Fathers' level of involvement in childcare activities and its association with the diet quality of children in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the level of fathers' involvement in childcare activities and its association with the diet quality of their children in Northern Ghana.

Setting: The study was carried out in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions of Ghana. The people in the study area mostly depend on agriculture as their main occupation.

Design: A community-based comparative analytical cross-sectional study.

Participants: A sample of 422 rural mother-father pairs who had at least one child aged 6-36 months.

Results: The overall level of fathers' involvement in childcare and feeding activities was high among 63·5 % of the respondents in the 6 months prior to the study. The most common childcare activity men were involved in was providing money for the purchase of food for the child. Minimum acceptable diet was higher for children with a higher level of paternal involvement in childcare activities (adjusted OR = 3·33 (95 % CI: 1·41, 7·90)), compared to their counterparts whose father's involvement was poor. Fathers who had a positive attitude to childcare and feeding were 2·9 more likely to get involved in childcare activities (adjusted OR = 2·90 (95 % CI: 1·87, 4·48)).

Conclusions: The findings confirm earlier studies that show that fathers' involvement in childcare activities including feeding is positively associated with improved child feeding practices. The findings point to the need to have a policy shift in which both men and women are key actors in interventions designed to improve child nutritional status in rural settings of Northern Ghana.

Keywords: Childcare; Fathers’ attitude; Fathers’ involvement; Fathers’ nutrition-related knowledge; Northern Ghana; Rural settings.