The relation between young children's physiological arousal and their motivation to help others.

Science.gov (United States)

Hepach, Robert; Vaish, Amrisha; Müller, Katharina; Tomasello, Michael

2017-10-10

Children are motivated to help others from an early age. However, little is known about the internal biological mechanisms underlying their motivation to help. Here, we compiled data from five separate studies in which children, ranging in age from 18 months to 5.5 years, witnessed an adult needing help. In all studies, we assessed both (1) children's internal physiological arousal via changes in their pupil dilation, and (2) the latency and likelihood of them providing help. The results showed that the greater the baseline-corrected change in children's internal arousal in response to witnessing the need situation, the faster and more likely children were to help the adult. This was not the case for the baseline measure of children's tonic arousal state. Together, these results suggest that children's propensity to help is systematically related to their physiological arousal after they witness others needing help. This sheds new light on the biological mechanisms underlying not only young children's social perception but also their prosocial motivation more generally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Children's intergroup helping: The role of empathy and peer group norms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, Jellie; Thijs, Jochem; Verkuijten, Maykel

2014-01-01

Two studies examined children's (8- to 13-year-olds) intergroup helping intentions. In Study 1, 856 children indicated their intention to help national in-group or out-group peers in a high need situation and in either a public or private context. Results showed that children's empathic tendencies

Ten Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy

Science.gov (United States)

... we do » Resource library » Ten tips for parents Ten Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy Publication Created with Sketch. Ten Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Avoid ...

Insurance premiums and insurance coverage of near-poor children.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadley, Jack; Reschovsky, James D; Cunningham, Peter; Kenney, Genevieve; Dubay, Lisa

States increasingly are using premiums for near-poor children in their public insurance programs (Medicaid/SCHIP) to limit private insurance crowd-out and constrain program costs. Using national data from four rounds of the Community Tracking Study Household Surveys spanning the seven years from 1996 to 2003, this study estimates a multinomial logistic regression model examining how public and private insurance premiums affect insurance coverage outcomes (Medicaid/SCHIP coverage, private coverage, and no coverage). Higher public premiums are significantly associated with a lower probability of public coverage and higher probabilities of private coverage and uninsurance; higher private premiums are significantly related to a lower probability of private coverage and higher probabilities of public coverage and uninsurance. The results imply that uninsurance rates will rise if both public and private premiums increase, and suggest that states that impose or increase public insurance premiums for near-poor children will succeed in discouraging crowd-out of private insurance, but at the expense of higher rates of uninsurance. Sustained increases in private insurance premiums will continue to create enrollment pressures on state insurance programs for children.

Randomized Clinical Trial of Lansoprazole for Poorly Controlled Asthma in Children

Science.gov (United States)

Holbrook, Janet T.; Wise, Robert A.; Gold, Benjamin D.; Blake, Kathryn; Brown, Ellen D.; Castro, Mario; Dozor, Allen J.; Lima, John; Mastronarde, John G.; Sockrider, Marianna; Teague, W. Gerald

2013-01-01

Context Asymptomatic gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is prevalent in children with asthma. It is not known whether treatment of GER with a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) improves asthma control. Objective To determine whether lansoprazole is effective in reducing asthma symptoms in children without overt GER. Design, Setting, and Patients A multicenter, randomized, masked, placebo controlled, parallel clinical trial comparing lansoprazole to placebo in children with poor asthma control on inhaled corticosteroid treatment conducted at 18 academic clinical centers. Participants were followed for 24 weeks. A subgroup had an esophageal pH study before randomization. Intervention Children received either lansoprazole (15 mg daily lansoprazole and placebo groups, respectively (P=0.12). There were no detectable treatment differences in secondary outcomes (mean (95% CI) for FEV1(0.00 (−0.08, 0.08)), asthma quality of life (−0.1 (−0.4, 0.1) or episodes of poor asthma control, hazard ratio of 1.18 (95% CI 0.91, 1.53). Among the 115 children with esophageal pH studies, the prevalence of GER was 43%. In the subgroup with a positive pH study, no treatment effect for lansoprazole versus placebo was observed for any asthma outcome. Children treated with lansoprazole reported more upper respiratory infections (63% vs 49%, P=0.02), sore throats (52% vs 39%, P=0.02), and bronchitis (7% vs 2%, P=0.05). Conclusion Among children with poorly controlled asthma without symptoms of GER who were using inhaled corticosteroids, the addition of lansoprazole, as compared to placebo, did not improve symptoms nor lung function but was associated with increased adverse events. PMID:22274684

What Schools Are Doing To Help the Children of Divorce.

Science.gov (United States)

Sammons, William A. H.; Lewis, Jennifer M.

2000-01-01

Describes how teachers' observations of children can help behavioral pediatricians identify family situations contributing to marked changes in children's behavior related to divorce. Discusses ways teachers can support children of divorce, including maintaining consistency and discipline, making children feel competent, listening to the child's…

Lansoprazole for children with poorly controlled asthma: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Holbrook, Janet T; Wise, Robert A; Gold, Benjamin D; Blake, Kathryn; Brown, Ellen D; Castro, Mario; Dozor, Allen J; Lima, John J; Mastronarde, John G; Sockrider, Marianna M; Teague, W Gerald

2012-01-25

Asymptomatic gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is prevalent in children with asthma. Untreated GER has been postulated to be a cause of inadequate asthma control in children despite inhaled corticosteroid treatment, but it is not known whether treatment with proton pump inhibitors improves asthma control. To determine whether lansoprazole is effective in reducing asthma symptoms in children without overt GER. The Study of Acid Reflux in Children With Asthma, a randomized, masked, placebo-controlled, parallel clinical trial that compared lansoprazole with placebo in children with poor asthma control who were receiving inhaled corticosteroid treatment. Three hundred six participants enrolled from April 2007 to September 2010 at 19 US academic clinical centers were followed up for 24 weeks. A subgroup had an esophageal pH study before randomization. Participating children were randomly assigned to receive either lansoprazole, 15 mg/d if weighing less than 30 kg or 30 mg/d if weighing 30 kg or more (n = 149), or placebo (n = 157). The primary outcome measure was change in Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score (range, 0-6; a 0.5-unit change is considered clinically meaningful). Secondary outcome measures included lung function measures, asthma-related quality of life, and episodes of poor asthma control. The mean age was 11 years (SD, 3 years). The mean difference in change (lansoprazole minus placebo) in the ACQ score was 0.2 units (95% CI, 0.0-0.3 units). There were no statistically significant differences in the mean difference in change for the secondary outcomes of forced expiratory volume in the first second (0.0 L; 95% CI, -0.1 to 0.1 L), asthma-related quality of life (-0.1; 95% CI, -0.3 to 0.1), or rate of episodes of poor asthma control (relative risk, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.9-1.5). Among the 115 children with esophageal pH studies, the prevalence of GER was 43%. In the subgroup with a positive pH study, no treatment effect for lansoprazole vs placebo was observed for

Helping Children Learn Vocabulary during Computer-Assisted Oral Reading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregory Aist

2002-04-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses an indispensable skill using a unique method to teach a critical component: helping children learn to read by using computer-assisted oral reading to help children learn vocabulary. We build on Project LISTEN’s Reading Tutor, a computer program that adapts automatic speech recognition to listen to children read aloud, and helps them learn to read (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~listen. To learn a word from reading with the Reading Tutor, students must encounter the word and learn the meaning of the word in context. We modified the Reading Tutor first to help students encounter new words and then to help them learn the meanings of new words. We then compared the Reading Tutor to classroom instruction and to human-assisted oral reading as part of a yearlong study with 144 second and third graders. The result: Second graders did about the same on word comprehension in all three conditions. However, third graders who read with the 1999 Reading Tutor, modified as described in this paper, performed statistically significantly better than other third graders in a classroom control on word comprehension gains – and even comparably with other third graders who read one-on-one with human tutors.

QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH SELF-PERCEPTION IN CHILDREN WITH POOR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE.

Science.gov (United States)

Rezende, Bárbara Antunes; Lemos, Stela Maris Aguiar; Medeiros, Adriane Mesquita de

2017-01-01

To examine the association between quality of life and health self-perception of children with poor school performance, considering sociodemographic factors. An analytical, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted with 99 children aged 7 to 12 years receiving specialized educational assistance. Parents and legal guardians answered questions concerning the sociodemographic profile. For an assessment of the quality of life and proposed domains (autonomy, functioning, leisure, and family), the children completed the Autoquestionnarie Qualité de Vie Enfant Imagé (AUQEI) and answered a question concerning their self-perceived health. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression, considering a 5% significance level. Among the evaluated children, 69 (69.7%) male participants with mean age of 8.7±1.5, 27% self-assessed their health status as poor/very poor, and 36.4% of the children reported having impaired quality of life. As for the domains assessed by AUQEI, there was statistical significance in the associations between family with age, autonomy with economic classification, and leisure and functioning with self-perceived health. The quality of life of children with academic underachievement is associated with their health self-perception and sociodemographic characteristics.

Helping children express grief through symbolic communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Segal, R M

1984-12-01

Communication barriers erected by grieving children delay problem resolution. Use of the expressive arts--music, art, and body movement--in symbolic communication helps them to express overwhelming feelings and cope with trauma and stress.

The Advantages of High/Scope: Helping Children Lead Successful Lives.

Science.gov (United States)

Schweinhart, Lawrence J.; Weikart, David P.

1999-01-01

The High/Scope educational approach emphasizes child-initiated learning activities for preschool/elementary school children. A research study shows that compared to children receiving direct instruction, High/Scope kids later showed more prosocial and less antisocial behaviors. Another study showed that poor High/Scope students had better…

How Computer Games Help Children Learn

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, David Williamson

2008-01-01

This book looks at how particular video and computer games--such as "Digital Zoo", "The Pandora Project", "SodaConstructor", and more--can help teach children and students to think like doctors, lawyers, engineers, urban planners, journalists, and other professionals. In the process, new "smart games" will give them the knowledge and skills they…

A community study of factors related to poorly controlled asthma among Brazilian urban children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia de Magalhães Simões

Full Text Available Asthma constitutes a serious public health problem in many regions of the world, including the city of Salvador, State of Bahia-Brazil. The purpose of this study was to analyse the factors associated with poor asthma control.Two definitions were used for asthma: 1 wheezing in the last 12 months; 2 wheezing in the last 12 months plus other asthma symptoms or asthma diagnosis ever. The definition of poorly controlled asthma was: at least one reported hospitalisation due to asthma and/or high frequency of symptoms, in the last year. Children with poorly controlled asthma (N = 187/374 were compared with wheezing children with controlled asthma regarding age, gender, atopy, parental asthma, rhinitis, eczema, exposure to second hand tobacco smoke, presence of moulds, pets and pests in the house, helminth infections and body mass index. Crude and logistic regression adjusted odds ratios were used as measures of association. There was a higher proportion of poorly controlled asthma among children with eczema (OR = 1.55; 95% CI 1.02; 2.37. The strength of the association was greater among children with eczema and rhinitis (42.6%, 53.4% and 57.7%, respectively, in children who had no rhinitis nor eczema, had only one of those, and had both (p = 0.02 for trend test. The presence of mould in the houses was inversely associated with poorly controlled asthma (OR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.34; 0.87.Our results indicate an association between eczema and poor asthma control in this environment, but emphasize the role of various other individual and environmental factors as determinants of poor control.

Helping Young Children become Citizens of the World

Science.gov (United States)

Swiniarski, Louise Boyle

2006-01-01

Global education gives a framework for teaching children the responsibilities of being world citizen. It helps children find their place in the world community, where they accept differences among cultures and people. It should not be an add-on activity, or a once a year event, but one that integrates international themes into daily curriculum. In…

Crossing a Broad Gray Line to Help Children

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Megan M.

2015-01-01

Helping students with mental health issues sometimes presents teachers with the dilemma of following the letter of school rules or doing what is best for the child. One teacher tells her story of crossing such lines, but only in service to children. She also outlines what teachers can and should do to help students who need mental health services.

The ethnography of help - Supporting families with children with intellectual disabilities

OpenAIRE

Summers, N.

2010-01-01

This thesis explored parents’ of children with learning disabilities perceptions of family support workers’ helping strategies. A qualitative approach drawing on the principles of ethnography was used to explore the experiences of six families of the helping strategies adopted by family workers and posed three research questions:\\ud (1) What are the perceptions of parents, of children with learning disabilities, of the helping strategies of family support workers?\\ud (2) How do parents unders...

Relationships, partnerships and politics in the lives of the urban poor ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper seeks to better understand how poor urban families caring for children are able to access help from beyond the kinship group in a setting where HIV ... Orphan status or gender did not appear to affect children's access to education. Families ... Keywords: child poverty, community-based orphan care, social welfare

Children's Intrinsic Motivation to Provide Help Themselves After Accidentally Harming Others.

Science.gov (United States)

Hepach, Robert; Vaish, Amrisha; Tomasello, Michael

2017-07-01

Little is known about the flexibility of children's prosocial motivation. Here, 2- and 3-year-old children's (n = 128) internal arousal, as measured via changes in pupil dilation, was increased after they accidentally harmed a victim but were unable to repair the harm. If they were able to repair (or if they themselves did not cause the harm and the help was provided by someone else) their arousal subsided. This suggests that children are especially motivated to help those whom they have harmed, perhaps out of a sense of guilt and a desire to reconcile with them. Young children care not only about the well-being of others but also about the relationship they have with those who depend on their help. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Attentional and Executive Function Behaviours in Children with Poor Working Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Gathercole, Susan E.; Alloway, Tracy P.; Kirkwood, Hannah J.; Elliott, Julian G.; Holmes, Joni; Hilton, Kerry A.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the profiles of classroom behaviour relating to attention and executive functions in children with very poor working memory, and to test the hypothesis that inattentive behaviour and working memory problems co-occur. Teachers rated problem behaviours of 52 children with low working memory scores aged 5/6…

Behavioral management in children with intellectual disabilities in a resource-poor setting in Barwani, India

Science.gov (United States)

Lakhan, Ram

2014-01-01

Background: Management of behavioral problems in children with intellectual disabilities (ID) is a great concern in resource-poor areas in India. This study attempted to analyze the efficacy of behavioral intervention provided in resource-poor settings. Objective: This study was aimed to examine the outcome of behavioral management provided to children with ID in a poor rural region in India. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from 104 children between 3 and 18 years old who received interventions for behavioral problems in a clinical or a community setting. The behavioral assessment scale for Indian children with mental retardation (BASIC-MR) was used to quantify the study subjects’ behavioral problems before and after we applied behavioral management techniques (baseline and post-intervention, respectively). The baseline and post-intervention scores were analyzed using the following statistical techniques: Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test for the efficacy of intervention; χ2 for group differences. Results: The study demonstrated behavioral improvements across all behavior domains (P < 0.05). Levels of improvement varied for children with different severities of ID (P = 0.001), between children who did and did not have multiple disabilities (P = 0.011). Conclusion: The outcome of this behavioral management study suggests that behavioral intervention can be effectively provided to children with ID in poor areas. PMID:24574557

Help-Seeking After Domestic Violence: The Critical Role of Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasool, Shahana

2016-05-01

Limited knowledge is available on the conditions that contribute to women's help-seeking after domestic violence in South Africa. Qualitative research conducted with 17 abused women in shelters in South Africa indicate that the best interests of children are influential both in women's decisions to stay in abusive relationships and to seek help. The personal decisions of women to seek help are influenced by powerful social discourses on the best interests of the child. Policy and practice that advocate for the best interests of the child need to prioritize the safety of both mothers and their children in domestic violence situations. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Family Life Project: an epidemiological and developmental study of young children living in poor rural communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Cox, Martha

2013-10-01

About 20% of children in the United States have been reported to live in rural communities, with child poverty rates higher and geographic isolation from resources greater than in urban communities. There have been surprisingly few studies of children living in rural communities, especially poor rural communities. The Family Life Project helped fill this gap by using an epidemiological design to recruit and study a representative sample of every baby born to a mother who resided in one of six poor rural counties over a 1-year period, oversampling for poverty and African American. 1,292 children were followed from birth to 36 months of age. This monograph described these children and used a cumulative risk model to examine the relation between social risk and children's executive functioning, language development, and behavioral competence at 36 months. Using both the Family Process Model of development and the Family Investment Model of development, observed parenting was examined over time in relation to child functioning at 36 months. Different aspects of observed parenting were examined as mediators/moderators of risk in predicting child outcomes. Results suggested that cumulative risk was important in predicting all three major domains of child outcomes and that positive and negative parenting and maternal language complexity were mediators of these relations. Maternal positive parenting was found to be a buffer for the most risky families in predicting behavioral competence. In a final model using both family process and investment measures, there was evidence of mediation but with little evidence of the specificity of parenting for particular outcomes. Discussion focused on the importance of cumulative risk and parenting in understanding child competence in rural poverty and the implications for possible intervention strategies that might be effective in maximizing the early development of these children.

Helping Nevada School Children Become Sun Smart

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2017-11-28

This podcast features Christine Thompson, Community Programs Manager at the Nevada Cancer Coalition, and author of a recent study detailing a school-based program to help Nevada school children establish healthy sun safety habits and decrease UV exposure. Christine answers questions about her research and what impact her what impact the program had on children’s skin health.  Created: 11/28/2017 by Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 11/28/2017.

Young Children Help Others to Achieve Their Social Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Beier, Jonathan S.; Over, Harriet; Carpenter, Malinda

2014-01-01

From early in development, humans have strong prosocial tendencies. Much research has documented young children's propensity to help others achieve their unfulfilled goals toward physical objects. Yet many of our most common and important goals are social--directed toward other people. Here we demonstrate that children are also inclined, and able,…

Effect of Wii-intervention on balance of children with poor motor performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mombarg, Remo; Jelsma, Dorothee; Hartman, Esther

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7-12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an

Effect of Wii-intervention on balance of children with poor motor performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mombarg, Remo; Jelsma, Dorothee; Hartman, Esther

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7–12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an

Development: Ages & Stages--Helping Children Manage Fears

Science.gov (United States)

Poole, Carla; Miller, Susan A.; Church, Ellen Booth

2004-01-01

By watching, listening, and offering gentle reassurance, you can help young children work through their fears. Sudden noises, movement, or unfamiliar people often frighten babies. After 12 months of nurturing experiences with familiar teachers and routines, a baby is more prepared and less easily startled. Preschoolers have a variety of fears such…

Helping Young Children See Math in Play

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, Amy Noelle; Blom, Diana Chang

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide strategies for recognizing meaningful mathematics in common play contexts in early childhood classrooms and to offer suggestions for how teachers might intervene in these moments to help children attend to the mathematical ideas embedded in their play. In particular, the author's focus on the concepts of…

In-group bias in children's intention to help can be overpowered by inducing empathy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, J.; Thijs, J.T.; Verkuyten, M.J.A.M.

2015-01-01

An experimental vignette study was conducted among children (8-13years) to examine whether inducing empathic understanding is an effective intervention to overpower peer group boundaries in children's helping. Children were induced or not induced to empathize with the recipient of help, who was or

Weight-based Teasing and Bullying in Children: How Parents Can Help

Science.gov (United States)

... Weight-based Teasing and Bullying in Children: How Parents Can Help Page Content Children with obesity have to deal with many challenges beyond pressures to lose weight. They may also be teased ...

What You Want Versus What's Good for You: Paternalistic Motivation in Children's Helping Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Alia; Lin, Kelsey; Olson, Kristina R

2016-11-01

Children help others to complete their goals. Yet adults are sometimes motivated to help others in a "paternalistic" way, overriding a recipient's desires if they conflict with the recipient's best interests. Experiments investigated whether 5-year-olds (n = 100) consider a recipient's desire, and the consequences of fulfilling this desire, when helping. Children overrode a request for chocolate in favor of giving fruit snacks, if chocolate would make the recipient sick. Children did not override a request for chocolate in favor of carrots, even if chocolate would make the recipient sick, but they gave carrots if the recipient requested them. By age 5, children balance different motivations when helping, considering the recipient's desires, consequences of fulfilling them, and alternative forms of helping available. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Parental Presence and Encouragement Do Not Influence Helping in Young Children

Science.gov (United States)

Warneken, Felix; Tomasello, Michael

2013-01-01

Young children begin helping others with simple instrumental problems from soon after their first birthdays. In previous observations of this phenomenon, both naturalistic and experimental, children's parents were in the room and could potentially have influenced their behavior. In the two current studies, we gave 24-month-old children the…

Effect of Wii-intervention on balance of children with poor motor performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Mombarg, Remo; Jelsma, Dorothee; Hartman, Esther

2013-09-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7-12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. All children scored below the 16th percentile on a standardized test of motor ability and balance skills (Movement Assessment Battery for children (M-ABC-2)). Before and after a six-week Wii-intervention (M=8h, 22 min, SD=53 min), the balance skills of the experimental group and control group were measured with the M-ABC-2 and the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency (BOT-2). Both groups improved on all tests. The M-ABC-2 and the BOT-2 total balance-scores of the experimental group improved significantly from pre to post intervention, whereas those of the control group showed no significant progress. This resulted in significant interaction-effects, favoring the experimental children. No transfer-effects of the intervention on balance-related skills were demonstrated. Our findings showed that the Wii-balance board is an effective intervention for children with poor balance control. Further development and investigation of the intervention could be directed toward the implementation of the newly acquired balance-skills in daily life. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Wealth Makes Many Friends": Children Expect More Giving From Resource-Rich Than Resource-Poor Individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahl, Richard E; Dunham, Yarrow

2017-08-21

Young children show social preferences for resource-rich individuals, although few studies have explored the causes underlying such preferences. We evaluate the viability of one candidate cause: Children believe that resource wealth relates to behavior, such that they expect the resource rich to be more likely to materially benefit others (including themselves) than the resource poor. In Studies 1 and 2 (ages 4-10), American children from predominantly middle-income families (n = 94) and Indian children from lower income families (n = 30) predicted that the resource rich would be likelier to share with others than the resource poor. In Study 3, American children (n = 66) made similar predictions in an incentivized decision-making task. The possibility that children's expectations regarding giving contribute to prowealth preferences is discussed. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Medial olivocochlear function in children with poor speech-in-noise performance and language disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha-Muniz, Caroline Nunes; Mamede Carvallo, Renata Mota; Schochat, Eliane

2017-05-01

Contralateral masking of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions is a phenomenon that suggests an inhibitory effect of the olivocochlear efferent auditory pathway. Many studies have been inconclusive in demonstrating a clear connection between this system and a behavioral speech-in-noise listening skill. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activation of a medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent in children with poor speech-in-noise (PSIN) performance and children with language impairment and PSIN (SLI + PSIN). Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) with and without contralateral white noise were tested in 52 children (between 6 and 12 years). These children were arranged in three groups: typical development (TD) (n = 25), PSIN (n = 14) and SLI + PSI (n = 13). PSIN and SLI + PSI groups presented reduced otoacoustic emission suppression in comparison with the TD group. Our finding suggests differences in MOC function among children with typical development and children with poor SIN and language problems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determinants of immunization inequality among urban poor children: evidence from Nairobi's informal settlements.

Science.gov (United States)

Egondi, Thaddaeus; Oyolola, Maharouf; Mutua, Martin Kavao; Elung'ata, Patricia

2015-02-27

Despite the relentless efforts to reduce infant and child mortality with the introduction of the National Expanded Programmes on Immunization (EPI) in 1974, major disparities still exist in immunizations coverage across different population sub-groups. In Kenya, for instance, while the proportion of fully immunized children increased from 57% in 2003 to 77% in 2008-9 at national level and 73% in Nairobi, only 58% of children living in informal settlement areas are fully immunized. The study aims to determine the degree and determinants of immunization inequality among the urban poor of Nairobi. We used data from the Nairobi Cross-Sectional Slum Survey of 2012 and the health outcome was full immunization status among children aged 12-23 months. The wealth index was used as a measure of social economic position for inequality analysis. The potential determinants considered included sex of the child and mother's education, their occupation, age at birth of the child, and marital status. The concentration index (CI) was used to quantify the degree of inequality and decomposition approach to assess determinants of inequality in immunization. The CI for not fully immunized was -0.08 indicating that immunization inequality is mainly concentrated among children from poor families. Decomposition of the results suggests that 78% of this inequality is largely explained by the mother's level of education. There exists immunization inequality among urban poor children in Nairobi and efforts to reduce this inequality should aim at targeting mothers with low level of education during immunization campaigns.

Helping Children and Families Deal With Divorce and Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, George J; Weitzman, Carol C

2016-12-01

For the past several years in the United States, there have been more than 800 000 divorces and parent separations annually, with over 1 million children affected. Children and their parents can experience emotional trauma before, during, and after a separation or divorce. Pediatricians can be aware of their patients' behavior and parental attitudes and behaviors that may indicate family dysfunction and that can indicate need for intervention. Age-appropriate explanation and counseling for the child and advice and guidance for the parents, as well as recommendation of reading material, may help reduce the potential negative effects of divorce. Often, referral to professionals with expertise in the social, emotional, and legal aspects of the separation and its aftermath may be helpful for these families. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Mind Conduct disorders in children with poor oral hygiene habits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with excessive tooth decay

OpenAIRE

Dursun, Onur Burak; ?eng?l, Fatih; Esin, ?brahim Sel?uk; Demirci, Tevfik; Y?cel, Nermin; ?mezli, Mehmet Melih

2016-01-01

Introduction Dental caries and poor oral hygiene are among the major childhood public health problems. Although dental research frequently refers to the link between these conditions and behavioural issues, little attention has been paid to understanding the reason for oral health problems from a psychiatric point of view. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between poor oral health and hygiene and parental attitudes towards child rearing, parents? and children?s oral hygien...

Poverty and behavior problems trajectories from 1.5 to 8 years of age: Is the gap widening between poor and non-poor children?

Science.gov (United States)

Mazza, Julia Rachel S E; Boivin, Michel; Tremblay, Richard E; Michel, Gregory; Salla, Julie; Lambert, Jean; Zunzunegui, Maria Victoria; Côté, Sylvana M

2016-08-01

Poverty has been associated with high levels of behavior problems across childhood, yet patterns of associations over time remain understudied. This study aims: (a) to examine whether poverty predicts changes in behavior problems between 1.5 and 8 years of age; (b) to estimate potential selection bias for the observed associations. We used the 1998-2006 waves of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (N = 2120). Main outcomes were maternal ratings of hyperactivity, opposition and physical aggression from 1.5 to 8 years of age. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the longitudinal association between poverty and behavior problems. Models were re-estimated adjusting for wave nonresponse and using multiple imputation to account for attrition. Poverty predicted higher levels of behavior problems between 1.5 and 8 years of age. Poverty predicted hyperactivity and opposition in a time dependent manner. Hyperactivity [Bpoverty*age = 0.052; CI 95 % (0.002; 0.101)] and opposition [Bpoverty*age = 0.049; CI 95 % (0.018; 0.079)] increased at a faster rate up to age 5 years, and then decreased at a slower rate for poor than non-poor children. Physical aggression decreased at a steady rate over time for all children [Bpoverty*age = -0.030; p = 0.064). Estimates remained similar when accounting for attrition. Poverty predicted higher levels of behavior problems between 1.5 and 8 years of age. The difference between poor and non-poor children was stable over time for physical aggression, but increased with age for hyperactivity and opposition. Attrition among poor children did not compromise the validity of results.

The Heterogeneity of Children of Alcoholics: Emotional Needs and Help-Seeking Propensity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, Renee C.; And Others

1993-01-01

Examined parental alcoholism and help-seeking behavior in college students classified as children of alcoholics (COAs, n=83), Help-seeking COAs (n=51), Controls (n=86), and Help-seeking Controls (n=90). Findings revealed that help-seeking appeared to be the more significant variable for discriminating differences in emotional needs of college…

Predictors of Poor School Readiness in Children Without Developmental Delay at Age 2

Science.gov (United States)

Dudovitz, Rebecca N.; Coker, Tumaini R.; Barnert, Elizabeth S.; Biely, Christopher; Li, Ning; Szilagyi, Peter G.; Larson, Kandyce; Halfon, Neal; Zimmerman, Frederick J.; Chung, Paul J.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Current recommendations emphasize developmental screening and surveillance to identify developmental delays (DDs) for referral to early intervention (EI) services. Many young children without DDs, however, are at high risk for poor developmental and behavioral outcomes by school entry but are ineligible for EI. We developed models for 2-year-olds without DD that predict, at kindergarten entry, poor academic performance and high problem behaviors. METHODS: Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), were used for this study. The analytic sample excluded children likely eligible for EI because of DDs or very low birth weight. Dependent variables included low academic scores and high problem behaviors at the kindergarten wave. Regression models were developed by using candidate predictors feasibly obtainable during typical 2-year well-child visits. Models were cross-validated internally on randomly selected subsamples. RESULTS: Approximately 24% of all 2-year-old children were ineligible for EI at 2 years of age but still had poor academic or behavioral outcomes at school entry. Prediction models each contain 9 variables, almost entirely parental, social, or economic. Four variables were associated with both academic and behavioral risk: parental education below bachelor’s degree, little/no shared reading at home, food insecurity, and fair/poor parental health. Areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve were 0.76 for academic risk and 0.71 for behavioral risk. Adding the mental scale score from the Bayley Short Form–Research Edition did not improve areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for either model. CONCLUSIONS: Among children ineligible for EI services, a small set of clinically available variables at age 2 years predicted academic and behavioral outcomes at school entry. PMID:27432845

Children's reasoning about the refusal to help : The role of need, costs, and social perspective taking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, Jellie|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/357399609; Thijs, Jochem|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/187457344; Verkuijten, Maykel|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073378542; Komter, Aafke|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/070789282

2014-01-01

Children (n = 133, aged 8-13) were interviewed about helping situations that systematically varied in recipient's need for help and the costs for the helper. In situations where helping a peer involved low costs, children perceived a moral obligation to help that was independent of peer norms,

Children's Reasoning About the Refusal to Help: The Role of Need, Costs, and Social Perspective Taking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, J.; Thijs, J.T.; Verkuyten, M.J.A.M.; Komter, A.E.

2014-01-01

Children (n=133, aged 8-13) were interviewed about helping situations that systematically varied in recipient's need for help and the costs for the helper. In situations where helping a peer involved low costs, children perceived a moral obligation to help that was independent of peer norms,

Bribes for Behaving: Why Behaviorism Doesn't Help Children Become Good People.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohn, Alfie

1994-01-01

Argues against using punishment and rewards to motivate children, maintaining that, although penalties and prizes may change behavior in the short term, they do not help children become responsible decision makers in the long term. (MDM)

Developmental Trajectories for Children with Dyslexia and Low IQ Poor Readers

Science.gov (United States)

Kuppen, Sarah E. A.; Goswami, Usha

2016-01-01

Reading difficulties are found in children with both high and low IQ and it is now clear that both groups exhibit difficulties in phonological processing. Here, we apply the developmental trajectories approach, a new methodology developed for studying language and cognitive impairments in developmental disorders, to both poor reader groups. The…

Parenting from prison: helping children and mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, P J; Harm, N J

2000-01-01

Incarceration of a mother disrupts the mother-child relationship and the child's emotional development. The researchers evaluated a 15-week parenting program in a women's prison that was designed to enhance mother-child interactions during imprisonment. Pre- and postmeasures for the 104 women were Hudson's (1982) Index of Self-Esteem, Bavolek's (1984) Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory, and semistructured questionnaires. Self-esteem and attitudes about expectations of children, corporal punishment, and family roles improved significantly. Empathy and mother-child interactions through visits and letters improved. Participants identified the most helpful components of the program. Those who had been physically, sexually, and emotionally abused and those who had used drugs and alcohol had positive results. Findings support the value of parent education for self-development of incarcerated mothers and for the welfare of their children.

The Social Organisation of Help during Young Children's Use of the Computer

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Christina

2012-01-01

This article examines some of the ways that young children seek and provide help through social interaction during use of the computer in the home. Although social interaction is considered an important aspect of young children's use of computers, there are still few studies that provide detailed analysis of how young children accomplish that…

Hidden Language Impairments in Children: Parallels between Poor Reading Comprehension and Specific Language Impairment?

Science.gov (United States)

Nation, Kate; Clarke, Paula; Marshall, Catherine M.; Durand, Marianne

2004-01-01

This study investigates the oral language skills of 8-year-old children with impaired reading comprehension. Despite fluent and accurate reading and normal nonverbal ability, these children are poor at understanding what they have read. Tasks tapping 3 domains of oral language, namely phonology, semantics, and morphosyntax, were administered,…

Lifetime Paid Work and Mental Health Problems among Poor Urban 9-to-13-Year-Old Children in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel A. Bordin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To verify if emotional/behavioral problems are associated with lifetime paid work in poor urban children, when taking into account other potential correlates. Methods. Cross-sectional study focused on 9-to-13-year-old children (n=212. In a probabilistic sample of clusters of eligible households (women 15–49 years and son/daughter <18 years, one mother-child pair was randomly selected per household (n=813; response rate = 82.4%. CBCL/6-18 identified child emotional/behavioral problems. Potential correlates include child gender and age, socioeconomic status/SES, maternal education, parental working status, and family social isolation, among others. Multivariate analysis examined the relationship between emotional/behavioral problems and lifetime paid work in the presence of significant correlates. Findings. All work activities were non-harmful (e.g., selling fruits, helping parents at their small business, and baby sitting. Children with lower SES and socially isolated were more involved in paid work than less disadvantaged peers. Children ever exposed to paid work were four times more likely to present anxiety/depression symptoms at a clinical level compared to non-exposed children. Multivariate modeling identified three independent correlates: child pure internalizing problems, social isolation, and low SES. Conclusion. There is an association between lifetime exposure to exclusively non-harmful paid work activities and pure internalizing problems even when considering SES variability and family social isolation.

Effects of Peer Presence on Helping in Introverted and Extroverted Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Suda, William; Fouts, Gregory

1980-01-01

In a simulated emergency situation, 38 introverted and 38 extroverted sixth-grade children were tested in the presence or absence of same-sex confederate peer. In the presence of a peer, more extroverts actively helped than introverts, with no difference occurring for children tested alone. Introverts and extroverts preferred passive and active…

Poor nutrition on the menu: children's meals at America's top chain restaurants.

Science.gov (United States)

Batada, Ameena; Bruening, Meg; Marchlewicz, Elizabeth H; Story, Mary; Wootan, Margo G

2012-06-01

We evaluated the nutritional quality of children's meals at chain restaurants, because children obtain about a third of their daily calories from away-from-home foods and studies show that restaurant foods are often higher in calories and lower in nutritional value than foods prepared at home. We assessed the nutritional quality of children's meals at the 50 largest U.S. restaurant chains by visiting each chain's web site or calling the company. Eighteen of the chains did not have children's meals and 10 did not provide adequate nutrition information to be included in the study. The nutritional quality of each meal combination was evaluated against a set of nutrition standards based on key nutrition recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Of the 22 restaurants that had children's menus and available nutrition information, 99% of 1662 children's meal combinations were of poor nutritional quality. Restaurants should support healthier choices for children by reformulating existing menu items and adding new healthier items, posting calories on menus, and setting nutrition standards for marketing to children.

Do health systems delay the treatment of poor children?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Samuelsen, Helle; Tersbøl, Britt Pinkowski; Mbuyita, Selemani Said

2013-01-01

Child mortality remains one of the major public-health problems in Tanzania. Delays in receiving and accessing adequate care contribute to these high rates. The literature on public health often focuses on the role of mothers in delaying treatment, suggesting that they contact the health system too...... late and that they prefer to treat their children at home, a perspective often echoed by health workers. Using the three-delay methodology, this study focus on the third phase of the model, exploring the delays experienced in receiving adequate care when mothers with a sick child contact a health......-care facility. The overall objective is to analyse specific structural factors embedded in everyday practices at health facilities in a district in Tanzania which cause delays in the treatment of poor children and to discuss possible changes to institutions and social technologies....

The Effectiveness of Supermarket Posters in Helping to Find Missing Children

Science.gov (United States)

Lampinen, James Michael; Arnal, Jack; Hicks, Jason L.

