ArticleBMC pediatrics2026
Exploring prevalence and key determinants of developmental difficulties among young children: a cross-sectional study in urban Bangladesh.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsDevelopmental difficulties (DD) refer to delays, disorders, or disabilities in a child's development across domains such as cognition, language, motor, and social-emotional functioning. Evidence on DD among very young children in urban Bangladesh remains limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of suspected DD and identify associated factors among young children in urban Bangladesh.
methodsThis cross-sectional study, conducted in Bangladesh, recruited 405 children aged 0-3 years and their parents using multistage sampling with random ward selection followed by household recruitment. Participants were enrolled from eight different wards in Dhaka City between July 2023 and October 2024. Data were collected through interviews and observations using a semi-structured questionnaire, including the Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart (TDSC) for 0-3 years. The chi-square test was used to examine the association between the dependent variables and covariates, while logistic regression assessed the strength of the associations.
resultsOverall, 27.9% screened positive for suspected DD. Higher prevalence was observed among younger children (≤ 12 months, p = 0.007), children with low birth weight (LBW) (p < 0.001), and those from lower- and middle-income families (p = 0.025). In adjusted analysis, age ≤ 12 months (AOR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.65-4.70), LBW (AOR: 6.20, 95% CI: 2.84-13.52), and poor hygiene practices (AOR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.39-5.75) were independently associated with suspected DD.
conclusionOne in four young children aged 0-3 years in urban Bangladesh screens positive for suspected DD. The findings underscore the need for early screening and for strengthening clinical, social, and environmental interventions to mitigate developmental challenges and enhance early childhood development.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.