African American Preschoolers Research Articles

White Bias in 3–7-Year-Old Children across Cultures

In three studies we report data confirming and extending the finding of a tendency toward a White preference bias by young children of various ethnic backgrounds. European American preschoolers who identify with a White doll also prefer it to a Black doll. In contrast, same age African American children who identify with a Black doll do not show a significant preference for it over a White doll. These results are comparable in African American children attending either a racially mixed (heterogeneous), or an Afro-centric, all African American (homogenous) preschool. These results show the persistence of an observation that contributed to school de-segregation in the United States. Results also reveal a lack of congruence between skin color identity and preference is not limited to African Americans. There is a comparable, if not stronger White preference bias in five to seven-year-old Polynesian and Melanesian children tested in their native island nations. Using a modified procedure controlling for binary forced choice biases, we confirm these findings with second generation American children of Indian descent showing clear signs of a White (lighter skin preference) bias. These results are consistent with the idea that during the preschool years children are sensitive and attracted to signs of higher social status that, for historical reasons and across cultures, tends to be associated with lighter skin color.

Tooth Surface Level Caries Progression in the Primary Dentition among Preschool Children

The objective of this paper is to describe primary tooth surface level caries progression, over 2 years, based on the severity of the caries lesions. Data were collected from 790 low-income African-American preschool children in Detroit, Mich., USA. The caregivers of the children (aged 0-5 years) completed interviews and the dyad of child-caregiver completed dental examinations in 2002-2004 (baseline) and in 2004-2005 (follow-up). Caries were measured using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS). The caries status of tooth surfaces was classified into initial (ICDAS 1-2), moderate (ICDAS 3-4) and extensive (ICDAS 5-6) stages. Counts of tooth surfaces with progression, by baseline caries severity level, were used to compute rate ratios (RRs) relative to sound stages. RRs were also computed for type of tooth surfaces and frequency of intake of soda consumption at baseline. After adjusting for confounders, caries progression was more likely to occur in tooth surfaces with any baseline caries relative to sound surfaces. For surfaces with initial caries, the rate of progression to moderate caries was 9.6 times higher than that of sound surfaces. Surfaces with initial and moderate caries progressed to extensive caries 6.1 and 20.6 times, respectively, relative to sound surfaces. Baseline soda consumption was not associated with the RR of caries progression. In conclusion, the staging of caries identifies different progression risks and significant emphasis should be placed on secondary prevention of initial lesions as well as on primary prevention.

The Mommy and Me Play Program: A Pilot Play Intervention for Low-Income, African American Preschool Families

In this study the author examined the effects of a dyadic, mother-paired play intervention—The Mommy and Me Play Program—an innovative intervention program designed using a live-action modeling technique in which mothers serve as “natural helpers” to each other. By identifying natural strengths in mothers and employing opportunities for scaffolded learning, this intervention aimed to enhance mother–child play interactions and children's social and emotional competence. Fifty mother–child dyads from a single, low-income, African American, urban community were assessed in this study on measures of mother–child play interactions and children's social and emotional competency. Results from this pilot were not statistically significant, but provide important information regarding future research with this intervention program. These preliminary findings indicated that mothers with fewer play skills pre-intervention demonstrated improvement in their play skills post-intervention beyond other intervention participants; and children of those same mothers showed the greatest decrease in angry and aggressive behaviors in the classroom when compared to other participating children from pre- to post-intervention. Implications for research and practice in community-based, intervention work with low-income, ethnic-minority families are discussed.

African American Preschoolers' Emotion Explanations Can Provide Evidence of Their Pragmatic Skills

African American Preschoolers' Emotion Explanations Can Provide Evidence of Their Pragmatic Skills

Exploring story grammar structure in the book reading interactions of African American mothers and their preschool children: a pilot investigation.

The aim of this investigation was to identify the book reading behaviors and book reading styles of middle class African American mothers engaged in a shared book reading activity with their preschool children. To this end, the mothers and their children were videotaped reading one of three books, Julius, Grandfather and I, or Somewhere in Africa. Both maternal and child behaviors were coded for the frequency of occurrence of story grammar elements contained in their stories and maternal behaviors were also coded for their use of narrative eliciting strategies. In addition, mothers were queried about the quality and quantity of book reading/story telling interactions in the home environment. The results suggest that there is a great deal of individual variation in how mothers use the story grammar elements and narrative eliciting strategies to engage their children in a shared book reading activity. Findings are discussed in terms of suggestions for additional research and practical applications are offered on ways to optimally engage African American preschool children and African American families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in shared book reading interactions.

