scholarly journals Evaluation of the Dissemination of the South African 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Birth to 5 Years

Author(s):  
Catherine E. Draper ◽  
Takana M. Silubonde ◽  
Gudani Mukoma ◽  
Esther M. F. van Sluijs

South Africa (SA) launched their 24-h movement guidelines for birth to five years in December 2018. The guideline dissemination plan adopted a “train-the-trainer” strategy through dissemination workshops with community-based organisations (CBOs) working in early childhood development. The aim of this paper is to: (1) document this dissemination process; and (2) report on the feasibility of implementing the dissemination workshops, the acceptability of the workshops (and guidelines) for different end-user groups, and the extent to which CBO representatives disseminated the guidelines to end-users. Fifteen workshops were held in seven of SA’s nine provinces with a total of 323 attendees. Quantitative and qualitative findings (n = 281) indicate that these workshops were feasible for community-based dissemination of the guidelines and that this method of dissemination was acceptable to CBOs and end-users. Findings from follow-up focus groups (6 groups, n = 28 participants) indicate that the guidelines were shared with end-users of CBOs who participated in the focus groups. An additional musical storytelling resource, the “Woza, Mntwana” song, was well-received by participants; sharing via WhatsApp was believed to be the most effective way to disseminate this song. These findings confirm the feasibility and acceptability of culturally appropriate and context-specific community-based dissemination of behavioural guidelines in low-income settings.

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadesse Jaleta Jirata

In this article, I address African indigenous knowledge of early childhood development by discussing young children’s cultural spaces of care, play and learning among the Guji people of Ethiopia. I analyze practices in the cultural spaces of young children and show how participatory community-based care and learning are pivotal in the tradition of early childhood development in the Guji people. Furthermore, I present the features of play and learning traditions in which young children are social actors in sustaining social interaction and stability in their neighborhoods. My discussion is based on data drawn from 10 months ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the rural villages of the Guji people.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 3507-3510
Author(s):  
Irum Gilani ◽  
Ziyad Afzal Kayani ◽  
Sarmud Lateef Awan

Objective: Numerous studies have concluded relationship of the childhood poverty to the impaired academic performance ultimately contributing to low wages and income in the adult life. Objective of this study was to assess the association between household income and the cognitive potential of children. Methodology: In this cross–sectional study, cognitive potential of 6 to 7 years old children (n=300) from a rural district of Pakistan was assessed through an indicator of the cognitive development called Intelligence Quotient (IQ) or Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) which was calculated by utilizing fourth edition of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI–IV). Data on the sociodemographic profile was collected through mother’s questionnaire. Results: Low cognitive potential or IQ of the rural Pakistani children was found to be associated with the low–income of the household. Conclusion: Early childhood development programmes in Pakistan ought to incorporate cognitive–stimulation strategies designed for the low–income children belonging to the rural place of residence in order to disrupt the transmission of poverty to the next generation. Keywords: poverty, rural, IQ, children, productivity, Pakistan, cognition, low–income, socioeconomic


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e001724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann M Weber ◽  
Marta Rubio-Codina ◽  
Susan P Walker ◽  
Stef van Buuren ◽  
Iris Eekhout ◽  
...  

IntroductionEarly childhood development can be described by an underlying latent construct. Global comparisons of children’s development are hindered by the lack of a validated metric that is comparable across cultures and contexts, especially for children under age 3 years. We constructed and validated a new metric, the Developmental Score (D-score), using existing data from 16 longitudinal studies.MethodsStudies had item-level developmental assessment data for children 0–48 months and longitudinal outcomes at ages >4–18 years, including measures of IQ and receptive vocabulary. Existing data from 11 low-income, middle-income and high-income countries were merged for >36 000 children. Item mapping produced 95 ‘equate groups’ of same-skill items across 12 different assessment instruments. A statistical model was built using the Rasch model with item difficulties constrained to be equal in a subset of equate groups, linking instruments to a common scale, the D-score, a continuous metric with interval-scale properties. D-score-for-age z-scores (DAZ) were evaluated for discriminant, concurrent and predictive validity to outcomes in middle childhood to adolescence.ResultsConcurrent validity of DAZ with original instruments was strong (average r=0.71), with few exceptions. In approximately 70% of data rounds collected across studies, DAZ discriminated between children above/below cut-points for low birth weight (<2500 g) and stunting (−2 SD below median height-for-age). DAZ increased significantly with maternal education in 55% of data rounds. Predictive correlations of DAZ with outcomes obtained 2–16 years later were generally between 0.20 and 0.40. Correlations equalled or exceeded those obtained with original instruments despite using an average of 55% fewer items to estimate the D-score.ConclusionThe D-score metric enables quantitative comparisons of early childhood development across ages and sets the stage for creating simple, low-cost, global-use instruments to facilitate valid cross-national comparisons of early childhood development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2104
Author(s):  
Anita Soni ◽  
Paul Lynch ◽  
Mike McLinden ◽  
Jenipher Mbukwa-Ngwira ◽  
Mika Mankhwazi ◽  
...  

