Selected Risk Factors of Developmental Delay in Polish Infants: A Case-Control Study

Marzena Drozd-Dąbrowska, Renata Trusewicz and Maria Ganczak
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Marzena Drozd-Dąbrowska: Department of Epidemiology and Management, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
Renata Trusewicz: Rehabilitation and Therapy Consulting Room “Corecta”, 71-410 Szczecin, Poland
Maria Ganczak: Department of Epidemiology and Management, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-10

Abstract: Despite a number of studies on the risk factors of developmental delay (DD) in children conducted in developed countries, Polish data are scarce, which hinder an early diagnosis and initiation of prevention/control measures. Objective: To assess selected risk factors of DD in infants. A case-control survey was conducted in 2017–2018 on 50 infants (≤1 year old) with DD and 104 healthy controls from three outpatient clinics in Szczecin, Poland. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire distributed among mothers. The most common risk factors in infants with DD were: Caesarian section (68%), infections (46%), and chronic diseases during pregnancy (48%). DD was significantly correlated with maternal infections and chronic diseases during pregnancy (both: p < 0.001), caesarian section ( p < 0.001), preterm birth ( p = 0.004), birth weight <2500 g ( p = 0.03), Apgar score ≤7 ( p < 0.01), prolonged hyperbilirubinemia ( p < 0.001), and no breast-feeding ( p = 0.04). This study reinforces multiple etiologies of DD. Preventive strategies regarding DD in Polish infants should focus on the pre/peri/postnatal risk factors identified in this study. Strategies that prevent and control such risk factors and those on early detection and intervention in high-risk infants are highly recommended.

Keywords: motor development delay; risk factors; infant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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