The effect of maternal and child early life factors on grade repetition among HIV exposed and unexposed children in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Receiving an education is essential for children living in poverty to fulfil their potential. Success in the early years of schooling is important as children who repeat grade one are particularly at risk for future dropout. We examined early life factors associated with grade repetition through logistic regression and explored reasons for repeating a grade through parent report. In 2012–2014 we re-enrolled children aged 7–11 years in rural KwaZulu-Natal who had been part of an early life intervention. Of the 894 children included, 43.1% had repeated a grade, of which 62.9% were boys. Higher maternal education (aOR 0.44; 95% CI 0.2–0.9) and being further along in the birth order (aOR 0.46; 95% CI 0.3–0.9) reduced the odds of grade repetition. In addition, maternal HIV status had the strongest effect on grade repetition for girls (aOR 2.17; 95% CI 1.3–3.8), whereas for boys, it was a fridge in the household (aOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.4–1.0). Issues with school readiness was the most common reason for repeating a grade according to parental report (126/385, 32.7%), while school disruptions was an important reason among HIV-exposed boys. Further research is needed to elucidate the pathways through which HIV affects girls’ educational outcomes and potentially impacts on disrupted schooling for boys. Our results also highlight the importance of preparation for schooling in the early years of life; future research could focus on gaining a better understanding of mechanisms by which to improve early school success, including increased quality of reception year and investigating the protective effect of older siblings.

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The effect of maternal and child early life factors on grade repetition among HIV exposed and unexposed children in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – ADDENDUM

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174415007904 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 218-218

Author(s):

J. M. Mitchell ◽

T. J. Rochat ◽

B. Houle ◽

A. Stein ◽

M. L. Newell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Early Life ◽

Grade Repetition ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

Early Life Factors ◽

Hiv Exposed

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Adherence to a healthy eating index from pre-school to school age and its associations with sociodemographic and early life factors

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114519001028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 122 (2) ◽

pp. 220-230

Author(s):

Marta Pinto da Costa ◽

Catarina Durão ◽

Carla Lopes ◽

Sofia Vilela

Keyword(s):

Healthy Eating ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Early Life ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Preschool Age ◽

Average Score ◽

Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽

School Age ◽

Early Life Factors

AbstractChildhood is considered an important period for the development of healthy eating behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of early life factors and sociodemographic characteristics, including early diet quality, on diet quality at 7 years. The sample includes 5013 children evaluated at the ages of 4 and 7 years from the Portuguese birth cohort Generation XXI with complete information on FFQ. A healthy eating index was developed at both ages to assess adherence to the WHO’s dietary recommendations, including eight food groups. Consumption quartiles were obtained for each group at 4 years and assigned a score between 1 and 4. A higher score represents a higher adherence to a better diet (range: 8 to 32). The associations between early life factors and sociodemographic characteristics and the score of the healthy eating index at 7 years were evaluated through linear regression models. The healthy eating index had an average score of 21⋅4 ± 3⋅53 (range: 12 to 32) at 4 years and 20⋅3 ± 3⋅36 (range: 11 to 31) at 7 years. After adjustment for confounders, a positive association was found between the healthy eating index at 4 and 7 years (β = 0⋅384, 95 % CI 0⋅356, 0⋅441). Maternal years of education (β = 0⋅094, 95 % CI 0⋅071, 0⋅116) and dietary score (β = 0⋅182, 95 % CI 0⋅155, 0⋅209) were positively associated with increasing dietary quality from 4 to 7 years. A healthier diet at preschool age, higher maternal education and a healthier diet increase the likelihood of maintaining a high healthy eating index score at school age.

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How do early-life factors explain social inequalities in adolescent mental health? Findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2019-212367 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (11) ◽

pp. 1049-1060 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Viviane S Straatmann ◽

Eric Lai ◽

Theis Lange ◽

Melisa Claire Campbell ◽

Sophie Wickham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Early Life ◽

Social Inequalities ◽

Adolescent Mental Health ◽

Early Years ◽

Behavioural Problems ◽

Millennium Cohort Study ◽

Early Life Factors ◽

Uk Millennium Cohort Study ◽

The Uk

BackgroundReducing inequalities in adolescent mental health is a public health priority, yet the pathways that link social conditions to mental health outcomes in the early years are unclear. We aimed to evaluate the extent to which early years risk factors explain social inequalities in adolescent mental health in the UK.MethodsWe analysed data from 6509 children captured in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Mental health was assessed through the socioemotional behavioural problems at age 14 (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). The main exposure was maternal education at birth, used as a measure of childhood socioeconomic conditions (SECs), and used to calculate the relative index of inequality. Using causal mediation analysis, we assessed how perinatal, individual child, family, peer relation and neighbourhood-level factors measured up to age 3-mediated the total effect (TE) of SECs on adolescent socioemotional behavioural problems, estimating the proportion mediated and natural indirect effect (NIE) via each block of mediators, and all mediators together.ResultsChildren of mothers with no qualification were almost four times as likely to have socioemotional behavioural problems compared with degree plus level (relative risk (RR) 3.82, 95% CI 2.48 to 5.88). Overall, 63.9% (95% CI 50.2% to 77.6%) (NIE RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.63 to 2.37) of the TE (RR 4.40, 95% CI 3.18 to 6.07) of social inequalities on risk of adolescent socioemotional behavioural problems was mediated by early-life factors.ConclusionsAbout two-thirds of the social inequality in adolescent mental health was explained by early risk factors measured by age 3, highlighting the importance of public health interventions in this period.