This article explores the development of a sustainable training programme supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood, education and care (ECEC) centres in Malawi. This programme is based on a review of literature of curriculum, pedagogy and teaching approaches in ECEC in sub-Saharan Africa, alongside a review of national policy documents. The training was designed to enable staff to value the inclusion of children with disabilities in ECEC centres, as well as suggesting practical ways to do so. We set out our response to the gap in training of ECEC staff through the development of a supplementary integrated training programme, which, whilst respectful of the curriculum, policy and practice of Malawi, challenged staff to consider ways of including children with disabilities (CWD) and their families. We suggest this is a pragmatic and sustainable model that could be applied to training in other ECEC settings across the region in sub-Saharan Africa. It concludes with guiding principles for training those working in ECEC with young children with disabilities in low-income countries.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham A. Salinas-Miranda ◽  
Eric A. Storch ◽  
Robert Nelson ◽  
Claudia Evans-Baltodano

Evidence of successful models for promoting early childhood development and for effectively addressing developmental delays is available, yet the adoption of evidence-based strategies is limited in low-income countries. Nicaragua, a low-income country on the Central American isthmus, faces policy-, organizational-, and community-level obstacles which prevent families from receiving the benefits of early child development programs as well as other necessary services for children at risk of or with developmental delays. Failing to address developmental delays in a timely manner leads to detrimental social and economic consequences for families and society at large. In this article, we examine existing information on early childhood development in Nicaragua and discuss some programmatic implications for the recognition and early intervention of developmental delays in Nicaragua.


Author(s):  
Nazeem Muhajarine ◽  
Daphne McRae ◽  
Mohsen Soltanifar

The negative impact of school absenteeism on children’s academic performance has been documented in the educational literature, yet few studies have used validated development indicators, or investigated individual and neighborhood characteristics to illuminate potential moderating factors. Using cross-sectional Early Development Instrument (EDI) panel data (2001–2005) we constructed multilevel linear and logistic regression models to examine the association between school absenteeism and early childhood development, moderated by Aboriginal status, length of school absence, neighborhood-level income inequality, and children’s sex assigned at birth. Our study included 3572 children aged four to eight in 56 residential neighborhoods in Saskatoon, Canada. Results indicated that Aboriginal children missing an average number of school days (3.63 days) had significantly lower EDI scores compared to non-Aboriginal children, controlling for individual and neighborhood factors. As school absenteeism lengthened, the gap in EDI scores between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children narrowed, becoming non-significant for absences greater than two weeks. Children with long-term school absence (>4 weeks of school), living in neighborhoods of low income inequality, had significantly better physical and social development scores compared to children from medium or high income inequality neighborhoods. Across all EDI domains, girls living in neighborhoods with low income inequality had significantly better EDI scores than boys in similar neighborhoods; however, sex-differences in EDI scores were not apparent for children residing in high income inequality neighborhoods. Results add to the literature by demonstrating differences in the relationship between school absenteeism and early developmental outcomes moderated by Aboriginal status, length of school absence, neighborhood income inequality, and sex assigned at birth. These moderating factors show that differential approaches are necessary when implementing policies and programs aimed at improving school attendance.


Infancy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 526-534
Author(s):  
Jorge Cuartas ◽  
Catalina Rey‐Guerra ◽  
Dana Charles McCoy ◽  
Emily Hanno

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document