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Early Childhood Development

  2. Early Childhood Development

Under-five mortality among South East Asian countries is either falling or already low.

 

However, research shows that children’s early health, nutrition, psychosocial and physical environment can affect their growth, neurological development, immune function and long-term well-being.

 

Moreover, the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, hypertension, some cancers, and mental health issues later in life can be increased by adverse experiences during foetal and early post-natal life. This period is often referred to as the 1000 days from conception to age 24 months, and these effects can sometimes be passed down to future generations through epigenetic mechanisms.

 

SDGHI is focusing on early childhood development (ECD) to maximise the opportunities for every child to reach their full biological potential, and to reduce the risk of chronic NCDs in middle and later life.

Following the Nurturing Care Framework developed by WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank, SDGHI is working to support national partners to implement a range of interventions that promote ECD and well-being in early life.

These focus on health and nutrition, protecting children from stress or inappropriate contact, promoting responsive caregiving and providing early learning opportunities at community level.

Our work is following a three-step process:

Analysis

A situation analysis on ECD policies, practices and funding in the local context, starting with Sri Lanka. A similar picture was painted for four countries in Southeast Asia in a 2023 report.

Design

A co-creation process by Singapore and local partners to design and plan interventions, based on the situation analysis.

Implementation

Large scale programmes of implementation research, initially focusing on Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia. These will provide vital insights to inform national roll-out of services to enhance ECD in the region.

Research published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health in 2023 strongly suggests that such work will significantly improve children’s cognitive, physical, language and possibly their social-emotional development. It is also economically feasible, enhances equity and will have a major impact on social and economic development once it has been taken up nationally.

 

We are also planning nested scientific research to study the epigenetic markers of early life adversity and how this might be impacted by ECD promotion at community level.

 

In addition, we will be testing a digital health component to improve the recording of child health and well-being indicators, and services received. It will also assist communication with, and promote health literacy among families. 

 

SDGHI’s partner in this work is the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore, home of the successful KidStart programme and the GUSTO and S-PRESTO cohort studies. We will be utilising Singapore’s existing experience and knowledge to inform implementation of our work in the region.

Get in touch

For more information about our early childhood development programmes or to get involved, please contact us at sdghi@duke-nus.edu.sg.

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