Efeitos do baixo peso ao nascer no desenvolvimento da linguagem e do comportamento de crianças em situação de vulnerabilidade social

Abstract

The effects of low birth weight on the development of language and behavior of preschool and school children living in situations of social vulnerability are addressed in this study carried out in the neighborhood of Vila Embratel in São Luís, Maranhão. The study focuses on the study of expressive and receptive languague as well as behavioral changes under environmental influences. Objective: To identify children with low birth weight and adequate birth weight in situations of social vulnerability and to evaluate the effects on the development of language and behavior. Hypotheses: Sociodemographic characteristics present correlations with language development and behavior as a function of birth weight classification; the receptive and expressive language as well as the behavior suffer interference from the ponderal classification. Methods: Observational and cross-sectional study. A total of 103 children aged between 36 and 94 months, with a mean age of 56.8 (SD=15.0) months, 54 were female, participated in the study. All participants lived in the Vila Embratel neighborhood in São Luís - MA. Those born with low birth weight and adequate weight were identified from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC) and community schools. The parents answered the following instruments: 1) QBAI - Brazilian Child Environment Questionnaire; 2) CBCL – Child Behavior Checklist; 3)ABC- Autism Behavior Checklist. The children's language was evaluated through the following tests: 1) PPVT - Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; 2) TENA - Automatic Naming Test; 3) TELEX - Expressive Language Test; 4) Child Appointment Test; and 5) Phonological Awareness Test for Preschoolers. The Columbia Mental Maturity Scale was used as an intelligence measure. Results: It is noted that the LBW group presented the average of 1977,38 g and the ABW group presented the average of 3263.86. No differences were found between the two groups for gender, age, mother's age, family income, time attending preschool and mother's schooling. As for the time of gestation, significant differences were found between the groups. The QBAI results show a significant difference in numbers of games and learning books. The ABW group had 4 to 5 toys or books while the LBW group had 5 to 7. The children of the LBW group had a lower performance on the intelligence test, but not on language tests. There was a higher prevalence of participants with internalizing problems in the LBW group. Regression analysis showed that environmental factors accounted for 20% of the intelligence score; 44% of the vocabulary evaluated by TVIP; 14% of phonological awareness and 35% of Rapid Automatized Naming; 33% of the expressive language evaluated by TELEX. No effects of environmental factors on CBCL and ABC scores were identified. Conclusion: Low birth weight had an effect on the intelligence test, but not on language and behavioral tests. Regression analysis shows significant relationships between environmental factors and aspects of language and intelligence.