Assessing the prevalence of developmental delays in children aged 6-36 months using Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 in a rural area of North India.

Abstract

The aim is to evaluate the prevalence and range of developmental delays and identify factors that contribute to these delays among children aged 6 months to 3 years living in a rural community in northern India. Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. The research was conducted in the Outpatient Department and immunization clinic of a tertiary care center located in northern India. A total of 400 children aged 6 months to 3 years were enrolled. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) was translated into Hindi and administered to parents by a trained interviewer. Socio-demographic data of the families were collected. The prevalence of global developmental delay was estimated, and associations between developmental outcomes and maternal, child, and household characteristics were analyzed using the Chi-square test, with significance set at <i>P</i> < 0.05. Among the 400 children, 80 (20%) exhibited global developmental delays (below the cutoff), while the remaining 320 (80%) were either normal or near the cutoff. The domains most affected in the study population were personal-social (43.5%) and fine motor (40.5%), followed by gross motor (38.6%), problem-solving (35.8%), and communication (34.8%). Various socio-demographic factors were found to influence child development. There is a high prevalence of developmental delays and poor child health in our rural population. Early intervention programs could mitigate the long-term impacts of these developmental disorders.