ArticleBMJ open2021
Association between early child development trajectories and adult cognitive function in a 50-year longitudinal study in Guatemala.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluation of a multicomponent child development intervention delivered through the government health system: a feasibility study.BMJ global health · 2025Observational
- Early-life stature, preschool cognitive development, schooling attainment, and cognitive functioning in adulthood: a prospective study in four birth cohorts.The Lancet. Global health · 2023Article
- Developmental trajectories of delay discounting from childhood to young adulthood: longitudinal associations and test-retest reliability.Cognitive psychology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
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Abstract
objectivesFew studies have used longitudinal data to study the development of cognition over the life course in low-income and middle-income countries. The objectives of this study were to assess predictors of cognitive development trajectories from 6 months through 7 years, and if these trajectories predicted adult cognitive function in a birth cohort from Guatemala.
designWe analysed data from the INCAP Nutrition Supplementation Trial Longitudinal Study in Guatemala. Cognition was assessed at eight different time points between 6 months and 7 years. We derived childhood development trajectories using latent class growth analysis. We assessed predictors of the trajectories using ordinal logistic regression, and associations between childhood trajectories and adult non-verbal intelligence and literacy at age 18-52 years (mean±SD =42.7±6.4 years) using mixed models.
settingThe study was conducted in four Guatemalan villages.
participantsThe study included 927 participants from Guatemala with repeated measurements of cognitive function during the first 7 years of life.
resultsWe identified three trajectories of cognitive development (high: n=214, average: n=583, low: n=130). Participants whose mothers were taller (proportional log odds (PO)=0.03, 95% CI=0.01 to 0.06), had more years of schooling (PO=0.15, 95% CI=0.06 to 0.25), or lived in households with higher socioeconomic scores (PO=0.19, 95% CI=0.09 to 0.29) were more likely to follow higher trajectories. Childhood trajectories predicted adult non-verbal intelligence (high=18.4±0.3, average=14.6±0.53, low=11.4±0.9) and literacy (high=63.8±2.0, average=48.6±1.2, low=33.9± 2.6) scores.
conclusionsIn this sample from Guatemala, cognitive development trajectories from 6 months through 7 years were associated with adult non-verbal intelligence and literacy. These findings provide evidence of tracking of cognition over time in a transitioning low-income setting.
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