Child development in poor areas of Peru/Desarrollo infantil en zonas pobres de Peru/Desenvolvimento infantil em areas pobres do Peru

• Published in: Revista panamericana de salud pública 2017-06, Vol.41 (3)
• Main Authors: Vargas-Machuca, Rocio, Diaz, Adrian Alberto, Gallestey, Jorge Bacallao, Velarde, Roxana Aguilar
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1020-4989

Objectives. The objective of the study was to demonstrate the influence of several socioeconomic factors on the motor and language development of children under 5 from the baseline study conducted within the framework of the Joint Program for Children, Food Security, and Nutrition, implemented by five United Nations agencies across 65 districts in the departments of Loreto, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, and Apurimac, Peru. Methods. Dichotomous logistic regression models were used to estimate the likelihood of achievement of motor and language milestones, while polynomial regression models were used to estimate the last milestone achieved and the number of milestones achieved. The study analyzes the influence that maternal education, urban vs. rural housing, and unmet basic needs have on the difference between actual results and expected results for age was analyzed. Results. Children living in rural areas, those whose mothers had low educational attainment, and those from households with unmet basic needs exhibited poorer outcomes in the two areas of development assessed. As the number of risk factors increased, so did the developmental delay. Conclusions. Evaluation of child development and follow-up of families during the child-rearing process should be prioritized by health systems and social programs. The instruments used were sensitive to three criteria for validation. Keywords Child development; poverty; Latin America; Peru. Objetivos. El objetivo del estudio fue mostrar la influencia de varios factores socioeconomicos en el desarrollo motor y del lenguaje de los ninos menores de 5 anos a partir del estudio de linea de base realizado en el marco del Programa Conjunto de Infancia, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricion, implementado por cinco agencias de Naciones Unidas en 65 distritos de los departamentos de Loreto, Ayacucho, Huancavelica y Apurimac de Peru. Metodos. Se aplicaron modelos de regresion logistica dicotomica para estimar la probabilidad de adquisicion de los hitos motores y del lenguaje, y modelos de regresion polinomial para estimar el ultimo hito y el numero de hitos alcanzados. Se analizo la influencia de la educacion de la madre, la ubicacion de la vivienda (urbana o rural) y las necesidades basicas insatisfechas, sobre la diferencia entre el resultado alcanzado y el esperado para la edad. Resultados. Los ninos de areas rurales, hijos de madres con baja escolaridad y pertenecientes a hogares con necesidades basicas insatisfechas exhiben valores