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Behaviour and Development of Stunted and Nonstunted Jamaican Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 1999

Julie M. Meeks Gardner ,
Sally M. Grantham-McGregor ,
John Himes  and
Susan Chang
Julie M. Meeks Gardner
Affiliation:
University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, West Indies
Sally M. Grantham-McGregor
Affiliation:
Institute of Child Health, London, U.K.
John Himes
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, U.S.A.
Susan Chang
Affiliation:
University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, West Indies
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Abstract

In order to examine the mechanism whereby stunted children have poor developmental levels, we compared the behaviour of stunted (N=78) and nonstunted (N=26) children aged 12 to 24 months, and examined the relationship of their behaviour to their developmental levels. The effect of nutritional supplementation with or without psychosocial stimulation on the stunted children's behaviour was also examined. The children were observed at home during 4 days over a period of 6 months. The stunted children showed significantly more apathy, and less enthusiasm and variety in exploring, were less happy and more fussy. Caretakers' vocalisations to them were less warm or instructive. Stunted children's activity level, exploratory and happy behaviours were predictive of change in developmental levels measured on the Griffiths Scales, from enrolment to 12 and 24 months later. Supplementation predicted mental age at 12 and 24 months after enrolment, however, it had no significant effect on behaviour.

Keywords

Growth retardationbehaviourchild developmentchildrenJamaica
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , Volume 40 , Issue 5 , July 1999 , pp. 819 - 827
Copyright
© 1999 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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