Associations of child diet and parental stimulation with early childhood development in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

Authors

Louise Wang, Lilia Bliznashka, Nandita Perumal, David D Kotey, Richard Appiah, Marilyn N Ahun

Published in

BMJ public health. Volume 4. Issue 4. Pages e005174. Epub Oct 26, 2026.

Abstract

To examine the associations between parental stimulation, child dietary diversity and early childhood development (ECD) in young Ghanaian children.
Data come from a cross-sectional study on 460 children (6-36 months) in the Greater Accra Region. Mother-reported Dietary Diversity Score (DDS; range 0-7) of food groups consumed in the past 24 hours captured child diet. Caregiver stimulation was mother-reported and father-reported as number of stimulation activities (0-6). Mothers reported ECD using Caregiver-Reported Early Development Instruments z-scores. Multiple linear regression models were adjusted for relevant confounders, with analyses stratified by age (6-23 and 24-36 months).
Older children had lower mean ECD z-scores (-0.40 (SD=1.10) vs 0.00 (1.37)), but higher DDS (3.73 (1.17) vs 3.0 (1.52)) and higher levels of paternal engagement in stimulating activities (1.85 (1.59) vs 1.79 (1.57)). Child DDS was positively associated with ECD in younger (0.11 SD (95% CI 0.01 to 0.22)) but not older (0.08 (95% CI -0.07 to 0.23)) children in adjusted models. No significant associations were found between DDS and parental stimulation. However, maternal stimulation was positively associated with ECD in both 6-23 months old (0.13 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.24)) and 24-36 months old (0.15 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.27)). Paternal stimulation showed no significant associations with either DDS or ECD.
Maternal stimulation was positively associated with ECD in young Ghanaian children; dietary diversity was positively associated with ECD only in 6-23 months old. Findings align with prior literature on the importance of early nutrition and parental stimulation for ECD. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to examine causal pathways and the effectiveness of combined nutrition and stimulation interventions.

PMID:
42948256
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 28 Oct 2026.

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