Hreyfifærni fjögurra til tíu mánaða barna á suðvesturhorni Íslands

Abstract

The present study examined the motor development of 4-10 months old infants in Iceland using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), and compared the results with the Canadian norms (1994). The study also addressed the effects of sleeping positions, prone position during wake, childrearing practices, and the use of infant oriented equipment on motor development, where information was obtained from parent questionnaires developed for the study. Parents of 169 infants were invited to participate in the study, where a random sample stratified by sex and age was pulled from the population of infants living in the southwestern part of Iceland. Parents of 126 infants chose to participate in the study, and the results from 121 infants were used in the data analysis. The results showed a significant correlation between total scores on the AIMS for 5-9 months old infants in Iceland and the Canadian norms. However, at the age of 4 months the Icelandic infants had significantly lower scores on the AIMS when compared to their Canadian counterparts. This difference might, in part, be explained by a general change in infants sleeping positions, where 96% of the infants in the present study slept on their back or sides. Prone position during wake had positive effect on the motor development, and parent counseling and positive experience of having their infants in prone position had positive effect on the amount of time infants spent in prone position. The results indicate that the use of the Canadian AIMS norms may be appropriate for 5-9 month old Icelandic infants. The present results also support previous research of effects of sleeping and playing positions on infant motor development.