Objective: To validate the Hindi translation of Survey of well-being of young children (SWYC), a screening questionnaire to detect developmental delay and emotional-behavior problems by primary caregivers in Indian children.
Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was done at the child development clinic of our private-sector tertiary care hospital. 180 children of either sex, 60 each in age group of 9, 18 and 24 months were enrolled in the study (30 high-risk and 30 low-risk in each group). Hindi translated version of SWYC age-specific questionnaire was administered to the parents, followed by a standardized development assessment by using the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID III).
Result: SWYC Milestone score and Emotional/behavior scores showed a statistically significant correlation with BSID III (P<0.001). Milestone score's overall sensitivity in detecting developmental delay was 94.4% and specificity was 93.4%. The sensitivity was best for the 24-month (100%) and specificity was best for 18-month questionnaire (96.7%). Behavioral score's overall sensitivity was 68.4% and specificity 92.3%. The best sensitivity was for 18-month questionnaire (72%), and specificity for 24-month questionnaire (100%). SWYC had better sensitivity for detecting developmental delay in high-risk group (95.4%), and higher specificity in low risk group (95.5%).
Conclusion: SWYC has strong test characteristics for detecting milestone delay and emotional/behavior problems in Indian children.