Dataset Information

Early storybook reading and childhood development: A cross-sectional study in Iran.

ABSTRACT: Background: Development is a process that continues from childhood to death, and most developmental changes occur during childhood. UNICEF introduced early storybook-reading (ESR) and storytelling as part of child care indicators. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of book-reading to children and its relationship with early childhood development in Iran. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study conducted in Tehran April-May 2017. In total, 272 mothers of children aged 3-30 months, who were referred to health centers, were selected using a convenience sampling method. Exclusion criteria was scoring below the cutoff point of any developmental domains of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). ESR was assessed by checklist and child development was assessed by the ASQ. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The mean number of children's books owned was 10.23±8.642, and 84.75% had at least 3 books. The average book reading, storytelling and singing duration for children was 10±9.65, 11.48±11.756, and 23.88 ±17.880 min per day, respectively. Average book reading, storytelling, and singing duration was significantly greater in children 18-30 months than <17 months. There was a significant relationship between the number of books and a child's age, mother's age, family income, income satisfaction, father's employment, and parents' education. The score of communication domain in the ASQ questionnaire was significantly related to the number of books, duration of reading and storytelling, while problem-solving had a significant relationship only with the number of books (p?0.05). Based on linear regression, child's age, income, and mother's and father's educational level were models for predicting the number of children's books (p=0.0001 for all). Conclusions: ESR was associated with some developmental domains of communication and problem-solving in the present study. Therefore, creation of ESR culture in Iranian families as an integral part of the life of children is necessary from birth.

SUBMITTER: Sajedi F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6092897 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Early storybook reading and childhood development: A cross-sectional study in Iran.

Sajedi Firoozeh F Habibi Elham E Hatamizadeh Nikta N Shahshahanipour Soheila S Malek Afzali Hosein H

F1000Research 20180329

Background: Development is a process that continues from childhood to death, and most developmental changes occur during childhood. UNICEF introduced early storybook-reading (ESR) and storytelling as part of child care indicators. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of book-reading to children and its relationship with early childhood development in Iran. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study conducted in Tehran April-May 2017. In total, 272 mothers o ...[more]

PMID: 30135726

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Project description:BackgroundThe influence of the safety and security of environments on early childhood development (ECD) has been under-explored. Although housing might be linked to ECD by affecting a child's health and a parent's ability to provide adequate care, only a few studies have examined this factor. We hypothesized that housing environment is associated with ECD in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Methods and findingsFrom 92,433 children aged 36 to 59 months who participated in Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in 20 SSA countries, 88,271 were tested for cognitive and social-emotional development using the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) questionnaire and were thus included in this cross-sectional analysis. Children's mean age was 47.2 months, and 49.8% were girls. Children were considered developmentally on track in a certain domain if they failed no more than 1 ECDI item in that domain. In each country, we used conditional logistic regression models to estimate the association between improved housing (housing with finished building materials, improved drinking water, improved sanitation facilities, and sufficient living area) and children's cognitive and social-emotional development, accounting for contextual effects and socioeconomic factors. Estimates from each country were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted by the child's gender, maternal education, and household wealth quintiles. On-track cognitive development was associated with improved housing (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.24, p < 0.001), improved drinking water (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.14, p = 0.046), improved sanitation facilities (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.28, p = 0.014), and sufficient living area (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10, p = 0.018). On-track social-emotional development was associated with improved housing only in girls (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.25, p = 0.006). The main limitations of this study included the cross-sectional nature of the datasets and the use of the ECDI, which lacks sensitivity to measure ECD outcomes.ConclusionsIn this study, we observed that improved housing was associated with on-track cognitive development and with on-track social-emotional development in girls. These findings suggest that housing improvement in SSA may be associated not only with benefits for children's physical health but also with broader aspects of healthy child development.

