Time trends and determinants of multiple development delays in Bavarian preschool children: a retrospective analysis from 1997 to 2010.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the time trends of multiple developmental delays and to determine the strength of selected factors influencing preschool child's development.

Methods: We reviewed the records of 13,876 preschoolers in a district of Lower Bavaria to determine prevalence and time trends of combined developmental delays from 1997 to 2010. The effect of age, sex and nationality on development was estimated by using regression models.

Results: The largest increase was in the area of psychosocial development (1997:3.8 % versus 2010:13.8 %), followed by twofold combined delays in motor (2.6 versus 14.4 % in 2009) and twofold delays (1.3 versus 6.2 %) in cognition. Youngest children (4.26-5.49 years) had the highest risk for twofold delays in motor (4.78; 95 % CI 3.30-6.92), whereas strongest protection was observed for girls (0.28; 95 % CI 0.22-0.36) for threefold delays in motor and for a German nationality (0.30; 95 % CI 0.20-0.43) for fourfold delays in cognition.

Conclusions: According to this study, multiple disabilities in development were increasing in preschool children. These children can be considered as a risk group who therefore require measures in Public Health.