2009-01-01

One approach used to help find missing children is to place posters of them at the exits of supermarkets. The present research addresses the question of how effective that approach is likely to be. Posters of 8 missing children were displayed on a bulletin board at a cooperating grocery store. Customers leaving the store completed a survey and…

Young Children Want to See Others Get the Help They Need

Science.gov (United States)

Hepach, Robert; Vaish, Amrisha; Grossmann, Tobias; Tomasello, Michael

2016-01-01

Children's instrumental helping has sometimes been interpreted as a desire to complete action sequences or to restore the physical order of things. Two-year-old children (n = 51) selectively retrieved for an adult the object he needed rather than one he did not (but which equally served to restore the previous order of things), and those with…

Dance Movement as a Way to Help Children Affected by War

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Fran J.; Ranjbar, Azita; Dean, Colleen Hearn

2006-01-01

In the midst of the violence of the 21st century, many children fear that they or someone they know will lose a relative or friend through terrorism. Professionals in dance movement therapy, dance education, and physical education can help children to overcome their fears in order to feel safe and to build self-esteem. This article examines how…

Children's early helping in action: Piagetian developmental theory and early prosocial behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, Stuart I

2014-01-01

After a brief overview of recent research on early helping, outlining some central problems, and issues, this paper examines children's early helping through the lens of Piagetian moral and developmental theory, drawing on Piaget's "Moral Judgment of the Child" (Piaget, 1932/1997), "Play, Dreams, and Imitation in Childhood" (Piaget, 1945/1951), and the "Grasp of Consciousness" (Piaget, 1976). Piaget refers to a level of moral development in action that precedes heteronomous and autonomous moral reasoning. This action level allows children to begin to interact with people and objects. In his later work, Piaget explores the gradual construction of understanding from this activity level. Taken together, these elements of Piagetian theory provide a promising conceptual framework for understanding the development of early helping.

A neoliberalisation of civil society? Self-help groups and the labouring class poor in rural South India.

Science.gov (United States)

Pattenden, Jonathan

2010-01-01

This paper notes the prominence of self-help groups (SHGs) within current anti-poverty policy in India, and analyses the impacts of government- and NGO-backed SHGs in rural North Karnataka. It argues that self-help groups represent a partial neoliberalisation of civil society in that they address poverty through low-cost methods that do not challenge the existing distribution of power and resources between the dominant class and the labouring class poor. It finds that intra-group savings and loans and external loans/subsidies can provide marginal economic and political gains for members of the dominant class and those members of the labouring classes whose insecure employment patterns currently provide above poverty line consumption levels, but provide neither material nor political gains for the labouring class poor. Target-oriented SHG catalysts are inattentive to how the social relations of production reproduce poverty and tend to overlook class relations and socio-economic and political differentiation within and outside of groups, which are subject to interference by dominant class local politicians and landowners.

Task Persistence Mediates the Effect of Children's Literacy Skills on Mothers' Academic Help

Science.gov (United States)

Kikas, Eve; Silinskas, Gintautas

2016-01-01

This longitudinal study aimed at examining the relationship between children's task persistence, mothers' academic help, and the development of children's literacy skills (reading and spelling) at the beginning of primary school. The participants were 870 children, 682 mothers, and 53 class teachers. Data were collected three times--at the…

The Children of the Night need your help

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2015-01-01

The “Children of the Night” is a colloquial name given to children suffering from Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a genetic disorder that causes extreme sensitivity to ultraviolet light. When affected individuals are exposed to the sun, their skin undergoes alterations that can quickly develop into cancer. Special equipment has been developed to protect them from UV exposure but it is uncomfortable and very expensive. The association THE Port has a project to help the children afflicted by the disorder and their families and is looking for experts who can contribute.   Visiting the Synchrocyclotron. Their homes are kept in darkness and they leave them only at nighttime. During the day they can’t go anywhere without a special suit that protects their skin and eyes from the sun’s rays. Mutant genes in their DNA impair their bodies’ capacity to repair and accurately replicate DNA damaged by UV light. This deficiency causes cancers to develo...

Nightmare Help: A Guide for Adults Working with Children (Slide Talk).

Science.gov (United States)

Wiseman, Ann Sayre

This slide talk offers advice to adults to help children cope with nightmares. Children are encouraged (1) to assume power over the dream by drawing it; (2) separate the frightened part of the self from the problem-solving self; (3) let the picture describe the problem; (4) ask the picture to speak; (5) see how the dreamer's power matches the…

Prevalence of high astigmatism, eyeglass wear, and poor visual acuity among Native American grade school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Erin M; Dobson, Velma; Miller, Joseph M

2006-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of astigmatism and poor visual acuity and rate of eyeglass wear in grade school children who are members of a Native American tribe reported to have a high prevalence of large amounts of astigmatism. Vision screening was conducted on 1,327 first through eighth grade children attending school on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. Noncycloplegic autorefraction was conducted on the right and left eye of each child using the Nikon Retinomax K+ autorefractor, and monocular recognition acuity was tested using ETDRS logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) letter charts. Tohono O'odham children had a high prevalence of high astigmatism (42% had > or = 1.00 D in the right or left eye) and the axis of astigmatism was uniformly with-the-rule. However, only a small percentage of children arrived at the vision screening wearing glasses, and the prevalence of poor visual acuity (20/40 or worse in either eye) was high (35%). There was a significant relation between amount of astigmatism and uncorrected visual acuity with each additional diopter of astigmatism resulting in an additional 1 logMAR line reduction in visual acuity. Uncorrected astigmatism and poor visual acuity are prevalent among Tohono O'odham children. The results highlight the importance of improving glasses-wearing compliance, determining barriers to receiving eye care, and initiating public education programs regarding the importance of early identification and correction of astigmatism in Tohono O'odham children.

Children-at-risk for poor nutrition: expanding the approach of future professionals in educational institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shor, Ron

2011-08-01

To examine how the subject of nutrition is being addressed in the work with children at risk of poor nutrition in educational institutions and what the barriers are which may hinder inclusion of this subject. A structured questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of this study and was implemented with 111 students in Israel who are working in their internships in educational institutions with children who are exposed to risk factors of poor nutrition (e.g., parental neglect, lack of knowledge, poverty). Participants attributed a high level of importance to integrating nutrition-related components in their work. However, the findings indicate less emphasis on nutrition-related components than on psycho-social-educational components, as well as a low level of collaboration with specialists in the area of nutrition. In addition, it was found that knowledge-based barriers and institutional-related systemic barriers may hinder future teachers' capabilities to incorporate those components despite their favorable approach towards this subject. The findings illuminate the need to reduce barriers hampering the individual work with children at risk of poor nutrition in educational institutions. In the training of future teachers, there is a need to advance a bio-psycho-social educational approach incorporating a knowledge base about assessing situations of poor nutrition, including how to advance an interdisciplinary collaboration with specialists in the area of nutrition. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can Executive Functions Help to Understand Children with Mathematical Learning Disorders and to Improve Instruction?

Science.gov (United States)

Desoete, Annemie; De Weerdt, Frauke

2013-01-01

Working memory, inhibition and naming speed was assessed in 22 children with mathematical learning disorders (MD), 17 children with a reading learning disorder (RD), and 45 children without any learning problems between 8 and 12 years old. All subjects with learning disorders performed poorly on working memory tasks, providing evidence that they…

Giardiasis and Poor Vitamin A Status among Aboriginal School Children in Rural Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Mekhlafi, Hesham M.; Surin, Johari; Sallam, Atiya A.; Abdullah, Ariffin W.; Mahdy, Mohammed A. K.

2010-01-01

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 241 primary schoolchildren in Pahang, Malaysia to update their vitamin A status and to investigate the association of poor vitamin A status with their health and socioeconomic factors. All children were screened for intestinal parasitic infections. Blood samples were collected and vitamin A status was assessed. Socioeconomic data were collected by using pre-tested questionnaires. The results showed that 66 (27.4%) children had low serum retinol levels (Malaysia. Vitamin A supplementation and treatment of intestinal parasitic infections should be distributed periodically to these children to improve their health and nutritional status. PMID:20810815

Can microcredit help improve the health of poor women? Some findings from a cross-sectional study in Kerala, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohindra, Ks; Haddad, Slim; Narayana, D

2008-01-10

This study examines associations between female participation in a microcredit program in India, known as self help groups (SHGs), and women's health in the south Indian state of Kerala. Because SHGs do not have a formal health program, this provides a unique opportunity to assess whether SHG participation influences women's health via the social determinants of health. This cross-sectional study used special survey data collected in 2003 from one Panchayat (territorial decentralized unit). Information was collected on women's characteristics, health determinants (exclusion to health care, exposure to health risks, decision-making agency), and health achievements (self assessed health, markers of mental health). The study sample included 928 non elderly poor women. The primary finding is that compared to non-participants living in a household without a SHG member, the odds of facing exclusion is significantly lower among early joiners, women who were members for more than 2 years (OR = 0.58, CI = 0.41-0.80), late joiners, members for 2 years and less (OR = 0.60, CI = 0.39-0.94), and non-participants who live in a household with a SHG member (OR = 0.53, CI = 0.32-0.90). We also found that after controlling for key women's characteristics, early joiners of a SHG are less likely to report emotional stress and poor life satisfaction compared to non-members (OR = 0.52, CI = 0.30-0.93; OR = 0.32, CI = 0.14-0.71). No associations were found between SHG participation and self assessed health or exposure to health risks. The relationship between SHG participation and decision-making agency is unclear. Microcredit is not a panacea, but could help to improve the health of poor women by addressing certain issues relevant to the context. In Kerala, SHG participation can help protect poor women against exclusion to health care and possibly aid in promoting their mental health.

Use of a task-oriented self-instruction method to support children in primary school with poor handwriting quality and speed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jongmans, M.J.; Linthorst-Bakker, E.; Westenberg, Y.; Smits-Engelsman, B.C.M.

2003-01-01

Two studies were conducted to investigate the effect of a task-specific self-instruction intervention to improve handwriting ability of children with poor handwriting quality in schools for regular education (Study 1) and children with poor handwriting quality in schools for special education (Study

Predictors of poor CD4 and weight recovery in HIV-infected children initiating ART in South Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian C Zanoni

Full Text Available To identify baseline demographic and clinical risk factors associated with poor CD4 and weight response after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART in a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-infected children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.We performed a retrospective cohort study of 674 children initiating antiretroviral therapy at McCord and St. Mary's hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, from August 2003 to December 2008. We extracted data from paper charts and electronic medical records to assess risk factors associated with CD4 and weight response using logistic regression.From the initial cohort of 901 children <10 years old initiating ART between August 2003 and December 2008, we analyzed 674 children with complete baseline data. Viral suppression rates (<400 copies/ml were 84% after six months of therapy and 88% after 12 months of therapy. Seventy-three percent of children achieved CD4 recovery after six months and 89% after 12 months. Weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ improvements were seen in 58% of children after six months of ART and 64% after 12 months. After six months of ART, lower baseline hemoglobin (p = 0.037, presence of chronic diarrhea (p = 0.007, and virologic failure (p = 0.046 were all associated with poor CD4 recovery by multivariate logistic regression. After 12 months of ART, poor CD4 recovery was associated with higher baseline CD4% (p = 0.005, chronic diarrhea (p = 0.02, and virologic failure (p<0.001. Age less than 3 years at ART initiation (p = 0.0003, higher baseline CD4% (p<0.001, and higher baseline WAZ (p<0.001 were all associated with poor WAZ improvements after 6 months by multivariate logistic regression.The presence of chronic diarrhea at baseline, independent of nutritional status and viral response, predicts poor CD4 recovery. Age at initiation of ART is an important factor in early WAZ response to ART, while viral suppression strongly predicts CD4 recovery but not WAZ improvement.

Decomposing the gap in childhood undernutrition between poor and non-poor in urban India, 2005-06.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Abhishek; Singh, Aditya

2013-01-01

Despite the growing evidence from other developing countries, intra-urban inequality in childhood undernutrition is poorly researched in India. Additionally, the factors contributing to the poor/non-poor gap in childhood undernutrition have not been explored. This study aims to quantify the contribution of factors that explain the poor/non-poor gap in underweight, stunting, and wasting among children aged less than five years in urban India. We used cross-sectional data from the third round of the National Family Health Survey conducted during 2005-06. Descriptive statistics were used to understand the gap in childhood undernutrition between the urban poor and non-poor, and across the selected covariates. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique was used to explain the factors contributing to the average gap in undernutrition between poor and non-poor children in urban India. Considerable proportions of urban children were found to be underweight (33%), stunted (40%), and wasted (17%) in 2005-06. The undernutrition gap between the poor and non-poor was stark in urban India. For all the three indicators, the main contributing factors were underutilization of health care services, poor body mass index of the mothers, and lower level of parental education among those living in poverty. The findings indicate that children belonging to poor households are undernourished due to limited use of health care services, poor health of mothers, and poor educational status of their parents. Based on the findings the study suggests that improving the public services such as basic health care and the education level of the mothers among urban poor can ameliorate the negative impact of poverty on childhood undernutrition.

Oncofertility: A New Medical Specialty Helping Young Cancer Patients Have Children

Science.gov (United States)

... Oncofertility: A New Medical Specialty Helping Young Cancer Patients Have Children Past Issues / Fall 2014 Table of ... old problem: the fertility needs of young cancer patients. The word itself was coined through NIH-sponsored ...

Mind Conduct disorders in children with poor oral hygiene habits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with excessive tooth decay.

Science.gov (United States)

Dursun, Onur Burak; Şengül, Fatih; Esin, İbrahim Selçuk; Demirci, Tevfik; Yücel, Nermin; Ömezli, Mehmet Melih

2016-12-01

Dental caries and poor oral hygiene are among the major childhood public health problems. Although dental research frequently refers to the link between these conditions and behavioural issues, little attention has been paid to understanding the reason for oral health problems from a psychiatric point of view. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between poor oral health and hygiene and parental attitudes towards child rearing, parents' and children's oral hygiene behaviours, and childhood psychiatric disorders. This study included 323 children aged 3-15 years. Decayed, missing, filled and decayed, extracted, filled indices, the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parent Attitude Research Instrument were used in the study. We found that the subjects' hyperactivity/inattention scores were positively correlated with poor oral health ( p = 0.001) and heavy cariogenic food consumption ( p = 0.040). Tooth brushing frequency was found to be significantly lower in children who have a risk for conduct/oppositional disorders than in their non-problematic peers ( p = 0.001). Dental health and oral hygiene behaviours have close links with psychiatric disorders and psychosocial issues. Improving cooperation between child psychiatrists and dentists seems to be important in the prevention of paediatric dental problems.

Children's Reasoning about the Refusal to Help: The Role of Need, Costs, and Social Perspective Taking

Science.gov (United States)

Sierksma, Jellie; Thijs, Jochem; Verkuyten, Maykel; Komter, Aafke

2014-01-01

Children (n = 133, aged 8-13) were interviewed about helping situations that systematically varied in recipient's need for help and the costs for the helper. In situations where helping a peer involved low costs, children perceived a moral obligation to help that was independent of peer norms, parental authority, and reciprocity…

Help seeking by parents in military families on behalf of their young children.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Grady, Allison E Flittner; Wadsworth, Shelley MacDermid; Willerton, Elaine; Cardin, Jean-François; Topp, David; Mustillo, Sarah; Lester, Patricia

2015-08-01

Over the past decade, many children have experienced a parental deployment, increasing their risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Research in the general population has shown that while many services are available for families with children experiencing problems, the rate of service utilization is low. This study examined help-seeking processes in military families in relation to children's problems. We collected data on emotional and behavioral problems from a sample of military parents with children ranging in age from zero to 10 years. While prevalence of children with problems was similar to prior research, results in this study suggested that military parents were alert to problems. Although military parents' help-seeking processes were similar to those documented in civilian studies in many respects, we did not find a significant gender difference in the recognition of problems. Furthermore, we found that children's experiences of deployment were related to use of services. Families who used services most often relied on primary care providers. These findings suggest military families are mindful of the possibility of their children having problems. In addition, many families utilize civilian services. Therefore, it is important to ensure that front-line civilian providers fully understand the context of military family issues. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Children's Negative Emotionality Combined with Poor Self-Regulation Affects Allostatic Load in Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Dich, Nadya; Doan, Stacey; Evans, Gary

2015-01-01

The present study examined the concurrent and prospective, longitudinal effects of childhood negative emotionality and self-regulation on allostatic load (AL), a physiological indicator of chronic stress. We hypothesized that negative emotionality in combination with poor self-regulation would predict elevated AL. Mothers reported on children's…

Can microcredit help improve the health of poor women? Some findings from a cross-sectional study in Kerala, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haddad Slim

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study examines associations between female participation in a microcredit program in India, known as self help groups (SHGs, and women's health in the south Indian state of Kerala. Because SHGs do not have a formal health program, this provides a unique opportunity to assess whether SHG participation influences women's health via the social determinants of health. Methods This cross-sectional study used special survey data collected in 2003 from one Panchayat (territorial decentralized unit. Information was collected on women's characteristics, health determinants (exclusion to health care, exposure to health risks, decision-making agency, and health achievements (self assessed health, markers of mental health. The study sample included 928 non elderly poor women. Results The primary finding is that compared to non-participants living in a household without a SHG member, the odds of facing exclusion is significantly lower among early joiners, women who were members for more than 2 years (OR = 0.58, CI = 0.41–0.80, late joiners, members for 2 years and less (OR = 0.60, CI = 0.39–0.94, and non-participants who live in a household with a SHG member (OR = 0.53, CI = 0.32–0.90. We also found that after controlling for key women's characteristics, early joiners of a SHG are less likely to report emotional stress and poor life satisfaction compared to non-members (OR = 0.52, CI = 0.30–0.93; OR = 0.32, CI = 0.14–0.71. No associations were found between SHG participation and self assessed health or exposure to health risks. The relationship between SHG participation and decision-making agency is unclear. Conclusion Microcredit is not a panacea, but could help to improve the health of poor women by addressing certain issues relevant to the context. In Kerala, SHG participation can help protect poor women against exclusion to health care and possibly aid in promoting their mental health.

Issues and Strategies Involved in Helping Homeless Parents of Young Children Strengthen Their Self-Esteem

Science.gov (United States)

Swick, Kevin J.

2009-01-01

Homeless parents of young children face many stressors that erode their self-esteem. This article articulates these stressors and how they negatively impact homeless parents and their children. Strategies for helping parents empower themselves and their children are explained.

Poor quality of life among untreated Thai and Cambodian children without severe HIV symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunupuradah, Torsak; Puthanakit, Thanyawee; Kosalaraksa, Pope; Kerr, Stephen J; Kariminia, Azar; Hansudewechakul, Rawiwan; Kanjanavanit, Suparat; Ngampiyaskul, Chaiwat; Wongsawat, Jurai; Luesomboon, Wicharn; Chuenyam, Theshinee; Vonthanak, Saphonn; Vun, Mean Chhi; Vibol, Ung; Vannary, Bun; Ruxrungtham, Kiat; Ananworanich, Jintanat

2012-01-01

There are limited data on quality of life (QOL) 1 in untreated HIV-infected children who do not have severe HIV symptoms. Moreover, such data do not exist for Asian children. Poor QOL could be a factor in deciding if antiretroviral therapy (ART) should be initiated. Thai and Cambodian children (n=294), aged 1-11 years, naïve to ART, with mild to moderate HIV symptoms and CD4 15-24% were enrolled. Their caregivers completed the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group QOL questionnaire prior to ART commencement. Six QOL domains were assessed using transformed scores that ranged from 0 to 100. Higher QOL scores indicated better health. Mean age was 6.1 (SD 2.8) years, mean CD4 was 723 (SD 369) cells/mm(3), 57% was female, and%CDC N:A:B was 2:63:35%. One-third knew their HIV diagnosis. Mean (SD) scores were 69.9 (17.6) for health perception, 64.5 (16.2) for physical resilience, 84.2 (15.6) for physical functioning, 77.9 (16.3) for psychosocial well-being, 74.7 (28.7) for social and role functioning, 90.0 (12.1) for health care utilization, and 87.4 (11.3) for symptoms domains. Children with CD4 counts above the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) ART-initiation criteria (n=53) had higher scores in health perception and health care utilization than those with lower CD4 values. Younger children had poorer QOL than older children despite having similar mean CD4%. In conclusion, untreated Asian children without severe HIV symptoms had relatively low QOL scores compared to published reports in Western countries. Therapy initiation criteria by the WHO identified children with lower QOL scores to start ART; however, children who did not fit ART-initiation criteria and those who were younger also displayed poor QOL. QOL assessment should be considered in untreated children to inform decisions about when to initiate ART.

Technology Can Help Young Children Succeed. PACER Center ACTion Information Sheets: PHP-c70

Science.gov (United States)

PACER Center, 2014

2014-01-01

Parents of young children with disabilities are discovering that carefully selected computer software and mobile apps can provide many benefits such as improved self-esteem, a longer attention span, and inclusion among family and other children that help their children succeed at home and in school. PACER's Simon Technology Center (STC) can help…

Decomposing the Gap in Childhood Undernutrition between Poor and Non–Poor in Urban India, 2005–06

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Abhishek; Singh, Aditya

2013-01-01

Background Despite the growing evidence from other developing countries, intra-urban inequality in childhood undernutrition is poorly researched in India. Additionally, the factors contributing to the poor/non-poor gap in childhood undernutrition have not been explored. This study aims to quantify the contribution of factors that explain the poor/non-poor gap in underweight, stunting, and wasting among children aged less than five years in urban India. Methods We used cross-sectional data from the third round of the National Family Health Survey conducted during 2005–06. Descriptive statistics were used to understand the gap in childhood undernutrition between the urban poor and non-poor, and across the selected covariates. Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition technique was used to explain the factors contributing to the average gap in undernutrition between poor and non-poor children in urban India. Result Considerable proportions of urban children were found to be underweight (33%), stunted (40%), and wasted (17%) in 2005–06. The undernutrition gap between the poor and non-poor was stark in urban India. For all the three indicators, the main contributing factors were underutilization of health care services, poor body mass index of the mothers, and lower level of parental education among those living in poverty. Conclusions The findings indicate that children belonging to poor households are undernourished due to limited use of health care services, poor health of mothers, and poor educational status of their parents. Based on the findings the study suggests that improving the public services such as basic health care and the education level of the mothers among urban poor can ameliorate the negative impact of poverty on childhood undernutrition. PMID:23734231

Children's Exposure to Partner Violence in Homes Where Men Seek Help for Partner Violence Victimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Emily M; Hines, Denise A

2016-05-01

In the last several decades, the field of family violence has paid increasing attention to children's exposure to partner violence (CEPV). Most of this research has focused on the children of women seeking help for partner violence (PV) victimization. In this paper we examine exposure to PV among children of men who sought help for PV victimization ( n =408), as compared with children of men in a population-based sample ( n =666). We examined children's exposure to psychological, physical, and sexual PV and also examined CEPV that is perpetrated by women, men, or both partners. The results show that CEPV is higher among children of helpseeking men than among children of men from the population-based sample, and that most of that PV is perpetrated by the female partner. We did not find differences in CEPV based in child age or gender. We discuss implications for the field of family violence professionals.

Children's Sympathy, Guilt, and Moral Reasoning in Helping, Cooperation, and Sharing: A 6-Year Longitudinal Study

Science.gov (United States)

Malti, Tina; Ongley, Sophia F.; Peplak, Joanna; Chaparro, Maria P.; Buchmann, Marlis; Zuffianò, Antonio; Cui, Lixian

2016-01-01

This study examined the role of sympathy, guilt, and moral reasoning in helping, cooperation, and sharing in a 6-year, three-wave longitudinal study involving 175 children (M[subscript age] 6.10, 9.18, and 12.18 years). Primary caregivers reported on children's helping and cooperation; sharing was assessed behaviorally. Child sympathy was assessed…

Exposure to violence predicts poor educational outcomes in young children in South Africa and Malawi.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherr, L; Hensels, I S; Skeen, S; Tomlinson, M; Roberts, K J; Macedo, A

2016-01-01

Violence during childhood may affect short and long-term educational factors. There is scant literature on younger children from resource poor settings. This study assessed child violence experiences (harsh punishment and exposure to domestic or community violence) and school enrolment, progress and attendance in children attending community-based organisations in South Africa and Malawi (n=989) at baseline and at 15 months' follow-up, examining differential experience of HIV positive, HIV affected and HIV unaffected children. Violence exposure was high: 45.4% experienced some form of psychological violence, 47.8% physical violence, 46.7% domestic violence and 41.8% community violence. Primary school enrolment was 96%. Violence was not associated with school enrolment at baseline but, controlling for baseline, children exposed to psychological violence for discipline were more than ten times less likely to be enrolled at follow-up (OR 0.09; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.57). Harsh discipline was associated with poor school progress. For children HIV positive a detrimental effect of harsh physical discipline was found on school performance (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.61). Violence experiences were associated with a number of educational outcomes, which may have long-term consequences. Community-based organisations may be well placed to address such violence, with a particular emphasis on the challenges faced by children who are HIV positive. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Building Knowledge Structures by Testing Helps Children With Mathematical Learning Difficulty.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yiyun; Zhou, Xinlin

2016-01-01

Mathematical learning difficulty (MLD) is prevalent in the development of mathematical abilities. Previous interventions for children with MLD have focused on number sense or basic mathematical skills. This study investigated whether mathematical performance of fifth grade children with MLD could be improved by developing knowledge structures by testing using a web-based curriculum learning system. A total of 142 children with MLD were recruited; half of the children were in the experimental group (using the system), and the other half were in the control group (not using the system). The children were encouraged to use the web-based learning system at home for at least a 15-min session, at least once a week, for one and a half months. The mean accumulated time of testing on the system for children in the experimental group was 56.2 min. Children in the experimental group had significantly higher scores on their final mathematical examination compared to the control group. The results suggest that web-based curriculum learning through testing that promotes the building of knowledge structures for a mathematical course was helpful for children with MLD. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

How Children Living in Poor Areas of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Perceive Their Own Multiple Intelligences

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, Pauline; Humble, Steve; Chan, David W.

2016-01-01

This study was carried out with 1,857 poor children from 17 schools, living in low-income areas of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. All children took the "Student Multiple Intelligences Profile" (SMIP) questionnaire as part of a bigger project that gathered data around concepts and beliefs of talent. This paper sets out two aims, first to…

Restless Legs Syndrome and Poor Sleep Quality in Obese Children and Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Baran, Rıza Taner; Atar, Müge; Pirgon, Özgür; Filiz, Serkan; Filiz, Meral

2018-01-01

Objective: Adult epidemiological studies suggest that the rate of Restless Legs syndrome (RLS) in the general population may range from 5% to 15%. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of RLS in a community sample of obese adolescents aged 10-16 years and to assess the association with sleep quality and health-related glucose metabolism markers. Methods: The study group comprised 144 obese and overweight children aged 10-16 yearsand the control group consisted of 66 age-matched healthy children. The RLS Questionnaire devised by the International RLS Study and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), where a score >5 indicates poor sleep quality, was used to assess sleep quality. Results: Mean body mass index (BMI) of the overweight/obese and control groups were 30.5±0.5 and 18.7±0.2, respectively. The frequency of RLS was higher in the obese group (21.7%) than the overweight (3.4%) and control (1.5%) (p<0.001) groups. The frequency of a poor PSQI score was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the obese group (37.3%) than the control group (24.2%). The obese with RLS group also had poorer sleep quality scores than the non-RLS obese group. Many symptoms of sleep disruption were more common in obese patients with RLS and RLS was independently correlated with a high PSQI score [odds ratio (OR): 2.25, confidence interval (Cl): 0.96-5.28, p<0.001)] and an increased BMI z-score (OR: 8.87, Cl: 2.04-38.61, p<0.001). Conclusion: RLS is common in obese children and may be associated with altered sleep quality. Obese children with RLS need to be assessed since they may need support to improve their sleep quality. PMID:29175807

Differences in Brain Function and Changes with Intervention in Children with Poor Spelling and Reading Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Gebauer, Daniela; Fink, Andreas; Kargl, Reinhard; Reishofer, Gernot; Koschutnig, Karl; Purgstaller, Christian; Fazekas, Franz; Enzinger, Christian

2012-01-01

Previous fMRI studies in English-speaking samples suggested that specific interventions may alter brain function in language-relevant networks in children with reading and spelling difficulties, but this research strongly focused on reading impaired individuals. Only few studies so far investigated characteristics of brain activation associated with poor spelling ability and whether a specific spelling intervention may also be associated with distinct changes in brain activity patterns. We here investigated such effects of a morpheme-based spelling intervention on brain function in 20 children with comparatively poor spelling and reading abilities using repeated fMRI. Relative to 10 matched controls, children with comparatively poor spelling and reading abilities showed increased activation in frontal medial and right hemispheric regions and decreased activation in left occipito-temporal regions prior to the intervention, during processing of a lexical decision task. After five weeks of intervention, spelling and reading comprehension significantly improved in the training group, along with increased activation in the left temporal, parahippocampal and hippocampal regions. Conversely, the waiting group showed increases in right posterior regions. Our findings could indicate an increased left temporal activation associated with the recollection of the new learnt morpheme-based strategy related to successful training. PMID:22693600

Differences in brain function and changes with intervention in children with poor spelling and reading abilities.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Gebauer

Full Text Available Previous fMRI studies in English-speaking samples suggested that specific interventions may alter brain function in language-relevant networks in children with reading and spelling difficulties, but this research strongly focused on reading impaired individuals. Only few studies so far investigated characteristics of brain activation associated with poor spelling ability and whether a specific spelling intervention may also be associated with distinct changes in brain activity patterns. We here investigated such effects of a morpheme-based spelling intervention on brain function in 20 children with comparatively poor spelling and reading abilities using repeated fMRI. Relative to 10 matched controls, children with comparatively poor spelling and reading abilities showed increased activation in frontal medial and right hemispheric regions and decreased activation in left occipito-temporal regions prior to the intervention, during processing of a lexical decision task. After five weeks of intervention, spelling and reading comprehension significantly improved in the training group, along with increased activation in the left temporal, parahippocampal and hippocampal regions. Conversely, the waiting group showed increases in right posterior regions. Our findings could indicate an increased left temporal activation associated with the recollection of the new learnt morpheme-based strategy related to successful training.

Inequality in early childhood neurodevelopment in six poor rural counties of China: a decomposition analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Cuihong; Zhao, Chunxia; Liu, Xiangyu; Wei, Qianwei; Luo, Shusheng; Guo, Sufang; Zhang, Jingxu; Wang, Xiaoli; Scherpbier, Robert W

2017-12-08

Previous studies about inequality in children's health focused more on physical health than the neurodevelopment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the inequality in early childhood neurodevelopment in poor rural China and explore the contributions of socioeconomic factors to the inequality. Information of 2120 children aged 0 to 35 months and their households in six poor rural counties of China was collected during July - September, 2013. Age and Stages Questionnaire-Chinese version, concentration index and decomposition analysis were used to assess the neurodevelopment of early childhood, measure its inequality and evaluate the contributions of socioeconomic factors to the inequality, respectively. The prevalence of suspected developmental delay in children under 35 months of age in six poor rural counties of China was nearly 40%, with the concentration index of -0.0877. Household economic status, caregivers' depressive symptoms, learning material and family support for learning were significantly associated with children's suspected developmental delay, and explained 34.1, 14.1, 8.9 and 7.0% of the inequality in early childhood neurodevelopment, respectively. The early childhood neurodevelopment in the surveyed area is poor and unfair. Factors including household economic status, caregivers' depressive symptoms, learning material and family support for learning are significantly associated with children's suspected developmental delay and early developmental inequality. The results highlight the urgent need of monitoring child neurodevelopment in poor rural areas. Interventions targeting the caregivers' depressive symptoms, providing learning material and developmental appropriate stimulating activities may help improve early childhood neurodevelopment and reduce its inequality.

Why do children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families suffer from poor health when they reach adulthood? A life-course study

OpenAIRE

Melchior, Maria; Moffitt, Terrie E.; Milne, Barry J.; Poulton, Richie; Caspi, Avshalom

2007-01-01

This study investigates what risk factors contribute to an excess risk of poor adult health among children who experienced socioeconomic (SES) disadvantage. Data come from 1,037 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972–1973, followed from birth up to age 32. Childhood SES was measured at multiple points between birth and age 15 years. Risk factors included a familial liability to poor health, childhood/adolescent health risks, low childhood IQ, exposure to childhood maltreatment, and ad...

Enrolment of children and adolescents in psychosocial care: more likely with low family social support and poor parenting skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanninga, Marieke; Jansen, Danielle E M C; Knorth, Erik J; Reijneveld, Sijmen A

2015-04-01

Knowledge about determinants of child and adolescent enrolment in psychosocial care concerns only single types of care and usually only socio-demographic factors. The social environment is also a likely key determinant but evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between family social support, parenting skills and child and adolescent enrolment in psychosocial care. We obtained data on 1,331 children (response rate 56.6%), 4-18 years old, enrolled in preventive child health care, and child and adolescent social care and mental health care because of psychosocial problems, and on 463 children (response rate 70.3%) not enrolled in psychosocial care. Results showed that enrolment in psychosocial care was associated with low family social support (odds ratio; 95%-confidence interval: 3.2; 2.4-4.4), and with poor parenting skills, i.e. poor supervision (1.5; 1.1-2.1) and inconsistent disciplining (1.5; 1.1-2.1). Children's psychosocial problems partially mediated the associations with family social support and completely with parenting skills. Children's problems did not moderate the associations. Positive parenting was not associated with care enrolment. We conclude that low family social support and poor parenting are important factors associated with enrolment, in particular because they are associated with more frequent occurrence of children's psychosocial problems. This implies that professionals and policymakers need to be aware that factors in children's social environment are related with enrolment in psychosocial care, in addition to children's psychosocial problems.

Children's Avoidance of Interrupting Others' Activities in Requesting Help: Cultural Aspects of Considerateness.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruvalcaba, Omar; Rogoff, Barbara; López, Angélica; Correa-Chávez, Maricela; Gutiérrez, Kris

2015-01-01

To be able to collaborate skillfully, people need to coordinate well with others, taking into account how their actions fit with those of their partners. This is a key aspect of an approach to learning called Learning by Observing and Pitching In, hypothesized to be common in many Indigenous-heritage communities of the Americas. This chapter considers cultural values that emphasize considerateness and awareness of how one's actions impact others such as the Mexican cultural value of respeto and cultural differences in children's efforts to avoid interrupting others' activity. US Mexican-heritage children showed more evidence of avoiding interrupting the ongoing activity of an adult when they requested help, compared with European American children from families with extensive schooling experience. Most of the Mexican-heritage children's requests for help that gave evidence of avoiding interruption were made nonverbally, which may facilitate unobtrusive requests. There were no significant differences among children from two US Mexican-heritage backgrounds varying in experience with Western schooling and likely experience with Indigenous-American practices, suggesting that the Mexican cultural value of respeto and associated considerateness is widespread even among US Mexican-heritage families with extensive experience with Western schooling and life in the United States. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Telemedicine is helping the parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders living in remote and deprived areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuckey, Ruth; Domingues-Montanari, Sophie

2017-08-01

Telecommunication technologies are advancing rapidly with huge investment to improve infrastructure in rural areas. Telemedicine brings the benefits of telecommunication to healthcare, especially in resource-limited and remote communities. The recent literature on telemedicine in paediatrics will be reviewed, with particular focus on its application to help children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families living in remote regions and/or low-income countries, and gaps identified for future research. Studies show that telemedicine can enable a family's access to appropriately qualified help that physically may only be available hundreds of miles away, helping to overcome geographic barriers. Telemedicine can also train parents and equip them with the knowledge and skills to better care for their children. Despite some technological barriers to implementation, telemedicine can help transform all stages of autism treatment. However, more studies are required in low- and middle-income countries to fully elucidate the benefits offered by telemedicine to autistic children and their families.

Deficits in verbal long-term memory and learning in children with poor phonological short-term memory skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Gathercole, Susan E; Briscoe, Josie; Thorn, Annabel; Tiffany, Claire

2008-03-01

Possible links between phonological short-term memory and both longer term memory and learning in 8-year-old children were investigated in this study. Performance on a range of tests of long-term memory and learning was compared for a group of 16 children with poor phonological short-term memory skills and a comparison group of children of the same age with matched nonverbal reasoning abilities but memory scores in the average range. The low-phonological-memory group were impaired on longer term memory and learning tasks that taxed memory for arbitrary verbal material such as names and nonwords. However, the two groups performed at comparable levels on tasks requiring the retention of visuo-spatial information and of meaningful material and at carrying out prospective memory tasks in which the children were asked to carry out actions at a future point in time. The results are consistent with the view that poor short-term memory function impairs the longer-term retention and ease of learning of novel verbal material.

Helping Children Succeed after Divorce: Building a Community-based Program in a Rural County.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Diane E.

