Identificação dos fatores associados ao atraso do desenvolvimento motor em crianças de um a quatro anos de idade com asma

Abstract

Objective: To identify factors associated with delay in motor development, among children with asthma, from 1 to 4 years of age. Methods: Participated in this study 99 children with asthma who attended an assistential program named Criança que Chia, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The mobility scale of the standardized Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory test was used to evaluate childrens motor skills. A custom-made questionnaire was used to inform about factors related to childrens health condition. Families socioeconomic status was documented using the criteria proposed by the Associação Brasileira de Institutos de Pesquisa de Mercado. Childrens home stimulation was evaluated by the standardized test Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment. Each child was evaluated in his/her home, through parental interview. Results: Logistic regression model identified the variables childs age and mothers years of education as significantly (p<0,05) associated with childrens mobility delay. The results showed that the chance for mobility delay among children with asthma increased 15% with each month of childs age. Also, their chance of delay in mobility decreased in 98,5% when the mother had completed high school/incomplete undergraduate degree, compared to mothers who did not complete elementary/middle school. Conclusion: Our results suggest that delay in mobility among children with asthma from 1 to 4 years of age is a complex phenomenon related to socioeconomic and environmental factors. Intervention strategies targeted to this clinical group should go beyond the care for the disease and its symptoms and include evaluation of childrens motor skills.