Environmental resources, types of toys, and family practices that enhance child cognitive development

PURPOSE

To identify the factors associated with the cognitive development of children from 24 to 42 months of age, as well as to characterize the availability of toys and resources present in the family environment, and the parental practices that signal family stability.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analytical study conducted with children regularly enrolled in public and private educational institutions of a medium-sized city. Cognitive development was assessed by means of the Bayley test and the quality of the environment was evaluated using the Adapted Family Environment Resource Inventory (FERI). The children were allocated into two groups based on the cognitive test result and compared regarding activities performed at home; reports of outings and trips in the last year; presence of regular scheduled activities; activities developed with parents; toys the child has or has had; presence of newspapers, magazines, and books at home; the person responsible for monitoring the child during day-care; and routines of the child and family.

RESULTS

Of the 104 children evaluated, 72% were enrolled in the public education network and 69% belonged to economic classes C and D. Regarding cognitive development, 55% had above-average development. In the bivariate analysis, it was observed that greater availability of toys and materials for the child and higher economic levels were related to better scores on the cognitive development test. These remained as predictors of cognitive development in binary logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

Greater availability of resources in the family environment and economic levels were positively associated with cognitive development in children.

A PRÁTICA DO ENFERMEIRO NA CONSULTA DE PUERICULTURA NA ESTRATÉGIA SAÚDE DA FAMÍLIA

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar as ações de cuidado realizadas pelo enfermeiro durante as consultas de puericultura. Método: estudo observacional, quantitativo, realizado com 31 enfermeiros que realizavam consulta de puericultura na Estratégia Saúde da Família de um município da Paraíba (Brasil). Foram observadas três consultas aleatórias por cada enfermeiro participante, totalizando 93 consultas entre março e julho de 2016, por meio de um checklist previamente estruturado, baseado nas diretrizes das políticas nacionais de atenção à saúde da criança, contendo as ações de cuidados que deveriam ser implementadas pelos enfermeiros. A análise foi feita por meio de estatística descritiva, teste qui-quadrado, com nível de significância de 5% e análise de agrupamento. Resultados: as dimensões do cuidado realizadas em maior proporção foram a avaliação da imunização e as suplementações de ferro e vitamina A; a anamnese, o acolhimento, o exame físico/desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor e a educação em saúde foram as menos efetivadas pelos enfermeiros. Conclusão: o cuidado dos enfermeiros na consulta de puericultura está aquém do estabelecido pelas diretrizes de atenção à saúde da criança. Ações de educação permanente para qualificar os enfermeiros para o cuidado integral à criança podem superar essas lacunas.

Affordances in the home environment for motor development: Validity and reliability for the use in daycare setting

The range of stimuli provided by physical space, toys and care practices contributes to the motor, cognitive and social development of children. However, assessing the quality of child education environments is a challenge, and can be considered a health promotion initiative. This study investigated the validity of the criterion, content, construct and reliability of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS), version 3-18 months, for the use in daycare settings. Content validation was conducted with the participation of seven motor development and health care experts; and, face validity by 20 specialists in health and education. The results indicate the suitability of the adapted AHEMD-IS, evidencing its validity for the daycare setting a potential tool to assess the opportunities that the collective context offers to child development.