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Family and infant characteristics in relation to age at walking in Turkey
S Songül Yalçin1, Kadriye Yurdakök, Başak Tezel
1Social Pediatrics Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Higher maternal education and appropriate child weight-for-age Z scores are linked to earlier independent walking in children. Preventing growth retardation and improving diet quality are crucial for gross motor development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Biology
- Public Health
Background:
- Independent ambulation is a key milestone in gross motor development.
- Several maternal and infant factors may influence the age of walking.
- Understanding these factors can inform interventions for optimal child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal and infant characteristics and the onset of independent ambulation.
- To identify predictors of early walking in a Turkish child population.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 1,553 Turkish children aged 12-23 months.
- Data collected from health files across different malnutrition-coded NUTS regions.
- Statistical analyses included Kaplan-Meier, log-rank test, and Cox multivariable regression.
Main Results:
- Univariate analysis revealed associations between walking and maternal education, occupation, residence, iron supplementation, child's gender, nutritional status, and anemia.
- Multivariable analysis identified high maternal education, absence of parental consanguinity, and appropriate weight-for-age Z scores as significant positive predictors of earlier walking.
Conclusions:
- Improving maternal education, preventing postnatal growth retardation, and enhancing diet quality are vital for gross motor development.
- Parental consanguinity rates should be reduced through counseling programs to support child development.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the onset of independent ambulation relative to possible relationships with maternal and infant characteristics. In a cross-sectional study, the health files of 1,553 Turkish children aged 12-23 months were selected by the multistage sampling method in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) regions coded as low, medium and high malnutrition levels in Turkey. Children were selected from health centers by systematic sampling technique in each region. Kaplan-Meier analysis and estimated mean values were used for data description; log-rank test and the Cox multivariable regression analysis were applied for data analysis. Maternal education level, occupation, region of residence, gestational iron supplementation, child's gender, child's nutritional status, and presence of anemia in the infant during the survey period demonstrated significant relationships with walking unassisted in the univariate analysis. However, multivariable analysis showed that high maternal education, absence of parental consanguinity and appropriate weight-for-age Z score were positively associated with earlier age of walking. These findings showed the importance of improvement in girls' education, prevention of postnatal growth retardation and improvement in diet quality for children's gross motor development. In addition, counseling programs should be given to decrease the rate of parental consanguinity.
