Kirk A Dearden
Biographic Data
| ID | 2547818 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kirk A Dearden |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kirk A |
| FAMILY NAME | Dearden |
| SIGNATURE | DEARDEN K A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Boston University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6907-9808 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Antenatal care is associated with adherence to iron supplementation among pregnant women in selected low‐middle‐income‐countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America & the Caribbean regions
Anaemia is a global public health problem affecting 800 million women and children globally. Anaemia is associated with perinatal mortality, child morbidity and mortality, mental development, immune competence, susceptibility to lead poisoning and performance at work. The objective of this article is to identify whether antenatal care-seeking was associated with the uptake of iron supplementation among pregnant women, adjusting for a range of cov…
The Impact of a Large-Scale Social and Behavior Change Communication Intervention in the Lake Zone Region of Tanzania on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Stunting Prevention
Many changes in KAP were observed from baseline to midline and baseline to endline and corresponded with SBCC programming in the region. These results provide support for the value of large SBCC interventions. Public health efforts in settings such as Tanzania may benefit from adopting these approaches
Promoting Caregiver Early Childhood Development Behaviors through Social and Behavioral Change Communication Program in Tanzania
Objectives: Stunting remains a prevalent issue in Tanzania. The consequences of stunting include reduced height, greater susceptibility to disease, and diminished cognitive ability throughout the lifespan. Lack of psychosocial stimulation is associated with increased stunting, particularly in terms of its cognitive impact. The Addressing Stunting in Tanzania Early (ASTUTE) program was a large social and behavior change communication (SBCC) interv…
Engaging fathers to improve complementary feeding is acceptable and feasible in the Lake Zone, Tanzania
In Tanzania, suboptimal complementary feeding practices contribute to high stunting rates. Fathers influence complementary feeding practices, and effective strategies are needed to engage them. The objectives of this research were to examine the acceptability and feasibility of (1) tailored complementary feeding recommendations and (2) engaging fathers in complementary feeding. We conducted trials of improved practices with 50 mothers and 40 fath…
Association between Wash-Related Behaviors and Knowledge with Childhood Diarrhea in Tanzania
Findings indicate that knowledge of handwashing importance was significant in washing hands after assisting a child who has defecated, before preparing food, and prior to feeding a child. These findings demonstrate the value of parental involvement to lower morbidity and mortality among children
Are Household Expenditures on Food Groups Associated with Children’s Future Heights in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam
Household expenditure surveys, routinely conducted in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), usually include questions pertaining to recent household expenditures on key food groups. When child anthropometrics are also available, such expenditure data can provide insights into household food purchasing patterns that are associated with subsequent child growth measures. We used data from 6993 children, born around 2001, from Ethiopia, India, Per…
A National Communication Campaign in Indonesia Is Associated with Improved Wash-Related Knowledge and Behaviors in Indonesian Mothers
Background: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors play a significant role in stunting. Knowledge and behaviors regarding WASH among caregivers are critical to providing children with chances to survive and thrive. The purpose of this study is to determine if exposure to a national communication campaign using media and interpersonal communication (IPC) is associated with WASH-related knowledge and behaviors among Indonesian mothers with…
Media Access is Associated with Knowledge of Optimal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Tanzania
The importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) behaviors in low- and middle-income countries in preventing childhood illness is well established. Tanzania is known to have high rates of chronic malnutrition and childhood stunting-both of which have been linked to poor WASH practices. Interviews were conducted with 5000 primary caregivers of children aged 0-23 months. Four composite WASH knowledge variables were created to assess the relat…
Disparities in children’s vocabulary and height in relation to household wealth and parental schooling
Children from low socio-economic status (SES) households often demonstrate worse growth and developmental outcomes than wealthier children, in part because poor children face a broader range of risk factors. It is difficult to characterize the trajectories of SES disparities in low- and middle-income countries because longitudinal data are infrequently available. We analyze measures of children's linear growth (height) at ages 1, 5, 8 and 12y and…
