Rationale

The first two to three years of life are critical for early child development (ECD), which affects later life trajectories in health, development, and earning potential. Global calls for early stimulation activities to support optimal development among young children are increasing and there is a need to better understand the factors associated with maternal engagement in early stimulation activities, particularly maternal mental health.

Objective

This study examined important factors associated with early stimulation activities performed by mothers of children ages 0–2 in rural Kenya.

Methods

Baseline cohort data from an evaluation of an integrated maternal mental health and an ECD intervention included 374 interviews with mothers of children under 24 months. Descriptive and multivariable analyses were performed.

Results

Maternal mental health was not associated with maternal early stimulation activities. Having worked in the past week was associated with more frequent early stimulation activities. At the child level, female sex was associated with more frequent early stimulation activities but prematurity at birth was associated with less frequent early stimulation activities. At the household level, ownership of children's toys and books was associated with more frequent early stimulation activities.

Conclusions

This study indicates that both mothers and families could benefit from availability of ECD-friendly resources such as homemade toys and children's books (particularly for low-income families), and tailored messaging to support early stimulation activities for both girl and boy children and for those prematurely-born. Local governments and community-based programs can aim to both raise awareness about the importance of early childhood development and educate caregivers on specific age-appropriate early stimulation activities that promote optimal growth. Future research should also explore the reciprocal and temporal relationships between maternal mental health and early stimulation activities to inform and elucidate their potential synergistic impact on ECD.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚 Siaya 县 2 岁以下儿童母亲早期刺激活动的相关性：孕产妇心理健康和其他孕产妇、儿童和家庭因素

基本原理

生命的头两到三年对于早期儿童发育 (ECD) 至关重要，它会影响以后的健康、发展和收入潜力的人生轨迹。全球对早期刺激活动以支持幼儿最佳发展的呼声越来越高，需要更好地了解与母亲参与早期刺激活动相关的因素，尤其是母亲的心理健康。

客观的

这项研究调查了与肯尼亚农村 0-2 岁儿童的母亲进行的早期刺激活动相关的重要因素。

方法

来自综合孕产妇心理健康和 ECD 干预评估的基线队列数据包括对 24 个月以下儿童的母亲的 374 次访谈。进行了描述性和多变量分析。

结果

母亲的心理健康与母亲的早期刺激活动无关。过去一周的工作与更频繁的早期刺激活动有关。在儿童层面，女性与更频繁的早期刺激活动相关，但早产与早期刺激活动的频率较低相关。在家庭层面，拥有儿童玩具和书籍与更频繁的早期刺激活动有关。

结论

这项研究表明，母亲和家庭都可以受益于 ECD 友好资源的可用性，例如自制玩具和儿童书籍（特别是针对低收入家庭），以及量身定制的信息，以支持女孩和男孩的早期刺激活动以及早产。地方政府和以社区为基础的计划可以旨在提高对儿童早期发展重要性的认识，并对看护人进行与特定年龄相适应的早期刺激活动的教育，以促进最佳成长。未来的研究还应该探索孕产妇心理健康和早期刺激活动之间的相互关系和时间关系，以告知和阐明它们对 ECD 的潜在协同影响。