Relationship between Perinatal Period Problems and Developmental Delay in Children Aged 4-24 Months

Normal development is one of the reliable criteria for the assessment of children's health status. Perinatal events affect the future development of children. Nevertheless, there are different views on the impact of events in the perinatal period on child development. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between perinatal period and developmental delay in 4-24-month-old children. Three hundred and thirty children aged 4-24 months who were referred to Imam Reza Clinical Development Center and Shiraz Health Centers were enrolled. Information about perinatal events was collected by a researcher-made questionnaire containing demographic and reproductive information related to pregnancy, delivery and neonatal period. The developmental status of children was evaluated by age and stage questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and logistic regression by SPSS version 14. Sex (P = 0.025), maternal medical problems (P = 0.011), fetal distress (P = 0.022), history of hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (P < 0.001), severe neonatal jaundice (P = 0.005) and small for gestational age (P= 0.012) after controlling the confounding of other factors had a significant effect on developmental delay. The results of this study showed that being male, having maternal medical problems, fetal distress, the history of hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit, severe neonatal jaundice and small for gestational age can predict developmental delay. Special attention to screening of children who are at risk of developmental delay due to perinatal conditions can be effective in early diagnosis of developmental delay.