Public Health Research Institute, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Pediatrics, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Aug 12;39(31):e243. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e243.
This study employed a longitudinal analysis to evaluate the association between the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and neurodevelopment by analyzing over 1.8 million children from the Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children included in South Korea's National Health Screening Program. We compared the developmental outcomes in five age groups-9-17 months, 18-29 months, 30-41 months, 42-53 months, and 54-65 months-between the pre-pandemic (2018-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods. Significant increases in potential developmental delays were observed during the pandemic in communication, cognitive, social interaction, self-care, and fine motor skills across most age groups. All five age groups experienced notable disruptions in communication and fine motor skills. Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds faced higher risks across all domains. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and continuous monitoring to support the developmental needs of children affected by pandemic-related disruptions.
本研究通过分析韩国国家健康筛查计划中包含的超过 180 万名来自韩国婴幼儿发育筛查测试的儿童，采用纵向分析评估了 2019 年冠状病毒病大流行对神经发育的影响。我们比较了流行前（2018-2019 年）和大流行期间（2020-2021 年）五个年龄组（9-17 个月、18-29 个月、30-41 个月、42-53 个月和 54-65 个月）的发育结果。在大流行期间，在沟通、认知、社会互动、自理和精细运动技能方面，所有年龄组都出现了明显的潜在发育迟缓增加。所有五个年龄组在沟通和精细运动技能方面都受到了显著的干扰。来自社会经济弱势群体的儿童在所有领域都面临更高的风险。这些发现强调需要有针对性的干预措施和持续监测，以满足受大流行相关干扰影响的儿童的发展需求。
