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Caregiving Arrangement and Nutrition: Good News with Some Reservations

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of caregiving arrangement on the iron and folate status of infants and toddlers reared at home or enrolled in centre-based, independent home, or licensed home care. One hundred and eighty-nine children aged 2 to 29 months were assessed 1 month prior to child care entry and at 6 months after entry into child care. Dietary (24-hour records), anthropometric (height, weight, head circumference) and biochemical (red blood cell folate, hematocrit, transferrin, and serum ferritin concentrations) methods were used to assess nutritional status. Frequency of illness was determined by a series of telephone interviews. Median intake of nutrients exceeded Canadian recommendations, regardless of care arrangement. Fifteen of 65 children had hematocrit values below age-specific cutoffs at the 6-month post-entry to child care visit. Children were frequently taken to obtain medical advice (average of 4 to 6 times during the study period) and 75% of subjects were prescribed at least one course of antibiotics. In conclusion, infants and toddlers in this study were generally well nourished, regardless of child care arrangement; however, iron status may remain an issue in this sample of infants and toddlers.

Résumé

Cette étude avait pour objectif d’évaluer l’impact du type de garderie choisi pour des nourrissons et des tout-petits, élevés à la maison ou inscrits dans des centres ou des services de garderie à domicile agréés, sur leur bilan en fer et en acide folique. Cent quatre vingt neuf (189) enfants âgés de 2 à 29 mois ont fait l’objet d’un examen un mois avant leur entrée dans un service de garderie et six mois plus tard. Pour évaluer leur état nutritionnel, on s’est servi des mesures anthropométriques (taille, poids, périmètre crânien) et biochimiques (acide folique dans les globules rouges, hématocrite, transferrine et concentrations de ferritine sérique) ainsi que des données diététiques (registres tenus 24 h sur 24 h). La fréquence des maladies a été déterminée à l’aide d’une série d’entretiens téléphoniques. l’apport moyen en nutriments dépassait les recommandations canadiennes, quel que soit le type de garderie choisi. Lors de l’examen fait six mois après leur entrée dans un service de garderie, l’hématocrite était inférieure aux seuils de rétention selon l’âge chez 15 enfants sur 65. Les consultations médicales pour les enfants avaient été fréquentes (de 4 à 6 en moyenne pendant la période à l’étude) et des antibiotiques avaient été prescrits au moins une fois à 75% des sujets. En conclusion, on peut dire que les nourrissons et les tout-petits étaient en général bien nourris quel que soit le type de garderie choisi; toutefois, pour cet échantillon, le bilan en fer pouvait apparaître problématique.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Rachel A. Goodwin MSc, RD, Andrea C. Buchholz MSc, RD, Barbara Stuart MSc & Deborah L. O’Connor PhD, RD

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Margaret K. McKim PhD

  3. Department of Pediatric Nutrition Research and Development, Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, 625 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43215-1724, USA

    Deborah L. O’Connor PhD, RD

Authors
  1. Rachel A. Goodwin MSc, RD
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  2. Andrea C. Buchholz MSc, RD
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  3. Margaret K. McKim PhD
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  4. Barbara Stuart MSc
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  5. Deborah L. O’Connor PhD, RD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Deborah L. O’Connor PhD, RD.

Additional information

This work was supported, in part, by the Child Care Initiatives Fund of Health Canada.

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Goodwin, R.A., Buchholz, A.C., McKim, M.K. et al. Caregiving Arrangement and Nutrition: Good News with Some Reservations. Can J Public Health 90, 45–51 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404099

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404099

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