Psychosocial and environmental determinants of child cognitive development in rural south africa and tanzania: findings from the mal-ed cohort

Drago, Fabrizio; Scharf, Rebecca J.; Maphula, Angelina; Nyathi, Emanuel; Mahopo, Cloupas; Svensen, Erling; Mduma, Estomih; Bessong, Pascal; McQuade, Elizabeth T Rogawski

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-08598-5

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…A recent follow-up of the MAL-ED cohort showed that socioeconomic status was associated with cognitive scores at 5 years 63 ; our study found a possible trend towards increasing MPI with a rise in socioeconomic scale.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Characterising school-age health and function in rural Zimbabwe using the SAHARAN toolbox

Piper

Mazhanga

Mapako

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Introduction: School-age health, growth and development are poorly characterised in low- and middle-income countries. We developed the School-Age Health, Activity, Resilience, Anthropometry and Neurocognitive (SAHARAN) toolbox to measure growth, cognitive and physical function in rural Zimbabwe. Methods: The SAHARAN toolbox was developed using a stepwise approach, with tool selection based on COSMIN principles. Growth was measured with anthropometry, skinfold thicknesses and bioimpedance analysis to obtain lean mass index (LMI) and phase angle. Cognition was assessed using a fine motor finger tapping task, school achievement test (SAT), and the Kaufmann Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-2) to determine the mental processing index (MPI). Physical function combined grip strength, broad jump and the 20m shuttle run test to produce a total physical score (TPS). A detailed caregiver questionnaire was performed in parallel. Results: 80 Zimbabwean children with mean (SD) age 7.6 (0.2) years had mean height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ) of -0.63 (0.81) and -0.55 (0.85), respectively. For growth measures, LMI and total skinfold thicknesses were highly related to both WAZ and BMI Z-score, but not to HAZ. For physical function, TPS was associated with unit rises in HAZ (1.29, 95%CI 0.75,1.82, p<0.001), and LMI (0.50, 95%CI 0.16,0.83, p=0.004), but not skinfold thicknesses. For cognition, the SAT was highly associated with unit increases in the MPI (0.9 marks, 95%CI 0.4,1.3, p<0.001) and a child socioemotional questionnaire (8.2 marks, 95%CI 2.9,13.5, p=0.003). Phase angle was associated with 3.5 seconds quicker time to complete the finger tapping task (95%CI 0.6,6.4, p=0.02). No child outcomes were associated with socioeconomic status, nurturing, discipline, food and water insecurity, or household adversity. Conclusions: We found clear associations between growth, height-adjusted lean mass and physical function, but not cognitive function, in a cohort of Zimbabwean children. The SAHARAN toolbox could be deployed to characterise school-age growth, development and function in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Characterising school-age health and function in rural Zimbabwe using the SAHARAN toolbox

Piper

Mazhanga

Mapako

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Mothers with higher education levels may have more knowledge of parenting, pay more attention to children's cognitive development, and improve their cognitive development through scientific methods [40,41]. The result of family income may be that the role of socioeconomic status on children's development gradually decreases with the development of social income [6,19]. We observed that paternal education was not statistically associated with suspected development delay.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

The Effect of Parenting Quality on Child Development at 36–48 Months in China’s Urban Area: Evidence from a Birth Cohort Study

Cheng

Tang

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Environmental exposures, especially parenting quality, are critical for later child development. This study aimed to determine the status of parenting quality and suspected development delay of preschool children in China’s urban area and explore the associations between these two factors. The research was based on a birth cohort study conducted in Changsha, Hunan province, China. We used the Parenting Assessment Tool and Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), to measure parenting quality and child development status, respectively. Other data were collected from maternal health manuals and self-administered questionnaires during the follow-up period. The generalized estimating equation was used to examine whether parenting quality was significantly associated with child development outcomes. In the study, good parenting quality was 33.6% measured at 18 months, and suspected development delay was below 10% at 36–48 months among urban China; we observed negative associations between parenting quality scores and child development scores; poor parenting quality had a negative association with suspected development delay [OR and 95% CI: 2.74 (1.17, 6.40)], girls [OR and 95% CI: 0.33 (0.16, 0.69)] and maternal education years (>12 years) [OR and 95% CI: 0.27 (0.12, 0.64)] were protective factors for suspected development delay. Our findings highlighted the importance of good parenting quality among children in urban areas of China through a birth cohort study and may be used to reduce the children at high risk of developmental delay as a future intervention program.

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“…This difference was 6.33 times more likely if there was an SP moment at 6 months. Children's cognitive development is influenced by several factors, including psychosocial exposures like parent-child interactions, cognitive stimulation and shared nurturing learning opportunities ( 86 ). The WHO's Nurturing Care Framework highlights the presence of bidirectional communication and enjoyable stimulating care as core to the provision of responsive care within a healthy mother–child relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal Shared Pleasure, Infant Withdrawal, and Developmental Outcomes in a High Risk Setting in South Africa

et al. 2021

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Background: Infants in lower middle income countries are often exposed to early adversities which may lead to suboptimal caregiving environments and place them at risk of not achieving their developmental potential. Synchrony and positive engagement in the mother-infant relationship plays a critical role in buffering the impact of early adversity. Shared Pleasure (SP) is considered a marker of high intensity positive interaction and may hold a promise of improving developmental outcomes.Methods: This study was part of a prospective observational study of mothers with and without mental illness in South Africa. Dyadic videos were assessed for SP and infant withdrawal (using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale) at 6 months. Infant developmental outcomes were assessed using the Bayley's Scales for Infant and Toddler Development, third edition at 18 months.Results: Ninety-one dyads were assessed for SP. The occurrence of SP was low (20%). There was no significant association with an EPDS measure of maternal depression (p = 0.571) and SP moments. Infant withdrawal was high (72%) and associated with male infant gender (p = 0.025). There was a significant association between the occurrence of SP and a lower score of infant withdrawal (estimate = −1.29; SE = 0.4; p = 0.0002). The number of SP moments at 6 months was significantly associated with motor (estimate = 2.4; SE = 0.9; p = 0.007) and marginally significant with cognitive scores (estimate = 1.9; SE = 1.0; p = 0.052) at 18 months. Regression modelling differential outcomes showed a greater improvement in cognitive scores at 18 months in infants with an SP moment compared to those without an SP moment [SP average difference (AD) = 7.4 (2.4), no SP AD = 10.4 (1.2); p = 0.012]. Infants without an SP moment experienced a larger decrease in motor scores at 18 months compared to those with an SP moment [SP AD = −3 (3.0); no SP AD = −10.6 (1.5), p = 0.027].Conclusion: While the occurrence of SP in this sample was low and the rates of infant withdrawal were high, there were promising results suggesting early positive SP interactions may contribute to improvements in subsequent developmental outcomes.

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Psychosocial and environmental determinants of child cognitive development in rural south africa and tanzania: findings from the mal-ed cohort

Cited by 16 publications

References 39 publications

Characterising school-age health and function in rural Zimbabwe using the SAHARAN toolbox

Characterising school-age health and function in rural Zimbabwe using the SAHARAN toolbox

The Effect of Parenting Quality on Child Development at 36–48 Months in China’s Urban Area: Evidence from a Birth Cohort Study

Maternal Shared Pleasure, Infant Withdrawal, and Developmental Outcomes in a High Risk Setting in South Africa

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