Background Although interventions on child development target supporting mothers' relationships with their children, little is known about maternal knowledge of child development in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine maternal knowledge about child development in Turkey. Methods The Caregiver Knowledge of Child Development Inventory (CKCDI) developed for this study consisted of questions on when children begin to demonstrate developmental skills and when caregivers should provide opportunities for developmental stimulation. Results In total, 1200 mothers of children aged Յ3 years chosen by random population-based sampling were administered the CKCDI in their homes. Of the 1055 mothers with complete data (88%), 64% had at most secondary school education and 11% were employed. The median CKCDI questionnaire score was 19 (highest possible score 40). Mothers believed that most developmental skills and activities should occur at later than normative ages and most mothers did not know that sight (52%), vocalization (79%), social smiling (59%) and overall brain development (68%) begins in the early months of life. In a linear regression model with CKCDI score as the dependent and age of child, number of children, maternal and paternal age and education as the independent variables, higher maternal education and lower number of children were found to be independent predictors of higher CKCDI scores (P < 0.001). Conclusions These results illustrate the degree to which caregivers from Turkey may be lacking information on early childhood development and that caregiver knowledge needs to be further investigated so that culture-specific and effective interventions can be planned.

The Guide for Monitoring Child Development is an innovative method for monitoring child development that is designed specifically for use by health care providers in low- and middle-income countries. Studies in Turkey provide preliminary evidence for its reliability and validity.

In Turkey and potentially other countries with similar health systems, short-term inservice training on child development can improve primary health providers' knowledge, perceived competence and skills related to child development. To decrease the disparities between high- and low- and middle-income countries in addressing child development, significant barriers within health systems need to be identified and addressed.