Early childhood development in México before and after the Covid-19 pandemic: national results from 2018 to 2021

Children were exposed to the social, psychological and academic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this analysis was to assess the prevalence of delayed early childhood development (ECD) among children aged 36 to 59 months in Mexico, both before (2018) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2021). Observational study. ECD was assessed through the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) following the methodology of the Cluster Indicator Surveys (MICS), using data from the ENSANUT 2018–19 and 2021. Prevalences were estimated with population weights and Poisson regression models were applied to analyze association between ECD delay and covariates. A total of 19.34% of children aged 36 to 59 months had ECD delay in 2018 and 18.52% in 2021. The factors associated with ECD delay in 2018 were socioeconomic status, access to at least three children’s books, domestic violence, and severe functioning difficulties, and the associated factors in 2021 were sex, region, learning support, access to at least three children’s books, early education attendance, being an adolescent mother, severe functioning difficulties, and the child’s age. Factors associated with delayed ECD in Mexico changed after the pandemic: there was an increase in learning support within the family, and the impact of socioeconomic differences on ECD was reduced.