View article

The health and development potential of young children is dependent on nurturing care (NC) provided by primary caregivers. NC encompasses attention to nutrition; symptom management; early learning, attachment, and socialization; and security and safety. Despite the importance of NC to child health and development, the measurement and study of NC are neglected. This has become a point of major concern in the public health field in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) such as Colombia where many families are hard pressed for childcare resources. The aims of this study were therefore to (a) create age‐specific NC summary indexes (0–5, 6–11, and 12–23 months) suitable for research in LMICs and (2) examine the relationship of NC to maternal resources.

2010 Colombia Demographic and Health Survey data were obtained from mothers and their children ages 0–5 months …