Child Indicators Research最新文献

When addressing global development, it is imperative to recognize the relationship between food security and child mortality. Despite the targeted goals of SDGs 2 (zero hunger) and 3 (good health and well-being), Nigeria continues to grapple with relatively high rates of child malnutrition, alongside persistent challenges in child mortality and food insecurity that affect its population significantly. This study employed the Nigeria Living Standard Survey (NLSS) dataset with 11,655 households to estimate the impact of food (in)security on child mortality using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The study shows that food insecurity is predominant in the rural northern and urban southern part of Nigeria. Child mortality rates were found to be influenced by various factors such as maternal education, maternal age, geopolitical zones, place of residence, and access to healthcare facilities, showcasing a complex interplay of positive and negative impacts. The empirical estimates revealed that households’ food insecurity had a significant impact on child mortality in Nigeria. Hence, in order to achieve the SDG’s 2 and 3 in Nigeria, a more concerted effort should be geared towards food security and child mortality among the Nigerian rural and urban communities. The insights from this study underscore the importance of prioritizing interventions that drives food security, enhancing nutritional access, and tackling underlying social determinants to substantially reduce child mortality rates. It is imperative for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and communities to integrate complementarity approaches in developing sustainable solutions that safeguard the well-being and prospects of Nigeria's children.

We investigate the socioeconomic determinants of early childhood development (ECD) in Türkiye, focusing on maternal education and household wealth, using representative microdata from the 2018 Türkiye Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), which collected data on the developmental status of young children aged 36–59 months for the first time. Using this data, we construct an ECD index based on four developmental domains (i.e., literacy-numeracy, physical development, learning readiness and socio-emotional). Our results suggest that 74 percent of children (70.3 percent of boys and 78 percent of girls) are developmentally on track. We find that while over 96 percent of children are developmentally on track in physical and learning readiness domains, only 14.5 percent and 73.6 percent are in the literacy-numeracy and socio-emotional development domains, respectively. The multivariate regression results suggest both maternal education and household wealth improve children’s ECD outcomes but the latter has a stronger effect. In fact, we find that mother’s schooling is only positively and statistically associated with ECD once mothers have at least a high school education. Kindergarten attendance, which stands at a meagre 11.3 percent, is only likely for children from well-to-do and educated households. As a result, we find large gaps in ECD and its components between children with low and high socioeconomic backgrounds. We conclude that leveling the playing field is only possible via a nationwide multisectoral initiative that can support and educate caregivers and children simultaneously.

In recent years, the study of children's subjective well-being has garnered escalating global attention, with its research themes becoming increasingly diverse. However, this field still lacks a systematic review and analysis. Drawing upon the Web of Science database, this study retrieved 32,112 relevant articles published between 2003 and 2022, focusing on the theme of children's subjective well-being. After rigorous screening, 23,711 publications were ultimately retained for analysis. Utilizing bibliometric methods, this study conducted network visualization analysis across multiple dimensions, including countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords, aiming to comprehensively reveal the current research landscape of children's subjective well-being. Furthermore, theme modeling techniques were employed to delve into the patterns of theme evolution, and cluster analysis was conducted to categorize related themes. Through qualitative analysis, this study uncovered the developmental trajectory and future research directions in the field of children's subjective well-being. The findings indicate that, in the realm of children's subjective well-being research, developed countries such as those in Europe, America, and Australia have contributed over 30% of the research efforts, both in terms of publication volume and impact. Among them, the United States holds a leading position. The research themes have gradually evolved from an initial focus on the children themselves to exploring their surrounding environments and further delving into the psychological impacts and well-being of children amidst public health emergencies. Notably, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted scholars to delve deeper into children's well-being, shifting the focus of research from mere exploration of mental health to a more nuanced investigation of psychological impacts. Looking ahead, areas such as public health, psychological impacts, and children's dietary health will emerge as crucial directions for future exploration in the field of children's subjective well-being research, offering significant potential for investigation.