2000-01-01

A court-mandated parent education course aimed at reducing effects of divorce on children was evaluated by 1,400 participants over 5 years. Most respondents highly recommended the course and said it helped them become aware of their children's point of view and how to prevent long-term emotional problems. (SK)

Black and White Parents' Willingness to Seek Help for Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurston, Idia B; Hardin, Robin; Decker, Kristina; Arnold, Trisha; Howell, Kathryn H; Phares, Vicky

2018-01-01

Understanding social and environmental factors that contribute to parental help-seeking intentions is an important step in addressing service underutilization for children in need of treatment. This study examined factors that contribute to parents' intentions to seek formal and informal help for child psychopathology (anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]). A total of 251 parents (N = 128 mothers, N = 123 fathers; 49% Black, 51% White) read 3 vignettes describing children with anxiety, ADHD, and no diagnosis. Measures of problem recognition, perceived barriers, and formal (pediatricians, psychologists, teachers) and informal (religious leaders, family/friends, self-help) help seeking were completed. Four separate hierarchical logistic regression models were used to examine parental help-seeking likelihood from formal and informal sources for internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Predictors were socioeconomic status, parent race, age, and sex, parent problem recognition (via study vignettes), and perceived barriers to mental health service utilization. Mothers were more likely than fathers to seek help from pediatricians, psychologists, teachers, and religious leaders for child anxiety and pediatricians, religious leaders, and self-help resources for child ADHD. Black parents were more likely to seek help from religious leaders and White parents were more likely to use self-help resources. Problem recognition was associated with greater intentions to seek help from almost all formal and informal sources (except from friends/family). Understanding factors that contribute to parental help seeking for child psychopathology is critical for increasing service utilization and reducing the negative effects of mental health problems. This study highlights the importance of decreasing help-seeking barriers and increasing problem recognition to improve health equity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of Prosocial, Neutral, and Violent Video Games on Children's Helpful and Hurtful Behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleem, Muniba; Anderson, Craig A; Gentile, Douglas A

2012-01-01

Recent research reveals that playing prosocial video games increases prosocial cognitions, positive affect, and helpful behaviors [Gentile et al., 2009; Greitemeyer and Osswald, 2009, 2010, 2011]. These results are consistent with the social-cognitive models of social behavior such as the general learning model [Buckley and Anderson, 2006]. However, no experimental studies have examined such effects on children. Previous research on violent video games suggests that short-term effects of video games are largely based on priming of existing behavioral scripts. Thus, it is unclear whether younger children will show similar effects. This research had 9-14 years olds play a prosocial, neutral, or violent video game, and assessed helpful and hurtful behaviors simultaneously through a new tangram measure. Prosocial games increased helpful and decreased hurtful behavior, whereas violent games had the opposite effects. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The poorly explored impact of uncontrolled asthma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

O'Byrne, Paul M; Pedersen, Søren; Schatz, Michael

2013-01-01

The goal of asthma management is to achieve disease control; however, despite the availability of effective and safe medications, for many patients asthma remains uncontrolled. One reason for this is the fear of long-term side effects from the regular use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). Adverse...... effects of poorly controlled asthma (for example, obesity, pneumonia, and risks to the fetus) can be perceived as side effects of ICSs. Poorly controlled asthma adversely affects children's cardiovascular fitness, while children with well-controlled asthma perform at the same level as their peers....... Children with uncontrolled asthma also have a higher frequency of obesity than children with controlled asthma. Stress can affect asthma control, and children with poorly controlled asthma are more likely to have learning disabilities compared with those with good control. In adults, focused attention...

Do posture correction exercises have to be boring? Using unstable surfaces to prevent poor posture in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Jankowicz-Szymanska

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Poor posture in children is a common problem. It appears most often in early school-age children and, if not corrected, progresses quickly as they mature. Aim of the research: To find a method that can prevent poor posture, is effective and attractive for children, and can be used on a wide scale in state schools. Material and methods : Seventy-seven first year pupils were tested at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Nineteen children undertook corrective exercises using unstable surfaces; 41 children sat on sensorimotor pillows during classes; and 17 children were the control group. Body mass and body height were measured. Body mass index was calculated. The symmetry of the position of selected skeletal points was assessed: the acromions, lower angles of the scapulas, apexes of the iliac crests, antero-superior iliac spine, and postero-superior iliac spine using a Duometer electronic device. The differences between the groups and changes between the first and second study for each group were estimated. Results : In the first study there were no significant differences in quality of posture. In the second study a significant improvement was noted in symmetry of the shoulders, scapulas, and pelvis in children who sat on sensorimotor pillows, as well as the position of the iliac crests and iliac spines in children exercising regularly on unstable surfaces. Conclusions: Exercises using unstable surfaces and sitting on sensorimotor pillows during classes might be an effective alternative to traditional posture correction exercises.

Horses Helping Children Grow

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Louise B.; Lindsey, Allison

2017-01-01

A review of Animal-Assisted Therapy and related terms such as "Animal-Assisted Activities" is presented as an introduction to the exploration of additional equine applications with children. Animal-Assisted Therapy has been studied, but Animal-Assisted Activities with children facing normal developmental struggles has not received much…

Stress and Quality of Life in Urban Caregivers of Children With Poorly Controlled Asthma: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellin, Melissa H; Osteen, Philip; Kub, Joan; Bollinger, Mary E; Tsoukleris, Mona; Chaikind, Laurie; Butz, Arlene M

2015-01-01

The intent of this analysis was to examine the longitudinal effects of risk and protective factors on quality of life (QOL) in caregivers of minority children with asthma. Caregivers (n = 300) reported on demographics, child asthma characteristics, daily asthma caregiving stress, general life stress, social support, and QOL. Latent growth curve modeling examined changes in QOL across 12 months as a function of stress, asthma control, and social support. Caregivers were primarily the biological mother (92%), single (71%), unemployed (55%), and living in poverty. Children were African American (96%), Medicaid eligible (92%), and had poorly controlled asthma (93%). Lower QOL was associated with higher life stress, greater asthma caregiving stress, and lower asthma control over time. Findings underscore the importance of assessing objective and subjective measures of asthma burden and daily life stress in clinical encounters with urban, low-income caregivers of children with poorly controlled asthma. Copyright © 2015 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eccentric housing finance sources by the urban poor in Zimbabwe: case of Cowdray Park low-income self help housing scheme in Bulawayo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trynos GUMBO

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Zimbabwe has a sombre housing crisis in all its urban centres. All attempts by the government to vary housing delivery systems to ameliorate the problem have proved futile as the backlog it inherited from the colonial masters continues to soar. The situation has however been exacerbated by 2005 demolitions and evictions in the country’s major cities that destroyed homes and businesses leaving the majority of the poor and disadvantaged segments of society in deeper poverty, deprivation and destitution. The main challenge to housing the urban poor is housing finance. Public funds are meagre and private funds are not accessible to the poor due to lack of collateral security and inability to service the loans. Fascinatingly, the poor’s income comes from informal sector activities that absorbs a large percentage of the labour force and keeps the economy going while the large modern enterprises continue to reel under the economic downturn. Unfortunately the Zimbabwean informal sector has generally been perceived as a nuisance, a haven for criminals and a menace. Evidence shows that there is a strong relationship between the urban poor’s housing finance, informal sector activities and self-help housing strategies in Zimbabwe. In the pre-2005 Operation Murambatsvina era, the poor were making some construction progress as evidenced by the structures that had developed. This paper calls for active support and facilitation of the poor’s sources of income, and advocates for the involvement of other players such as the private sector and the international community in housing the poor. The Zimbabwe government’s plan to house the homeless and poor on its 250 000 stands countrywide through self-help programmes can only be successful if their sources of income are promoted and facilitated.

Mind Conduct disorders in children with poor oral hygiene habits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with excessive tooth decay

Science.gov (United States)

Şengül, Fatih; Esin, İbrahim Selçuk; Demirci, Tevfik; Yücel, Nermin; Ömezli, Mehmet Melih

2016-01-01

Introduction Dental caries and poor oral hygiene are among the major childhood public health problems. Although dental research frequently refers to the link between these conditions and behavioural issues, little attention has been paid to understanding the reason for oral health problems from a psychiatric point of view. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between poor oral health and hygiene and parental attitudes towards child rearing, parents’ and children’s oral hygiene behaviours, and childhood psychiatric disorders. Material and methods This study included 323 children aged 3–15 years. Decayed, missing, filled and decayed, extracted, filled indices, the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parent Attitude Research Instrument were used in the study. Results We found that the subjects’ hyperactivity/inattention scores were positively correlated with poor oral health (p = 0.001) and heavy cariogenic food consumption (p = 0.040). Tooth brushing frequency was found to be significantly lower in children who have a risk for conduct/oppositional disorders than in their non-problematic peers (p = 0.001). Conclusions Dental health and oral hygiene behaviours have close links with psychiatric disorders and psychosocial issues. Improving cooperation between child psychiatrists and dentists seems to be important in the prevention of paediatric dental problems. PMID:27904519

Choosing Great Books for Babies: Helping Children Develop a Life-Long Love of Reading

Science.gov (United States)

Honig, Alice Sterling

2007-01-01

This article describes how a great choice of books could help children develop a life-long love of reading. Every teacher wants to boost a baby's chances in later success. The single most powerful tool a teacher has for awakening a deep love of books and learning is to read to children daily. Reading should become a loved, intimate activity filled…

Is nonoperative management of adhesive intestinal obstruction applicable to children in a resource-poor country?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Osifo Osarumwense

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Nonoperative management of adhesive intestinal obstruction gives good results in adults but there are scant studies on its outcome in children. This study reports outcomes and experiences with nonoperative and operative management of adhesive intestinal obstruction in children in a resource-poor country. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of records of children who were managed with adhesive intestinal obstruction at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital between January 2002 and December 2008. Results: Adhesive intestinal obstruction accounted for 21 (8.8% of 238 children managed with intestinal obstruction. They were aged between 7 weeks and 16 years (mean 3 ± 6.4 years, comprising 13 males and eight females (ratio 1.6:1. Prior laparotomy for gangrenous/perforated intussusception (seven, 33.3%, perforated appendix (five, 23.8%, perforated volvulus (three, 14.3%, penetrating abdominal trauma (two, 9.5% and perforated typhoid (two, 9.5% were major aetiologies. Adhesive obstruction occurred between 6 weeks and 7 years after the index laparotomies. All the 21 children had initial nonoperative management without success, owing to lack of total parenteral nutrition and monitoring facilities. Outcomes of open adhesiolysis performed between 26 and 48 h in six (28.6% children due to poor response to nonoperative management, 11-13 days in 12 (57.1% who responded minimally and 2-5 weeks in three (14.3% who had relapse of symptoms were encouraging. Exploration of the 21 adhesive obstructions confirmed small bowel obstruction due to solitary bands (two, 9.5%, multiple bands/adhesions (13, 61.9% and encasement, including one bowel gangrene (six, 28.6%. Postoperatively, the only child who had recurrence during 1-6 years of follow-up did well after a repeat adhesiolysis. Conclusion: Nonoperative management was unsuccessful in this setting. Open adhesiolysis may be adopted in children to prevent avoidable morbidities and

Correlations between Poor Micronutrition in Family Members and Potential Risk Factors for Poor Diet in Children and Adolescents Using Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hye Ah Lee

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Based on data from the 2010–2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we investigated correlations between micronutrients in the diet of family members and the possible risk factors for children and adolescents consuming an inadequate diet. We examined two-generation households with children aged 2–18 years. The quality of the family diet with regard to the following nine nutrients (protein, calcium, phosphorous, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin C was assessed based on the Index of Nutritional Quality. Correlations between quality of diet and selected variables were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology software, and those between diet quality and potential risk factors for poor diet in offspring were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Overall, calcium was the most commonly under-consumed micronutrient. More than half of sons and daughters showed insufficient vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron intake, and both mothers and fathers showed insufficiency with respect to vitamin A, vitamin B2, and vitamin C. The correlation between a poor diet in parents and that in offspring was 0.17 (p < 0.0001, and this correlation coefficient was higher between mothers and offspring than between fathers and offspring. Additionally, eating breakfast provided a significant protective effect against the risk of poor nutrition in offspring, even after adjusting for covariates. Our results add to evidence indicating that children should be encouraged to eat breakfast to improve the quality of their diet.

Mandated empowerment: handing antipoverty policy back to the poor?

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Abhijit V; Duflo, Esther

2008-01-01

The current trend in antipoverty policy emphasizes mandated empowerment: the poor are being handed the responsibility for making things better for themselves, largely without being asked whether this is what they want. Beneficiary control is now being built into public service delivery, while microcredit and small business promotion are seen as better ways to help the poor. The clear presumption is that the poor are both able and happy to exercise these new powers. This essay uses two examples to raise questions about these strategies. The first example is about entrepreneurship among the poor. Using data from a number of countries, we argue that there is no evidence that the median poor entrepreneur is trying his best to expand his existing businesses, even if we take into account the many constraints he faces. While many poor people own businesses, this seems to be more a survival strategy than something they want to do. The second example comes from an evaluation of a program in India that aims to involve poor rural parents in improving local public schools. The data suggest that despite being informed that they now have both the right to intervene in the school and access to funds for that purpose, and despite being made aware of how little the children were learning, parents opt to not get involved. Both examples raise concerns about committing ourselves entirely to antipoverty strategies that rely on the poor doing a lot of the work.

Nonword repetition in children with cochlear implants: a potential clinical marker of poor language acquisition.

Science.gov (United States)

Nittrouer, Susan; Caldwell-Tarr, Amanda; Sansom, Emily; Twersky, Jill; Lowenstein, Joanna H

2014-11-01

Cochlear implants (CIs) can facilitate the acquisition of spoken language for deaf children, but challenges remain. Language skills dependent on phonological sensitivity are most at risk for these children, so having an effective way to diagnose problems at this level would be of value for school speech-language pathologists. The goal of this study was to assess whether a nonword repetition (NWR) task could serve that purpose. Participants were 104 second graders: 49 with normal hearing (NH) and 55 with CIs. In addition to NWR, children were tested on 10 measures involving phonological awareness and processing, serial recall of words, vocabulary, reading, and grammar. Children with CIs performed more poorly than children with NH on NWR, and sensitivity to phonological structure alone explained that performance for children in both groups. For children with CIs, 2 audiological factors positively influenced outcomes on NWR: being identified with hearing loss at a younger age and having experience with wearing a hearing aid on the unimplanted ear at the time of receiving a 1st CI. NWR scores were better able to rule out than to rule in such language deficits. Well-designed NWR tasks could have clinical utility in assessments of language acquisition for school-age children with CIs.

Selective Spatial Working Memory Impairment in a Group of Children with Mathematics Learning Disabilities and Poor Problem-Solving Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Passolunghi, Maria Chiara; Mammarella, Irene Cristina

2012-01-01

This study examines visual and spatial working memory skills in 35 third to fifth graders with both mathematics learning disabilities (MLD) and poor problem-solving skills and 35 of their peers with typical development (TD) on tasks involving both low and high attentional control. Results revealed that children with MLD, relative to TD children,…

The Effects of Theory of Mind and Self-Regulation Skills on Helping Behaviors in 3-4-Year-Old Children

OpenAIRE

Muhammed Sukru Aydin; Sema Karakelle

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of theory of mind and self-regulation skills on children’s helping behavior. Total of 104 children aging between 36-59 months, participated in the study. Helping behavior was measured with an instrumental helping task. Scaling of Theory-of-Mind tasks were used in measuring theory of mind. As for measuring self-regulation, peg tapping task were used. In order to control receptive language abilities of children, Turkish Expressive a...

Helping the In-Group Feels Better: Children's Judgments and Emotion Attributions in Response to Prosocial Dilemmas

Science.gov (United States)

Weller, Drika; Lagattuta, Kristin Hansen

2013-01-01

Five- to 13-year-old European American children ("N" = 76) predicted characters' decisions, emotions, and obligations in prosocial moral dilemmas. Across age, children judged that characters would feel more positive emotions helping an unfamiliar child from the racial in-group versus out-group (African American), happier ignoring the…

Household food (in)security and nutritional status of urban poor children aged 6 to 23 months in Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Mutisya, Maurice; Kandala, Ngianga-Bakwin; Ngware, Moses Waithanji; Kabiru, Caroline W

2015-10-13

Millions of people in low and low middle income countries suffer from extreme hunger and malnutrition. Research on the effect of food insecurity on child nutrition is concentrated in high income settings and has produced mixed results. Moreover, the existing evidence on food security and nutrition in children in low and middle income countries is either cross-sectional and/or is based primarily on rural populations. In this paper, we examine the effect of household food security status and its interaction with household wealth status on stunting among children aged between 6 and 23 months in resource-poor urban setting in Kenya. We use longitudinal data collected between 2006 and 2012 from two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Mothers and their new-borns were recruited into the study at birth and followed prospectively. The analytical sample comprised 6858 children from 6552 households. Household food security was measured as a latent variable derived from a set of questions capturing the main domains of access, availability and affordability. A composite measure of wealth was calculated using asset ownership and amenities. Nutritional status was measured using Height-for-Age (HFA) z-scores. Children whose HFA z-scores were below -2 standard deviation were categorized as stunted. We used Cox regression to analyse the data. The prevalence of stunting was 49 %. The risk of stunting increased by 12 % among children from food insecure households. When the joint effect of food security and wealth status was assessed, the risk of stunting increased significantly by 19 and 22 % among children from moderately food insecure and severely food insecure households and ranked in the middle poor wealth status. Among the poorest and least poor households, food security was not statistically associated with stunting. Our results shed light on the joint effect of food security and wealth status on stunting. Study findings underscore the need for social protection policies to

Are the energy poor also income poor? Evidence from India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khandker, Shahidur R.; Barnes, Douglas F.; Samad, Hussain A.

2012-01-01

The energy poverty line is defined as the threshold point at which energy consumption begins to rise with increases in household income. This approach is applied to cross-sectional data from a comprehensive 2005 household survey representative of both urban and rural India. The objective is to determine if the energy poor are also income poor and whether and how energy policies help reduce energy poverty, independent of income. The findings suggest that in rural areas some 57% of households are energy poor, versus 22% that are income poor. But in urban areas the energy poverty rate is 28% compared to 20% that are income poor. That is, energy policies are expected to play some roles in mitigating energy poverty. We find that reducing energy poverty requires not only support for rural electrification, but also more use of modern cooking fuels such as LPG. While income growth matters, a combination of energy related programs can play an independent and substantial role in reducing energy poverty. - Highlights: ► This paper applies a new approach to measuring energy poverty to rural and urban India. ► It also compares and contrasts income poverty with energy poverty in the context of India. ► Findings suggest that income poverty tracks energy poverty in urban India, but not in rural India. ► Income growth is very important in reducing energy poverty. ► In addition, access to and reliability of modern sources (electricity, LPG) are also helpful.

The Comprehension Problems of Children with Poor Reading Comprehension despite Adequate Decoding: A Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Mercedes; Wagner, Richard K

2018-06-01

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the comprehension problems of children who have a specific reading comprehension deficit (SCD), which is characterized by poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding. The meta-analysis included 86 studies of children with SCD who were assessed in reading comprehension and oral language (vocabulary, listening comprehension, storytelling ability, and semantic and syntactic knowledge). Results indicated that children with SCD had deficits in oral language ( d = -0.78, 95% CI [-0.89, -0.68], but these deficits were not as severe as their deficit in reading comprehension ( d = -2.78, 95% CI [-3.01, -2.54]). When compared to reading comprehension age-matched normal readers, the oral language skills of the two groups were comparable ( d = 0.32, 95% CI [-0.49, 1.14]), which suggests that the oral language weaknesses of children with SCD represent a developmental delay rather than developmental deviance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adaptation of the children of migrant workers to the new social and cultural space: pedagogical help and support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataliia Sabat

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The article substantiates the value of the pedagogic help and support in the adaptation of migrants to the new circumstances of social and cultural space. The basic needs of the children from the specified category are characterized, and if we meet these needs will have the successful adaptation. The essence of information, instrumental emotional support was revealed. It was proven that the school serves the important medium to conduct such activities as the usual environment where a child with a family of migrants stays, talks, feels comfortable. The necessity of the cooperation between the teachers, educators, social educator and psychologist, administration is emphasized in helping the children of migrant workers in the process of adapting to the new social and cultural space.Key words: children of migrants, adaptation, educational help, pedagogic support, social and cultural space.

The Rhythm of Life helping children to respond to their parents’ divorce

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Müller

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents and discusses a possibility of group intervention based on narrative therapy, specifically with the application of the methodology ‘Rhythm of Life'. The participants of this project were children of divorced parents, between 7 and 12 years old. Participants met once a week, in an 8-week program. The focus of these meetings was to build a safe identity territory, to talk about these problems, and to look for answers to their doubts. The methodology helped them to achieve these aims. This experience was positive for both the children and the outside witnesses, creating resonance in everyone who listens to their songs.

SELF-HELP GROUPS FOR PARENTS WITH MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaska STANCHEVA-POPKOSTADINOVA

1997-09-01

Full Text Available This presentation concerns a group for parents of mentally retarded children.A group of these parents receives professional help and environmental support. The parents are encouraged to assume responsibility in the everyday life educational process of their children.As Baker / 1980 / states: “ If parents cope better on daily basis with the child who has mental retardation, not only the child but also the parents would benefit”.Taking part in the group gave the parents:· the opportunity to meet other parents with the same children;· to talk to other parents and feel less isolated;· to share information and experiences, skills and ideas;· the opportunity to listen to the needs and problems of other parents;· to change the ways of working to meet the child’s needs;· share information about the possibilities of education and services;· parents are encouraged to meet together to support one another;· parents need a special approach to many problems existing in their families.· the education in the group puts the beginning of the work with the parents.The idea is to gather the efforts of specialists from different fields and to establish multi-disciplinary group aiming to work with the parents and create a good collaboration and partnership between them in order to improve the living conditions and services to the retarded persons.This paper reports on the development, evaluation and dissemination of the program for education of parents with mentally retarded children. At the Symposium we will be able to present the results of the effectiveness of the education.

Helping Children Cooperate

Science.gov (United States)

Pica, Rae

2011-01-01

There are occasions in life when the competitive process is appropriate. But when people consider the relationships in their lives--with friends, family members, coworkers, and the larger community--they realize the value of cooperation. When adults give children the chance to cooperate, to work together toward a solution or a common goal like…

Brief report: Poor self-regulation as a predictor of individual differences in adaptive functioning in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Uljarević, Mirko; Hedley, Darren; Nevill, Rose; Evans, David W; Cai, Ru Ying; Butter, Eric; Mulick, James A

2018-04-06

The present study examined the link between poor self-regulation (measured by the child behavior checklist dysregulated profile [DP]) and core autism symptoms, as well as with developmental level, in a sample of 107 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 19-46 months. We further examined the utility of DP in predicting individual differences in adaptive functioning, relative to the influence of ASD severity, chronological age (CA), and developmental level. Poor self-regulation was unrelated to CA, developmental level, and severity of ADOS-2 restricted and repetitive behaviors, but was associated with lower ADOS-2 social affect severity. Hierarchical regression identified poor self-regulation as a unique independent predictor of adaptive behavior, with more severe dysregulation predicting poorer adaptive functioning. Results highlight the importance of early identification of deficits in self-regulation, and more specifically, of the utility of DP, when designing individually tailored treatments for young children with ASD. Autism Res 2018. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This study explored the relationship between poor self-regulation and age, verbal and non-verbal developmental level, severity of autism symptoms and adaptive functioning in 107 children with autism under 4 years of age. Poor self-regulation was unrelated to age, developmental level, and severity of restricted and repetitive behaviors but was associated with lower social affect severity. Importantly, more severe self-regulation deficits predicted poorer adaptive functioning. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Wiping Out Disadvantages: The Programs and Services Needed To Supplement Regular Education for Poor School Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Education Law Center, Inc., Newark, NJ.

In "Abbott v. Burke" the New Jersey Supreme Court determined that the state constitutional guarantee to a thorough and efficient education must include a supplemental program designed to wipe out the deficits poor children bring with them to school. In this report, the Education Law Center draws on educational research to identify the…

Help-Seeking Behavior for Children with Acute Respiratory Infection in Ethiopia: Results from 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Astale, Tigist; Chenault, Michelene

2015-01-01

Acute respiratory infection is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among children under five years of age in Ethiopia. While facilities have been implemented to address this problem they are underused due to a lack in help-seeking behavior. This study investigates factors related to the help-seeking behavior of mothers for children with acute respiratory infection using data from the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Data on 11,030 children aged 0-59 months obtained through interviewing women aged 15-49 years throughout Ethiopia was available. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine which factors are related to help-seeking behavior for acute respiratory infection. In the two weeks prior to the survey, 773(7%) of the children were reported to have symptoms of acute respiratory infection while treatment was sought for only 209 (27.2%). The odds ratio for acute respiratory infection was 1.6 (95% CI: 1.2-2.0) for rural residence with only 25.2% of these mothers seeking help compared to 46.4% for mothers with an urban residence. Smaller family size, younger mothers' age and having had prenatal care had a statistically significant odds ratio greater than 1 for both urban and rural residences. Highest wealth index had a statistically significant odds ratio greater than 1 for rural residence only, whereas primary education or higher had a statistically significant odds ratio greater than 1 for urban residence. Children from rural areas are more at risk for acute respiratory infection while their mothers are less likely to seek help. Nevertheless, there is also underuse of available services in urban areas. Interventions should target mothers with less education and wealth and older mothers. Expanding prenatal care among these groups would encourage a better use of available facilities and subsequently better care for their children.

[Effect of poor dietary behaviors on the overweight and obesity of school-aged children].

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Yong; Yun, Chen; Zhao, Ai; Wang, Peiyu; Zhang, Yumei; Mu, Zhishen

2014-09-01

To explore the rate of overweight and obesity, and the association between unhealthy dietary behaviors and overweight and obesity among Chinese school-aged children from 9 areas. By multiple stage stratified cluster sampling, 814 children aged 7 - 12 years old were chosen, provided with questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. According to the definition from Working Group on Obesity in China, children,were divided into different group, univariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the associations between unhealthy dietary behaviors and overweight and obesity. The rates of overweight and obesity of school-aged children were 22. 88% and 9. 90%, respectively. The rates were higher in urban areas, and second-tier cities were similar with first-tier city. Influence factor analysis revealed skipping breakfast behavior was the influence factor (OR =1. 65, Pchildren’s overweight and obesity has been an increasingly serious health problem, which were correlated with genetic factor, environmental factor, and dietary behaviors and so on, poor dietary behavior might be influence factor for overweight and obesity, so it is necessary to provide earlier intervention strategies for parents to promote children’s good dietary habits.

Lansoprazole Is Associated with Worsening Asthma Control in Children with the CYP2C19 Poor Metabolizer Phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Jason E; Holbrook, Janet T; Mougey, Edward B; Wei, Christine Y; Wise, Robert A; Teague, W Gerald; Lima, John J

2015-06-01

Gastric acid blockade in children with asymptomatic acid reflux has not improved asthma control in published studies. There is substantial population variability regarding metabolism of and response to proton pump inhibitors based on metabolizer phenotype. How metabolizer phenotype affects asthma responses to acid blockage is not known. To determine how metabolizer phenotype based on genetic analysis of CYP2C19 affects asthma control among children treated with a proton pump inhibitor. Asthma control as measured by the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and other questionnaires from a 6-month clinical trial of lansoprazole in children with asthma was analyzed for associations with surrogates of lansoprazole exposure (based on treatment assignment and metabolizer phenotype). Groups included placebo-treated children; lansoprazole-treated extensive metabolizers (EMs); and lansoprazole-treated poor metabolizers (PMs). Metabolizer phenotypes were based on CYP2C19 haplotypes. Carriers of the CYP2C19*2, *3, *8, *9, or *10 allele were PMs; carriers of two wild-type alleles were extensive metabolizers (EMs). Asthma control through most of the treatment period was unaffected by lansoprazole exposure or metabolizer phenotype. At 6 months, PMs displayed significantly worsened asthma control compared with EMs (+0.16 vs. -0.13; P = 0.02) and placebo-treated children (+0.16 vs. -0.23; P lansoprazole-treated PMs. Children with the PM phenotype developed worse asthma control after 6 months of lansoprazole treatment for poorly controlled asthma. Increased exposure to proton pump inhibitor may worsen asthma control by altering responses to respiratory infections. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00604851).

Nonatopic asthma is associated with helminth infections and bronchiolitis in poor children.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, M U; Sly, P D; Pitrez, P M; Jones, M H; Escouto, D; Dias, A C O; Weiland, S K; Stein, R T

2007-06-01

Asthma is common in urban centres in Latin America, but atopic asthma may not be the main phenotype among children. Helminth infections are highly prevalent in poor populations, and it was hypothesised that they attenuate allergic asthma, whereas other factors are related to the expression of a nonatopic wheeze/asthma phenotype. A total of 1,982 children from Southern Brazil with a mean+/-sd age of 10.1+/-0.76 yrs completed asthma questionnaires, and 1,011 were evaluated for intestinal parasites and atopy using skin-prick tests (SPTs). Wheeze in the previous 12 months was reported by 25.6%, and 9.3% showed current asthma; 13% were SPT-positive and 19.1% were positive for any helminths. Most children with either wheeze or asthma were SPT-negative; however, severe wheeze was more prevalent among the atopic minority. Helminth infections were inversely associated with positive SPT results. Bronchiolitis before the age of 2 yrs was the major independent risk factor for asthma at age 10 yrs; high-load Ascaris infection, a family history of asthma and positive SPT results were also asthma risk factors. Most asthma and wheeze are of the nonatopic phenotype, suggesting that some helminths may exert an attenuating effect on the expression of the atopic portion of the disease, whereas viral bronchiolitis predisposes more specifically to recurrent airway symptoms.

The Effects of Theory of Mind and Self-Regulation Skills on Helping Behaviors in 3-4-Year-Old Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammed Sukru Aydin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to examine the effects of theory of mind and self-regulation skills on children’s helping behavior. Total of 104 children aging between 36-59 months, participated in the study. Helping behavior was measured with an instrumental helping task. Scaling of Theory-of-Mind tasks were used in measuring theory of mind. As for measuring self-regulation, peg tapping task were used. In order to control receptive language abilities of children, Turkish Expressive and Receptive Language Test (TIFALDI was applied. Results of the analyses indicated that there were significant relations between theory of mind and selfregulation skills and helping behavior, however, multiple regression analyses showed that the main predictor of helping behavior was theory of mind, but not self-regulation skills after controlling for age and receptive language. Results were discussed with respect to the literature, in relation to the role of theory of mind and self-regulation skills in explaining helping behavior.

Beneficial effect of nutritional supportive plan among under-nourished children in poor families in Iran with collaborating Ministry of Health and Emam Khomeini

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minaei, Mina; Zarei, Maryam; Araste, Razieh; Kamali, Behroo

2014-01-01

Full text: Malnutrition in the form of Protein – Energy Malnutrition (PEM) and micro nutrient deficiencies, is one of the most important health problems in developing countries, Iran included. The purpose of this study was to improve nutritional status among under-nourished children in poor families. Methods: A total of 50,000 children under 5 (girls and boys) in 30 provinces in Iran which suffered by moderate and severe malnutrition participated (<-2SD weight for age) in this program. Malnourished children belong to poor families were determined; weights and heights were measured and anthropometric indicators were determined based on WHO, 2007. Then, these malnourished children were introduced to Imam Khomeini Foundation. Khomeini Foundation as one of the biggest NGO in Iran which supports poor families since 1979. This study collaborated with Ministry of Welfare, Ministry of Health and Emam Khomeini. They have started to receive monthly supportive food basket which could support their daily nutritional requirements. This basket included (meat, egg, cheese, legumes, milk, tuna fish, chicken, liquid oil). Along with food support community health workers were actively involved with counseling of mothers on the nutritional requirements of children. Nutritional support cut for whoever has been improved nutritional status. However, nutritional education still had continued. Results: The results of monitoring & evaluation (according to anthropometric indicators) of this plan have shown around more than 45% of children that received food basket had consistently improved nutritional status. Conclusion: Likewise other intervention nutrition programs in developing countries this project showed that inter sector collaboration have been the best way for decreasing malnutrition in children. (author)

Parents of children referred to a sleep laboratory for disordered breathing reported anxiety, daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadart, Marion; De Sanctis, Livio; Khirani, Sonia; Amaddeo, Alessandro; Ouss, Lisa; Fauroux, Brigitte

2018-07-01

We evaluated the impact that having a child with sleep-disordered breathing had on their parents, including their own sleep quality. Questionnaires were completed by 96 parents of 86 children referred for a sleep study or control of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) at the sleep laboratory of the Necker Hospital, Paris, France, between October 2015 and January 2016. The questionnaires evaluated anxiety and depression, family functioning, the parents' quality of life, daytime sleepiness and sleep quality. The children had a mean age of seven ±five years and most of the responses (79%) came from their mothers. These showed that 26% of parents showed moderate-to-severe anxiety, 8% moderate-to-severe depression, 6% complex family cohesion, 59% moderate-to-severe daytime sleepiness and 54% poor sleep quality. Anxiety was higher in mothers than in fathers (p parents of children referred to a sleep laboratory reported frequent anxiety, daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality. ©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Children's and Adolescents' Accounts of Helping and Hurting Others: Lessons About the Development of Moral Agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Recchia, Holly E; Wainryb, Cecilia; Bourne, Stacia; Pasupathi, Monisha

2015-01-01

This study examined children's and adolescents' narrative accounts of everyday experiences when they harmed and helped a friend. The sample included 100 participants divided into three age groups (7-, 11-, and 16-year-olds). Help narratives focused on the helping acts themselves and reasons for helping, whereas harm narratives included more references to consequences of acts and psychological conflicts. With age, however, youth increasingly described the consequences of helping. Reasons for harming others focused especially on the narrator's perspective whereas reasons for helping others were centered on others' perspectives. With age, youth increasingly drew self-related insights from their helpful, but not their harmful, actions. Results illuminate how reflections on prosocial and transgressive experiences may provide distinct opportunities for constructing moral agency. © 2015 The Authors. Child Development © 2015 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

The Influence of Malnutrition and Micronutrient Status on Anemic Risk in Children under 3 Years Old in Poor Areas in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jie; Wang, Hui; Chang, Suying; Zhao, Liyun; Fu, Ping; Yu, Wentao; Man, Qingqing; Scherpbier, Robert; Pan, Lili; Duan, Yifan; Yin, Shi-an

2015-01-01

Background Malnutrition and anemia affect large numbers of young children living in poor areas of China. Multi-micronutrient deficiencies may be related to the prevalence of anemia in different populations, and identifying the risk factors that render children susceptible to anemia is the first step in combating anemia effectively. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1370 children under 3 years old were selected based on probability proportional to size sampling principles from poor counties of China. Basic characteristics data were collected by questionnaire; then anthropometrics and hemoglobin were measured in the field and anemia prevalence evaluated. Venous blood was drawn from children aged 12–35 months (N = 553) to evaluate micronutrient status. Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for children’s anemia. Results Among children aged 0–35 months, the prevalence of stunting, low body weight and wasting was 17.5%, 8.6% and 5.1%, respectively, and 25.6% of the children were affected by anemia, with more anemic infants and younger children than older children (P children aged 12–35 months affected by iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, folic acid deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency, respectively. For children aged 0–11 months who were breastfed, the mothers’ anemic status was the only factor associated with the child’s anemia (OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2–5.4, P children aged 12–35 months, multivariate logistic regression indicated that anemia was significantly associated with iron and vitamin B12 deficiency (OR = 5.3; 95% CI: 1.9–14.5, P anemia was higher in children under 2 years old and requires urgent intervention. An effective intervention strategy should include iron and vitamin B12 supplements, improving dietary diversity and controlling breastfeeding mothers' anemia. PMID:26488490

[One of the approaches to psychological-pedagogical help to children with severe movement disorders].

Science.gov (United States)

Levchenko, I Iu; Simonova, T N

2012-01-01

The objective of the study was to work out an effective model of complex help to children with severe movement disorders. We examined 440 preschoolers with children cerebral palsy with severe movement disorders and 70 children with mild movement disorders. Functions of motor, emotional-personal and cognitive spheres and independence status with determination of 5 levels were studied in 47 patients. Three groups (from the group without concomitant (sensor, intellectual etc) disorders to the group with most severe disorders) were singled out. The authors characterize the model as an open integral system of methods, tools and ways providing the adaptation of children in response to external circumstances and changes in the state of patients. The creation of a correction-developing environment, consisting of 3 components: spatial-objective, technological (methodological) and social, is discussed. We present results of the development of children, evaluated by the following indices: general technique, sensory perceptive development, social adaptation, anxiety, cognitive activity, from 1997 to 2008. The 15 year follow-up demonstrated the stability of achieved positive results.

