ABSTRACT
Objective:
to verify the association between infant development and biological and environmental risks.
Methods:
30 children between 0-30 months, living in a town in Minas Gerais, Brazil, attending a Health Center, were selected. The inclusion criteria were children who had a history of prematurity and/or, moderate to severe malnutrition and other risk factors. Their development was assessed through the Denver II test and the quality of stimulation in the home environment assessed by the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME).
Results:
60% of the environments were considered to be at risk for child development and 43.3% presented inadequate development. The main domain affected was the language. Higher maternal education and bi-parental families showed a relationship with proper child development. Neonatal complications and hospitalization in intensive care units were more common in children who failed the test. The parents’ low receptivity and the availability of materials at home were factors associated with the children’s worst development performance.
Conclusion:
the results show that the high-risk children in this study had a developmental delay, especially in the language area. These delays are associated with low maternal education, single-parent home, parents’ responsiveness and neonatal complications.
Keywords:
Child Development; Child Language; Infant, Premature; Malnutrition