Household food group expenditure patterns are associated with child anthropometry at ages 5, 8 and 12 years in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam
Household food expenditure data provide insights into household food purchasing patterns that significantly predict HAZ and BMI-Z. Including food expenditure patterns data in analyses may yield important information about child nutritional status and linear growth
Children with access to improved sanitation but not improved water are at lower risk of stunting compared to children without access
Results from our study indicate that access to improved sanitation is more frequently associated with reduced stunting risk than access to improved water. However, additional studies are needed before drawing definitive conclusions about the impact of toilets relative to water. This study is the first to our knowledge to demonstrate the robust and persistent importance of access to improved toilets in infancy, not only during the first year but c…
Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Inequality
Academic and policy literatures on intergenerational transmissions of poverty and inequality suggest that improving schooling attainment and income for parents in poor households will lessen poverty and inequality in their children’s generation through increased human capital accumulated by their children. However, magnitudes of such effects are unknown. We use data on children born in the twenty-first century in four developing countries to simu…
Growth faltering and recovery in children aged 1–8 years in four low- and middle-income countries
Objective We characterized post-infancy child growth patterns and determined the incidence of becoming stunted and of recovery from stunting. Design Data came from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of childhood poverty in four low- and middle-income countries. Setting We analysed length/height measurements for children at ages 1, 5 and 8 years. Subjects Children ( n 7171) in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. Results Mean height-for-age Z -score …
Postinfancy growth, schooling, and cognitive achievement
What difference can fathers make? Early paternal absence compromises Peruvian children's growth
Considerable evidence suggests that fathers' absence from home has a negative short- and long-term impact on children's health, psychosocial development, cognition and educational experience. We assessed the impact of father presence during infancy and childhood on children's height-for-age z-score (HAZ) at 5 years old. We conducted secondary data analysis from a 15-year cohort study (Young Lives) focusing on one of four Young Lives countries (Pe…
Impact of early and concurrent stunting on cognition
Undernutrition is associated with poor cognitive development, late entry into school, decreased years of schooling, reduced productivity and smaller adult stature. We use longitudinal data from 1674 Peruvian children participating in the Young Lives study to assess the relative impact of early stunting (stunted at 6-18 months of age) and concurrent stunting (stunted at 4.5-6 years of age) on cognitive ability. Anthropometric data were longitudina…
When is deliberate killing of young children justified? Indigenous interpretations of infanticide in Bolivia
Buddhist nuns on the move
The benefits of initiating breastfeeding in the first hour of life and exclusively breastfeeding thereafter are well documented. However, little is known about how best to promote these practices. In this study, we assess the impact of Buddhist nuns and wat (pagoda) grannies on optimal breastfeeding behaviours in rural Cambodia. We did so by interviewing randomly selected mothers of infants less than 6 months of age. A total of 440 mothers in pro…
Teens in trouble
Because teenagers who smoke are also likely to engage in a variety of other risky behaviors, parents, school administrators, and health educators may wish to use smoking to identify at-risk individuals. Among Bolivian teenagers, interventions should focus on preventing cigarette use and associated risk behaviors
The power of positive deviance
Identifying individuals with better outcome than their peers (positive deviance) and enabling communities to adopt the behaviours that explain the improved outcome are powerful methods of producing change
The impact of mother-to-mother support on optimal breast-feeding
This study does not provide evidence of population impact of La Leche League's intervention after one year of implementation. In peri-urban Guatemala, long-term community-based interventions, in partnership with existing health care systems, may be needed to improve community wide exclusive breast-feeding rates
Determinants of optimal breast-feeding in peri-urban Guatemala City, Guatemala
Our findings suggest that global efforts must be continued to improve breast-feeding practices in delivery hospitals. In addition, community-based support of breast-feeding is needed well after delivery. Mothers who work outside the home should be provided with options to maintain exclusive breast-feeding when they are physically separated from their infants due to the demands of work
Do Multi-Sectoral Development Programmes Affect Health? A Bolivian Case Study
