Hernieuwde evaluatie van de referentiewaarden van het Van Wiechenonderzoek [Renewed evaluation of the reference values of the Dutch Development Instrument]
article
Introduction: In Dutch Youth Health Care (YHC), child development is investigated with the Dutch Development Instrument (DDI; in Dutch: Van Wiechenonderzoek). Reference values from the DDI only indicate that at least 90% of children achieve a milestone at the recommended age. The YHC-professional is not aware whether this percentage is 90% or, for example, 99%. Aim of this study is to evaluate the reference values of the DDI in a Dutch population, and to investigate whether there are differences between boys and girls. Methods: Anonymized DDI results, collected in the period 2011-2013 by the YHC in The Hague, have been compared with results from previous studies. In addition, it was investigated whether there are relevant (≥5%) differences between boys and girls. Results: The percentage of children achieving a milestone at a recommended age varied from 81%-100%. About a quarter of the milestones showed a relevant difference between boys and girls. In most cases, the percentage of girls who achieved a milestone was higher than the percentage of boys. Conclusion: There is a large variation in the percentage of children achieving a milestone at a recommended age. It is recommended to make age-specific (and sometimes sex-specific) reference values available to YHC-professionals.
Topics
TNO Identifier
957782
Source
JGZ Tijdschrift voor Jeugdgezondheidszorg, 53(5-6), pp. 153-162.
Pages
153-162