Abstract
BackgroundChildhood is considered the most important phase of human development; within it the period from birth to 5 years of age is particularly critical, given the speed at which changes occur. The context where children live can influence early childhood developmnent (ECD) by providing or limiting opportunities to learn, play and establish social interactions. This study explored the associations between characteristics of the urban environment and ECD in 2,194 children aged 36 to 59 months living in urban municipalities in MexicoMethodsWe obtained ECD information from the 2015 Survey of Boys, Girls, and Women (ENIM, for its Spanish acronym), measured with the Early Childhood Development Index. The urban environment was evaluated at the municipal level, considering variables from five environment domains: physical, social, service, socioeconomic, and governance. Multilevel logistic models were fitted to assess the association between urban environment characteristics and the inadequacy of ECD in general and by specific development domains: learning, socio-emotional, physical, and alpha-numeric.ResultsInadequate ECD was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.72), and positively associated with population density (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01–1.02). For the specific ECD domains, inadequate socio-emotional development was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.85). Inadequate literacy-numeracy knowledge was associated inversely with the availability of daycare centers (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.97), and directly associated with the number of hospitals and clinics (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.72). Finally, the marginalization index was positively associated with inadequacy in the learning domain (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.03).ConclusionsSome aspects of the urban environment associated with ECD, suggest that intervening in the urban context could improve overall child development. Investment in resources oriented to improve socio-emotional development and literacy (such as libraries and daycare), could foster ECD in Mexico.
Highlights
Child development involves all physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive processes that occur from pregnancy until youth, through which human beings progress towards increasing autonomy [1]
Inadequate early childhood developmnent (ECD) was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.72), and positively associated with population density (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01– 1.02)
For the specific ECD domains, inadequate socio-emotional development was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.85)
Summary
Child development involves all physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive processes that occur from pregnancy until youth, through which human beings progress towards increasing autonomy [1]. During the first five years, the brain architecture is shaped rapidly and major neurological achievements occur as a result of the interaction between the living context and the genetic inheritance [1,2,3]. This period of early child development (ECD) has a direct impact on lifetime trajectories and adult health [4,5,6]. Several studies have shown that ECD is influenced by individual, maternal, family, and school characteristics [6, 8]. This study explored the associations between characteristics of the urban environment and ECD in 2,194 children aged 36 to 59 months living in urban municipalities in Mexico
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