Table 1 Social and demographic characteristics of caregivers and children (n = 443)
Item | Â | n (%) |
|---|---|---|
Relationship to the child | Mother | 308 (69.5) |
| Â | Father | 112 (25.3) |
| Â | Grandparents | 14 (3.2) |
| Â | Nanny | 1 (0.2) |
| Â | Others | 8 (1.8) |
Child’s age (5.00 ± 0.87) | 3- | 54 (12.2) |
| Â | 4- | 159 (35.9) |
| Â | 5- | 181 (40.9) |
|  | 6–7 | 49 (11.0) |
Child’s gender | Boy | 233 (52.6) |
| Â | Girl | 210 (47.4) |
Caregiver’s education | Junior school and below | 183 (41.3) |
| Â | High school/Vocational School | 126 (28.4) |
| Â | Junior college/undergraduate | 134 (30.3) |
Caregiver’s occupation | Staff of state organs, enterprises and institutions | 99 (22.3) |
| Â | Worker or Service employee | 68 (15.3) |
| Â | Self-employed individual | 54 (12.2) |
| Â | Peasantry | 120 (27.1) |
| Â | Retired or unemployed | 12 (2.7) |
| Â | Others | 90 (20.4) |
Residence | Urban | 163 (36.8) |
| Â | Rural | 280 (63.2) |
Monthly household income per person (yuan) |  ≥ 5000 | 48 (10.8) |
|  | 3000–4999 | 138 (31.2) |
|  | 1000–2999 | 167 (37.7) |
|  |  < 1000 | 90 (20.3) |
Only-child or not | Yes | 102 (23.0) |
| Â | No | 341 (77.0) |
Difficulties with childcare | Limited time and energy | 291 (65.7) |
| Â | Lack of scientific knowledge and experience in childcare | 265 (59.8) |
| Â | Excessive economic costs | 247 (55.8) |
| Â | Inadequate social security | 102 (23.0) |
| Â | Barriers to career development | 84 (19.0) |
| Â | Insufficient family support | 60 (13.5) |
| Â | Advanced age or poor physical condition | 53 (12.0) |
| Â | Others | 68 (15.3) |
Caregivers’ reports of children’s health status | Very good | 144 (32.5) |
| Â | Good | 185 (41.8) |
| Â | Fair | 111 (25.1) |
| Â | Poor | 3 (0.6) |