scholarly journals Determinants of the Early Childhood Development Index among children aged less than 5 years in Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ghana: a comparative study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iqramul Haq ◽  
Md Ismail Hossain ◽  
Maliha Afroj Zinnia ◽  
Md Rifat Hasan ◽  
Imru-Al-Quais Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Lower Odds ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Development Index

Background: Early child development is a crucial factor for children that controls health and well-being in later life. Aims: To determine the influence of sociodemographic factors on the Early Child Development Index (ECDI) among children aged < 5 years. Methods: The analysis was performed using cross-sectional survey data from 2019, 2017–2018 and 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys from Bangladesh, Ghana and Costa Rica, respectively. We used the Chi-square test for bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression model for multivariate analysis for all 3 countries. All the statistical analyses were performed with IBM SPSS version 25 and R version 4.0.0. Results: Child age and sex, followed by maternal education level, economic status, child nutritional status, reading children’s books, and maternal functional difficulties had the greatest effect on ECDI. Children aged 36–47 months had lower odds of development than those aged 48–59 months, and boys had lower odds of development than girls in Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ghana. Urban children had lower odds of development than rural children in Costa Rica but higher odds in Ghana. Conclusion: We recommend that governments should take the necessary steps to enhance children’s early development and well-being in all 3 countries by raising education, improving economic conditions and providing balanced nutrition.

scholarly journals Beyond Stunting: Mechanisms Linking Length to Early Child Development Among Infants in Rural India (P10-003-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Black ◽  
Doris Yimgang ◽  
Kristen Hurley ◽  
Kimberly Harding ◽  
Silvia Fernandez-Rao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Blood Draw ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Visual Reception

Abstract Objectives In low and middle-income countries, early child development (ECD) is associated with stunting, but the association with length-for-age z-scores (LAZ) is understudied. The objective is to examine whether the association with ECD among infants extends beyond stunting to LAZ and whether it is altered by nurturance or inflammation. Methods Sample: 513 infants (mean age 8.6 months, SD 2.2), 20% stunted (LAZ < -2) participated in a randomized controlled trial of micronutrient powder (MNP) in rural India. Following baseline, infants were re-evaluated at 6- and 12-months. LAZ was calculated from measured length, inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP) from blood draw; nurturance from home observation (HOME Inventory), and ECD from Mullens Early Learning Scale (visual reception, fine/gross motor and receptive/expressive language). Linear mixed effects models were conducted, accounting for repeated measures and clustering, adjusted for child age, anemia, maternal education, household assets, and intervention. LAZ interactions with CRP and HOME scores were tested. Results LAZ was significantly positively associated with all ECD domains over time. HOME was positively associated with visual reception and expressive language (Table 1). HOME interactions were marginal for fine motor (P = 0.058) and significant for receptive language (P = 0.015). For HOME scores < -1 SD, LAZ was positively related to fine motor and receptive language, for HOME scores >1 SD, LAZ was not related to ECD (Figure 1). CRP was not related to ECD and CRP interaction was not significant. Conclusions The positive association between LAZ and ECD illustrates vulnerability prior to the threshold of stunting. Maternal nurturance is positively associated with multiple domains of infants’ ECD and attenuates relations between LAZ and receptive language and fine motor. Inflammation (measured by CRP) is not associated with ECD. Linear growth within normal and nurturant caregiving are needed to promote ECD. Funding Sources Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition, Nutrition International, Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science of the New York Academy of Sciences.

scholarly journals Defining the child’s curriculum, and its role in the life of the community

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colwyn Trevarthen ◽  
Aline-Wendy Dunlop ◽  
Jonathan Delafield-Butt
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Development Education ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Creative Abilities ◽  
Before School