Children, Mathematics, and Videotape

Despite the increased use of video for data collection, most research using assessment interviews in early childhood education relies solely upon the analysis of linguistic data, ignoring children’s bodies. This trend is particularly troubling in studies of marginalized children because transcripts limited to language can make it difficult to analyze embodied power relations between majority researchers and minority children. This article responds to this problem by outlining a theoretical position on power and bodies, describing multimodal analysis strategies, and using these strategies to analyze the subject positions available during a mathematical assessment interview for three African American preschool child-participants and the European American adult researcher. This study draws attention to the complexity of human interactions during assessment interviews by describing the ways children positioned themselves as willing (or not), attentive (or not), and competent (or not) as well as describing the ways the researcher sought to position herself.

Selective Mutism in Early Childhood

Selective mutism (SM) is a relatively uncommon disorder in childhood, occurring in only 0.3 to 1.8 children per thousand. In early childhood, diagnosing SM can be particularly challenging, and the condition often goes unrecognized until the school years. Given the potential comorbidity of anxiety and communication deficits, treatment can be challenging and attendance in early childhood educational programs allows intervention in a contextually sensitive way that may also help address comorbidities and promote generalization. Thus, this case study of an African American preschool boy highlights the unique obstacles and opportunities of assessment and treatment in a preschool setting. Furthermore, we describe a three-step behavioral approach to addressing SM in collaboration with educators over a 3-month period. Substantive research indicates that early intervention with SM is associated with decreased likelihood of developing an anxiety-related disorder later in childhood; therefore, tailored assessment and intervention in early childhood within a community-based setting may be extremely useful.

The role of dialect density in nonword repetition performance: An examination with at-risk African American preschool children

The Nonword Repetition Task (NRT) is considered to be a less-biased language measure for children from cultural minority groups. In the current study, we examined NRT performance of 50 at-risk, preschool-age children who spoke African American English (AAE). In addition to the NRT, measures included AAE dialect density and several standardised language tests. The primary aim was to determine significant contributors to NRT performance. We hypothesised that the language measures would significantly contribute to NRT performance while dialect density would be an insignificant contributor. Contrary to our predictions, dialect density was a unique and significant predictor of NRT performance (in addition to phonological awareness), while the language measures were not significant predictors. The current findings cast doubt on categorising the NRT as a less-biased language assessment for AAE-speaking preschoolers; however, the NRT may have potential as a screener for identifying preschoolers at risk for delays in literacy acquisition.

African American Preschoolers' Social and Emotional Competence at School: The Influence of Teachers and Mothers

Children learn social and emotional competence through socialization. Traditionally, research has focused attention on the role of Parents in this process; however, teachers also play an important part. The purpose of this study was to examine the social and emotional competence of preschool African American children and the role teachers and mothers play in supporting these competencies. Teachers who labeled children's emotions as positive and were responsive to them created a positive emotional classroom climate. Children in such classrooms were observed to engage in more social competence behaviors. Mothers who provided positive behavioral strategies for their children were also more likely to be emotionally responsive. Surprisingly, these positive behaviors were not related to their children's competence behaviors at school. The relative contribution of mothers' and teachers' behaviors to African American children's observed social and emotional competencies at school and the implications of this research are described.

Anti-Fat Attitudes of African American Preschool Children: An Exploratory Study

Negative attitudes towards obesity are nearly ubiquitous in western society, with measurable anti-fat attitudes in children even as young as three years of age. Unfortunately, the research on the anti-fat attitudes in preschool children has used primarily white, middle class children as their participants. This is a significant limitation as previous research indicates that minority children are at greater risk of obesity and that African American individuals may have greater acceptance of a larger body size.The goal of the current study was to investigate the extent to which young African American preschool children harbor anti-fat attitudes toward obese body types. 24 African American preschool children were asked to assign both positive and negative attributes to pictures of three different body sizes (thin, average, obese). Results indicated that preschool children aged 4 and 5 attribute more negative characteristics to obese body figures than to either thin or average, while 3-year=old African American children do not. Children's BMI was not a significant correlate of anti-fat attitudes. Findings further research by showing that not only Caucasian children harbor anti-fat attitudes, but also young African American children harbor measureable negative attitudes towards obesity by age 4.

