[PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN IN ORPHANAGES]

Ph Kalatozishvili1, N Davituliani1, H Phagava1

  • 1Clinic "Beaumond", Kutaisi; Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia; Tbilisi State Medical University; Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia.

Georgian Medical News
|September 24, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Children in orphanages show delayed physical development, particularly in height, compared to national standards. This highlights the negative impact of institutional upbringing on child growth.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Child Development
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Institutional upbringing can impact child development.
  • Assessing physical development parameters is crucial for early intervention.
  • Orphanage environments may present unique challenges to growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define physical development parameters in orphanage children.
  • To compare the physical development of orphanage children with national data.
  • To identify potential negative impacts of institutionalization on growth.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed 72 children (1-6 years) from Georgian orphanages.
  • Measured height and weight.
  • Calculated Body Mass Index (BMI) and standard deviation scores (SDS) for height and weight.

Main Results:

  • Children exhibited retarded physical development across most parameters.
  • No significant age or gender differences were found in developmental delays.
  • Boys aged 3-5 years showed the most pronounced height deficits.

Conclusions:

  • Institutional upbringing negatively affects the physical development of children aged 1-6.
  • Healthy children in orphanages tend to lag in physical growth, especially height.
  • Findings support the detrimental effect of orphanage environments on child growth.

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