Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acıd Supplementation During Pregnancy and Lactation Period on Neuromotor Development of the Children Between the Ages of 0 to 2

Abstract

The aim of this study is to establish the effect of omega 3 fatty acid supplement to women in pregnancy and lactation on the neuromotor development of children aged 0-2. The study has been carried out with 58 pregnant women-infants. The social-demographic information and anthropometric measurements of pregnant women and infants have been attained via a survey form. The women were given omega fatty acid supplement in the last trimester of pregnancy and first six months of lactation. The neuromotor development of infants was evaluated using the “Denver II Developmental Screening Test”. The study data has been processed using the SPSS 24.0 statistical package software. It has been found that the item success scores were higher for omega group (p>0.05) in all skills, except fine motor skills at age one and language and personal social development at age two. It has been observed that all skills in both groups developed in time/chronologically and the study group was significantly higher (p<0.001) in ages one-two development comparison and six month-one-year age development in personal social development. The general evaluation found that the children with normal development were in the omega group, and a higher rate (p>0.05) of children with equivocal and abnormal development in the control group. Consequently, it has been established that omega 3 fatty acid supplement in pregnancy and lactation periods significantly supports the neuromotor development of infants in ages 0-2. It is considered beneficial to carry out more comprehensive studies on the topic.