Melissa Gladstone
Biographic Data
| ID | 5714323 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Melissa Gladstone |
| GIVEN NAMES | Melissa |
| FAMILY NAME | Gladstone |
| SIGNATURE | GLADSTONE M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Liverpool |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2579-9301 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Effect of combining lower- and higher-value monthly cash transfers with nutrition-sensitive agriculture, male engagement and psychosocial intervention on maternal depressive symptoms in rural Malawi
Maternal depression affects one in five women in Malawi. Integrated interventions simultaneously addressing multiple risks are a promising strategy to improve mental health. This study evaluated the impact of a nutrition-sensitive social behaviour change (SBC) intervention (agriculture and livelihoods, male engagement and Caring for the Caregiver) with or without cash transfers on maternal perinatal depression during the lean season in rural Mala…
GSED Core Model
The diversity of measures used to assess early childhood development complicates comparison across studies, populations, and programs. The Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) address this challenge by providing interoperable long and short forms (GSED-LF and GSED-SF) linked through a shared measurement model to a common developmental metric, the D-score. This article presents an updated GSED core model based on Rasch analysis of data from …
Enhancing comparability in early child development assessment with the D-score
The lack of a valid and interpretable score to track early child development over time is a primary reason for neglecting child development in policymaking. Many instruments exist, but there is no accepted method for comparing their scores across different ages, samples, and instruments. This paper aims (1) to enhance the Development Score (D-score), a unidimensional scale for early child development, to compare measurements across ages, samples,…
Associations between maternal capabilities for care and nurturing care behaviours among mother-child dyads in Malawi and South Africa
Adequate nurturing care behaviours, including feeding practices, health-seeking and psychosocial stimulation, are crucial for the optimal health, growth and development of young children. However, several factors, recognised as maternal ‘capabilities for care’, can influence a mother’s capability to provide adequate care, namely knowledge/beliefs, physical health and nutritional status, mental health, autonomy, reasonable workload/time availabili…
Iron deficiency anaemia in mothers and infants with high inflammatory burden
The scarcity of epidemiological data on anaemia in low- and middle-income countries, coupled with contrasting approaches to the assessment of iron status with inflammation, represent critical research gaps. This study characterised the prevalence and profile of iron deficiency anaemia, including adjustment for inflammation, in mothers and infants from South Africa. Mother-child dyads ( n = 394) were recruited (2021–2022) for the Khula birth cohor…
Psychosocial Predictors of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices Among Mother‐Child Dyads in Malawi and South Africa
Maternal capacity to adhere to recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices may be influenced by psychosocial factors. However, research examining associations between psychosocial factors and IYCF practices, and in particular complementary feeding indicators, is limited. As part of the Khula birth cohort study, we aimed to investigate associations between maternal depression, exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), social sup…
Ps‐sam
Psycho-social stimulation interventions, recommended in the WHO guidelines for severe acute malnutrition (SAM), have been demonstrated to improve neurodevelopment and growth. However, interventions which have proven effective in clinical trials are resource-intensive and may be challenging in many contexts. This study aimed to explore facilitators, barriers and the existing provision of psycho-social stimulation interventions. We undertook a surv…
The Dynamics of Caregiver Unpredictability Shape Moment-To-Moment Infant Looking During Dyadic Interaction
Cognitive development is associated with how predictable caregivers are, but the mechanisms driving this are unclear. One possibility is caregiver predictability initially shapes how infants gather information for learning. Here, caregiver-infant dyads (N = 222, 2-6-months-old, all female caregivers; data collected 2022–2023) in South Africa and Malawi engaged in naturalistic play before their interactions were hand-annotated to measure caregiver…
Early childhood development strategy for the world’s children with disabilities
Early childhood is foundational for optimal and inclusive lifelong learning, health and well-being. Young children with disabilities face substantial risks of sub-optimal early childhood development (ECD), requiring targeted support to ensure equitable access to lifelong learning opportunities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Although the Sustainable Development Goals, 2015–2030 (SDGs) emphasise inclusive education for children un…
Understanding modifiable caregiver factors contributing to child development among young children in rural Malawi
This study examined modifiable caregiver factors influencing child development in Malawi using baseline data from 1,021 mothers and their children <2 years of age participating in a cluster-randomized controlled trial implemented in rural Malawi (2022-2025). We fit an evidence-based theoretical model using structural equation modelling examining four caregiver factors: (1) diet diversity (sum of food groups consumed in the past 24 h), (2) empower…
The creation of the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) for children aged 0–3 years
