Silas Onyango

• African Population and Health Research Center

Introduction: UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the nurturing care framework highlight the importance of healthcare services and preventive measures to ensure optimal health outcomes for children, including those with disabilities. However, the contributions of male caregivers in the general care of children with disabilities in Sub-Saharan Af...

Background Early childhood development (ECD) is a key determinant of long-term health, education, and wellbeing. However, one major global challenge is the lack of ECD assessment tools validated for use in low- and middle-income countries. To address this gap, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched in 2023 the Global Scales for Early Developm...

Objectives Adults, including teachers and parents have an important role in supporting children’s learning and development through play. This paper aimed to explore parents' and teachers' viewpoints and roles on play in promoting early learning and development in children, which has little emphasis in existing studies. Methods This paper employed a...

Background Poor early childhood development (ECD) is a major global health concern that is associated with various adverse outcomes over the lifecourse. Parenting interventions especially during the earliest years of life can benefit ECD. However, there is limited evidence from Kenya about the effectiveness of parenting interventions for improving...

Responsive care and stimulation between conception and the first two years can promote optimal child growth and development and buffer negative outcomes. The health system, which has a wide reach, provides a crucial starting point for early childhood interventions. We undertook an impact evaluation using a three-armed cluster randomized controlled...

Parental stress occurs when parenting demands exceed the resources available to cope with parenting. Previous research has identified household wealth, educational level, marital status, age, and number of dependent children as predictors of parental stress. However, limited evidence exists from sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the socio...

Introduction: This study investigates the multifaceted impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on early childhood in three of Nairobi's informal settlements or slums. Focusing on the first five years of life, a critical period for human capital development, we analyse how Nurturing Care across five domains (Health, Nutrition, Responsive Caring, Early Lear...

Background The majority of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). NDDs are a public health concern in countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Nurturing care has been recommended as a pathway for addressing the developmental needs and unlocking the full potential of children, including th...

Background Parental stress often arises when parenting demands exceed the expected and actual resources available for parents to succeed in the parenting role. Parental stress is an important contributor to parent-child relationships. This, in turn, affects opportunities to engage their children in stimulating activities which could improve their d...

Background Despite major improvements in child survival over the past decade, many children in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain at risk of not reaching their developmental potential due to malnutrition, poor health, and a lack of stimulation. Maternal engagement and stimulation have been identified as some of the most critical inputs...

Background: Parental stress occurs when parenting demands are greater than the resources available to cope with parenting. Previous research has identified household wealth, educational level, marital status, age, and number of dependent children as predictors of parental stress. However, limited evidence exists from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This...

Background Programs supporting initiatives for children younger than three years are inadequate and not accessible to many families, particularly in resource-limited settings. Many primary caregivers have little knowledge on how to monitor the development of their children or the importance of engaging children in stimulative activities during the...

Background This paper explores the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders to understand the feasibility and acceptability of integrating early childhood development (ECD) intervention into the health system. Method Data were derived from an endline qualitative survey, which was part of a larger ECD study conducted in Siaya County, Kenya. Purp...

Background The majority of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). NDDs is a public health concern in countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Nurturing care has been recommended as a pathway for addressing the developmental needs and unlocking the full potential of children, including tho...

Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic, and societal attempts to control it, have touched almost every aspect of people’s lives around the world, albeit in unequal ways. In particular, there is considerable concern about the way that stringent ‘lockdowns’, as implemented in Kenya and many other countries, affected young children, especially those livin...

Background Parental stress often arises when parenting demands exceed the expected and actual resources available for the parents to succeed in the parenting role. Parental stress is an important contributor to parent-child relationships. This in turn affects opportunities to engage their children in stimulating activities which could improve child...

Objectives To gain an in-depth understanding of parent/carers’ perspectives on, and decision-making about, early childhood care in general, and paid childcare specifically, in informal settlements in Nairobi. Design In-depth telephone interviews, conducted using a topic guide, were analysed through a combination of deductive and inductive thematic...

