1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Spanning over 5 years, this report examines the prospective influence of kindergarten entry skills on a broad range of child well-being indicators, defined as health behaviors and academic and psychosocial development in fourth grade.» (p. 26)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
Les auteures ont utilisé un sous-échantillon de 614 filles et 541 garçons, issu des données de l’Étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec (ELDEQ).

Instruments :
Questionnaire (Social Behavior Questionnaire)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«National policy agendas all over North America aim to improve children’s opportunities, as a societal goal, for uniting the interconnected epidemiology of health and educational outcomes (Schor, 2007; Schor et al., 2007; Zuckerman & Halfon, 2003). In light of long-term socioeconomic implications, school readiness research has traditionally restricted itself to predicting later achievement. This study [...] concludes that link between specific cognitive skills and subsequent health behavior originates early in childhood.» (p. 28) Face à ce constat, les auteures concluent que «[p]reventive medicine represents a less costly health care strategy for individuals and communities, large and small. As such, prevention and intervention strategies might benefit from supporting national strategies that speak to children’s preparedness for school entry, even if these might seem tangential to medical professionals. Generalists, pediatricians, and nurses have regular contact with parents of young children. At the very least, routine health visits with such professionals provide many teachable moments about how healthy lifestyle habits are learned early and should be part of conversations at mealtime and during choice making about eating and energy consumption.» (p. 31)