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Child development: risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries

Susan P Walker1, Theodore D Wachs, Julie Meeks Gardner

  • 1Epidemiology Research Unit, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. susan.walker@uwimona.edu.jm

Lancet (London, England)
|January 16, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Poverty hinders child development, impacting millions globally. Urgent interventions are needed for stunting, poor stimulation, and deficiencies to improve children's health and potential.

Area of Science:

  • Global child development
  • Public health
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Poverty and related factors impede developmental potential in over 200 million children.
  • Child development is significantly affected by biological and psychosocial risks from birth to age five.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence linking modifiable risks to child development.
  • To identify key risk factors requiring urgent intervention.
  • To highlight areas for future research in child development.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of evidence on child development risks.
  • Identification and prioritization of critical biological and psychosocial risk factors.
  • Analysis of the cumulative impact of multiple risks.

Main Results:

  • Urgent interventions recommended for stunting, inadequate cognitive stimulation, iodine deficiency, and iron deficiency anemia.
  • Sufficient evidence supports interventions for malaria, intrauterine growth restriction, maternal depression, violence exposure, and heavy metal exposure.
  • Risk factors often co-occur, exacerbating adverse developmental outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Addressing key risk factors is crucial for unlocking the developmental potential of millions of children.
  • Interventions for identified risks can mitigate the adverse effects of poverty on child development.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand the impact of various risk factors on child development.

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