The Infant Care Project Data Collection Protocol

Data were collected on 217 mother-infant pairs. Two trained project staff members visited the households at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months postpartum.

At each home visit, the team administered the following:

• Structured Interview. Mothers were asked questions about their health, work, education, diet, food shopping, physical activity, household characteristics, and other factors that might affect infant care. The questions about the infant were mainly about feeding, care, activity, and development.
• Bayley motor development assessment. A trained staff member observed the infant as he/she performed activities typical of a child his/her age (such as sitting, crawling, or playing with toys).
• Videotape of mother and infant during feeding and at play
• Anthropometric measurements of the mother, father, and infant

After each home visit, a staff member made follow-up phone calls to the mother to collect 24-hour food recall data on the infant.

Data were also collected from child care providers and alternate caregivers.