scholarly journals Impact of child development at primary school entry on adolescent health—protocol for a participatory systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Black ◽  
Amy Barnes ◽  
Mark Strong ◽  
David Taylor-Robinson

Abstract Background Reducing child health inequalities is a global health priority and evidence suggests that optimal development of knowledge, skills and attributes in early childhood could reduce health risks across the life course. Despite a strong policy rhetoric on giving children the ‘best start in life’, socioeconomic inequalities in children’s development when they start school persist. So too do inequalities in child and adolescent health. These in turn influence health inequalities in adulthood. Understanding how developmental processes affect health in the context of socioeconomic factors as children age could inform a holistic policy approach to health and development from childhood through to adolescence. However, the relationship between child development and early adolescent health consequences is poorly understood. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise evidence on the associations between child development at primary school starting age (3–7 years) and subsequent health in adolescence (8–15 years) and the factors that mediate or moderate this relationship. Method A participatory systematic review method will be used. The search strategy will include; searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC) from November 1990 onwards, grey literature, reference searches and discussions with stakeholders. Articles will be screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria at title and abstract level, and at full article level. Observational, intervention and review studies reporting a measure of child development at the age of starting school and health outcomes in early adolescence, from a member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will be included. The primary outcome will be health and wellbeing outcomes (such as weight, mental health, socio-emotional behaviour, dietary habits). Secondary outcomes will include educational outcomes. Studies will be assessed for quality using appropriate tools. A conceptual model, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, will act as a framework for extracting and analysing evidence. The model will be refined through analysis of the included literature. Narrative synthesis will be used to generate findings and produce a diagram of the relationship between child development and adolescent health. Discussion The review will elucidate how children’s development at the age of starting school is related to subsequent health outcomes in contexts of socioeconomic inequality. This will inform ways to intervene to improve health and reduce health inequality in adolescents. The findings will generate knowledge of cross-sector relevance for health and education and promote inter-sectoral coherence in addressing health inequalities throughout childhood. Protocol Registration This systematic review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO CRD42020210011.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Black ◽  
Amy Barnes ◽  
Mark Strong ◽  
David Taylor-Robinson

Abstract BackgroundReducing child health inequalities is a global health priority and evidence suggests that optimal development of knowledge, skills and attributes in early childhood could reduce health risks across the life course. Despite a strong policy rhetoric on giving children the ‘best start in life’, socioeconomic inequalities in children’s development when they start school persist. So too do inequalities in child and adolescent health. These in turn influence health inequalities in adulthood. Understanding how developmental processes affect health in the context of socioeconomic factors as children age could inform a holistic policy approach to health and development from childhood through to adolescence. However the relationship between child development and early adolescent health consequences is poorly understood. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise evidence on the associations between child development at primary school starting age (3-7 years) and subsequent health in adolescence (8 -15 years) and the factors that mediate or moderate this relationship. MethodA participatory systematic review method will be used. The search strategy will include; searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC), grey literature, reference searches and discussions with stakeholders. Articles will be screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria at title and abstract level, and at full article level. Studies reporting a measure of child development at the age of starting school and health outcomes in early adolescence, from a member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will be included. Studies will be assessed for quality using appropriate tools. A conceptual model, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, will act as a framework for extracting and analysing evidence. The model will be refined through analysis of the included literature. Narrative synthesis will be used to generate findings and produce a diagram of the relationship between child development and adolescent health. DiscussionThe review will elucidate how children’s development at the age of starting school is related to subsequent health outcomes in contexts of socioeconomic inequality. This will inform ways to intervene to improve health and reduce health inequality in adolescents. The findings will generate knowledge of cross-sector relevance for health and education and promote inter-sectoral coherence in addressing health inequalities throughout childhood. Systematic Review RegistrationThis systematic review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO CRD42020210011.


Author(s):  
Michelle Black ◽  
Amy Barnes ◽  
Mark Strong ◽  
Anna Brook ◽  
Anna Ray ◽  
...  

The relationship between child development and adolescent health, and how this may be modified by socio-economic conditions, is poorly understood. This limits cross-sector interventions to address adolescent health inequality. This review summarises evidence on the associations between child development at school starting age and subsequent health in adolescence and identifies factors affecting associations. We undertook a participatory systematic review, searching electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC) for articles published between November 1990 and November 2020. Observational, intervention and review studies reporting a measure of child development and subsequent health outcomes, specifically weight and mental health, were included. Studies were individually and collectively assessed for quality using a comparative rating system of stronger, weaker, inconsistent or limited evidence. Associations between child development and adolescent health outcomes were assessed and reported by four domains of child development (socio-emotional, cognitive, language and communication, and physical development). A conceptual diagram, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, acted as a framework for narrative synthesis of factors that modify or mediate associations. Thirty-four studies were included. Analysis indicated stronger evidence of associations between measures of socio-emotional development and subsequent mental health and weight outcomes; in particular, positive associations between early externalising behaviours and later internalising and externalising, and negative associations between emotional wellbeing and later internalising and unhealthy weight. For all other domains of child development, although associations with subsequent health were positive, the evidence was either weaker, inconsistent or limited. There was limited evidence on factors that altered associations. Positive socio-emotional development at school starting age appears particularly important for subsequent mental health and weight in adolescence. More collaborative research across health and education is needed on other domains of development and on the mechanisms that link development and later health, and on how any relationship is modified by socio-economic context.


