Factors Associated with Participation Patterns of Young Brazilian Children with Myelomeningocele.

Aims: To describe participation patterns and identify factors associated with participation of young Brazilian children with myelomeningocele (MMC) in their home, daycare/preschool, and community settings.

Methods: The participants were parents/caregivers of 70 children with MMC, averaging 26.7 (±17.3) months in age. Participation was measured by the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) completed by interview. Simple and stepwise multiple linear egression models were used to examine factors associated with participation.

Results: On average children participated in home activities a few times a week, community activities once a month to a few times in the last month, and daycare or preschool activities once to a few times in the past four months. Age was associated with participation frequency (R² = 0.32; p < .0001) and number of activities (R² = 0.27; p < .02) in daycare/preschool and in the number of activities in the community (R² = 0.30; p < .0001). Number of environmental facilitators was associated with the desire for change in participation in daycare/preschool (R² = 0.21; p < .04). Mobility performance was associated with children's level of involvement (R² = 0.10; p = .006) and caregivers' desire for change in community participation (R² = 0.11; p = .006).

Conclusion: Knowledge of participation and factors that influence participation can help in designing interventions to improve participation opportunities for young children with MMC.