Child-Friendly Neighborhood for Early Childhood: a cross-sectional study on child development and urban infrastructure.
Claudia Nery Teixeira Palombo, Fernanda Anjos Oliveira, Ráren Paulo da Silva Araújo and 3 others
PMID 42599183WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers who felt their neighborhood was safe were less likely to have a child who screened at risk for developmental delay.
The other neighborhood features studied, including play spaces and green areas, did not show the same link.
Key findings
01After adjustment for maternal and child background, only mothers who perceived their neighborhood as safe had a significantly lower likelihood of their child being at risk for developmental delay (OR = 0.33; 95%CI: 0.15 to 0.71; p < 0.001).
02In the sample, 11% of children under 6 years screened at risk for developmental delay; risk was 6% among 67 children younger than six months, 13% among 141 children aged 6 months to 2 years, and 11% among 295 children aged 2 to 6 years.
03Across Salvador, 93% of mothers considered their neighborhood accessible, but only 37% felt it was safe and 29% perceived it as inclusive.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot show that safer neighborhoods cause lower developmental risk. The neighborhood indicators were based on mothers' perceptions and have not undergone formal scientific validation. Child development was screened by caregiver report, not direct assessment of the children. Data came from 27 health units in Salvador, and those units were concentrated in vulnerable areas. Children with chronic or neurological diseases were excluded, so the findings do not cover children with known conditions that affect development. The sample size was calculated for inadequate feeding practices in the larger project, not for this developmental outcome. Only the safe neighborhood indicator was significant after adjustment; the other indicators were not.
Declared interests
Funded by CNPq/MCTI/FNDCT Call 18/2021, Process 408221/2021-6. The supplied text does not report other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving neighborhood safety will reduce developmental delay. This study found an association at one time point, and only perceived safety was significant after adjustment. It cannot show cause or effect.