Parenting Groups Can Improve Child Development

Parenting groups in rural communities can improve early childhood development in low-resource settings. These are the findings of a study conducted by Swiss TPH in collaboration with the Boston University and partners in Zambia. The study Many children in lowand middle-income countries do not reach their developmental potential due to malnutrition, infectious diseases and a lack of appropriate stimulation and learning opportunities in their home environment. In Zambia for example, 40% of children under the age of five are stunted, which can result in poor cognition and subsequently limited educational performance, low adult wages and lost productivity. Reduced stunting and improved language development A study conducted by Swiss TPH in collaboration with the Boston University and local partners in rural Zambia indicates that community interventions involving parenting groups have a positive impact on early childhood development. The researchers found that through a combination of home visits and community-based meetings, the odds of stunting could be reduced by 55% while language development improved significantly. The intervention did however not impact on cognition, motor skills, adaptive behaviour or social-emotional development.