Children Twice as Safe with Grandparents as Other
Caregivers, Including Parents
Odds of injury significantly greater among children
whose parents never married, father not in home
Nov. 3, 2008 Having grandmother take care of the
kids cuts the risk of injury to the children in half even when
compared to care by their own mother according to new research from
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The study, published in the November 2008 issue of
Pediatrics, is among the first to examine the relationship between
grandparents' care and childhood injury rates.
The research finds that compared to organized
daycare or care by the mother or other relatives, having a grandmother
watch a child was associated with a decreased risk of injury for the
child.
In addition to the source of caregiving,
researchers examined the connections between family structure and the
likelihood of injury.
According to the researchers, the odds of injury
were significantly greater among children whose parents never married
compared with children whose mothers stayed married throughout the
child's life.
Similarly, odds of injury were greater for children
living in homes in which the father did not co-reside.
These associations were independent of family
income.
"Recent growth in the number of grandparents
providing childcare has some observers concerned they don't adhere to
modern safety practices," said lead study author David Bishai, MD, PhD,
MPH, a professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Population,
Family and Reproductive Health.
"To the contrary, this research tells us not only
is there no evidence to support this assumption, but families that
choose grandparents to care for their children experience fewer child
injuries."
Bishai and colleagues analyzed data from the
National Evaluation of the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program,
which includes information on over 5,500 newborns enrolled in 15 U.S.
cities in 1996-97 with follow-up for 30-33 months. Data on child care
arrangements reported by the mother were linked to claims reporting
children's office visits, allowing researchers to identify medically
attended injuries.
"As injuries are the number one cause of death for
children in the United States, it's critical we continue to determine
risk and protective factors," said study co-author Andrea C. Gielen,
ScD, ScM, a co- author of the study and director of the Center for
Injury Research and Policy in the Department of Health Policy and
Management at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
"Additional studies of how households choose
relatives to watch their children and the actual caregiving style of
grandparents are warranted because the protective effect of grandparents
may depend on choosing the right grandparent."
Background Information:
Additional authors of "Risk Factors for
Unintentional Injuries in Children: Are Grandparents Protective" are
Jamie L. Trevitt, MPP, Yiduo Zhang, PhD, Lara B. McKenzie, PhD, Tama
Leventhal, PhD, and Bernard Guyer, MD, MPH.
The research was funded by a grant from the
Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Nov. 3, 2008 Having grandmother take care of the
kids cuts the risk of injury to the children in half even when
compared to care by their own mother according to new research from
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 