Factors Associated with Participation Patterns of Young Brazilian Children with Myelomeningocele

To describe participation patterns and identify factors associated with participation of young Brazilian children with myelomeningocele (MMC) in their home, daycare/preschool, and community settings. The participants were parents/caregivers of 70 children with MMC, averaging 26.7 (±17.3) months in age. Participation was measured by the Young Children’s Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) completed by interview. Simple and stepwise multiple linear egression models were used to examine factors associated with participation. On average children participated in home activities a few times a week, community activities once a month to a few times in the last month, and daycare or preschool activities once to a few times in the past four months. Age was associated with participation frequency (<i>R</i>² = 0.32; <i>p</i> &lt; .0001) and number of activities (<i>R</i>² = 0.27; <i>p</i> &lt; .02) in daycare/preschool and in the number of activities in the community (<i>R</i>² = 0.30; <i>p</i> &lt; .0001). Number of environmental facilitators was associated with the desire for change in participation in daycare/preschool (<i>R</i>² = 0.21; <i>p</i> &lt; .04). Mobility performance was associated with children’s level of involvement (<i>R</i>² = 0.10; <i>p</i> = .006) and caregivers’ desire for change in community participation (<i>R</i>² = 0.11; <i>p</i> = .006). Knowledge of participation and factors that influence participation can help in designing interventions to improve participation opportunities for young children with MMC.