Why Do Children from Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Families Suffer from Poor Health When They Reach Adulthood? A Life-Course Study. : Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage and adult disorders

OpenAIRE

Melchior , Maria; Moffitt , Terrie ,; Milne , Barry ,; Poulton , Richie; Caspi , Avshalom

2007-01-01

International audience; The authors investigated what risk factors contribute to an excess risk of poor adult health among children who experience socioeconomic disadvantage. Data came from 1,037 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972-1973, who were followed from birth to age 32 years (2004-2005). Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) was measured at multiple points between birth and age 15 years. Risk factors evaluated included a familial liability to poor health, childhood/adolescent...

Exhaled breath condensate pH does not discriminate asymptomatic gastroesophageal reflux or the response to lansoprazole treatment in children with poorly controlled asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Anne M; Holbrook, Janet T; Wei, Christine Y; Brown, Meredith S; Wise, Robert A; Teague, W Gerald

2014-01-01

Although exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH has been identified as an "emerging" biomarker of interest for asthma clinical trials, the clinical determinants of EBC pH remain poorly understood. Other studies have associated acid reflux-induced respiratory symptoms, for example, cough, with transient acidification of EBC. We sought to determine the clinical and physiologic correlates of EBC acidification in a highly characterized sample of children with poorly controlled asthma. We hypothesized that (1) children with asymptomatic gastroesophageal reflux determined by 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring would have a lower EBC pH than children without gastroesophageal reflux, (2) treatment with lansoprazole would alter EBC pH in those children, and (3) EBC acidification would be associated with increased asthma symptoms, poorer asthma control and quality of life, and increased formation of breath nitrogen oxides (NOx). A total of 110 children, age range 6 to 17 years, with poor asthma control and esophageal pH data enrolled in the Study of Acid Reflux in Children with Asthma (NCT00442013) were included. Children submitted EBC samples for pH and NOx measurement at randomization and at study weeks 8, 16, and 24. Serial EBC pH measurements failed to distinguish asymptomatic gastroesophageal reflux and was not associated with breath NOx formation. EBC pH also did not discriminate asthma characteristics such as medication and health care utilization, pulmonary function, and asthma control and quality of life both at baseline and across the study period. Despite the relative ease of EBC collection, EBC pH as a biomarker does not provide useful information of children with asthma who were enrolled in asthma clinical trials. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social robotics to help children with autism in their interactions through imitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pennazio Valentina

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article aims to reflect on the main variables that make social robotics efficient in an educational and rehabilitative intervention. Social robotics is based on imitation, and the study is designed for children affected by profound autism, aiming for the development of their social interactions. Existing research, at the national and international levels, shows how children with autism can interact more easily with a robotic companion rather than a human peer, considering its less complex and more predictable actions. This contribution also highlights how using robotic platforms helps in teaching children with autism basic social abilities, imitation, communication and interaction; this encourages them to transfer the learned abilities to human interactions with both adults and peers, through human–robot imitative modelling. The results of a pilot study conducted in a kindergarten school in the Liguria region are presented. The study included applying a robotic system, at first in a dyadic child–robot relation, then in a triadic one that also included another child, with the aim of eliciting social and imitative abilities in a child with profound autism.

Low-Income Parents: How Do Working Conditions Affect Their Opportunity To Help School-Age Children at Risk?

Science.gov (United States)

Heymann, S. Jody; Earle, Alison

2000-01-01

Examined the working conditions faced by parents who has at least one child in need of help for educational or behavioral problems using data for 1,878 families from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Mother and Child Survey. Data show that low-income parents often lack the paid leave and flexibility they need to help children with…

Reducing Sugar in Children's Diets: Why? How?

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Cosby S.; Morris, Sandra S.

1986-01-01

Maintains that sugar intake should be reduced in young children's diets because of its link to dental cavities, poor nutrition, and obesity. Reducing the focus on sweetness, limiting sugar consumption, and using natural sources of sweetness and other treats are ways to help reduce sugar intake. (BB)

Poor sleep as a pathophysiological pathway underlying the association between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile among children and adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Ly, Jinshia; McGrath, Jennifer J.; Gouin, Jean-Philippe

2017-01-01

Summary Recent evidence suggests that poor sleep is a potential pathway underlying the association between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile. However, existing findings are largely limited to adults. The present study examines whether poor sleep (duration, quality) mediates the relation between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile in children and adolescents. Children and adolescents (N = 220, Mage = 12.62) provided six saliva samples over two days to derive cortisol indices (bedtime, AUCAG, AUCTG, slopeMAX). Perceived stress, stressful life events, self-reported sleep duration, and sleep quality were measured. Using bootstrapping analyses, sleep quality mediated the relation between perceived stress and AUCTG (R2 = 0.10, F(7, 212) = 3.55, p = .001; 95% BCI[0.09, 1.15]), as well as the relation between stressful life events and AUCTG (R2 = 0.11, F(7, 212) = 3.69, p = .001; 95% BCI[0.40, 3.82]). These mediation models remained significant after adjusting for sleep duration, suggesting that poor sleep quality underlies the association between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile in children and adolescents. Longitudinal data combined with objectively-measured sleep is essential to further disentangle the complex association between sleep and stress. PMID:25889840

Italian Children with Dyslexia Are Also Poor in Reading English Words, but Accurate in Reading English Pseudowords

Science.gov (United States)

Palladino, Paola; Bellagamba, Isabella; Ferrari, Marcella; Cornoldi, Cesare

2013-01-01

It has been argued that children with dyslexia (DC) are poor at learning a foreign language (L2) and, in particular, reading foreign words. This assumption is so general that an Italian law (law 170, October, 2010) has established that DC may be completely exempted from foreign language learning and, in any case, should not be engaged in tuition…

Guided self-help interventions for mental health disorders in children with neurological conditions: study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Sophie; Heyman, Isobel; Coughtrey, Anna; Simmonds, Jess; Varadkar, Sophia; Stephenson, Terence; DeJong, Margaret; Shafran, Roz

2016-11-04

Rates of mental health disorders are significantly greater in children with physical illnesses than in physically well children. Children with neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, are known to have particularly high rates of mental health disorders. Despite this, mental health problems in children with neurological conditions have remained under-recognised and under-treated in clinical settings. Evidence-based guided self-help interventions are efficacious in reducing symptoms of mental health disorders in children, but their efficacy in reducing symptoms of common mental health disorders in children with neurological conditions has not been investigated. We aim to pilot a guided self-help intervention for the treatment of mental health disorders in children with neurological conditions. A pilot randomised controlled trial with 18 patients with neurological conditions and mental health disorders will be conducted. Participants attending specialist neurology clinics at a National UK Children's Hospital will be randomised to receive guided self-help for common mental health disorders or to a 12-week waiting list control. Participants in the treatment group will receive 10 sessions of guided self-help delivered over the telephone. The waiting list control group will receive the intervention after a waiting period of 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure is reduction in symptoms of mental health disorders. Exclusion criteria are limited to those at significant risk of harm to self or others, the presence of primary mental health disorder other than anxiety, depression or disruptive behaviour (e.g. psychosis, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder) or intellectual disability at a level meaning potential participants would be unable to access the intervention. The study has ethical approval from the Camden and Islington NHS Research Ethics Committee, registration number 14.LO.1353. Results will be disseminated to patients, the wider public, clinicians and

Frequent Use of Social Networking Sites Is Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning Among Children and Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampasa-Kanyinga, Hugues; Lewis, Rosamund F

2015-07-01

Social networking sites (SNSs) have gained substantial popularity among youth in recent years. However, the relationship between the use of these Web-based platforms and mental health problems in children and adolescents is unclear. This study investigated the association between time spent on SNSs and unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and reports of psychological distress and suicidal ideation in a representative sample of middle and high school children in Ottawa, Canada. Data for this study were based on 753 students (55% female; Mage=14.1 years) in grades 7-12 derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the associations between mental health variables and time spent using SNSs. Overall, 25.2% of students reported using SNSs for more than 2 hours every day, 54.3% reported using SNSs for 2 hours or less every day, and 20.5% reported infrequent or no use of SNSs. Students who reported unmet need for mental health support were more likely to report using SNSs for more than 2 hours every day than those with no identified unmet need for mental health support. Daily SNS use of more than 2 hours was also independently associated with poor self-rating of mental health and experiences of high levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that students with poor mental health may be greater users of SNSs. These results indicate an opportunity to enhance the presence of health service providers on SNSs in order to provide support to youth.

Factors Mediating Dysphoric Moods and Help Seeking Behaviour Among Australian Parents of Children with Autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Snow, Matthew; Donnelly, James

2016-06-01

This study compared levels of state affect, dysphoric mood, and parenting sense of competence in Australian parents of children with or without autism. The effects of personality and location on the parents' experience were also examined, while controlling for current affect. Possible relationships among personality, location factors and help-seeking behavior were also explored in parents of children with autism. Prior findings of higher dysphoric mood levels in parents of children with autism were supported, as was the positive correlation between dysphoric moods and Neuroticism levels. Parenting Sense of Competence did not differ across locations, and there were no parent type by location interactions. Access to services among parents of a child with autism did not moderate dysphoria levels.

Determinants of stunting and poor linear growth in children under 2 years of age in India: an in-depth analysis of Maharashtra's comprehensive nutrition survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguayo, Víctor M; Nair, Rajilakshmi; Badgaiyan, Nina; Krishna, Vandana

2016-05-01

We use a representative sample of 2561 children 0-23 months old to identify the factors most significantly associated with child stunting in the state of Maharashtra, India. We find that 22.7% of children were stunted, with one-third (7.4%) of the stunted children severely stunted. Multivariate regression analyses indicate that children born with low birthweight had a 2.5-fold higher odds of being stunted [odds ratio (OR) 2.49; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.96-3.27]; children 6-23 months old who were not fed a minimum number of times/day had a 63% higher odds of being stunted (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.24-2.14); and lower consumption of eggs was associated with a two-fold increased odds of stunting in children 6-23 months old (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.19-3.61); children whose mother's height was women's nutrition and status and household sanitation and poverty are the most significant predictors of stunting and poor linear growth in children under 2 years. Key messages One in five (22.7%) of children 0-23 months old in the state of Maharashtra were stunted, and one-third (7.4%) of the stunted children were severely stunted. Birthweight, child feeding, women's nutrition and household sanitation were the most significant predictors of stunting and poor linear growth in children under 2 years. Children born to mothers whose height was below 145 cm, had two-fold higher odds of being stunted; children born with a low birthweight had a 2.5-fold higher odds of being stunted. Low feeding frequency and low consumption of eggs, dairy products, fruits and vegetables were associated with stunting and poor linear growth in children 6-23 months old. Children of households without access to improved sanitation had 88% higher odds of being severely stunted. © 2016 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Exploring Helpful Nursing Care in Pediatric Mental Health Settings: The Perceptions of Children with Suicide Risk Factors and Their Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Montreuil, Marjorie; Butler, Kat J D; Stachura, Michal; Pugnaire Gros, Catherine

2015-01-01

This qualitative descriptive study explored helpful nursing care from the perspective of children with suicide-associated risk factors, and their parents. Data were collected through participant observation followed by a debriefing session with children, and semi-structured interviews with parents. The inductive analysis revealed four themes of helpful interventions: (1) caring for the child as a special person; (2) caring for the parents; (3) managing the child's illness; and (4) creating a therapeutic environment. The study findings highlight the importance of the relational aspect of nursing care and provide important insights related to family-centered and strengths-based practice with children at increased risk for suicide later in life.

Essential amino-acid metabolism in infected/non-infected, poor, Guatemalan children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazariegos, M.; Solomons, N.W.; Vettorazzi, C.; Caballero, B.

1996-01-01

As mentioned above, it was our intention to develop and test a simplified version of the protocol to assess amino acid metabolism in children. With the combined efforts of a team of experts in the field, a generic protocol was developed as a mandate of the first CRP held at Boston in the fall of 1993. During the beginning of 1994, the final version of such a protocol was released to all the participants of the CRP meeting and arrangements were made in order to apply it and assess its usefulness in the field setting. Therefore, we have shifted our activities to apply, assess and adapt the generic protocol. We are now testing the protocol in the field to establish the variability parameters in both between and within individuals. After testing and refining the protocol, with the help of other groups in developed countries, by validation and/or comparative studies, we would be in a better position to recommend it as a tool to study amino acid metabolism in children in developing countries, whether to describe some specific profiles or to evaluate nutrition interventions. 1 fig., 3 tabs

Outcome of poor response Paediatric AML using early SCT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wareham, Neval E; Heilmann, Carsten; Abrahamsson, Jonas

2013-01-01

) or > 5% blasts after AM (n = 14, refractory disease). Poor response patients received intensively timed induction and proceeded to SCT when a donor was available. RESULTS: Thirty-one of 267 evaluable patients (12%) had a poor response. SCT was performed in 25; using matched unrelated donors in 13......BACKGROUND: Children with poor response acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) generally have a very poor outcome. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is often recommended for these children but the benefit is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate survival for poor response AML patients...... treated with SCT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Treatment was given according to the NOPHO-AML 2004 protocol. All patients received AIET (Cytarabine, Idarubicin, Etoposide, Thioguanine) and AM (Cytarabine, Mitoxantrone) as induction. We included poor response defined as > 15% blasts on day 15 after AIET (n = 17...

[Investigation of psychological state and its influencing factors in children with epilepsy].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jin-Hua; Zhou, Hui; Xu, Ming; Lu, Sheng-Li; Hong, Fei

2015-06-01

To evaluate the psychological state of children with epilepsy and analyze its influencing factors. The Mental Health Scale for Child and Adolescent was used to survey 113 children with epilepsy and 114 normal children to evaluate and compare their psychological state. Questionnaires were used to investigate the general status of all subjects and the disease condition and treatment of children with epilepsy. The possible influencing factors for the psychological state of children with epilepsy were analyzed. The mental health status of children with epilepsy was poorer than that of normal children in cognition, thinking, emotion, will-behavior, and personality traits (Pchildren with epilepsy. There is a wider range of psychological health problems in children with epilepsy than in normal children. Poor family living environment, poor seizure control, and use of many antiepileptic drugs are the risk factors affecting the psychological state of children with epilepsy. Improving family living environment, controlling seizures, and monotherapy help to improve the psychological state of children with epilepsy.

Prevalence and risk factors for poor nutritional status among children in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Abubakar, Amina; Uriyo, Jacqueline; Msuya, Sia E; Swai, Mark; Stray-Pedersen, Babill

2012-10-05

The current study investigated the prevalence and risk factors for poor nutritional status among children less than 36 months of age in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Using a cross sectional study design, children and their caregivers were recruited into the study. Anthropometric measures were taken based on established protocol while a standard questionnaire was utilized to collect socio-demographic data. A finger-prick blood sample was collected from all the children and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration analyzed using a HemoCue photometer (HemoCue AB, Angelholm, Sweden). Four hundred and twenty three (423) children (214 females) took part in this study. Participating children were aged between 1–35 months (mean = 13.04, SD = 7.70). We observed high rates of stunting (44.2%) and underweight (19.1%). Nearly 70% (n = 295) of the sample was anaemic (Hb education, and child's age were found to independently predict stunting; whereas concerns over child's growth and development, and distance to water source were found to uniquely predict being underweight. Maternal education was the only factor related to the child's anaemia. The current study further emphasizes the need to implement context relevant interventions to combat malnutrition in this region of Tanzania and other similar settings.

The early moments of Social Help and its buildings for childhood. The press as a means of propaganda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina González Maza

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is the study of Social Help, one of the most important aid organizations and greater activity in the recent past in Spain.Emerged to meet the needs of a population without means for the devastating effects of war. Of all the buildings for the poor, large numbers were intended for children's world.To better understand the operation of this organization, besides the consultation of somemonographs, managing the local press has been a great help, since it is a reflection of the society in wich it arises.

Evidence of Diplopia in Children's Headache Drawings Helps to Differentiate Pseudotumor Cerebri From Migraine.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Erica B; Edelman, Fredrick S; Stafstrom, Carl E

2018-02-01

This study aimed to determine whether children's headache drawings can distinguish between pseudotumor cerebri and migraine. Headache features associated with pseudotumor cerebri (pseudotumor; idiopathic intracranial hypertension) are nonspecific and are difficult to distinguish clinically from migraines. Children's headache drawings have a high predictive value for migraine versus nonmigraine headaches. We hypothesized that drawings could help to differentiate pediatric headaches due to pseudotumor cerebri from those associated with migraines. Children aged six to 18 years old attending university hospital pediatric neurology clinics were asked to draw a picture of how their headache feels. From our database of children's headache drawings, pictures by children with clinically diagnosed pseudotumor were compared with migraine drawings. Headache drawings of 21 children (16 females) with pseudotumor were compared with those of 518 children with migraine. Pseudotumor drawings depicted a variety of symptoms including pounding pain (n = 11), pressure-like pain (n = 3), photophobia (3), dizziness (1), and recumbency (1). Severe pain indicators included hammers, bombs, anvil, and vise grip. Positive visual phenomena included scintillations, scotomata, or blurring (n = 8). Negative visual phenomena included field defects (n = 2). Pseudotumor drawings were similar to migraine drawings except that 6 of 21 pseudotumor drawings (28.6%) depicted diplopia (crossed eyes, double images), whereas only three of 518 migraine drawings (0.6%) depicted diplopia (P drawings than migraine drawings. In all other respects, headache drawings by children with pseudotumor cerebri were similar to those drawn by children with migraine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Getting Along with Others: An Activity Book. Charts and Tips To Help You Teach Social Skills to Children and Reward Their Good Behavior. Grades Pre K-6.

Science.gov (United States)

Herron, Ron

Noting that children need to learn to cooperate with peers, older children, adults, and parents, this activity book presents 30 charts to help parents help their children learn and practice social skills. The illustrations, coloring activities, and rewards for parents to offer are designed to keep children entertained and motivated. The book…

Malnutrition and poor oral health status are major risks among primary school children at Lasbela, Balochistan, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Mustufa, Muhammad Ayaz; Jamali, Abdul Karim; Sameen, Ifra; Burfat, Fateh Muhammad; Baloch, Mir Yousaf; Baloch, Abdul Hameed; Baloch, Ghulam Rasool; Lashari, Shazia Kulsoom; Ayaz, Sobiya Mohiuddin; Baloch, Muhammad Younus

2017-05-19

This survey was focusing on health and oral hygiene status of primary school children at Lasbela district considering the comparatively less developed and socio demographically deprived part of the Country. A cross sectional survey was conducted to determine the health status of primary school children in seven tehseels of district Lasbela, Balochistan after applying proportionate sampling technique from March 2015 to July 2015. Field teams visited assigned schools to screen children and collect health related data on predesigned and pre coded proforma. Out of 200 schools, 196 schools found opened, while 2% of schools (04) remained closed. A total of 6363 students were clinically screened. About 45% of the school children had normal body mass index (BMI) and rest were falling in different categories of malnutrition. More than 19% had ear, nose and throat (ENT) problems and around 19% presented with clinical anemia. Less than 50% of children had scar of BCG vaccination and 4% informed about use of gutka/supari chewing (smokeless tobacco use). In conclusion, we estimated high prevalence of malnutrition, poor oral health including smokeless tobacco use, and low BCG coverage among primary school children at Lasbela. Current scenario suggests immediate and contextually focused interventions to confine existing public health risks and avoid future burden of disease.

Finding the Cause: Verbal Framing Helps Children Extract Causal Evidence Embedded in a Complex Scene

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Lucas P.; Markman, Ellen M.

2012-01-01

In making causal inferences, children must both identify a causal problem and selectively attend to meaningful evidence. Four experiments demonstrate that verbally framing an event ("Which animals make Lion laugh?") helps 4-year-olds extract evidence from a complex scene to make accurate causal inferences. Whereas framing was unnecessary when…

Philippines: street children, children at risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Tantoco, F G

1993-01-01

Almost 2 million of Manila's 2.5 million children younger than 15 years old live on or below the poverty line. 75,000 of these children live on the streets after having run away from home or being abandoned. They beg, steal, scavenge for food, and sell newspapers, cigarettes, and leis. About 20,000 of the street children prostitute themselves. It is these latter children and adolescents who are at particular risk of HIV infection. Studies in the Philippines indicate that 91% of reported HIV infections are among individuals aged 15-44, the male/female infection ratio is one to one, the transmission rate is 45%, and the most common mode of transmission is through heterosexual intercourse. The high incidence of child sexual abuse and child prostitution in the Philippines would suggest that there are a significant number of children and adolescents under age 15 who are infected with HIV. Caritas Manila has developed an information, education, and communication program for HIV/AIDS prevention focusing upon individuals who have direct influence upon and are in direct contact with people: clergy, religious and civic associations, educators, and social and health workers. Caritas has also to a limited extent reached out directly to populations at risk, while collaborating with human rights advocacy groups and networking with other children-oriented agencies in the interest of providing resources to street children. Efforts must be made to protect the rights of children and provide them with an environment conducive to their growth and development. The author notes how off-duty policemen in Manila help real estate developers forcibly eject the poor from their shelters to clear the way for the construction of new infrastructure without concern for the legal processes and requirements in the humane and peaceful relocation of the homeless poor. Many women and children are hurt and killed in the process. It has also been reported that off-duty policemen in Rio de Janeiro

Poor adherence to U.S. dietary guidelines for children and adolescents in the NHANES population

Science.gov (United States)

Banfield, Emilyn C.; Liu, Yan; Davis, Jennifer S.; Chang, Shine; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C.

2015-01-01

Background Poor diet quality in childhood and adolescence is associated with adverse health outcomes throughout life, yet the dietary habits of American children and how they change across childhood and adolescence are unknown. Objectives This study sought to describe diet quality among children and adolescents by assessing adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and to determine whether any differences in adherence occurred across childhood. Design, Setting, and Participants We employed a cross-sectional design using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Of 9,280 children ages 4-18 who participated in NHANES from 2005-2010, those with insufficient data on dietary recall (n=852) or who were pregnant or lactating during the time of interview (n=38) were excluded from the final study sample (n=8,390). Main Outcome Measures We measured adherence to the DGA using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-10) and stratified participants into three age groups (4-8, 9-13 and 14-18 years of age). We analyzed each of twelve HEI-10 components, and total HEI-10 score. Results The youngest children had the highest overall diet quality due to significantly greater scores for total fruit, whole fruit, dairy, and whole grains. These children also had the highest scores for sodium, refined grains, and empty calories. Total HEI-10 scores ranged from 43.59 to 52.11 out of 100, much lower than the minimum score of 80 thought to indicate a diet associated with good health. Conclusions Overall, children and adolescents are failing to meet the DGA and may be at an increased risk of chronic diseases throughout life. By analyzing which food groups show differences between age groups, we provide data which may inform the development of dietary interventions to promote specific food groups targeting specific ages, thus improving diet quality among children and adolescents. PMID:26391469

Delaware Longitudinal Study of Fraction Learning: Implications for Helping Children With Mathematics Difficulties.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Nancy C; Resnick, Ilyse; Rodrigues, Jessica; Hansen, Nicole; Dyson, Nancy

The goal of the present article is to synthesize findings to date from the Delaware Longitudinal Study of Fraction Learning. The study followed a large cohort of children ( N = 536) between Grades 3 and 6. The findings showed that many students, especially those with diagnosed learning disabilities, made minimal growth in fraction knowledge and that some showed only a basic grasp of the meaning of a fraction even after several years of instruction. Children with low growth in fraction knowledge during the intermediate grades were much more likely to fail to meet state standards on a broad mathematics measure at the end of Grade 6. Although a range of general and mathematics-specific competencies predicted fraction outcomes, the ability to estimate numerical magnitudes on a number line was a uniquely important marker of fraction success. Many children with mathematics difficulties have deep-seated problems related to whole number magnitude representations that are complicated by the introduction of fractions into the curriculum. Implications for helping students with mathematics difficulties are discussed.

The Differential Contributions of Auditory-Verbal and Visuospatial Working Memory on Decoding Skills in Children Who Are Poor Decoders

Science.gov (United States)

Squires, Katie Ellen

2013-01-01

This study investigated the differential contribution of auditory-verbal and visuospatial working memory (WM) on decoding skills in second- and fifth-grade children identified with poor decoding. Thirty-two second-grade students and 22 fifth-grade students completed measures that assessed simple and complex auditory-verbal and visuospatial memory,…

Decomposing the gap in missed opportunities for vaccination between poor and non-poor in sub-Saharan Africa: A multicountry analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndwandwe, Duduzile; Uthman, Olalekan A; Adamu, Abdu; Sambala, Evanson Z; Wiyeh, Alison B; Olukade, Tawa; Bishwajit, Ghose; Yaya, Sanni; Okwo-Bele, Jean-Marie; Wiysonge, Charles S

2018-04-24

Understanding the gaps in missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) between poor and non-poor in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) would enable an understanding of factors associated with interventions for improving immunisation coverage to achieving universal childhood immunisation. We aimed to conduct a multicountry analyses to decompose the gap in MOV between poor and non-poor in SSA. We used cross-sectional data from 35 Demographic and Health Surveys in SSA conducted between 2007 and 2016. Descriptive statistics used to understand the gap in MOV between the urban poor and non-poor, and across the selected covariates. Out of the 35 countries included in this analysis, 19 countries showed pro-poor inequality, 5 showed pro-non-poor inequality and remaining 11 countries showed no statistically significant inequality. Among the countries with statistically significant pro-illiterate inequality, the risk difference ranged from 4.2% in DR Congo to 20.1% in Kenya. Important factors responsible for the inequality varied across countries. In Madagascar, the largest contributors to inequality in MOV were media access, number of under-five children, and maternal education. However, in Liberia media access narrowed inequality in MOV between poor and non-poor households. The findings indicate that in most SSA countries, children belonging to poor households are most likely to have MOV and that socio-economic inequality in is determined not only by health system functions, but also by factors beyond the scope of health authorities and care delivery system. The findings suggest the need for addressing social determinants of health.

Poor complementary feeding practices among young children in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Globally, 6.9 million children below the age of five years died in 2011, and 33% of these deaths are linked to malnutrition.1. Nutrition plays a vital role in the development and health of children.2 Children during the first two years of life are particularly vulnerable to growth retardation, micronutrient deficiencies, and common ...

Behavioral and Nondirective Guided Self-Help for Parents of Children with Externalizing Behavior: Mediating Mechanisms in a Head-To-Head Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Katzmann, Josepha; Hautmann, Christopher; Greimel, Lisa; Imort, Stephanie; Pinior, Julia; Scholz, Kristin; Döpfner, Manfred

2017-05-01

Parent training (PT) delivered as a guided self-help intervention may be a cost- and time-effective intervention in the treatment of children with externalizing disorders. In face-to-face PT, parenting strategies have repeatedly been identified as mediating mechanisms for the decrease of children's problem behavior. Few studies have examined possible mediating effects in guided self-help interventions for parents. The present study aimed to investigate possible mediating variables of a behaviorally oriented guided self-help program for parents of children with externalizing problems compared to a nondirective intervention in a clinical sample. A sample of 110 parents of children with externalizing disorders (80 % boys) were randomized to either a behaviorally oriented or a nondirective guided self-help program. Four putative mediating variables were examined simultaneously in a multiple mediation model using structural equation modelling. The outcomes were child symptoms of ADHD and ODD as well as child externalizing problems, assessed at posttreatment. Analyses showed a significant indirect effect for dysfunctional parental attributions in favor of the group receiving the behavioral program, and significant effects of the behavioral program on positive and negative parenting and parental self-efficacy, compared to the nondirective intervention. Our results indicate that a decrease of dysfunctional parental attributions leads to a decrease of child externalizing problems when parents take part in a behaviorally oriented guided self-help program. However, none of the putative mediating variables could explain the decrease in child externalizing behavior problems in the nondirective group. A change in dysfunctional parental attributions should be considered as a possible mediator in the context of PT.

Efficacy of a task-based training approach in the rehabilitation of three children with poor handwriting quality: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldi, Silvia; Nunzi, Michela; Brina, Carlo Di

2015-02-01

Evidence suggests that task-based training approaches can improve the performance of children with handwriting difficulties. The present case study tests the efficacy of the Handwriting Task Program (HTP). Three male children (9-10 yr. old) with poor handwriting skills and different developmental disorders participated in the HTP, twice per week, for 13 wk. Handwriting legibility was assessed through the Concise Evaluation Scale for Children's Handwriting, and fine motor performance and handwriting speed were evaluated at pre- and post-treatment with the Visual Motor Integration Test and the Battery for the assessment of writing skills of children from 7 to 13 yr. old. The results showed that motor efficiency and global handwriting quality improved in all the children, although some handwriting difficulties still persisted in one child with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Further study may confirm on a larger sample that a visual-spatially based training may improve the handwriting legibility of children with DCD.

Learning Behaviours of Low-Achieving Children's Mathematics Learning in Using of Helping Tools in a Synchronous Peer-Tutoring System

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuei, Mengping

2017-01-01

This study examined the effects of low-achieving children's use of helping tools in a synchronous mathematics peer-tutoring system on the children's mathematics learning and their learning behaviours. In a remedial class, 16 third-grade students in a remedial class engaged in peer tutoring in a face-to-face synchronous online environment during a…

Maternal Parenting Styles, Homework Help, and Children's Literacy Development in Language Minority and Finnish-Speaking Families

Science.gov (United States)

Sikiö, Riitta; Siekkinen, Martti; Holopainen, Leena; Silinskas, Gintautas; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the role of mothers' (language minority mothers, LM, n = 49, and Finnish-speaking mothers, MP, n = 368) parenting styles and maternal help with their children's homework in the children's (mean age 11.43 years) literacy skills at fourth grade in Finland. In addition, the moderating effect of a child's gender on…

Social support and mastery influence the association between stress and poor physical health in parents caring for children with developmental disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantwell, Joanne; Muldoon, Orla T; Gallagher, Stephen

2014-09-01

To date, much of the research linking the stress of caring for children with developmental disabilities (e.g. Autism & Down syndrome) with parental health outcomes have tended to concentrate on mental health with less attention paid to the physical health consequences. Thus, this study sought to explore the psychosocial predictors of poor physical health in these caring parents. One hundred and sixty-seven parents (109 caregivers and 58 control parents) completed measures of stress, child problem behaviours, social support, mastery and physical health. Parents of children with developmental disabilities had poorer physical health compared to control parents. Stress and mastery, but not social support and problem behaviours, were significant predictors of poor physical health within caring parents for children with developmental disabilities. However, the association between mastery and physical health was mediated by perceived stress such that those parents who were higher on mastery reported less stress and better physical health; furthermore, the association between stress and physical health was moderated by social support; those parents high on social support and low in stress had better physical health. These results indicate that the paths between psychosocial factors and poor physical health in the caring parents are working synergistically rather than in isolation. They also underscore the importance of providing multi-component interventions that offer a variety of psychosocial resources to meet the precise needs of the parents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Malnutrition Affects the Urban-Poor Disproportionately: A Study of Nigerian Urban Children of Different Socio-Economic Statuses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chukwunonso E.C.C. Ejike

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Income inequality within the same place of residence may impact the nutritional status of children. This study therefore investigated the impact of income inequality on the nutritional status of children living in the same place of residence, using anthropometric tools. Children in four schools (Schools 1–4 within the vicinity of a housing estate in Umuahia, Nigeria, that charge fees making them ‘very affordable’, ‘affordable’, ‘expensive’ and ‘very expensive’, respectively, were recruited for the study. Thinness, overweight and obesity were defined using the Cole et al. reference standards. Thinness was present in 10.4% (13.0% of boys, 7.6% of girls; 20.4% (15.6% of boys, 27.3% of girls; and 0.7% (1.4% of boys, 0.0% of girls of children in Schools 1–3, respectively; but absent in school 4. Only 3.7% (1.4% of boys, 6.1% of girls and 5.6% (6.3% of boys, 4.5% of girls of children in Schools 1 and 2, respectively, were overweight/obese. Conversely, 25.8% (18.9% of boys, 32.5% of girls and 41.6% (38.8% of boys, 45.3% of girls of children in Schools 3 and 4, respectively, were overweight/obese. The urban-poor (School 2 are clearly affected by malnutrition disproportionately.

Developing and evaluating health education learning package (HELP) to control soil-transmitted helminth infections among Orang Asli children in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Delaimy, Ahmed K; Al-Mekhlafi, Hesham M; Lim, Yvonne A L; Nasr, Nabil A; Sady, Hany; Atroosh, Wahib M; Mahmud, Rohela

2014-09-02

This study was carried out to develop a health education learning package (HELP) about soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, and to evaluate what impact such a package could have in terms of reducing the incidence and intensity of STH infections among Orang Asli schoolchildren in Pahang, Malaysia. To identify the key risk factors of STH in Orang Asli communities, we applied an extensive mixed methods approach which involved an intensive literature review, as well as community-based discussions with children, their parents, teachers and health personnel, whilst also placing the children under direct observation. To evaluate the package, 317 children from two schools in Lipis, Pahang were screened for STH infections, treated by a 3-day course of albendazole and then followed up over the next 6 months. The knowledge of teachers, parents and children towards STH infections were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. The developed package consists of a half day workshop for teachers, a teacher's guide book to STH infections, posters, a comic book, a music video, a puppet show, drawing activities and an aid kit. The package was well-received with effective contributions being made by teachers, children and their parents. The incidence rates of hookworm infection at different assessment points were significantly lower among children in the intervention school compared to those in the control school. Similarly, the intensity of trichuriasis, ascariasis and hookworm infections were found to be significantly lower among children in the HELP group compared to those in the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the package significantly improved the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of Orang Asli people and the knowledge of teachers towards STH infections. A school-based health education learning package (HELP) was developed which displayed a significant impact in terms of reducing the intensity of all three main STH infections, as well as in reducing the

CAREGIVER'S DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND YOUNG CHILDREN'S SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT DELAYS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN POOR RURAL AREAS OF CHINA.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Qianwei; Zhang, Cuihong; Zhang, Jingxu; Luo, Shusheng; Wang, Xiaoli

2018-03-01

Poverty and its associated factors put people at risk for depression. The aims of this study were to describe the prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) of primary caregivers and socioemotional development (SED) delays of young children in poor rural areas of China, and to explore the association between them. Cross-sectional data of 2,664 children aged 3 to 35 months and their primary caregivers were used for analysis. Characteristics of the child, caregiver, and family were collected through face-to-face caregiver interviews. DS were assessed by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (W.W. Zung, 1965, as cited in World Health Organization, ), and SED was evaluated by the Ages and Stage Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (J. Squires, D. Bricker, & L. Potter, 1997). The χ 2 test, stratification analysis, and logistic regression analyses were used to explore the association. Among the caregivers, 40.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] [38.4, 42.1]), reported DS. Caregivers who were male, older and ethnic minorities as well as had a low level of education, a low family income, or more children were more likely to have DS. Of the children, 24.4% (95% CI [22.8, 26.0]) were recognized with SED delays. Older children displayed more delays than did younger children, but no significant differences between males and females were found. SED delays were significantly associated with mother outmigrating, male caregivers, older age, ethnic minorities, and low education or families with a single parent, low-income, and having more children. Caregivers having DS, odds ratio (OR) = 2.40, 95% CI [1.99, 2.88], was a significant predictor of increased odds of SED delays; other factors were single-parent family, OR = 1.99, 95% CI [1.37, 2.89], inadequate care, OR = 1.69, 95% CI [1.30, 2.21], physical punishment, OR = 1.61, 95% CI [1.33, 1.95], ethnic minorities, OR = 1.41, 95% CI [1.17, 1.71], and child age in months, OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.02, 1.04], according to the logistic regression

Do Poor Readers Feel Angry, Sad, and Unpopular?

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Paul L.; Farkas, George; Wu, Qiong

2012-01-01

We investigated whether being poorly skilled in reading contributes to children's reported feelings of anger, distractibility, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and social isolation. Data were analyzed from a longitudinal subsample of children (N = 3,308) participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort. Multilevel logistic…

Social disparities in children's vocabulary in early childhood. Does pre-school education help to close the gap?

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Birgit

2011-03-01

Children start school with differing levels of skills. Thus, children of different social origin have different probabilities of educational success right from the start of their school career. This paper analyses how the gap in language abilities of children with different social backgrounds develops from age three to five. A focus lies on the question whether pre-school education can help to close this gap. The data of the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) show that children's score on a standardized vocabulary test strongly depends on their parents' education. These social differences remain stable or even increase slightly over the two-year period. Using fixed effect models, it is demonstrated that children of higher educated parents can improve their vocabulary more strongly than children whose parents have a lower educational level. Participation in an early education institution positively affects the vocabulary development of children with lower educated parents while there is no significant pre-school effect for children of higher educated parents. The results indicate that pre-school attendance does not lead to a catching-up process of children with lower educated parents. But without pre-school attendance, the gap between children of higher and lower educated parents widens even further. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2011.

