OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical and neurobehavioral variables for the development of preterm newborns. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of twenty-one preterm newborns of both genders and mean gestational and chronological ages of 32 weeks (± 1.7) and 27 days (± 15.2), respectively, who were assessed while still in hospital. The medical files were used to collect data on the gestation, delivery, complications developed and on the Neonatal Medical Index (NMI). The newborns were evaluated using the Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI) in seven categories: scarf sign, motor development and vigor, popliteal angle, alertness and orientation, irritability, cry quality and percent asleep. The data were analyzed using SPSS® statistical software based on descriptive statistics (frequencies, means and standard deviations), Student's t test for comparison of groups (study sample versus normative NAPI sample) and Spearman's correlation test (clinical variables and NAPI categories). RESULTS: The preterm newborns' performance was statistically significantly different from the normative NAPI group in relation to the variables of scarf sign, motor development and vigor and cry quality. The NMI correlated negatively with scarf sign (r= -0.60). Alert behavioral state during inactivity correlated positively with motor development and vigor (r= 0.59) and with cry quality (r= 0.71). The most frequent maternal complications were genitourinary tract infection (47%) and gestational arterial hypertension (24%), and the neonatal complications were hyaline membrane syndrome (86%), neonatal infection (57%) and hyperbilirubinemia (47%). CONCLUSION: Neurobehavioral assessment and clinical data are variables that must be considered when working with newborns at risk of delayed development.
neurobehavior; preterm; clinical characteristics; development
