Biological and environmental risk for poor developmental outcome of young children.

A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted to develop and field test a state-wide screening method for identifying children at risk for developmental problems. Families of 2.5- to 3-year-old children were sampled from the Ohio birth certificate register. Standardized telephone interviews were conducted with 1,601 parents concerning home environment and demographic characteristics. Developmental delay, the outcome variable, was defined by low scores on an abbreviated Developmental Profile II, which was also administered over the telephone. Obstetric history and health status of the newborns was obtained from birth certificates. By means of logistic regression analysis, we found six independent variables representing environmental and biological determinants.