PREVALENCE AND CORRELATES OF DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY AMONG UNDER FIVE CHILDREN IN TWO RURAL COMMUNITIES OF OTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Developmental Delay (DD), which connotes failure to attain language, motor and social skills as well as personal adaptation expected for age, is a growing major public health concern and could be a vital impediment to attainment of optimal potentials in children. The need for early detection and administration of appropriate interventions underscores the importance of screening children at every opportunity. However, data on burden and potential factors associated with Developmental delay which are essential for health policy and planning are scarce in Nigeria. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the prevalence and correlates of developmental delays among children under-five in two rural communities of Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. In this cross sectional study, cluster sampling method was adopted to select 420 under-five year old children in two communities, Lusada and Ketu Adie-Owe in Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire containing sections on demographic characteristics, socio-economic status and also, items adapted from “Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)” were used to collect data from mothers/caregivers. Observation of child’s activities and physical examination were also carried out. Children were classified into two groups: “isolated developmental delay” (defined as having delays in only one domain) and “global developmental delay” (defined as those who had delay in two or more domains). Data for 417 children, with complete information, were summarized using descriptive statistics and Chi square was used to test associations among developmental delays, socio-demographic characteristics and ASQ scores in each domain of development. Level of statistical significance was set at p = 0.05. Of the 417 children, 48.2% were males and 51.8% were females. The mean age of the children was 19.7±14.7 months. Majority (43%) of the mothers were in the age range 20-29 years. A good number (52.1%) of the mothers were from the Yoruba ethnic group and 49.2% were petty traders. A total of 110 (26.4%) children had one or more types developmental delays in various domains. The prevalence of isolated developmental delay and global developmental delay was 19.9% and 6.5%, respectively. In this study, prevalence was determined by delay in atleast on domain of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire which was 26.4%. There was no significant association between developmental delay and maternal age, maternal age at conception, education, ethnicity/tribe and marital status. There exists a high burden of developmental delay among under-five children in the study area and no socio-demographic characteristics could be convincingly attributed to children at risk. There is the need to conduct further research to elucidate factors that may potentially be used to design appropriate interventions.