How does grandparental care affect children’s health?
Research published in Health Economics indicates that regular childcare provided by grandparents can ease the pressures on parents but may have some negative impacts on children’s health.
The study, which was based on data from more than 11,000 children and nearly 9,000 parents in Germany, used geographic distance between families and grandparents to identify the effects of regular grandparental care. Mothers reported higher satisfaction with both their leisure time and childcare situations—by 11% and 9%, respectively—when grandparental care was available. Fathers also had a 19% increase in satisfaction with childcare.
Some children regularly cared for by grandparents tended to have poorer general health, at least in the health measures that were available for analysis. This was most evident among boys and elementary-school-aged children and may reflect differences in daily routines and activities between care provided by grandparents and that offered in formal daycare or after-school settings.
“The findings highlight the central role of grandparental care in families' caregiving arrangements and the meaningful benefits it provides to parents of young children,” said corresponding author Elena Ziege, a junior researcher at the Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB), in Wiesbaden, Germany.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.70054
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Health Economics is an international health policy journal publishing articles on all aspects of global health economics. We welcome theoretical contributions, empirical studies, and analyses of health policy from the economic perspective. With a wide scope, Health Economics welcomes contributions on the valuation, determinants and definition of health, health care supply and demand, planning and market mechanisms, treatment micro-economics, and health care system performance.
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Journal
Health Economics
Article Title
The Generational Gift: The Effects of Grandparental Care on the Next Generations’ Health and Well-being
Article Publication Date
17-Dec-2025
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