Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37890890›Full record

ArticleBMJ paediatrics open2023

Early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders in African children living in informal settlements in Nairobi.

Giulia Segre, Cecilia Cargnelutti, Carlotta Bersani, Washington Njogu, Elisa Roberti, Rita Campi, Maria Vittoria De Vita, Gianfranco Morino, Maria Paola Canevini, Maurizio Bonati

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ paediatrics open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. A Systematic Review of Neurodevelopmental Tools for Preterm Infants During Infancy: Mapping the Components Across Infant Age Quarters.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Giulia SegreDepartment of Medical Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy.
Cecilia CargneluttiDepartment of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
Carlotta BersaniDepartment of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
Washington NjoguRU Neema Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.
Elisa RobertiDepartment of Medical Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3525-9015
Rita CampiDepartment of Medical Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy.
Maria Vittoria De VitaWorld Friends Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
Gianfranco MorinoWorld Friends Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
Maria Paola CaneviniDepartment of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
Maurizio BonatiDepartment of Medical Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy maurizio.bonati@marionegri.it.ORCID 0000-0003-3997-3726
Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research · ITUniversity of Milan · ITNairobi Hospital · KE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildren in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at a substantially increased risk of delayed physical, emotional and sociocognitive outcomes, with consequential neurodevelopmental disorders. Evidence based, cost-effective and culturally appropriate screening tools are recommended for early identification of developmental disorders.

methodsThe present study aims to assess the feasibility of early screening for neurodevelopmental disorders in children living in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya (Korogocho). The selected tools (ie, the CDC checklist and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (M-CHAT-R)), widely used in high-income countries, are applied in two different populations: one from Kenya (LMIC) and one from Italy, to compare the different scores.

resultsOf 509 children screened, 8.6% were classified at-risk based on the results of the screening tools. Significant risk factors are history of low birth weight and Apgar score, presence of neurological disorders, malnutrition and/or rickets, younger age of the child and older age of the mother. Caesarean section delivery, first pregnancy and mothers' older age were common risk factors among the Kenyan and the Italian samples. The Italian sample had a significantly greater rate of missed milestones.

conclusionsOur data demonstrate the feasibility of using the CDC and M-CHAT-R tools in informal settlement dwellers. Further studies are needed to explore the opportunity for early diagnosis of developmental disorders in LMICs.

Indexed as

Cesarean SectionNeurodevelopmental DisordersEarly DiagnosisFemaleHumansKenyaMothersPregnancychild psychiatryepidemiologyhealth services research

Identifiers

PMID37890890
PMCPMC10619007
OpenAlexW4387996963

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.