Is Weak Oral Language Associated with Poor Spelling in School-Age Children with Specific Language Impairment, Dyslexia, or Both?

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Jillian H.; Hogan, Tiffany P.; Catts, Hugh W.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that word reading accuracy, not oral language, is associated with spelling performance in school-age children. We compared fourth grade spelling accuracy in children with specific language impairment (SLI), dyslexia, or both (SLI/dyslexia) to their typically developing grade-matched peers. Results of the study revealed that children with SLI performed similarly to their typically developing peers on a single word spelling task. Alternatively, those with dyslexia and SLI/dyslexia evidenced poor spelling accuracy. Errors made by both those with dyslexia and SLI/dyslexia were characterized by numerous phonologic, orthographic, and semantic errors. Cumulative results support the hypothesis that word reading accuracy, not oral language, is associated with spelling performance in typically developing school-age children and their peers with SLI and dyslexia. Findings are provided as further support for the notion that SLI and dyslexia are distinct, yet co-morbid, developmental disorders. PMID:22876769

Outcome of poor response paediatric AML using early SCT.

Science.gov (United States)

Wareham, Neval E; Heilmann, Carsten; Abrahamsson, Jonas; Forestier, Erik; Gustafsson, Britt; Ha, Shau-Yin; Heldrup, Jesper; Jahnukainen, Kirsi; Jónsson, Ólafur G; Lausen, Birgitte; Palle, Josefine; Zeller, Bernward; Hasle, Henrik

2013-03-01

Children with poor response acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) generally have a very poor outcome. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is often recommended for these children but the benefit is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate survival for poor response AML patients treated with SCT. Treatment was given according to the NOPHO-AML 2004 protocol. All patients received AIET (Cytarabine, Idarubicin, Etoposide, Thioguanine) and AM (Cytarabine, Mitoxantrone) as induction. We included poor response defined as > 15% blasts on day 15 after AIET (n = 17) or > 5% blasts after AM (n = 14, refractory disease). Poor response patients received intensively timed induction and proceeded to SCT when a donor was available. Thirty-one of 267 evaluable patients (12%) had a poor response. SCT was performed in 25; using matched unrelated donors in 13, matched sibling donors in 6, cord blood donor in 4, and haploidentical donor in two. The median follow-up for the 31 poor responding patients was 2.6 years (range 0.4 - 8.1 years) and 3-year probability of survival 70% (95% CI 59-77%). The poor responders in the NOPHO-AML 2004 protocol had a favourable prognosis treated with time-intensive induction followed by SCT. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Helping Children Explore Their Roots.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Mary L.

1986-01-01

Ways children can approach genealogical research are described, beginning with questionning older relatives and leading to libraries and census tract data. There is a certain romance and much pride in the lives of people who lived through great periods of history. (MT)

Exposure of children with developmental delay to social determinants of poor health: cross-sectional case record review study.

Science.gov (United States)

Emerson, E; Brigham, P

2015-03-01

Research on child development in general has highlighted the importance that the family environment plays in mediating the pathway between exposure to low socio-economic position (SEP) and child well-being. While child developmental models in intellectual disability have highlighted the interplay between social context, family environment and child development, little empirical work has attempted to formally evaluate the evidence in support of specific mediating pathways between low SEP and child outcomes. Secondary analysis of cross-sectional confidentialized needs analysis data collected in three Primary Care Trusts in England covering a total population of 1.25 million people. Case record reviews were undertaken for 46 023 households, 2236 (4.9%) of which contained a child in the target age range with developmental delay. Children with developmental delay, when compared with their non-disabled peers, were at significantly increased risk of poorer health outcomes and of being exposed to a wide range of social determinants of poor health. Controlling for between-group differences in exposure to social determinants of poor health reduced the risk of developmental delay being associated with poorer health outcomes by 45% for behaviour problems and 89% for risk of significant harm. For children with developmental delay, parenting difficulties appears to play a particularly significant role in partially mediating the effects of low SEP. The findings of the present study point to the potential effectiveness of family-focused early intervention to prevent the emergence and escalation of behavioural difficulties and health problems in children with developmental delay. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Feasibility and pilot study of the effects of microfinance on mortality and nutrition in children under five amongst the very poor in India: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ojha, Shalini; Szatkowski, Lisa; Sinha, Ranjeet; Yaron, Gil; Fogarty, Andrew; Allen, Stephen; Choudhary, Sunil; Smyth, Alan R

2014-07-23

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals include targets for the health of children under five years old. Poor health is linked to poverty and microfinance initiatives are economic interventions that may improve health by breaking the cycle of poverty. However, there is a lack of reliable evidence to support this. In addition, microfinance schemes may have adverse effects on health, for example due to increased indebtedness. Rojiroti UK and the Centre for Promoting Sustainable Livelihood run an innovative microfinance scheme that provides microcredit via women's self-help groups (SHGs). This pilot study, conducted in rural Bihar (India), will establish whether it is feasible to collect anthropometric and mortality data on children under five years old and to conduct a limited cluster randomized trial of the Rojiroti intervention. We have designed a cluster randomized trial in which participating tolas (small communities within villages) will be randomized to either receive early (SHGs and microfinance at baseline) or late intervention (SHGs and microfinance after 18 months). Using predesigned questionnaires, demographic, and mortality data for the last year and information about participating mothers and their children will be collected and the weight, height, and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) of children will be measured at baseline and at 18 months. The late intervention group will establish SHGs and microfinance support at this point and data collection will be repeated at 36 months.The primary outcome measure will be the mean weight for height z-score of children under five years old in the early and late intervention tolas at 18 months. Secondary outcome measures will be the mortality rate, mean weight for age, height for age, prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting among children under five years of age. Despite economic progress, marked inequalities in child health persist in India and Bihar is one of the worst affected states. There

The poor children of the poor: Coping with diabetes control in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

[1,2]. Many children over the age of 10 years administer their own insulin injections,[3] although some authorities ... Patients attending the paediatric diabetes clinic were interviewed by ..... review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

[Nutritional status and body composition of poor children in the outlying neighborhoods of La Plata, Argentina].

Science.gov (United States)

Oyhenart, Evelia E; Torres, María F; Quintero, Fabián A; Luis, María A; Cesani, María F; Zucchi, Mariel; Orden, Alicia B

2007-09-01

To evaluate nutritional status and body composition as indicators of quality of life among poor children served by neighborhood soup kitchens in La Plata, Argentina. From April to November 2004, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 608 healthy children from 1-11 years of age who were being served by two neighborhood soup kitchens in the outlying areas of the city of La Plata. The sample was stratified by age and sex. Height-for-age, weight-for age, and weight-for-height, were measured, as well as BMI, muscle mass and adipose tissue. Z-scores were computed for the data. Odds ratios and the respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Prevalence of low weight-for-age was 9%; low weight-for-height, 3%; and low height-for-age, 15%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 12.5% and 7.1%, respectively. Among the study sample, 47.2% had low muscle mass and 20.4% had low adipose tissue. Among overweight and obese children, adipose tissue was 34.3% higher than that of the reference population, while muscle mass was 12.5% lower. Undernutrition and obesity are both found among the community of children studied. The high prevalence of delayed growth (i.e., low height-for-age), undernutrition (i.e., low weight-for-age), and the acute lack of muscle mass even among overweight and obese children, seem to be part of the consequences of an inevitable process that unfolds in the face of adverse living conditions.

Association of poor childhood fear conditioning and adult crime.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yu; Raine, Adrian; Venables, Peter H; Dawson, Michael E; Mednick, Sarnoff A

2010-01-01

Amygdala dysfunction is theorized to give rise to poor fear conditioning, which in turn predisposes to crime, but it is not known whether poor conditioning precedes criminal offending. This study prospectively assessed whether poor fear conditioning early in life predisposes to adult crime in a large cohort. Electrodermal fear conditioning was assessed in a cohort of 1,795 children at age 3, and registration for criminal offending was ascertained at age 23. In a case-control design, 137 cohort members with a criminal record were matched on gender, ethnicity, and social adversity with 274 noncriminal comparison members. Statistical analyses compared childhood fear conditioning for the two groups. Criminal offenders showed significantly reduced electrodermal fear conditioning at age 3 compared to matched comparison subjects. Poor fear conditioning at age 3 predisposes to crime at age 23. Poor fear conditioning early in life implicates amygdala and ventral prefrontal cortex dysfunction and a lack of fear of socializing punishments in children who grow up to become criminals. These findings are consistent with a neurodevelopmental contribution to crime causation.

Effects of poor hygiene on cytokine phenotypes in children in the tropics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. A. Figueiredo

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract We describe immune phenotypes (innate and adaptive cytokines according to environmental exposure using latent class analysis. A total of 310 schoolchildren living in Ecuador were assayed for spontaneous cytokine production as well as mitogen (SEB-stimulated cytokines in whole blood cultures. We collected data on environmental exposures by questionnaire and on intestinal parasites by examination of stool samples. Latent class analysis (LCA was used to group children according to their innate (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α and adaptive (IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-γ and IL-10 cytokine profile. We also conducted multiple-group LCA and LCA with covariates to evaluate the effect of predictors on profile membership. We identified both hyporesponsive and Th2-modified immune phenotypes produced by peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs that were associated with intestinal worms and birth order, providing insights into how poor hygiene mediates immunologic effects on immune-mediated diseases.

Helping Children Deal with the Nuclear Threat.

Science.gov (United States)

Schirmer, Peggy

1982-01-01

Suggests how elementary school teachers can address the topic of nuclear warfare with young children. Emphasizes that educating children for peace requires that parents and teachers (1) recognize and deal with the anxieties provoked by nuclear war and that (2) they provide role models by participating in the antinuclear movement. (GC)

Helping Youth Decide: A Workshop Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Duquette, Donna Marie; Boo, Katherine

This guide was written to complement the publication "Helping Youth Decide," a manual designed to help parents develop effective parent-child communication and help their children make responsible decisions during the adolescent years. The workshop guide is intended to assist people who work with families to provide additional information and…

Measures of low food variety and poor dietary quality in a cross-sectional study of London school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Cel; Hutchinson, J; Christian, M S; Hancock, N; Cade, J E

2018-02-01

The use of simple screening tools to measure nutritional adequacy in a public health context in developed countries are currently lacking. We explore the relationship between food variety and nutrient intake of London school children using a simple tool with potential use for screening for inadequate diets. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2010. The survey included 2579 children aged 7-10 years in 52 primary schools in East London in the United Kingdom. The analysis included 2392 children (93% of the original sample). Food variety was assessed as the total number of listed foods recorded over 24 h using the validated Child and Diet Assessment Tool (CADET) comprising 115 listed foods divided into 16 food categories. Dietary quality was determined by the proportion of children meeting recommended intakes of individual micronutrients, namely, calcium, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A and vitamin C. The mean number of CADET-listed foods consumed daily by children was 17.1 (95% CI: 16.8, 17.5). Children who consumed fewer than 11 foods on the collection day had particularly low nutrient intakes. Children consuming three different vegetables and two different fruits on average consumed 19-20 listed foods. It was estimated between 4 and 20% of children did not meet the recommended levels for individual micronutrients during the period of data collection. A simple method using food counts to assess daily food variety may help public health nutritionists identify groups of children at risk of inadequate diets.

Association of tic disorders with poor academic performance in central Spain: a population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cubo, Esther; Trejo, José; Ausín, Vanesa; Sáez, Sara; Delgado, Vanesa; Macarrón, Jesus; Cordero, José; Louis, Elan D; Kompoliti, Katie; Benito-León, Julián

2013-07-01

To analyze the association between tic disorders and poor academic performance in school-aged children. This was a cross-sectional, observational study conducted in a randomly selected sample of mainstream school-aged children (aged 6-16 years). The sampling frame included different types of schools and educational levels. Children with poor academic performance (eg, repeating a grade, special needs), and tic disorders (defined based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision criteria) were identified. Children with and without tics and children with and without poor academic performance were compared in terms of clinical features (ie, medical history and neurologic and psychiatric comorbidities), school, and environmental characteristics. Logistic regression analyses were performed using school performance (dependent variable) and tic disorders (independent variable), after adjusting for confounding variables. The study cohort comprised 1867 children (mean age, 10.9 + 2.9 years; 1007 males [53.9%]). Tics were present in 162 children (8.6%), and poor academic performance was noted in 223 (11.9%). Overall poor academic performance was associated with age (OR, 1.71; P family history of school dysfunction (OR, 2.43; P = .02) and was negatively associated with higher IQ score (OR, 0.90; P academic performance in our cohort. Early academic support and modification of environmental characteristics are needed for children at higher risk for school dysfunction, to enhance academic performance. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

How could the family-scale photovoltaic module help the poor farmer out of poverty and reduce CO2 emission?

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Xu; Jin, Ran

2016-04-01

China, the world's most populous country, is facing great opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, China's increasing economy is raising hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. On the other hand, there are still 100 million of whose daily income is less than 1 US dollar. In addition, China is the world's largest solar panel producer and also the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Could we find a feasible way to use solar panels to help the poor and meanwhile reduce CO2 emissions? To do this, we reviewed the literature and investigated the related field sites and institutions in China. Results show that the extension of family-scale photovoltaic modules to countryside could help. The 3 kW-module is recommended for widely distribution because its technology is mature and the cost is relatively low (3500 US dollars). Besides their own use to improve their living standard, farmers can sell the excess electricity to the grid at the price of 0.17 UD/kWh. The farmer's annual income could be increased by 460-615 US dollars by selling electricity, and this is equivalent to half of their annual income in many rural regions. The photovoltaic module can be used for 25 years and the payback period is 7 years. In addition to its economic benefit, the photovoltaic module can reduce CO2 emissions by 0.93 kg/kWh. This is equivalent to annual reduction of 3000-4000 kg CO2 per family. Therefore, it is concluded that the family-scale photovoltaic module not only can help the farmers out of poverty but also can reduce CO2 emissions significantly. To promote its sustainable development, it is worthwhile to further investigations its business models as well as the effects of long-term support policies under different social and nature conditions.

Brain metabolite changes on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarac, K.; Alkan, A.; Baysal, T.; Akinci, A.; Aslan, M.; Oezcan, C.

2005-01-01

The metabolite changes in the brains of children with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) were investigated by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). A total of 30 subjects and 14 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent single-voxel MRS (TE: 136). The duration of disease, medication, presence of hypoglycaemia episodes and the level of haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) in the patients were noted. Voxels were placed in the pons, left basal ganglion (LBG) and left posterior parietal white matter (PPWM). N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatinine (Cr) and choline (Cho)/Cr ratios were calculated. The average HbA1c level was 11.9±3.4 (8.2-19.4). The average number of keto-acidosis episodes was 1.9±2.2 (0-9) and the average number of daily insulin injections was 2.8±0.97 (2-4). MRS revealed lower NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in the pons and lower NAA/Cr ratio in the PPWM of patients with DM than in control subjects. No significant correlation was observed between the number of hypoglycaemia episodes and metabolite ratios. Metabolic abnormalities have been observed by MRS in the brain of poorly controlled type 1 DM children. These metabolic changes, in particular in the pons region, include a decrease in NAA, indicating neuronal loss or functional impairment, and likely explanations for a decrease in Cho may be dynamic changes in membrane lipids and/or decreased membrane turnover. (orig.)

Brain metabolite changes on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarac, K.; Alkan, A.; Baysal, T. [Inonu University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Malatya (Turkey); Akinci, A.; Aslan, M. [Inonu University School of Medicine, Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Malatya (Turkey); Oezcan, C. [Inonu University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Malatya (Turkey)

2005-07-01

The metabolite changes in the brains of children with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) were investigated by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). A total of 30 subjects and 14 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent single-voxel MRS (TE: 136). The duration of disease, medication, presence of hypoglycaemia episodes and the level of haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) in the patients were noted. Voxels were placed in the pons, left basal ganglion (LBG) and left posterior parietal white matter (PPWM). N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatinine (Cr) and choline (Cho)/Cr ratios were calculated. The average HbA1c level was 11.9{+-}3.4 (8.2-19.4). The average number of keto-acidosis episodes was 1.9{+-}2.2 (0-9) and the average number of daily insulin injections was 2.8{+-}0.97 (2-4). MRS revealed lower NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in the pons and lower NAA/Cr ratio in the PPWM of patients with DM than in control subjects. No significant correlation was observed between the number of hypoglycaemia episodes and metabolite ratios. Metabolic abnormalities have been observed by MRS in the brain of poorly controlled type 1 DM children. These metabolic changes, in particular in the pons region, include a decrease in NAA, indicating neuronal loss or functional impairment, and likely explanations for a decrease in Cho may be dynamic changes in membrane lipids and/or decreased membrane turnover. (orig.)

Guided self-help for mental health disorders in children and young people with chronic neurological conditions: A qualitative evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Sophie D; Coughtrey, Anna E; Heyman, Isobel; Greally, Suzanna; Clarkson, Harriet; Bhattacharyya, Tuhina; Lewis, Corah; Varadkar, Sophia; Shafran, Roz

2018-03-09

Children with neurological conditions such as epilepsy are at high risk of developing mental health disorders. Guided self-help can be used to increase access to psychological therapies. When developing and evaluating interventions, it is important to obtain the views of service-users about their acceptability. A telephone-guided self-help intervention was used to treat common mental health difficulties in children and young people with neurological conditions. The intervention was not adapted in content to account for chronic illness. This study therefore reports on qualitative interviews with participants to determine the acceptability of the intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 participants (25 parents and 2 young people) who had undertaken a telephone-delivered guided self-help intervention for common mental health difficulties in the context of a paediatric neurological condition. Transcripts were analysed thematically using the framework approach. Thirteen themes were extracted, organised into three main domains, which covered: the practicalities of telephone guided self-help treatment; the outcomes of the intervention; and the extent to which adaptation was needed for chronic illness. Most families found the intervention helpful in working towards their specific goals and noticed changes for the child and/or parents and family. Participants had a positive experience of the intervention and the majority of parents found the standard intervention with individualised goals sufficient to meet the young person's mental health needs. Copyright © 2018 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist--Revised Manual [and] Helpful Entry Level Skill Checklist--Revised Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass, Lexington, KY.

The Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist was designed to assist preschool teachers in selecting functional skills that children (including children with disabilities) may need to make a successful transition into the public schools. These skills, for the most part, deal with attending, compliance, ability to follow directions, turn taking, ability…

Dietary intake of energy-dense, nutrient-poor and nutrient-dense food sources in children with cystic fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, Rosie; Katz, Tamarah; Liu, Victoria; Quintano, Justine; Brunner, Rebecca; Tong, Chai Wei; Collins, Clare E; Ooi, Chee Y

2018-04-30

Prescription of a high-energy, high-fat diet is a mainstay of nutrition management in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, families may be relying on energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods rather than nutrient-dense (ND) foods to meet dietary targets. We aimed to evaluate the relative contribution of EDNP and ND foods to the usual diets of children with CF and identify sociodemographic factors associated with higher EDNP intakes. This is a cross-sectional comparison of children with CF aged 2-18 years and age- and gender-matched controls. Dietary intake was assessed using the Australian Child and Adolescent Eating Survey (ACAES) food frequency questionnaire. Children with CF (n = 80: 37 males; mean age 9.3 years) consumed significantly more EDNP foods than controls (mean age 9.8 years) in terms of both total energy (median [IQR]: 1301 kcal/day (843-1860) vs. 686 kcal/day (480-1032); p energy intake (median [IQR]: 44% (34-51) vs. 31% (24-43); p energy requirements (median [IQR]: 158% (124-187) vs. 112% (90-137); p energy- and fat-dense CF diet is primarily achieved by overconsumption of EDNP foods, rather than ND sources. This dietary pattern may not be optimal for the future health of children with CF, who are now expected to survive well into adulthood. Copyright © 2018 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. All rights reserved.

Training Helps Autistic Children Emerge from Solitude

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

1994-01-01

Amother considers her child to be a continuation of her own life, and places her own desires that she cannot achieve on her child. A child is a mother’s sun, a mother’s hope. In this world, however, there exists another group of mothers whose children have autism. These children act as if they are completely alone, do not interact with others, and even refuse the love of

Icon arrays help younger children's proportional reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggeri, Azzurra; Vagharchakian, Laurianne; Xu, Fei

2018-06-01

We investigated the effects of two context variables, presentation format (icon arrays or numerical frequencies) and time limitation (limited or unlimited time), on the proportional reasoning abilities of children aged 7 and 10 years, as well as adults. Participants had to select, between two sets of tokens, the one that offered the highest likelihood of drawing a gold token, that is, the set of elements with the greater proportion of gold tokens. Results show that participants performed better in the unlimited time condition. Moreover, besides a general developmental improvement in accuracy, our results show that younger children performed better when proportions were presented as icon arrays, whereas older children and adults were similarly accurate in the two presentation format conditions. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? There is a developmental improvement in proportional reasoning accuracy. Icon arrays facilitate reasoning in adults with low numeracy. What does this study add? Participants were more accurate when they were given more time to make the proportional judgement. Younger children's proportional reasoning was more accurate when they were presented with icon arrays. Proportional reasoning abilities correlate with working memory, approximate number system, and subitizing skills. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Technologies of work with disadvantaged children in The Children’s Help Center (DasStädttischeKinderhilfzentrum), Düsseldorf

OpenAIRE

Abramenko A. Yu

2012-01-01

The experience of visiting The Children’s Help Center (children’s temporary home) in Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany is described in this article. There disadvantage children, orphans & temporary without parental custody are kept. The base of social work & help to disadvantaged children’s & such a families in Germany is reported in this article. The types of work in children’s temporary home are described. The examples of Center project activity how to involve resources of the region...

What characterizes persons with poor mental health?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Anne Illemann; Davidsen, Michael; Kjøller, Mette

2014-01-01

analysed by means of logistic regression models. Results: Men and women with poor mental health are characterized by being single, having a long-term illness, not being able to rely on help from others in case of illness and by feeling that family and friends demand too much of them. Men with poor mental...... health were further characterized by being a heavy smoker, and having a BMI below 25. Women with poor mental health were further characterized by being 16-44 years old and sedentary in leisure time. CONCLUSIONS THE PREVALENCE OF POOR MENTAL HEALTH IS HIGHER AMONG WOMEN THAN MEN, AND DIFFERENT FACTORS...... CHARACTERIZE MEN AND WOMEN WITH POOR MENTAL HEALTH THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUPPORT THE NOTION THAT BOTH SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS ARE INDEPENDENTLY RELATED WITH POOR MENTAL HEALTH WE SUGGEST TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL THESE AREAS OF LIFE WHEN PLANNING ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT POOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WHEN...

Helping children and adults cope with parental infidelity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lusterman, Don-David

2005-11-01

This article addresses the impact of discovered marital infidelity on the couple's young children, adolescents, and adult children. It distinguishes between two types of infidelity, affairs and womanizing, and suggests differential treatments for each. Treatment must address the impact of the secrecy, which is always part of infidelity, and the boundary violations that occur when a child is directly involved in the infidelity or in its aftermath. Four clinical cases illustrate therapeutic interventions for children suffering from their parent's infidelity.

Low motor performance scores among overweight children: poor coordination or morphological constraints?

Science.gov (United States)

Chivers, Paola; Larkin, Dawne; Rose, Elizabeth; Beilin, Lawrence; Hands, Beth

2013-10-01

This study examined whether lower motor performance scores can be full attributed to poor coordination, or whether weight related morphological constraints may also affect motor performance. Data for 666 children and adolescents from the longitudinal Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study were grouped into normal weight, overweight and obese categories based on the International Obesity Task Force cut points. Participants completed the 10-item McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND) at the 10 and 14 year follow-up. The prevalence of overweight and obese participants classified with mild or moderate motor difficulties was not different from the normal weight group at 10 years (χ2 = 5.8 p = .215), but higher at 14 years (χ2 = 11.3 p = .023). There were no significant differences in overall motor performance scores between weight status groups at 10 years, but at 14 years, the normal weight group achieved better scores than the obese group (pobese groups on the jump task at 10 (pmotor competence are appropriate for an increasingly overweight and obese population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen-Poor Core-Collapse Supernovae

Science.gov (United States)

Pian, Elena; Mazzali, Paolo A.

Hydrogen-poor core-collapse supernovae (SNe) signal the explosive death of stars more massive than the progenitors of hydrogen-rich core-collapse supernovae, i.e., approximately in the range 15-50 M⊙ in main sequence. Since hydrogen-poor core-collapse supernovae include those that accompany gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which were all rigorously identified with type Ic supernovae, their explosion energies cover almost two decades. The light curves and spectra are consequently very heterogeneous and often bear the signature of an asymmetric, i.e., aspherical, explosion. Asphericity is best traced by early-time (within days of the explosion) optical spectropolarimetry and by late-epoch (more than ˜ 100 days after explosion) low-resolution spectroscopy. While the relationship between hydrogen-poor core-collapse supernovae to hydrogen-poor super-luminous supernovae is not understood, a known case of association between an ultra-long gamma-ray burst and a very luminous hydrogen-poor supernova may help unraveling the connection. This is tantalizingly pointing to a magnetar powering source for both phenomena, although this scenario is still highly speculative. Host galaxies of hydrogen-poor supernovae are always star forming; in those of completely stripped supernovae and gamma-ray burst supernovae, the spatial distribution of the explosions follows the blue/ultraviolet light, with a correlation that is more than linear.

Helping Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

Science.gov (United States)

... for Families - Vietnamese Spanish Facts for Families Guide Domestic Violence and Children No. 109; Updated April 2013 As ... each year. This kind of violence is called domestic violence or intimate partner violence. The US Department of ...

Poor versus rich children with epilepsy have the same clinical course and remission rates but a less favorable social outcome: A population-based study with 25 years of follow-up.

Science.gov (United States)

Camfield, Carol; Camfield, Peter; Smith, Bruce

2016-11-01

To explore the influence of several estimates of family socioeconomic status on the long-term clinical course and social outcomes of children with epilepsy. The Nova Scotia childhood epilepsy cohort is population based and includes all children in this Canadian province who developed epilepsy between 1977 and 1985. Eligible patients had ≥10 years of follow-up. Children with childhood absence epilepsy were excluded. Total family income at seizure onset was assessed at seizure onset and classified as "poor" (first quintile), "adequate" (second to third quintiles), and "well-off" (fourth to fifth quintiles). We also assessed parental education and home ownership. Social outcome was assessed in those with normal intelligence who were ≥18 years of age at the end of follow-up using a semistructured interview that explored eight adverse effects. Of 584 patients, 421 (72%) were included. Average follow-up was 26 ± 5.6 years. Overall 137 families (33%) had "poor" income, 159 (38%) had "adequate income," and 125 (30%) were "well-off." Terminal remission of epilepsy occurred in 65% of the poor, 61% of the adequate, and 61% of the well-off (p = ns). Intractable epilepsy, status epilepticus, number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used, and the number of generalized tonic-clonic or focal with secondary generalization seizures through the clinical course was the same in all groups. Home ownership did not predict remission. Neither paternal nor maternal education was associated with remission. Poor children had significantly more adverse social outcomes including failure to graduate from high school, unemployment, personal poverty, inadvertent pregnancy, and psychiatric diagnoses. In Nova Scotia with universal health care, coming from a poor or more affluent family does not seem to affect the clinical course or long-term seizure outcome of childhood epilepsy. Unfortunately children from poor families are less likely to have a good social outcome. Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Semantic processing in deaf and hard-of-hearing children: Large N400 mismatch effects in brain responses, despite poor semantic ability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petter Kallioinen

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Difficulties in auditory and phonological processing affect semantic processing in speech comprehension of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH children. However, little is known about brain responses of semantic processing in this group. We investigated event-related potentials (ERPs in DHH children with cochlear implants (CI and/or hearing aids (HA, and in normally hearing controls (NH. We used a semantic priming task with spoken word primes followed by picture targets. In both DHH children and controls, response differences between matching and mismatching targets revealed a typical N400-effect associated with semantic processing. Children with CI had the largest mismatch response despite poor semantic abilities overall, children with CI also had the largest ERP differentiation between mismatch types, with small effects of within-category mismatches (target from same category as prime and large effects between-category mismatches (were target is from a different category than prime. NH and HA children had similar responses to both mismatch types. While the large and differentiated ERP responses in the CI group were unexpected and should be interpreted with caution, the results could reflect less precision in semantic processing among children with CI, or a stronger reliance on predictive processing.

Exploring help-seeking for ADHD symptoms: a mixed-methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Bussing, Regina; Koro-Ljungberg, Mirka E; Gary, Faye; Mason, Dana M; Garvan, Cynthia W

2005-01-01

Gender and race differences in treatment rates for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are well documented but poorly understood. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examines parental help-seeking steps for elementary school students at high risk for ADHD. Parents of 259 students (male/female, African American/Caucasian) identified as being at high risk for ADHD completed diagnostic interviews and provided detailed accounts of help-seeking activities since they first became concerned about their child. Help-seeking steps (n=1,590) were analyzed using two methods: inductive analysis based on grounded theory, and deductive quantitative analysis of coded data derived from application of the network-episode model, merged subsequently with demographic and other characteristics. The inductive analysis revealed unique parental perceptions of their children's sick role and of the agents of identification and intervention for each of the four groups. Deductive analysis showed significant variations by race and gender in consultation experiences, in the person or entity being consulted and in the transactions occurring in the consultation, and in illness careers. ADHD symptoms are interpreted as having different implications for the sick role and the intervention, dependent on a child's gender and race. Educational interventions need to address cultural stereotypes contributing to inequitable access to treatment.

Managing poorly performing clinicians: health care providers' willingness to pay for independent help.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Verity; Sussex, Jon; Ryan, Mandy; Tetteh, Ebenezer

2012-03-01

To determine the willingness to pay (WTP) of senior managers in the UK National Health Service (NHS) for services to help manage performance concerns with doctors, dentists and pharmacists. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used to elicit senior managers' preferences for a support service to help manage clinical performance concerns. The DCE was based on: a literature review; interviews with support service providers and clinical professional bodies; and discussion groups with managers. From the DCE responses, we estimate marginal WTP for aspects of support services. 451 NHS managers completed the DCE questionnaire. NHS managers are willing to pay for: advice, 'facilitation', and behavioural, health, clinical and organisational assessments. Telephone advice with written confirmation was valued most highly. NHS managers were willing to pay £161.56 (CI: £160.81-£162.32) per year per whole time equivalent doctor, dentist or pharmacist, for support to help manage clinical performance concerns. Marginal WTP varied across respondent subgroups but was always positive. Health care managers valued help in managing the clinicians' performance, and were willing to pay for it from their organisations' limited funds. Their WTP exceeds the current cost of a UK body providing similar support. Establishing a central body to provide such services across a health care system, with the associated economies of scale including cumulative experience, is an option that policy makers should consider seriously. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toddlers Help a Peer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hepach, Robert; Kante, Nadine; Tomasello, Michael

2017-09-01

Toddlers are remarkably prosocial toward adults, yet little is known about their helping behavior toward peers. In the present study with 18- and 30-month-old toddlers (n = 192, 48 dyads per age group), one child needed help reaching an object to continue a task that was engaging for both children. The object was within reach of the second child who helped significantly more often compared to a no-need control condition. The helper also fulfilled the peer's need when the task was engaging only for the child needing help. These findings suggest that toddlers' skills and motivations of helping do not depend on having a competent and helpful recipient, such as an adult, but rather they are much more flexible and general. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Four-year-olds' strategic allocation of resources: attempts to elicit reciprocation correlate negatively with spontaneous helping.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenward, Ben; Hellmer, Kahl; Winter, Lina Söderström; Eriksson, Malin

2015-03-01

Behaviour benefitting others (prosocial behaviour) can be motivated by self-interested strategic concerns as well as by genuine concern for others. Even in very young children such behaviour can be motivated by concern for others, but whether it can be strategically motivated by self-interest is currently less clear. Here, children had to distribute resources in a game in which a rich but not a poor recipient could reciprocate. From four years of age participants strategically favoured the rich recipient, but only when recipients had stated an intention to reciprocate. Six- and eight-year-olds distributed more equally. Children allocating strategically to the rich recipient were less likely to help when an adult needed assistance but was not in a position to immediately reciprocate, demonstrating consistent cross-task individual differences in the extent to which social behaviour is self- versus other-oriented even in early childhood. By four years of age children are capable of strategically allocating resources to others as a tool to advance their own self-interest. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parasite load and risk factors for poor outcome among children with visceral leishmaniasis. A cohort study in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2010-2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Vitória Assumpção Mourão

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Clinical and laboratory risk factors for death from visceral leishmaniasis (VL are relatively known, but quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR might assess the role of parasite load in determining clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors, including parasite load in peripheral blood, for VL poor outcome among children. This prospective cohort study evaluated children aged ≤ 12 years old with VL diagnosis at three times: pre-treatment (T0, during treatment (T1 and post-treatment (T2. Forty-eight patients were included and 16 (33.3% met the criteria for poor outcome. Age ≤ 12 months [relative risk (RR 3.51; 95% confidence interval (CI 1.89-6.52], tachydyspnoea (RR 3.46; 95% CI 2.19-5.47, bacterial infection (RR 3.08; 95% CI 1.27-7.48, liver enlargement (RR 3.00; 95% CI 1.44-6.23 and low serum albumin (RR 7.00; 95% CI 1.80-27.24 were identified as risk factors. qPCR was positive in all patients at T0 and the parasite DNA was undetectable in 76.1% of them at T1 and in 90.7% at T2. There was no statistical association between parasite load at T0 and poor outcome.

Text comprehension strategy instruction with poor readers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van den Bos, K.P.; Aarnoudse, C.C.; Brand-Gruwel, S.

1998-01-01

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of teaching text comprehension strategies to children with decoding and reading comprehension problems and with a poor or normal listening ability. Two experiments are reported. Four text comprehension strategies, viz., question generation,

Helping military children cope with parental deployment: role of attachment theory and recommendations for mental health clinicians and counselors.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Laurence; Miller, Halle B; Bjorklund, David

2010-01-01

Military deployment of a parent carries with it a number of stresses for children, all centering around uncertainty, instability and unpredictability. This article conceptualizes military deployment and relocation stress in the context of attachment theory, and describes the types of adverse outcomes that can occur as the result of impaired attachment. It then presents a set of practical recommendations for mental health clinicians and counselors for helping children and families cope productively and negotiate the developmental hurdles associated with maintaining healthy attachment and family stability in the face of military deployment.

Helping Your Child Who is Overweight

Science.gov (United States)

... check your child's overall health and growth over time and tell you if weight management may be helpful. Many children who are still ... jungle gym at the playground or joining a sports team or dance class. Help your child find ... time with the computer, television, cell phone, and other ...

Reading comprehension of ambiguous sentences by school-age children with autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Meghan M; Ellis Weismer, Susan

2017-12-01

Weak central coherence (processing details over gist), poor oral language abilities, poor suppression, semantic interference, and poor comprehension monitoring have all been implicated to affect reading comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study viewed the contributions of different supporting skills as a collective set of skills necessary for context integration-a multi-component view-to examine individual differences in reading comprehension in school-age children (8-14 years) with ASD (n = 23) and typically developing control peers (n = 23). Participants completed a written ambiguous sentence comprehension task in which participants had to integrate context to determine the correct homonym meaning via picture selection. Both comprehension products (i.e., offline representations after reading) and processes (i.e., online processing during reading) were evaluated. Results indicated that children with ASD, similar to their TD peers, integrated the context to access the correct homonym meanings while reading. However, after reading the sentences, when participants were asked to select the meanings, both groups experienced semantic interference between the two meanings. This semantic interference hindered the children with ASD's sentence representation to a greater degree than their peers. Individual differences in age/development, word recognition, vocabulary breadth (i.e., number of words in the lexicon), and vocabulary depth (i.e., knowledge of the homonym meanings) contributed to sentence comprehension in both children with ASD and their peers. Together, this evidence supports a multi-component view, and that helping children with ASD develop vocabulary depth may have cascading effects on their reading comprehension. Autism Res 2017, 10: 2002-2022. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Like their peers, children with ASD were able to integrate context, or link words while reading

Helping Them Grow.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreidler, William J.; And Others

1995-01-01

Three articles present suggestions to help elementary teachers promote student development. The first describes games that encourage a sense of community. The second deals with making parent teacher conferences a positive experience. The third discusses how to give confused children who are involved in custody battles an alternative to acting out.…

The early origins of human charity: Developmental changes in preschoolers’ sharing with poor and wealthy individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus ePaulus

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have provided evidence that young children already engage in sharing behavior. The underlying social‐cognitive mechanisms, however, are still under debate. In particular, it is unclear whether or not young children’s sharing is motivated by an appreciation of others’ wealth. Manipulating the material needs of recipients in a sharing task (Experiment 1 and a resource allocation task (Experiment 2, we show that 5‐ but not 3‐year‐old children share more with poor than wealthy individuals. The 3-year-old children even showed a tendency to behave less selfishly towards the rich, yet not the poor recipient. This suggests that very early instances of sharing behavior are not motivated by a consideration of others’ material needs. Moreover, the results show that 5-year-old children were rather inclined to give more to the poor individual than distributing the resources equally, demonstrating that their wish to support the poor overruled the otherwise very prominent inclination to share resources equally. This indicates that charity has strong developmental roots in preschool children.

