Developmental status at age 12 months according to birth weight and family income: a comparison of two Brazilian birth cohorts

Abstract

Two cohorts of children born in the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil, in 1993 and 2004, were compared in terms of neuro-psychomotor development at the age of 12 months. Children were evaluated using the Denver II screening test. Analyses were performed using the Poisson regression technique. The prevalence of suspected developmental delay fell from 37,1% in 1993 to 21.4% in 2004 and was inversely proportional to family income and birth weight. Among children born weighing under 2,000 g, there was a fourfold reduction in the prevalence of developmental delay between 1993 and 2004. With regard to family income, the poorest group showed the greatest reduction between the two cohorts - a 30% reduction in risk. Our results confirm the influence of income and birth weight on child development. The decrease in the prevalence of developmental delay in the last decade reflects, among other factors, improvements in neonatal care, increased coverage of developmental monitoring in the first year of life, and longer breastfeeding duration. Despite this reduction, the prevalence of developmental delay is still high, reinforcing the need for early diagnosis and intervention.

Association between family poverty and the neuropsychomotor development of children in the administrative districts of Belém

“…The results of this study are consistent with previous research using the Denver II (9,11,12,29,30,31). These studies show an association between predictors of poverty or socioeconomic status of the family and the acquisition of neurodevelopmental milestones, especially language.…”

“…With regard to the scores obtained through the Denver II by AD, it was found that the district that presented the highest percentage of suspected delay was the DABEL district and the lower percentage was the DABEN district, contrary to that indicated in the literature (8,9,31,33). The DABEL district, located in the central region of Belém, encompasses neighborhoods with better infrastructure, with the highest construction standards and greater availability of services, commerce and public facilities and presents a higher index of general well-being (17).…”

“…There is evidence that poor children are more exposed to biological and genetic risk factors, such as nutritional disorders (2,8), infant mortality, prematurity and low birth weight (9), neurological, psycho-emotional and behavioral changes (10), family factors, such as an unsafe and non-stimulating environment, dysfunctional family, low socioeconomic status (9,11,12), poor access to health and education, and community factors that in luence both the environment of the child and that of his/her family (5,7). A possible explanation for this is that the poorer the child is, the fewer opportunities there are to satisfy the basic childhood necessities.…”

Association between breastfeeding, obstetric factors and child development in Northeast Brazil

“…Relative to income, there was no relationship with ND, which contradicts other studies that negatively associated low income with the children's ND [15][16][17] .…”

“…Although studies have demonstrated the existence of a link between prematurity and delayed development of the child 14,15 . From the data on GA, it was observed that most children were born at term (81.82%), the data associated with the high number of mothers who received PN (98.99%), shows that the absence of prenatal care may be linked to prematurity 16,17 .…”