Study of motor development in children in the first year of life exposed to environmental pollutants

Neuromotor development begins at conception, being influenced by the neurological, behavioral, cognitive, and environmental maturation of the child. Its adequate outcome makes the child capable of responding to the demands imposed by life in society and their individual needs, taking into account their environmental context (FIGUEIRAS, 2005; SILVA et al, 2015).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), enabling adequate child development is essential for more children and communities to thrive. In 2016, the WHO reported data on more than 200 million children under 5 years of age, stating that they had not reached their developmental potential due to multifactorial causes and identified environmental causes as an important factor in adverse outcomes (BLACK et al, 2016; BRITTO et al, 2016, WHO, 2018).

The present study is part of the PIPA project, a prospective longitudinal study investigating the effect of environmental pollutants on children's health and how this may be influenced by genetic inheritance and living conditions. A birth cohort focused on environmental pollutants is necessary to investigate the relationships between environmental exposures, perinatal factors, and long-term effects (LANDRIGAN; BAKER, 2015; GOLDING et al, 2009).