Trial reportBMJ global health2021
A holistic approach to promoting early child development: a cluster randomised trial of a group-based, multicomponent intervention in rural Bangladesh.
Trial report in BMJ global health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Do health education initiatives assist socioeconomically disadvantaged populations? A systematic review and meta-analyses.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Fish and Fish-Based Products for Nutrition and Health in the First 1000 Days: A Systematic Review of the Evidence from Low and Middle-Income Countries.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of the Moments that Matter parenting programme on caregiving practices, family violence, mental health and early child development in Kenya: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.BMJ global health · 2026Trial
- Integrating early child development into an existing health and nutrition program: evidence from a cluster-randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2024Trial
- Parental developmental screening with CARE: A pilot hybrid assessment and intervention with vulnerable families in Colombia.PloS one · 2023Trial
- Making the invisible visible: Developing and evaluating an intervention to raise awareness and reduce lead exposure among children and their caregivers in rural Bangladesh.Environmental research · 2021Trial
- Associations between maternal and child anemia and development outcomes: evidence from a large cross-sectional population-based study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Health worker support for early learning, responsive caregiving, and safety and security: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Caregiver Nutrition and Nurturing Care: A Scoping Review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Evaluation of a multicomponent child development intervention delivered through the government health system: a feasibility study.BMJ global health · 2025Observational
- Stress biomarkers and child development in young children in Bangladesh.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- Integrated child nutrition, parenting, and health intervention in rural Liberia: A mixed-methods feasibility study.PloS one · 2024Article
- Article
- The use of mass media by mothers and its association with their children's early development: comparison between urban and rural areas.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Concurrent validity of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Inventory and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development in rural Bangladesh.BMC pediatrics · 2023Article
- Pathways to scale up early childhood programs: A scoping review of Reach Up and Care for Child Development.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Success Factors for Community Health Workers in Implementing an Integrated Group-Based Child Development Intervention in Rural Bangladesh.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
20 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionIn low- and middle-income countries, children experience multiple risks for delayed development. We evaluated a multicomponent, group-based early child development intervention including behavioural recommendations on responsive stimulation, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, mental health and lead exposure prevention.
methodsWe conducted a 9-month, parallel, multiarm, cluster-randomised controlled trial in 31 rural villages in Kishoreganj District, Bangladesh. Villages were randomly allocated to: group sessions ('group'); alternating groups and home visits ('combined'); or a passive control arm. Sessions were delivered fortnightly by trained community members. The primary outcome was child stimulation (Family Care Indicators); the secondary outcome was child development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire Inventory, ASQi). Other outcomes included dietary diversity, latrine status, use of a child potty, handwashing infrastructure, caregiver mental health and knowledge of lead. Analyses were intention to treat. Data collectors were independent from implementers.
resultsIn July-August 2017, 621 pregnant women and primary caregivers of children<15 months were enrolled (group n=160, combined n=160, control n=301). At endline, immediately following intervention completion (July-August 2018), 574 participants were assessed (group n=144, combined n=149, control n=281). Primary caregivers in both intervention arms participated in more play activities than control caregivers (age-adjusted means: group 4.22, 95% CI 3.97 to 4.47; combined 4.77, 4.60 to 4.96; control 3.24, 3.05 to 3.39), and provided a larger variety of play materials (age-adjusted means: group 3.63, 3.31 to 3.96; combined 3.81, 3.62 to 3.99; control 2.48, 2.34 to 2.59). Compared with the control arm, children in the group arm had higher total ASQi scores (adjusted mean difference in standardised scores: 0.39, 0.15 to 0.64), while in the combined arm scores were not significantly different from the control (0.25, -0.07 to 0.54).
conclusionOur findings suggest that group-based, multicomponent interventions can be effective at improving child development outcomes in rural Bangladesh, and that they have the potential to be delivered at scale. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The trial is registered in ISRCTN (ISRCTN16001234).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.