Abstract
This descriptive-correlational study aimed to detect risks for child developmental problems in the first four years of age, to identify the protective resources in the familiar environment, and to verify the best predictive variables of the development at risk. The non-clinical sample was composed by 120 children registered in a Family Health Program. The assessment instruments for global development, expressive language and familiar environment were used. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the lower the father's educational level, the higher the risk for developmental problems. Both the history of low nutritional state at six months of age and the psychosocial risk in the family environment increased the chances of having expressive language problems. It is concluded that screening tests of risk for developmental problems and the analysis of the psychosocial factors in the familiar context should be considered as preventive intervention procedure in the Family Health Programs.
Highlights
The first three years of life have been prioritized because it is a development stage characterized by important acquisitions and by cerebral plasticity[1]
The sample was composed of 120 children from 6 to 44 months old, 58% male, including 27% of children who attended day care
These results are similar to the Brazilian study that used the Denver II Test and found 34% of suspicion of delay in the development of children without risk established at 12 months of corrected chronological age, who had been born at the hospital of Pelotas and lived in the urban area[2]
Summary
The first three years of life have been prioritized because it is a development stage characterized by important acquisitions and by cerebral plasticity[1]. A search for quality of life has been observed in Family Health Programs inserted in the community, seeking a good adaptation during the development process. In this sense, the risk focus has been used for the recognition and early follow-up of some groups that are more vulnerable to morbidities. The risks to development can be present in the children themselves (biological components, temperament and symptoms), in the family (parents’ history and family dynamics) or in the environment (socioeconomic level, social support, education and cultural context)(5)
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