Study on the effect of a community-based early education and service program regarding intelligence
Objective: To assess the effect on a community-based early education and service programs regarding the development of infants' intelligence.
Methods: A community-based intervention study was carried out among 359 infants and their families. Base-line survey were carried out when infants reached their one month, where after infants and their families in the intervention group received instructions and services focused on baby fostering and intelligence development. When the infants reached their six-months and twelve-months of age, their families were informed to complete the follow-up surveys, using both questionnaire investigation and testing the infants' intelligence quotients. The infants' intelligence quotients were measured by Development Screening Test for children under six. By comparing intelligence quotients of infants in two study groups in the follow-up surveys, this paper evaluated the impacts of community intervention on the infants' intelligence development.
Results: During two follow-ups, no statistical difference had been detected between the two groups of infants in term of gender or delivery process. Baseline data showed that infants' mental index (MI) scored 98.26 in the intervention group and 101.79 in the control one, and development quotient (DQ) scored 94.50 and 99.36 in respective groups. Infants' MI score increased 6.07 and 8.86 at the six-month and twelve-month follow-up periods respectively in the intervention group compared during the baseline, higher than the MI increments of the control group at the two follow-up periods (-2.46 and 1.05 respectively). DQ score of infants in the intervention group increased 12.94 and 11.24 respectively in the two follow-up surveys, which were also higher than increments in the control group (-0.18 and 0.34). The group x time effect(interaction effect) of MI and DQ in six-month and twelve-month follow-ups were both significantly higher than that of the baseline level.
Conclusion: The community-based early education and service programs could effectively improve the infants' intelligence.