Domain-Specific Cognitive Stimulation and Maternal Sensitivity as Predictors of Early Academic Outcomes among Low-Income African American Preschoolers

Toni Harris Virginia State UniversityJohn Sideris University of North Carolina at Chapel HillZewelanji Serpell Virginia Commonwealth UniversityMargaret Burchinal University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChloe Pickett Virginia State UniversityIntroductionBy the end of preschool, many African American children from low-income families have demonstrable lags in early language, literacy, and mathematical skills (Denton Flanagan & McPhee, 2009; Hoffman & Llagas, 2003; Sbarra & Pianta, 2001). African American boys are particularly at-risk for poor early outcomes (Chatterji, 2006; Davis, 2003; Downer & Pianta, 2006; Kaiser, Cai, Hancock, & Foster, 2002; Stanton-Chapman et al., 2004) and research shows that with each increasing grade level African American girls outperform boys in all academic domains including math, language, and science (Roberts, Burchinai, & Durham, 1999). It has been suggested that African American children's family contexts be more closely examined to determine how they differentially influence African American children's academic achievement, in light of unique risk factors associated with race, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES, Thomas & Stevenson, 2009).There is a significant body of literature that has examined how cognitive stimulation and maternal sensitivity predicts language outcomes during early childhood (Davis, 2003; Roberts, Jurgens, & Burchinai, 2005); and among Canadian children, how domain-specific cognitive stimulation (e.g., mathematics stimulation) predicts mathematical skills during middle childhood (Blevins-Knabe & Musun-Miller, 1996; LeFevre et al., 2009). From these studies, one can ascertain that during early childhood maternal sensitivity and cognitive stimulation predict language outcomes, and that domain-specific stimulation should predict mathematics outcomes during early childhood as they have done in middle childhood.As previously stated, by kindergarten entry, African American children in general, and lowincome African American children in particular, continue to demonstrate lags in performance (i.e., achievement scores and grades) that are maintained throughout their academic careers (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Lee, 2002) with African American males demonstrating the greatest lags. In spite of these outcomes, the literature has not closely examined how domain-specific parenting variables predict African American children's language and mathematics academic outcomes prior to kindergarten entry, nor has it closely examined predictors based on gender. The primary goal of the current study is to take a closer look at how maternal sensitivity and domain-specific cognitive stimulation predict applied problem-solving skills, letter-word identification, and vocabulary during early childhood, by gender, so that more precise recommendations for successful academic outcomes can be provided to low-income African American parents.The theoretical framework for the current study derives from ecological-developmental theories (Bronfenbrenner, 1994; Garcia Coll et al., 1996) that emphasize that development is best understood by examining the multiple ecologies of children and inputs from individuals that constitute them. All ecological-developmental theories contend that development depends, in part, on the degree of support provided by a child's environment, particularly the home environment. Garcia Coll and colleagues' (1996) integrative model adds cultural specificity to traditional ecological-developmental models by describing macrosystem variables (e.g., racism, discrimination, and history of oppression) that uniquely affect children from racial/ethnic minority groups. This integrative model posits that for African American children, developmental processes are affected first by social position variables such as race, social class, and gender.Much of the existing educational research examining early predictors of academic skills among African American children uses a comparative approach with middle-class Caucasians serving as the reference group (Lee, 2003). …

Mothers’ parenting and child sex differences in behavior problems among African American preschoolers.

Sex differences in rates of behavior problems, including internalizing and externalizing problems, begin to emerge during early childhood. These sex differences may occur because mothers parent their sons and daughters differently, or because the impact of parenting on behavior problems is different for boys and girls. In this study, we examined whether associations between observations of mothers' positive and negative parenting and children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors vary as a function of child sex. The sample consisted of 137 African American low-income families with one sibling approximately 2 years old and the closest-aged older sibling who was approximately 4 years old. Results from fixed-effects within-family models indicate clear sex differences regardless of child age. Mothers were observed to use less positive parenting with sons than with daughters. Higher levels of observed negative parenting were linked to more externalizing behaviors for boys, whereas lower levels of positive parenting were linked to more externalizing behaviors for girls. No child sex differences emerged regarding associations between observed positive and negative parenting and internalizing behaviors.