INTRODUCTION: With the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals, there is an increased emphasis on early childhood development (ECD) and well-being. The WHO led Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) project aims to provide population and programmatic level measures of ECD for 0-3 years that are valid, reliable and have psychometrically stable performance across geographical, cultural and language contexts. This paper reports on the …
Experiences of identifying pre-school children with disabilities in resource limited settings – an account from Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda
Although access to effective medical care for acutely sick children has improved globally, the number of children surviving but who may not be thriving due to disability, is increasing. This study aimed to understand the views of health professionals, educators and caregivers of pre-school children with disabilities in Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda regarding early identification, referral and support. Using applied thematic analysis, we identified …
Cerebral palsy and developmental intellectual disability in children younger than 5 years
Objective: Children with developmental disabilities are associated with a high risk of poor school enrollment and educational attainment without timely and appropriate support. Epidemiological data on cerebral palsy and associated comorbidities required for policy intervention in global health are lacking. This paper set out to report the best available evidence on the global and regional prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) and developmental intell…
Neurodevelopmental, cognitive, behavioural and mental health impairments following childhood malnutrition
Validation of the Infant and Young Child Development (Iycd) Indicators in Three Countries
The IYCD is a simple-to-use caregiver report tool enabling population level assessment of child development for children aged 0-3 years which performs well across three countries on three continents to provide reliable estimates of young children's developmental status
Effects of improved complementary feeding and improved water, sanitation and hygiene on early child development among HIV-exposed children
Introduction: HIV-exposed uninfected children may be at risk of poor neurodevelopment. We aimed to test the impact of improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) on early child development (ECD) outcomes. Methods: Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy was a cluster randomised 2×2 factorial trial in rural Zimbabwe ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01824940). Pregnant women were eligible if they lived…
Long-term outcomes for children with disability and severe acute malnutrition in Malawi
INTRODUCTION: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and disability are major global health issues. Although they can cause and influence each other, data on their co-existence are sparse. We aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of disability among a cohort of children with SAM. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study in Malawi followed SAM survivors up to 7 years postdischarge. Clinical and anthropometric profiles were compared with sibling and c…
Measuring functional disability in children with developmental disorders in low-resource settings
The lay health worker administrated version of adapted WHODAS-Child is a reliable, valid and sensitive-to-change measure of functional disability in children aged 2-12 years with DDs in rural community settings of Pakistan
Early development in children with moderate acute malnutrition
Malnutrition impairs cognitive, communication, and motor development, but it is not known how nutrition and health are associated with development in children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). We aimed to describe motor and language development of children with MAM and explore its nutrition and health-related correlates. This cross-sectional study used baseline data from a nutritional trial in children with MAM aged 6-23 months in Burkina F…
We have to clean ourselves to ensure that our children are healthy and beautiful”
Medical Research Council/ Wellcome Trust/ DfID (Global Health Trials Scheme)
Developmental disabilities among children younger than 5 years in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016
BACKGROUND: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mandate systematic monitoring of the health and wellbeing of all children to achieve optimal early childhood development. However, global epidemiological data on children with developmental disabilities are scarce. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) for development disabili…
Preventing neonatal sepsis in rural Uganda
ISRCTN67852437 , prospectively registered on 18/03/2018
I have learnt to love the child and give opportunities to play with peers’
This is a first mixed-methods study, which created, adapted and tested the feasibility of a training programme targeted at parents, community professionals, specialist teachers and volunteers to provide advice on developmental stimulation for children with visual impairment in their homes in rural and urban settings of Malawi. The study followed guidance from the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventio…
Developmental and behavioural problems in children with severe acute malnutrition in Malawi
Developmental outcomes among 18‐month‐old Malawians after a year of complementary feeding with lipid‐based nutrient supplements or corn‐soy flour
The major aim of this trial was to compare the development of 18-month-old infants who received complementary feeding for 1 year either with lipid-based nutrient supplements or micronutrient fortified corn-soy porridge. Our secondary aim was to determine the socio-economic factors associated with developmental outcomes in the same population. A total of 163 six-month-old rural Malawian children were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial where…
Experiences of identifying pre-school children with disabilities in resource limited settings – an account from Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda
