Does attendance at preschool affect adult health? A systematic review
K D'Onise1, R A McDermott, J W Lynch
1Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia. katina.d'onise@postgrads.unisa.edu.au
Insights
Early childhood education programs show promise for improving adult health behaviors and reducing depression symptoms. However, they do not appear to impact chronic disease outcomes, suggesting a need for further research and broader population health strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Early childhood interventions significantly influence long-term social and educational development.
- Evaluating the adult health consequences of center-based preschool programs is crucial for understanding long-term impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the evidence on the adult health outcomes associated with center-based preschool interventions for children.
- To identify the effects of early childhood education on adult health behaviors and chronic disease development.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (Medline, Embase, ERIC, Psych Info, Sociological Abstracts, Cochrane Library, C2-SPECTR, Head Start) from 1980 to 2008.
- Reference lists of identified articles were manually searched to capture any missed studies.
- Eligibility criteria focused on center-based preschool interventions and their long-term health impacts on adults.
Main Results:
- Twelve studies were included, predominantly featuring multi-faceted interventions for disadvantaged populations.
- Positive effects were observed in most behavioral outcomes, with a potential reduction in depression symptoms.
- Interventions showed adverse or negligible effects on non-communicable disease outcomes, such as diabetes mellitus.
Conclusions:
- Early childhood interventions may support the development of healthier adult behaviors but do not significantly influence chronic disease outcomes.
- Increased involvement of population health researchers in evaluating preschool interventions is recommended to maximize potential public health benefits.
Background:
Early child development interventions can set children on positive social and educational trajectories. The aim of this review was to examine the evidence for the adult health impacts of centre-based preschool interventions for preschoolers.
Methods:
Medline, Embase, ERIC, Psych Info, Sociological Abstracts, the Cochrane Library, C2-SPECTR and the Head Start database were searched (1980-2008), and reference lists were searched for articles missed by the electronic search.
Results:
The 12 eligible articles reviewed reported multi-faceted interventions and involved disadvantaged populations in all but one study. Limitations included a restricted range of health outcomes, reliance on self-report measures (11 studies), small sample sizes (nine studies with <100 in each arm) and a relatively young adult age at follow-up. There were positive intervention effects across the majority of behavioural outcomes, and a suggestion of a reduction in symptoms of depression. Non-communicable disease outcomes (e.g. diabetes mellitus) tended to have adverse or near-zero effect estimates.
Conclusions:
The reviewed articles provide some support for the role of early childhood interventions to improve health behaviours but not chronic disease outcomes. Population health researchers should become more involved in the evaluation of preschool interventions as there is great potential for broad population health benefit.
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