This paper explores the spatial variation and determinants of child immunization coverage across districts in India by using the data of National Family Health Survey- 5. Previous studies have not adequately addressed regional differences in vaccination rates and underlying factors at the district level. The present study aims to fill this gap using sophisticated geostatistical techniques, with a special focus on full immunization, Bacillus Calmette Guerin, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus, polio, and measles vaccines. The spatial distribution of immunization coverage across districts is analyzed, with three coverage categories: low, medium, and high. Economically disadvantaged states like Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as relatively affluent states, show varied coverage rates. This study examines the impact of the multiple determinants on immunization coverage, encompassing factors such as maternal and child health services, out-of-pocket expenditure, maternal education, and rates of institutional birth. Spatial autocorrelation is assessed using univariate Moran’s I, identifying clusters of high and low coverage. The study uses spatial regression models, spatial lag and spatial error, to account for spatial dependencies in the data. Significant factors positively associated with vaccination coverage include breastfeeding children with adequate diets, mother and child protection cards, maternal antenatal care, neonatal tetanus and postnatal care. However, out-of-pocket expenditure, health insurance, and women’s education exhibit limited impact on coverage. The findings of the current study emphasize the spatially dependent nature of childhood immunization coverage, revealing crucial determinants that influence regional variation and could guide targeted interventions for improved vaccination rates.

This research uniquely focused on non-assets such as living conditions and children’s quality of life as important indicators of household socioeconomic status, especially in low-income settings where acquiring assets may be challenging. The study assessed the impact of an economic empowerment programme, WORTH Yetu, on economic well-being of households caring for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Tanzania. Based on longitudinal data from the USAID Kizazi Kipya project, we counted the available non-assets at the household level for OVC well-being, including shelter conditions, clothing quality, school and medical support, and savings within households. The study included 249,655 households (70% with female caregivers) at baseline, with 247,638 of them reached at the follow-up after an average of 1.6 years. Results showed that the mean number of non-assets increased from 0.86 at baseline to 1.04 at the follow-up. Notably, households that participated in the WORTH Yetu programme increased their mean count of non-assets to 1.37 while it was 1.00 among non-participants. In the multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression model, WORTH Yetu participants were 48% more likely to experience an increase in non-assets at the follow-up compared to non-participants (adjusted incidence-rate ratio (aIRR) = 1.48 [1.46, 1.49]), with notable differences between households with female (aIRR = 1.45 [1.43, 1.47]) and male caregivers (aIRR = 1.53 [1.50, 1.57]). Overall, the WORTH Yetu programme significantly improved the count of non-assets for OVC well-being, but the observed differences in the non-assets based on the caregiver gender suggest varied outcomes for OVC, highlighting the necessity for further research.

This study expands ongoing inquiry and debates on the influence of single-parent households on child health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the phenomenon is rapidly increasing. It examines how conventional (i.e., access to money for children—conceived as experience of poverty—, family support, and experience of social isolation) and contemporary (i.e., health literacy) factors shape the health-related well-being of children in single-parent homes in Ghana in the short-, medium- (five years or less) and long-term (6 years +). It also investigates the extent to which health literacy explains how other factors influence their health-related well-being. Data was gathered through a cross-sectional survey conducted in Kumasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana (n = 337). Based on binary logistic regression and structural equation modelling analysis, health literacy (Odds Ratio, OR, = 1.086, p < 0.05) and social isolation (OR, = 0.584, p < 0.05) were associated with the health-related well-being of children who had been separated from a parent for five years or less while family support (OR = 1.592, p < 0.05) was associated with the health-related well-being of children separated from a parent for more than five years. Health literacy explained the association of experience of poverty (β = -0.012, p < 0.05) and experience of social isolation (β = -0.010, p < 0.10) with their health-related well-being. However, these significant relationships did not differ according to the duration of separation. The results underscore the need to invest in policies and programmes that can reduce exposure to health risks and empower children in single-parent households to contribute to protecting their health-related well-being.

