Effects Of Wearing A Brain Booster Smart Belt During Pregnancy On The Development Of Babies Aged 1–12 Months

Abstract

Child development is an important issue that requires urgent global attention. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia has developed programs to increase fetal/child development potential. One of the three main programs is performed cognitive stimulation through sound stimulation using a brain booster smart belt. The study aimed to determine the effects of using the brain booster smart belt during pregnancy on the development of babies aged 1–12 months. This study was conducted in 2019 with a retrospective cohort design. The exposed group included 73 babies from mothers who wore the smart belt during pregnancy. The non-exposed group had 73 randomly selected babies from mothers who did not wear the smart belt. Data collection was carried out by trained midwives who also assessed infant development using the Denver Form II. Of 146 babies aged 1–12 months, 12.3% experienced developmental delays (20.5% babies from mothers who did not wear the Smart Belt and 4.1% babies from the mothers who wore the smart belt). The use of the smart belt has significant effects on the development of babies aged 1–12 months, with an adjusted OR of 6.88 (95% CI: 1.76–26.88). Babies born to mothers who did not wear the smart belt during pregnancy have a 6.9 times greater risk of experiencing developmental delays than babies born to mothers who wore the smart belt during pregnancy. The brain booster smart belt program for pregnant women should be continued and monitoring the program’s implementation is necessary.