Implicaciones de la desnutrición en el desarrollo psicomotor de los menores de cinco años

Abstract

Aim: To describe psychomotor development of children with chronic malnutrition attending a nutritional recovery clinic in Medellin, Colombia. Methodology: descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 60 children under 5 years of age with malnourishment according to height / age index. Informed consent was signed. Risk of delayed psychomotor development was evaluated using the Abbreviated Scale of Development. Univariate analysis was performed to characterize the population. In bivariate analysis Chi2 and Fisher exact test were used to test the relationship between categorical and outcome variables. We used a 95% confidence level and p< 0.05 represented statistical significance. Results: The main finding was no association between the degrees of chronic malnutrition with the risk of delayed psychomotor development, however the prevalence of risk of delay was 38.3%, which is clinically relevant. Conclusion: An optimal nutritional status determines the psychomotor development of children, as it has positive neurophysiological effects.