We invited experts in early child development, education, and care to clarify issues of universal importance for the well-being of human worlds. They include teachers who appreciate that every child is born for a life of learning and needs to develop this in a community of joyful friendships to share its culture of arts and techniques. We address the difficulties of children and their families struggling to live in social deprivation or poverty when the administration and politics of an ambitious government are principally concerned with how industry makes wealth for a minority. Evidence we present demonstrates that leadership to address and support the creative abilities of all children and their families in their years before school is essential. Such leadership recognizes the importance of these abilities for the development of healthy, cooperative, and self-confident citizens who can secure the health of the community and benefit its economic productivity in a rich and peaceful world.

scholarly journals A Pan-Canadian Data Resource for Monitoring Child Developmental Health: The Canadian Neighbourhoods Early Child Development (CanNECD) Database

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Janus ◽  
Jennifer Enns ◽  
Barry Forer ◽  
Rob Raos ◽  
Ashley Gaskin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Neighborhood Effects ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Developmental Health

The Canadian Neighbourhoods Early Child Development (CanNECD) database is a unique resource for research on child developmental health and well-being within the socioeconomic and cultural context of Canadian neighbourhoods. This paper describes the CanNECD database and highlights its potential for advancing research at the intersection of child development, social determinants of health, and neighborhood effects. The CanNECD database contains Pan-Canadian population-level child developmental health data collected through regional implementation of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), geo-coded information on residential neighbourhoods covering all of Canada, and socioeconomic and demographic variables from the Canada Census and Income Taxfiler database. The data are de-identified but linkable across datasets through use of common numeric sequences. The nearly 800,000 records spanning 2003-2014 and representing all Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Nunavut) are compiled in a secure electronic collection system at the Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Early studies using the EDI demonstrated its utility as a tool for assessing child developmental health at a population level, and its potential for both community-level and large-scale monitoring of child populations. Research using the CanNECD database is now examining to what extent social determinants and the steepness of the social gradients of developmental health differ between geographical jurisdictions and between different sub-populations. We are also working to identify outlier neighbourhoods in which EDI scores are substantially higher or lower than predicted by a neighbourhood’s demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and exploring other potentially important determinants of children’s developmental health. Finally, we are examining the extent to which change-over-time in aggregate EDI scores vary geographically, and how well it coincides with changes in socioeconomic factors. Thus, the CanNECD database offers the opportunity for research that will inform national policies and strategies on child developmental health.

Socioeconomic correlates of early child development: Gradients from six countries in the East Asia-Pacific region

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 581-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Richards ◽  
John Bacon-Shone ◽  
Nirmala Rao
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
Using Data

This study examined socioeconomic gradients in different domains of early child development using data from the validation sample of the East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales. The Scales were administered to 7797 3- to 5- year-olds (3889 girls) from Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu and children’s parents provided information about socioeconomic status (SES). Findings indicated that: (i) with the exception of Motor Development, all SES indicators predicted all domains of development; (ii) SES–development associations were largest for Cognitive Development, Socio-emotional Development, and Language and Emergent Literacy; (iii) wealth and maternal education were the best predictors of early child development; and (iv) significant SES–development associations were found in all countries except Cambodia.

Perceived Knowledge of Early Child Development Among New and Expecting Fathers

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Keefe ◽  
Sharnail D. Bazemore ◽  
Kate Farr ◽  
James F. Paulson
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Perceived Knowledge ◽  
Early Child

scholarly journals A holistic approach to promoting early child development: a cluster randomised trial of a group-based, multicomponent intervention in rural Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e004307
Author(s):  
Helen O Pitchik ◽  
Fahmida Tofail ◽  
Mahbubur Rahman ◽  
Fahmida Akter ◽  
Jesmin Sultana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Rural Bangladesh ◽  
Cluster Randomised ◽  
Adjusted Means

