Using the HOME Inventory with Infants in Costa Rica

Abstract

This study determined the psychometric properties of the HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) Inventory in a Latin American sample. HOME data for 183 healthy Costa Rican infants were compared to the original HOME standardisation sample from Little Rock. The Costa Rican total HOME average of 29.8 ± 6.7 was similar to the scores of families in Little Rock (mean = 31.2 ± 7.3). Measures or internal consistency and factor structure were similar in US and Costa Rican samples. In contrast to these similarities, Costa Rican HOME scores showed no significant correlation with developmental test scores in infancy (Bayley MDI), and the correlation with Full Scale IQ (WPPSI) at five years was modest, albeit statistically significant (r = 0.28, P < 0.05). These relationships were similar to those of Mexican-American children in a recent collaborative study by Bradley et al., 1989 and not as strong as for US white and black populations. However, when the concept of outcome was broadened beyond IQ scores to include child health and development in general, the HOME seemed sensitive to important environmental differences in this Costa Rican group. Lower HOME scores related to a shorter duration of breastfeeding and differentiated children with iron deficiency anaemia in infancy, a condition associated with long-lasting developmental disadvantage. Thus, the HOME was helpful in identifying children at risk for delayed development in this Latin American sample.

Life at Home: Same Time, Different Places — An Examination of the HOME Inventory in Different Cultures

“…Neither did Grantham-McGregor et al (1992, unpublished) find differences in IT-HOME scores for 129 stunted and 32 non-stunted children. Similar to findings from US studies, Lozoff et al (1995) observed low correlations between the IT-HOME and MDI when children were 12-24 months old. However, after controlling for a variety of other variables, IT-HOME total made a significant contribution to the prediction of MDI scores for Costa Rican infants 12-23 months old (Lozoff et al, 1987).…”

Caring for children around the world: A view from HOME

“…Responsiveness scores for children in Paraguay, Argentina, and St Vincent's were lower than US norms (Blevins-Knabe & Austin, 2000;Centro de Estudios Sobre Nutricion Infantil, 1996;Durbrow, Jones, Bozoky, Jimerson, & Adams, 1996); but scores in Costa Rica and Chile were not much lower (Bulnes, Cajdler, Edwards, & Lira, 1979;Castillo-Durin et al, 2001;Lozoff et al, 2003;Lozoff, Park, Radan, & Wolf, 1995;Tippie, 2003). Performance on certain indicators of responsiveness appear particularly revealing regarding cultural differences.…”

“…One of the most common adjustments made to HOME in less affluent countries was to reduce the number of books and learning materials required to obtain credit for certain items (Aina et al, 1993;Drotar et al, 1999;Grantham-McGregor et al, 1995;Holding, 2003;Lozoff et al, 1995;Richter & Grieve, 1991;Zeitlin et al, 1995). Aina and colleagues (1993) changed cut-points for some HOME items (requiring 2 rather than 10 books) and included a focus on nonmanufactured objects (Note: the same decision about changing cut-points for books was made for the UNICEF child indicators project).…”

Factores de riesgo para el desarrollo psicomotor en lactantes nacidos en óptimas condiciones biológicas

“…El HOME es una escala construida para detectar indicadores de la cantidad y calidad del apoyo social, emocional y cognitivo disponible para el niño en su hogar. Ha sido ampliamente utilizado y ha resultado ser sensible a la detección de características familiares al ser aplicada en poblaciones latinoamericanas 10,11,22 . Esta medición fue realizada durante una visita sorpresa al hogar cuando el niño tenía 10 meses de edad.…”