Neurodevelopmental milestones and associated behaviours are similar among healthy children across diverse geographical locations

José Villar (), Michelle Fernandes, Manorama Purwar, Eleonora Staines-Urias, Paola Di Nicola, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Roseline Ochieng, Fernando Barros, Elaine Albernaz, Cesar Victora, Naina Kunnawar, Sophie Temple, Francesca Giuliani, Tamsin Sandells, Maria Carvalho, Eric Ohuma, Yasmin Jaffer, Alison Noble, Michael Gravett, Ruyan Pang, Ann Lambert, Enrico Bertino, Aris Papageorghiou, Cutberto Garza, Alan Stein, Zulfiqar Bhutta and Stephen Kennedy
Additional contact information
José Villar: University of Oxford
Michelle Fernandes: University of Oxford
Manorama Purwar: Ketkar Hospital
Eleonora Staines-Urias: University of Oxford
Paola Di Nicola: Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita-Sant’Anna Citta della Salute e della Scienza di Torino
Leila Cheikh Ismail: University of Sharjah
Roseline Ochieng: Aga Khan University
Fernando Barros: Universidade Católica de Pelotas
Elaine Albernaz: Universidade Federal de Pelotas
Cesar Victora: Universidade Federal de Pelotas
Naina Kunnawar: Ketkar Hospital
Sophie Temple: University of Oxford
Francesca Giuliani: Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita-Sant’Anna Citta della Salute e della Scienza di Torino
Tamsin Sandells: University of Oxford
Maria Carvalho: Aga Khan University
Eric Ohuma: University of Oxford
Yasmin Jaffer: Ministry of Health
Alison Noble: University of Oxford
Michael Gravett: Seattle Children’s
Ruyan Pang: Peking University
Ann Lambert: University of Oxford
Enrico Bertino: Universita di Torino
Aris Papageorghiou: University of Oxford
Cutberto Garza: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Alan Stein: University of Oxford
Zulfiqar Bhutta: Hospital for Sick Children
Stephen Kennedy: University of Oxford

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract It is unclear whether early child development is, like skeletal growth, similar across diverse regions with adequate health and nutrition. We prospectively assessed 1307 healthy, well-nourished 2-year-old children of educated mothers, enrolled in early pregnancy from urban areas without major socioeconomic or environmental constraints, in Brazil, India, Italy, Kenya and UK. We used a specially developed psychometric tool, WHO motor milestones and visual tests. Similarities across sites were measured using variance components analysis and standardised site differences (SSD). In 14 of the 16 domains, the percentage of total variance explained by between-site differences ranged from 1.3% (cognitive score) to 9.2% (behaviour score). Of the 80 SSD comparisons, only six were >±0.50 units of the pooled SD for the corresponding item. The sequence and timing of attainment of neurodevelopmental milestones and associated behaviours in early childhood are, therefore, likely innate and universal, as long as nutritional and health needs are met.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07983-4

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