1. A Comparison of Practices During the Confinement Period among Chinese, Malay, and Indian Mothers in Singapore.
- Author
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Fok, Doris, Aris, Izzuddin M., Ho, Jiahui, Lim, Sok Bee, Chua, Mei Chien, Pang, Wei Wei, Saw, Seang-Mei, Kwek, Kenneth, Godfrey, Keith M., Kramer, Michael S., and Chong, Yap Seng
- Subjects
CHI-squared test ,CULTURE ,ETHNIC groups ,HOME care services ,RESEARCH methodology ,PUERPERIUM ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,RESEARCH funding ,RITES & ceremonies ,STATISTICAL sampling ,MULTIPLE regression analysis ,SOCIOECONOMIC factors ,LIFESTYLES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,ONE-way analysis of variance - Abstract
Background Confinement (restrictions placed on diet and practices during the month right after delivery) represents a key feature of Asian populations. Few studies, however, have focused specifically on ethnic differences in confinement practices. This study assesses the confinement practices of three ethnic groups in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Methods Participants were part of a prospective birth cohort study that recruited 1,247 pregnant women (57.2% Chinese, 25.5% Malay, and 17.3% Indian) during their first trimester. The 1,220 participants were followed up 3 weeks postpartum at home when questionnaires were administered to ascertain the frequency of adherence to the following confinement practices: showering; confinement-specific meals; going out with or without the baby; choice of caregiver assistance; and the use of massage therapy. Results Most participants reported that they followed confinement practices during the first 3 weeks postpartum (Chinese: 96.4%, Malay: 92.4%, Indian: 85.6%). Chinese and Indian mothers tended to eat more special confinement diets than Malay mothers ( p < 0.001), and Chinese mothers showered less and were more likely to depend on confinement nannies during this period than mothers from the two other ethnic groups ( p < 0.001 for all). Malay mothers tended to make greater use of massage therapy ( p < 0.001), whilst Indian mothers tended to have their mothers or mothers-in-law as assistant caregivers ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Most Singapore mothers follow confinement practices, but the three Asian ethnic groups differed in specific confinement practices. Future studies should examine whether ethnic differences persist in later childrearing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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