Peer-reviewed article
Expectant mothers and fathers' knowledge of nurturing care in a developing country
Hafize Soysal Cimen, Bedriye Tuğba Karaaslan ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study assessed the knowledge of expectant mothers and fathers in Turkey about the Nurturing Care Framework, which promotes early childhood development through five key components: good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and opportunities for early learning. A total of 103 expectant parents completed a 60-question knowledge inventory during their second or third trimester of pregnancy. Women had significantly better knowledge than men, and knowledge levels were higher among those with university education and those who attended pregnancy school training.
Key points
- Expectant parents showed strongest knowledge in responsive caregiving (mean 13.76) and weakest knowledge in opportunities for early learning (mean 4.35)
- Women had significantly higher nurturing care knowledge than men
- Parents with university or graduate education demonstrated significantly higher knowledge levels
- Attendance at pregnancy school training was associated with significantly higher knowledge
- Parents who already knew how to support child development had significantly higher nurturing care knowledge
Limitations
The study had a very small sample of men (11.7%) which limits understanding of gender differences; the cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or determine whether knowledge differences translate into actual parenting practices after birth.
Abstract
Background The Nurturing Care Framework (NCF), which has been emphasized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in recent years and is among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), expresses the conditions created to promote early childhood development (ECD). These conditions aim to provide opportunities for children in the Good Health, Adequate Nutrition, Responsive Caregiving, Security and Safety, and Opportunities for Early Learning (5 Components) by caregivers, primarily from low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this study is to examine the knowledge and awareness of expectant mothers and fathers in Turkey, about the NCF. Methods In this study, a cross-sectional, analytical research design was used. Nurturing Care (NC) knowledge and awareness levels of expectant mothers and fathers in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy were determined via the online form of “The Knowledge of Nurturing Care Inventory (KNCI)” prepared by the researchers. This form consists of 60 questions describing the 5 components mentioned above. The sample contains a total of 103 people, 91 (88.3%) women, and 12 (11.7%) men. Results Among the findings, the highest mean of knowledge level (13.76 ± 1.22) was found in Responsive Caregiving, and the lowest mean of knowledge level (4.35 ± 1.83) was found in Opportunities for Early Learning. The general level of knowledge on NC was found to vary statistically significantly depending on gender in favor of the women [t(101) = 3.27, p < .05], depending on educational status in favor of those with university and graduate education [F(2, 100) = 3.481, p < .05], depending on participation in pregnancy school training in favor of those who attended [t(101) = 2.349, p < .05], and depending on knowledge on how to support development in favor of those who know how to support [t(101) = 2.370, p < .05]. Conclusions As a result, expectant parents need information and support about the period when children can acquire the basic developmental milestones and about the developmental risk indicators. More research is needed to implement the NCF starting from the preconception period, especially in LMICs, so that the opportunities in early childhood (which is the time period when the brain architecture is shaped, and development is the fastest) are not missed.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Assessment of knowledge levels using The Knowledge of Nurturing Care Inventory, a 60-question tool covering the five components of the Nurturing Care Framework
- Population
- Expectant mothers (n=91) and fathers (n=12) in Turkey in their second or third trimester of pregnancy
Key finding
Mean knowledge scores ranged from 4.35 (opportunities for early learning) to 13.76 (responsive caregiving) out of maximum scores
Cimen et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 22 Nov 2022