastfeeding, minimum meal frequency, dietary and diversity), hygiene practices (improved drinking water source, improved sanitation, and cleanliness), health-seeking (full immunization), and family care (psychosocial stimulation and availability of adequate caregiver). The models were adjusted for covariates at child, parents, and household levels and accounted for geographic clustering. All measures of resources for care had positive associations with care behaviours; in a few instances, however, the associations between the resources for care and care behaviours were in the negative direction. Improving education, knowledge, nutritional status, mental well-being, autonomy, and social support among mothers would facilitate provision of optimal care for children.

Keywords: care behaviours; child feeding; family care behaviours; hygiene practices; immunization; resources for care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual framework depicting the role of maternal resources for care on care behaviors
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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