Where in the world are Canadian psychologists?

Abstract

The work of psychologists overseas in developing countries often supports the international agenda to improve the health, growth, and education of children. This article describes my evaluation research conducted primarily with nongovernmental organisations, aimed at improving the health, growth, and development of young children. The focus is on programs with parents of children in the 0 to 3 age range to promote handwashing and latrine use, adequate and diverse diets, and psychosocial stimulation. One challenge of current programs arises from their insufficient use of theories of behaviour change and their need to apply these creatively in the developing country context. Another is the need to keep focused on the most critical practices for children’s development. As the Millennium Development Goals come under renewed scrutiny, it will be important to show that we have effective interventions to improve the mental development of children.