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. 2023 Sep 19;18(9):e0287315.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287315. eCollection 2023.

National screening for developmental delays and their determinants among Egyptian school age children: A step towards implementing life skills programs

Ammal M Metwally  1 , Maysa S Nassar  2 , Ebtissam M Salah El-Din  2 , Ali M Abdallah  3 , Zeinab Khadr  4   5 , Marwa W Abouelnaga  2 , Engy A Ashaat  6 , Mostafa M El-Saied  7 , Ahmed M Elwan  7 , Randa I Bassiouni  6 , Zeinab M Monir  2 , Hala Y Badawy  8 , Eman M Dewdar  8 , Hazem M El-Hariri  1 , Ahmed Aboulghate  1 , Carine Hanna  1 , Thanaa M Rabah  1 , Amira Mohsen  1 , Mona A Elabd  2
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National screening for developmental delays and their determinants among Egyptian school age children: A step towards implementing life skills programs

Ammal M Metwally et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to estimate the national prevalence of developmental delays (DDs) and their determinants among Egyptian children aged 6 to 12 years. Such estimation is a prerequisite step toward the application of Life Skill Education (LSE) programs that will potentiate children's future capabilities.

Methods: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales" was used as a reliable and diagnostic test for DDs screening during this national cross sectional study. Gross motor (GM), fine motor (FM), daily living skills, communication, and socialization skills were assessed. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with DDs. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval was estimated to indicate the strength of association. A p-value of <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

Results: Out of the 20324 surveyed school-aged children, 7.4% were found to have at least one delay. Communication deficits were the most common (6.4%) followed by delay in daily living skills (2.0%). The final model of logistic regression had a good fit for seven variables out of the sociodemographic, epidemiological characteristics, maternal and perinatal problems that were associated with a higher likelihood of at least one DD: Children suffering from any convulsions (AOR = 4.32; 95% CI: 3.18-5.88), male gender (AOR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.65-2.09), birth weight less than 2.5 kg (AOR = 1.77; 95% CI: 1.40-2.24), history of maternal health problem during pregnancy (AOR = 1.64; 95% CI:1.34-2.01), children staying in an incubator for more than two days (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.29-1.91), having less educated fathers (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.24-1.95) and belonging to the middle social class (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.24-1.58).

Conclusion: The identified types and determinants for each DD are allowing for the implementation of tailored programs for school children's life skills promotion for achieving the most sustainable effects on children's biological and psychological health and well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors report no conflict of interest. “No financial or non-financial benefits have been received or will be received from any party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Map of the 27 Egyptian’s governorates distributed within the four geographic regions (adapted using data from the Humanitarian Data Exchange under the CC BY–IGO license [18].
Fig 2
Fig 2. Prevalence of the studied types of delays among school children aged 6–12 (n = 20324).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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