Prevalence and determinants of developmental delay among children below two years of age visiting an immunization clinic of a tertiary care centre in South India

Authors

  • Gayathri S. Venugopal Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Geethika M. S. Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • George T. K. Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Gokul Jayan Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Gokul J. Binu Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Tony Lawrence Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20242736

Keywords:

Screening, Developmental delay, TDSC, Risk factors

Abstract

Background: Developmental delay in children is a worldwide public health problem. It can lead to significant motor and neurocognitive issues along with social constraints. Early detection and intervention are essential to optimize developmental outcomes for children with delays. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and determinants of developmental delay in children aged from two months to two years visiting the immunization clinic of Sree Avittam Thirunal hospital, Kerala, India, using the Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart (TDSC).

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 children aged two months to two years visiting the immunization clinic. Socio-demographic, maternal obstetric, antenatal and neonatal data were collected from mothers/guardians using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. TDSC was used for screening. Results were analyzed using SPSS v.27 and R studio v.2023.09.1+494 software.

Results: Out of 300 children studied, 30(10%) were identified with developmental delay amongst which 43.3% had multiple item delay. On univariate analysis factors such as parents’ age and education, father’s occupation, antenatal history of decreased fetal movements, gestational age, history of feeding difficulty soon after birth, neonatal infections and birth weight were found to be significant. Multivariable analysis showed maternal education, gestational age at birth and neonatal infections to have a significant association with developmental delay.

Conclusions: The observed prevalence of developmental delay was 10% (95% CI 6.8-14). The significant risk factors identified like maternal education, gestational age and neonatal infections offer insights for intervention. The study highlights the importance of integrating developmental screening into immunization clinics for early detection and intervention.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Beltre G, Mendez MD. Child Development. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.

Bhattacharya T, Ray S, Das DK. Developmental delay among children below two years of age: a cross-sectional study in a community development block of Burdwan district, West Bengal. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health. 2017;4(5):1762-7.

Nair MKC, George B, Padmamohan J, Sunitha RM, Resmi VR, Prasanna GL, et al. Developmental delay and disability among under--5 children in a rural ICDS block. Indian Pediatr. 2009;46(1):s75-8.

Nair MKC, Radhakrishnan SR. Early childhood development in deprived urban settlements. Indian Pediatr. 2004;41(3):227-37.

Gupta S, Shrivastava P, Samsuzzaman M, Banerjee N, Das DK. Developmental delay among children under two years of age in slums of Burdwan Municipality: A cross-sectional study. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021;10(5):1945-9.

Rydz D, Srour M, Oskoui M, Marget N, Shiller M, Birnbaum R, et al. Screening for Developmental Delay in the Setting of a Community Pediatric Clinic: A Prospective Assessment of Parent-Report Questionnaires. Pediatrics. 2006;118(4):e1178-86.

Nair MK, George B, Philip E, Lekshmi MA, Haran JC, Sathy N. Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart. Indian Pediatr. 1991;28(8):869-72.

Nair MKC, Princly P, Leena ML, Swapna S, Kumari IL, Preethi R, et al. CDC Kerala 17: Early detection of developmental delay/disability among children below 3 y in Kerala--a cross sectional survey. Indian J Pediatr. 2014;81(2):S156-60.

Chauhan VH, Vilhekar KY, Kurundwadkar M. Development and Validation of Trivandrum Development Screening Chart For Children Aged 0-3 Years by TDSC (0-3). J Pediatr Assoc India. 2016;5(3):137.

Olusanya BO, Kancherla V, Shaheen A, Ogbo FA, Davis AC. Global and regional prevalence of disabilities among children and adolescents: Analysis of findings from global health databases. Front Public Health. 2022;10:977453.

Vora H, Shah P, Mansuri S. A study on Developmental delay among children less than 2 year attending Well Baby Clinic-Prevalence and antecedents factors. Int J Med Sci Public Health. 2013;2(4):1084.

Metwally AM, Abdallah AM, Salah El‑Din EM, Khadr Z, Abdel Raouf ER, Elghareeb NA, et al. A national prevalence and profile of single and multiple developmental delays among children aged from 1 year up to 12 years: an Egyptian community-based study. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2022;16(1):63.

Nair MKC, Harikumaran Nair GS, Beena M, Princly P, Abhiram Chandran S, George B, et al. CDC Kerala 16: Early Detection of Developmental Delay/Disability Among Children Below 6 y-A District Model. Indian J Pediatr. 2014;81(2):151-5.

Huang J, Zhu T, Qu Y, Mu D. Prenatal, Perinatal and Neonatal Risk Factors for Intellectual Disability: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2016;11(4):e0153655.

Cabanas Vela H, Fraire Martinez MI, Belmont Guzman I. 64. Characteristics of visual evoked potentials in infants who had severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2016;127(9):e317.

Eismann EA, Theuerling J, Cassedy A, Curry PA, Colliers T, Makoroff KL. Early developmental, behavioral, and quality of life outcomes following abusive head trauma in infants. Child Abuse Negl. 2020;108:104643.

Bishwokarma A, Shrestha D, Bhujel K, Chand N, Adhikari L, Kaphle M, et al. Developmental delay and its associated factors among children under five years. PLoS One. 2022;17(2):e0263105.

Westgard C, Alnasser Y. Developmental delay in the Amazon: The social determinants and prevalence among rural communities in Peru. PLoS One. 2017;12(10):e0186263.

Ozkan M, Senel S, Arslan EA, Karacan CD. The socioeconomic and biological risk factors for developmental delay in early childhood. Eur J Pediatr. 2012;171(12):1815-21.

Kerstjens JM, de Winter AF, Bocca-Tjeertes IF, ten Vergert EMJ, Reijneveld SA, Bos AF. Developmental delay in moderately preterm-born children at school entry. J Pediatr. 2011;159(1):92-8.

Vogel JP, Chawanpaiboon S, Moller AB, Watananirun K, Bonet M, Lumbiganon P. The global epidemiology of preterm birth. Best Pract Res Clin Obstetr Gynaecol. 2018;52:3-12.

Mitha A, Foix-L’Hélias L, Arnaud C, Marret S, Vieux R, Aujard Y, et al. Neonatal infection and 5-year neurodevelopmental outcome of very preterm infants. Pediatrics. 2013;132(2):e372-80.

Quinn PJ, O’Callaghan M, Williams GM, Najman JM, Andersen MJ, Bor W. The effect of breastfeeding on child development at 5 years: a cohort study. J Paediatr Child Health. 2001;37(5):465-9.

Goldman AS, Hopkinson JM, Rassin DK. Benefits and risks of breastfeeding. Adv Pediatr. 2007;54:275-304.

Sacker A, Quigley MA, Kelly YJ. Breastfeeding and developmental delay: findings from the millennium cohort study. Pediatrics. 2006;118(3):e682-9.

Polidano C, Zhu A, Bornstein JC. The relation between cesarean birth and child cognitive development. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):11483.

Drozd-Dąbrowska M, Trusewicz R, Ganczak M. Selected Risk Factors of Developmental Delay in Polish Infants: A Case-Control Study. Int J Environment Res Publ Heal. 2018;15(12):2715.

Conger RD, Donnellan MB. An interactionist perspective on the socioeconomic context of human development. Annu Rev Psychol. 2007;58:175-99.

Downloads

Published

2024-09-24

How to Cite

Venugopal, G. S., M. S., G., T. K., G., Jayan, G., Binu, G. J., & Lawrence, T. (2024). Prevalence and determinants of developmental delay among children below two years of age visiting an immunization clinic of a tertiary care centre in South India. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 11(10), 1406–1413. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20242736

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles