Early childhood development (ECD) refers to physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development between 0 and 8 years. The aim of this study was to identify the gaps in ECD-related upstream and health policies in Iran. This qualitative study consisted of 2 main methodologies. First, a document analysis of heath and upstream policies related to ECD in Iran was done. Second, following a purposive sampling approach, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with policymakers, managers, academics, and service providers in the field of children health from October 2017 until June 2018 in Tehran, Iran. Also, a mixed approach was used for content and thematic analysis of the data. In this study, 3 categories of gaps and weaknesses were found: (1) the inferior position of ECD in macro policies and lack of health considerations in upstream social development policies; (2) the imbalance approach to policymaking in health, lack of attention to removing inequalities, and centralized policymaking; (3) lack of effective ECD interventions and programs with regards to contextual considerations to improve children's development, and long-standing ignorance of developmental policies for 3-8 year-old children. ECD is a fundamental policy approach for childhood development, which requires the policymakers' deep insight to shift their focus from physical development to combating the shortcomings in children's development cycle, eg, physical, mental, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual aspects. Unless policymakers change their approach to decrease nonintegrated and noncomprehensive policymaking for ECD, child development will be compromised, endangering the eventual sustainability of the society.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34171/mjiri.33.146 | DOI Listing |
Brain Struct Funct
January 2025
Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, 1137 Western Rd, London, ON, N6G 1G7, Canada.
Children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more susceptible to early life stress compared to their neurotypical peers. This increased susceptibility may be linked to regionally-specific changes in the striatum and amygdala, brain regions sensitive to stress and critical for shaping maladaptive behavioural responses. This study examined early life stress and its impact on striatal and amygdala development in 62 children and adolescents (35 males, mean age = 10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Pediatr
January 2025
Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Purpose: The first 1000 days of life are critical for long-term health outcomes, and there is increasing concern about the suitability of commercial food products for infants, toddlers, and children. This study evaluates the compliance of UK commercial baby food products with WHO Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) guidelines.
Methods: Between February and April 2023, data on 469 baby food products marketed for infants and children under 36 months were collected from the online platforms of four major UK supermarkets.
J Infect Dis
January 2025
College of Mathematical Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.
Introduction: We sought to explore the variability of antibody responses to multiple vaccines during early life in individual children, assess the trajectory of each child longitudinally, determine the associations of demographic variables and antibiotic exposures with vaccine-induced immunity, and link vaccine responsiveness to infection proneness.
Methods: In 357 prospectively-recruited children, age six through 36 months, antibody levels to 13 routine vaccine antigens were measured in sera at multiple time points and normalized to their respective protective thresholds to categorize children into four groups: very low, low, normal, and high vaccine responder. Demographic variables and frequency of antibiotic exposure data were collected.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry
January 2025
Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental outcome among children with a history of early institutional care. Prior research on institutionalized children suggested that accelerated physical growth in childhood is a risk factor for ADHD outcomes.
Methods: The current study examined physical and neurophysiological growth trajectories among institutionalized children randomized to foster care treatment (n = 59) or care as usual (n = 54), and never institutionalized children (n = 64) enrolled in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (NCT00747396, clinicaltrials.
J Clin Med
January 2025
European Laboratory for Food Induced Diseases, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Childhood nutrition plays an important role in the promotion of long-term health. Introducing solid foods in alignment with the Mediterranean Diet during weaning fosters a preference for healthy foods early in life. However, access to nutritious diets remains a challenge in underserved communities.
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