A year-long caregiver training program improves cognition in preschool Ugandan children with human immunodeficiency virus
Document Type
Article
Department
Paediatrics and Child Health (East Africa)
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate mediational intervention for sensitizing caregivers (MISC). MISC biweekly caregiver training significantly enhanced child development compared with biweekly training on health and nutrition (active control) and to evaluate whether MISC training improved the emotional well-being of the caregivers compared with controls.
Study: Sixty of 120 rural Ugandan preschool child/caregiver dyads with HIV were assigned by randomized clusters to biweekly MISC training, alternating between home and clinic for 1 year. Control dyads received a health and nutrition curriculum. Children were evaluated at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year with the Mullen design Early Learning Scales and the Color-Object Association Test for memory. Caldwell Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment and videotaped child/caregiver MISC interactions also were evaluated. Caregivers were evaluated for depression and anxiety with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist.
Results: Between-group repeated-measures ANCOVA comparisons were made with age, sex, CD4 levels, viral load, material socioeconomic status, physical development, and highly active anti-retroviral therapy treatment status as covariates. The children given MISC had significantly greater gains compared with controls on the Mullen Visual Reception scale (visual-spatial memory) and on Color-Object Association Test memory. MISC caregivers significantly improved on Caldwell Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scale and total frequency of MISC videotaped interactions. MISC caregivers also were less depressed. Mortality was less for children given MISC compared with controls during the training year.
Conclusions: MISC was effective in teaching Ugandan caregivers to enhance their children's cognitive development through practical and sustainable techniques applied during daily interactions in the home.
Publication (Name of Journal)
The Journal of Pediatrics
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.06.055
Recommended Citation
Boivin, M.,
Bangirana, P.,
Nakasujja, N.,
Page, C.,
Shohet, C.,
Givon, D.,
Bass, J.,
Opoka, R.,
Klein, P.
(2013). A year-long caregiver training program improves cognition in preschool Ugandan children with human immunodeficiency virus. The Journal of Pediatrics, 163(5), 1-13.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_paediatr_child_health/483
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.