‘Being a mother is not child's play’: The capabilities of mothers in a low‐resource setting in South Africa

Abstract

Background: The importance of a child's first 1000 days has now been widely accepted by the medical fraternity. Yet, we do not know much about caring practices in low-resource settings.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the caring capabilities of mothers in a low-resource setting.Method: In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 mothers with children aged 30 months or younger to better understand the arrangements, means and ends that inform developmental health in a low-resource setting in South Africa.The study was conducted in a low-income area, the former black township of Mangaung in Bloemfontein. The mothers were recruited via pamphlets, and two interviews followed. Because of Covid-19, interviews took place via mobile phones, in Sesotho, the local language in the area. Trained fieldworkers conducted, translated and transcribed the interviews. We used thematic analysis and the capabilities approach as the theoretical framework to analyse the responses from the mothers.Findings: We used the following organizing themes: pregnancy and ante-natal care, nutrition, cognitive and physical development, the home environment and access to health care. Although short-term reactions to pregnancy were often negative, the longer-term responses showed that the respondents have agency. Most of them could change their nutrition habits, breastfeed and receive adequate nutrition support from the public health system. Most experienced joy when their children reached milestones (cognitive and others), although they became anxious if milestones were not reached. They emphasized children's play and had dreams for their children's futures. Technology was often mentioned as playing a role in their children's development. A large proportion of the respondents had disrupted homes (because of absent or abusive fathers), but some had stable homes. Most of them showed substantial capability to overcome adverse home environments. The public

Global disability-adjusted life years and deaths attributable to child and maternal malnutrition from 1990 to 2019

“…It measures social development and provides an overall assessment of a country or region’s level of development, including per capita GDP, the average length of education of adults, and the fertility rate of women under the age of 25 ( 47 ). As countries and regions increase sustainable development indicators through higher levels of education, particularly for women, we can look forward to progress on these risks ( 48 ). While public health interventions such as immunization, breastfeeding, and improved sanitation can reduce neonatal and late neonatal deaths, moreover, the provision of personalized clinical care also supply as a significant decrease in early neonatal (and maternal) deaths ( 43 ).…”

“…Our results reveal that national economic level, medical expenditure, and the allocation of medical resources are crucial factors influencing the disease burden attributed to CMM. Countries with higher per capita GDP have better economic conditions, greater availability of health resources, improved accessibility and diversity of food, and a reduced likelihood of malnutrition among their residents compared to countries with low per capita GDP ( 48 ). Countries with higher per capita GDP also have greater capacity to achieve universal healthcare, reduced inequality in health status and determinants among residents, and more access to medical services ( 49 , 50 ).…”