Are Play Items and Interaction Activities at Home Associated with Developmental Outcomes in Children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition?


Van den Heuvel, Meta, Babikako, Harriet, Mbale, Emmie ORCID: 0000-0001-7134-2858, Mukisa, John, Nampijja, Margaret, Uebelhoer, Luke, Lancioni, Christina, Gladstone, Melissa ORCID: 0000-0002-2579-9301, Walson, Judd, Aber, Peace et al (show 3 more authors) (2020) Are Play Items and Interaction Activities at Home Associated with Developmental Outcomes in Children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition? Current Developments in Nutrition, 4 (Suppl ). nzaa057_054-nzaa057_054. ISSN 2475-2991

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Abstract

Objectives To assess the association between play and interaction, and developmental outcomes in children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in a prospective cohort of hospitalized children in Malawi and Uganda (http://www.chainnetwork.org). Methods Children (age 2– 23 months) requiring hospitalization for acute illness were enrolled from January 2017 till December 2018. Children meeting WHO criteria for MAM by mean upper arm circumference (MUAC) were included in this sub-analysis. Child development was assessed using the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool at discharge and 180-day follow-up. The Family Care Indicator (FCI) evaluated the number of play items and interactions in the home. Developmental outcomes at discharge and follow-up were assessed using paired t-test. Linear regression analysis examined associations between FCI score and developmental outcomes at follow-up, with adjustment for sex, prematurity, height-for-age z-score and HIV status, parental education, household assets, and maternal mental health. Results 128 children with MAM (52.3% male, mean age 11.3 months (±4.5) were included (mean MUAC 120 mm ± 3.2). Children were excluded for: pre-existing neurodisability (n = 5), death during follow-up (n = 4), and loss to follow-up (n = 22). At discharge 24.4% of the children had delays in the gross motor domain, 18.7% in the fine motor domain, 4.1% in the language domain and 7.3% in the social domain. Over the 6-month study period, significant improvements (P < 0.001) in the mean difference of gross motor (1.3), fine motor (0.83) and social domain (0.59) Z-scores were observed. No significant change was identified in the language domain Z-score. Adjusted linear regression revealed that a one-point increase in the number of play items was associated with an increase in gross motor z-score of 0.16 (95% CI 0.01–0.32, P = 0.04) and a one point increase in interaction activities was associated with an increase in language z-score of 0.27 (95% CI 0.03–0.51, P = 0.03) at follow-up. Conclusions Children with MAM admitted for an acute illness showed significant improvements in developmental outcomes at 180-day follow-up. The role of play and interaction activities at home should be further investigated for their potential to promote developmental outcomes in children with MAM. Funding Sources Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 3210 Nutrition and Dietetics, Behavioral and Social Science, Pediatric Research Initiative, Mental health, 2 Zero Hunger, 3 Good Health and Well Being
Divisions: Faculty of Health & Life Sciences
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Life Courses & Medical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 22 Apr 2024 07:46
Last Modified: 30 Jan 2026 03:00
DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzaa057_054
Open Access URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC72576...
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3180479
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