Author(s):  
NADYA A. KAMAL

Persediaan kanak-kanak pra-sekolah dalam lingkungan 2 hingga 6 tahun untuk menjalani pengalaman dunia sebenar amat kritikal. Sebelum memulakan persekolahan arus perdana, kanak-kanak ini sebenarnya memperlihatkan kesediaan serta perkembangan fizikal dan intelek mereka dalam pelbagai ekspresi yang boleh diukur, seperti lukisan. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk mengenalpasti karektor lukisan kanak-kanak mengikut 4 fasa penting dalam Teori Perkembangan Artistik Lowenfeld iaitu Scribbling, Pre-Schematic, Schematic dan Realistic. 50 kanak-kanak di Bachok, Kelantan telah mengambil bahagian dalam ujian melukis berstruktur, dan lukisan mereka seterusnya dibandingkan dengan pencapaian perkembangan perseptual dan analitikal, khususnya dari segi kebolehan kanak-kanak dalam pemerhatian, menganalisa, memahami dan menzahirkan. Hasil kajian ini dijangka dapat menghubungkan perkaitan antara aktiviti artistik dengan pencapaian-pencapaian penting dalam perkembangan kamak-kanak.   Children under the age of 2 to 6 years old have a critical time preparing themselves to comprehend the world around them. Before they start their formal education in the primary school, these children actually state their physical and intellectual development in many forms of assessable expression, including drawing. The objective of this study is to identify the drawing characteristics of 2 to 6 years old children to specific phases of Lowenfeld Artistic Development namely Scribbling, Pre-Schematic, Schematic and Realism. 50 children in Bachok, Kelantan were gathered to participate a structured drawing test, and the results were compared to analytical and perceptual ability especially in observation, analysing, understanding and expressing. The finding may be useful to bridge artistic activities with critical achievements of children’s development.


Author(s):  
Karl Gauffin ◽  
Andrea Dunlavy

With labor being a central social determinant of health, there is an increasing need to investigate health inequalities within the heterogenous and growing population in self-employment. This study aimed to longitudinally investigate the relationship between income level, self-employment status and multiple work-related health indicators in a Swedish national cohort (n = 3,530,309). The study investigated the relationship between self-employment status and health outcomes later in life. All poor health outcomes, with the exception of alcohol-related disorders, were more common in the self-employed population, compared to the group in regular employment. The income gradient, however, was more pronounced in the group with regular employment than the groups in self-employment. The study found clear connections between low income and poor health in all employment groups, but the gradient was more pronounced in the group in regular employment. This suggests that income has a weaker connection to other types of health promoting resources in the self-employed population. Potentially, lacking social and public support could make it difficult for unhealthy individuals to maintain low-income self-employment over a longer time period.


2014 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Consuêlo Melo Figueiras ◽  
Rosana Fiorini Puccini ◽  
Edina Mariko Koga Silva

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Children's developmental disorders are often identified late by healthcare professionals working in primary care. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a continuing education program on child development, on the knowledge and practices of these professionals.DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective single-cohort study (before-and-after study), conducted in the city of Belém, Pará , Brazil.METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-one professionals working in primary healthcare (82.2%) participated in a continuing education program on child development and were assessed before and after implementation of the program through tests on their knowledge of child development, consisting of 19 questions for physicians and 14 for nurses, and questionnaires on their professional practices.RESULTS: One to three years after the program, the mean number of correct answers in the tests had increased from 11.5 to 14.3 among physicians in the Healthy Family Program (Programa Família Saudável, PFS); 13.0 to 14.3 among physicians in Municipal Health Units (Unidades Municipais de Saúde, UMS); 8.3 to 10.0 among PFS nurses; and 7.8 to 9.4 among UMS nurses. In interviews with mothers attended by these professionals before the program, only 21.7% reported that they were asked about their children's development, 24.7% reported that the professional asked about or observed their children's development and 11.1% received advice on how to stimulate them. After the program, these percentages increased to 34.5%, 54.2% and 30.3%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Professionals who participated in the program showed improved performance regarding child development knowledge and practices.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document