Elizabeth L. Prado|Leila M. Larson|Ken Cox|Kory Bettencourt|Julianne Kubes|Anuraj H Shankar
Do effects of early life interventions on linear growth correspond to effects on neurobehavioural development? A systematic review and meta-analysis
University of California, Davis|University of Melbourne|University of California, Davis|University of California, Davis|Emory University|Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology|University of Oxford
faltering linear growth neurobehavioural development early childhood often assumed common causes consistent association notion contributed global focus promotion nutrition pregnancy childhood improve conditions aim assess whether effects interventions linear growth associated effects developmental scores quantify associationsin systematic review metaanalysis included randomised trials done pregnancy children aged 05 years reported effects intervention lengthforage heightforage z scores laz haz following outcomes motor cognitive mental language socialemotional behavioural development searched medline ovid cinahl ebsco psycinfo ebsco database inception june 25 2019 studylevel data extracted required authors contacted missing information calculated weighted metaregression coefficients association standardised effect sizes interventions laz haz developmental outcome scores calculated pooled effect sizes different types interventionof 7207 studies identified included 75 studies 122 comparisons intervention control groups outcomes reported 72 275 children across interventions effect sizes laz haz significantly associated effect sizes socialemotional scores 023 95 ci 005 041 p002 cognitive 018 036 072 p051 language 012 007 031 p021 motor development scores 023 005 050 p011 studies provided nutritional supplements observed positive significant pooled effect sizes five outcomes laz haz effect size 005 95 ci 001009 p001 n50 cognitive mental 006 003010 p001 n38 language 008 003013 p001 n21 motor 008 004012 p001 n41 socialemotional 007 002012 p001 n20 scores effect sizes nutritional supplementation laz haz scores significantly associated effect sizes cognitive 040 95 ci 004077 p0049 motor 043 011075 p001 scores 14 interventions promoting responsive care learning opportunities pooled effect size laz haz score significant 001 95 ci 007 005 p074 pooled effect sizes cognitive language motor scores 4 5 times larger range 038048 pooled effect sizes nutritional supplementation 005008in nutritional supplementation interventions improvements linear growth associated small improvements child development whereas nurturing stimulation interventions significant effects child development effects linear growth determinants linear growth neurodevelopment partly shared nurture thriving individuals communities interventions specifically target determinants neurodevelopment simply linear growthuniversity california davis us department agriculture national institute food agriculture