Although access to effective medical care for acutely sick children has improved globally, the number of children surviving but who may not be thriving due to disability, is increasing. This study aimed to understand the views of health professionals, educators and caregivers of pre-school children with disabilities in Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda regarding early identification, referral and support. Using applied thematic analysis, we identified …
Non-linear patterns of growth in very low birth weight infants
The deviations of daily weight, weekly length and head circumference from linear growth were analyzed in 87 very low birth weight infants. The deviations exhibited a highly significant polynomial oscillation not only for weight, but also for length and head circumference. The weight amplitudes were larger for males than for females. They were also larger in infants appropriate for gestational age than in small-for-date infants. The difference wit…
Developmental outcomes among 18‐month‐old Malawians after a year of complementary feeding with lipid‐based nutrient supplements or corn‐soy flour
The major aim of this trial was to compare the development of 18-month-old infants who received complementary feeding for 1 year either with lipid-based nutrient supplements or micronutrient fortified corn-soy porridge. Our secondary aim was to determine the socio-economic factors associated with developmental outcomes in the same population. A total of 163 six-month-old rural Malawian children were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial where…
Developmental and behavioural problems in children with severe acute malnutrition in Malawi
Developmental disabilities among children younger than 5 years in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016
BACKGROUND: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mandate systematic monitoring of the health and wellbeing of all children to achieve optimal early childhood development. However, global epidemiological data on children with developmental disabilities are scarce. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) for development disabili…
Preventing neonatal sepsis in rural Uganda
ISRCTN67852437 , prospectively registered on 18/03/2018
I have learnt to love the child and give opportunities to play with peers’
This is a first mixed-methods study, which created, adapted and tested the feasibility of a training programme targeted at parents, community professionals, specialist teachers and volunteers to provide advice on developmental stimulation for children with visual impairment in their homes in rural and urban settings of Malawi. The study followed guidance from the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventio…
Early development in children with moderate acute malnutrition
Malnutrition impairs cognitive, communication, and motor development, but it is not known how nutrition and health are associated with development in children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). We aimed to describe motor and language development of children with MAM and explore its nutrition and health-related correlates. This cross-sectional study used baseline data from a nutritional trial in children with MAM aged 6-23 months in Burkina F…
We have to clean ourselves to ensure that our children are healthy and beautiful”
Medical Research Council/ Wellcome Trust/ DfID (Global Health Trials Scheme)
Effects of improved complementary feeding and improved water, sanitation and hygiene on early child development among HIV-exposed children
Introduction: HIV-exposed uninfected children may be at risk of poor neurodevelopment. We aimed to test the impact of improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) on early child development (ECD) outcomes. Methods: Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy was a cluster randomised 2×2 factorial trial in rural Zimbabwe ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01824940). Pregnant women were eligible if they lived…
Long-term outcomes for children with disability and severe acute malnutrition in Malawi
INTRODUCTION: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and disability are major global health issues. Although they can cause and influence each other, data on their co-existence are sparse. We aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of disability among a cohort of children with SAM. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study in Malawi followed SAM survivors up to 7 years postdischarge. Clinical and anthropometric profiles were compared with sibling and c…
Measuring functional disability in children with developmental disorders in low-resource settings
The lay health worker administrated version of adapted WHODAS-Child is a reliable, valid and sensitive-to-change measure of functional disability in children aged 2-12 years with DDs in rural community settings of Pakistan
Validation of the Infant and Young Child Development (Iycd) Indicators in Three Countries
The IYCD is a simple-to-use caregiver report tool enabling population level assessment of child development for children aged 0-3 years which performs well across three countries on three continents to provide reliable estimates of young children's developmental status
Cerebral palsy and developmental intellectual disability in children younger than 5 years
Objective: Children with developmental disabilities are associated with a high risk of poor school enrollment and educational attainment without timely and appropriate support. Epidemiological data on cerebral palsy and associated comorbidities required for policy intervention in global health are lacking. This paper set out to report the best available evidence on the global and regional prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) and developmental intell…
Neurodevelopmental, cognitive, behavioural and mental health impairments following childhood malnutrition
The creation of the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) for children aged 0–3 years
INTRODUCTION: With the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals, there is an increased emphasis on early childhood development (ECD) and well-being. The WHO led Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) project aims to provide population and programmatic level measures of ECD for 0-3 years that are valid, reliable and have psychometrically stable performance across geographical, cultural and language contexts. This paper reports on the …
