Grandmothers

Central scaffolding sources impacting maternal and infant feeding practices in Colombia

Bibliographic Data

ID15537166
AuthorsNatalia Concha (0000-0002-5016-886X, London School of Economics and Political Science, corresponding author), Sandra Jovchelovitch (0000-0002-0073-2792, London School of Economics and Political Science)
Year2021
Volume17
IssueS1
Pagese13162-e13162
Publication date2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.13162
PMID34241952
OpenAlexW3182011032
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited64

A growing body of evidence highlights that maternal and child nutrition programmes need to extend beyond the mother-child dyad by adopting a family systems approach, particularly in the Global South. Guided by a sociocultural and community psychology understanding of health, the paper explores factors identifying grandmothers as central resources for nutrition programmes. The study was conducted in a Colombian urban periphery applying a qualitative longitudinal design (prenatal and postpartum). It is based on interviews with adolescent mothers and mothers in their 20s (n = 35 at T1; n = 21 at T2), grandmothers (n = 15 at T1; n = 12 at T2) and community/public stakeholders (n = 17). Many of the participants live in low-income households headed by grandmothers, who adjust feeding practices to the extent of their economic capacity. Findings reveal grandmothers play a central role in decision-making and in enabling a holistic support system for the dyad. This is defined as grandmothers' scaffolding; it covers nutrition advice, breastfeeding and infant feeding, cultural practices, caregiving and maternal mental health. The study helps build the evidence-base for the transferability of a family systems approach to Global South regions by using sociocultural and community psychology concepts to fortify the rationale for including grandmothers in maternal and child nutrition programmes. It argues for the need to continue raising the visibility of key actors like grandmothers and for nutrition programmes to align themselves more flexibly with the needs of families experiencing poverty

Breastfeeding · Developmental psychology · Dyad · Economic growth · Poverty · Qualitative research · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Psychology · Pediatrics

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