Determinants of the Early Childhood Development Index among children aged < 5 years in Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ghana: a comparative study
Iqramul Haq, Md. Ismail Hossain, Maliha Afroj Zinnia, Md Rifat Hasan, Imru-Al-Quais Chowdhury
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early child development is a crucial factor for children that controls health and well-being in later life. AIMS: To determine the influence of sociodemographic factors on the Early Child Development Index (ECDI) among children aged < 5 years. METHODS: test for bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression model for multivariate analysis for all 3 countries. All the statistical analyses were performed with IBM SPSS version 25 and R version 4.0.0. RESULTS: Child age and sex, followed by maternal education level, economic status, child nutritional status, reading children's books, and maternal functional difficulties had the greatest effect on ECDI. Children aged 36-47 months had lower odds of development than those aged 48-59 months, and boys had lower odds of development than girls in Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ghana. Urban children had lower odds of development than rural children in Costa Rica but higher odds in Ghana. CONCLUSION: We recommend that governments should take the necessary steps to enhance children's early development and well-being in all 3 countries by raising education, improving economic conditions and providing balanced nutrition.