Caretakers, Child Care Practices, and Growth Failure in Highland Ecuador

Problems for child health have been attributed to child and sibling caretaking. Nevertheless, our data from highland Ecuador suggest an ambiguous relationship between growth failure and the practice of peer care. In a region where levels of chronic undernutrition as measured by stunting exceed 75 pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical anthropology quarterly 2000-06, Vol.14 (2), p.224-241
Main Authors: Stansbury, James P., Leonard, William R., Dewalt, Kathleen M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anthropometric measurements
Body Mass Index
Caregivers
Child
Child Care
Child Development
Child growth
Child nutrition
Childrearing Practices
Children
Communities
Ecuador
Family
Family relations
Female
Health care
Health Problems
Highlands
Humans
Male
Malnutrition
Medical anthropology
Mothers
Mountain Regions
Nutrition
Nutrition Policy
Rural Poverty
Siblings
Social Environment
Social policy
W. H. R. Rivers Graduate Prize Essay
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Summary:Problems for child health have been attributed to child and sibling caretaking. Nevertheless, our data from highland Ecuador suggest an ambiguous relationship between growth failure and the practice of peer care. In a region where levels of chronic undernutrition as measured by stunting exceed 75 percent and fully one-quarter of children under five are underweight, analysis of structured observations of a sample of 28 children reveals no statistical association between growth indices and the practice of older children caring for younger children. Qualitative data, however, indicate that the practice can be a complication in specific cases where children already suffer compromised health. While the advantages or disadvantages associated with particular caretakers appear secondary to the risks attending inadequate diets or the broader environment of rural poverty, the potential for difficulties to emerge from peer care suggests that community day care provides a valuable alternative in this context.
ISSN:0745-5194
1548-1387
DOI:10.1525/maq.2000.14.2.224