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Journal article
Early childhood development and urban environment in Mexico
PloS one, v 16(11), pp e0259946-e0259946
2021
PMID: 34788324
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Childhood 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 Mexico.
We 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.
Inadequate 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).
Some 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.
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Details
- Title
- Early childhood development and urban environment in Mexico
- Creators
- Francisco-Javier Prado-Galbarro - Population Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.Carolina Pérez-Ferrer - Population Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.Ana Ortigoza - Drexel UniversityNancy Paulina López-Olmedo - Population Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.Ariela Braverman-Bronstein - Drexel UniversityRosalba Rojas-Martínez - Population Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.Filipa de Castro - Population Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.Tonatiuh Barrientos-Gutiérrez - Population Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
- Publication Details
- PloS one, v 16(11), pp e0259946-e0259946
- Publisher
- Public LIbrary of Science (PLOS)
- Grant note
- 205177 / Wellcome Trust 205177/Z/16/Z / Wellcome Trust
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000735920500041
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85119415351
- Other Identifier
- 991019169902904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health