Risky developmental delay and its associated factors among children 12-59 months of age in Dire Dawa city administration: ASQ3 measurement application

Abstract

The first 1000 days of life from conception to the second birthday, are critical for children’s development due to rapid brain development. The development during this period is a determinant for later-life of academic achievement and human capital outcomes. This critical period extends to include a fifth birthday. Despite of the importance of evidence to tackle the problem, few researches conducted only focused on the effect of nutritional status on developmental delay. Community based cross sectional study was conducted among 638 12-59 months of children. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select children and structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used as the data collection tools. Data was entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed by using SPSS 20 software. Descriptive analysis was conducted to summarize the data interpreted in the form of text, figures and tables. Bivariable and multivariable analyses was used to examine the association between variables. Odds Ratio, 95% CI and P-value <0.05 was used to determine the statistical association. Among the total of 638 children 610 were participated with response rate of 95.6%. The overall prevalence of developmental delay in this study was 103 (16.9%) with 95%CI (14%, 20%). Being young (AOR =6.34, 95%CI (3.41, 11.79), being male (AOR =3.56, 95%CI (1.98, 6.34), preterm birth (AOR =3.89, 95%CI (1.90, 7.94), undernutrition (AOR =4. 68, 95%CI (2.98, 7.36), dietary diversity score less than four (AOR = 3.04, 95%CI (1.77, 5.24) and anemia during pregnancy (AOR= 3.67, 95%CI (1.88, 7.16) were positively associated with risky developmental delay among children. In general, from six children one child had risky developmental delay in the study area. Child age, sex, child nutritional status, child dietary diversity, preterm birth, child illness and maternal anemia during pregnancy were predictors of risky developmental delay. Special attention should be paid to infants born prematurely and programs should give emphasis on nutritional intervention program to enhance child development. It is also important for healthcare providers to be aware of the potential long-term consequences for newborns and to monitor for developmental delays in children born to mothers with anemia