Associations between maternal capabilities for care and nurturing care behaviours among mother-child dyads in Malawi and South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Adequate nurturing care behaviours, including feeding practices, health-seeking and psychosocial stimulation, are crucial for the optimal health, growth and development of young children. However, several factors, recognised as maternal 'capabilities for care', can influence a mother's capability to provide adequate care, namely knowledge/beliefs, physical health and nutritional status, mental health, autonomy, reasonable workload/time availability and social support. As part of the Khula birth cohort study, we aimed to investigate if maternal capabilities for care are associated with nurturing care behaviours among mother-child dyads in Malawi (n = 122) and South Africa (n = 206). When children were 10-16 months of age, mothers competed a series of self-reported sociodemographic, child di

SUBMITTER: Smith TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12404457 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature