Parental engagement in caregiving activities and its association with socioeconomic and child-rearing environment at home in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

Quality caregiving practices facilitate early childhood development. This study examined the levels of parents’ engagement in caregiving activities with children aged 36–59 months and the socioeconomic and child-rearing environmental factors. A total of 1035 children and their caregivers were analysed using the Vietnam Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014. Multivariate logistic regression was performed separately for each following outcome caregiving activity: reading books, telling stories, singing songs, naming/counting, taking the child outside, and playing with child. Results showed that fathers’ engagement levels were substantially lower than the mothers’ in all caregiving activities. Reading books and telling stories was among the least frequent activities engaged in by both parents. Results from the logistic regression model showed that parental high education level, richest household wealth, and having adequate learning resources at home were positively associated with parents’ engagement in caregiving activities. These findings provide important evidence for promoting positive parental caregiving.

KEYWORDS:

• Parental engagement
• early childhood development
• caregiving practices
• home environment

Data availability

The dataset supporting findings from this study can be accessed at MICS surveys. Website: https://mics.unicef.org/surveys.

Acknowledgements

We express our sincere gratitude to Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for giving us permission and access to the Vietnam MICS 2014 dataset.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xuan Minh Tri Tran

Tran Xuan Minh Tri, PhD Candidate, Department of Global Health Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.

Keiko Nakamura

Keiko Nakamura, Head of the Department of Global Health Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.

Saber Al-Sobaihi

Saber Al-Sobaihi, Post-doctoral of Research Fellow, Department of Global Health Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.

Kaoruko Seino

Kaoruko Seino, Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Global Health Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.