Author
Dana Charles McCoy
Other affiliations: University of Hong Kong, University of Delaware, New York University
Bio: Dana Charles McCoy is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Early childhood & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 32, co-authored 95 publications receiving 3885 citations. Previous affiliations of Dana Charles McCoy include University of Hong Kong & University of Delaware.
Topics: Early childhood, Medicine, Child development, Psychology, Poison control
Papers
More filters
••
University of Maryland, Baltimore1, RTI International2, University of the West Indies3, University of California, Berkeley4, Harvard University5, Georgia State University6, Brigham and Women's Hospital7, University of Pennsylvania8, American University9, World Bank Group10, University College London11
TL;DR: Recent scientific progress and global commitments to early childhood development are examined, with new neuroscientific evidence linking early adversity and nurturing care with brain development and function throughout the life course.
1,534 citations
••
TL;DR: FGR and unimproved sanitation are the leading risk factors for stunting in developing countries and reducing the burden of stunting requires a paradigm shift from interventions focusing solely on children and infants to those that reach mothers and families and improve their living environment and nutrition.
Abstract: Background
Stunting affects one-third of children under 5 y old in developing countries, and 14% of childhood deaths are attributable to it. A large number of risk factors for stunting have been identified in epidemiological studies. However, the relative contribution of these risk factors to stunting has not been examined across countries. We estimated the number of stunting cases among children aged 24–35 mo (i.e., at the end of the 1,000 days’ period of vulnerability) that are attributable to 18 risk factors in 137 developing countries.
308 citations
••
TL;DR: Observational evidence suggests a robust positive association between linear growth during the first 2 years of life with cognitive and motor development and effective interventions that reduce linear growth restriction may improve developmental outcomes.
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The initial years of life are critical for physical growth and broader cognitive, motor, and socioemotional development, but the magnitude of the link between these processes remains unclear. Our objective was to produce quantitative estimates of the cross-sectional and prospective association of height-for-age z score (HAZ) with child development. METHODS: Observational studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) presenting data on the relationship of linear growth with any measure of child development among children RESULTS: A total of 68 published studies conducted in 29 LMICs were included in the final database. The pooled adjusted standardized mean difference in cross-sectional cognitive ability per unit increase in HAZ for children ≤2 years old was +0.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.14–0.33; I2 = 53%) and +0.09 for children >2 years old (95% CI, 0.05–0.12; I2 = 78%). Prospectively, each unit increase in HAZ for children ≤2 years old was associated with a +0.22-SD increase in cognition at 5 to 11 years after multivariate adjustment (95% CI, 0.17–0.27; I2 = 0%). HAZ was also significantly associated with earlier walking age and better motor scores (P CONCLUSIONS: Observational evidence suggests a robust positive association between linear growth during the first 2 years of life with cognitive and motor development. Effective interventions that reduce linear growth restriction may improve developmental outcomes; however, integration with environmental, educational, and stimulation interventions may produce larger positive effects.
306 citations
••
TL;DR: In this article, the number of children in low and middle-income countries who would be reported by their caregivers to show low cognitive and/or socio-emotional development is estimated, and the results show that cognitive and socioemotional skills early in life influence later health and well-being.
Abstract: Background
The development of cognitive and socioemotional skills early in life influences later health and well-being. Existing estimates of unmet developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are based on either measures of physical growth or proxy measures such as poverty. In this paper we aim to directly estimate the number of children in LMICs who would be reported by their caregivers to show low cognitive and/or socioemotional development.
296 citations
•
TL;DR: The number of children globally failing to reach their developmental potential remains large, and positive associations were found between low development scores and stunting, poverty, male sex, rural residence, and lack of cognitive stimulation.
254 citations
Cited by
More filters
••
University of Maryland, Baltimore1, RTI International2, University of the West Indies3, University of California, Berkeley4, Harvard University5, Georgia State University6, Brigham and Women's Hospital7, University of Pennsylvania8, American University9, World Bank Group10, University College London11
TL;DR: Recent scientific progress and global commitments to early childhood development are examined, with new neuroscientific evidence linking early adversity and nurturing care with brain development and function throughout the life course.
1,534 citations