Measuring Equity From The Start: Disparities In The Health Development Of US Kindergartners

Unveiling early childhood health inequities by age five through the national neighborhood equity index and the early development instrument

There is growing public urgency to close equity gaps in health and development by addressing inequities at multiple levels of children's developmental ecosystems. Current measurement strategies obscure the dynamic structural and relational patterns of oppression, adversity, and disadvantage that children can experience in their local intimate developmental ecosystem, as well as the leverage points that are necessary to change them. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between a universally available measure of neighborhood socio-economic context, the National Neighborhood Equity Index (NNEI), and a population measure of early child development and well-being, the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Data from a convenience sample of 144,957 kindergarteners in neighborhoods across the US demonstrate that children living in neighborhoods with more equity barriers are more likely to be on vulnerable developmental trajectories than those who reside in neighborhoods without any equity barriers. A multi-dimensional measurement approach that incorporates both the EDI and the NNEI can be used to quantify ethnoracialized patterns of structural disadvantage during critical periods of health development. These measures can inform community action to intervene early in the lifecourse to optimize children's health development trajectories at a population level.

The Children, Caregivers, and Community (C3) study of together growing strong: A protocol for an observational, place-based initiative in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Reaching population-level impact for families in poverty requires moving beyond a sole focus on individuals, to a wider focus on interactions between individuals and their broader environmental contexts. Place-based initiatives have emerged as a policy response to promote community-level change around these broader interactions between individuals and their local communities through addressing long-standing disparities in housing, employment, education, and health. Together Growing Strong (TGS) is one such place-based initiative focused on transforming the health, wellbeing, and development of young children and their families in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The Children, Caregivers, and Community (C3) Study is an outcomes-based study designed to assess the trajectories of children and families in Sunset Park along indicators such as family health and wellbeing and child development in relation to TGS program participation. The aims, scope, and protocol of the C3 Study are the subjects of this paper.

Embedding a Parenting Skills Program in Public PreK: Outcomes of a Quasi-experimental Mixed Methods Study

This sequential mixed methods study evaluated the impact of the Chicago Parent Program (CPP) in 12 Baltimore Title I PreK programs on parent engagement and student outcomes from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Phase 1 (quasi-experiment; N = 11,996) compared PreK students whose parents enrolled in CPP with those whose parents did not enroll in CPP on measures of kindergarten readiness, chronic absenteeism, suspensions/expulsions, and grade retention. Phase 2 (qualitative; n = 20) explored the perceptions of school-based staff, principals, and district and community leaders on CPP's impact on parents, students, and parent engagement, and why they sought to continue CPP in the schools.

Research Findings

No effects on student outcomes were found using administrative data. However, all of those interviewed described observed improvements in parent and student behavior and parent engagement and all schools have continued implementing CPP.

Practice or Policy

Qualitative results highlight the importance of stakeholder perspectives and the limitations of administrative data for evaluating brief interventions serving families with complex needs.

Treatment Engagement Among Children Exposed to Violence: A Systems Perspective

Childhood exposure to violence is a major public health issue. Effective treatment can reduce the impact of violence exposure on child outcomes. However, disparities in treatment engagement can interfere with effective treatment. This study reviews data collected from 2,546 children referred to community-based mental health services from 2001 to 2015 after exposure to violence. Children were categorized into three groups: those who attended intake but never started treatment, referred to as the Nonengager group; those who started but discontinued treatment prior to meeting treatment goals, referred to as the Attriter group; and those who completed treatment as rated by the treating therapist, referred to as the Completer group. The three groups were analyzed for differences in behavioral and emotional problems, racial identity, child social support, household income, number of people living in the home, parent stress, parent social support, community violence exposure, and neighborhood-level child opportunity. Analyses demonstrated that the Completer group were more likely to: live in neighborhoods with higher levels of childhood opportunity, identify as White, have an annual household income of $40,000 or greater, have significantly fewer people living in the home, report lower levels of parental stress, report higher levels of parental social support, report higher levels of child social support, and have significantly lower scores of emotional and behavioral problems after treatment. Overall, our study supports the importance of considering multiple ecological levels when targeting treatment engagement for children after exposure to violence. Results indicate that children from more advantaged environments are more likely to complete treatment, which leads to better outcomes. This can exacerbate existing disparities. Findings highlight the need for systems change and advocacy for children in less advantaged environments and meeting families in their specific context, to combat treatment disparities.

Health Measurement Model-Bringing a Life Course Perspective to Health Measurement: The PRISM Model

Health is a multidimensional concept that is challenging to measure, and in the rapidly evolving developmental changes that occur during the first 21 years of human life, requires a dynamic approach to accurately capture the transitions, and overall arc of a complex process of internal and external interactions. We propose an approach that integrates a lifecourse framework with a layered series of assessments, each layer using a many to many mapping, to converge on four fundamental dimensions of health measurement-Potential, Adaptability, Performance, and Experience. The four dimensions can conceptually be mapped onto a plane with each edge of the resulting quadrilateral corresponding to one dimension and each dimensions assessment calibrated against a theoretical ideal. As the plane evolves over time, the sequential measurements will form a volume. We term such a model the Prism Model, and describe conceptually how single domain assessments can be built up to generate the holistic description through the vehicle of a layer of Exemplar Cases. The model is theoretical but future work can use the framework and principles to generate scalable and adaptable applications that can unify and improve the precision of serial measurements that integrate environmental and physiologic influences to improve the science of child health measurement.

Population-Level Data on Child Development at School Entry Reflecting Social Determinants of Health: A Narrative Review of Studies Using the Early Development Instrument

Background: The Early Development Instrument (EDI) was developed as a population-level assessment of children’s developmental health at school entry. EDI data collection has created unprecedented opportunities for population-level studies on children’s developmental outcomes. The goal of this narrative review was to synthesize research using the EDI to describe how it contributes to expanding the understanding of the impacts of social determinants on child development and how it applies to special populations. Methods: Select studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals between 2015 and 2020 and incorporating the social determinants of health perspectives were chosen to highlight the capability of the EDI to monitor children’s developmental health and contribute knowledge in the area of early childhood development. Results: A number of studies have examined the association between several social determinants of health and children’s developmental outcomes, including hard-to-reach and low-frequency populations of children. The EDI has also been used to evaluate programs and interventions in different countries. Conclusions: The ability of the EDI to monitor children’s developmental outcomes in various populations has been consistently demonstrated. The EDI, by virtue of its comprehensive breadth and census-like collection, widens the scope of research relating to early childhood development and its social determinants of health.