Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Over 50,000 children under age five die in South Africa every year due to acute \nrespiratory infections, diarrhea, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. Many of these deaths are \npreventable with timely immunization and better domestic sanitation and hygiene. Mothers are \nusually the main caregivers for young children, and they are the first to notice when their child is \nsick. Moreover, research across many developing countries reports a strong relationship between \nmaternal childcare practices and child health. This study interrogates whether there is an \nassociation between mothers who adopt health risk behaviors for themselves and the health \noutcomes of their children, as evidenced by timing of child immunizations and maternal reports \nof incidence of diarrhea and cough in the two weeks prior to data collection. The study is \nanchored on the theoretical debate about the extent to which individual agency versus social \nstructure determine the choice of healthy or risky lifestyles and the implications this may have on \nan individual’s dependent children. The theoretical framework is based on Cockerham’s (2005) \nproposed Health Lifestyle Paradigm, which conceptualizes a person’s dispositions or preferences \n(Bourdieu’s habitus) as shaped by the interplay of choices and chances, and ultimately resulting \nin the adoption of healthy or risky lifestyles. The framework has been extended to include \nmaternal health-related practices on behalf of their children that may impact their health \noutcomes. Maternal health risk behaviors are proxied by smoking, alcohol consumption, risky \nsexual practices and whether she is following treatment for a diagnosed condition, all relevant \nfactors in the South African context. The data come from the 1998 South African Demographic \nand Health Survey (SADHS). This study is limited to the subsample of 2,440 children under age \nfive that are matched with a mother in the same household. Logistic regression models are used \nto ascertain the existence and nature of the association between maternal health behaviors and \nchild outcomes net of other socioeconomic and demographic variables. The main findings are \nthat there are significant associations between maternal health risk behaviors and her child’s \nhealth outcomes. Maternal alcohol consumption is associated with delays in immunization, and \nchildren of mothers who do not take medications for a diagnosed condition are significantly \nmore likely to have had diarrhea or respiratory infections in the last two weeks. Data limitations \nprevent disentangling whether these findings are due to internalized maternal practices or \noverwhelming constraining structures that limit access to healthcare for both mother and child. \nPolicy ramifications and needs for future research are discussed.
Author: Leticia Fernández
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2131855438