Children who are well nurtured, appropriately cared for, and provided with positive learning opportunities in their early years have a better chance of becoming healthy and productive citizens of nations and of the world. This article reviews the art and science of policy planning for early childhood development (ECD) from a diplomacy perspective. Since ECD is often addressed as a part of the education sector and education is always a part of multisectoral ECD services, a strong relationship exists between Education Diplomacy and Early Childhood Diplomacy.
Background: Stunting is a very short body state in children that goes beyond the 2 SD deficit below the child population height.Worldwide stunting affects about 162 million children under five.Indonesia is included in 17 countries that have three nutritional problems in children under five: stunting, wasting, and overweight.This study aimed to investigate the determinants of stunting and child development in children under five.Subjects and Method: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at Mayangan and Jarak Kulon Community Health Centers, Jombang, East Java, in Januari 2018.A total sample of 58 children were selected for this study by fixed exposure sampling.The dependent variables were stunting and child development.The independent variables were birth-length, maternal age, maternal height, maternal education, and family income.The data were collected by questionnaire.Data on birth length was taken from maternal and child record at community health center.The data were analyzed by path analysis model.Results: The likelihood of good child development increased with maternal education (b= 1.08; 95% CI= 0.41 to 1.75; p= 0.001) and decreased with stunting (b= -0.78; 95% CI= -1.46 to -0.10; p=0.025).The risk of stunting decreased with birth-length (b= -0.90; 95% CI= -1.60 to -0.21; p=0.011) and maternal height (b=-0.92;95% CI= -1.69 to -0.16; p=0.018).The risk of stunting increased with maternal age <20 y.0.or ≥35 y.o. at pregnancy (b= 0.73; 95% CI= -0.03 to 1.46; p=0.051).The likelihood of maternal age <20 y.0.or ≥35 y.o. at pregnancy decreased with higher education (b=-0.75;95% CI= -1.44 to -0.06; p=0.033).Birth-length increased with maternal height (b= 1.07; 95% CI= 0.28 to 1.86; p= 0.008) and higher family income (b=0.93;95% CI = 0.29 to 1.57; p=0.004).Birth-length decreased with maternal age <20 y.0.or ≥35 y.o. at pregnancy (b=-0.74;95% CI= -1.48 to -0.01; p=0.047).Conclusion: The likelihood of good child development increases with maternal education and decreases with stunting.The risk of stunting decreases with birth-length and maternal height, and increases with maternal age <20 y.0.or ≥35 y.o. at pregnancy.
Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Vivin Eka Rahmawati, Eti Poncorini Pamungkasari et al.
OBJECTIVE: Gut microbiota provide a diverse "organ" or biocenosis responsible for protection against pathogens and the development of both intestinal and immune systems. Microbiota are also responsible for the synthesis of vitamins and short-chain fatty acids, which in turn affect the host's metabolism. It was hypothesized that gut microbiota are influenced by fetal life followed by intensive development throughout the first years of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the available literature (PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar) on prenatal and early childhood development of gut microbiota. RESULTS: A body of evidence suggests in utero colonization. The main factors determining gut microbiota include the type of delivery and post-natal feeding method. The composition of the intestinal flora is also influenced by fetal age at birth, antibiotic therapy, pre- and probiotic supplementation, and other environmental factors. The multifaceted nature of this process guarantees the uniqueness of its composition for each human being. CONCLUSIONS: Although the composition of intestinal microbiota is subject to continuous and dynamic changes, it seems that the perinatal period is critical for the emergence of its proper pattern, which may guarantee health or otherwise illness in adult life.
Karolina Adamek, Karolina Skonieczna‐Żydecka, Dagmara Węgrzyn et al.
Stunting is one of the leading public health problems in lower-middle-income countries, including Indonesia. Stunting is a problem of chronic malnutrition caused by insufficient nutritional intake over a long period due to food that does not meet the dietary needs required. Nutritional issues in young children can have serious consequences; according to the World Health Organization, stunting can cause cognitive or intelligence, motor, and verbal development to develop sub-optimally, increase the risk of obesity and other degenerative diseases, increase health costs, and increase the incidence of morbidity and death. This literature review aims to determine the effect of stunting on children's growth and development and the influencing factors. Search for keywords: Stunting, growth, and development of checking in children, children, cognitive and motor skills. The conclusion from the literature review is that there is a significant relationship between stunting influence on motoric development in children, and the factors that cause stunting do not only come from the child but many external factors that influence such as maternal, economic, environmental, and infectious diseases factors and not only that. Feeding patterns are also one of the factors causing stunting in children.
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.
Francisco Javier Prado-Galbarro, Carolina Pérez Ferrer, Ana F. Ortigoza et al.
Background: Stunting is a major public health challenge, particularly in disadvantaged communities where access to adequate nutrition and healthcare is limited. Addressing this issue requires effective interventions to improve child nutrition and feeding practices. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Nutritional Rangers Mobile Application in improving child nutrition, feeding responses, and mothers' knowledge among underprivileged families with stunted children aged 6 to 24 months. Method: A pre-test and post-test design was employed, involving 22 mothers of stunted children from Kediri Regency, selected through purposive sampling. The app provided nutritional education, personalized dietary recommendations, and monitoring features over a three-month period. Results: Significant improvements were observed in child nutrition metrics, with mean weight increasing from 11.25 kg to 14.48 kg and height showing incremental growth. Paired sample t-tests confirmed statistical significance (p < 0.05) in all measured Z-scores (Weight-for-Age, Height-for-Age, and Weight-for-Height). Additionally, feeding responses and maternal nutritional knowledge significantly improved (p < 0.05). Discussion: The study highlights the effectiveness of the Nutritional Rangers Mobile Application in enhancing nutritional outcomes and maternal knowledge in resource-limited settings. The app's features contributed to significant improvements in child growth metrics and feeding practices. Conclusion: The Nutritional Rangers Mobile Application is a valuable tool for empowering mothers with nutritional education and real-time monitoring, leading to sustainable improvements in child health and nutrition outcomes in disadvantaged communities.
Reni Nurhidayah, Dhita Kurnia Sari, Prima Dewi Kusumawati
In Thailand, early childhood education for children was guided by variety of philosophies, theories and approaches. Educators considered the ages from birth to six crucial due to the optimal brain growth. This critical period is the prime time for basic skills development. Montessori Method, initiated by Dr. Maria Montessori, is one approach that is proved effective to be used. Dr. Montessori developed this approach by using the scientific method through observation of the young children’s behaviors while working with educational materials. Her teaching and learning method was orderly designed based on her beliefs then forming the principles, objectives, curriculum structure, teaching method, classroom management and assessment. The principles of the Montessori Method have been shown to be globally applicable and to be continued in many different countries. Two cases of the appropriate way to implement the Montessori Method for the early childhood program were proposed in this paper.
BACKGROUND: Nature play is growing in popularity as children's play spaces are transforming from traditional playgrounds into more nature-based play spaces with considerable financial and resource investment from government bodies. This has resulted in the re-development of children's play spaces to incorporate more natural elements such as trees, plants and rocks. Despite this, it is unclear whether there is empirical evidence to support claims that play in nature is beneficial for child health and development. AIM: To conduct a systematic review examining the impacts of nature play on the health and developmental outcomes of children aged 2-12 years. METHODS: Seven electronic databases were searched (MEDLINE, ERIC, Embase, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, The Joanna Briggs Institute and Emcare) from inception to July/August 2018 (search updated July/August 2019). The Inclusion criteria were children aged 2-12 years with no health/developmental conditions. The exposure/intervention of interest was unstructured, free play in nature. Critical appraisal of included studies was conducted using the McMaster Critical Appraisal Tool. Descriptive synthesis was then undertaken using the NHMRC FORM Framework. RESULTS: Out of 2927 articles identified, 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. The nature play exposure/intervention was heterogeneously described, and a plethora of outcome measures were used. Nature play had consistent positive impacts on physical activity outcomes and cognitive play behaviours (imaginative and dramatic play). However, there remain some concerns regarding the quality of the evidence base, heterogeneity in intervention description and parameters in the outcome measures used. CONCLUSIONS: While the positive impacts of nature play were encouraging in terms of physical activity and cognitive development, nature play stakeholders should focus on producing a universal definition for nature play, the development of standardised outcome measures and the conduct of robust research designs. Implications of these findings suggest the need for the development of standardised guidelines to inform practice and policy in the design of children's play spaces in different contexts.
Kylie A. Dankiw, Margarita D. Tsiros, Katherine Lorraine Baldock et al.
OBJECTIVES: Poor early childhood development in low- and middle-income countries is a major public health problem. Efficacy trials have shown the potential of early childhood development interventions but scaling up is costly and challenging. Guidance on effective interventions’ delivery is needed. In an open-label cluster-randomized control trial, we compared the effectiveness of weekly home visits and weekly mother-child group sessions. Both included nutritional education, whose effectiveness was tested separately. METHODS: In Odisha, India, 192 villages were randomly assigned to control, nutritional education, nutritional education and home visiting, or nutritional education and group sessions. Mothers with children aged 7 to 16 months were enrolled (n = 1449). Trained local women ran the two-year interventions, which comprised demonstrations and interactions and targeted improved play and nutrition. Primary outcomes, measured at baseline, midline (12 months), and endline (24 months), were child cognition, language, motor development, growth and morbidity. RESULTS: Home visiting and group sessions had similar positive average (intention-to-treat) impacts on cognition (home visiting: 0.324 SD, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.152 to 0.496, P = .001; group sessions: 0.281 SD, 95% CI: 0.100 to 0.463, P = .007) and language (home visiting: 0.239 SD, 95% CI: 0.072 to 0.407, P = .009; group sessions: 0.302 SD, 95% CI: 0.136 to 0.468, P = .001). Most benefits occurred in the first year. Nutrition-education had no benefit. There were no consistent effects on any other primary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Group sessions cost $38 per child per year and were as effective on average as home visiting, which cost $135, implying an increase by a factor of 3.5 in the returns to investment with group sessions, offering a more scalable model. Impacts materialize in the first year, having important design implications.
Sally Grantham‐McGregor, Akanksha Adya, Orazio Attanasio et al.
Objective: This study aims to explore the importance of integrating reproductive health and nutrition as a strategic approach in addressing stunting in Indonesia. Materials & Methods: Using a qualitative study, this research analyzed findings from observation and from various scientific journals, reports of international and national health organizations, and policies related to stunting, reproductive health, and nutrition. The study emphasizes the importance of comprehensive perinatal interventions and supports the strengthening of maternal and child health systems. Findings: The analysis shows that a comprehensive approach that integrates nutrition interventions and reproductive health initiatives can significantly reduce the prevalence of stunting. This approach highlights the importance of adequate nutritional supplementation, quality perinatal health care, and health education programs for expectant mothers. Conclusion: The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of health policies that aim to sustainably reduce stunting rates with a holistic approach that focuses on maternal and child health.
Rahmah Juliani Siregar, Chatarina Suryaningsih, Yeti Trisnawati et al.
