The effect of poverty on developmental screening scores among infants

Abstract

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Child development is negatively influenced by multiple risk factors associated with poverty, thus indicating the importance of identifying the most vulnerable groups within populations that are apparently homogeneous regarding their state of socioeconomic deprivation. This study aimed to identify different levels of poverty in a population of low socioeconomic condition and to ascertain their influence on infants' neuropsychomotor development. DESIGN AND SETTING:Cross-sectional study conducted at four Family Health Units in the Health District IV in the city of Recife, Brazil. METHODS:The sample comprised 136 infants aged 9 to 12 months, which represented 86% of all the infants in this age group, registered at the units studied. Socioeconomic status was assessed through a specific index and child development through the Bayley III screening test.RESULTS: Around 20% of the families were in the lowest quartile of the socioeconomic level index and these presented the highest frequency of infants with suspected delay in receptive communication. Maternal and paternal unemployment negatively influenced receptive communication and cognition, respectively. Not possessing a cell phone (a reflection of low socioeconomic status) was associated with worse cognitive performance and gross motricity. Male infants showed a higher frequency of suspected delay in receptive communication. CONCLUSIONS:Infants of more precarious socioeconomic status more frequently present suspected developmental delay. Development monitoring and intervention programs should be encouraged for this subgroup, thereby providing these children with a better chance of becoming productive citizens in the future.RESUMO CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: O desenvolvimento infantil é influenciado negativamente por múltiplos fatores de risco associados à pobreza, tornando relevante a identificação de grupos mais vulneráveis numa população aparentemente homogênea quanto à sua condição de privação socioeconômica.O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar diferentes níveis de pobreza em uma população de baixa condição socioeconômica e verificar sua influência no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor de lactentes. DESENHO E LOCAL DO ESTUDO:Estudo transversal realizado em quatro Unidades de Saúde da Família do Distrito Sanitário IV da cidade do Recife, Brasil.MÉTODOS: Amostra constou de 136 crianças entre 9 e 12 meses de vida, representando 86% dos lactentes cadastrados nesta faixa etária nas unidades estudadas. A condição socioeconômica foi avaliada segundo um índice de medição específico e o desenvolvimento através do teste de triagem da Bayley III. RESULTADOS: Cerca de 20% das famílias encontravam-se no quartil inferior do índice do nível socioeconômico, e apresentaram frequência mais elevada de crianças com suspeita de atraso na comunicação receptiva. O desemprego materno e paterno influenciou negativamente a comunicação receptiva e cognição, respectivamente. Não possuir telefone celular, refletindo o baixo nível socioeconômico, esteve associado a um p...

Desempenho funcional de crianças com paralisia cerebral de níveis socioeconômicos alto e baixo

“…With the increase in family income, parents become more able to pay attention and invest in their children, following the guidance of health and education professionals (29) . On the other hand, people with unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, expressed through maternal/paternal unemployment and unavailability of consumer goods, have children with delayed development (30) . One must consider the different contexts to which these children are exposed to standardize the assessment of functionality, taking into account environmental factors, because the SES is the most important environmental reason that may contribute to the rehabilitation process (21) .…”

“…One must consider the different contexts to which these children are exposed to standardize the assessment of functionality, taking into account environmental factors, because the SES is the most important environmental reason that may contribute to the rehabilitation process (21) . Because of the multifactorial and dynamic nature of child development and poverty, the attempt to compare data from study results that explain the association between these two elements is complex (30) , and the methodology used to evaluate both the SES and child development is not uniform among the various studies (1,5,6,8,(30)(31)(32) .…”

O contexto ambiental e o desenvolvimento na primeira infância: estudos brasileiros

“…Other studies 8,21,[23][24][25][26][27][28]29 investigated the relationship between the risk factors existing in the home environment and child development. These studies, in most cases, found a relationship between the children's poor performance in tests and the following risk factors: low maternal schooling 8,[25][26][27][28] ; the mother having done less than six antenatal consultations [25][26]29 ; unemployed parent 27 ; belonging to the lower strata of the economic classification 8,[25][26][27][28][29] ; having a mother who does not work outside the home 8 ; father's low schooling 24 ; having many siblings 28 ; less support from parents in caring for the child 28 and lower psychosocial stimulation in the home environment [25][26] .…”

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

“…Another aspect highlighted in the current literature on poverty measurement is that many researches consider poor people to be grouped in a broad socioeconomic category, not taking into account the different levels of poverty and the potential concentration of risk factors associated with each of them (6,8,18). In addition, it is assumed that urban poverty in particular affects the ecology of the development of the child, including its extrafamilial dimension (kindergartens, schools, neighborhood), and therefore its measurement has been a concern for researchers from different areas (7,19,20).…”

“…Therefore, to measure it and verify its various levels of manifestation can help comprehend the degree of effect that this phenomenon has on childhood development in a particular city or district. The importance should be highlighted of evaluating NPMD and verifying how much it is associated with descriptive variables of the poverty level of a given population, in a speci ic context (8,18).…”