Aim of this study is to see how youths and adolescents (12–17 years) have experienced their education during lockdowns in 2021, and how school affects subjective well-being (SWB). Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, it explores the interconnectedness of social environments and subjective well-being. Data were collected through a survey in Germany, capturing subjective well-being, social resources, and educational outcomes before and during times of school closures (2019 and 2021). The present study evaluates responses from two towns, two years and more than 1700 adolescents in total. Quantitative analyses reveal positive associations between academic success, supportive environments, perceived affluence, and well-being. Findings highlight which dimensions of supportive environments are driving youth well-being and underscore the importance of school as central piece in adolescent life. School as a supportive environment plays a major role in adolescent lives and has a lot of potential to compensate for structural disadvantages affecting SWB.

Despite the growing importance of understanding student well-being for students’ holistic development, it is still a relatively neglected concept in low and middle-income countries such as Bangladesh. Quantitative metrics such as students’ enrolment rate and academic grades have been prioritised at school and considered as the proxy of well-being at school. In contrast, students’ quality of school experience and well-being remain neglected. This qualitative study explores the conceptualisation of well-being experiences perceived by secondary school students in Bangladesh. Online focus groups and one-on-one interviews in conjunction with arts-based methods (i.e., drawings) were employed to elicit the views of 40 Grades 7–10 students (aged 13–16 years) about their well-being. Grounded theory approaches were used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that the students conceptualise well-being at school as a multidimensional but relational concept. Six interrelated and constitutive dimensions were identified including a positive sense of self and the future, sense of school resource sufficiency, a sense of relatedness, a sense of school engagement, a sense of accomplishment at school, and a sense of purpose in attending the school. The findings have implications for informing future research and enhancing understanding of student well-being from students’ standpoint within the context of a country from the global south.

Abuse and neglect among child laborers are serious public health concerns. In particular, neglect of child laborers both at home and in the workplace exacerbates their social and health risks. Despite this, the issue continues to be overlooked by researchers and policy makers. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and factors of child labor neglect in rural Bangladesh. Using the snowball sampling method, 200 parents and employers were recruited for this cross-sectional study. We performed a multivariable linear regression analysis using SPSS 28 version. Child laborers are found to be severely neglected, primarily deprived of food and water, and are inadequately supervised. Elements of parental risk, including poor household income (β = 0.07, CI = 0.03, 0.11, p < 0.01) and a history of their own early childhood maltreatment (β = 0.22, CI = 0.07, 0.36, p < 0.01) were identified as significant predictors of neglect among child laborers. Further, child laborers working in agriculture were significantly more likely to experience neglect than those in the domestic sectors.This finding was based on their vulnerable traits, such as working with more than five co-workers (β = 0.08, CI = 0.02, 0.15, p < 0.01), working for extended hours (β = 0.14, CI = 0.01, 0.28, p = 0.04), and suffering from malnutrition (β = 0.30, CI = 0.04, 0.57, p = 0.03). The findings of this study suggest further research on outcome variables are required. Specifically, the study suggests that two intervention strategies could be implemented to alleviate child labor and neglect in Bangladesh, namely financial support programs and amendments to existing policies.

Research on the well-being at school of children living in a bilingual family language context are not very numerous. The cultural, social, and emotional challenges that their schooling implies can be complex, in particular when the family language is minorated and thus not much valued socially. The many available studies on immigrant children are generally not confronted with the problem of speaking different languages at home and at school. The present cross-sectional study was conducted with 216 children aged 10 attending school in France, and living in a monolingual family French language context (n = 103) or in a bilingual family language context with a minorated language (n = 113). It aims at comparing these two groups of students with regard to various dimensions of their subjective well-being at school (global satisfaction with school, satisfaction with teachers and with peers) and the relationship between these dimensions. The results of the comparative and moderation analyses indicate that the two groups do not differ with regard to global school satisfaction and satisfaction with peers. However, children who live in a bilingual family language context feel less supported by their teacher even though this support contributes more significantly to their global school satisfaction. These results suggest the necessity to raise teachers’ awareness of the educational needs of students who hear and use at home a different language than that of instruction to have a better relationship with them and fulfil their needs. They also encourage the fostering of an efficient communication between school and home.