• Youn Young Choi, Kyung-Shin Lee, Seul Gi Park, You Sun Kim, Jeehye Lee, Ho Kyung Sung, and Myoung-Hee Kim.
• Public Health Research Institute, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2024 Aug 12; 39 (31): e243e243.

AbstractThis study employed a longitudinal analysis to evaluate the association between the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and neurodevelopment by analyzing over 1.8 million children from the Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children included in South Korea's National Health Screening Program. We compared the developmental outcomes in five age groups-9-17 months, 18-29 months, 30-41 months, 42-53 months, and 54-65 months-between the pre-pandemic (2018-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods. Significant increases in potential developmental delays were observed during the pandemic in communication, cognitive, social interaction, self-care, and fine motor skills across most age groups. All five age groups experienced notable disruptions in communication and fine motor skills. Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds faced higher risks across all domains. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and continuous monitoring to support the developmental needs of children affected by pandemic-related disruptions.© 2024 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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