Development of premature children and the influence of sociodemographic factors on them: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The objective of this study is to describe and correlate the development areas of premature children and to verify the influence of sociodemographic factors. This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, conducted with 79 premature children aged from 15 days to 42 months old. The sociodemographic questionnaire and the Bayley III Scale were used. The participants’ performance fell within the expected parameters in the weighted and composite score and percentile in all the domains evaluated. However, nearly 39% did not achieve full acquisition in sensory processing and 50.6% presented at least one statistically significant discrepancy when comparing two development areas. The analysis performed and the set of results obtained were considered relevant for constituting a risk indicator for childhood development that can go unnoticed in healthy preterm infants, hindering early intervention and leaving them vulnerable to difficulties throughout life.