The Drakenstein Child Health Longitudinal Study (DCHS)

The study site is characterised by high rates of poverty, HIV, and other risks to child well-being and development including domestic violence and substance abuse.

The study follows the cohort of children over critical early years, aiming to provide an understanding into the effects of multiple risks and mitigating factors, and their interactions, on child health and development.

Mothers were enrolled at 20-28 weeks’ gestation between March 2012 and March 2015. A wide range of data is collected from both caregivers and their children (including from neurological assessments such as brain imaging)

Going forward, the DCHS has the potential to deepen our understanding of relationships between ELOM 4 & 5 Years Direct Assessment performance and a range of risk and protective factors during early development. For example, data on cognitive and neurological functioning collected around 30 to 36 months provide opportunities for exploring relations between brain function and ELOM domain performance – particularly cognition and executive functioning.

The Drakenstein Child Health Study: Investigating determinants of early child development and cognition published in 2o18 can be accessed here.