Clustering of developmental delays in Bavarian preschool children - a repeated cross-sectional survey over a period of 12 years

[Effects of High Birth Weight on the Development of Preschoolers]

BACKGROUND

A high birth weight above 4,000 g may lead to risks in the development of affected children. The association is less studied than the effects of very low birth weight and is the subject of this study.

METHODS

The retrospective study design used data from school entry surveys in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) collected in 2014-2017 and included 88,858 children aged 5-6 years. End points examined were language, motor skills, cognition, and behavior; use of support measures; and recommendation for special educational needs. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between birth weight and the outcome measures, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

After accounting for sociodemographic factors, high birth weight is not associated with impaired child development, whereas low birth weight emerges as a significant predictor. Across all birth weights, sociodemographic factors explain most of the variance in multivariate models of the influence of birth weight on child development.

CONCLUSIONS

Very high birth weight does not justify a general recommendation for support measures. Therefore, individual developmental trajectories should be monitored. Growing up in disadvantaged circumstances may represent a significant risk and should be a reason for early intervention.

Influence of kindergarten on numbers of multiple developmental delays in preschoolers: an analysis over 14 years

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to calculate the impact that the duration of attendance and the location of the kindergarten (rural versus urban) has on the prevalence of multiple delays in preschool children.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 14,068 preschool children, over a period of 14 consecutive years (1997-2010) from the Bavarian Pre-School Morbidity Survey using software package SPSS 21.0. We assessed the incidence of multiple developmental impairments (twofold or above) in various developmental domains.

RESULTS

The highest prevalence for multiple delays in development existed for twofold impairments in the area of motor (7.9 %) and lowest in fivefold delays in cognition (0.4 %). A shorter duration of visiting a kindergarten (OR: 4.43) and an urban location (OR: 2.53) was associated with an increased risk of multiple delays in development.

CONCLUSIONS

A shorter duration and an urban location of kindergarten attendance are associated with an increased risk for children having multiple developmental impairments. From a public health perspective, the setting and duration of kindergarten attendance may be an important focus in preventive efforts to optimize health outcomes in children.

Time trends and determinants of multiple development delays in Bavarian preschool children: a retrospective analysis from 1997 to 2010

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to identify the time trends of multiple developmental delays and to determine the strength of selected factors influencing preschool child's development.

METHODS

We reviewed the records of 13,876 preschoolers in a district of Lower Bavaria to determine prevalence and time trends of combined developmental delays from 1997 to 2010. The effect of age, sex and nationality on development was estimated by using regression models.

RESULTS

The largest increase was in the area of psychosocial development (1997:3.8 % versus 2010:13.8 %), followed by twofold combined delays in motor (2.6 versus 14.4 % in 2009) and twofold delays (1.3 versus 6.2 %) in cognition. Youngest children (4.26-5.49 years) had the highest risk for twofold delays in motor (4.78; 95 % CI 3.30-6.92), whereas strongest protection was observed for girls (0.28; 95 % CI 0.22-0.36) for threefold delays in motor and for a German nationality (0.30; 95 % CI 0.20-0.43) for fourfold delays in cognition.

CONCLUSIONS

According to this study, multiple disabilities in development were increasing in preschool children. These children can be considered as a risk group who therefore require measures in Public Health.