Poor Facial Affect Recognition among Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, V. J.; Fee, R. J.; De Vivo, D. C.; Goldstein, E.

2007-01-01

Children with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy (MD) have delayed language and poor social skills and some meet criteria for Pervasive Developmental Disorder, yet they are identified by molecular, rather than behavioral, characteristics. To determine whether comprehension of facial affect is compromised in boys with MD, children were given a…

Ophthalmic Morbidity in School Children in Hilly Areas of Uttarakhand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Surekha Kishore

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: School children constitute about one fourth of population of India. Early detection and treatment of various eye diseases helps in avoiding many complications. The magnitude of blindness is 3-4 times greater in developing countries. Very few studies have been conducted in Uttarakhand revealing the ophthalmic morbidity in school children or general population. Hilly areas especially the remote ones face various problems like, poor transportation facilities, distant health facilities, use of traditional methods for treatment, faith healing, customs and belief system, lack of information.  Moreover   water supply, poor personal hygiene and other factors also add up to these problems. Aim: To study the ophthalmic morbidities in school children in 3 schools of Thatyur block. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study. Result: A total of 705 students were enrolled. Permission from school authorities was seeked before the start of study. Schools were visited twice in a week current and preliminary information was taken from the students & teacher regarding education, occupation, income etc. General examination and ophthalmic examination was done with day & torch light along with refraction, with the help of standard Snellen’s chart. Each eye was examined separately. A vision of 6/6 was considered as normal. Near vision was tested with new vision Snellen’s chart at 12-14 inches away from eye.

Ophthalmic Morbidity in School Children in Hilly Areas of Uttarakhand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Surekha Kishore

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: School children constitute about one fourth of population of India. Early detection and treatment of various eye diseases helps in avoiding many complications. The magnitude of blindness is 3-4 times greater in developing countries. Very few studies have been conducted in Uttarakhand revealing the ophthalmic morbidity in school children or general population. Hilly areas especially the remote ones face various problems like, poor transportation facilities, distant health facilities, use of traditional methods for treatment, faith healing, customs and belief system, lack of information.  Moreover   water supply, poor personal hygiene and other factors also add up to these problems. Aim: To study the ophthalmic morbidities in school children in 3 schools of Thatyur block. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study. Result: A total of 705 students were enrolled. Permission from school authorities was seeked before the start of study. Schools were visited twice in a week current and preliminary information was taken from the students & teacher regarding education, occupation, income etc. General examination and ophthalmic examination was done with day & torch light along with refraction, with the help of standard Snellen’s chart. Each eye was examined separately. A vision of 6/6 was considered as normal. Near vision was tested with new vision Snellen’s chart at 12-14 inches away from eye.

Associations between poor health and school-related behavior problems at the child and family levels: a cross-sectional study of migrant children and adolescents in southwest urban China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing-Jing; Li, Ning-Xiu; Liu, Chao-Jie

2010-06-01

Due to urbanization in China, the numbers of migrant children and adolescents in urban environments have increased. Previous studies have indicated that children and adolescents are more likely to suffer from health problems and poor school achievement. The present study identified associations between poor health and school-related behavior problems (ie, learning attitudes and learning disabilities [LL], antisocial behavior and risk behavior [AR], and social adaptation and role function [SR]) at the child and family levels. A cross-sectional design was used. Seven hundred and eighty-one participants were recruited in inclusive settings. Correlational analysis was conducted to assess the associations between demographic variables and the primary study variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which study factors were the strongest predictors of general health problems. School-aged migrants who had poorer health tended to be more likely to suffer from school-related behavior problems. Poor health was also found to hinder scholastic achievement in migrant children and adolescents through a higher prevalence of school-related behavior problems, including negative learning attitudes and learning disabilities, antisocial behavior and risk behavior, and social maladjustment. Health risk factors included inappropriate parental education methods, fewer classmates, and less social support. Health and individual risk factors should be explored further to determine their causal role in migrant children and adolescents with school-related behavior problems. These results have implications for future school health education for these students.

Helping Parents Reduce Children's Television Viewing

Science.gov (United States)

Jason, Leonard A.; Fries, Michael

2004-01-01

Parents and educators around the country are concerned about the amount of time children watch television. Part of this concern stems from the fact that a considerable amount of violence is regularly portrayed on television. In addition, those youngsters who watch an excessive amount of television have little time for developing other interests…

Paediatric Palliative Care in Resource-Poor Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Downing

2018-02-01

Full Text Available There is a great need for paediatric palliative care (PPC services globally, but access to services is lacking in many parts of the world, particularly in resource-poor settings. Globally it is estimated that 21.6 million children need access to palliative care, with 8.2 needing specialist services. PC has been identified as important within the global health agenda e.g., within universal health coverage, and a recent Lancet commission report recognised the need for PPC. However, a variety of challenges have been identified to PPC development globally such as: access to treatment, access to medications such as oral morphine, opiophobia, a lack of trained health and social care professionals, a lack of PPC policies and a lack of awareness about PPC. These challenges can be overcome utilising a variety of strategies including advocacy and public awareness, education, access to medications, implementation and research. Examples will be discussed impacting on the provision of PPC in resource-poor settings. High-quality PPC service provision can be provided with resource-poor settings, and there is an urgent need to scale up affordable, accessible, and quality PPC services globally to ensure that all children needing palliative care can access it.

Oral health status of children with congenital heart disease and the awareness, attitude and knowledge of their parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Kavita; Supriya, S; Hegde, Amitha M

2009-01-01

The oral health status of children with congenital heart diseases and the parental awareness on maintaining good oral health and attitude towards preventive dental health measures were evaluated. A total of 170 children between the age group of 1-16 yrs belonging to both genders, with the history of congenital heart disease from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram and Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore were examined. Oral lesions and caries experience were recorded using modified WHO oral health assessment form. Oral hygiene of the children with congenital heart disease was found to be poor with tongue coating (50.6%), plaque (41.8%), calculus (35.3%), and caries (42.4%). Parental awareness on the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene, preventive dentistry, medicinal decay and its systemic effects has been found to be very poor. Dentistry should give priority to patients whose general health may be put at risk by poor dental health. Closer cooperation between Pediatrician, Pediatric Cardiologists and Pediatric Dentists could help improve dental care for these children.

Mothers' self-reported grocery shopping behaviours with their 2- to 7-year-old children: relationship between feeding practices and mothers' willingness to purchase child-requested nutrient-poor, marketed foods, and fruits and vegetables.

Science.gov (United States)

Lively, Kathryn; Babawale, Oluborode; Thompson, David M; Morris, Amanda S; Harris, Jennifer L; Sisson, Susan B; Cheney, Marshall K; Lora, Karina R

2017-12-01

To assess relationships between mothers' feeding practices (food as a reward, food for emotion regulation, modelling of healthy eating) and mothers' willingness to purchase child-marketed foods and fruits/vegetables (F&V) requested by their children during grocery co-shopping. Cross-sectional. Mothers completed an online survey that included questions about feeding practices and willingness (i.e. intentions) to purchase child-requested foods during grocery co-shopping. Feeding practices scores were dichotomized at the median. Foods were grouped as nutrient-poor or nutrient-dense (F&V) based on national nutrition guidelines. Regression models compared mothers with above-the-median v. at-or-below-the-median feeding practices scores on their willingness to purchase child-requested food groupings, adjusting for demographic covariates. Participants completed an online survey generated at a public university in the USA. Mothers (n 318) of 2- to 7-year-old children. Mothers who scored above-the-median on using food as a reward were more willing to purchase nutrient-poor foods (β=0·60, Ppurchase nutrient-poor foods (β=0·29, Ppurchase nutrient-dense foods (β=0·22, Ppurchase child-requested, nutrient-poor foods. Parental feeding practices may facilitate or limit children's foods requested in grocery stores. Parent-child food consumer behaviours should be investigated as a route that may contribute to children's eating patterns.

Depression--Medicines To Help You

Science.gov (United States)

... For Consumers Consumer Information by Audience For Women Depression--Medicines To Help You Share Tweet Linkedin Pin ... medicines for depression. Important Warnings about Medicines for Depression Children and teens who take antidepressants may be ...

Poor School Performance: Contributing Factors and Consequences, with Emphasis on the Nonwhite Child.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwinn, Diane G.

Research on poor school performance--with emphasis on the nonwhite child--is discussed in terms of differences children bring to school, the school process, and consequences of poor school performance. Individual factors related to poor achievement are noted to include membership in a disadvantaged minority group, broken homes and absent fathers,…

The need for mental health services research focusing on poor young women.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Jeanne; Green, Bonnie L.

1999-06-01

Despite the fact that the relationship between poverty and increased risk for a broad spectrum of mental disorders has been documented for several decades, very little is known about providing mental health treatments to poor individuals. In this paper, we emphasize the importance of developing, and empirically evaluating, sensitive and appropriate interventions for poor young women who suffer from common mental disorders. WHO ARE THE US POOR?: In the US, nearly 14% of individuals live in poverty, and another 20% in near poverty. The poor are disproportionally women and children such that 63% of female-headed households are poor. Young women and ethnic minorities are over-represented among the poor also, with 55% of those living below the poverty level being minorities. NEEDS AND BARRIERS TO CARE AMONG POOR, YOUNG WOMEN: The poor have more mental disorders than those with more resources. Further, women are twice as likely as men to have a mood or anxiety disorder, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with younger women at higher risk than older women. Research alos indicates that poor women have high exposure to traumatic events and cumulative adversity that is directly related to their mental health. This history may serve, in part, as a barrier to seeking mental health care. Other barriers in this population include lack of insurance, lack of access to primary care where mental disorders might be detected, practical problems like lack of childcare or transportation, and the inflexibility of low-income service jobs. Religious beliefs and attitudes about mental health treatment may play a role as well. Recent policy changes in the US have contributed to the vulnerability of this group as eligibility for welfare programs has reduced, and time limits have decreasd. Services for immigrants are also severely limited, and managed care strategies for those in the public sector may be confusing. IMPORTANT, UNANSWERED QUESTION: More needs

Preliteracy signatures of poor-reading abilities in resting-state EEG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppina eSchiavone

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The hereditary character of dyslexia suggests the presence of putative underlying neural anomalies already in preliterate age. Here, we investigated whether early neurophysiological correlates of future reading difficulties—a hallmark of dyslexia—could be identified in the resting-state EEG of preliterate children. The children in this study were recruited at birth and classified on the basis of parents’ performance on reading tests to be at-risk of becoming poor readers (n = 48 or not (n = 14. Eyes-open rest EEG was measured at the age of 3 years, and the at-risk children were divided into fluent readers (n = 24 and non-fluent readers (n = 24 after reading assessment at their third grade of school. We found that fluent readers and non-fluent readers differed in normalized spectral amplitude. Non-fluent readers were characterized by lower amplitude in the delta-1 frequency band (0.5–2 Hz and higher amplitude in the alpha-1 band (6–8 Hz in multiple scalp regions compared to control and at-risk fluent readers. Interestingly, across groups these EEG biomarkers correlated with several behavioral test scores measured in the third grade. Specifically, the performance on reading fluency, phonological and orthographic tasks and rapid automatized naming task correlated positively with delta-1 and negatively with alpha-1. Together, our results suggest that combining family-risk status, neurophysiological testing and behavioral test scores in a longitudinal setting may help uncover physiological mechanisms implicated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as the predisposition to reading disabilities.

Internal Grammar and Children's Grammatical Creativity against Poor Inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Belletti

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article is about the unexpected linguistic behavior that young children sometimes display by producing structures that are only marginally present in the adult language in a constrained way, and that adults do not adopt in the same experimental conditions. It is argued here that children's capacity to overextend the use of given syntactic structures thereby resulting in a grammatical creative behavior is the sign of an internal grammatical pressure which manifests itself given appropriate discourse conditions and factors of grammatical complexity and which does not necessarily require a rich input to be put into work. This poverty of the stimulus type situation is illustrated here through the overextended use of a-Topics and reflexive-causative passives by young Italian speaking children when answering eliciting questions concerning the direct object of the clause.

Comic strips help children understand medical research: targeting the informed consent procedure to children's needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Grootens-Wiegers, Petronella; de Vries, Martine C; van Beusekom, Mara M; van Dijck, Laura; van den Broek, Jos M

2015-04-01

Children involved in medical research often fail to comprehend essential research aspects. In order to improve information provision, a participatory approach was used to develop new information material explaining essential concepts of medical research. A draft of a comic strip was developed by a science communicator in collaboration with pediatricians. The draft was presented to children participating in a clinical trial and to two school classes. Children were consulted for further development in surveys and interviews. Subsequently, the material was revised and re-evaluated in four school classes with children of varying ages and educational levels. In the first evaluation, children provided feedback on the storyline, wording and layout. Children thought the comic strip was 'fun' and 'informative'. Understanding of 8 basic research aspects was on average 83% and all above 65%, illustrating that children understood and remembered key messages. A comic strip was developed to support the informed consent process. Children were consulted and provided feedback. The resulting material was well understood and accepted. Involving children in the development of information material can substantially contribute to the quality of the material. Children were excited to participate and to 'be a part of science'. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between Mobile Phone Addiction and the Incidence of Poor and Short Sleep among Korean Adolescents: a Longitudinal Study of the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey

OpenAIRE

Lee, Joo Eun; Jang, Sung-In; Ju, Yeong Jun; Kim, Woorim; Lee, Hyo Jung; Park, Eun-Cheol

2017-01-01

Three of ten teenagers in Korea are addicted to mobile phones. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between mobile phone addiction and the incidence of poor sleep quality and short sleep duration in adolescents. We used longitudinal data from the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute in Korea (2011?2013). A total of 1,125 students at baseline were included in this study after excluding those who already had poor sleep quality or...

Anti-osteoporotic therapy in Denmark-predictors and demographics of poor refill compliance and poor persistence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, C; Pedersen, Birthe D.; Konradsen, H

2013-01-01

In this study of 100,949 new users of oral bisphosphonates age ≥35 years, "early quitters" were found to differ from others with poor refill compliance in terms of socioeconomic, demographic, and treatment-related characteristics. New risk factors for poor compliance and persistence were identified...... quitters" were associated with high household income, subjects' age 71.9-79 years, living in the countryside or village, prior treatment with analgesics and anti-parkinson drugs, and dementia. Differences concerning decreased risk of "early quitters" were associated with male, living in an apartment......, children living at home, living close to a university hospital, anti-osteoporotic therapy other than alendronate, number of drugs especially above three, pulmonary disease, collagen disease. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a need for improved support for patients to facilitate the interpretation...

Could Trends in Time Children Spend with Parents Help Explain the Black-White Gap in Human Capital? Evidence from the American Time Use Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Richard W.

2017-01-01

It is widely believed that the time children spend with parents significantly impacts human capital formation. If time varies significantly between black and white children, this may help explain the large racial gap in test scores and wages. In this study, I use data from the American Time Use Survey to examine the patterns in the time black and…

A guide to help children understand cancer

Science.gov (United States)

... approach will depend on your child's age and maturity. Here is a general guide. CHILDREN AGES 0 ... child understands cancer. www.cancer.net/coping-and-emotions/communicating-loved-ones/how-child-understands-cancer . Updated ...

Factors Influencing the Accessibility of Education for Children with Disabilities in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandhya Vishwas Limaye

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The Central and State governments in India have formulated programs and policies over the years for children with disabilities in order to help them to enter mainstream society. However, despite these policies, children with disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged in terms of access to schooling and completion of elementary education, as their needs are not met effectively. Based on my personal experiences, research, and communication with different stakeholders involved in the field of education for children with disabilities over the last 30 years, this paper explores the broader challenges in the current education system with respect to issues of quality of education and drop-out rates of primary students with disabilities. A number of factors that influence the accessibility of education for children with disabilities are presented including: perceptions of parents of children with disabilities and their difficulties in helping their children with disabilities, the general attitude of society, government officials, school staff and infrastructure, inadequate levels of training of key stakeholders, invisibility of disability in community, poverty, lack of acceptance, lack of interest, gender discrimination, lack of awareness, poor physical access, availability of various support systems, and government policies focusing on the education of children with disabilities in specific.

Diagnostic accuracy of language sample measures with Persian-speaking preschool children.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazemi, Yalda; Klee, Thomas; Stringer, Helen

2015-04-01

This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of selected language sample measures (LSMs) with Persian-speaking children. A pre-accuracy study followed by phase I and II studies are reported. Twenty-four Persian-speaking children, aged 42 to 54 months, with primary language impairment (PLI) were compared to 27 age-matched children without PLI on a set of measures derived from play-based, conversational language samples. Results showed that correlations between age and LSMs were not statistically significant in either group of children. However, a majority of LSMs differentiated children with and without PLI at the group level (phase I), while three of the measures exhibited good diagnostic accuracy at the level of the individual (phase II). We conclude that general LSMs are promising for distinguishing between children with and without PLI. Persian-specific measures are mainly helpful in identifying children without language impairment while their ability to identify children with PLI is poor.

Poor performance in physical education - a risk factor for bully victimization. A case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bejerot, Susanne; Edgar, Johan; Humble, Mats B

2011-03-01

Poor social skills are a risk factor for becoming bullied, which could explain why this frequently occurs to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Poor social skills tend to coexist with clumsiness. According to a pilot study, poor performance in physical education (PE) was correlated with bully victimization. Sixty-nine healthy university students reported performance in PE and bully victimization in childhood. In addition, the participants responded to questionnaires for ADHD and ASDs to assess personality traits related to increased risk for bully victimization. Below average performance in PE was a risk factor of being bullied in school with an odds ratio of 3.6 [95% confidence interval: 1.23-10.5; p = 0.017]. Strong correlations between poor performance in PE and long duration of victimization (p = 0.007) and poor performance in PE and high frequency of victimization (p = 0.008) were found. Autistic traits were related to performance below average in PE. Poor motor skills are a strong risk factor for becoming bullied. Prevention programmes that identify, protect and empower the clumsy children could be an important step to avoid bullying of the most vulnerable children. © 2010 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2010 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Prevalence and associated determinants of malaria parasites among Kenyan children.

Science.gov (United States)

Sultana, Marufa; Sheikh, Nurnabi; Mahumud, Rashidul Alam; Jahir, Tania; Islam, Ziaul; Sarker, Abdur Razzaque

2017-01-01

Approximately 80% of deaths attributed to malaria worldwide occurred mainly in Africa in 2015. Kenya is one of the major malaria endemic countries, making malaria the leading public health concern in this country. This study intended to document the prevalence of malaria and determine associated factors including socioeconomic status among children aged 6 months to 14 years in Kenya. This study analyzed the secondary data extracted from the 2015 Kenya Malaria Indicator Survey (KMIS), a cross-sectional country representative survey. Associations of demographic, socioeconomic, community-based, and behavioral factors with the prevalence of malaria in children were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Data from 7040 children aged 6 months to 14 years were analyzed. The prevalence of malaria showed an upward trend in terms of age, with the highest prevalence among children aged 11-14 years. Prevalence was also higher among rural children (10.16%) compared to urban children (2.93%), as well as poor children (11.05%) compared to rich children (3.23%). The likelihood of having malaria was higher among children aged 10-14 years (AOR = 4.47, 95% CI = 3.33, 6.02; P level of the household head (AOR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.08, 2.25; P knowledge in practice to control the malaria burden in Kenya. Furthermore, this study suggests that improving the information available through the mass media and introducing behavior change communication and intervention program specifically for those of poor socioeconomic status will help to reduce malaria cases.

Bounded helping : How morality and intergroup relations shape children's reasoning about helping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, J.

2015-01-01

The main aim of this book was to provide insight into children’s (8-13 years) cognition about helping behavior. Whereas developmental research has examined children’s prosociality in terms of dispositions and abilities, it tends to overlook the relation between recipient and helper as well as the

Mastering of musical rhythm by pre-school age children with speech disorders with the help of dance-correction program trainings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.B. Petrenko

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: It is known that regular listening to specially selected music develops children’s cognitive abilities. Musical influence optimizes many important functions of brain: increases mental workability; accelerates processing of information; improves short term memory. Besides, sensitivity of visual and hearing analyzers strengthens, as well as regulation of arbitrary movements; indicators of verbal and non verbal intellect improve. Purpose: to determine peculiarities of musical rhythm’s mastering by pre-school age children with speech disorders with the help of dance-correction program trainings. Material: the categories of the tested children: children of age - 4-5 and 5-6 years with speech disorders and healthy pre-school age children. Children of 4-5 years’ age composed: main group (n=12, control group (n=16; group of healthy children (n=24. For assessment of verbal thinking and rhythm-motor (or dance abilities we used complex of tests of constantly increasing difficulty. Results: we found that under influence of dance-correcting exercises activation of rhythm-motor abilities and development of cognitive functions happened in children. We also found main functional peculiarities of musical rhythm’s mastering by pre-school age children. It was determined that by the end of pedagogic experiment, main groups of children approached to groups of healthy peers by all tested characteristics. Conclusions: it is recommended to include correcting components (fit ball - dance gymnastic, tales-therapy, logo-rhythm trainings, and game fitness in trainings by choreographic program.

Stunting, poor iron status and parasite infection are significant risk factors for lower cognitive performance in Cambodian school-aged children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marlene Perignon

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Nutrition is one of many factors affecting the cognitive development of children. In Cambodia, 55% of children <5 y were anemic and 40% stunted in 2010. Currently, no data exists on the nutritional status of Cambodian school-aged children, or on how malnutrition potentially affects their cognitive development. OBJECTIVE: To assess the anthropometric and micronutrient status (iron, vitamin A, zinc, iodine of Cambodian schoolchildren and their associations with cognitive performance. METHODS: School children aged 6-16 y (n = 2443 from 20 primary schools in Cambodia were recruited. Anthropometry, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, transferrin receptors, retinol-binding protein and zinc concentrations, inflammation status, urinary iodine concentration and parasite infection were measured. Socio-economic data were collected in a sub-group of children (n = 616. Cognitive performance was assessed using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM and block design and picture completion, two standardized tests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia, iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A deficiency were 15.7%; 51.2%, 92.8%, 17.3% and 0.7% respectively. The prevalence of stunting was 40.0%, including 10.9% of severe stunting. Stunted children scored significantly lower than non-stunted children on all tests. In RCPM test, boys with iron-deficiency anemia had lower scores than boys with normal iron status (-1.46, p<0.05. In picture completion test, children with normal iron status tended to score higher than iron-deficient children with anemia (-0.81; p = 0.067 or without anemia (-0.49; p = 0.064. Parasite infection was associated with an increase in risk of scoring below the median value in block design test (OR = 1.62; p<0.05, and with lower scores in other tests, for girls only (both p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Poor cognitive performance of Cambodian school-children was multifactorial and

THE ECONOMIC ROLE OF SELF-HELP GROUP

OpenAIRE

Dr. S. Selvendran

2018-01-01

“All for all” principle behind self-help group (SHG) concept. It is mainly concerned with poor people and it is for the people, by the people and of the people gandhian sarvodaya contained with this.

Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, Namrata; Barletta, Justine A

2014-12-01

Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) has been recognized for the past 30 years as an entity showing intermediate differentiation and clinical behavior between well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas (ie, papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular thyroid carcinoma) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma; however, there has been considerable controversy around the definition of PDTC. In this review, the evolution in the definition of PDTC, current diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses, potentially helpful immunohistochemical studies, and molecular alterations are discussed with the aim of highlighting where the diagnosis of PDTC currently stands. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Como Ayudar a sus Hijos a Aprender Ciencia (Helping Your Child Learn Science).

Science.gov (United States)

Paulu, Nancy; Martin, Margery

Because most parents say they do not or cannot help their children with science, this booklet was designed to help them do so, easily and with pleasure for both parent and child. The introduction presents information on why and how parents should help their children and provides a general orientation to the ideas and activities offered in the…

Poor Adherence to US Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Banfield, Emilyn C; Liu, Yan; Davis, Jennifer S; Chang, Shine; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C

2016-01-01

Poor diet quality in childhood and adolescence is associated with adverse health outcomes throughout life, yet the dietary habits of American children and how they change across childhood and adolescence are unknown. This study sought to describe diet quality among children and adolescents by assessing adherence to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and to determine whether any differences in adherence occurred across childhood. We employed a cross-sectional design using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Of 9,280 children aged 4 to 18 years who participated in NHANES from 2005 to 2010, those with insufficient data on dietary recall (n=852) or who were pregnant or lactating during the time of interview (n=38) were excluded from the final study sample (n=8,390). We measured adherence to the DGA using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010) and stratified participants into three age groups (4 to 8, 9 to 13, and 14 to 18 years of age). We analyzed each of 12 HEI-2010 components and total HEI-2010 score. The youngest children had the highest overall diet quality due to significantly greater scores for total fruit, whole fruit, dairy, and whole grains. These children also had the highest scores for sodium, refined grains, and empty calories. Total HEI-2010 scores ranged from 43.59 to 52.11 out of 100, much lower than the minimum score of 80 that is thought to indicate a diet associated with good health. Overall, children and adolescents are failing to meet the DGA and may be at an increased risk of chronic diseases throughout life. By analyzing which food groups show differences between age groups, we provide data that can inform the development of dietary interventions to promote specific food groups targeting specific ages and improve diet quality among children and adolescents. Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimated Under-Five Deaths Associated with Poor-Quality Antimalarials in Sub-Saharan Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Renschler, John P.; Walters, Kelsey M.; Newton, Paul N.; Laxminarayan, Ramanan

2015-01-01

Many antimalarials sold in sub-Saharan Africa are poor-quality (falsified, substandard, or degraded), and the burden of disease caused by this problem is inadequately quantified. In this article, we estimate the number of under-five deaths caused by ineffective treatment of malaria associated with consumption of poor-quality antimalarials in 39 sub-Saharan countries. Using Latin hypercube sampling our estimates were calculated as the product of the number of private sector antimalarials consumed by malaria-positive children in 2013; the proportion of private sector antimalarials consumed that were of poor-quality; and the case fatality rate (CFR) of under-five malaria-positive children who did not receive appropriate treatment. An estimated 122,350 (interquartile range [IQR]: 91,577–154,736) under-five malaria deaths were associated with consumption of poor-quality antimalarials, representing 3.75% (IQR: 2.81–4.75%) of all under-five deaths in our sample of 39 countries. There is considerable uncertainty surrounding our results because of gaps in data on case fatality rates and prevalence of poor-quality antimalarials. Our analysis highlights the need for further investigation into the distribution of poor-quality antimalarials and the need for stronger surveillance and regulatory efforts to prevent the sale of poor-quality antimalarials. PMID:25897068

Does surgery help in reducing stigma associated with drug refractory epilepsy in children?

Science.gov (United States)

Bajaj, Jitin; Tripathi, Manjari; Dwivedi, Rekha; Sapra, Savita; Gulati, Sheffali; Garg, Ajay; Tripathi, Madhavi; Bal, Chandra S; Chandra, Sarat P

2018-03-01

Epilepsy has several comorbidities and associated stigma. Stigma associated with epilepsy is well known and prevalent worldwide. Surgical treatment is an established treatment for drug refractory epilepsy. Following surgery in children, it is possible that the stigma may reduce, but such an effect has not been studied earlier. Analysis of prospectively collected data was performed for pediatric patients at a single tertiary center for treating epilepsy. Child stigma scale, as described by Austin et al., was used to evaluate stigma both pre- and postoperatively. Analysis was done using Paired t test. In this study, following surgery, there was significant reduction of stigma (Pstigma despite having good seizure outcome. Surgery in drug-resistant epilepsy helps in reducing stigma. Seizure reduction is probably not the only factor responsible for a change in stigma outcome. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Facts about Texas Children. Excerpted from Children, Choice, and Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Lorwen Connie

The environment in which Texas children grow up is crucial to their future and to the future of the state. Almost 500,000 Texas families were poor in 1985. Poverty sets the stage for numerous childhood maladies: infant mortality, health problems, child abuse, learning disabilities, malnutrition, and mental health problems. As poor children grow up…

Poor sitting posture and a heavy schoolbag as contributors to musculoskeletal pain in children: an ergonomic school education intervention program

Science.gov (United States)

Syazwan, AI; Azhar, MN Mohamad; Anita, AR; Azizan, HS; Shaharuddin, MS; Hanafiah, J Muhamad; Muhaimin, AA; Nizar, AM; Rafee, B Mohd; Ibthisham, A Mohd; Kasani, Adam

2011-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate a multidisciplinary, interventional, ergonomic education program designed to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal problems by reducing schoolbag weight and correcting poor sitting posture. Methods Data were collected twice before and twice following intervention using the Standardized Nordic Body Map Questionnaire, a rapid upper limb assessment for posture evaluation, and schoolbag weight measurement in children aged 8 and 11 years attending two schools within the central region of Malaysia. Results Students who received the ergonomic intervention reported significant improvements in their sitting posture in a classroom environment and reduction of schoolbag weight as compared with the controls. Conclusion A single-session, early intervention, group ergonomics education program for children aged 8 and 11 years is appropriate and effective, and should be considered as a strategy to reduce musculoskeletal pain among schoolchildren in this age group. PMID:22003301

Helping yourself helps others: Linking children's emotion regulation to prosocial behavior through sympathy and trust.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ju-Hyun; Colasante, Tyler; Malti, Tina

2018-06-01

Although emotionally well-regulated children are more likely to behave prosocially, the psychological processes that connect their emotion regulation abilities and prosocial behavior are less clear. We tested if other-oriented sympathy and trust mediated the links between emotion regulation capacities (i.e., resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA], negative emotional intensity, and sadness regulation) and prosocial behavior in an ethnically diverse sample of 4- and 8-year-olds (N = 131; 49% girls). Resting RSA was calculated from children's electrocardiogram data in response to a nondescript video. Sympathy was child and caregiver reported, whereas negative emotional intensity, sadness regulation, trust, and prosocial behavior were caregiver reported. Regardless of age, higher resting RSA was linked to higher sympathy, which was associated with higher prosocial behavior. The positive link between sadness regulation and prosocial behavior was mediated by higher sympathy and trust. Children's other-oriented psychological processes may play important roles in translating certain emotion regulation capacities into prosocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

DIFFERENCE IN THE INTENSITY OF DEPRESSION BETWEEN PARENTS HAVING CHILDREN WITH CONDUCT DISORDER AND PARENTS HAVING NORMAL CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bindu Meethale Veettil

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Parents experience psychological trauma if they recognise that their children are having conduct disorder, which is unacceptable to the society and against the social norms. The intensity of depression in parents having children with conduct disorder is included in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS Exploratory research was used in this study as the method of study. A sample was selected from parents having children with conduct disorder reported in various psychiatric settings in Kerala, India, and also from parents having normal children. Random sampling was used for selecting the sample. All the parents of children diagnosed with conduct disorder in the age group of 6 to 12 reported in the psychiatric settings on a random day is selected as sample. Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Depression in parents affect their skills in caregiving, support to their children, nurturance and it will affect proper development of children physically and mentally. Similarly, conduct disorder in children will affect their parents mental and social functioning and their life functioning and the parents maybe suffering from depression. Mothers of children with conduct disorders are reported to have exhibit more depressed and they show very poor parenting skills and negative interactions with their children compared to normal mothers. Parents having children with conduct disorder did have higher intensity of depression compared to parents having normal children. CONCLUSION The study hopes to make contributions in identifying the intensity of depression in parents having children with conduct disorder and it’s serious and least recognised impact on their parents. The study will also help to find out the areas in which parents need intervention and to decide which type of therapy will be more helpful to the family as a whole. Identifying and understanding the relevant and feasible components of therapy can then facilitate

Association between Urine Phthalate Levels and Poor Attentional Performance in Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with Evidence of Dopamine Gene-Phthalate Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subin Park

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Although there is some evidence supporting the existence of an association between prenatal maternal or postnatal child’s urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances, the interaction between urine phthalate metabolite levels and genetic variation for neuropsychological deficit of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine whether phthalate metabolites in urine are associated with poor neuropsychological performance in children with ADHD, and whether such association is affected by genotype-phthalate interaction. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the continuous performance test (CPT were performed in 179 Korean children with ADHD recruited from department of psychiatry of university hospital. Correlations between urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the CPT scores were investigated, and the interaction of phthalate metabolite levels with the selected polymorphisms at major candidate genes for ADHD, namely dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4, dopamine transporter, α-2A-adrenergic receptor, and norepinephrine transporter genes. For the subjects with the DRD4 4/4 genotype, there were significant associations of the urine phthalate metabolite concentrations with the number of omission errors, the number of commission errors, and the response time variability scores on the CPT. However, for the subjects without the DRD4 4/4 genotype, no significant associations were found. The results of this study suggest a possible association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances of ADHD as well as a genetic influence on this association. Further prospective and epigenetic studies are needed to investigate causality and pathophysiological mechanisms.

Association between urine phthalate levels and poor attentional performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with evidence of dopamine gene-phthalate interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Subin; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cho, Soo-Churl; Kim, Yeni; Kim, Jae-Won; Lee, Ju-Young; Hong, Soon-Beom; Shin, Min-Sup; Yoo, Hee Jeong; Im, Hosub; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Han, Doug Hyun

2014-06-27

Although there is some evidence supporting the existence of an association between prenatal maternal or postnatal child's urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances, the interaction between urine phthalate metabolite levels and genetic variation for neuropsychological deficit of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine whether phthalate metabolites in urine are associated with poor neuropsychological performance in children with ADHD, and whether such association is affected by genotype-phthalate interaction. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the continuous performance test (CPT) were performed in 179 Korean children with ADHD recruited from department of psychiatry of university hospital. Correlations between urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the CPT scores were investigated, and the interaction of phthalate metabolite levels with the selected polymorphisms at major candidate genes for ADHD, namely dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), dopamine transporter, α-2A-adrenergic receptor, and norepinephrine transporter genes. For the subjects with the DRD4 4/4 genotype, there were significant associations of the urine phthalate metabolite concentrations with the number of omission errors, the number of commission errors, and the response time variability scores on the CPT. However, for the subjects without the DRD4 4/4 genotype, no significant associations were found. The results of this study suggest a possible association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances of ADHD as well as a genetic influence on this association. Further prospective and epigenetic studies are needed to investigate causality and pathophysiological mechanisms.

Association between Urine Phthalate Levels and Poor Attentional Performance in Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with Evidence of Dopamine Gene-Phthalate Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Subin; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cho, Soo-Churl; Kim, Yeni; Kim, Jae-Won; Lee, Ju-Young; Hong, Soon-Beom; Shin, Min-Sup; Yoo, Hee Jeong; Im, Hosub; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Han, Doug Hyun

2014-01-01

Although there is some evidence supporting the existence of an association between prenatal maternal or postnatal child’s urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances, the interaction between urine phthalate metabolite levels and genetic variation for neuropsychological deficit of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine whether phthalate metabolites in urine are associated with poor neuropsychological performance in children with ADHD, and whether such association is affected by genotype-phthalate interaction. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the continuous performance test (CPT) were performed in 179 Korean children with ADHD recruited from department of psychiatry of university hospital. Correlations between urine phthalate metabolite concentrations and the CPT scores were investigated, and the interaction of phthalate metabolite levels with the selected polymorphisms at major candidate genes for ADHD, namely dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), dopamine transporter, α-2A-adrenergic receptor, and norepinephrine transporter genes. For the subjects with the DRD4 4/4 genotype, there were significant associations of the urine phthalate metabolite concentrations with the number of omission errors, the number of commission errors, and the response time variability scores on the CPT. However, for the subjects without the DRD4 4/4 genotype, no significant associations were found. The results of this study suggest a possible association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and poor attentional performances of ADHD as well as a genetic influence on this association. Further prospective and epigenetic studies are needed to investigate causality and pathophysiological mechanisms. PMID:24978879

Predicting Prognosis for the Conduct-Problem Boy: Can Family History Help?

Science.gov (United States)

Odgers, Candice L.; Milne, Barry J.; Caspi, Avshalom; Crump, Raewyn; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E.

