Characterization of General Movements in Infants from the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo and the Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Early Motor Repertoire

• Grant number: 25/00208-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Yuri Panvequio Aizawa
• Grantee: Bruna Lissa Monobe
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Neurodevelopmental delay can be influenced by various risk factors, including biological and environmental ones. Social vulnerability and prematurity are factors that are present in a large portion of the infants followed at the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo, which can directly impact child development. The Prechtl's General Movements Assessment (GMA) has a high predictive power in analyzing neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm and term infants with risk factors for the early identification of children at risk of developing neurological alterations. Objectives: i) To identify and describe the motor repertoire through the GMA of newborns and infants from HU/USP; ii) to identify clinical and socioeconomic risk factors and verify their influence on the motor repertoire (General Movements - GMs) of the evaluated infants. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. The participants will be newborns and preterm and term infants between the preterm phase and 5 months of corrected age (in the case of preterm infants), at risk for delays and neurodevelopmental alterations, who were followed at the High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Outpatient Clinic and the Neonatology Service of HU/USP. Videos recorded between March 2022 and February 2025 will be analyzed by at least two researchers with international certification (GM Trust) using the qualitative method of assessing Prechtl's GMs, and they will be accompanied by the student BLM. The data will be presented descriptively, and linear and logistic regression models will be constructed to analyze possible associations of clinical and socioeconomic parameters with the categories of GMs. (AU)