de Moura DR, Costa JC, Santos IS, Barros AJD, Matijasevich A, Halpern R, Dumith S, Karam S, Barros FC. Risk factors for suspected developmental delay at age 2 years in a Brazilian birth cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010; 24: 211–221.Many children are at risk of not achieving their full potential for development. Epidemiological studies have the advantage of being able to identify a number of associated factors potentially amenable to intervention. Our purpose was to identify risk factors for suspected developmental delay (SDD) at age 2 years among all children born in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, in 2004. This study was part of the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort. The Battelle Screening Developmental Inventory (BSDI) was administered to cohort children at age 2 years. A hierarchical model of determination for SDD with confounder adjustment was built including maternal sociodemographic, reproductive and gestational characteristics, as well as child and environmental characteristics. Multivariable analysis was carried out using Poisson regression. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] were calculated.In the results, 3.3% of the 3869 children studied screened positive for SDD. After confounder control, children more likely to show SDD were: those with positive BSDI at age 12 months (PR = 5.51 [3.59, 8.47]); with 5-min Apgar <7 (PR = 3.52 [1.70, 7.27]); with mothers who had <4 years of schooling (PR = 3.35 [1.98, 5.66]); from social classes D and E (PR = 3.00 [1.45, 6.19]); with a history of gestational diabetes (PR = 2.77 [1.34, 5.75]); born <24 months after the last sibling (PR = 2.46 [1.42, 4.27]); were not told child stories in the preceding week (PR 2.28 [1.43, 3.63]); did not have children's literature at home (PR = 2.08 [1.27, 3.39]); with low birthweight (PR = 1.75 [1.00, 3.07]); were born preterm (PR = 1.74 [1.07, 2.81]); with <6 antenatal care appointments (PR = 1.70 [1.07, 2.68]); with history of hospitalisation (PR = 1.65 [1.09, 2.50]); and of male sex (PR = 1.43 [1.00, 2.04]). These risk factors may constitute potential targets for intervention by public policies and may provide help to paediatricians in preventing developmental delay.

Intellectual disability affects approximately 1–3% of the population and can be caused by genetic and environmental factors. Although many studies have investigated the etiology of intellectual disability in different populations, few studies have been performed in middle‐income countries. The present study estimated the prevalence of genetic causes related to intellectual disability in a cohort of children from a city in south Brazil who were followed from birth. Children who showed poor performance in development and intelligence tests at the ages of 2 and 4 were included. Out of 4,231 liveborns enrolled in the cohort, 214 children fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A diagnosis was established in approximately 90% of the children evaluated. Genetic causes were determined in 31 of the children and 19 cases remained unexplained even after extensive investigation. The overall prevalence of intellectual disability in this cohort due to genetic causes was 0.82%. Because this study was nested in a cohort, there were a large number of variables related to early childhood and the likelihood of information bias was minimized by collecting information with a short recall time. This study was not influenced by selection bias, allowing identification of intellectual disability and estimation of the prevalence of genetic causes in this population, thereby increasing the possibility of providing appropriate management and/or genetic counseling. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

RESUMO: Introdução: No estado do Rio Grande do Sul, a incidência de anomalias congênitas varia de 10 a 15/1.000 recém-nascidos vivos. Reconhecer os fatores de risco pode modificar a frequência das anomalias congênitas e a mortalidade neonatal. Este artigo teve o objetivo de analisar a variação temporal de anomalias congênitas no Rio Grande do Sul, de 2005 a 2014, e identificar os fatores associados à sua ocorrência. Método: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo de série temporal, baseado em dados secundários, sobre anomalias congênitas e as variáveis sociodemográficas e de saúde das mães e dos recém-nascidos residentes no Rio Grande do Sul, no período de 2005 a 2014. Resultados: No período investigado, ocorreram 1.386.803 nascimentos oriundos de mães residentes no Rio Grande do Sul, e os casos diagnosticados com anomalias congênitas corresponderam a uma taxa média geral de 9,2 por mil casos, com maior taxa no grupo de mães de recém-nascidos cujo índice de Apgar foi menor que 7; com peso igual ou menor que 1.500 g; com idade gestacional igual ou menor que 31 semanas e residentes na região metropolitana. As anomalias congênitas mais frequentes foram as do sistema osteomuscular, sistema nervoso e aparelho circulatório. Conclusão: Esses dados alertam sobre a mudança no perfil epidemiológico das mães de crianças com anomalias congênitas, mostrando os grupos de maior risco.

Easy access to children's literature and telling stories to children are inexpensive measures that may have an impact on the child's development between 12 and 24 months of life.