Explanipedia

School education for mothers: How much is needed to promote child survival and health? Open

Nirmala Rao, Shuyang Dong, Hyunwoo Yang, Manya Bala, Jichen Liu · 2025

Regional Disparities in Family Environments, Preschool Quality and Early School Attainment in China Open

Nirmala Rao, Yi‐Hsin Yang, Jing Gong, Yufen Su, Michal Perlman , et al. · 2025

We examined associations among home environments, preschool quality, and academic achievement in Shanghai and Guizhou – two regions in China that vary substantially in economic development. Children ( N = 697; M age = 57.6 months; 367 boys…

Referee report. For: Child development with the D-score: turning milestones into measurement [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations] Open

Nirmala Rao, Zeyi Li · 2025

Measuring Children’s Developmental Status in China Using the ECDI2030: Comparing with Direct Assessment and Teacher Report Open

Zeyi Li, Nirmala Rao · 2024

This study compared different approaches for monitoring progress towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 4.2, which focuses on the proportion of children who are developmentally on track. UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development Index 2030…

The Power of Research and Stakeholder Collaboration in Enhancing Early Childhood Care and Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Open

Nirmala Rao, Caroline Cohrssen, Manya Bala · 2024

The early years of a child’s life are crucial in laying the foundations of learning and development that shape life trajectories [...]

Early‐life family and school impacts on adolescent conduct problems: A path analysis Open

Rosa S. Wong, Almen L. N. Lam, Keith T. S. Tung, Nirmala Rao, Sarika S. Y. Xie , et al. · 2024

Limited research has been conducted to examine the factors during early childhood that may contribute to conduct problems in later stages of life. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between family and school environments duri…

From Pre-Service Preparation to Professional Development: Early Childhood Teachers’ Learning Experiences, ECE Quality, and Child Development in China Open

Yi Yang, Nirmala Rao, Jin Sun · 2024

Research Findings: This study examined the associations between early childhood education (ECE) teachers' pre-service education (PE), professional development (PD) experiences, ECE quality, and child development. The participants included …

Longitudinal associations between child discipline methods and physical growth patterns across preschool years Open

Rosa S. Wong, Keith T. S. Tung, Frederick K. Ho, Nirmala Rao, Ko Ling Chan , et al. · 2024

Objective Research has documented the associations of child maltreatment with a range of physical health problems, but little is known about the physical growth patterns of children who experience maltreatment in early childhood. This stud…

Trends in the prevalence and social determinants of stunting in India, 2005–2021: findings from three rounds of the National Family Health Survey Open

Nirmala Rao, Manya Bala, Namita Ranganathan, U. Anand, Sunaina Dhingra , et al. · 2023

Objectives To assess social determinants of stunting and the shifts in contributions of socio-demographic factors to national prevalence trends in India between 2005 and 2021. Methods We leveraged data from three rounds of the National Fam…

Promoting Equity in Access to Quality Early Childhood Education in China Open

Nirmala Rao, Yi Yang, Yufen Su, Caroline Cohrssen · 2023

This paper reviews the Chinese government’s efforts and progress towards ensuring equitable access to quality early childhood education (ECE). It begins with an overview of the Chinese context and analysing the reasons for a policy focus o…

Workforce preparation for delivery of nurturing care in low‐ and middle‐income countries: Expert consensus on critical multisectoral training needs Open

Emma Pearson, Nirmala Rao, Iram Siraj, Frances E. Aboud, Caroline Horton , et al. · 2023

Background Services to support nurturing care through early childhood development (ECD) in low‐ and middle‐income countries are hampered by significant workforce challenges. The global early childhood workforce is both diverse and complex,…

Associations between parental well-being and early learning at home before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: observations from the China Family Panel Studies Open

Shuyang Dong, Nirmala Rao · 2023

Background COVID-19-related lockdowns and preschool closures resulted in many young children spending all their time at home. Some parents had to manage child care while working from home, and increased demands may have led them to experie…

Global tracking of access and quality in early childhood care and education Open

Abbie Raikes, Nirmala Rao, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Caroline Cohrssen, Jere R. Behrman , et al. · 2023

Investments in early childhood care and education (ECCE) have contributed to a growing demand for internationally comparable data. Yet data on access to quality ECCE are not routinely collected in many countries, leading to limited informa…

Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Development in China: Progress in Meeting Sustainable Development Goal Target 4.2 Open

Zeyi Li, Nirmala Rao · 2023

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.2 states, “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education”. Progress towards the …

Family play, reading, and other stimulation and early childhood development in five low‐and‐middle‐income countries Open

Jorge Cuartas, Dana Charles McCoy, Juliana Sánchez-Ariza, Jere R. Behrman, Claudia Cappa , et al. · 2023

