Improving parenting practices and development for young children in Rwanda: Results from a randomized control trial
Abstract
It is well known that the first 1,000 days of life have long-lasting impact on a child’s cognitive, language, socio-emotional, and physical development, but there is little evidence from Rwanda about how to maximize parent–child interactions during these critical early years. Save the Children piloted the First Steps “Intera za Mbere” early childhood parenting education program in one district of Rwanda to promote healthy development through holistic parenting education. Using a cluster randomized control trial, we assessed outcomes of a 17-week parenting education on parenting skills and child development for families with children aged 6–36 months. Families were randomly allocated into three study groups: light touch ( n = 482), full intervention ( n = 482), and control ( n = 483) groups. We used a Kinyarwanda-adaptation of the validated Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ), a Home Observation Measurement of the Environment-Short Form. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used for both the intention-to-treat analyses and more robust models controlling for ASQ form received, child gender, maternal education, number of children in the home, and baseline ASQ scores. Findings indicate that children in the light touch and full intervention groups were significantly more likely to meet the ASQ benchmarks than the control group in all developmental domains. The strong positive results from the light touch group are especially relevant to efforts to bring beneficial early childhood stimulation programs to scale in low-income contexts.
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Only 7 parenting interventions in this review (7%) engaged fathers to some degree.
“In spite of the observational evidence that fathers are critically important for ECD [56], only 7 parenting interventions in this review (7%) engaged fathers to some degree [34–40], and only 1 study measured paternal outcomes from fathers directly (who only comprised 5% of the respondents in this study) [39].”
From Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [39]
Only 1 study measured paternal outcomes from fathers directly.
“In spite of the observational evidence that fathers are critically important for ECD [56], only 7 parenting interventions in this review (7%) engaged fathers to some degree [34–40], and only 1 study measured paternal outcomes from fathers directly (who only comprised 5% of the respondents in this study) [39].”
From Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [39]
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- Authors
- Abimpaye, M., Dusabe, C., Nzabonimpa, J. P., Ashford, R., & Pisani, L.
- Affiliations
- Save the Children (BD)
- Save the Children (US)
- African Capacity Building Foundation (ZW)
- Whitman College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ashford, Richard
- Venue
- International Journal of Behavioral Development
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-07-16
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 205-215
- ISSN
- 0165-0254 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0651
- OpenAlex
- W2959365558
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 3.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Behavioral Development (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Grand Challenges Canada
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Keywords
- parent education, early childhood development, first 1000 days, parent-child interaction, early childhood stimulation, child development outcomes, low-income settings, Rwanda, program scaling
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