2007-01-01

Objective: Many children with conduct disorder develop life-course persistent antisocial behavior; however, other children exhibit childhood-limited or adolescence-limited conduct disorder symptoms and escape poor adult outcomes. Prospective prediction of long-term prognosis in pediatric and adolescent clinical settings is difficult. Improved…

Disclosing terminal diagnosis to children and their families: palliative professionals' communication barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Coad, Jane; Patel, Reena; Murray, Sarah

2014-01-01

Few studies have fully explored the problem of communication barriers in pediatric palliative care, particularly the detrimental effects of poor interaction between staff and families on children's health and well-being. A literature review was undertaken to expand the current body of knowledge about staff to patient communications. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria (N = 15) were systematically read and summarized using a data extraction sheet. A narrative synthesis identified 5 overarching themes as barriers to communication. Improvements in staff education and individualized palliative care plans for children and their families may help to overcome communication barriers.

Economic crisis promotes fertility decline in poor areas: Evidence from Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleonora Davalos

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background: The effects of an economic recession extend beyond financial spheres and spill over into present and future family decisions via income restrictions and expectations. Hardly any research on the effects of economic recession on fertility outcomes has taken place in developing countries. Objective: This study seeks to explain the effects of economic cycles on fertility outcomes in poor areas. Methods: This paper analyzes fertility trends from the third largest economy in Latin America - Colombia - from 1998 to 2013. We estimate a panel data regression model with state and year fixed effects. Results: On average, periods of recession are associated with fertility decline in poor areas and fertility growth in well-off areas. During an economic crisis, fertility in poor states decreases by 0.002 children per woman, while in well-off states fertility increases by 0.007 children per woman. Conclusions: The impact of an economic crisis on fertility varies depending on poverty. Poor states have procyclical responses while well-off states tend to have countercyclical reactions to economic downturns. Contribution: This study illuminates the procyclical and countercyclical debate, showing that within a country there can be two different responses to an economic downturn.

Street children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rončević Nevenka

2013-01-01

Full Text Available According to UNICEF, street child is any child under the age of 18 for whom the street has become home and/or source of income and which is not adequately protected or supervised by adult, responsible person. It has been estimated that there are between 100 and 150 million street children worldwide. Life and work on the street have long term and far-reaching consequences for development and health of these children. By living and working in the street, these children face the highest level of risk. Street children more often suffer from the acute illness, injuries, infection, especially gastrointestinal, acute respiratory infections and sexually transmitted diseases, inadequate nutrition, mental disorders, and drug abuse. They are more often victims of abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking; they have higher rate of adolescent pregnancy than their peers from poor families. Street children and youth have higher rates of hospitalization and longer hospital stay due to seriousness of illness and delayed health care. Street children/youth are reluctant to seek health care, and when they try, they face many barriers. Street children are invisible to the state and their number in Serbia is unknown. Recently, some non­governmental organizations from Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis have recognized this problem and tried to offer some help to street children, by opening drop­in centers, but this is not enough. To solve this problem, an engagement of the state and the whole community is necessary, and primary responsibility lies in health, social and educational sector. The best interests of the child must serve as a basic guideline in all activities aimed at improving health, quality of life and rights of children involved in the life and work in the street.

[Using fairy tales and narrative strategies with the help of a sandpit with children suffering from conduct disorders].

Science.gov (United States)

Konz, M

2006-01-01

Our research, focussed on art therapy with primary school children, guided us to the footsteps of women pioneers in the research about children's psyche, like Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Margaret Loewenfeld, Dora Kalff. We have been inspired by their very personal but nevertheless somehow similar type of research, to work with the children in a blue sand pit, where they could construct and play their personal fairy tales. Thus they share with us their momentary preoccupations, without being forced to talk about them. They are revealing their internal structures, and are integrating, by narration and projection on those figurines in action, their deficient defense mechanisms as well as their negative tendencies. Based on this approach, we expect that there will by an amelioration of their social skills, an enhancement of their intrinsic motivation, and a diminution of their conduct disorders. The analyze will be done by questionnaires and rating scales constructed especially for this research, as well as by sociograms, with the help of descriptive non parametric statistics.

Does Regular Breakfast Cereal Consumption Help Children and Adolescents Stay Slimmer? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne de la Hunty

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To review systematically the evidence on breakfast cereal consumption and obesity in children and adolescents and assess whether the regular consumption of breakfast cereals could help to prevent excessive weight gain. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies relating breakfast cereal consumption to BMI, BMI z-scores and prevalence of obesity as the outcomes. Results: 14 papers met the inclusion criteria. The computed effect size for mean BMI between high consumers and low or non-consumers over all 25 study subgroups was -1.13 kg/m2 (95% CI -0.81, -1.46, p Conclusion: Overall, the evidence reviewed is suggestive that regular consumption of breakfast cereals results in a lower BMI and a reduced likelihood of being overweight in children and adolescents. However, more evidence from long-term trials and investigations into mechanisms is needed to eliminate possible confounding factors and determine causality.

Does Maternal Employment Influence Poor Children's Social Development?

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Bruce; Caspary, Gretchen; Kagan, Sharon Lynn; Gauthier, Christiane; Hnang, Danny Shih-Cheng; Carroll, Judith; McCarthy, Jan

2002-01-01

This study examined the relation between young children's social development and maternal employment among women who entered welfare-to-work programs. Structural equation models provided evidence that indicators of economic security, such as food security and job quality indicators, but not recent employment per se, operated through parenting…

The pace of vocabulary growth helps predict later vocabulary skill

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Meredith L.; Raudenbush, Stephen W.; Goldin-Meadow, Susan

2011-01-01

Children vary widely in the rate at which they acquire words—some start slow and speed up, others start fast and continue at a steady pace. Do early developmental variations of this sort help predict vocabulary skill just prior to kindergarten entry? This longitudinal study starts by examining important predictors (SES, parent input, child gesture) of vocabulary growth between 14 and 46 months (n=62), and then uses growth estimates to predict children's vocabulary at 54 months. Velocity and acceleration in vocabulary development at 30 months predicted later vocabulary, particularly for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Understanding the pace of early vocabulary growth thus improves our ability to predict school readiness, and may help identify children at risk for starting behind. PMID:22235920

In-group bias in children’s intention to help can be overpowered by inducing empathy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/357399609; Thijs, J.T.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/187457344; Verkuijten, M.J.A.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073378542

An experimental vignette study was conducted among children (8-13years) to examine whether inducing empathic understanding is an effective intervention to overpower peer group boundaries in children's helping. Children were induced or not induced to empathize with the recipient of help, who was or

Safety and Children: How Schools Can Help.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatkoff, Amy

1994-01-01

Explores the role that schools can play in providing direction, guidance, and support to children and adolescents in the face of growing violence in society and in schools. Discusses the development and implementation of preventive measures such as additions to the curriculum, mentoring programs, child abuse and neglect programs, parent education,…

Poor Families Striving to Save in Matched Children's Savings Accounts: Findings from a Randomized Experimental Design in Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimli, Leyla; Ssewamala, Fred M; Neilands, Torsten B

2014-12-01

This study examines participants' savings in children's savings accounts (CSAs) set up for AIDS-orphaned children ages 10-15 in Uganda. Using a cluster randomized experimental design, we examine the extent to which families participating in a CSA program report more savings than their counterparts not participating in the program, explore the extent to which families who participate in the CSA program report using formal financial institutions compared with families who do not have a CSA, and consider whether families participating in the CSA program bring new money into the CSA or whether they reshuffle existing household assets. We find that participating in a CSA increased families' likelihood to report having saved money. However, our results show no intervention effect either on the amount of self-reported savings or on the likelihood of using formal financial institutions. Further research is needed to understand whether use of a CSA helps families generate new wealth.

Effectiveness of community-based complementary food supplement (Yingyangbao distribution in children aged 6-23 months in poor areas in China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Wang

Full Text Available Poor growth and micronutrient deficiency mainly attack older infants and young children. Some countries have adopted clinically effective measures to combat malnutrition, but the compliance and improvement in efficacy of intervention vehicles in national programs require evaluation.Baseline and follow-up cross-sectional surveys were conducted before and after a nutrition intervention program in 3 national poverty counties in China. Soybean-based complementary food supplements called Yingyangbao (YYB in Chinese and training materials on child feeding were distributed to households with children aged 6-23 months for 18 months. Representative children were selected by probability proportional to size sampling methods to assess compliance of YYB and the intervention efficacy. A questionnaire was designed to collect data on basic characteristics of children, breastfeeding, 24-hour dietary intake, and consumption and appetite of YYB. Anthropometrics and hemoglobin were measured in the field, and anemia prevalence was evaluated. Venous blood was drawn from children aged 12-35 months to evaluate micronutrient status. Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for children's anemia.Of the children involved in the follow-up survey (n = 693, the P50 (P25, P75 intake of YYB was 6.7 (3.5, 7.0 sachets weekly, and 54.7% of the children liked the taste of YYB. Compared with the baseline situation (n = 823, the proportion of children fed a diverse diet and foods rich in iron or vitamin A increased (P < 0.01 in the follow-up study. The prevalence of stunting and underweight decreased (P < 0.05, the prevalence of anemia decreased from 28.0% to 19.9% (P < 0.01, and the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency decreased from 26.8% to 15.4% (P < 0.01. For children aged 12-23 months, those who liked YYB and consumed 6 or more sachets of YYB weekly were at lower risk for anemia (OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.13-0.90, P < 0.05, but the risk of stunting was associated

Improving mental health among ultra-poor children: Two-year outcomes of a cluster-randomized trial in Burkina Faso.

Science.gov (United States)

Ismayilova, Leyla; Karimli, Leyla; Sanson, Jo; Gaveras, Eleni; Nanema, Rachel; Tô-Camier, Alexice; Chaffin, Josh

2018-07-01

There is limited evidence about interventions improving child mental health in francophone West Africa. Behavioral mental health interventions alone may have limited effects on children's emotional well-being in families living in abject poverty, especially in low-income countries. This study tests the effects of economic intervention, alone and in combination with a family-focused component, on the mental health of children from ultra-poor households in rural Burkina Faso. The three-arm cluster randomized trial included children in the age range of 10-15 years old (N = 360), from twelve villages in Nord region of Burkina Faso (ClinicalTrial.gov ID: NCT02415933). Villages were randomized (4 villages/120 households per arm) to the waitlist arm, the economic intervention utilizing the Graduation approach (Trickle Up/TU arm), or to the economic strengthening plus family coaching component (TU + arm). Intervention effects were tested using repeated-measures mixed-effects regressions that account for the clustered nature of the data. Children from the TU + arm showed a reduction in depressive symptoms at 12 months (medium effect size Cohen's d = -0.41, p = .001) and 24 months (d = -0.39, p = .025), compared to the control condition and the economic intervention alone (at 12 months d = -0.22, p = .020). Small effect size improvements in self-esteem were detected in the TU + group, compared to the control arm at 12 months (d = 0.21) and to the TU arm at 24 months (d = 0.21). Trauma symptoms significantly reduced in the TU + group at 12 months (Incidence Risk Ratio/IRR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.41, 0.92, p = .042), compared to the control group. Integrating psychosocial intervention involving all family members with economic empowerment strategies may be an innovative approach for improving emotional well-being among children living in extreme poverty. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beat gestures help preschoolers recall and comprehend discourse information.

Science.gov (United States)

Llanes-Coromina, Judith; Vilà-Giménez, Ingrid; Kushch, Olga; Borràs-Comes, Joan; Prieto, Pilar

2018-08-01

Although the positive effects of iconic gestures on word recall and comprehension by children have been clearly established, less is known about the benefits of beat gestures (rhythmic hand/arm movements produced together with prominent prosody). This study investigated (a) whether beat gestures combined with prosodic information help children recall contrastively focused words as well as information related to those words in a child-directed discourse (Experiment 1) and (b) whether the presence of beat gestures helps children comprehend a narrative discourse (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, 51 4-year-olds were exposed to a total of three short stories with contrastive words presented in three conditions, namely with prominence in both speech and gesture, prominence in speech only, and nonprominent speech. Results of a recall task showed that (a) children remembered more words when exposed to prominence in both speech and gesture than in either of the other two conditions and that (b) children were more likely to remember information related to those words when the words were associated with beat gestures. In Experiment 2, 55 5- and 6-year-olds were presented with six narratives with target items either produced with prosodic prominence but no beat gestures or produced with both prosodic prominence and beat gestures. Results of a comprehension task demonstrated that stories told with beat gestures were comprehended better by children. Together, these results constitute evidence that beat gestures help preschoolers not only to recall discourse information but also to comprehend it. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Helping Children with Disabilities Cope with Disaster and Traumatic Events

Science.gov (United States)

... Events General Information Caring for Children in a Disaster This web site from CDC has information for families, schools, and healthcare providers during and after crises and disasters. Children and Youth—SAMHSA Disaster Behavioral Health Information ...

Impaired performance on advanced Theory of Mind tasks in children with epilepsy is related to poor communication and increased attention problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lunn, Judith; Lewis, Charlie; Sherlock, Christopher

2015-02-01

Children with epilepsy (CWE) have social difficulties that can persist into adulthood, and this could be related to problems with understanding others' thoughts, feelings, and intentions. This study assessed children's ability to interpret and reason on mental and emotional states (Theory of Mind) and examined the relationships between task scores and reports of communication and behavior. Performance of 56 CWE (8-16years of age) with below average IQ (n=17) or an average IQ (n=39) was compared with that of 62 healthy controls with an average IQ (6-16years of age) on cognition, language, and two advanced Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks that required children to attribute mental or emotional states to eye regions and to reason on internal mental states in order to explain behavior. The CWE-below average group were significantly poorer in both ToM tasks compared with controls. The CWE - average group showed a significantly poorer ability to reason on mental states in order to explain behavior, a difference that remained after accounting for lower IQ and language deficits. Poor ToM skills were related to increased communication and attention problems in both CWE groups. There is a risk for atypical social understanding in CWE, even for children with average cognitive function. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low self-concept in poor readers: prevalence, heterogeneity, and risk.

Science.gov (United States)

McArthur, Genevieve; Castles, Anne; Kohnen, Saskia; Banales, Erin

2016-01-01

There is evidence that poor readers are at increased risk for various types of low self-concept-particularly academic self-concept. However, this evidence ignores the heterogeneous nature of poor readers, and hence the likelihood that not all poor readers have low self-concept. The aim of this study was to better understand which types of poor readers have low self-concept. We tested 77 children with poor reading for their age for four types of self-concept, four types of reading, three types of spoken language, and two types of attention. We found that poor readers with poor attention had low academic self-concept, while poor readers with poor spoken language had low general self-concept in addition to low academic self-concept. In contrast, poor readers with typical spoken language and attention did not have low self-concept of any type. We also discovered that academic self-concept was reliably associated with reading and receptive spoken vocabulary, and that general self-concept was reliably associated with spoken vocabulary. These outcomes suggest that poor readers with multiple impairments in reading, language, and attention are at higher risk for low academic and general self-concept, and hence need to be assessed for self-concept in clinical practice. Our results also highlight the need for further investigation into the heterogeneous nature of self-concept in poor readers.

Low self-concept in poor readers: prevalence, heterogeneity, and risk

Science.gov (United States)

Castles, Anne; Kohnen, Saskia; Banales, Erin

2016-01-01

There is evidence that poor readers are at increased risk for various types of low self-concept—particularly academic self-concept. However, this evidence ignores the heterogeneous nature of poor readers, and hence the likelihood that not all poor readers have low self-concept. The aim of this study was to better understand which types of poor readers have low self-concept. We tested 77 children with poor reading for their age for four types of self-concept, four types of reading, three types of spoken language, and two types of attention. We found that poor readers with poor attention had low academic self-concept, while poor readers with poor spoken language had low general self-concept in addition to low academic self-concept. In contrast, poor readers with typical spoken language and attention did not have low self-concept of any type. We also discovered that academic self-concept was reliably associated with reading and receptive spoken vocabulary, and that general self-concept was reliably associated with spoken vocabulary. These outcomes suggest that poor readers with multiple impairments in reading, language, and attention are at higher risk for low academic and general self-concept, and hence need to be assessed for self-concept in clinical practice. Our results also highlight the need for further investigation into the heterogeneous nature of self-concept in poor readers. PMID:27867764

Evaluation and treatment of hypertensive crises in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stein DR

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Deborah R Stein, Michael A Ferguson Division of Nephrology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Hypertensive crises in children are medical emergencies that must be identified, evaluated, and treated promptly and appropriately to prevent end-organ injury and even death. Treatment in the acute setting typically includes continuous intravenous antihypertensive medications with monitoring in the intensive care unit setting. Medications commonly used to treat severe hypertension have been poorly studied in children. Dosing guidelines are available, although few pediatric-specific trials have been conducted to facilitate evidence-based therapy. Regardless of what medication is used, blood pressure should be lowered gradually to allow for accommodation of autoregulatory mechanisms and to prevent cerebral ischemia. Determining the underlying cause of the blood pressure elevation may be helpful in guiding therapy. Keywords: hypertensive crisis, hypertensive urgency, hypertensive emergency, antihypertensive medications

Teacher Burnout: Will Talking about It Help?

Science.gov (United States)

Grossnickle, Donald R.

1980-01-01

Teachers are beginning to collectively voice their complaints about the stresses they face in school. While talking about the problems of low morale and poor school climate won't solve these problems, the public is being alerted that teachers need help, not further criticism. (SJL)

Perceived competence and school adjustment of hearing impaired children in mainstream primary school settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatamizadeh, N; Ghasemi, M; Saeedi, A; Kazemnejad, A

2008-11-01

Although educational main streaming of children with special needs formally began in Iran since 1992 there is little information whether hearing impaired children feel competent in regular schools. To determine the perceived competence and school adjustment of hearing impaired children in mainstream primary school settings, the self-perception profile was administered to 60 mainstreamed hard of hearing children and 60 classmates with normal hearing matched for gender by a single interviewer. The instrument comprised 28 items, 23 of which were similar to those of 'adapted test Image for children with cochlear implants' asking children about their feelings about their own cognitive, physical, socio-emotional and communication competence and school adjustment. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the instrument was 0.93. Hard of hearing children rated their competence significantly poorer than their hearing classmates for all domains. Mean differences for the five domains ranged from 0.48 (for physical competence) to 0.90 (for school adjustment) on a scale of 1-4. There were no significant differences between girls' and boys' competence, in either the hearing or the hearing impaired groups. Classifying overall scores for perceived competence into four groups ('poor competence', 'low competence', 'moderate competence' and 'high competence'), 23.4% of hearing impaired children but none of the hearing classmates rated themselves as having low or poor competence. On the other hand 85% of hearing children and only 18.3% of hearing impaired children rated themselves as highly competent. We suggest that periodical assessments of mainstreamed children might help to identify those children who are having difficulty adapting to their environment.

Food Sharing among Hadza Hunter-Gatherer Children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alyssa N Crittenden

Full Text Available Human prosociality is one of the defining characteristics of our species, yet the ontogeny of altruistic behavior remains poorly understood. The evolution of widespread food sharing in humans helped shape cooperation, family formation, life history, language, and the development of economies of scale. While the behavioral and ecological correlates of food sharing among adults are widely studied, very little is known about food sharing among children. Here, in the first study to analyze the food sharing patterns of hunter-gatherer children, we show that while sharing may be biased towards kin, reciprocity characterizes the majority of all sharing dyads, both related and unrelated. These data lend support to the recent claim that discrimination among kin might be linked with reciprocal altruism theory. Furthermore, we show that age positively correlates with an increase in sharing, both in frequency and amount, supporting recent suggestions that prosocial behaviors and egalitarianism develop strongly in middle childhood when children acquire the normative rules of their society.

Food Sharing among Hadza Hunter-Gatherer Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Crittenden, Alyssa N; Zes, David A

2015-01-01

Human prosociality is one of the defining characteristics of our species, yet the ontogeny of altruistic behavior remains poorly understood. The evolution of widespread food sharing in humans helped shape cooperation, family formation, life history, language, and the development of economies of scale. While the behavioral and ecological correlates of food sharing among adults are widely studied, very little is known about food sharing among children. Here, in the first study to analyze the food sharing patterns of hunter-gatherer children, we show that while sharing may be biased towards kin, reciprocity characterizes the majority of all sharing dyads, both related and unrelated. These data lend support to the recent claim that discrimination among kin might be linked with reciprocal altruism theory. Furthermore, we show that age positively correlates with an increase in sharing, both in frequency and amount, supporting recent suggestions that prosocial behaviors and egalitarianism develop strongly in middle childhood when children acquire the normative rules of their society.

The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP — An Overview of and Recommendations Arising from the Conceptualisation and Development of an Innovative Approach to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles for Children and Their Families

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Lloyd

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the rise in childhood obesity, there remains a paucity of evidence for effective interventions that engage children and parents sufficiently to make and sustain lifestyle behaviour change. The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP is a school-located obesity prevention programme, which has been developed with teachers, families and healthcare professionals. The underpinning assumption in the development of HeLP was to take a relational approach to changing behaviour, building relationships with the schools, children and their families to create supportive environments for healthy lifestyle choices. Thus, HeLP was conceptualised as a complex intervention within a complex system and developed as a dynamic, evolving set of processes to support and motivate children towards healthy behaviours. The delivery methods used are highly interactive and encourage identification with and ownership of the healthy lifestyle messages so that the children are motivated to take them home to their parents and effect change within the family. We have good evidence that HeLP engages schools and children such that they want to participate in the Programme. Results from an exploratory trial showed that the Programme is feasible and acceptable and has the potential to change behaviours and affect weight status. This paper presents an overview of and recommendations arising from the conceptualization; development and evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme as part of a special issue focusing on novel approaches to the global problem of childhood obesity.

Factors of poor prognosis of visceral leishmaniasis among children under 12 years of age. A retrospective monocentric study in Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2001-2005

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Sérgio da Costa Braga

2013-01-01

Full Text Available INTRODUTION: A major concern with the visceral leishmaniasis (VL is its high lethality rate, even with proper treatment. Low age, prior malnutrition, disease duration prior to diagnosis, severe anemia, fever for more than 60 days, diarrhea and jaundice are known poor prognostic factors. The goals of this study are to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of VL among children under 12 years of age and to identify the factors associated with VL poor outcome. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty children under 12 years of age with confirmed VL admitted to Hospital João Paulo II (FHEMIG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, between January 2001 and December 2005 were evaluated retrospectively. The primary outcome was the poor clinical evolution: sepsis, and/or pneumonia, and/or urinary tract infection, and/or of bleeding (expect epistaxis, and/or severe neutropenia (neutrophil < 500 cells/mm3. Odds ratio (crude and adjusted and its 95% confidence interval for each variable were calculated. Values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Average age was 3.3 years (3.6 months-11.6 years, 71.2% were younger than 5 years and 47.2% lived in Metropolitan Area of Belo Horizonte. The mean fatality rate was 3.6%. Sixty-six (26.4% patients presented poor evolution. After a multivariate analysis, age <18 months, abnormal respiratory physical examination on hospital admission, and platelets <85,000/mm3 remained associated with increased chance of poor evolution. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that patients aged between 12 and 18 months, with platelet counts bellow 85,000/mm3, and respiratory abnormalities at admission should be considered potentially severe.

Toddlers' Prosocial Behavior: From Instrumental to Empathic to Altruistic Helping

Science.gov (United States)

Svetlova, Margarita; Nichols, Sara R.; Brownell, Celia A.

2010-01-01

The study explored how the meaning of prosocial behavior changes over toddlerhood. Sixty-five 18- and 30-month-olds could help an adult in 3 contexts: instrumental (action based), empathic (emotion based), and altruistic (costly). Children at both ages helped readily in instrumental tasks. For 18-month-olds, empathic helping was significantly more…

„Small children are not able to ask that their essential needs be satisfied ...” – the role of Mariavite parochial communities in Łódź in helping children during the World War I [„Dziatwa mała nie jest w stanie prosić o zaspokojenie swych nieodzownych potrzeb”1 – rola łódzkich mariawickich wspólnot parafialnych w niesieniu pomocy dzieciom podczas I wojny światowej

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna SOSNOWSKA

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Since its very beginning, the life of the Mariavite community focused around parishes and churches. It was the parishes that satisfied the religious needs of their members but also performed social functions related to education, culture, and welfare issues. Before, as well as during. World War I, the Mariavite Church was one of the largest religious communities in Łódź. Mariavite parishes in Łódź were established several years before World War I, in the period when Mariavite parishes, independent from the Roman Catholic Church, were organised. The first Mariavite church was built in December 1906, the next in September 1907, and the third and the last after a year, in September 1908. Apart from churches and chapels erected with exceptional speed, institutions for adult parish members and their children were also established, such as libraries, reading rooms, classrooms for girls and boys, schools, shelters, and flats for poor families. They were supposed to serve Mariavite Church members. Directly after the outbreak of the World War I, Łódź Mariavite clergy joined aid campaigns organized in parishes. Food was provided for adults and children on a larger scale; meals were prepared and served in Mariavite parochial kitchens. In that period, care and education institutions for children continued to perform their tasks; however, they intensified their activities aimed at providing meals, clothes, and shoes. The overriding task of Mariavite shelters included care, religious and moral education, and helping children of pre-school age (3–7. Aid was provided to children from poor families of factory workers and craftsmen.

Tower of London test performance in children with poor arithmetic skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Sikora, M Darryn; Haley, Pat; Edwards, Jay; Butler, Robert W

2002-01-01

The Tower of London (TOL) has been used to assess executive functions in both children and adults with documented brain dysfunction. Like many other measures of executive function, it has not been widely used in the assessment of learning disabilities in children. However, if performance on the TOL discriminated among groups of children with different academic strengths and weaknesses, then it may be useful in identifying learning disability subtypes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether performance on the TOL would differ among 3 groups of children: those with arithmetic difficulties, those with reading difficulties, and those with no academic difficulties. The group with arithmetic difficulties exhibited significantly greater impairment on the TOL than either the group with reading difficulties or the group with no difficulties. The latter 2 groups performed similarly. The clinical utility of the TOL, as well as the relation between arithmetic deficits and executive functions, are discussed.

Allowing the Voices of Parents To Help Shape Teaching and Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholson, Karen; Evans, Judith F.; Tellier-Robinson, Dora; Aviles, Leticia

2001-01-01

Three teachers describe how parents of deaf, severely disabled, and bilingual children participated in their children's learning. Qualitative research methods were used to help parents share their knowledge with teachers. (SK)

Early sugar-sweetened beverage consumption frequency is associated with poor quality of later food and nutrient intake patterns among Japanese young children: the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Okubo, Hitomi; Miyake, Yoshihiro; Sasaki, Satoshi; Tanaka, Keiko; Hirota, Yoshio

2016-06-01

Evidence from Western countries shows that higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with lower quality of young children's diets, but little is known about these relations in non-Western countries with relatively low consumption levels of SSBs. We hypothesized that SSB consumption in infancy would be associated with poor quality of later food and nutrient intake patterns among Japanese young children. The study subjects were 493 Japanese mother-child pairs from a prospective birth cohort study. Dietary data on children were collected from the mothers using self-administered questionnaires when the children were aged 16-24 months and 41-49 months. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between SSB consumption frequency in infancy and later intake of foods and nutrients. At 16-24 months of age, more than half of the children (56.4%) consumed SSBs less than once a week, whereas 11.6% consumed SSBs at least once daily. More frequent consumption of SSBs in infancy was associated with higher intake of confectionaries and SSBs and lower intake of fruits and vegetables at 41-49 months of age. These associations were still evident after adjustment for maternal SSB consumption and socioeconomic status. At the nutrient level, SSB consumption frequency was positively associated with energy intake and inversely associated with intake of many nutrients, such as protein, dietary fiber, and most of the micronutrients examined. In conclusion, higher consumption frequency of SSBs at an early age is associated with poor quality of overall dietary intake among young Japanese children 1.5-2.5 years later. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hunger among Inuit children in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, Leanne C; Langlois, Kellie A; Kohen, Dafna E

2013-01-01

Inuit populations may be at increased risk for experiencing poor nutrition or hunger due to limited access and availability to food. The prevalence and correlates of parental perceptions of hunger among a nationally representative sample of Inuit children in Canada have not yet been reported. Data are from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS). Sociodemographic information, dietary behaviours and hunger status were parent-reported via a household interview for Inuit children aged 2-5 years (n=1,234). Prevalence of hunger was calculated among Inuit children by sociodemographic factors and by dietary behaviours. In addition, a multivariate logistic regression model was conducted to determine factors associated with parental perception of ever experiencing hunger. The prevalence of Inuit children in Canada aged 2-5 years ever experiencing hunger was 24.4%. Children who were reported to have experienced hunger consumed milk and milk products (p0.05). The majority (81%) of Inuit parents/guardians of ever-hungry children sought help from family or friends. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing hunger include sociodemographic characteristics (such as income and household size), living in an Inuit region and living in a community with cultural activities. About 1 in 4 Inuit children were reported by their parents to have experienced hunger, and hunger was associated with region, sociodemographic and community factors. Future research could further examine the impact of ever experiencing hunger on the health status of Inuit children and their families in Canada.

Helping Children with Attentional Challenges in the Montessori Classroom: Introduction

Science.gov (United States)

Nehring Massie, Catherine

2017-01-01

Catherine Nehring Massie provides important contextual information in considering children with attentional challenges. She discusses the prevalence of attentional challenges in today's culture and the contributing factors. She gives a general overview of the spectrum of attentional challenges and some of the indicators in children. Her history of…

What Kind of School Board Member Would Help Homeless Children?

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington-Lueker, Donna

1989-01-01

Homelessness is a growing problem in every part of the United States. Federal legislation requires state plans for educating homeless children, but will provide less than $23 per child. Summarizes some of the state plans and suggests steps school boards can take to provide homeless children with public education. (MLF)

The value of serial personal photographs in timing the onset of unilateral cataracts in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Sawhney, Gagan K; Hutchinson, Amy K; Lambert, Scott R

2009-10-01

To determine the value of serial personal photographs in timing the onset of unilateral cataracts in children over 6 months of age. Personal photographs from children with unilateral cataracts who underwent cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation when > or =6 months of age were reviewed. Photographs were evaluated for changes in the red reflex, which might indicate the presence of a cataract. Twelve children underwent cataract surgery at a mean age of 37 months. They were followed for a mean of 32 months. Ten children were diagnosed as having an acquired cataract by photographic review documenting a previously normal red reflex. The visual acuity in the affected eye of 4 of these children improved to > or =20/60. Cataracts were visible on photographs prior to clinical diagnosis in 6 patients, from 0.5 to 22 months prior to clinical diagnosis. Visual outcomes did not relate closely to the photographically documented duration of the cataract prior to treatment. Photographs were not helpful in timing the onset of cataract in 2 children due to the poor quality of the images. Serial personal photographs are sometimes helpful in determining whether cataracts are acquired. However, the usefulness of personal photographs alone in predicting the visual outcome after cataract surgery was limited in this small, retrospective study.

Children and Divorce.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Suzanne E.

Some basic principles are discussed that can help divorcing parents understand the feelings and behaviors of their children, and guidelines are suggested for parents wanting to help their children adjust to the divorce-induced changes in their lives. The process of divorce is discussed in terms of children's experience, cause and effect, and time.…

[Between psychiatry and youth welfare--help and support for children of mentally ill parents in the tension field of the disciplines].

Science.gov (United States)

Wagenblass, S; Schone, R

2001-09-01

A mental illness of parents brings up a high burden for the affected children. The professionals working in psychiatry and social work are getting a rising knowledge of the specific problems these children have. Anyway, there are only a few useful treatments offered for this group of people. There are a lot of reasons for this lag in take care of. It's not only based on the financial situation or the personnel structure which must be mentioned as reasons for children of parents with mental illness for not asking for help. It's also the incomplete knowledge of the caregivers. But first of all the writer wants to show that the tension in this working field brings up the main problems. For solving these problems the article gives some advice for crossing over the borderlines and build up a communication between the institutions which are involved.

Helping Mixed Heritage Children Develop "Character and Resilience" in Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Kirstin

2016-01-01

Recent UK government policy suggests that all schools have a key role to play in building "character and resilience" in children. This article draws on data from a wider research project, exploring the school experiences of mixed White/Black Caribbean and mixed White/Black African children in two London secondary schools. Because data…

Poor readers but compelled to read: Stroop effects in developmental dyslexia.

Science.gov (United States)

Faccioli, Chiara; Peru, Andrea; Rubini, Elena; Tassinari, Giancarlo

2008-05-01

We studied a group of 24 children with dyslexia in second to fifth primary school grades by using a discrete-trial computerized version of the Stroop Color-Word Test. Since the classic Stroop effect depends on the interference of reading with color naming, one would expect these children to show no interference or, at least, less interference than normal readers. Children with dyslexia showed, however, a Stroop effect larger than normal readers of the same age. This suggests that reading, although difficult and slow, is an inescapable step that precedes naming both in poor and in normal readers.

Evaluation of fever in infants and young children.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Jennifer L; John, Sony P

2013-02-15

Febrile illness in children younger than 36 months is common and has potentially serious consequences. With the widespread use of immunizations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b, the epidemiology of bacterial infections causing fever has changed. Although an extensive diagnostic evaluation is still recommended for neonates, lumbar puncture and chest radiography are no longer recommended for older children with fever but no other indications. With an increase in the incidence of urinary tract infections in children, urine testing is important in those with unexplained fever. Signs of a serious bacterial infection include cyanosis, poor peripheral circulation, petechial rash, and inconsolability. Parental and physician concern have also been validated as indications of serious illness. Rapid testing for influenza and other viruses may help reduce the need for more invasive studies. Hospitalization and antibiotics are encouraged for infants and young children who are thought to have a serious bacterial infection. Suggested empiric antibiotics include ampicillin and gentamicin for neonates; ceftriaxone and cefotaxime for young infants; and cefixime, amoxicillin, or azithromycin for older infants.

EPIC: Helping School Life and Family Support Each Other.

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, David

1992-01-01

Born out of a 1981 murder, Buffalo (New York) Public Schools' EPIC (Effective Parenting Information for Children) program successfully combines parenting, effective teaching, and community programs to help family and school life support each other. Under EPIC, teachers are advised to help students acquire 23 skills involving self-esteem, rules,…

Relationship between Mobile Phone Addiction and the Incidence of Poor and Short Sleep among Korean Adolescents: a Longitudinal Study of the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

Three of ten teenagers in Korea are addicted to mobile phones. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between mobile phone addiction and the incidence of poor sleep quality and short sleep duration in adolescents. We used longitudinal data from the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute in Korea (2011–2013). A total of 1,125 students at baseline were included in this study after excluding those who already had poor sleep quality or short sleep duration in the previous year. A generalized estimating equation was used to analyze the data. High mobile phone addiction (mobile phone addiction score > 20) increased the risk of poor sleep quality but not short sleep duration. We suggest that consistent monitoring and effective intervention programs are required to prevent mobile phone addiction and improve adolescents' sleep quality. PMID:28581275

Relationship between Mobile Phone Addiction and the Incidence of Poor and Short Sleep among Korean Adolescents: a Longitudinal Study of the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joo Eun; Jang, Sung In; Ju, Yeong Jun; Kim, Woorim; Lee, Hyo Jung; Park, Eun Cheol

2017-07-01

Three of ten teenagers in Korea are addicted to mobile phones. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between mobile phone addiction and the incidence of poor sleep quality and short sleep duration in adolescents. We used longitudinal data from the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute in Korea (2011-2013). A total of 1,125 students at baseline were included in this study after excluding those who already had poor sleep quality or short sleep duration in the previous year. A generalized estimating equation was used to analyze the data. High mobile phone addiction (mobile phone addiction score > 20) increased the risk of poor sleep quality but not short sleep duration. We suggest that consistent monitoring and effective intervention programs are required to prevent mobile phone addiction and improve adolescents' sleep quality. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

[Men and depression: gender-related help-seeking behavior].

Science.gov (United States)

Möller-Leimkühler, A M

2000-11-01

As epidemiological data concerning gender-related help-seeking behaviour indicate, consultation rate and help-seeking by men is consistently lower, especially in the case of emotional problems and depressive symptoms. There is empirical evidence that the poor treatment rate of men cannot be explained by a better health but must be attributed to a discrepancy of need and help-seeking behaviour. Social change and epidemiological trends in depression point to the male gender-role being an important factor of increasing rates among young men as well as an important determinant of help-seeking behaviour. It is argued that social norms of traditional masculinity make help-seeking more difficult because of the inhibition of expressiveness affecting symptom perception and symptomatology of depression. Besides these predisposing factors of male help-seeking other medical and social factors are mentioned producing further barriers to help-seeking. Further research is needed to investigate the question whether changing masculinity implies gender-role conflict or positive health effects.