Introduction: Parental stress occurs when parenting demands are greater than the resources available to cope with parenting. Factors including household wealth, educational level, marital status, age and the number of children under the care of a parent have been indicated as predictors of parental stress. However, there is limited evidence from su...

Background: Parental stress occurs when parenting demands are greater than the resources available to cope with parenting. Previous research has identified household wealth, educational level, marital status, age, and number of dependent children as predictors of parental stress. However, limited evidence exists from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This...

Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic, and societal attempts to control it, have touched almost every aspect of people’s lives around the world, albeit in unequal ways. In particular, there is considerable concern about the way that stringent ‘lockdowns’, as implemented in Kenya and many other countries, affected young children, especially those livin...

Worldwide, there is a wide gap between what women can contribute to the economy and what they actually contribute. One of the main barriers to women’s engagement in the labor market and productivity at work is the societal expectation that they should take care of their children in addition to meeting the demands of employment. Furthermore, those i...

Background Fathers are often perceived to be mainly responsible for the provision of the family's economic needs. However, past studies have demonstrated that fathers’ involvement in parenting has great significance for the child’s holistic growth and development. Few studies have investigated fathers’ roles in the nurturing care of young children,...

Background Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first 6 months of life is widely promoted as a key strategy to enhance child health, growth, and development. Even though a high proportion of children in Kenya are currently breastfed exclusively, there is little evidence regarding the developmental benefits during the first year of life. This pa...

Background: Existing programs supporting initiatives for children younger than three years are inadequate and not accessible to many families, particularly in resource limited settings. Many primary caregivers have little knowledge on how to monitor the development of their children or the importance of engaging children in stimulative activities d...

The Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) offers a unique platform for integration of counselling on early childhood development (ECD) with existing maternal and child health and nutrition messages. To understand how to efficiently deliver such a program, this study determined the feasibility of integrating counselling on child stimulation into...

Background: This study was part of a project funded by the Hilton Foundation in partnership with Episcopal Relief and Development to conduct implementation research in rural communities in Kenya and Zambia. This involves testing the feasibility and effectiveness of community-based parenting empowerment in improving nurturing care of young children...

While the effects of early childhood development on later educational outcomes have been widely studied in western countries, rigorous evidence from sub-Saharan African countries is limited. This longitudinal study uses Zambian children's developmental outcomes at age six as predictors of educational enrollment and attainment at age 15. Fine motor,...

Globally, an estimated 15 million children are born prematurely each year, resulting in a high burden of under-five mortality and neurodevelopmental disability. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a key intervention to support the development of preterm infants. However, evidence on the impact of KMC in routine care settings remains limited. This paper e...

p class="abstract"> Background: Approximately 250 million (43%) children under five years in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of sub-optimal development. Of these, 67% are found in sub-Saharan Africa due to exposure to multiple risks, including inadequate stimulation at home. In order to promote early childhood development (ECD), an int...

p class="abstract"> Background: The massive use of technology can be leveraged to facilitate access to growth and development programs for children. Existing programs supporting such initiatives for children younger than three years are inadequate and not accessible to most families. In most cases, primary caregivers are unable to identify delayed...

Over 66 per cent of children in sub-Saharan Africa remain affected by poor developmental outcomes, exacerbating early inequalities. UNICEF and WHO evolved the Care for Child Development package (CCD) as a community-based initiative to support caregivers to develop stronger relationships with young children and support nurturing care. The Baby Frien...

p class="abstract"> Background: Investing in parents and children during the critical period between birth and five years of a child’s life can have long-lasting benefits in the life of the child. Recently, the 2016 Lancet Series estimated that 250 million children aged less than five years in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at risk of...

This article highlights value learning in kindergartens exemplified by the value of forgiveness. Values are basic ideas on human behaviour and they function as a compass that helps children to make choices and priorities in their lives, to choose between good or bad, right or wrong. Value learning is an important part of the educational work in a k...