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Early life factors for myopia in the British Twins Early Development Study

British Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1136/bjophthalmol-2018-312439 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 103 (8) ◽

pp. 1078-1084 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Katie M Williams ◽

Eva Kraphol ◽

Ekaterina Yonova-Doing ◽

Pirro G Hysi ◽

Robert Plomin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Early Development ◽

Computer Games ◽

Early Life ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Life Stage ◽

Fertility Treatment ◽

Development Study ◽

Early Life Factors ◽

Variance Explained

PurposeMyopia is an increasingly prevalent condition globally. A greater understanding of contemporaneous, early life factors associated with myopia risk is urgently required, particularly in younger onset myopia as this correlates with higher severity and increased complications in adult life.MethodsAnalysis of a subset of the longitudinal, UK-based Twins Early Development Study (n=1991) recruited at birth between 1994 and 1996. Subjective refraction was obtained from the twin’s optometrists; mean age 16.3 years (SD 1.7). Myopia was defined as mean spherical equivalent ≤−0.75 dioptres. A life course epidemiology approach was used to appropriately weight candidate myopia risk factors during critical periods of eye growth. Adjusted ORs for myopia were estimated using multivariable logistic regression models at each life stage, together with variance explained (r2) and area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) statistic of predictive models.ResultsFactors significantly associated with myopia included level of maternal education (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.59), fertility treatment (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.92), summer birth (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.90) and hours spent playing computer games (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06). The total variance explained by this model was 4.4 % (p<0.001) and the AUROC was 0.68 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.72). Consistent associations were observed with socioeconomic status, educational attainment, reading enjoyment and cognitive variables, particularly verbal cognition, at multiple points over the life course.ConclusionsThis study identifies known and novel associations with myopia during childhood development; associated factors identified in early life reflect sociological and lifestyle trends such as rates of maternal education, fertility treatment, early schooling and computer games.

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The Magnitude and Directions of the Associations between Early Life Factors and Metabolic Syndrome Differ across Geographical Locations among Migrant and Non-Migrant Ghanaians—The RODAM Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182211996 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 11996

Author(s):

Thijs G. W. van der Heijden ◽

Felix P. Chilunga ◽

Karlijn A. C. Meeks ◽

Juliet Addo ◽

Ina Danquah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Early Life ◽

Parental Education ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Economic Status ◽

Paternal Education ◽

Socio Economic Status ◽

Early Life Factors ◽

Rodam Study ◽

Geographical Locations

Background: Early-life factors (ELFs) such as childhood nutrition and childhood socio-economic status could be the drivers of the increase in metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) among African populations, but data are lacking. This study evaluated whether markers of childhood nutritional status and childhood socio-economic status were associated with MetSyn in adulthood among migrant Ghanaians living in Europe and non-migrant Ghanaians living in Ghana. Methods: Data from the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants (RODAM) study, involving 2008 migrants and 2320 non-migrants aged ≥25 years, were analysed for this study. We used leg-length to height ratio (LHR), which is an anthropometric marker of childhood nutritional status, and parental education, which is a marker of childhood socio-economic status, as proxies. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by logistic regression with adjustments for demographic and lifestyle factors. Results: Parental education was higher among Ghanaians in Europe than among residents in rural and urban Ghana. The prevalence of MetSyn was 18.5%, 27.7% and 33.5% for rural, urban, and migrant residents, respectively. LHR was inversely associated with MetSyn among migrants. Compared with high paternal education, individuals with low paternal education had lower odds of MetSyn in migrants (AOR 0.71 95% CI 0.54–0.94). In contrast, compared with high maternal education, individuals with intermediate maternal education had higher odds of MetSyn in urban Ghanaians (AOR 4.53 95% CI 1.50–3.74). No associations were found among rural Ghanaians. Conclusion: The magnitude and direction of the associations between ELFs and MetSyn differ across geographical locations. Intermediate maternal education was positively associated with MetSyn among urban Ghanaians, while LHR and low paternal education were inversely associated with MetSyn among migrant Ghanaians. Further research into the interplay of genetics, environment and behaviour is needed to elucidate the underlying pathological mechanisms of MetSyn amongst migrants.

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