This cross-sectional study, carried out in Inquisivi, Bolivia, a rural area where Save the Children/US works, tests the hypothesis that participation in multisectoral development programmes results in improved health behaviours and better health outcomes. To test this hypothesis, four groups of households were compared: those participating in Save the Children's health-only programmes; those with access to health and micro-enterprise credit or he…
Tracking the impact of microenterprise programs
In September 1995, US AID funded a five-year project on Assessing the Impact of Microenterprise Services (AIMS). Initially AIMS supported a survey to determine existing practices among 41 members of the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network (SEEP) and several associated overseas programs. The most commonly perceived weaknesses of the NGOs' impact information systems were insufficient rigor and reliability of data, inability to collect …
Comprehensive impact assessment systems for NGO microenterprise development programs
This paper reviews the monitoring and evaluation systems of four nongovernment organizations (NGOs) providing business development services to microenterprises in developing countries. It compares their approaches to data collection and analysis, uses, and types of impact indicators. While the diversity of microenterprise programs makes it difficult to specify a standard set of indicators, the paper provides examples of the questions that can be …
The antecedents of teen fatherhood
Historically, researchers have focused on identifying risk factors for teen motherhood, largely ignoring teen fathers. This study uses the 1958 National Child Development Study of Great Britain to examine antecedents of teen fatherhood. Teen fathers were compared with later fathers and nonfathers by using epidemiological methods. Results indicate that boys who became fathers while in their teens were at increased risk for experiencing problems at…
Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Inequality
Academic and policy literatures on intergenerational transmissions of poverty and inequality suggest that improving schooling attainment and income for parents in poor households will lessen poverty and inequality in their children’s generation through increased human capital accumulated by their children. However, magnitudes of such effects are unknown. We use data on children born in the twenty-first century in four developing countries to simu…
Family Structure, Function, and the Early Transition to Fatherhood in Great Britain
This study uses data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) of Great Britain to identify social risk factors for becoming a father at a young age. The NCDS is a longitudinal study spanning more than 20 years. Findings reported here suggest that boys whose families experienced financial hardship were at greater risk for fathering a child while in their teens. Presence of older siblings was also associated with the transition to early fat…
The Educational Antecedents of Teen Fatherhood
In attempting to identify the determinants of teen pregnancy, researchers have focused on risk factors for young women, largely ignoring teen fathers. This study examines the educational antecedents of teen fatherhood using the 1958 National Child Development Study. Results suggest that those less than 20 years old at onset of fatherhood are much more likely than those who had not fathered a child by age 23 to have experienced academic difficulti…
When is deliberate killing of young children justified? Indigenous interpretations of infanticide in Bolivia
Comprehensive impact assessment systems for NGO microenterprise development programs
This paper reviews the monitoring and evaluation systems of four nongovernment organizations (NGOs) providing business development services to microenterprises in developing countries. It compares their approaches to data collection and analysis, uses, and types of impact indicators. While the diversity of microenterprise programs makes it difficult to specify a standard set of indicators, the paper provides examples of the questions that can be …
The Educational Antecedents of Teen Fatherhood
In attempting to identify the determinants of teen pregnancy, researchers have focused on risk factors for young women, largely ignoring teen fathers. This study examines the educational antecedents of teen fatherhood using the 1958 National Child Development Study. Results suggest that those less than 20 years old at onset of fatherhood are much more likely than those who had not fathered a child by age 23 to have experienced academic difficulti…
Family Structure, Function, and the Early Transition to Fatherhood in Great Britain
This study uses data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) of Great Britain to identify social risk factors for becoming a father at a young age. The NCDS is a longitudinal study spanning more than 20 years. Findings reported here suggest that boys whose families experienced financial hardship were at greater risk for fathering a child while in their teens. Presence of older siblings was also associated with the transition to early fat…
The antecedents of teen fatherhood
