Assessing independency in daily activities in very preterm children at preschool age

Abstract This study investigates whether very low birth weight (VLBW) preschoolers experience disability in daily activities and what the risk factors for disability in daily activities are. The Dutch Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-NL) was used to detect disability in daily activities in 143 VLBW children without cerebral palsy (CP) at 44 months of corrected age (CA). Data from the psychomotor-developmental index (PDI) and the mental developmental index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID II) at 24 months CA, and data relating to perinatal and socio-economic status were available. Disability in daily activities was found in 27 (19%) VLBW children without CP. High frequencies of disability were found in 19 (13%) children on the mobility domain and in 12 (8%) children on the social functioning domain. The multiple logistic regression analyses showed that low BSID II outcomes (