Health
Health
An “environment of relationships” is crucial for the development of a child’s brain architecture, which lays the foundation for later outcomes such as academic performance, mental health, and interpersonal skills. However, there is a greater need for policies that consider the importance of adult-child relationships for child well-being. This working paper from the National Scientific… Read more
The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term impact of a group crisis intervention for children aged 9–15 years from five refugee camps in the Gaza Strip during ongoing conflict. Children were selected if they reported moderate to severe post-traumatic stress reactions, and were allocated to group intervention, encouraging expression of experiences and… Read more
Around the world, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 children are involved in armed conflict. Children can be abducted into a fighting force to fight or serve as sex slaves. Child soldiers have depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms; however, evidence is mixed because of methodologic limitations. Various mental health interventions have been tried, with promising… Read more
Little data exists on the effectiveness of psychological interventions for children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has resulted from exposure to war or conflict-related violence, especially in non-industrialised countries. The authors created and evaluated the efficacy of KIDNET, a child-friendly version of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), as a short-term treatment for children. Six Somali children… Read more
The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among Rwandese and Somali refugees resident in a Ugandan refugee settlement, as a measure of the mental health consequences of armed conflict, as well as to inform a subsequent mental health outreach programme. The study argues that mental… Read more
There are dramatic differences in mortality and life expectancy between and within countries. Disadvantaged groups have poorer survival chances and use facility-based services less than other groups. Community health services are an opportunity to improve this situation and create a pathway to Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Community Health Workers (CHWs) can improve equitable child survival,… Read more
Community health workers (CHWs) are uniquely placed to link communities with the health system, playing a role in improving the reach of health systems and bringing health services closer to hard-to-reach and marginalised groups. A systematic review was conducted to determine the extent of equity of CHW programmes and to identify intervention design factors which… Read more
This report is a summary of an extensive evaluation undertaken by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) of its response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It focuses on Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Maldives — countries that had the most serious damage and received 84 per cent of UNICEF tsunami country-level funds. The evaluation mainly… Read more
The primary purpose of this toolkit is to provide a resource for researchers from various disciplines interested in planning and evaluating programmes or interventions aimed at improving the health and development of infants and young children. The toolkit aims to provide an overview of issues affecting early development and its measurement; discuss the types of… Read more
Dr Stephanie Bengtsson and Dr Jo Ailwood have been involved in a teacher training research project in Zimbabwe since 2013. This talk looks at how the concept of care can be used to integrate early childhood services. A mapping of age phases across sectors is presented and the meaning of the word ‘care’ is discussed…. Read more
Rosemary Morgan is a Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In this HEART talks video, she talks about the project she works on, ‘Research in Gender and Ethics (RinGs): Building Stronger Health Systems’, and about the importance of making gender integral in health systems research. RinGs came about as a project… Read more