( 19, 20) While iron supplementation can treat and prevent iron deficiency, due to the potential for increased risk of death with malaria infection, it is recommended only for non-malarial areas. ( 18) Salt iodization decreases the risk of iodine deficiency in children by 41%, improves cognitive function, reduces risk of low intelligence, and improves IQ. The Iodine Global Network and WHO recommend universal salt iodization to prevent and treat iodine deficiency disorders. Mass fortification of foodstuffs can address iodine and iron deficiencies. ( 16, 17) Estimates suggest that existing interventions designed to improve nutrition and related disease could reduce stunting at age 36 months by 36%. ( 16) A wide range of interventions have demonstrated efficacy in reducing stunting, including complementary feeding education, food supplementation in food insecure populations, preventive zinc supplementation, hygiene interventions that reduce incidence of diarrhea, and deworming in populations with a high burden of intestinal helminthiasis. Iron-deficiency anemia may result in impaired motor development, coordination, and scholastic achievement in young children.īalanced energy and protein supplementation to underweight women, micronutrient supplementation, and intermittent preventive treatment in malaria endemic areas have been shown to increase birthweight, reduce incidence of low birthweight, and/or reduce risk of a small-for-gestational-age baby. ( 15) Iron is essential for both mental and physical development. ( 14) Severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to cretinism however, even sub-clinical deficiencies are associated with intellectual impairment and neurological abnormalities. ( 1) Iodine deficiency is the main cause of preventable mental impairment in childhood. ( 9– 13) Stunting at age two or three has been associated with school attainment, dropout, and later life cognitive deficits. Low birthweight, a proxy for IUGR, is associated with poor cognitive development. Major nutritional risk factors for poor child development include IUGR, stunting, iodine deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia. High performers also serve as a model of positive deviance for the region.
Identifying high-performing countries allows us to estimate the potential impact of health interventions in sub-Saharan Africa if all countries were to achieve the level of the high performing countries. The objective of this paper is to identify scope for improvement by classifying countries across levels of risk factors for poor child development and coverage of interventions addressing these risk factors. ( 6) Failure to meet developmental milestones during this critical window has lasting effects throughout the life course, including school achievement, adult earnings, and intergenerational transmission of poverty. Early life is critical because perturbations during this period of rapid brain development can lead to enduring changes to the brain’s structural and functional capacity. ( 5) Many of these risk factors are inter-related, and the accumulation of risk can lead to long term and enduring impacts on child development. ( 4) In 2010, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique and Côte d’Ivoire accounted for an estimated 47% of malaria cases worldwide. ( 3) An estimated 40% of the population, including 58 million school-aged children, have inadequate iodine intakes. Fifteen of the top 24 countries with the highest burden of stunting worldwide are in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, maternal education and breastfeeding were identified as protective factors.Īfrica has a high burden of risk factors for poor child development.
( 1, 2) These risks include intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), stunting, iodine deficiency, iron-deficiency anemia, malaria, lead exposure, HIV, maternal depression, and inadequate cognitive stimulation.
#Factors affecting group dynamics ppt series#
The 20 Lancet series on child development identified major risks for poor child development. An estimated 200 million children worldwide fail to meet their development potential due to poverty, poor health, and unstimulating environments. As the world has seen large reductions in child mortality over the last decades, there has been increasing focus on improving child development.