When Cultural Norms Discourage Talking to Babies: Effectiveness of a Parenting Program in Rural Senegal

Ann Weber; Anne Fernald; Yatma Diop

doi:10.1111/cdev.12882

journal article Sep 01, 2017

When Cultural Norms Discourage Talking to Babies: Effectiveness of a Parenting Program in Rural Senegal

Ann Weber Anne Fernald Yatma Diop

Child Development Vol. 88 No. 5 pp. 1513-1526 · Oxford University Press (OUP)

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/cdev.12882

Abstract

Abstract
In some areas of rural Africa, long-standing cultural traditions and beliefs may discourage parents from verbally engaging with their young children. This study assessed the effectiveness of a parenting program designed to encourage verbal engagement between caregivers and infants in Wolof-speaking villages in rural Senegal. Caregivers (n = 443) and their 4- to 31-month-old children were observed at baseline in 2013 and 1 year later at follow-up. Results showed that caregivers in program villages nearly doubled the amount of child-directed speech during a play session compared to baseline, whereas caregivers in matched comparison villages showed no change. After 1 year, children in program villages produced more utterances, and showed greater improvement in vocabulary and other language outcomes compared to children in comparison villages.
The title for this Special Section is Bringing Developmental Science into the World, edited by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Rachel Grob, and Mark Schlesinger

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Metrics

126

Citations

34

References

Details

Published: Sep 01, 2017
Vol/Issue: 88(5)
Pages: 1513-1526
License: View

Authors

Stanford University

Stanford University

Michigan State University

Funding

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Award: 2012-8148

Cite This Article

Ann Weber, Anne Fernald, Yatma Diop (2017). When Cultural Norms Discourage Talking to Babies: Effectiveness of a Parenting Program in Rural Senegal. Child Development, 88(5), 1513-1526. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12882

When Cultural Norms Discourage Talking to Babies: Effectiveness of a Parenting Program in Rural Senegal

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