Historically, researchers have focused on identifying risk factors for teen motherhood, largely ignoring teen fathers. This study uses the 1958 National Child Development Study of Great Britain to examine antecedents of teen fatherhood. Teen fathers were compared with later fathers and nonfathers by using epidemiological methods. Results indicate that boys who became fathers while in their teens were at increased risk for experiencing problems at…
Tracking the impact of microenterprise programs
In September 1995, US AID funded a five-year project on Assessing the Impact of Microenterprise Services (AIMS). Initially AIMS supported a survey to determine existing practices among 41 members of the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network (SEEP) and several associated overseas programs. The most commonly perceived weaknesses of the NGOs' impact information systems were insufficient rigor and reliability of data, inability to collect …
Comprehensive impact assessment systems for NGO microenterprise development programs
This paper reviews the monitoring and evaluation systems of four nongovernment organizations (NGOs) providing business development services to microenterprises in developing countries. It compares their approaches to data collection and analysis, uses, and types of impact indicators. While the diversity of microenterprise programs makes it difficult to specify a standard set of indicators, the paper provides examples of the questions that can be …
Do Multi-Sectoral Development Programmes Affect Health? A Bolivian Case Study
This cross-sectional study, carried out in Inquisivi, Bolivia, a rural area where Save the Children/US works, tests the hypothesis that participation in multisectoral development programmes results in improved health behaviours and better health outcomes. To test this hypothesis, four groups of households were compared: those participating in Save the Children's health-only programmes; those with access to health and micro-enterprise credit or he…
The impact of mother-to-mother support on optimal breast-feeding
This study does not provide evidence of population impact of La Leche League's intervention after one year of implementation. In peri-urban Guatemala, long-term community-based interventions, in partnership with existing health care systems, may be needed to improve community wide exclusive breast-feeding rates
Determinants of optimal breast-feeding in peri-urban Guatemala City, Guatemala
Our findings suggest that global efforts must be continued to improve breast-feeding practices in delivery hospitals. In addition, community-based support of breast-feeding is needed well after delivery. Mothers who work outside the home should be provided with options to maintain exclusive breast-feeding when they are physically separated from their infants due to the demands of work
The power of positive deviance
Identifying individuals with better outcome than their peers (positive deviance) and enabling communities to adopt the behaviours that explain the improved outcome are powerful methods of producing change
Buddhist nuns on the move
The benefits of initiating breastfeeding in the first hour of life and exclusively breastfeeding thereafter are well documented. However, little is known about how best to promote these practices. In this study, we assess the impact of Buddhist nuns and wat (pagoda) grannies on optimal breastfeeding behaviours in rural Cambodia. We did so by interviewing randomly selected mothers of infants less than 6 months of age. A total of 440 mothers in pro…
Teens in trouble
Because teenagers who smoke are also likely to engage in a variety of other risky behaviors, parents, school administrators, and health educators may wish to use smoking to identify at-risk individuals. Among Bolivian teenagers, interventions should focus on preventing cigarette use and associated risk behaviors
When is deliberate killing of young children justified? Indigenous interpretations of infanticide in Bolivia
Impact of early and concurrent stunting on cognition
Undernutrition is associated with poor cognitive development, late entry into school, decreased years of schooling, reduced productivity and smaller adult stature. We use longitudinal data from 1674 Peruvian children participating in the Young Lives study to assess the relative impact of early stunting (stunted at 6-18 months of age) and concurrent stunting (stunted at 4.5-6 years of age) on cognitive ability. Anthropometric data were longitudina…
What difference can fathers make? Early paternal absence compromises Peruvian children's growth
Considerable evidence suggests that fathers' absence from home has a negative short- and long-term impact on children's health, psychosocial development, cognition and educational experience. We assessed the impact of father presence during infancy and childhood on children's height-for-age z-score (HAZ) at 5 years old. We conducted secondary data analysis from a 15-year cohort study (Young Lives) focusing on one of four Young Lives countries (Pe…
Postinfancy growth, schooling, and cognitive achievement
Growth faltering and recovery in children aged 1–8 years in four low- and middle-income countries
Objective We characterized post-infancy child growth patterns and determined the incidence of becoming stunted and of recovery from stunting. Design Data came from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of childhood poverty in four low- and middle-income countries. Setting We analysed length/height measurements for children at ages 1, 5 and 8 years. Subjects Children ( n 7171) in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. Results Mean height-for-age Z -score …
