1. The developmental health perspective
In this overview of developmental health we will be considering some of the following questions:
What are the key factors that influence early child development?
How do experiences in early childhood affect us in years to come?
Why is early childhood experience considered a social determinant of health, learning and behaviour? What does this really mean?
What about poverty? What are some of the complexities we should consider in thinking about the multidimensional nature of poverty and how it affects children?
How can we reduce inequities within and between societies, especially for children?
Let's begin by considering examples of everyday experiences in the lives of two young children in Nepal:
Consider...
Pune spends the day in his cradle'Nayan Singh's grandson, Pune, is 2 years old. His mother, who is deaf, goes out for fodder collection everyday and leaves Pune in the cradle, tied between two posts on the verandah, with his great grandmother. The great grandmother is very old and cannot move about much.... read more
Infant Learning: Dankumari's morning in Koldanda
Early in the morning nine-month-old Dankumari is being breastfed by her mother out on the porch. There are numerous breaks in the feeding, as her mother talks and smiles at her, getting a laugh from the baby and laughing, talking in return. After the feeding she ties the baby to her back while she tends the animals... read more
Reflect
- Keeping in mind that Pune is 2 years old and Dankamuri is 9 months old, can you list some of the differences between Dankumari's and Pune's experiences on this day in terms of how their development is supported - or not?
- What do you think might be some of the reasons underlying the differences in their experiences?
- To what extent are the circumstances of these children's lives outside the control of their families?
The developmental health perspective of early child development focuses on the 'big picture'. It combines the more traditional developmental psychology viewpoint of human development with a population health perspective and helps us to understand how genes, biology and environments interact to shape developmental outcomes for children, adults and whole populations.
Child well-being
Let us consider what constitutes child well-being. Child well-being is so much more than the absence of problems. It is a focus on the strengths which nurture a child's ability to thrive in all aspects of life - physically, social-emotionally and cognitively. It is an 'umbrella' term that encompasses learning, behaviour and health.
Interact >> Child well-being
Early childhood is a period of astonishing cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth that launches developmental trajectories into the years ahead. These developmental trajectories are the particular paths that individuals follow from conception until death. The developmental health perspective stresses the importance of early experience in lifelong health and well-being for individuals and for populations.
Developmental health perspective - key points
- new insight about how nature and nurture interact has led to greater understanding of human development and changed traditional ways of thinking - not only about child development but also about what determines individual and population health.
- population data show that developmental trajectories, although changeable, are heavily influenced by early experience and that what happens early in life sets the stage for what is to follow.
- the joint influences of biology and experience affect us on a cellular level. Together they determine both health and wellbeing and also influence vulnerability and resilience.
- there is a social gradient for almost all developmental health outcomes - this means that those with fewer resources tend to be less healthy, less educated, and poorer than those with slightly more resources and so forth.
- there are exceptions to this trend, people who thrive despite poor circumstances and others who falter despite advantages. Those who do well are considered resilient but they are in the minority. A key interest in Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) is discovering what can make the difference for children and support resilience.
To understand the developmental health perspective, we need to think in terms of populations. A strong and healthy population is the overarching goal in most societies. Populations are large groups of people. The population of a neighbourhood, city, or country refers to the group of people who are within those boundaries.
In the following clip, Clyde Hertzman explains what population health means, especially for those interested in early child development.
View >> DH1_Hertzman1 (2:15)
Reflect
- Think about your own community. Are there populations in your city, region or country that are doing much better than others?
- What may be some specific factors that can account for these differences?
Hertzman goes on to explain what Developmental Health means and gives a few examples of factors that can make a difference.
View >> DH1_Hertzman2 (1:34)
Reflect
- What specific factors does Hertzman identify that promote the developmental health of children? Can you identify others?
- What factors could be barriers to healthy child development?
- Are you involved in work that supports developmental health? In what ways?
In the next clip, Juliana Nzomo (former Regional Program Officer for Education in the Aga Khan Foundation, East Africa) explains the 'big picture' perspective of supporting developmental health through community-based early childhood programs.
View >> Nzomo_dev_health
