Uganda data.

Parenting programs have primarily focused on supporting mothers with knowledge and practice of responsive caregiving. However, the role of non-primary caregivers such as grandparents, aunts, and older siblings has not been adequately addressed in programming. Using ChildFund International’s programmatic data from Kenya and Uganda, this cross-sectional study examined the extent to which children aged 0–5 years were left in the care of non-primary caregivers in the household and whether the primary caregivers’ absence was associated with engagement by non-primary caregivers. We found that a considerable proportion of children aged 0–5 years in Kenya and Uganda were entrusted in the care of non-primary caregivers for at least 3 days or more during the week. Yet, the primary caregivers’ absence was not consistently associated with greater engagement by fathers and other members of the household. Our findings call for parenting programs to consider adopting a holistic and contextualized approach where all involved caregivers are intentionally targeted rather than focusing just on the identified primary caregiver alone.

育儿项目以往主要聚焦于为母亲提供回应式照护（responsive caregiving）的相关知识与实践指导。然而，祖父母、姑姨、年长兄姐等非主要照护者（non-primary caregivers）的角色，在相关项目中并未得到充分重视。本研究依托国际儿童救助组织（ChildFund International）在肯尼亚与乌干达的项目数据，开展了一项横断面研究（cross-sectional study），旨在考察0至5岁儿童交由家庭内非主要照护者照护的周时长占比，以及主要照护者缺位是否与非主要照护者的照护参与度存在关联。研究发现，在肯尼亚与乌干达，有相当比例的0至5岁儿童每周至少有3天及以上的时间被托付给非主要照护者照护。然而，主要照护者的缺位并未始终与父亲及其他家庭成员更高的照护参与度相关联。本研究结果呼吁育儿项目采用整体性与情境化结合的实施策略，有意识地覆盖所有参与照护的人员，而非仅聚焦于已明确的主要照护者。