OBJECTIVE: To assess the opportunities present in the home environment for motor development of infants. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study on 239 infants aged three to 18 months who were living in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. The participants were selected by means of stratifi ed random sampling, in clustered multiple stages. To assess the quality and quantity of motor stimulus in the home environment, the "Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale" instrument was used. Bivariate analysis was performed, with application of the chi-square test followed by multinomial logistic regression, in order to investigate associations between the opportunities present in the home and biological, behavioral, demographic and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: The opportunities for environmental stimulation were relatively low. In the bivariate analysis, for the age group from three to nine months, associations with the following factors were found: birth order (p = 0.06), socioeconomic classifi cation (p = 0.08), monthly income (p = 0.06) and per capita income (p = 0.03). In the regression model, the socioeconomic classifi cation prevailed (OR = 7.46; p = 0.03). For the age group from 10 to 18 months, bivariate analysis showed that the following factors were associated: mother's marital status (p < 0.01), father living with the child (p = 0.08), head of the family (p = 0.04), number of people in the household (p = 0.05), mother's schooling level (p < 0.01), father's schooling level (p < 0.01), socioeconomic classifi cation (p < 0.01) and per capita income (p = 0.03). In the regression model, the mother's marital status (OR = 4.83; p = 0.02), mother's schooling level (OR = 0.29; p = 0.03) and father's schooling level (OR = 0.33; p = 0.04) remained associated with the opportunities for environmental stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Stable partnership between the parents, higher maternal and paternal schooling levels and higher economic level were the factors associated with better opportunities for motor stimulation in the home.
| Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) and stimulation provided in the home environment are influential factors in aspects of child well-being including motor development. Little is known regarding the influence of SES on specific aspects of the home environment. Objective: To evaluate the availability of affordances in the home to promote infant motor development and family SES. Method: The sample consisted of 300 families with infants aged 3 to 18 months. SES was assessed according to family socioeconomic class, income and parental level of education. To evaluate motor affordances found at home, the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) was used. The AHEMD-IS was designed to assess dimensions of the home environment including Physical Space (outside and inside space), Daily Activities and Play Materials (fine-motor and gross-motor toys). Results: SES indicators significantly influenced the availability of Physical Space and Play Materials. The Physical Space dimension was influenced by family economic class and income. The Play Materials dimension was influenced by all SES indicators. Daily Activities were not influenced by any of the SES indicators. Daily activities and play material were influenced by the infant's age. Conclusions: This study suggests that SES indicators are influential with regard to the provision of motor affordances in the home environment for infants. However, daily activities, which represent an aspect of the environment that is highly dependent on parental generation of situations that are conducive to motor skill development, are independent of family SES.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Insufficient iron levels for optimal fetal and infant development is a concern during pregnancy and infancy. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of iron supplementation in pregnancy and/or infancy on motor development at 9 months.
The home environment has been established as a crucial factor for motor development,
especially in infants. Exploring the home environment can have significant
implications for intervention, as it is common practice in physical therapy to have
professionals advise patients on home activities. Since 2010, our group has been
working on the development of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor
Development - Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS), a parental self-reporting instrument designed
to assess the quality and quantity of factors (affordances) in the home environment.
In Brazil, the instrument has been translated as "Affordances no Ambiente Domiciliar
para o Desenvolvimento Motor - Escala Bebê", and it has been extensively used in
several studies that address infant development. These studies in Brazil and other
parts of the world highly recommended the need for a normative sample and
standardized scoring system. A description of the study that addressed that need,
along with the English version of the questionnaire and score sheets, was recently
published in the well-known and respected journal Physical Therapy.
Our intent with the present short communication is to notify Brazilian investigators
and clinicians of this latest update so they can download the new instrument, as well
as present the Brazilian (Portuguese) version of the AHEMD-IS along with its scoring
system.
Iron supplementation in Chinese infants reduced ID at 9 mo without adverse effects on growth or illness. Effects of iron supplementation in pregnancy were observed only when higher amounts of iron were distributed in infancy. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00613717.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.