2. Developmental health research
Research related to developmental health brings together scientists from developmental psychology and population health to try to unravel how early child development is shaped by experiences and environments that are, in turn, shaped by social and economic conditions.
This section includes several examples of research that looks at questions such as:
- What can we learn from research on the social determinants of health, learning and behaviour?
- What is the socio-economic impact of early childhood education programs?
- What is implementation science and how does it relate to scaling up early childhood programs?
- What are some different approaches to monitoring child development?
- What is the progress of nations in improving the health and wellness of populations?
A developmental health perspective considers the well-being of populations. We need data to give us an accurate picture of how all children are doing to plan the most effective kinds of supports for children and families. Thinking we know the right answers is not enough to make the best decisions about public policy and expenditures. Good population data is powerful evidence. In this section, we will consider some of the ways researchers collect population data.
Epidemiologist Dr. Fiona Stanley is a distinguished professorial fellow in the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Western Australia. Listen to her explain why it is important for people who are going to work directly with children and families to understand population data.
