The Relationships of Maternal Attitudes in Child-Raising with Their Behaviors regarding Children's Health and Investments in Children's Ability

Likwang Chen, National Health Research Institutes
Wen-Shan Yang, Academia Sinica

This study investigates the links of maternal attitudes in child-raising with their behaviors and investments related to children's health and ability. The study uses data from an interview survey targeted at mothers with children aged four and held in central Taiwan in 2002, and its measures for maternal attitudes in child raising include the major maternal reason for raising children and maternal most wanted characteristic for children. For this study, maternal behaviors regarding child health are maternal patterns of using prenatal care, breast-feeding children, giving children nutritional supplements, and taking children to exercise. The investments in children's talents refer to training courses for improving children's intellectual capability, artistic skills and sporting talents. Results from multivariate analyses for this study show that maternal attitudes in child-raising substantially affect most of these maternal behaviors and investments regarding children's health and ability.