Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition
Abstract This study aims to understand nutrition‐related roles, responsibilities and ethical issues of grandparents caring for their grandchildren in skip‐generation households in rural Cambodia. Over the past decade, Cambodia has experienced a rise in economic migration of working age populations....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13169 |
| _version_ | 1818573846281715712 |
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| author | Mira Leonie Schneiders Maly Phou Vira Tum Maureen Kelley Michael Parker Claudia Turner |
| author_facet | Mira Leonie Schneiders Maly Phou Vira Tum Maureen Kelley Michael Parker Claudia Turner |
| author_sort | Mira Leonie Schneiders |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study aims to understand nutrition‐related roles, responsibilities and ethical issues of grandparents caring for their grandchildren in skip‐generation households in rural Cambodia. Over the past decade, Cambodia has experienced a rise in economic migration of working age populations. This has resulted in increasing numbers of ‘skip‐generation’ households, in which grandparents and grandchildren co‐reside without parents, reflecting potential household vulnerability. This qualitative study involved in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions with Cambodian grandparents who were primary caregivers to grandchildren for six months or longer. A total of 39 grandparents were recruited at two sites in north‐west Cambodia. Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in Khmer and were recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Grandparents in this study looked after an average of three children, aged between two months and 18 years old. Overall, 40% were sole caregivers. Analysis showed that grandparents, particularly grandmothers, played a central role in their grandchildren's health and nutrition. Although grandchildren's health and nutrition were a major priority to grandparents, they reported facing significant challenges to safeguard their grandchildren's and their own nutritional needs. As a result, grandparents frequently faced difficult ethical trade‐offs and prioritised their grandchildren's health and nutrition over their own. This study highlights that in order to improve child nutrition, policies and interventions need to be designed in ways that support and enable grandparent caregivers to meet their grandchildren's health and nutritional needs without neglecting their own. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:18:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63dd336482aa4782aa0a5b2f9eeef2f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1740-8695 1740-8709 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:18:21Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-63dd336482aa4782aa0a5b2f9eeef2f02022-12-21T22:42:24ZengWileyMaternal and Child Nutrition1740-86951740-87092021-07-0117S1n/an/a10.1111/mcn.13169Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutritionMira Leonie Schneiders0Maly Phou1Vira Tum2Maureen Kelley3Michael Parker4Claudia Turner5Ethox Centre, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Population Health University of Oxford Oxford UKFHI 360 Cambodia Office Phnom Penh CambodiaHelpAge Cambodia Battambang CambodiaEthox Centre, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Population Health University of Oxford Oxford UKEthox Centre, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Population Health University of Oxford Oxford UKAngkor Hospital for Children Siem Reap CambodiaAbstract This study aims to understand nutrition‐related roles, responsibilities and ethical issues of grandparents caring for their grandchildren in skip‐generation households in rural Cambodia. Over the past decade, Cambodia has experienced a rise in economic migration of working age populations. This has resulted in increasing numbers of ‘skip‐generation’ households, in which grandparents and grandchildren co‐reside without parents, reflecting potential household vulnerability. This qualitative study involved in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions with Cambodian grandparents who were primary caregivers to grandchildren for six months or longer. A total of 39 grandparents were recruited at two sites in north‐west Cambodia. Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in Khmer and were recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Grandparents in this study looked after an average of three children, aged between two months and 18 years old. Overall, 40% were sole caregivers. Analysis showed that grandparents, particularly grandmothers, played a central role in their grandchildren's health and nutrition. Although grandchildren's health and nutrition were a major priority to grandparents, they reported facing significant challenges to safeguard their grandchildren's and their own nutritional needs. As a result, grandparents frequently faced difficult ethical trade‐offs and prioritised their grandchildren's health and nutrition over their own. This study highlights that in order to improve child nutrition, policies and interventions need to be designed in ways that support and enable grandparent caregivers to meet their grandchildren's health and nutritional needs without neglecting their own.https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13169ageingcare‐givingfamily influencesgrandparent caregivinghealth policyinfant and child nutrition |
| spellingShingle | Mira Leonie Schneiders Maly Phou Vira Tum Maureen Kelley Michael Parker Claudia Turner Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition Maternal and Child Nutrition ageing care‐giving family influences grandparent caregiving health policy infant and child nutrition |
| title | Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition |
| title_full | Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition |
| title_fullStr | Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition |
| title_short | Grandparent caregiving in Cambodian skip‐generation households: Roles and impact on child nutrition |
| title_sort | grandparent caregiving in cambodian skip generation households roles and impact on child nutrition |
| topic | ageing care‐giving family influences grandparent caregiving health policy infant and child nutrition |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13169 |
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