Commentary on “Reducing High BMI in African American Preschoolers

Commentary on “Reducing High BMI in African American Preschoolers

Reducing High BMI in African American Preschoolers

Overweight and obesity in young children are increasing concerns for medical professionals. Lack of sufficient physical activity may be the primary cause; therefore, the development and testing of a theory-based intervention for preschoolers is a priority. A 30-minutes/day preschool-based intervention (Start For Life), with a foundation in social cognitive theory that emphasizes the use of self-regulation skills and feelings of mastery (self-efficacy), was administered for 9 months to 4- and 5-year-old African American children. Findings indicated a significant increase in accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity during the 7-hour school day. Reductions in body mass index (BMI; kg/m) were significant, with greater effects found in participants with an initially higher BMI. Further analyses indicated that the kilocalories expended through physical activity explained approximately 87% of the weight lost. Participants' sex did not affect the identified changes in BMI. A brief theory-based physical activity intervention (Start For Life) was associated with increased moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity and reduced overweight/obesity in 4- to 5-year-old preschoolers. Because of its practical format, opportunities for widespread dissemination may be possible.

Outdoor exposure and vitamin D levels in urban children with asthma

BackgroundThe inner-city pediatric population in the United States has a disproportionate burden of asthma. Recent attention has focused on the immunomodulatory role of vitamin D, which may be protective against disease morbidity. As the primary determinant of vitamin D status in humans is exposure to sunlight, we aimed to determine if 25-OH vitamin D levels in urban preschool children with asthma were low, influenced by time spent outdoors, and associated with asthma morbidity.MethodsSerum 25-OH vitamin D levels were measured at baseline in a cohort of 121 inner-city children ages 2–6 years with asthma in Baltimore, MD. Participants were followed longitudinally at 3 and 6 months to assess time spent outdoors, asthma symptoms through questionnaires and daily diaries, and allergic markers.ResultsIn a predominantly black population of preschool children, the median 25-OH vitamin D level was 28 ng/mL (IQR 21.2-36.9), with 54% of the children below the traditionally sufficient level of 30 ng/mL and 7.4% in the range associated with risk of rickets (< 15 ng/mL). The median time spent outdoors was 3 hours/day (IQR 2–4), and greater time spent outdoors was not associated with higher vitamin D levels. 25-OH vitamin D did not show seasonal variation in our cohort (p = 0.66). Lower 25-OH levels were correlated with higher IgE levels.ConclusionsUrban African-American preschool children with asthma have high rates of vitamin D insufficiency, and increased outdoor exposure is unlikely to correct these low 25-OH vitamin D levels. Repletion in this population may require dietary supplementation.

Ethnic Differences in the Home Environment and Physical Activity Behaviors among Low-Income, Minority Preschoolers in Texas

To evaluate the ethnic differences in the home physical activity and screen time environment of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start. Cross-sectional. Sixteen Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Head Start centers, Texas. Seven hundred and six preschoolers enrolled in HCDE Head Start centers and their parents. MEASURES. Items from the parent-reported Healthy Home Survey evaluating the home physical activity environment and the Nutrition Screening form evaluating screen time. Mixed model linear and logistic regression analysis. Of the parents, 75.06% were overweight or obese. Hispanic parents were more likely to have a yard or open space (p = .014) and usable play equipment in the yard (p = .019) for their children to play in compared to African-Americans. Conversely, more African-American parents reported having a television (TV) in their preschooler's bedroom (p = .032) and were less likely to cut down their child's TV viewing time (p = .036). African-American preschoolers were reportedly more likely to eat while watching TV (p = .009), play video games for ≥ 2 hours on weekdays (p = .018) and have computer time for ≥ 2 hours on weekends (p = .007), compared to Hispanics. The Hispanic participants of this study had a healthier home environment for physical activity and screen time as compared with their African-American counterparts. Future interventions targeting lifestyle change need to address these factors in an ethnic-specific manner.

The Effects of Age and Household Income on the Use of Literate Language Features

This study examined the use of literate language features (LLFs) in the oral narratives of African American and Caucasian American preschoolers residing in either low- or middle-income homes to determine whether differences existed as a result of age or household income. The oral narratives of 96 preschoolers enrolled in public school programs and early childhood centers (including Head Start) were analyzed for the frequency of usage of five literate language features (adverbs, conjunctions, mental and linguistic verbs, simple elaborated noun phrases, and complex elaborated noun phrases) as a function of age (3, 4, and 5 years) and household income (low and middle). Preschoolers’ narratives did not differ in LLF types, but usage frequency increased for simple elaborated noun phrases and conjunctions. Preschoolers’ narratives did not differ based on household income.

