A qualitative study of maternal and paternal parenting knowledge and practices in rural Mozambique

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dc.creatorAhun, Marilyn N.
dc.creatorBliznashka, Lilia
dc.creatorKaruskina-Drivdale, Svetlana
dc.creatorRegina, Gino
dc.creatorYousafzai, Aisha K.
dc.creatorJeong, Joshua
dc.date2024-07-03
dc.date2024-07-08T15:20:08Z
dc.date2024-07-08T15:20:08Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T15:05:20Z
dc.descriptionBackground: Providing nurturing care for young children is essential for promoting early child development (ECD). However, there is limited knowledge about how mothers and fathers across diverse contexts in sub-Saharan Africa care for their children and from whom they receive guidance and support in their caregiving roles. We aimed to examine caregivers’ nurturing care practices and sources of parenting knowledge in rural Mozambique. Methods: This is a secondary analysis using data from a qualitative evaluation of a pilot intervention to improve nurturing care for early child health and development within existing health systems. The evaluation was conducted across three primary care health facilities and their catchment areas in Nampula province, Mozambique. For this study, we analyzed data from in-depth interviews conducted with 36 caregivers (32 mothers and 4 fathers) to investigate mothers’ and fathers’ daily caregiving experiences. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: Caregivers described various caregiving roles relating to general caregiving of young children (e.g., feeding, bathing, caring for child’s health) and stimulation (e.g., play and communication) activities. Mothers more commonly engaged in general caregiving activities than fathers, whereas both mothers and fathers engaged in stimulation activities. Other family members, including siblings, grandparents, and aunts/uncles, were also actively engaged in general caregiving activities. With respect to sources of parenting knowledge, caregivers received parenting guidance and support primarily from their own mothers/parents and facility-based health providers. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of adopting a holistic approach involving caregivers and their context and reveal potential strategies to promote caregiving and ECD in rural Mozambique and similar contexts.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/148968
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/94172
dc.languageen
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceAhun, Marilyn N.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Karuskina-Drivdale, Svetlana; Regina, Gino; Yousafzai, Aisha K.; and Jeong, Joshua. 2024. A qualitative study of maternal and paternal parenting knowledge and practices in rural Mozambique. BMC Public Health 24: 1778. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19291-2
dc.subjectparental behaviour
dc.subjectmaternal behaviour
dc.subjectchild development
dc.subjectfathers
dc.subjectmothers
dc.titleA qualitative study of maternal and paternal parenting knowledge and practices in rural Mozambique
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI)