Africa Knowledge Hub for Children

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex6 Aug 2022

The Child and Adolescent Thriving Index 1.0: Developing a Measure of the Outcome Indicators of Well-Being for Population Health Assessment

The well-being of children and adolescents is emerging as an area of interest for population health measurement. Previous approaches assessing national and state trends in well-being have relied on composite indices. However, these methodologies suffer from several weaknesses. This paper develops an improved index for the United States that is measurable with existing population-data resources. It derives the appropriate weights for items in this index using a longitudinal panel of 2,942 children in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Candidate component measures are selected for the index based on their demonstrated association with several subjective scales assessed during young adulthood. The final index demonstrates that a broad range of measures indicate higher levels of population-level well-being. The predictive validity of the index for outcomes during young adulthood is also assessed: a one-standard-deviation increase in the index score is associated with a 7.9-percentage-point decrease [95% CI: 5.9 - 9.8] in ever reporting fair or poor health, a 6.3-percentage-point decrease [95% CI: 4.6 - 8.0] in ever reporting depression, and a 17.2% [95% CI: 13.7% - 20.5%] increase in peak earnings. These values for predictive validity are slightly higher than those of existing methodologies. We also find that incorporating contextual indicators from childhood and adolescence does not substantively improve predictive validity. Policy-makers and government agencies interested in population-level well-being of children and adolescents can continue to use existing indices as reasonable proxies, but should also commit to upgrading data systems to make them more child-centric in the future. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12187-022-09962-0.

Nathaniel Anderson, Anna J. Markowitz, Daniel Eisenberg et al.

USRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex12 May 2021

Women and Children First: Intimate Partner Violence, Children's Well-Being & Child Labour in Ecuador

This dissertation examines the relationship between women’s ownership of economic resources, beliefs, values and childhood experiences of violence and intimate partner violence, the relationship between household chores and children’s self-assessed well-being and the intergenerational transmission of child labour. The individuals studied are Ecuadorian women and children. Chapter 2 explores whether having economic assets available to women helps protect them from intimate partner violence (psychological, physical, sexual and economic violence), taking into account the importance of beliefs, gender norms and childhood experiences of violence. While asset ownership is somewhat protective of intimate partner violence, access to money for personal expenses is strongly associated with lower likelihoods of all types of violence. ‘Traditional’ beliefs are, perhaps counterintuitively, protective of violence. Results provide compelling evidence supporting an intergenerational aspect to violence where violent family backgrounds are strongly associated with higher incidences of all types of intimate partner violence. Chapter 3 examines the effects of housework on children’s self-assessed well-being. The domestic activities that Ecuadorian children (ages 8-17) perform are negatively associated with their self-assessed well-being, both at the extensive and intensive margin of household work. Although the decreases in happiness associated with household chores may appear small in magnitude given the mean level of happiness, the effect is similar to the decrease in happiness associated with the work children perform in the labour market. Chapter 4 studies the intergenerational transmission of child labour in Ecuador. Findings show that children of parents who were child labourers themselves are more likely to combine school and work and less likely to only attend school when defining ‘child work’ according to Ecuadorian legislation (i.e., children who are illegally working violating minimum age requirements, exceeding working hour limits, whose work interferes with their schooling or who work in dangerous conditions). The intergenerational effect of child labour for Ecuadorian children remains beyond the effects of parental child labour on current family income, it depends on the type of work the children perform and it is not gender neutral.

Paola Beneras P.

DevelopmentProtectionECRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex18 Mar 2021

Association of Children’s Mode of School Instruction with Child and Parent Experiences and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic — COVID Experiences Survey, United States, October 8–November 13, 2020

In March 2020, efforts to slow transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, resulted in widespread closures of school buildings, shifts to virtual educational models, modifications to school-based services, and disruptions in the educational experiences of school-aged children. Changes in modes of instruction have presented psychosocial stressors to children and parents that can increase risks to mental health and well-being and might exacerbate educational and health disparities (1,2). CDC examined differences in child and parent experiences and indicators of well-being according to children's mode of school instruction (i.e., in-person only [in-person], virtual-only [virtual], or combined virtual and in-person [combined]) using data from the COVID Experiences nationwide survey. During October 8-November 13, 2020, parents or legal guardians (parents) of children aged 5-12 years were surveyed using the NORC at the University of Chicago AmeriSpeak panel,* a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. Among 1,290 respondents with a child enrolled in public or private school, 45.7% reported that their child received virtual instruction, 30.9% in-person instruction, and 23.4% combined instruction. For 11 of 17 stress and well-being indicators concerning child mental health and physical activity and parental emotional distress, findings were worse for parents of children receiving virtual or combined instruction than were those for parents of children receiving in-person instruction. Children not receiving in-person instruction and their parents might experience increased risk for negative mental, emotional, or physical health outcomes and might need additional support to mitigate pandemic effects. Community-wide actions to reduce COVID-19 incidence and support mitigation strategies in schools are critically important to support students' return to in-person learning.

Jorge Verlenden, Sanjana Pampati, Catherine N. Rasberry et al.

DevelopmentUSRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex - Early Childhood1 Jan 2019

Multiple anthropometric failures and early child development in 34 low- and middle-income countries

Background: Child stunting is negatively associated with early child development (ECD) outcomes.However, less is known regarding the associations between multiple co-occurring anthropometric failures and ECD.The objective of this study was to determine the association between categories of anthropometric failures (CAF)-disaggregating single, double, and triple failures-with ECD among children in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).Methods: We combined data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys for 98,189 children aged 36-59 months in 34 LMICs.Height-for-age, weight-for-height, and weight-for-age were calculated using the 2006 World Health Organization growth standards.Children were classified into 7 mutually exclusive categories: no deficits; stunted only; wasted only; underweight only; stunted and underweight but not wasted; wasted and underweight but not stunted; and stunted, wasted, and underweight.ECD was measured using the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI), an index of cognitive, literacy-numeracy, socioemotional, and physical development milestones for preschool-aged children.We used multivariable linear regression models to estimate the association between CAF and ECDI z-scores.Results: Overall, 20.4% of children had a single failure (17.9% stunted only, 1.0% wasted only, and 1.5% underweight only), 13.7% had double failures (12.0%stunted and underweight, 1.7% wasted and underweight), and 1.5% had triple failures.Compared to children with no deficits, children with a single failure of stunting only (β = -0.08;95% confidence interval [CI], -0.10 to -0.07), double failure of stunting and underweight (β = -0.17;95% CI, -0.19 to -0.15), and triple failure of stunting, wasting, and underweight (β = -0.15;95% CI, -0.20 to -0.10) were associated with statistically significant lower ECDI z-scores.Conclusion: We found a potentially additive relationship between multiple anthropometric failures and ECD.Findings highlight the importance of integrated interventions that support mild to severe malnutrition as a key component of nurturing care approaches to improve ECD in LMICs.

Joshua Jeong, Rockli Kim, S. V. Subramanian

SurvivalDevelopmentUSRead at source

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Strategies to Improve the Mental Well-being of the Left-Behind Child

The Effects of the 2021 Monthly Child Tax Credit on Child and Family Well-Being: Evidence from New York City

The Child and Adolescent Thriving Index 1.0: Developing a Measure of the Outcome Indicators of Well-Being for Population Health Assessment

Developing a Validated Family‐School Partnership Assessment for Child Health and Well‐Being: A Multidimensional Approach

Parental Denigration Boomerangs Versus Alienates: Parent–Child Closeness, Reciprocity, and Well‐Being Using Multiple Informants

Women and Children First: Intimate Partner Violence, Children's Well-Being & Child Labour in Ecuador

Association of Children’s Mode of School Instruction with Child and Parent Experiences and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic — COVID Experiences Survey, United States, October 8–November 13, 2020

Perinatal antibiotics alter preterm infant EEG and neurobehavior in the Family Nurture Intervention trial

Nurturing the nurturer: enacting transformative infant-toddler teacher preparation through reflective practice

Multiple anthropometric failures and early child development in 34 low- and middle-income countries

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