This paper used longitudinal data from five studies conducted in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Rwanda to examine the links between family stimulation and early childhood development outcomes ( N = 4904; M age = 51.5; 49% girl…

Reliability and Validity of the East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales: A Longitudinal Validation Study in China Open

Nirmala Rao, Yufen Su, Stephanie W. Y. Chan · 2023

Preschool experiences and home learning environments of migrant children in urban China Open

Jing Gong, Nirmala Rao · 2023

Internal migration and urban expansion, hallmarks of rapid urbanization in China, have led to an increasing number of children with diverse backgrounds in cities. Cities now include migrants from rural and urban areas, and children from “u…

Hygiene Practices and Early Childhood Development in the East Asia-Pacific Region: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Open

Fanny Petermann‐Rocha, Nirmala Rao, Manya Bala, Monika Asnani, Anthony Wawire Sifuna , et al. · 2023

Poor hygiene might be a risk factor for early childhood development (ECD). This study investigated the associations of three hygiene practices (‘wash hands before a meal,’ ‘wash hands after going to the toilet,’ and ‘brush teeth’), separat…

Assessing executive functions in preschoolers in Germany and Hong Kong: testing for measurement invariance Open

Katharina Schirmbeck, Ronja A. Runge, Nirmala Rao, Rhoda Wang, Ben Richards , et al. · 2022

Using Latent Class Analyses to Examine Health Disparities among Young Children in Socially Disadvantaged Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic Open

Rosa S. Wong, Keith T. S. Tung, Nirmala Rao, Ko Ling Chan, King‐Wa Fu , et al. · 2022

Rising income inequality is strongly linked to health disparities, particularly in regions where uneven distribution of wealth and income has long been a concern. Despite emerging evidence of COVID-19-related health inequalities for adults…

Early motor development in China: secular trends among 4-year-olds Open

Nirmala Rao, Stephanie W. Y. Chan, Yufen Su, Sheena Mirpuri, Ben Richards , et al. · 2022

Changes in physical activity levels and increases in screen time across different cohorts may affect young children's motor skill development (MSD). This study examined cohort differences in MSD in China. Four-year-olds living in Shanghai …

Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Parenting Intervention for Promoting Social-Emotional School Readiness Among Children From Low-Income Families in Hong Kong Open

Cynthia Leung, Anna N. N. Hui, Rosa S. Wong, Nirmala Rao, Wally Karnilowicz , et al. · 2022

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03615937.

Digital competence as a protective factor against gaming addiction in children and adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong Open

Winnie W. Y. Tso, Frank Reichert, Nancy Law, King‐Wa Fu, Jimmy de la Torre , et al. · 2022

Mental health & maltreatment risk of children with special educational needs during COVID-19 Open

Winnie W. Y. Tso, Ko Ling Chan, Tatia M.C. Lee, Nirmala Rao, S.L. Lee , et al. · 2022

Early-life activities mediate the association between family socioeconomic status in early childhood and physical fitness in early adolescence Open

Rosa S. Wong, Keith T. S. Tung, Bianca N. K. Chan, Frederick K. Ho, Nirmala Rao , et al. · 2022

Weight-for-Height, Body Fat, and Development in Children in the East Asia and Pacific Region Open

Fanny Petermann‐Rocha, Nirmala Rao, Jill P. Pell, Carlos Celis‐Morales, Ian Chi Kei Wong , et al. · 2022

Poor development was more commonly found in children with low body fat independent of WHZ (wasted or normal weight). Early public health strategies may consider using a combination of WHZ and body fat as an indicator of poor development.

Association of Early Nutritional Status With Child Development in the Asia Pacific Region Open

Frederick K. Ho, Nirmala Rao, Keith T. S. Tung, Rosa S. Wong, Wilfred Hing Sang Wong , et al. · 2021

HFA, BMI-for-age, and body fat proportion were independently associated with ECD, and these findings suggest that future studies should consider using these parameters to estimate the prevalence of child underdevelopment; nutritional trial…

The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on child and adolescent development around the world Open

Nirmala Rao, Philip A. Fisher · 2021

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data sharing is not applicable to this article, as no datasets were generated or analyzed for this study.

Fostering equitable access to quality preschool education in India: challenges and opportunities Open

Nirmala Rao, Namita Ranganathan, Ravneet Kaur, Rashi Mukhopadhayay · 2021

Linking cohort-based data with electronic health records: a proof-of-concept methodological study in Hong Kong Open

Le Gao, Miriam T Y Leung, Xue Li, Celine Sze Ling Chui, Rosa S. Wong , et al. · 2021

Objectives Data linkage of cohort-based data and electronic health records (EHRs) has been practised in many countries, but in Hong Kong there is still a lack of such research. To expand the use of multisource data, we aimed to identify a …

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