Early childhood development and urban environment in Mexico

Abstract

Background Childhood is considered the most important phase of human development; within it the period from birth to 5 years of age is particularly critical, given the speed at which changes occur. The context where children live can influence early childhood developmnent (ECD) by providing or limiting opportunities to learn, play and establish social interactions. This study explored the associations between characteristics of the urban environment and ECD in 2,194 children aged 36 to 59 months living in urban municipalities in Mexico Methods We obtained ECD information from the 2015 Survey of Boys, Girls, and Women (ENIM, for its Spanish acronym), measured with the Early Childhood Development Index. The urban environment was evaluated at the municipal level, considering variables from five environment domains: physical, social, service, socioeconomic, and governance. Multilevel logistic models were fitted to assess the association between urban environment characteristics and the inadequacy of ECD in general and by specific development domains: learning, socio-emotional, physical, and alpha-numeric. Results Inadequate ECD was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.72), and positively associated with population density (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01–1.02). For the specific ECD domains, inadequate socio-emotional development was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.85). Inadequate literacy-numeracy knowledge was associated inversely with the availability of daycare centers (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.97), and directly associated with the number of hospitals and clinics (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.72). Finally, the marginalization index was positively associated with inadequacy in the learning domain (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.03). Conclusions Some aspects of the urban environment associated with ECD, suggest that intervening in the urban context could improve overall child development. Investment in resources oriented to improve socio-emotional development and literacy (such as libraries and daycare), could foster ECD in Mexico.

Effectiveness and Preferences on Mainstreaming Early Childhood Stimulation Services in Tanzania: A Case Study of Community-based Early Childhood Development Initiative

“…Such services include clinic outreaches, home visits, and ECD centres, which are positively associated with observed early childhood development. Research from elsewhere has indicated that the presence of ECD centres, healthcare and clinic services, and parental engagement programs is associated with higher odds of child development status (Minh et al, 2017;Prado-Galbarro et al, 2021). Similar findings were found in an American study that the majority of children were developmentally on track as a result of early childhood stimulation intervention (Rosenberg et al, 2008).…”

The Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire (ECAQ) for Children Aged from 3 to 5 Years: Validity and Reliability Evidence

“…The development of this test has not only been a result of a bibliographic review from Bisquerra's theoretical model but also of the participation of experts and the opinions of the target population. Moreover, this is aligned with the recommendation for stakeholder collaboration in the measurement of socioemotional learning to be consistent, developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive [38]. Furthermore, we evaluated the response processes and consequences of administering the test to verify that the scores were not biased in any way.…”

Effect of prevalence of alcohol consumption and tobacco use in Mexican municipalities on early childhood development

“…Despite these limitations, our findings are consistent with prior research and this study Cad. Saúde Pública 2023; 39 (12):e00112422 served to identify potential associations between inadequate early childhood development and alcohol consumption and tobacco use, as well as other contextual factors. Future work based on longitudinal studies should try to confirm these associations with inadequate early childhood development.…”

“…It has been proposed that mothers and families need supportive environments to be able to provide opportunities that allow their children to fulfill their potentialities. The neighborhood environment has been identified as key for supporting families to overcome adversities that could constrain child development 3 , 12 , 13 . Neighborhood residential instability in childhood can contribute to the development of major depressive disorder and antisocial personality disorder 14 .…”