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Effects of gender on the health and development of medically at-risk infants

June Cho1, Diane Holditch-Davis, Margaret S Miles

  • 1School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. jcho@uab.edu

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing : JOGNN
|October 6, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Male infants, particularly premature or HIV-positive ones, face higher risks in cognitive and motor development. Early developmental screening is crucial for these medically at-risk infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neonatology

Background:

  • Medically at-risk infants, including premature, medically fragile, and HIV-seropositive infants, require careful monitoring for health and developmental trajectories.
  • Understanding gender-specific outcomes is essential for targeted interventions in vulnerable infant populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gender-differentiated health and developmental outcomes in medically at-risk infants.
  • To identify specific risk factors influencing cognitive, motor, and language development in infants.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal descriptive and comparative secondary analysis was conducted.
  • Data were collected from medical records and home visits for 108 premature, 67 medically fragile, and 83 HIV-seropositive infants.
  • Developmental assessments included the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, and Preschool Language Scale-3.

Main Results:

  • Gender differences in health and developmental outcomes were less pronounced in medically fragile infants compared to premature and HIV-seropositive groups.
  • Cognitive, motor, and language scores showed a decline with increasing age across all infant groups.

Conclusions:

  • Male gender is a significant biological risk factor for cognitive and motor development, especially in premature infants.
  • Early and advanced developmental screening by trained professionals is recommended for male infants born prematurely or with HIV.
Abstract

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