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Research Article: Factors associated with cognitive developmental delay risk in 12-month-old infants

Date Published: 2026-06-22

Abstract:
To identify factors associated with the risk of cognitive developmental delay in 12-month-old infants and provide evidence for early risk screening and intervention. A case–control study was conducted among 762 twelve-month-old children who underwent developmental screening with the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) at Sichuan Provincial Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from 2024 to 2025. Of these, 381 with suspected or abnormal development were assigned to the case group, and 381 with normal results served as controls. Perinatal, family, and caregiving factors were collected and were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Cesarean delivery (OR?=?1.42, 95% CI: 1.05–1.93), maternal alcohol use during pregnancy (OR?=?9.12, 95% CI: 1.09–76.33), pre-pregnancy overweight (OR?=?1.62, 95% CI: 1.02–2.58) and obesity (OR?=?2.54, 95% CI: 1.08–5.95), inadequate (OR?=?4.09, 95% CI: 1.74–9.62) or excessive (OR?=?1.59, 95% CI: 1.10–2.29) gestational weight gain, and grandparental caregiving (OR?=?1.80, 95% CI: 1.32–2.46) were independent risk factors. Higher paternal education (postgraduate or above; OR?=?0.06, 95% CI: 0.01–0.56) and annual household income > 300,000 CNY (OR?=?0.31, 95% CI: 0.12–0.80) were protective. Cognitive developmental risk at 12 months was associated with multiple perinatal, familial, and caregiving-related factors. A comprehensive assessment of potentially modifiable factors, including delivery mode, maternal weight status, gestational weight gain, prenatal alcohol exposure, and caregiving arrangements, may help identify infants at increased developmental risk and provide evidence for targeted early prevention and intervention strategies.

Introduction:
Early neuropsychological development forms the foundation for lifelong mental health and social adaptation. Among its dimensions, cognitive development represents a central domain, intricately linked to basic functions such as language, attention, and memory, as well as to higher-order functions like emotional regulation and social cognition. A growing body of evidence suggests that cognitive levels during infancy and early childhood are closely associated with later learning capacity, social competence, and…

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