Evaluation of the psychomotor development of the Congolese children by the Bayley scales of infant development – second edition

Background and Objective: Resource-poor countries are at high risk of falling behind in all 4 areas of development and the rate of disability in one of these areas is very high. The objective of this study is to determine the age of psychomotor development of the Congolese child using the BSID II. Methods: Descriptive, observational study of apparently healthy infants in Kinshasa (BOMOI Health Center, Center Hospital of Kingasani II) and Idiofa City in Kwilu Province during the period January 2010 to January 2012. The variables of interest were socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, living environment), Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) and Mental Development Index (MDI) and behavioral scale (BRS) assessed using of the Bayley 2nd Edition Scale (BSID-II). Results: Of 366 infants retained, 51.9% were female (sex ratio 1H / 1F). The median chronological and developmental age was 16.8 and 17 months respectively. Mean PDI and MDI values were 104.0 ± 17.4 and 100.5 ± 15.0 respectively. The severe mental and motor retardation noted in these infants was 4.9% and 4.1%, respectively. In all components of psychomotor development, rural infants had a significant median age (p <0.05). Conclusion: Urban children are ahead in terms of motor skills, cognitive skills and behavior better than those in rural areas.