Motor development of infants (6-12 months) with low birth weight.

Vanessa Cristina Waetge Pires De Godoy ,Maria Wany Louzada Strufaldi,Fabíola Isabel Suano De Souza ,Cíntia Johnston

doi:10.1590/1806-9282.20200966

Vanessa Cristina Waetge Pires De Godoy , Maria Wany Louzada Strufaldi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.20200966

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the motor development (MD) and growth of infants born with low birth weight (LBW) versus adequate birth weight (ABW) by using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). The cross-sectional study including LBW infants (aged 6-12 months) followed at an outpatient clinic from a University Hospital in Brazil and a group of infants of the same age with ABW. The variables were recorded as maternal, birth, and infant conditions. The infants were assessed for MD using the AIMS. In total, 98 infants (38 LBW versus 60 ABW) were evaluated and no statistically significant differences were found in demographic characteristics and in the AIMS results. The AIMS results of the total sample were suspicious or abnormal MD in 44 (45%) of total infants. Higher frequency of suspected or abnormal motor behavior was found in the age group between 9 and 12 (54.6%) months. A frequency of 45% of suspected or abnormal behavior was observed in the evaluated infants, with a higher frequency of occurrence in those aged 9-12 months (54.6%).

Highlights

Low birth weight (LBW) is defined by the World Health Organization as birth weight of
69 eligible infants were attended at the LBW outpatient clinic, and 17 infants were excluded due to congenital malformations and 14 due to loss of follow-up, resulting in the inclusion of 38 infants with LBW, and 60 with adequate birth weight (ABW)
The LBW group had a higher frequency of small for GA (SGA) infants (42% versus 10%; p