Intelligence development and its influencing factors among infants in four cities of Liaoning province

Objective To understand the intelligence development of infants and its influencing factors in Dalian,Tieling,Anshan,and Chaoyang city of Liaonign province and to provide the scientific basis for intervention.Methods Convenience sampling method was used to select 695 infants of 6 to 12 months old from infant physical examinees at children and women healthcare centers in the four cities of Liaoning province for a survey with Fagan Infant Intelligence Test and a self-designed questionnaire.Results The average intelligence score for the 695 in fants was 57.8±6.0,without significant difference between the male(57.6±6.0) and the female(58.0±5.9).The average intelligence scores were 59.7±5.9,57.8±5.6,58.6±6.0,and 55.3±5.5 for the infants in Dalian,Tieling,Anshan,and Chaoyang city,respectively,with significan differences among the cities(F=20.23,P < 0.01).The general prevalences of stunting and suspected stunting for the infants were 4.2% and 16.8% and there were no significant difference between the male(4.9% and 17.4%) and the female(3.4% and 16.2%).For the infants of Dalian,Tieling,Anshan,and Chaoyang,the prevalence of stunting was 1.2%,4.5%,2.4%,and 7.9% and that of suspected stunting was 10.5%,14.6%,3.9%,and 26.2%,respectively,with significant difference in the prevalences among different cities(P < 0.01 for all).Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that artificial feeding and unfavorable lifestyle of the parents were risk factors for intellectual development of the infants and higher education level of the father was a protective factor.Conclusion The infants of different areas have different levels of intelligence development and unfavorable lifestyle of the parents and eduacation level of the father are the main influencial factors for intelligence development of the infunts in Liaoning province.