Premature infants with birth weights of 1500–1999 g exhibit considerable delays in several developmental areas

Aim To establish the prevalence and factors associated with developmental scores and delays in premature infants. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 100 premature infants with corrected ages of 18–24 months (actual ages 19.9 ± 2.0 months) and birth weights of 1500–1999 g. Bayley III scales were used to assess developmental scores, percentage of children with developmental scores <85, factors associated with developmental scores and delays in at least one developmental domain. Results The percentages and 95% confidence intervals of those children with developmental delays were as follows: cognitive (2.0%; 0.6–7.0%), language (5.0%; 2.2–11.2%), motor (3.0%; 1.0–8.5%), socio‐emotional (13.0%; 7.8–20.1%), general adaptive (26.0%; 18.4–35.4%), conceptual (17.0%; 10.9–25.6%), social (46.0%; 36.6–55.7%) and practical (21.0%; 14.2–30.0%). Factors associated with delay in at least one developmental domain were as follows: caesarean delivery, low per capita income and peri‐intraventricular haemorrhage. Factors associated with a reduction in developmental scores were as follows: non‐white ethnicity, lower social class, caesarean delivery, male gender, peri‐intraventricular haemorrhage, mechanical ventilation and length of hospitalisation. Conclusion Premature infants with birth weights of 1500–1999 g exhibited considerable delays in several developmental areas. In addition to biological factors, environmental factors contributed to the reduced scores and/or developmental delays.