Pregnancy planning does not interfere with child development in children aged from 11 to 23 months old

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the correlation between child development and pregnancy planning and other associated aspects. Method: a cross-sectional study conducted with 125 mother-child dyads, the children aged from 11 to 23 months old and attending daycare centers located in socially disadvantaged areas. Child development according to domains was assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire-BR and pregnancy planning was evaluated through the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy. The mothers were interviewed at their homes and non-parametric tests were used for data analysis. Results: 17.6% of the pregnancies were unplanned, 24.8% were planned and 57.6% were ambivalent. Inadequate development in the different domains ranged from 21% to 40% and was not associated with pregnancy planning. However, the “communication” domain was associated with Bolsa Família and the “personal/social” and “communication” domains, with gender; while “personal/social”, “broad motor coordination” and “fine motor coordination” were domains related to the child’s age. Conclusion: no correlation between pregnancy planning and child development was observed; however, the low frequency of planned pregnancies and the high percentages of inadequate child development show the need to invest in the training of health professionals, both for contraceptive care and preconception health and for the promotion of child development, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts.

Matching between maternal knowledge about infant development and care for children under one year old

“…Parental interventions already evaluated display fidelity to Primary Health Care, with positive impacts on mental, emotional and behavioral health outcomes for parental caregivers and children 5 , 32 . Interventions in this field point to the importance of parenting preparedness from pregnancy, as well as the promotion of infant development with investments in the training of health professionals 34 .…”

Correspondencia entre el conocimiento materno sobre el desarrollo infantil y el cuidado de los niños menores de un año

“…Las intervenciones parentales que han sido evaluadas se reflejan en la atención primaria de la salud, tiene impactos positivos en los resultados de salud mental, emocional y conductual para quienes realizan los cuidados parentales y para los niños (5,32) . Las intervenciones en este campo indican que es importante prepararse para la parentalidad desde el embarazo y promover el desarrollo infantil invirtiendo en la capacitación de profesionales de la salud (34) .…”

Escolhas maternas sobre os tipos de cuidado da criança no primeiro ano de vida

“…No campo da atenção primária à saúde, intervenções parentais foram avaliadas e apresentam impactos positivos para a saúde mental, emocional e comportamental de cuidadores parentais e crianças (WHO, 2020;JEONG et al, 2021). Nesse âmbito, são fundamentais os investimentos na capacitação dos profissionais de saúde na preparação da parentalidade desde a gestação e promoção do desenvolvimento infantil (SOLÍS-CORDERO et al, 2021).…”