Project Details
Early Career
Status: Funded - Open
Effect of multi-component early child development intervention on school-aged outcomes
Helen Pitchik, PhD, MSc
Summary
BACKGROUND: In low- and middle-income countries 33% of 3- and 4-year-olds (81 million children) fail to meet basic milestones in cognitive and social-emotional development. Children in low-income settings are at increased exposure to risk factors for poor development, which increases their risk for poor academic outcomes and later earnings perpetrating inter-generational cycles of poverty and poor health. GAP: Responsive caregiving interventions that include development-specific contents improve short-term child development outcomes. However, only 3 published studies have evaluated the impact of these interventions delivered before the age of 2 on child outcomes beyond 6 years of age, in a low or middle-income country. HYPOTHESIS: Children who received the intervention will have improved development outcomes at 8 years of age compared to the control group, and their caregivers will have improved mental health. METHODS: Provide one to two sentences describing the study design and study participants. We will conduct an 8-year follow-up of children whose caregivers were enrolled in a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a multi-component child development intervention. Pregnant people or caregivers of children under 15 months were initially enrolled, and all enrolled children (now 7-8 years of age) and their caregivers will be attempted to be followed-up. The primary outcomes will be cognitive development, school achievement, and social-emotional development. Secondary outcomes will be maternal mental health, and stimulation in the home. RESULTS: Pending. IMPACT: This evaluation will inform the design of interventions, programs, and policies that will have sustained impacts on child development in low-resource settings. If shown to be effective in improving outcomes in middle childhood, it will provide a template intervention to implement and evaluate at a larger scale in partnership with the government.