Caregiver and Child Health Under Lockdown: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Caregiver Outcomes, Caregiving Behaviors, and Health Services Utilization in Rural China
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated societal and health inequities globally. In rural China, in particular, disparities in caregiver and child health already existed and may have shifted, in part due to the uniquely strict lockdown mandates. Caregiver outcomes, caregiving behaviors, and perinatal health services utilization seemingly changed immediately for the many under-resourced communities in rural China. By studying the outcomes and behaviors of families with children born before lockdowns and those with children born during lockdowns, I identify the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities in rural China. I find that paternal but not maternal migration significantly slowed during the pandemic and related lockdowns, which may have contributed to the significantly improved mental health outcomes in caregivers – most often mothers and grandmothers in rural China – through heightened social support. Caregiving behaviors of household and nutrition expenditures and infant feeding practices generally remained the same, other than a significant increase in spending on infant micronutrient supplements. Perinatal health services utilization suffered significantly in some areas, particularly in postnatal care, yet significantly improved in other areas, such as in aspects of prenatal care. This research has implications in public health initiatives and global health policies to improve quality of life for the most vulnerable populations. Contributing knowledge through academic research to the literature on caregiver and child health is essential to promoting equity and transforming lives.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date modified | December 5, 2022 |
| Publication date | July 22, 2022 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Wang, Isabel |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor | Rozelle, Scott |
| Thesis advisor | Darmstadt, Gary |
Subjects
| Subject | Rural China |
|---|---|
| Subject | Public health |
| Subject | COVID-19 (Disease) |
| Subject | Health services accessibility |
| Subject | Mental health |
| Subject | China |
| Subject | Infants > Health and hygiene |
| Subject | Infants > Development |
| Subject | Infants > Nutrition |
| Subject | Caregiver and Child Health |
| Subject | Maternal health services |
| Subject | Caregivers > Health and hygiene |
| Subject | Caregivers > Mental health |
| Genre | Text |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred citation
- Wang, Isabel Z. (2022). Caregiver and Child Health Under Lockdown: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Caregiver Outcomes, Caregiving Behaviors, and Health Services Utilization in Rural China. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/gh875sq6232
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University
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- Contact
- isabelwang@alumni.stanford.edu
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