Assessment of Infantile Psychomotor Development Status in 6 and 12-Month-Old IUGR Infants: A Historical Cohort Study

Fatemeh Nayeri; Sara Bahadoram; Zahra Farahani; Mamak Shariat

doi:10.18502/acta.v61i5.13483

Fatemeh Nayeri Breast Feeding Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Sara Bahadoram Breast Feeding Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Zahra Farahani Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mamak Shariat Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/acta.v61i5.13483

Keywords: Intrauterine growth restriction; Neurodevelopmental outcome; Family; Interventions; Infant

Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is responsible for different post-natal adverse outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the post-natal psychomotor development status in 6 and 12-month-old IUGR infants who received early preventive interventions. A historical cohort study was done at an Iranian Hospital (2019). The case group included one-year-old infants with a history of IUGR at birth. This group was visited every 2 months to evaluate their growth and neurodevelopmental status. Their parents had also received some training to improve their infant's sensory and motor skills. The control group comprised one-year-old healthy infants with a history of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) at birth. Data related to psychomotor developmental indices based on the ASQ questionnaire at 6 and 12-month for both groups was extracted from subjects' records. Infants' psychomotor development status was compared between groups. Forty-one infants with a history of IUGR and 43 healthy control infants were included in this study. There were significant differences between 2 groups associated with abnormalities in all evaluated psychomotor skills, including gross motor (P=0.014), problem-solving ability (P=0.049), communication (P=0.031), fine motor (P=0.016) and personal-social (P=0.016) at 6 months. After one year of family-based interventions for the case group, significant differences between groups were notable in only fine motor (P=0.016) and personal-social skills (P=0.031). At 12 months, the psychomotor disorders related to gross motor, problem-solving ability, and communication were significantly alleviated in the IUGR group. Early preventive family-based interventions can improve the neurodevelopmental outcomes in 12-month-old IUGR infants.