Parents want Swedish child health services to focus more on motor development and practical advice

Parents' experiences and expectations are key to developing evidence-based approaches that respond to family needs. However, little is known about how parents regard the motor assessments in well-child surveillance and what they need to support their child's motor development. This study explored their experiences.

We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with Swedish-speaking parents whose children had been referred to a physiotherapist by child health services (CHS) before 18 months of age. Consecutive sampling was conducted from March to November 2018. The data were analysed using systematic text condensation.

The three themes that emerged were that that parents liked the CHS setting, but had concerns about the lack of focus on motor development during routine health visits and wanted more dialogue about this area. The parents said that the assessments varied considerably and that their concerns were not always taken seriously. They wanted to know more about the professionals' observations, how their child was expected to develop and what they could do to support their motor development.

Parents wanted a greater focus on motor development during routine health visits. This included advice on how they could support their child's development.