Food group intake patterns and nutrient intake vary across low-income Hispanic and African American preschool children in Atlanta: a cross sectional study

BackgroundThe food group intake patterns of low income Hispanic and African American preschool children are not well documented. The aim of this study was to perform a food group intake analysis of low income minority preschool children and evaluate how macronutrient and micronutrient intake compares to Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI).MethodsA cross sectional study design using three-day food diaries analyzed by dietary analysis software (Nutrient Database System for Research) was used. Children were recruited from well-child clinics at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding and North Dekalb Grady Satellite Clinic, Atlanta, GA. Low-income, African American and Hispanic preschool age children (n = 291) were enrolled. A total of 105 completed and returned the 3-day food diaries. Chi-squared tests were used to assess demographic variables. The mean percentage of intake per day of specific food groups and sub-groups were obtained (servings of given food group/total daily servings). Food intake data and proportion of children meeting DRIs for macro- and micronutrients were stratified by race/ethnicity, nutritional status, and caloric intake, and were compared using t-tests. Regression models controlling for age, BMI and sex were obtained to assess the effect of total caloric intake upon the proportional intake of each studied food group.ResultsThe mean age of African American children was 2.24 ± 1.07 years and Hispanic children 2.84 ± 1.12 years. African Americans consumed more kcal/kg/day than Hispanics (124.7 ± 51 vs. 96.9 ± 33, p < 0.05). Hispanics consumed more fruits (22.0 ± 10.7% vs. 14.7 ± 13.7%, p < 0.05), while African Americans consumed more grains (25.7 ± 7.8% vs. 18.1 ± 6.4%, p < 0.05), meats (20.7 ± 9.0% vs. 15.4 ± 6.1%, p < 0.05), fats (9.8 ± 5.4% vs. 7.0 ± 5.8%, p < 0.05), sweet drinks (58.7 ± 17.1% vs. 41.3 ± 14.8%, p < 0.05) and low-fat dairy products (39.5 ± 19.3% vs. 28.9 ± 12.6%, p < 0.05). Among Hispanics, the proportional intake of fruits, fats and grains varied by total caloric intake, while no difference by total caloric intake was found for the dietary patterns of African Americans. Micronutrient intake also differed significantly between African American and Hispanic children.ConclusionsFood group intake patterns among low-income children differ by ethnic group. There is a need for more research to guide program design and target nutritional interventions for this population.

Effects of the Start For Life treatment on physical activity in primarily African American preschool children of ages 3–5 years

In US children of ages 2–5 years, combined overweight and obesity has increased to 21%, with African American children of this age range highest at 26%. Lack of physical activity is highly predictive of overweight and obesity in children. Preschools may be a useful point for intervention. An innovative preschool physical activity treatment (Start For Life) was developed based on principles of social cognitive and self-efficacy theory. It incorporated 30 minutes daily of highly structured physical activity with behavioral and self-regulatory skills training (e.g. goal setting, self-monitoring, productive self-talk) interspersed. Data obtained from accelerometry was used to contrast physical activity outputs during the preschool day in the Start For Life condition (n = 202) with a usual-care control condition (n = 136). After controlling for age and sex of the primarily African American participants (M age = 4.7 years), changes over eight weeks in moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity were significant, and significantly more favorable in the Start For Life group; F(1, 344) = 4.98, p = .026 and F(1, 344) = 3.60, p = .058, respectively. Start For Life was associated with a weekly increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of approximately 40 minutes. After sufficient replications that better account for different sample types, parental effects and physical activity outside of the school day, and long-term effects, widespread dissemination may be considered.

African American Preschool Children's Physical Activity Levels in Head Start

The purpose of this study was to describe the physical activity levels of urban inner city preschoolers while attending Head Start, the federally funded preschool program for children from low-income families. Participants were 158 African American children. Their physical activity during Head Start days was measured using programmed RT-3 accelerometers. Results revealed that the children spent the most time in sedentary and light physical activity, while their participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activities was low. Given the sedentary class format and limited physical space for the Head Start programs observed, we suggest adding a structured physical activity component to Head Start schools to fight the overweight and obesity crisis.