Early-life stature, preschool cognitive development, schooling attainment, and cognitive functioning in adulthood: a prospective study in four birth cohorts

Stein, Aryeh D.; Adair, Linda S.; Donati, Georgina; Wray, Charlotte; Richter, Linda; Norris, Shane A; Stein, Alan; Martorell, Reynaldo; Ramírez‐Zea, Manuel; Menezes, Ana; Murray, Joseph A.; Victora, César G.; Lee, Nanette; Bas, Isabelita; Kowalski, Alysse; DiGirolamo, Ann; Scerif, Gaia; Mpondo, Feziwe; Belleza, Delia; Nyati, Lukhanyo H.; Osmond, Clive; Borja, Judith Rafaelita; Carba, Delia; Perez, Tita Lorna; Bechavda, Sonny Agustin; Kroker-Lobos, María F; Varghese, Jithin Sam; Barros, Fernando C.; Hartwig, Fernando Pires; Horta, Bernardo Lessa; Wehrmeister, Fernando C.

doi:10.1016/s2214-109x(22)00448-x

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(72 reference statements)

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“…Validated and culturally appropriate tests are then needed to gauge the benefits of such early child development caregiver training interventions throughout early and into middle childhood ( Gentchev et al., 2022 ). In fact, the importance of early-life risk factor identification for the early intervention in the remediation of neurocognitive disabilities throughout childhood and into adulthood has recently been substantiated in a longitudinal study of four SSA cohorts by Stein and colleagues in South Africa ( Stein et al., 2023 ). This is the future direction of this type of assessment research, particularly in LMICs, as applied in the first 1000 days to minimize developmental risk and maximize resilience for evidence-based interventions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Neurodevelopmental Assessment in Early Childhood Predictive of Performance Assessed Later in Childhood and Adolescence in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Zoumenou,

Bodeau-Livinec,

Chausseboeuf

et al. 2023

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology

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Background Most neurodevelopmental tests used to assess child development in sub-Saharan Africa were developed in western or high-income countries, raising the question of their usefulness with African children. Objective This systematic review identified and synthesized key findings from studies measuring development in children in Sub-Saharan Africa in early childhood and again at school age, to assess neurocognitive associations longitudinally from infancy through middle childhood. Methods The study was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method, selecting articles referenced in the PubMed, PsycInfo, and Embase databases using the following inclusion criteria: published between 2000 and 2022, written in French or English, and presenting results dealing with the objective assessment of child’s neurodevelopment. All articles were registered in the Zotero reference manager and analyzed by title, abstract, and full text. Results Several of the seven selected studies confirmed that attention and working memory in infancy can predict children’s neurocognitive performance, including mathematical ability, at school age. In two of the studies, children with poor mental development at 1 year of age are more likely to present with poorer behavioral development at school age, including learning difficulties in school and risk for grade repetition. Conclusion Cognitive ability assessed in early childhood is strongly associated with performance at school age in cohorts of African children followed longitudinally. Even with assessments adapted cross-culturally, infants and preschoolers at risk for poor developmental outcomes can be identified to better receive strategic early interventions to enhance their development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Neurodevelopmental Assessment in Early Childhood Predictive of Performance Assessed Later in Childhood and Adolescence in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Zoumenou,

Bodeau-Livinec,

Chausseboeuf

et al. 2023

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology

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show abstract

“…In LMICs, where child malnutrition is widespread and height is linked to educational, health, and economic outcomes [ 37 ] and with offspring health [ 38 ], early menarche may be an important intermediate factor. Studies in Europe have shown that constrained prenatal growth may accelerate progression to menarche and shortens growth spurt durations, possibly resulting in shorter attained height [ 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth in Infancy and Childhood and Age at Menarche in Five Low- or Middle-Income Countries: Consortium of Health Orientated Research in Transitional Societies (COHORTS)

Nyati

Norris

Micklesfield

et al. 2023

The Journal of Nutrition

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“…Studies have also tested possible interactions between interventions, such that later schooling might buffer the effects of early nutritional deficits (e.g., Gorman & Pollitt, 1996;Stein et al, 2008). A recent study proposes that, despite the importance of nutritional interventions for health and early development, improving longterm cognitive outcomes requires interventions that specifically target early cognitive ability through enrichment, in other words, that target cognitive stimulation (Stein et al, 2023). From a cognitive perspective, interventions have been proposed that specifically target SESrelated differences in children's executive function and language development through cognitive stimulation.…”

Section: Building On the Model: Intervening To Narrow The Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between Socioeconomic Status, Cognition, and Brain Structure: Evaluating Potential Causal Pathways Through Mechanistic Models of Development

Thomas

Coecke²

2023

Cognitive Science

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Differences in socioeconomic status (SES) correlate both with differences in cognitive development and in brain structure. Associations between SES and brain measures such as cortical surface area and cortical thickness mediate differences in cognitive skills such as executive function and language. However, causal accounts that link SES, brain, and behavior are challenging because SES is a multidimensional construct: correlated environmental factors, such as family income and parental education, are only distal markers for proximal causal pathways. Moreover, the causal accounts themselves must span multiple levels of description, employ a developmental perspective, and integrate genetic effects on individual differences. Nevertheless, causal accounts have the potential to inform policy and guide interventions to reduce gaps in developmental outcomes. In this article, we review the range of empirical data to be integrated in causal accounts of developmental effects on the brain and cognition associated with variation in SES. We take the specific example of language development and evaluate the potential of a multiscale computational model of development, based on an artificial neural network, to support the construction of causal accounts. We show how, with bridging assumptions that link properties of network structure to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain structure, different sets of empirical data on SES effects can be connected. We use the model to contrast two possible causal pathways for environmental influences that are associated with SES: differences in prenatal brain development and differences in postnatal cognitive stimulation. We then use the model to explore the implications of each pathway for the potential to intervene to reduce gaps in developmental outcomes. The model points to the cumulative effects of social disadvantage on multiple pathways as the

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Early-life stature, preschool cognitive development, schooling attainment, and cognitive functioning in adulthood: a prospective study in four birth cohorts

Cited by 11 publications

References 43 publications

Is Neurodevelopmental Assessment in Early Childhood Predictive of Performance Assessed Later in Childhood and Adolescence in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Is Neurodevelopmental Assessment in Early Childhood Predictive of Performance Assessed Later in Childhood and Adolescence in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Growth in Infancy and Childhood and Age at Menarche in Five Low- or Middle-Income Countries: Consortium of Health Orientated Research in Transitional Societies (COHORTS)

Associations between Socioeconomic Status, Cognition, and Brain Structure: Evaluating Potential Causal Pathways Through Mechanistic Models of Development

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