Peer-reviewed article
Measuring the intangible resources caregivers need to provide nurturing care during the complementary feeding period: a scoping review in low- and lower-middle-income countries
Hope C. Craig, Katherine Lynn Dickin, Amanda A. Zongrone, Mia Haller, Stephanie Cooper et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review examined how researchers measure the intangible resources caregivers need—such as knowledge, mental health, social support, and empowerment—to provide good care during complementary feeding (ages 6 months to 2 years) in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The review found 163 studies that measured at least one caregiver resource, though most studies measured only one resource and few described how measures were adapted for local contexts. Mental health and social support were the most frequently measured resources, but many important caregiver resources lack standardised measurement tools.
Key points
- 163 articles measured caregiver resources related to complementary feeding in low- and lower-middle-income countries
- Mental health was measured in 83 studies and social support in 54 studies, far more than other resources
- 77% of articles measured only one caregiver resource
- Psychometric properties were often reported for mental health measures but rarely for other constructs like empowerment or time sufficiency
- Few studies reported adapting measurement tools for specific cultural or local contexts
Limitations
This is a scoping review of published literature and does not evaluate an intervention or assess the actual adequacy of caregiver resources in practice. It describes what has been measured rather than what should be measured or how these resources actually affect child nutrition and development outcomes.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Caregivers require tangible (e.g. food and financial) and intangible resources to provide care to ensure child health, nutrition and development. Intangible resources include beliefs and knowledge, education, self-efficacy, perceived physical health, mental health, healthy stress levels, social support, empowerment, equitable gender attitudes, safety and security and time sufficiency. These intangible caregiver resources are included as intermediate outcomes in nutrition conceptual frameworks yet are rarely measured as part of maternal and child nutrition research or evaluations. To facilitate their measurement, this scoping review focused on understudied caregiver resources that have been measured during the complementary feeding period in low- and lower-middle-income countries. DESIGN: We screened 9,232 abstracts, reviewed 277 full-text articles and included 163 articles that measured caregiver resources related to complementary feeding or the nutritional status of children 6 months to 2 years of age. RESULTS: We identified measures of each caregiver resource, though the number of measures and quality of descriptions varied widely. Most articles (77 %) measured only one caregiver resource, mental health (n 83) and social support (n 54) most frequently. Psychometric properties were often reported for mental health measures, but less commonly for other constructs. Few studies reported adapting measures for specific contexts. Existing measures for mental health, equitable gender attitudes, safety and security and time sufficiency were commonly used; other constructs lacked standardised measures. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of caregiver resources during the complementary feeding period is limited. Measuring caregiver resources is essential for prioritising caregivers and understanding how resources influence child care, feeding and nutrition.