Risk factors for developmental vulnerability: Insight from population-level surveillance using the Early Development Instrument

OBJECTIVES: Population-level studies may elucidate the most promising intervention targets to prevent negative outcomes of developmental vulnerability in children. This study aims to bridge the current literature gap on identifying population-level developmental vulnerability risk factors using combined social and biological/health information. METHODS: This study assessed developmental vulnerability among kindergarten children using the 2016 Early Development Instrument (EDI) and identified risk factors of developmental vulnerability using EDI data cross-linked to a population-wide administrative health dataset. A total number of 23,494 children aged 5–6 were included (48% female). Prenatal, neonatal, and early childhood risk factors for developmental vulnerability were investigated, highlighting the most important ones contributing to early development. RESULTS: The main risk factors for developmental vulnerability were children with a history of mental health diagnosis (risk ratio = 1.46), biological sex–male (risk ratio = 1.51), and poor socioeconomic status (risk ratio = 1.58). CONCLUSION: Our study encompasses both social and health information in a populational-level representative sample of Alberta, Canada. The results confirm evidence established in other geographic regions and jurisdictions and demonstrate the association between perinatal risk factors and developmental vulnerability. Based on these results, we argue that the health system should adopt a multilevel prevention and intervention strategy, targeting individual, family, and community together.