Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey
Abstract Background Per UNICEF’s Nurturing Care Framework, early childhood development (ECD) begins during pregnancy and many lower-resource settings need data to inform their programs for optimal child development. The maternal-fetal relationship can be partly examined via a series of bonding activ...
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doaj-8747c410c3424f728aba3b8660b753992021-01-10T12:26:32ZengBMCBMC Pregnancy and Childbirth1471-23932021-01-012111910.1186/s12884-020-03476-9Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional surveyJessica Mackness0John A. Gallis1Raymond Kofi Owusu2Mohammed Ali3Safiyatu Abubakr-Bibilazu4Haliq Adam5Raymond Aborigo6John Koku Awoonor-Williams7Margaret Lillie8Elena McEwan9John Hembling10Lavanya Vasudevan11Joy Noel Baumgartner12Duke Global Health Institute, Duke UniversityDepartment of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke UniversityCatholic Relief Services Country OfficeCatholic Relief Services Country OfficeCatholic Relief Services Country OfficeCatholic Relief Services Country OfficeNavrongo Health Research CentreGhana Health ServiceDuke Global Health Institute, Duke UniversityCatholic Relief Services Head QuartersCatholic Relief Services Head QuartersDuke Global Health Institute, Duke UniversityDuke Global Health Institute, Duke UniversityAbstract Background Per UNICEF’s Nurturing Care Framework, early childhood development (ECD) begins during pregnancy and many lower-resource settings need data to inform their programs for optimal child development. The maternal-fetal relationship can be partly examined via a series of bonding activities called early stimulation behaviors (ESB). This study describes early stimulation behaviors and the associated correlates among pregnant women in Ghana. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a cluster-randomized trial in two districts of Northern Ghana. A total of 374 pregnant women were enrolled at baseline and administered a pre-intervention survey. Communication-related early stimulation behaviors was the primary outcome which was evaluated using three maternal-fetal bonding activities; did the woman self-report touching and/or talking, singing, and/or talking about family to her belly. A generalized estimating equation modified Poisson model was used for the bivariate and multivariable analysis. Results About half of the participants reported performing communication-related ESB during pregnancy frequently or sometimes. Bivariate analysis revealed that negative life experiences including higher rates of emotional, physical and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and having moderate to severe depressive symptoms were associated with women performing early stimulation behaviors more often. In the multivariable model, physical intimate partner violence remained significantly associated with early stimulation behaviors. Conclusion Research on early stimulation behaviors is still in a nascent phase. It is unclear why our results revealed an association between intimate partner violence and early stimulation behaviors; this could reflect a coping mechanism for the expectant mother. Further research is needed to better understand this association and explore potential long-term impacts of early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy on child development. Trial registration Clinical Trials # NCT03665246 , August 29, 2018.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03476-9Early stimulation behaviorsEarly childhood developmentMaternal-fetal attachmentIntimate partner violencePregnancy |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jessica Mackness John A. Gallis Raymond Kofi Owusu Mohammed Ali Safiyatu Abubakr-Bibilazu Haliq Adam Raymond Aborigo John Koku Awoonor-Williams Margaret Lillie Elena McEwan John Hembling Lavanya Vasudevan Joy Noel Baumgartner |
spellingShingle |
Jessica Mackness John A. Gallis Raymond Kofi Owusu Mohammed Ali Safiyatu Abubakr-Bibilazu Haliq Adam Raymond Aborigo John Koku Awoonor-Williams Margaret Lillie Elena McEwan John Hembling Lavanya Vasudevan Joy Noel Baumgartner Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Early stimulation behaviors Early childhood development Maternal-fetal attachment Intimate partner violence Pregnancy |
author_facet |
Jessica Mackness John A. Gallis Raymond Kofi Owusu Mohammed Ali Safiyatu Abubakr-Bibilazu Haliq Adam Raymond Aborigo John Koku Awoonor-Williams Margaret Lillie Elena McEwan John Hembling Lavanya Vasudevan Joy Noel Baumgartner |
author_sort |
Jessica Mackness |
title |
Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey |
title_short |
Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey |
title_full |
Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey |
title_fullStr |
Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey |
title_full_unstemmed |
Prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey |
title_sort |
prevalence and correlates of maternal early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy in northern ghana: a cross-sectional survey |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth |
issn |
1471-2393 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Abstract Background Per UNICEF’s Nurturing Care Framework, early childhood development (ECD) begins during pregnancy and many lower-resource settings need data to inform their programs for optimal child development. The maternal-fetal relationship can be partly examined via a series of bonding activities called early stimulation behaviors (ESB). This study describes early stimulation behaviors and the associated correlates among pregnant women in Ghana. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a cluster-randomized trial in two districts of Northern Ghana. A total of 374 pregnant women were enrolled at baseline and administered a pre-intervention survey. Communication-related early stimulation behaviors was the primary outcome which was evaluated using three maternal-fetal bonding activities; did the woman self-report touching and/or talking, singing, and/or talking about family to her belly. A generalized estimating equation modified Poisson model was used for the bivariate and multivariable analysis. Results About half of the participants reported performing communication-related ESB during pregnancy frequently or sometimes. Bivariate analysis revealed that negative life experiences including higher rates of emotional, physical and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and having moderate to severe depressive symptoms were associated with women performing early stimulation behaviors more often. In the multivariable model, physical intimate partner violence remained significantly associated with early stimulation behaviors. Conclusion Research on early stimulation behaviors is still in a nascent phase. It is unclear why our results revealed an association between intimate partner violence and early stimulation behaviors; this could reflect a coping mechanism for the expectant mother. Further research is needed to better understand this association and explore potential long-term impacts of early stimulation behaviors during pregnancy on child development. Trial registration Clinical Trials # NCT03665246 , August 29, 2018. |
topic |
Early stimulation behaviors Early childhood development Maternal-fetal attachment Intimate partner violence Pregnancy |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03476-9 |
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