Experiences of identifying pre-school children with disabilities in resource limited settings – an account from Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda
Although access to effective medical care for acutely sick children has improved globally, the number of children surviving but who may not be thriving due to disability, is increasing. This study aimed to understand the views of health professionals, educators and caregivers of pre-school children with disabilities in Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda regarding early identification, referral and support. Using applied thematic analysis, we identified …
Early childhood development strategy for the world’s children with disabilities
Early childhood is foundational for optimal and inclusive lifelong learning, health and well-being. Young children with disabilities face substantial risks of sub-optimal early childhood development (ECD), requiring targeted support to ensure equitable access to lifelong learning opportunities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Although the Sustainable Development Goals, 2015–2030 (SDGs) emphasise inclusive education for children un…
Understanding modifiable caregiver factors contributing to child development among young children in rural Malawi
This study examined modifiable caregiver factors influencing child development in Malawi using baseline data from 1,021 mothers and their children <2 years of age participating in a cluster-randomized controlled trial implemented in rural Malawi (2022-2025). We fit an evidence-based theoretical model using structural equation modelling examining four caregiver factors: (1) diet diversity (sum of food groups consumed in the past 24 h), (2) empower…
Enhancing comparability in early child development assessment with the D-score
The lack of a valid and interpretable score to track early child development over time is a primary reason for neglecting child development in policymaking. Many instruments exist, but there is no accepted method for comparing their scores across different ages, samples, and instruments. This paper aims (1) to enhance the Development Score (D-score), a unidimensional scale for early child development, to compare measurements across ages, samples,…
Associations between maternal capabilities for care and nurturing care behaviours among mother-child dyads in Malawi and South Africa
Adequate nurturing care behaviours, including feeding practices, health-seeking and psychosocial stimulation, are crucial for the optimal health, growth and development of young children. However, several factors, recognised as maternal ‘capabilities for care’, can influence a mother’s capability to provide adequate care, namely knowledge/beliefs, physical health and nutritional status, mental health, autonomy, reasonable workload/time availabili…
Iron deficiency anaemia in mothers and infants with high inflammatory burden
The scarcity of epidemiological data on anaemia in low- and middle-income countries, coupled with contrasting approaches to the assessment of iron status with inflammation, represent critical research gaps. This study characterised the prevalence and profile of iron deficiency anaemia, including adjustment for inflammation, in mothers and infants from South Africa. Mother-child dyads ( n = 394) were recruited (2021–2022) for the Khula birth cohor…
Psychosocial Predictors of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices Among Mother‐Child Dyads in Malawi and South Africa
Maternal capacity to adhere to recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices may be influenced by psychosocial factors. However, research examining associations between psychosocial factors and IYCF practices, and in particular complementary feeding indicators, is limited. As part of the Khula birth cohort study, we aimed to investigate associations between maternal depression, exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), social sup…
Ps‐sam
Psycho-social stimulation interventions, recommended in the WHO guidelines for severe acute malnutrition (SAM), have been demonstrated to improve neurodevelopment and growth. However, interventions which have proven effective in clinical trials are resource-intensive and may be challenging in many contexts. This study aimed to explore facilitators, barriers and the existing provision of psycho-social stimulation interventions. We undertook a surv…
The Dynamics of Caregiver Unpredictability Shape Moment-To-Moment Infant Looking During Dyadic Interaction
Cognitive development is associated with how predictable caregivers are, but the mechanisms driving this are unclear. One possibility is caregiver predictability initially shapes how infants gather information for learning. Here, caregiver-infant dyads (N = 222, 2-6-months-old, all female caregivers; data collected 2022–2023) in South Africa and Malawi engaged in naturalistic play before their interactions were hand-annotated to measure caregiver…
Effect of combining lower- and higher-value monthly cash transfers with nutrition-sensitive agriculture, male engagement and psychosocial intervention on maternal depressive symptoms in rural Malawi
Maternal depression affects one in five women in Malawi. Integrated interventions simultaneously addressing multiple risks are a promising strategy to improve mental health. This study evaluated the impact of a nutrition-sensitive social behaviour change (SBC) intervention (agriculture and livelihoods, male engagement and Caring for the Caregiver) with or without cash transfers on maternal perinatal depression during the lean season in rural Mala…
Medicine (18 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (16 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Pediatrics (8 works) · Infant Development and Preterm Care (7 works) · Developmental psychology (6 works) · Population (6 works) · Psychiatry (6 works) · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences (5 works)