Project description:BackgroundIntegrated early childhood development (IECD) is a comprehensive approach to optimal development of children in different developmental domains from fetal stage to eight years of age. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the process of policy-making for early childhood development and to clarify how these factors affect decision-making and create challenges in this regard.MethodIn a qualitative study, we used two main data sources including document analyses and interviews. Using purposive sampling, forty semi-structured interviews with policymakers and informants in the fields related to children were conducted in Tehran from October 2017 to June 2018. Also, 62 national and 10 international relevant documents were reviewed. A deductive-inductive approach was used to analyze the data. We used the MAXQDA11 software for data management.Resultswe identified 13 themes and 29 subthemes related to the stages of policymaking process including: Agenda setting (problem stream, policy stream, politics stream), Policy formulation (formulation and approval process, policy sustainability, mechanisms of stakeholders' participation in policymaking), Policy implementation (conceptual ambiguity, intersectoral and trans-sectoral issues, structural capacities, mobilization of resources), and Policy evaluation (continuous and routine data registry system, comprehensiveness of indexes). We propose 19 policy recommendations to improve the situation.ConclusionAs a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral field with different domains, early childhood development (ECD) requires a more active role on the part of policymakers in governmental levels in supporting the related policies. Unless policymakers change their approach to decrease nonintegrated and non-comprehensive policymaking for ECD, child development will be compromised, which endangers the eventual sustainability of the society since improved IECD policy-making process improves developmental outcomes in children. In this regard, attention should be paid to the role of reinforcing intersectoral collaboration through incorporating it in the missions and the evaluation items of organizations, creating commitment in high organizational levels, and developing an inter-ministerial policymaking framework that clearly specifies the roles and responsibilities of every single sector and their interactions and collaborations.

Project description:ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine risk factors of growth faltering by assessing childhood nutrition and household water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) variables and their association with nutritional status of children under 24 months in rural Cambodia.DesignWe conducted surveys in 491 villages (clusters) randomised across 55 rural communes in Cambodia in September 2016 to measure associations between child, household and community-level risk factors for stunting and length-for-age z-score (LAZ). We measured 4036 children under 24 months of age from 3877 households (491 clusters). We analysed associations between nutrition/WASH practices and child growth (LAZ, stunting) using generalised estimating equations (GEEs) to fit linear regression models with robust SEs in a pooled analysis and in age-stratified analyses; child-level and household-level variables were modelled separately from community-level variables.ResultsAfter adjustment for potential confounding, we found household-level and community-level water, sanitation and hygiene factors to be associated with child growth among children under 24 months: presence of water and soap at a household's handwashing station was positively associated with child growth (adjusted mean difference in LAZ +0.10, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.16); household-level use of an improved drinking water source and adequate child stool disposal practices were protective against stunting (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.97; aPR 0.82, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.03). In our age-stratified analysis, we found associations between child growth and community-level factors among children 1-6 months of age: shared sanitation was negatively associated with growth (-0.47 LAZ, 95% CI -0.90 to -0.05 compared with children in communities with no shared facilities); improved sanitation facilities were protective against stunting (aPR 0.43, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.88 compared with children in communities with no improved sanitation facilities); and open defecation was associated with more stunting (aPR 2.13, 95% CI 1.10 to 4.11 compared with children in communities with no open defecation). These sanitation risk factors were only measured in the youngest age strata (1-6 months). Presence of water and soap at the household level were associated with taller children in the 1-6 month and 6-12 month age strata (+0.10 LAZ, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.22 among children 1-6 months of age; +0.11 LAZ, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.25 among children 6-12 months of age compared with children in households with no water and soap). Household use of improved drinking water source was positively associated with growth among older children (+0.13 LAZ, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.28 among children 12-24 months of age).ConclusionIn rural Cambodia, water, sanitation and hygiene behaviours were associated with growth faltering among children under 24 months of age. Community-level sanitation factors were positively associated with growth, particularly for infants under 6 months of age. We should continue to make effort to: investigate the relationships between water, sanitation, hygiene and human health and expand WASH access for young children.

Dataset Information

Early storybook reading and childhood development: A cross-sectional study in Iran.

Publications

Early storybook reading and childhood development: A cross-sectional study in Iran.

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