Opportunities in the home environment for motor development

OBJECTIVE: To assess the opportunities present in the home environment for motor development of infants. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study on 239 infants aged three to 18 months who were living in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. The participants were selected by means of stratified random sampling, in clustered multiple stages. To assess the quality and quantity of motor stimulus in the home environment, the "Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale" instrument was used. Bivariate analysis was performed, with application of the chi-square test followed by multinomial logistic regression, in order to investigate associations between the opportunities present in the home and biological, behavioral, demographic and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: The opportunities for environmental stimulation were relatively low. In the bivariate analysis, for the age group from three to nine months, associations with the following factors were found: birth order (p = 0.06), socioeconomic classification (p = 0.08), monthly income (p = 0.06) and per capita income (p = 0.03). In the regression model, the socioeconomic classifi cation prevailed (OR = 7.46; p = 0.03). For the age group from 10 to 18 months, bivariate analysis showed that the following factors were associated: mother's marital status (p < 0.01), father living with the child (p = 0.08), head of the family (p = 0.04), number of people in the household (p = 0.05), mother's schooling level (p < 0.01), father's schooling level (p < 0.01), socioeconomic classifi cation (p < 0.01) and per capita income (p = 0.03). In the regression model, the mother's marital status (OR = 4.83; p = 0.02), mother's schooling level (OR = 0.29; p = 0.03) and father's schooling level (OR = 0.33; p = 0.04) remained associated with the opportunities for environmental stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Stable partnership between the parents, higher maternal and paternal schooling levels and higher economic level were the factors associated with better opportunities for motor stimulation in the home.