Lively Minds: improving health and development through playtextendasha randomised controlled trial evaluation of a comprehensive ECCE programme at scale in Ghana

Britta Augsburg; Orazio Attanasio; Robert  Dreibelbis; Edward Nketiah-Amponsah; Angus  Phimister; Sonya Krutikova

Lively Minds: improving health and development through playtextendasha randomised controlled trial evaluation of a comprehensive ECCE programme at scale in Ghana

Britta Augsburg, Orazio Attanasio, Robert Dreibelbis, Edward Nketiah-Amponsah, Angus Phimister, Sonya Krutikova

Economics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Original language	English
Article number	e061571
Journal	BMJ Open
Volume	12
Early online date	13 Oct 2022
Publication status	Published - 13 Oct 2022

Keywords

R

Access to Document

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061571Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{ca8bcb2a8edd49d8a63eb58190f38d73,

title = "Lively Minds: improving health and development through playtextendasha randomised controlled trial evaluation of a comprehensive ECCE programme at scale in Ghana",

keywords = "R",

author = "Britta Augsburg and Orazio Attanasio and Robert Dreibelbis and Edward Nketiah-Amponsah and Angus Phimister and Sonya Krutikova",

note = "Introduction Many children in developing countries grow up in environments that lack stimulation, leading to deficiencies in early years of development. Several efficacy trials of early childhood care and education (ECCE) programmes have demonstrated potential to improve child development; evidence on whether these effects can be sustained once programmes are scaled is much more mixed. This study evaluates whether an ECCE programme shown to be effective in an efficacy trial maintains effectiveness when taken to scale by the Government of Ghana (GoG). The findings will provide critical evidence to the GoG on effectiveness of a programme it is investing in, as well as a blueprint for design and scale-up of ECCE programmes in other developing countries, which are expanding their investment in ECCE programmes.Methods and analysis This study is a cluster randomised controlled trial, in which the order that districts receive the programme is randomised. A minimum sample of 3240 children and 360 schools will be recruited across 72 district school cohort pairs. The primary outcomes are (1) child cognitive and socioemotional development measured using the International Development and Early Learning Assessment tool, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and tasks from the Harvard Laboratory for Development Studies; (2) child health (measured using height/weight for age, height-for-weight Z scores). Secondary outcomes include (1) maternal mental health, (using Kessler-10 and Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) and knowledge of ECCE practices; (2) teacher knowledge, motivation and teaching quality (measured with classroom observation); (3) parental investment (using the Family Care Index and Home Observation Measurement of the Environment and the ChildtextendashParent Relationship Scale); (4) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices; (5) acute malnutrition (using mid-upper arm circumference). We will estimate unadjusted and adjusted intent-to-treat effects.Ethics and dissemination Study protocols have been ...",

year = "2022",

month = oct,

day = "13",

language = "English",

volume = "12",

journal = "BMJ Open",

issn = "2044-6055",

publisher = "BMJ ",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Lively Minds: improving health and development through playtextendasha randomised controlled trial evaluation of a comprehensive ECCE programme at scale in Ghana

AU - Augsburg, Britta

AU - Attanasio, Orazio

AU - Dreibelbis, Robert

AU - Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward

AU - Phimister, Angus

AU - Krutikova, Sonya

N1 - Introduction Many children in developing countries grow up in environments that lack stimulation, leading to deficiencies in early years of development. Several efficacy trials of early childhood care and education (ECCE) programmes have demonstrated potential to improve child development; evidence on whether these effects can be sustained once programmes are scaled is much more mixed. This study evaluates whether an ECCE programme shown to be effective in an efficacy trial maintains effectiveness when taken to scale by the Government of Ghana (GoG). The findings will provide critical evidence to the GoG on effectiveness of a programme it is investing in, as well as a blueprint for design and scale-up of ECCE programmes in other developing countries, which are expanding their investment in ECCE programmes.Methods and analysis This study is a cluster randomised controlled trial, in which the order that districts receive the programme is randomised. A minimum sample of 3240 children and 360 schools will be recruited across 72 district school cohort pairs. The primary outcomes are (1) child cognitive and socioemotional development measured using the International Development and Early Learning Assessment tool, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and tasks from the Harvard Laboratory for Development Studies; (2) child health (measured using height/weight for age, height-for-weight Z scores). Secondary outcomes include (1) maternal mental health, (using Kessler-10 and Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) and knowledge of ECCE practices; (2) teacher knowledge, motivation and teaching quality (measured with classroom observation); (3) parental investment (using the Family Care Index and Home Observation Measurement of the Environment and the ChildtextendashParent Relationship Scale); (4) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices; (5) acute malnutrition (using mid-upper arm circumference). We will estimate unadjusted and adjusted intent-to-treat effects.Ethics and dissemination Study protocols have been ...

PY - 2022/10/13

Y1 - 2022/10/13

KW - R

M3 - Article

SN - 2044-6055

VL - 12

JO - BMJ Open

JF - BMJ Open

M1 - e061571

ER -