IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijphth/v62y2017i1d10.1007_s00038-016-0844-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Child feeding and stunting prevalence in left-behind children: a descriptive analysis of data from a central and western Chinese population

Author

Listed:
  • Lu Ban

    (University of Nottingham)

  • Sufang Guo

    (UNICEF China)

  • Robert W. Scherpbier

    (UNICEF China)

  • Xiaoli Wang

    (Peking University)

  • Hong Zhou

    (Peking University)

  • Laila J. Tata

    (University of Nottingham)

Abstract

Objectives To examine the effect of parental rural-to-urban internal migration on nutritional status of left-behind children and how this is related to guardianship. Methods We used UNICEF China’s maternal and child health survey data to investigate stunting prevalence and feeding practices in children left behind by rural-to-urban internal migrant parents. We also assessed the effects of primary guardianship which is related closely with parental migration. Results Of 6136 children aged 0–3 years, over one-third was left behind by one or both parents. About 13 % were left behind by mothers, leaving guardianship primarily to grandmothers. Left-behind status was not associated with stunting, yet children who were cared for primarily by their fathers had a 32 % increase of stunting compared to children cared for by the mothers [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.32; 95 % confidence interval = 1.04–1.67]. Children with migrant mothers were less likely to receive age-appropriate breastfeeding (aOR = 0.04;0.02–0.10) and a minimum acceptable diet (aOR = 0.56;0.39–0.79) compared with non-left-behind children. Conclusions Guardian’s feeding behaviours varied, and was inappropriate for both children affected and not affected by parent’s rural-to-urban internal migration. Community-based infant and young child feeding counselling and support should be provided to all caregivers.

Suggested Citation

  • Lu Ban & Sufang Guo & Robert W. Scherpbier & Xiaoli Wang & Hong Zhou & Laila J. Tata, 2017. "Child feeding and stunting prevalence in left-behind children: a descriptive analysis of data from a central and western Chinese population," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(1), pages 143-151, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijphth:v:62:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s00038-016-0844-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s00038-016-0844-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00038-016-0844-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00038-016-0844-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liang, Zai & Chen, Yiu Por, 2004. "Migration and Gender in China: An Origin-Destination Linked Approach," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 52(2), pages 423-443, January.
    2. Brown, T.M. & Cueto, M. & Fee, E., 2006. "The World Health Organization and the transition from international to global public health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(1), pages 62-72.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Justina Račaitė & Jutta Lindert & Khatia Antia & Volker Winkler & Rita Sketerskienė & Marija Jakubauskienė & Linda Wulkau & Genė Šurkienė, 2021. "Parent Emigration, Physical Health and Related Risk and Preventive Factors of Children Left Behind: A Systematic Review of Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Liping Fu & Yuhui Wang & Lanping He, 2020. "Factors Associated with the Psychological Health of Caregiving Older Parents and Support from Their Grown Children: Results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-11, January.
    3. Xu Tian & Caicui Ding & Chong Shen & Hui Wang, 2017. "Does Parental Migration Have Negative Impact on the Growth of Left-Behind Children?—New Evidence from Longitudinal Data in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-10, October.
    4. Babar Nawaz Abbasi & Zhimin Luo & Ali Sohail, 2023. "Effect of parental migration on the noncognitive abilities of left-behind school-going children in rural China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhen Li & Zai Liang, 2016. "Gender and job mobility among rural to urban temporary migrants in the Pearl River Delta in China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(16), pages 3455-3471, December.
    2. Smriti Rao & Kade Finnoff, 2015. "Marriage Migration and Inequality in India, 1983–2008," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(3), pages 485-505, September.
    3. Heywood, John S. & Siebert, W. Stanley & Wei, Xiangdong, 2009. "Job Satisfaction and the Labor Market Institutions in Urban China," IZA Discussion Papers 4254, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Avraham Ebenstein & Yaohui Zhao, 2015. "Tracking rural-to-urban migration in China: Lessons from the 2005 inter-census population survey," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 69(3), pages 337-353, November.
    5. Zheng Mu & Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, 2018. "For Money or for a Life: A Mixed-Method Study on Migration and Time Use in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 347-379, August.
    6. Gao, Wenshu & Smyth, Russell, 2011. "Economic returns to speaking 'standard Mandarin' among migrants in China's urban labour market," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 342-352, April.
    7. Wang Sophie Xuefei, 2014. "The Effect of Parental Migration on the Educational Attainment of Their Left-Behind Children in Rural China," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 14(3), pages 1-44, July.
    8. Rory Horner, 2017. "What is global development," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 202017, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    9. Gebremeskel Berhane Tesfay & Babatunde Abidoye, 2019. "Shocks in food availability and intra-household resources allocation: evidence on children nutrition outcomes in Ethiopia," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-21, December.
    10. Joseph Cummins & Anaka Aiyar, 2017. "Age-Profile Estimates of the Relationship Between Economic Growth and Child Health," Working Papers 201710, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics.
    11. Helble, Matthias & Ali, Zulfiqar & Lego, Jera, 2018. "A Comparison of Global Governance Across Sectors: Global Health, Trade, and Multilateral Development Finance," ADBI Working Papers 806, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    12. Isabel Iguacel & Laura Escartín & Juan M. Fernández-Alvira & Iris Iglesia & Idoia Labayen & Luis A. Moreno & María Pilar Samper & Gerardo Rodríguez, 2018. "Early life risk factors and their cumulative effects as predictors of overweight in Spanish children," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 63(4), pages 501-512, May.
    13. Brimnes, Niels, 2008. "BCG vaccination and WHO's global strategy for tuberculosis control 1948-1983," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 863-873, September.
    14. Kehr, Janina & Muinde, Jacinta Victoria Syombua & Prince, Ruth J., 2023. "Health for all? Pasts, presents and futures of aspirations for universal healthcare," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    15. Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska, 2020. "“Why not ask the doctor?” Barriers in help-seeking for sexual problems among older adults in Poland," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(8), pages 1507-1515, November.
    16. Mu, Ren & van de Walle, Dominique, 2011. "Left behind to farm? Women's labor re-allocation in rural China," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(S1), pages 83-97.
    17. Rajkumar, Vidya Bharathi, 2021. "Male Migration and the Emergence of Female Farm Management in India," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315329, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Steffen Flessa & Dominik Dietz & Elisabete Weiderpass, 2016. "Health policy support under extreme uncertainty: the case of cervical cancer in Cambodia," EURO Journal on Decision Processes, Springer;EURO - The Association of European Operational Research Societies, vol. 4(3), pages 183-218, November.
    19. Ryo Horii & Masako Ikefuji, 2014. "Environment and Growth," DSSR Discussion Papers 21, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University.
    20. Bridget O'Laughlin & Imrana Qadeer & Rama Baru, 2016. "Forum 2016," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(4), pages 760-781, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijphth:v:62:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s00038-016-0844-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.