How are the children developing in Peru?

LIMA, Peru – The Peruvian Government assured that for the first time it counts on a measuring of the children development indicators which will allow to have annual information for deciding how to intervene in public agencies directed to work for the first childhood. The evaluation of the early Children Development Mode was applied during the 2018 Demographic And Family Health Survey  (ENDES as its acronyme in Spanish) made by the National Institute of Statistic and Informatics (INEI as its acronyme in Spanish).

The mentioned study allowed to measure five of seven results or development areas of the guidelines on Early Children Development (DIT As its acronyme in Spanish) and the diverse conditions enabling or limiting the achievement of each result per life period. The indicators compared to the Healthy Birth and Adequate Nutritional Status results are measured regularily in ENDES.

The goverment counts on guidelines for the DIT national policy called Childhood First, which defines seven results for all the boys and girls to reach an adequate development: healthy birth, safe sticking, adequate nutritional status, walking alone, effective verbal communication, emotional regulation, and behavior and symbolic function.

As known, the first years of life are fundamental for the person’s development. The lapse between pregnancy and five years old allows it acquires and develops physical, cognitive, psychological, and social-emotional skills to reach being a healthy, responsible, and productive citizen for the own, the family, and the society.

Peru’s Social Development and Inclusion (MIDIS as its acronyme in Spanish) Minister Paola Bustamante sustained the safe sticking is important because it enables the cognitive and social-emotional development of boys and girls, allowing to build a safe and healthy personality. “We need that our boys and girls to develop the safe sticking because is as important as they are well fed. If they get a safe sticking relationship during the first childhood, it’s like an engine that will ease to consolidate the identity and it will allow them to approach to the world in a more confident and positive manner,” she pointed out.

Concerning indicators

• About the safe sticking, the survey proved 48.4% of 9-to-12-month-old boys and girls have reached an adequate interaction to their mothers, what will allow them to improve their self-valuation, to have an adequate emotional management, and to set a supporting relationship with other people.
• According to the study made by INEI, the number of girls that allowed an adequate interaction  (50.9%) is more than boys (46%). Also, the percentage of boys and girls with adequate interaction grows when they live at the Andean Zone, reaching 52.2%, and it’s lower when they live in Lima City, where 43.8% is recorded.
• Having an adequate interaction is a previous condition to get a safe sticking. Affective link between the mother, father, or main guardian and the baby for ssetting emotional security and a basis to autonomy. About verbal communication, the study put in evidence that 49.8% of boys and girls at age of 9 to 36 months old have got to express their needs and emotions in an appropriate way for their age. This result is bigger in girls (54%)than boys (45.6%). It is also seen that it’s bigger in boys and girls at the Jungle (53%) and it’s lower at the Andes (47%).
• Regarding the result of healthy birth, it was seen that 7.3% of boys and girls under 5 years old got low weight when they born. This situation registers a major quantitty of girls and boys resident at the countryside (8.3%) before the city (7.1%). This result is related to the defficient nutritional status of women since before the conception and during the pregnancy.
• Another fact is referred to 22.6% of boys and girls under 5 years old born before the 37 weeks of pregnancy. This result is bigger for boys and girls born in the city (25.7%) than the countryside (13.8). The premature birth increases the risk of attention déficit, behavior problems, complications for the new born, delayed motor and language development, among others.
• Nevertheless, about the adequate nutritional status it was proved that 12.2% of boys and girls under 5 years old reported low height for their age(child chronic malnutrition). The countryside population is more affected tan the city’ss registering 25.7% and 7.3% respectively.
• As part of the study, it was also known that 36% of boys and girls at age between 24 and 71 months old have got to regulate their emotions and reactions in frustration episodes and setting of limits. The boys and girls who get this skill  in the right age are proner to perform successfully in early education, and get related in a positive way to other people.

The implementation of the DIT Mode on 2018 ENDES was made as a mother’s report relatively easy poll, and with questions allowing to research about the development of her son or daughter. The results have information of boys and girls under 6 years old divided by age group which the achievement of specific skills is expected. The design and validation of this tool was a joint work of INEI and MIDIS.

The photos were provided BY midis.