Helpdesk Reports
A rapid review of the literature has found a selection of innovative WASH options available for situations of severe population overcrowding and limited spaces. Case study information was collated from African, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Caribbean countries. As requested, a number of experts were consulted for their opinion where there was a lack of… Read more
With 2.1 billion people – mostly in rural areas – lacking safely managed drinking water and reported low rural water supply functionality rates, the Sustainable Development Goals pose a triple challenge: to reach unserved mostly rural population groups, to raise service levels, and to sustain existing and future services. This assessment uses a multi-country case… Read more
Background There is an urgent need for effective, affordable interventions to prevent child mental health problems in low- and middle- income countries. Aims To determine the effects of a universal pre-school-based intervention on child conduct problems and social skills at school and at home. Method In a cluster randomised design, 24 community pre-schools in inner-city… Read more
This article is a summary of a longer paper published in 2010 by the Brookings Institution with the support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Scaling-up Early Child Development in Cuba – Cuba’s Educate Your Child Program: Strategies and lessons from the expansion process, by Alfredo R. Tinajero, an early childhood development research specialist for… Read more
The psychological states of Dominican women with chronic lymphedema and elephantiasis of the leg and the coping strategies they used to ameliorate the negative psychological effects of this condition were explored using modified precepts of grounded theory method. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviewing and focus group discussions held in the Dominican Republic. Thematic… Read more
Growth retardation affects about a third of children younger than age 5 years in developing countries and is associated with poor development. Previously, we did a trial of nutritional supplementation and psychosocial stimulation in stunted children aged 9—24 months. Non-stunted children were also assessed. Both types of intervention improved development. We now present the effects… Read more
AIM: The aim of this study was to determine whether psychosocial stimulation up to the age of 2 years benefits cognition and behaviour at age 6 years in low-birthweight, term-born (LBW-T) children (gestational age > or =37 wk, birthweight <2500g), and to compare LBW-T and normal-birthweight (NBW) children. METHOD: LBW-T Jamaican infants were randomized at… Read more
There is little unequivocal evidence that nutritional supplementation of undernourished children has a beneficial effect on their mental development. The effects of nutritional supplementation, with or without psychosocial stimulation, of growth-retarded (stunted) children aged 9-24 months were assessed in a study in Kingston, Jamaica. 129 children from poor neighbourhoods were randomly assigned to four groups—control,… Read more
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dietary supplementation or psychosocial stimulation given to growth retarded (stunted) children age 9-24 months has long term benefits for their psychosocial functioning in late adolescence. DESIGN:Sixteen year follow-up study of a randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Poor neighbourhoods in Kingston, Jamaica. PARTICIPANTS: Of 129 stunted children identified at age 9-24 months, 103… Read more
Introduction There are two distinct stages in Cuba’s history with regard to child development services. In the first stage, before the Revolution, health services were quite limited; there were only 300 children’s health centers in the entire country, and the child mortality rate was 54 per 1,000 live births. In the second stage, following the… Read more
Objectives: To assess the feasibility of integrating early psychosocial stimulation into primary care for undernourished children and to determine the effect on children’s development and mothers’ knowledge and practices of childrearing. Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: 18 clinics in three Jamaican parishes. Participants: 139 undernourished children aged 9 to 30 months and their mothers… Read more