Motor development and malnutrition in a risk population of a neighborhood in Porto Alegre

Abstract

Objectives: verifying the sociodemographic profile of children living in a suburban neighborhood of Porto Alegre with malnutrition or suspected malnutrition and whether there was an association of neuropsychomotor development with these sociodemographic variables. Methods: Retrospective study, based on a previous study in the Basic Health Unit of Morro da Cruz – Porto Alegre/RS - Brazil, with 169 children. An anthropometric evaluation of weight/age, height /age and weight/height for the nutritional profile was carried out; age, neuropsychomotor development by the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II) and, for sociodemographic variables, the number of residents in the house, age and schooling age and schooling of the legal guardian of the child, whether the child lived with the mother or father, number of people in the house who lived with the child, gestational age, prematurity, birth weight, breastfeeding, and current weight. Results: 45 children presented a risk/high or risk of malnutrition. The demographic and anthropometric characteristics, according to gender, did not present significant differences regarding age, birth weight, and current weight. There was no significant association between sex and motor development and language. Caregiver education and prematurity were not significant with neuropsychomotor development. Social development was significantly associated with males. Conclusions: social development seems to be the most affected in children with malnutrition or high risk of malnutrition, and boys are at greater risk. For this sample, there seems to be no association such as prematurity, birth weight, gestational age, number of people in the house, age, and schooling of the caregiver.