Home environment opportunities and motor development of infants in the first year

Abstract Introduction: The home environment is a fundamental agent for infant development in the first year of life. Objective: To evaluate the opportunities for environmental stimulation and the motor development of infants at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age and determine the association between these opportunities and the parents’ schooling and economic levels, at each age studied. Methods: This is a longitudinal study using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to assess motor development, the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) questionnaire to assess the stimulation opportunities at home, and the Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP) questionnaire to classify the economic level of the families. The association between opportunities for environmental stimulation and schooling and economic levels was determined by the chi-squared test. Results: Thirty-seven infants participated, 54.1% of whom were boys. At 3 months of age, the opportunities for environmental stimulation were unsatisfactory, while at 6, 9, and 12 months satisfactory opportunities predominated. Three infants scored below 10% on the AIMS at 3 months of age, indicating delayed motor development. There was a significant association between economic level and total AHEMD-IS score (p = 0.031), and the toy dimension for gross (p = 0.016) and fine (p = 0.043) motor skills. Conclusion: The infants’ home environment did not provide sufficient opportunities for stimulation in the first months, but improved during the first year. Motor development was considered delayed for three infants, but was suitable in subsequent evaluations.

【摘要】家庭环境是婴儿出生后第一年发育的核心影响因素。研究目的：评估婴儿在3、6、9及12月龄时所获得的环境刺激机会与运动发育水平，并明确各月龄阶段此类刺激机会与父母受教育程度、家庭经济水平之间的关联。研究方法：本研究为纵向研究，采用阿尔伯塔婴儿运动量表（Alberta Infant Motor Scale, AIMS）评估婴儿运动发育水平，使用《家庭环境运动发育刺激机会-婴儿量表》（Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale, AHEMD-IS）问卷量化家庭环境中的刺激机会，并通过巴西研究公司协会（Brazilian Association of Research Companies, ABEP）编制的问卷对家庭经济水平进行分级。采用卡方检验分析环境刺激机会与父母受教育程度、家庭经济水平之间的关联。研究结果：本研究共纳入37名婴儿，其中男性占比54.1%。3月龄时，婴儿所获得的环境刺激机会整体欠佳；而6、9及12月龄时，充足的刺激机会占主导地位。3名婴儿在3月龄时的AIMS得分低于10%，提示运动发育迟缓。家庭经济水平与AHEMD-IS总得分存在显著关联（p=0.031），且在大运动技能玩具维度（p=0.016）与精细运动技能玩具维度（p=0.043）上同样存在显著关联。研究结论：婴儿在出生最初数月的家庭环境未能提供充足的刺激机会，但在出生后第一年中该情况有所改善。3名婴儿被检出运动发育迟缓，但后续随访评估的运动发育水平均处于正常范围。