Pablo Lesley A, Erkhembayar Ryenchindorj, Davison Colleen M
Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
Department of International Cyber Education, Graduate School, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 14210, Mongolia.
Children (Basel). 2021 Jul 8;8(7):584. doi: 10.3390/children8070584.
This study explored father involvement as a social determinant of child health within the context of macro-environmental changes in Mongolia. Using data for children aged 3-4 from UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, this cross-sectional analysis examined the association between father presence and engagement with child health and educational outcomes. Multivariate regression modeling was employed to identify associations between father presence, engagement, and child outcomes including fever, respiratory illness, diarrhea and preschool attendance. In unadjusted analyses, father engagement was associated with higher odds of preschool attendance (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.12; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.04-1.20) but not with child illness (OR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.95-1.14). Father engagement was no longer associated with preschool attendance after controlling for potentially confounding variables (OR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.88-1.03). Unadjusted and adjusted analyses showed that father presence was not associated with acute illness or preschool attendance. Results also suggest that a larger proportion of children were engaged in activities by their mother compared to their father or other adults. Data indicate that father presence and engagement were not associated with child illness or preschool attendance. Factors such as maternal education, household wealth, and region of residence are stronger predictors of preschool attendance and should continue to be considered for promoting child health and development in Mongolia.
本研究在蒙古国宏观环境变化的背景下，探讨了父亲参与作为儿童健康的社会决定因素。利用联合国儿童基金会多指标类集调查中3至4岁儿童的数据，这项横断面分析考察了父亲陪伴及参与与儿童健康和教育成果之间的关联。采用多元回归模型来确定父亲陪伴、参与与儿童健康结果（包括发烧、呼吸道疾病、腹泻和学前教育入学率）之间的关联。在未经调整的分析中，父亲参与与学前教育入学率较高的几率相关（优势比（OR）=1.12；95%置信区间（CI）1.04 - 1.20），但与儿童疾病无关（OR = 1.04；95% CI 0.95 - 1.14）。在控制了潜在的混杂变量后，父亲参与与学前教育入学率不再相关（OR = 0.95；95% CI 0.88 - 1.03）。未经调整和调整后的分析均表明，父亲陪伴与急性疾病或学前教育入学率无关。结果还表明，与父亲或其他成年人相比，有更大比例的儿童由母亲陪伴参与活动。数据表明，父亲陪伴及参与与儿童疾病或学前教育入学率无关。诸如母亲教育程度、家庭财富和居住地区等因素是学前教育入学率更强的预测因素，在促进蒙古国儿童健康和发展方面应继续予以考虑。
