How aware are mothers about early childhood developmental milestones? A cross-sectional study at a maternity hospital in rural South India

Varghese, Suman Sarah; Joseph, Merlyn; Gohil, Rachna; Thomas, Sanjana; Jose, Sandra Mary; Lukose, Presty; Johnson, Avita Rose

doi:10.32677/ijch.2020.v07.i11.003

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…On average, only 29%-42% of Saudi parents accurately recognized timeline norms for such fundamental infancy and toddler-stage milestones. This aligned with preceding regional evidence indicating limited milestone cognition, especially concerning motor development [ 2 ]. Saudi studies have reported under 50% parental awareness regarding norms for skills like sitting, walking, and coordination.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Following the discovery of the delays, a more thorough assessment is conducted in the areas of cognition, language, motor abilities, and social and emotional behavior. A child's advancement in every aspect of human functioning is referred to as "development" in the definition [ 2 ]. Parents need to be the most knowledgeable about children's needs and their developmental milestones in all areas, including language, motor skills, and social and behavioral development, as they are typically the primary caregivers and spend the most time with children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Saudi Arabian Parents Regarding Red Flags in Developmental Milestones

Alzahrani,

Alsalem

et al. 2024

Cureus

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Background Parents serve a fundamental role in monitoring developmental milestones and identifying potential delays during early childhood, enabling timely interventions. However, previous studies in Saudi Arabia have shown limited awareness among parents regarding age-specific norms and red flags across developmental domains. This knowledge gap can severely impact the detection and management of abnormalities. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of Saudi parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning childhood developmental trajectories is imperative. Methodology This cross-sectional study assessed developmental milestone awareness, beliefs, and behaviors among Saudi parents. A sample of 1,052 parents completed a validated 38-item questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes, practices, and demographics. Knowledge was assessed across developmental domains using 22 multiple-choice questions, with scores categorized as excellent (≥75%), good (50%-75%), fair (40%-50%), or poor (≤39%). Attitudes and practices were captured on five-point Likert scales. Descriptive and chi-square analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results The majority of participants were females (844, 80.2%), with a mean age of 38.8 years. Serious knowledge inadequacies existed regarding developmental timelines across domains, especially motor milestones like crawling (93, 29.4% correct), sitting unsupported (45, 27.6%), pointing at objects (278, 26.4%), and responding to names (440, 41.8%). Overall, 2 (0.2%) participants showed excellent and 281 (26.7%) showed good understanding, while 490 (46.6%) had poor knowledge. Significant sociodemographic variations were observed, with women and experienced parents demonstrating greater awareness ( P < 0.001). Despite knowledge gaps, 542 (51.5%) actively sought developmental information themselves, and over 50% trusted pediatric guidance. Most participants expressed a willingness to undergo screenings if risk factors existed and reported spending a considerable amount of daily interaction time with their children, focusing on developmental needs. Conclusions Critical developmental milestone knowledge shortfalls and selective attitudes persist among Saudi parents, warranting public education and physician-parent communication that enhance interventions to enable impactful developmental monitoring and prompt responses to abnormalities in a timely manner.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Saudi Arabian Parents Regarding Red Flags in Developmental Milestones

Alzahrani,

Alsalem

et al. 2024

Cureus

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“…Therefore, mothers also spent the maximum amount of time spent with children and thus there are increased chances of them looking up developmental milestones. A study reported that mothers’ knowledge mainly came from their own mother’s experiences or family sources, therefore it can be assumed that women are more likely to learn from observing children around them, contacting others for information, and are more likely to have a better understanding of a child’s growth compared to fathers [ 1 ]. 88 percent of parents reported taking their children to the pediatrician at least once a year; this is a trend that should be looked upon favorably and attempts should be made to incorporate parental education in these visits e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Once the delays are identified, further detailed evaluation is carried out in cognition, language, motor skills, and social and emotional behavioral domains. The term “development” is defined as the progress of a child in all areas of human functioning [ 1 ]. Early years of life play a crucial role in the mental and physical development of a child and the two most important pillars in the proper development of children are parents and doctors [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of parents regarding the red flags of developmental milestones in children aged 0–5 years in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

Kumar,

Ali,

Pasha

et al. 2024

BMC Pediatr

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Background Developmental delays in children are assessed in four basic domains: gross motor, fine motor, social, and language. Early years of life are crucial in a child’s development, so it is imperative that parents be aware of developmental milestones to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment in case of a developmental delay. This study assessed parental knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding children’s developmental milestones and associated “red flags”. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. 390 parents, who had at least one child under 5 years of age, with no diagnosed developmental delay, were interviewed during outpatient clinic visits. The questionnaire consisted of three components to assess parental knowledge, attitude, and practices. Results 59% and 54% of parents had poor knowledge of gross and fine motor milestones respectively; In the social domain, 56% of the respondents had inadequate knowledge. 42% had inadequate knowledge of language milestones; 29% of parents strongly agreed that their pediatricians provide satisfactory information regarding red flags of developmental milestones. 60% of parents strongly agreed that their child’s developmental delay would be a cause of concern for them. In the case of developmental delay, 55% of parents said they would consult a general pediatrician, 11% preferred a pediatric neurologist, 21% opted for a developmental pediatrician and 13% opted for a family physician. Residence and family systems were found to be associated with language-related milestones with significantly higher odds of knowledge among urban residents than rural ones and a significantly lower likelihood of language milestones knowledge among joint families than nuclear families. Female gender was found to be significantly associated with positive attitude. Conclusion The majority of our respondents showed considerably poor knowledge regarding developmental milestones. This highlights the need to devise ways to educate parents on this subject to enable them to vigilantly monitor their child’s developmental status and any associated abnormalities and ultimately facilitate the right course of action.

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“…Developmental milestones include age-specific tasks or a set of functional skills that children can do at a certain age range 9 . This includes domains like gross motor, fine motor, language, social and adaptive skills.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Knowledge About the Developmental Milestones of Children in Primiparous Mothers

Anushka,

Srinivasan

2024

JEOH

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Background: Following the pivotal moment of childbirth, challenges may arise as children with developmental issues often experience delayed attention. Contributing to these delays is a lack of awareness regarding developmental milestones. Primiparous mothers, being primary caretakers, play a significant role in the timely identification. It is essential to educate them about developmental milestones enabling them to monitor their child’s growth trajectory and promptly address any delays. Emphasising the importance of ruling out developmental issues during the initial stages is imperative. Objective: To seek knowledge regarding developmental milestones at different stages among primiparous mothers. Materials and Methods: 95 participants from Ahmednagar district participated in this study. The selection of study subjects was based on criteria for inclusion and exclusion and consent in written form was obtained beforehand. The research included primiparous mothers. They were interviewed using a structured questionnaire based on children’s development milestones. Following that, the data was collected and appropriately analysed. Results: It was found that 42.11% of primiparous mothers had a good knowledge of the developmental milestones of their babies. Most of the knowledge (54.38%) was found in the initial milestones section, while the least amount (33.15%) was found in language. Conclusion: Among all the developmental domains, primiparous mothers have a thorough understanding of the initial milestones (54.38%) and the most limited understanding of language development (33.15%).

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How aware are mothers about early childhood developmental milestones? A cross-sectional study at a maternity hospital in rural South India

Cited by 6 publications

References 5 publications

Evaluating the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Saudi Arabian Parents Regarding Red Flags in Developmental Milestones

Evaluating the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Saudi Arabian Parents Regarding Red Flags in Developmental Milestones

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of parents regarding the red flags of developmental milestones in children aged 0–5 years in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

Study of Knowledge About the Developmental Milestones of Children in Primiparous Mothers

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