IntroductionIn low- and middle-income countries, children experience multiple risks for delayed development. We evaluated a multicomponent, group-based early child development intervention including behavioural recommendations on responsive stimulation, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, mental health and lead exposure prevention.MethodsWe conducted a 9-month, parallel, multiarm, cluster-randomised controlled trial in 31 rural villages in Kishoreganj District, Bangladesh. Villages were randomly allocated to: group sessions (‘group’); alternating groups and home visits (‘combined’); or a passive control arm. Sessions were delivered fortnightly by trained community members. The primary outcome was child stimulation (Family Care Indicators); the secondary outcome was child development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire Inventory, ASQi). Other outcomes included dietary diversity, latrine status, use of a child potty, handwashing infrastructure, caregiver mental health and knowledge of lead. Analyses were intention to treat. Data collectors were independent from implementers.ResultsIn July–August 2017, 621 pregnant women and primary caregivers of children<15 months were enrolled (group n=160, combined n=160, control n=301). At endline, immediately following intervention completion (July–August 2018), 574 participants were assessed (group n=144, combined n=149, control n=281). Primary caregivers in both intervention arms participated in more play activities than control caregivers (age-adjusted means: group 4.22, 95% CI 3.97 to 4.47; combined 4.77, 4.60 to 4.96; control 3.24, 3.05 to 3.39), and provided a larger variety of play materials (age-adjusted means: group 3.63, 3.31 to 3.96; combined 3.81, 3.62 to 3.99; control 2.48, 2.34 to 2.59). Compared with the control arm, children in the group arm had higher total ASQi scores (adjusted mean difference in standardised scores: 0.39, 0.15 to 0.64), while in the combined arm scores were not significantly different from the control (0.25, –0.07 to 0.54).ConclusionOur findings suggest that group-based, multicomponent interventions can be effective at improving child development outcomes in rural Bangladesh, and that they have the potential to be delivered at scale.Trial registration numberThe trial is registered in ISRCTN (ISRCTN16001234).

scholarly journals Nutritional Status of Children 24–60 Months Attending Early Child Development Centres in a Semi-Rural Community in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Onwaba Makanjana ◽  
Ashika Naicker
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Early Child Development ◽  
Serum Retinol ◽  
Early Child ◽  
Nutritional Status Of Children

Despite the numerous efforts to improve the nutritional status of children, a high prevalence of malnutrition still exists in South Africa. This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of children attending Early Child Development centres in South Africa. In this baseline study, we randomly selected two Early Child Development centres comprising 116 children aged 24–60 months, separated into two cohorts, of 24–47 months and 48–60 months. Dietary intake was measured through the 24 hDR and analysed using Food Finder software. The food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate the food variety and food group diversity scores. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the WHO Anthro software was used to convert it to nutritional data indices. Blood samples were collected through dried blood spot cards in order to determine serum retinol and haemoglobin levels and they were assessed using WHO indicators. The findings showed that participants between 24 and 47 months had a high mean energy intake (4906.2 kJ and 4997.9 kJ for girls and boys, respectively). For the 48–60 months age group, energy intake was lower than the EER (5936.4 kJ and 5621.2 kJ; p = 0.038). There was low fruit and vegetable consumption (24–47 months; 63.8 g and 69.5 g (p = 0.037), 48–60 months; 68.3 g and 74.4 g (p = 0.038) and the top five foods consumed were carbohydrate rich foods for girls and boys, respectively. Stunting was noted in 7% and 20% (48–60 months) (p = 0.012) and overweight in 8% and 17% (24–47 months) and 17% and 13% (48–60 months) (p = 0.041) in girls and boys, respectively. Low serum retinol levels (<0.070 µmol/L) were found in 9.1% of boys (24–47 months), and 8% and 7.4% of girls and boys (48–60 months), respectively. Low haemoglobin levels (<11.0 g/dL) were found in 50.0% and 30.4% (24–47 months) and 8.6% and 39.3% (48–60 months) of girls and boys, respectively. Malnutrition, despite many national and provincial initiatives, still exists in Early Childhood Development centres in South Africa, calling for the application of contextualized nutrition interventions to suit resource-poor settings.

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