Timing of Neurological Development in Rural Guatemalan Children

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional study of the anthropometric measurements and neurological evaluation of 559 children under 36 months of age (286 boys and 273 girls) from a rural area of Guatemala. Height and weight were compared with values from well-nourished Central American children which do not differ from North American standards. Head circumference was compared to standards from 14 different studies compiled from the world literature. The analysis of the data showed that the study population was far behind these standards in its physical growth characteristics. Results are presented for the timing of neuromotor skill development by calculation of the 16th, 50th and 84th percentiles for individual neurological functions by the probit method. Comparable data from other populations using the probit method of analysis are generally not available. One exception is the age of walking, which appeared to be delayed approximately four months in the rural Guatemalan children when compared to previous studies analyzed in this manner. These results should not be taken as patterns or norms but rather as a baseline for future studies.