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Influence of kindergarten on numbers of multiple developmental delays in preschoolers: an analysis over 14 years

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of the study was to calculate the impact that the duration of attendance and the location of the kindergarten (rural versus urban) has on the prevalence of multiple delays in preschool children.

Methods

We analyzed data from 14,068 preschool children, over a period of 14 consecutive years (1997–2010) from the Bavarian Pre-School Morbidity Survey using software package SPSS 21.0. We assessed the incidence of multiple developmental impairments (twofold or above) in various developmental domains.

Results

The highest prevalence for multiple delays in development existed for twofold impairments in the area of motor (7.9 %) and lowest in fivefold delays in cognition (0.4 %). A shorter duration of visiting a kindergarten (OR: 4.43) and an urban location (OR: 2.53) was associated with an increased risk of multiple delays in development.

Conclusions

A shorter duration and an urban location of kindergarten attendance are associated with an increased risk for children having multiple developmental impairments. From a public health perspective, the setting and duration of kindergarten attendance may be an important focus in preventive efforts to optimize health outcomes in children.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Mr. Heinrich Trapp, Landrat of the District of Dingolfing-Landau, Franz Beblo, MD, Chief of the Department of Public Health Medicine in Dingolfing-Landau and Mrs. Ursula Niederreiter, Social Medicine Assistant, for supporting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Department, District of Erding, Erding, Germany

    Heribert Ludwig Stich

  2. Fulham Consulting, Townville, QLD, Australia

    Riccardo N. Caniato

  3. School of Public Health, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    Heribert Ludwig Stich & Alexander Krämer

  4. School of Medicine, Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    Bernhard Baune

Authors
  1. Heribert Ludwig Stich
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  2. Riccardo N. Caniato
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  3. Alexander Krämer
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  4. Bernhard Baune
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Correspondence to Heribert Ludwig Stich.

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The authors declare that the study comply with the current laws of the country in which the investigation was performed.

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Stich, H.L., Caniato, R.N., Krämer, A. et al. Influence of kindergarten on numbers of multiple developmental delays in preschoolers: an analysis over 14 years. Int J Public Health 62, 613–621 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-016-0883-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-016-0883-z

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