Efficacy of a dialogic book-sharing intervention in a South African birth cohort: A randomized controlled trial.
Compr Psychiatry
; 128: 152436, 2024 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37944255
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Evidence shows that dialogic book-sharing improves language development in young children in low-middle income countries (LMICs), particularly receptive and expressive language. It is unclear whether this intervention also boosts development of other neurocognitive and socio-emotional domains in children. Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) nested in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS), a book-sharing intervention was implemented in caregivers of 3.5-year-old preschool children living in low-income South African communities.METHODS:
122 Caregivers and their children (mean age 3.5 years) were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 61) or waitlist control group (n = 61). A neurocognitive battery determined baseline receptive and expressive language, executive function, theory of mind, and behavior scores.RESULTS:
No differences were observed between intervention and control groups on receptive and expressive language, or any of the neurocognitive or socio-emotional measures from baseline (3.5 years) to 4 months post-intervention administration (4 years).CONCLUSION:
The benefits noted in prior literature of book-sharing in infants did not appear to be demonstrated at 4 months post-intervention, in children from 3.5 to 4 years of age. This suggests the importance of early intervention and emphasizes the need for further research on adaptation of book-sharing for older participants in a South African context. TRIAL REGISTRATION retrospectively registered on 03/04/2022 PACTR202204697674974.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Child Development
/
Executive Function
Limits:
Child, preschool
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
Compr Psychiatry
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article