Disparities in children’s vocabulary and height in relation to household wealth and parental schooling
Children from low socio-economic status (SES) households often demonstrate worse growth and developmental outcomes than wealthier children, in part because poor children face a broader range of risk factors. It is difficult to characterize the trajectories of SES disparities in low- and middle-income countries because longitudinal data are infrequently available. We analyze measures of children's linear growth (height) at ages 1, 5, 8 and 12y and…
Household food group expenditure patterns are associated with child anthropometry at ages 5, 8 and 12 years in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam
Household food expenditure data provide insights into household food purchasing patterns that significantly predict HAZ and BMI-Z. Including food expenditure patterns data in analyses may yield important information about child nutritional status and linear growth
Children with access to improved sanitation but not improved water are at lower risk of stunting compared to children without access
Results from our study indicate that access to improved sanitation is more frequently associated with reduced stunting risk than access to improved water. However, additional studies are needed before drawing definitive conclusions about the impact of toilets relative to water. This study is the first to our knowledge to demonstrate the robust and persistent importance of access to improved toilets in infancy, not only during the first year but c…
Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Inequality
Academic and policy literatures on intergenerational transmissions of poverty and inequality suggest that improving schooling attainment and income for parents in poor households will lessen poverty and inequality in their children’s generation through increased human capital accumulated by their children. However, magnitudes of such effects are unknown. We use data on children born in the twenty-first century in four developing countries to simu…
Media Access is Associated with Knowledge of Optimal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Tanzania
The importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) behaviors in low- and middle-income countries in preventing childhood illness is well established. Tanzania is known to have high rates of chronic malnutrition and childhood stunting-both of which have been linked to poor WASH practices. Interviews were conducted with 5000 primary caregivers of children aged 0-23 months. Four composite WASH knowledge variables were created to assess the relat…
Are Household Expenditures on Food Groups Associated with Children’s Future Heights in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam
Household expenditure surveys, routinely conducted in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), usually include questions pertaining to recent household expenditures on key food groups. When child anthropometrics are also available, such expenditure data can provide insights into household food purchasing patterns that are associated with subsequent child growth measures. We used data from 6993 children, born around 2001, from Ethiopia, India, Per…
A National Communication Campaign in Indonesia Is Associated with Improved Wash-Related Knowledge and Behaviors in Indonesian Mothers
Background: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors play a significant role in stunting. Knowledge and behaviors regarding WASH among caregivers are critical to providing children with chances to survive and thrive. The purpose of this study is to determine if exposure to a national communication campaign using media and interpersonal communication (IPC) is associated with WASH-related knowledge and behaviors among Indonesian mothers with…
Engaging fathers to improve complementary feeding is acceptable and feasible in the Lake Zone, Tanzania
In Tanzania, suboptimal complementary feeding practices contribute to high stunting rates. Fathers influence complementary feeding practices, and effective strategies are needed to engage them. The objectives of this research were to examine the acceptability and feasibility of (1) tailored complementary feeding recommendations and (2) engaging fathers in complementary feeding. We conducted trials of improved practices with 50 mothers and 40 fath…
Association between Wash-Related Behaviors and Knowledge with Childhood Diarrhea in Tanzania
Findings indicate that knowledge of handwashing importance was significant in washing hands after assisting a child who has defecated, before preparing food, and prior to feeding a child. These findings demonstrate the value of parental involvement to lower morbidity and mortality among children
Medicine (20 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (19 works) · Demography (15 works) · Environmental health (15 works) · Demography (14 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (11 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Geography (10 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (9 works) · Sociology (8 works)