Double Jeopardy in Contemporary China: Intersecting the Socioeconomic Gradient and Geographic Context on Early Childhood Development

Minyi Li,Shiqi Wang,Yi Zhang,Yongai Jin,Wangyang Li

doi:10.3390/ijerph17144937

Minyi Li, Shiqi Wang + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17144937

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Abstract

Family socioeconomic status (SES) differences in early childhood development (ECD) are well documented, as are the neighborhood effects in early development outcomes. However, little is known about whether the SES gradient in ECD outcomes varies across geographic contexts by county-level variables in contemporary China. This study examines the effects of county-level socioeconomic background on inequalities in the developmental outcomes of young Chinese children. Individual-level child development data based on four early development milestones—taking a first step, first sentences, counting 10 objects, fully independent toileting—were combined with family- and county-level socioeconomic data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Using a hierarchical linear model (HLM) to examine how the broader socioeconomic context plays a role in the attainment of developmental milestones at expected times as young children grow and develop, we have found significant cross-level interaction effects between family SES and county-level variables in relation to developmental milestone attainment. The family SES gradient in the achievement of children’s developmental milestones is steeper for those in the under-developed regions than their counterparts in the more developed regions. Our findings suggest that low-SES children who are living in socioeconomically deprived regions suffer from a double disadvantage in terms of early development outcomes. Further research would be needed to contextualize the observed interactions and better explain the underlying mechanisms.

Highlights

The early childhood period, from the prenatal to the first 5 years of life, has long been recognized to lay the foundations for a lifetime of well-being
We present the percentile distribution of age with respect to the developmental milestones in Appendix A Table A3
Delays in early childhood development (ECD) are of the greatest urgency on a global scale, but special attention needs to be paid to the most considerable number of vulnerable children in developing or under-developed countries

Summary

Introduction

The early childhood period, from the prenatal to the first 5 years of life, has long been recognized to lay the foundations for a lifetime of well-being. An extensive body of scientific evidence suggests that early adversity and poor development have sustainable consequences on physical and emotional health outcomes later from a life course perspective, such as chronic diseases [1,2,3], psychiatric disorders [4], and depression [5]. Developmental delays in early childhood have been shown to hinder brain development and lead to poorer educational attainment and economic performance in adulthood [6,7,8,9,10]. Richter et al [11] summarized the benefits of investing in high-quality early childhood education and care in improving health and well-being across the lifespan, for disadvantaged children. Public Health 2020, 17, 4937; doi:10.3390/ijerph17144937 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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