Allergic rhinitis is associated with poor asthma control in children with asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

de Groot, Eric P; Nijkamp, Anke; Duiverman, Eric J; Brand, Paul L P

2012-07-01

Asthma and allergic rhinitis are the two most common chronic disorders in childhood and adolescence. To date, no study has examined the impact of comorbid allergic rhinitis on asthma control in children. To examine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children with asthma, and the impact of the disease and its treatment on asthma control. A cross-sectional survey in 203 children with asthma (5-18 years) using validated questionnaires on rhinitis symptoms (stuffy or runny nose outside a cold) and its treatment, and the paediatric Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). Fraction of nitric oxide in exhaled air (FeNO) was measured with a Niox Mino analyser; total and specific IgE levels were assessed by the Immunocap system. 157 children (76.2%) had symptoms of allergic rhinitis but only 88 of these (56.1%) had been diagnosed with the condition by a physician. ACQ scores were worse in children with allergic rhinitis than in those without the condition (p=0.012). An ACQ score ≥ 1.0 (incomplete asthma control) was significantly more likely in children with allergic rhinitis than in those without (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.28 to 5.91, p=0.0081), also after adjustment for FeNO levels and total serum IgE. After adjustment for nasal corticosteroid therapy, allergic rhinitis was no longer associated with incomplete asthma control (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.47 to 1.12, p=0.150). Allergic rhinitis is common in children with asthma, and has a major impact on asthma control. The authors hypothesise that recognition and treatment of this condition with nasal corticosteroids may improve asthma control in children, but randomised clinical trials are needed to test this hypothesis.

Helping Families Succeed in Two Worlds.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Vivian

Kamehameha Schools' Prekindergarten Educational Program (PREP) was started in 1978 to prepare at-risk Hawaiian families and their children for success in school. PREP's direct services include: (1) parent-infant educational services, including home visits to help parents prepare for a new baby and later learn appropriate child development…

Essential amino acid metabolism in infected/non-infected, poor, Guatemalan children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazariegos, M.; De Vettorazzi, C.; Solomons, N.W.; Caballero, B.

1994-01-01

Traditional methods used to evaluate protein metabolism left unanswered some of the relevant questions in public health in developing countries, such as growth retardation in children. Particularly, in developing countries, infection (clinical and subclinical) and malnutrition are still relevant problems, and the most important scientific issues for the application of stable isotope tracer methods are related to the impact of infection, such as the oxidative disposal of essential amino acids in well-nourished and malnourished children. The objectives of the present proposal are: (1) To simplify, make less expensive, less time-consuming, and less invasive, methods in clinical research on amino acid metabolism using stable-isotope tracers in children; and (2) To assess the effects of infection (clinical or subclinical) on whole-body protein turnover in children with and without malnutrition. The objectives involve the engineering and assessment of a portable instrument to be used in evaluations of protein oxidation in the developing world. Methodological issues such as intra- and inter-subject variability, which are of great importance for the interpretation of amino acid metabolism and protein turnover, will also be considered. 18 refs, 2 figs

Essential amino acid metabolism in infected/non-infected, poor, Guatemalan children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mazariegos, M; De Vettorazzi, C; Solomons, N W [Hospital de Ojos y Oidos ` ` Dr. Rodolfo Robles V.` ` , Guatemala City (Guatemala). Centre for Studies of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism (CeSSIAM); Caballero, B [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Centre for Human Nutrition

1994-12-31

Traditional methods used to evaluate protein metabolism left unanswered some of the relevant questions in public health in developing countries, such as growth retardation in children. Particularly, in developing countries, infection (clinical and subclinical) and malnutrition are still relevant problems, and the most important scientific issues for the application of stable isotope tracer methods are related to the impact of infection, such as the oxidative disposal of essential amino acids in well-nourished and malnourished children. The objectives of the present proposal are: (1) To simplify, make less expensive, less time-consuming, and less invasive, methods in clinical research on amino acid metabolism using stable-isotope tracers in children; and (2) To assess the effects of infection (clinical or subclinical) on whole-body protein turnover in children with and without malnutrition. The objectives involve the engineering and assessment of a portable instrument to be used in evaluations of protein oxidation in the developing world. Methodological issues such as intra- and inter-subject variability, which are of great importance for the interpretation of amino acid metabolism and protein turnover, will also be considered. 18 refs, 2 figs.

Beyond Phonological and Morphological Processing: Pure Copying as a Marker of Dyslexia in Chinese but Not Poor Reading of English

Science.gov (United States)

Kalindi, Sylvia Chanda; McBride, Catherine; Tong, Xiuhong; Wong, Natalie Lok Lee; Chung, Kien Hoa Kevin; Lee, Chia-Ying

2015-01-01

To examine cognitive correlates of dyslexia in Chinese and reading difficulties in English as a foreign language, a total of 14 Chinese dyslexic children (DG), 16 poor readers of English (PE), and 17 poor readers of both Chinese and English (PB) were compared to a control sample (C) of 17 children, drawn from a statistically representative sample…

Cognitive and Academic Functioning of Homeless Children Compared with Housed Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubin, David H.; And Others

1996-01-01

Studied the effect of homelessness on cognitive and academic functioning of children 6 to 11 years old in comparison to a control group of housed children in the same classroom. Found no differences in cognitive functioning between homeless and housed children, but did find that homeless children performed significantly more poorly than housed…

Risk of poor development in young children in low-income and middle-income countries: an estimation and analysis at the global, regional, and country level

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Chunling; Black, Maureen M; Richter, Linda M

2018-01-01

Summary Background A 2007 study published in The Lancet estimated that approximately 219 million children aged younger than 5 years were exposed to stunting or extreme poverty in 2004. We updated the 2004 estimates with the use of improved data and methods and generated estimates for 2010. Methods We used country-level prevalence of stunting in children younger than 5 years based on the 2006 Growth Standards proposed by WHO and poverty ratios from the World Bank to estimate children who were either stunted or lived in extreme poverty for 141 low-income and middle-income countries in 2004 and 2010. To avoid counting the same children twice, we excluded children jointly exposed to stunting and extreme poverty from children living in extreme poverty. To examine the robustness of estimates, we also used moderate poverty measures. Findings The 2007 study underestimated children at risk of poor development. The estimated number of children exposed to the two risk factors in low-income and middle-income countries decreased from 279·1 million (95% CI 250·4 million–307·4 million) in 2004 to 249·4 million (209·3 million–292·6 million) in 2010; prevalence of children at risk fell from 51% (95% CI 46–56) to 43% (36–51). The decline occurred in all income groups and regions with south Asia experiencing the largest drop. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest prevalence in both years. These findings were robust to variations in poverty measures. Interpretation Progress has been made in reducing the number of children exposed to stunting or poverty between 2004 and 2010, but this is still not enough. Scaling up of effective interventions targeting the most vulnerable children is urgently needed. Funding National Institutes of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hilton Foundation, and WHO. PMID:27717632

Nurses struggle to help pupils with long-term conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Longhurst, Chris

2016-10-07

Most school nurses are not confident they can give essential support to pupils with long-term health conditions. Research by the National Children's Bureau found that, due to heavy workloads and the need to work across several schools, nine out of ten school nurses were less confident they can help children with conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

Investigation of basic cognitive predictors of reading and spelling abilities in Tunisian third-grade primary school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Batnini, Soulef; Uno, Akira

2015-06-01

This study investigated first the main cognitive abilities; phonological processing, visual cognition, automatization and receptive vocabulary in predicting reading and spelling abilities in Arabic. Second, we compared good/poor readers and spellers to detect the characteristics of cognitive predictors which contribute to identifying reading and spelling difficulties in Arabic speaking children. A sample of 116 Tunisian third-grade children was tested on their abilities to read and spell, phonological processing, visual cognition, automatization and receptive vocabulary. For reading, phonological processing and automatization uniquely predicted Arabic word reading and paragraph reading abilities. Automatization uniquely predicted Arabic non-word reading ability. For spelling, phonological processing was a unique predictor for Arabic word spelling ability. Furthermore, poor readers had significantly lower scores on the phonological processing test and slower reading times on the automatization test as compared with good readers. Additionally, poor spellers showed lower scores on the phonological processing test as compared with good spellers. Visual cognitive processing and receptive vocabulary were not significant cognitive predictors of Arabic reading and spelling abilities for Tunisian third grade children in this study. Our results are consistent with previous studies in alphabetic orthographies and demonstrate that phonological processing and automatization are the best cognitive predictors in detecting early literacy problems. We suggest including phonological processing and automatization tasks in screening tests and in intervention programs may help Tunisian children with poor literacy skills overcome reading and spelling difficulties in Arabic. Copyright © 2014 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is American business working for the poor?

Science.gov (United States)

Bane, M J; Ellwood, D T

1991-01-01

At first glance, poverty seems to have little to do with business. When most people--managers included--think about poverty, they assume that people are poor because they are isolated from the mainstream economy, not productive participants in it. But according to Harvard University professors Mary Jo Bane and David Ellwood, this is a misleading image of the true face of poverty in the United States today. Most poor adults--and a full 90% of poor children--live in families where work is the norm, not the exception. Poor people often work or want to work. But at the low-wage end of the American economy, having a job is no guarantee of avoiding poverty. Poverty is a business issue, then, because the American poor are part of the American work force. And this poses a problem for managers. In a more competitive and fast-changing economic environment, the performance of companies increasingly depends on the capabilities of their employees. In response to this human-resource challenge, more and more managers are embracing the language of "empowerment". And yet how can low-wage employees believe empowerment when their experience of work is, quite literally, impoverishment? It is unlikely that American companies can create the work force of the future with the poverty policies of the past. Fortunately, there are some simple policy mechanisms that can assist the working poor without putting an undue burden on business. Enacting them, however, requires managers to see poverty policy as one part of a national human-resource strategy that links the strategic concerns of companies to a broad social agenda.

Determinants of adherence to methylphenidate and the impact of poor adherence on maternal and family measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Gau, Susan S F; Shen, Hsin-Yi; Chou, Miao-Churn; Tang, Ching-Shu; Chiu, Yen-Nan; Gau, Churn-Shiouh

2006-06-01

The aim of this study was to examine the association between adherence to immediate-release methylphenidate (IR MPH) and maternal psychological distress, parenting style, parent- child relationship, and perceived family support. The sample consisted of 307 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (271 boys and 36 girls), 6-17 years of age, who had been treated with IR MPH for the past 6 months. The measures included the Chinese Health Questionnaire, Parental Bonding Instrument, Family APGAR, and Home Behaviors of the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents. Reasons for poor adherence (n = 79; 25.7%) included forgetting medication (72.7%), the medication having no effect (20.0%), and refusing medication (12.7%). Increased age and three-times-daily administration were the major predictors for poor adherence to IR MPH. Poor adherence was associated with increased degree of maternal psychological distress, indifferent parenting, maternal overprotection/control, poor family support, decreased interaction with parents, and increased problems at home. Findings indicate that multiple daily dosing of MPH increases the likelihood of poor adherence, particularly in adolescents, and that poor adherence is associated with impaired maternal/family process. Once-daily administration of MPH is necessary to improve adherence and to decrease the possible exacerbation of tense parent-child relationships caused by poor drug adherence.

Helping to alleviate pain for children having venepuncture.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Gilboy, Siobhan

2009-10-01

This article reviews the literature on venepuncture and children. The evidence on the use of topical agents namely tetracaine (amethocaine) gel and lidocaine\\/prilocaine cream is discussed, along with the use and benefits of distraction techniques and parental presence to make this an easier procedure for the child, their families and the nurse.

Helicopter Parents Help Students, Survey Finds

Science.gov (United States)

Lipka, Sara

2007-01-01

Helicopter parents, notorious for hovering over their college-age children, may actually help students thrive, according to this year's National Survey of Student Engagement. Students whose parents intervene on their behalf--38 percent of freshmen and 29 percent of seniors--are more active in and satisfied with college, says the monstrous annual…

Determinants of child malnutrition during the 1999 economic crisis in selected poor areas of Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bardosono, Saptawati; Sastroamidjojo, Soemilah; Lukito, Widjaja

2007-01-01

There is empirical evidence at the national level that suggests the 1999 Indonesian economic crisis impact was very heterogeneous both between urban and rural areas and across regions. A cross sectional study of the nutritional status of children and its determinants was performed in urban poor areas of Jakarta, and rural areas of Banggai in Central Sulawesi, and Alor-Rote in East Nusa Tenggara. Two-stage cluster sampling was used to obtain 1078 households with under-five children in the urban poor area of Jakarta, and 262 and 631 households with under-five children each for the rural areas of Banggai and Alor-Rote, respectively. Data collection for both studies was performed from January 1999 to June 2001. The study shows that wasting affected more children in the urban poor areas of Jakarta than in the other study areas. On the other hand, stunting and anemia were significantly more severe among children 6-59 months of age in the rural area of Alor-Rote compared to the other study areas. The high prevalence of infectious diseases was significantly related to the higher prevalence of wasting in the study areas of Jakarta and Banggai, and also significantly related to the higher prevalence of stunting and anemia in the study area of Alor-Rote. To avert this kind of health impact of a economic downturn, there is a need to improve the nutritional and health status of under-five children and their mothers through the existing health care system, provide basic health services and improve the capacity of health staff across Indonesia as part of the decentralization process.

Parental influence on children's oral health-related behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Poutanen, Raija; Lahti, Satu; Tolvanen, Mimmi; Hausen, Hannu

2006-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences between oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of children and their parents, and to identify the family-related factors associated with children's poor or good oral health-related behavior. The data were gathered by means of questionnaires from 11-12-year-old schoolchildren and their parents who replied without having knowledge of the answers of the others. Differences between subgroups of children were analyzed by cross-tabulation, and the factors related to children's good or poor oral health-related behavior by logistic regression analyses. Parents of children who reported good oral health-related behavior had better knowledge and more favorable behaviors than those of other parents. Predictors for a child's poor oral health-related behavior were the child's poor knowledge, male gender, the parent's frequent consumption of sweets, and the parent's infrequent use of xylitol gum. When a less strict threshold for the child's poor oral health-related behavior was used, more predictors entered the model: the parent's unfavorable use of fluoride toothpaste; among girls, the parent's lack of knowledge; and among children whose mother's occupation level was high, the parent's infrequent use of xylitol gum. The parents of children whose oral health behavior was favorable were more likely to have a high level occupation and favorable oral health-related behaviors. Oral health-related knowledge of children and their parents seems to be associated with children's oral health-related behavior. Parents' behaviors, but not attitudes, were associated with children's oral health behavior.

Rural-urban migration and child survival in urban Bangladesh: are the urban migrants and poor disadvantaged?

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, M Mazharul; Azad, Kazi Md Abul Kalam

2008-01-01

This paper analyses the levels and trends of childhood mortality in urban Bangladesh, and examines whether children's survival chances are poorer among the urban migrants and urban poor. It also examines the determinants of child survival in urban Bangladesh. Data come from the 1999-2000 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. The results indicate that, although the indices of infant and child mortality are consistently better in urban areas, the urban-rural differentials in childhood mortality have diminished in recent years. The study identifies two distinct child morality regimes in urban Bangladesh: one for urban natives and one for rural-urban migrants. Under-five mortality is higher among children born to urban migrants compared with children born to life-long urban natives (102 and 62 per 1000 live births, respectively). The migrant-native mortality differentials more-or-less correspond with the differences in socioeconomic status. Like childhood mortality rates, rural-urban migrants seem to be moderately disadvantaged by economic status compared with their urban native counterparts. Within the urban areas, the child survival status is even worse among the migrant poor than among the average urban poor, especially recent migrants. This poor-non-poor differential in childhood mortality is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The study findings indicate that rapid growth of the urban population in recent years due to rural-to-urban migration, coupled with higher risk of mortality among migrant's children, may be considered as one of the major explanations for slower decline in under-five mortality in urban Bangladesh, thus diminishing urban-rural differentials in childhood mortality in Bangladesh. The study demonstrates that housing conditions and access to safe drinking water and hygienic toilet facilities are the most critical determinants of child survival in urban areas, even after controlling for migration status. The findings of the study may

Can Fetuin-A Be a Marker for Insulin Resistance and Poor Glycemic Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus?

Science.gov (United States)

Şiraz, Ülkü Gül; Doğan, Murat; Hatipoğlu, Nihal; Muhtaroğlu, Sabahattin; Kurtoğlu, Selim

2017-12-15

Metabolic impairment in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with poor glycemic control causes insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), atherosclerosis, and increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Fetuin-A has a protective effect in cardiovascular disorders and is increased in hepatosteatosis. We aimed to investigate the reliability of fetuin-A levels in early detection of diabetic complications in children with T1DM and to identify a cut-off value that may show poor metabolic control. The study included 80 patients who had T1DM for at least 5 years and who had no chronic complications or an auto-immune disorder. Blood samples were drawn to measure hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), biochemical parameters, and fetuin-A levels. Anthropometric parameters were also measured. Percent body fat was calculated. Hepatosteatosis and CIMT were assessed by sonography. Mean age of the patients was 13.5 years. Grade 1 hepatosteatosis was detected in 10%. Patients were stratified into 2 groups based on presence of NAFLD. Fetuin-A level was increased in patients with NAFLD. We identified a fetuin-A cut-off value (514.28 ng/mL; sensitivity: 47.34; specificity: 96.72) that may predict NAFLD. HbA1c and total cholesterol levels were found to be higher in patients with fetuin-A levels above higher the cut-off value. Fetuin-A is a reliable parameter in the prediction of complications and poor glycemic control in patients with T1DM.

Stigmatization and self-perception in children with atopic dermatitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chernyshov PV

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Pavel V Chernyshov Department of Dermatology and Venereology, National Medical University, Kiev, Ukraine Abstract: Atopic dermatitis (AD is one of the most common skin diseases. Prevalence of AD is highest in childhood. Because of chronicity and often visible lesions, AD may lead to stigmatization and problems with self-perception. However, problems of self-perception and stigmatization in AD children are poorly studied. Literature data on general tendencies of children’s development, clinical course, and epidemiologic tendencies of AD in different age groups make it possible to highlight three main periods in the formation of self-perception and stigmatization. The first period is from early infancy till 3 years of age. The child’s problems in this period depend on parental exhaustion, emotional distress, and security of the mother–child attachment. The child’s AD may form a kind of vicious circle in which severe AD causes parental distress and exhaustion that in turn lead to exacerbation of AD and psychological problems in children. The second period is from 3 till 10 years of age. During this period, development of AD children may be influenced by teasing, bullying, and avoiding by their peers. However, the majority of children in this age group are very optimistic. The third period is from 10 years till adulthood. Problems related to low self-esteem are characteristic during this period. It is important to identify children with AD and their parents who need psychological help and provide them with needs-based consultation and care. Appropriate treatment, medical consultations, and educational programs may help to reduce emotional problems in AD children and their parents. Keywords: atopic dermatitis, stigmatization, self-perception, quality of life, children, pediatric dermatology, skin disease

More Chemotherapy May Help after Initial Treatment for Childhood Leukemia Fails

Science.gov (United States)

A study suggests that at least some children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who respond poorly to initial chemotherapy may do better if they receive additional chemotherapy rather than a stem cell transplant.

Adjustment of Children Who Have a Sibling with Down Syndrome: Perspectives of Mothers, Fathers and Children

Science.gov (United States)

Cuskelly, M.; Gunn, P.

2006-01-01

Background: A number of methodological weaknesses have contributed to our relatively poor understanding of the impact on children of having a brother or sister with a disability. These include a focus on poor adjustment, using multidiagnostic groups, inadequate matching, and a failure to consider the perspectives of children and parents together.…

Teachers' Ability and Help Attributions and Children's Math Performance and Task Persistence

Science.gov (United States)

Tõeväli, Paula-Karoliina; Kikas, Eve

2016-01-01

The present longitudinal study examined the reciprocal relationships between teachers' causal attributions and children's math performance and task persistence. In total, 760 elementary school children and their teachers participated in this study. The children were tested in math twice, at the end of the second and third grades. At both time…

Combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring is helpful in managing children with suspected gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Paolo; Isoldi, Sara; Mallardo, Saverio; Papoff, Paola; Rossetti, Danilo; Dilillo, Anna; Oliva, Salvatore

2018-04-05

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is very common in the paediatric age group. There is no single and reliable test to distinguish between physiologic and pathological gastro-oesophageal reflux, and this lack of clear distinction between disease and normal can have a negative impact on the management of children. To evaluate the usefulness of 24-h oesophageal pH-impedance study in infants and children with suspected gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Patients were classified by age groups (A-C) and reflux-related symptoms (typical and atypical). All underwent pH-impedance study. If the latter suggested an abnormal reflux, patients received therapy in accordance with NASPGHAN/ESPGHAN recommendations, while those with normal study had an additional diagnostic work-up. The efficacy of therapy was evaluated with a specific standardized questionnaire for different ages. The study was abnormal in 203/428 patients (47%) while normal in 225/428 (53%). Of those with abnormal study, 109 exhibited typical symptoms (54%), and 94 atypical (46%). The great majority of the patients with abnormal study were responsive to medical anti-reflux therapy. We confirm the utility of prolonged oesophageal pH-impedance study in detecting gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in children and in guiding therapy. Performing oesophageal pH-impedance monitoring in children with suspected gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is helpful to establish the diagnosis and avoid unnecessary therapy. Copyright © 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helping Emotionally Disturbed Children Deal with the Separation Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreger, Robert D.; Kreger, Linda R.

1989-01-01

The article presents examples of emotionally disturbed children's reactions to separation from a teacher with whom they have become involved. Suggestions are offered for facilitating healthy separation from the teacher. (JDD)

Disability and stigma: how Japanese educators help parents accept their children's differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Kayama, Misa; Haight, Wendy

2014-01-01

In this report, part of a larger ethnographic study, the authors examined the support Japanese elementary school educators provide to parents of children with relatively mild cognitive and behavioral disabilities, such as learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, and high-functioning autism. Conditions that affect children's learning and behaviors are widespread, but cultures vary in responses to children with such difficulties and their families. In many cultures, disability remains a sensitive issue due to lingering stigma. Japan's recent implementation of special education services for children with mild cognitive and behavioral disabilities provided a unique context in which to examine otherwise taken-for-granted beliefs and practices related to disability. Participant observations in a Japanese elementary school and individual interviews with educators and parents suggest that parents' sensitivity to other people's "eyes," or stigma, can be an obstacle to their acceptance of their children's need for special education, permission for their children to receive services, and collaboration with educators. Educators supported parents through a steadfast focus on emotional support, communication, relationship building, and partnerships. Japanese practices and adults' reflections on stigma provide a broader context for international, school, and other social workers to reflect on their own beliefs and practices with families of children with disabilities.

Helping Children with Visual Impairment Develop Humour: A Review of the Literature

Science.gov (United States)

Pagliano, Paul J.; Zambone, Alana M.; Kelley, Pat

2007-01-01

Humor is a highly regarded attribute and often forms the basis of childhood friendships. As much humor is visual, children with visual impairment are particularly vulnerable to missing out on this type of development. Recent research indicates that children can be taught to develop their sense of humor. Therefore, children with visual impairment…

Poor comprehenders in the classroom: teacher ratings of behavior in children with poor reading comprehension and its relationship with individual differences in working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Pimperton, Hannah; Nation, Kate

2014-01-01

Differing etiological explanations have been proposed to account for poor comprehenders' difficulties with reading comprehension, with some researchers emphasizing working memory deficits and others arguing for oral language weaknesses playing a key causal role. The authors contrasted these two theoretical accounts using data obtained from direct measures of working memory and from teacher ratings of poor comprehenders' behavior in the classroom. At the group level, poor comprehenders showed weaknesses on verbal but not nonverbal working memory tasks, in keeping with the "language account." However, they also showed evidence of elevated levels of problem behaviors specifically associated with working memory deficits. Further analysis revealed that these group differences in working-memory-related problem behaviors were carried by a small subgroup of poor comprehenders who also displayed domain-general (verbal and nonverbal) working memory problems, argued to be reflective of "genuine" underlying working memory deficits.

The specific role of inhibition in reading comprehension in good and poor comprehenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Borella, Erika; Carretti, Barbara; Pelegrina, Santiago

2010-01-01

Difficulties in inhibitory processes have been shown to characterize the performance of poor comprehenders. However, the inhibitory inefficiency of poor comprehenders is most often assessed by their resistance to proactive interference, that is, the ability to suppress off-goal task information from working memory (WM). In two studies tasks assessing resistance to proactive interference (intrusion errors), response to distracters (Text With Distracters task) and prepotent response inhibition (Stroop and Hayling tests), along with WM measures, were administered to children aged 10 to 11, both good and poor comprehenders. The aim of the study was to specifically determine whether general or specific inhibitory factors affect poor comprehenders' reading difficulties. Results showed that poor comprehenders, compared to good ones, are impaired in WM tasks and in inhibitory tasks that assess resistance to proactive interference. This suggests that reading comprehension difficulties of poor comprehenders are related to specific inhibitory problems.

Authoritative Mothers Exhibit More Permissive Feeding Practices Eating Away from Home with their Children

OpenAIRE

Kasparian, Michelle Marie

2012-01-01

Eating away from home has been identified as one possible contributor to childhood obesity, with links to poor diet quality and higher weight status due to dietary quality of meals at restaurants and consumersâ attitudes. Parenting style has been associated with childrenâ s weight status and overall attitudes toward food, with authoritative parenting being shown to help protect against childhood obesity. The current study aimed to compare and contrast parenting and feeding practices at h...

The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative Fund Micro ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Since Ghana opted for the HIPC debt relief initiative and reached the completion point in June 2004 the country has received several billions of money into the HIPC account at the Bank of Ghana. Part of the funds has been given out in the form of micro-credit to poor households to help reduce their poverty situation.

Expressing negative emotions to children: Mothers' aversion sensitivity and children's adjustment.

Science.gov (United States)

Moed, Anat; Dix, Theodore; Anderson, Edward R; Greene, Shannon M

2017-03-01

Research is unclear about when expressing negative emotions to children performs valuable socialization and regulatory functions and when, instead, it undermines children's adjustment. In this study, we isolated 1 kind of negative expression to test the aversion sensitivity hypothesis: that rapid increases in mothers' negativity as a function of increases in the aversiveness of children's behavior are uniquely problematic for children. During multiple assessments of a divorcing sample over 2 years (N = 284), 12-min interactions between mothers and their 4- to 11-year-old children were recorded. Forty-seven observed child behaviors were ranked from low to high aversive. Within-dyad changes demonstrated that mothers' general negativity-their tendency to express negative emotion at high rates-was unrelated to children's adjustment. In contrast, mothers' aversion-focused negativity-their tendency to increase negative emotional expression rapidly as the aversiveness of children's behavior increased-predicted children's poor social competence, poor emotion regulation, and externalizing behavior problems at the next assessment. The findings suggest that negative expression that reflects mothers' affective sensitivity to aversive child behavior may promote interaction patterns and adaptations in children that are particularly likely to place children at risk for adjustment problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Contrast enema findings in patients presenting with poor functional outcome after primary repair for Hirschsprung disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrett, Kevin M; Levitt, Marc A; Peña, Alberto; Kraus, Steven J

2012-09-01

The radiologic evaluation of Hirschsprung disease is well described in the literature. However, there is a paucity of literature describing the appearance of the neo-rectum and colon after repair, specifically describing findings in patients with poor functional outcome, which would suggest the need for reoperation. We describe findings on contrast enema and correlate them with surgical findings at reoperation in children with poor functional outcome after primary repair for Hirschsprung disease who suffer from bowel dysfunction that can manifest with either soiling or obstructive symptoms such as enterocolitis. Children were identified from our colorectal surgery database. At the time of abstract submission, 35 children had contrast enemas prior to reoperation. Additional children continue to present for evaluation. The majority of children included in the study had their primary repair performed elsewhere. The initial procedures included: Duhamel (n = 11), Soave (n = 20) or Swenson (n = 3). One child had undergone a primary Soave repair and subsequently had a Swenson-type reoperation but continued to have a poor outcome. One child's initial surgical repair could not be determined. Images were reviewed by a staff pediatric radiologist and a pediatric radiology fellow. Findings encountered on contrast enema in these children include a distal narrowed segment due to stricture or aganglionic/transitional zone segment (8), dilated/hypomotile distal segment (7), thickened presacral space due to compressing Soave cuff (11), dilated Duhamel pouch (8), active enterocolitis (3) and partially obstructing twist of the pull-through segment (1). Multiple anatomical and pathological complications exist that can lead to bowel dysfunction in children after repair of Hirschsprung disease. Little recent literature exists regarding the radiographic findings in children. We had the opportunity to review a substantial series of these children, describe the contrast enema

Nutrition-sensitive interventions and programmes: how can they help to accelerate progress in improving maternal and child nutrition?

Science.gov (United States)

Ruel, Marie T; Alderman, Harold

2013-08-10

Acceleration of progress in nutrition will require effective, large-scale nutrition-sensitive programmes that address key underlying determinants of nutrition and enhance the coverage and effectiveness of nutrition-specific interventions. We reviewed evidence of nutritional effects of programmes in four sectors--agriculture, social safety nets, early child development, and schooling. The need for investments to boost agricultural production, keep prices low, and increase incomes is undisputable; targeted agricultural programmes can complement these investments by supporting livelihoods, enhancing access to diverse diets in poor populations, and fostering women's empowerment. However, evidence of the nutritional effect of agricultural programmes is inconclusive--except for vitamin A from biofortification of orange sweet potatoes--largely because of poor quality evaluations. Social safety nets currently provide cash or food transfers to a billion poor people and victims of shocks (eg, natural disasters). Individual studies show some effects on younger children exposed for longer durations, but weaknesses in nutrition goals and actions, and poor service quality probably explain the scarcity of overall nutritional benefits. Combined early child development and nutrition interventions show promising additive or synergistic effects on child development--and in some cases nutrition--and could lead to substantial gains in cost, efficiency, and effectiveness, but these programmes have yet to be tested at scale. Parental schooling is strongly associated with child nutrition, and the effectiveness of emerging school nutrition education programmes needs to be tested. Many of the programmes reviewed were not originally designed to improve nutrition yet have great potential to do so. Ways to enhance programme nutrition-sensitivity include: improve targeting; use conditions to stimulate participation; strengthen nutrition goals and actions; and optimise women's nutrition, time

The role of stigma in parental help-seeking for child behavior problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Dempster, Robert; Wildman, Beth; Keating, Adam

2013-01-01

The present study examined the relationship between stigma and parental help-seeking after controlling for demographics, child behavior, and barriers to treatment. One hundred fifteen parents of children ages 4 to 8 years were surveyed during well-child visits in a rural pediatric primary care practice. Parental perceptions of stigma toward parents and children were both assessed. Parents believe that children are more likely to be stigmatized by the public and personally impacted by stigma. In linear regression analyses, parents rated themselves as more likely to attend parenting classes with lower levels of self-stigma and greater levels of personal impact of stigma. Stigma toward the child was not associated with help-seeking. Child behavior moderated the relationship between stigma and parental help-seeking. When referring parents to treatment, providers should address potential stigma concerns. Future research should assess both the impact of the stigma of attending treatment and the stigma of having a child with behavior problems.

Risk of poor development in young children in low-income and middle-income countries: an estimation and analysis at the global, regional, and country level.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Chunling; Black, Maureen M; Richter, Linda M

2016-12-01

A 2007 study published in The Lancet estimated that approximately 219 million children aged younger than 5 years were exposed to stunting or extreme poverty in 2004. We updated the 2004 estimates with the use of improved data and methods and generated estimates for 2010. We used country-level prevalence of stunting in children younger than 5 years based on the 2006 Growth Standards proposed by WHO and poverty ratios from the World Bank to estimate children who were either stunted or lived in extreme poverty for 141 low-income and middle-income countries in 2004 and 2010. To avoid counting the same children twice, we excluded children jointly exposed to stunting and extreme poverty from children living in extreme poverty. To examine the robustness of estimates, we also used moderate poverty measures. The 2007 study underestimated children at risk of poor development. The estimated number of children exposed to the two risk factors in low-income and middle-income countries decreased from 279·1 million (95% CI 250·4 million-307·4 million) in 2004 to 249·4 million (209·3 million-292·6 million) in 2010; prevalence of children at risk fell from 51% (95% CI 46-56) to 43% (36-51). The decline occurred in all income groups and regions with south Asia experiencing the largest drop. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest prevalence in both years. These findings were robust to variations in poverty measures. Progress has been made in reducing the number of children exposed to stunting or poverty between 2004 and 2010, but this is still not enough. Scaling up of effective interventions targeting the most vulnerable children is urgently needed. National Institutes of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hilton Foundation, and WHO. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Innovation at UNICEF: How to Help Balance an Asymmetric World

KAUST Repository

Fabian, Christopher

2017-01-10

Using science, technology, and venture investment to help balance an asymmetric world How do we find solutions to the greatest challenges facing humanity? UNICEF\\'s Office of Innovation (www.unicefstories.org) helps the world\\'s leading children\\'s organization use new methods and approaches to identify, invest in, and scale open source technologies that benefit children, and the world. This talk will share our approach to developing solutions to billion-person problems - a hybrid between the world of Silicon Valley venture capital and the world of global development, policy, and governmental change. Chris will discuss using data, science, and failure to drive investment and development decisions, as well as issues in developing good companies that also want to do good. Examples from Uganda, Estonia, China, Nigeria, and more show that new portfolios of (sometimes surprisingly simple) technologies can create global collaborations around issues important to us all.

Anxiety in Children with Mood Disorders: A Treatment Help or Hindrance?

Science.gov (United States)

Cummings, Colleen M.; Fristad, Mary A.

2012-01-01

This study examined the role of comorbid anxiety in treatment outcome for children with mood disorders (N = 165; age 8-11) participating in Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP). Assessments occurred at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months for two randomly assigned groups: immediate treatment and 1-year wait-list. Most children (69%) had…

Como ayudar a su hijo con la tarea escolar: Para los padres con ninos en la primaria y la secundaria (Helping Your Child with Homework: For Parents of Children in Elementary through Middle School).

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Education, Washington, DC. Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs.

Homework is an opportunity for children to learn and for families to be involved with their children's education, but helping children with homework is not always easy. This Spanish-language booklet is designed to provide parents of elementary and middle grades students with an understanding of the purpose and nature of homework and offers…

Behavioral Economics and Marketing in Aid of Decision Making Among the Poor

OpenAIRE

Bertrand, Marianne; Shafir, Eldar; Mullainathan, Sendhil

2006-01-01

This article considers several aspects of the economic decision making of the poor from the perspective of behavioral economics, and it focuses on potential contributions from marketing. Among other things, the authors consider some relevant facets of the social and institutional environments in which the poor interact, and they review some behavioral patterns that are likely to arise in these contexts. A behaviorally more informed perspective can help make sense of what might otherwise be co...

Hunger among Inuit children in Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leanne C. Findlay

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives. Inuit populations may be at increased risk for experiencing poor nutrition or hunger due to limited access and availability to food. The prevalence and correlates of parental perceptions of hunger among a nationally representative sample of Inuit children in Canada have not yet been reported. Design. Data are from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS. Sociodemographic information, dietary behaviours and hunger status were parent-reported via a household interview for Inuit children aged 2–5 years (n=1,234. Prevalence of hunger was calculated among Inuit children by sociodemographic factors and by dietary behaviours. In addition, a multivariate logistic regression model was conducted to determine factors associated with parental perception of ever experiencing hunger. Results. The prevalence of Inuit children in Canada aged 2–5 years ever experiencing hunger was 24.4%. Children who were reported to have experienced hunger consumed milk and milk products (p<0.001; fish, eggs and meat (p<0.05; fruits (p<0.001; and vegetables (p<0.001 significantly less often than never-hungry children. Fast food and processed foods, soft drinks and juice, and salty snacks, sweets and desserts were consumed as often as never-hungry children (all p>0.05. The majority (81% of Inuit parents/guardians of ever-hungry children sought help from family or friends. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing hunger include sociodemographic characteristics (such as income and household size, living in an Inuit region and living in a community with cultural activities. Conclusion. About 1 in 4 Inuit children were reported by their parents to have experienced hunger, and hunger was associated with region, sociodemographic and community factors. Future research could further examine the impact of ever experiencing hunger on the health status of Inuit children and their families in Canada.

Translation of the Children Helping Out--Responsibilities, Expectations and Supports (CHORES) questionnaire into Brazilian-Portuguese: semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and experiential equivalences and application in normal children and adolescents and in children with cerebral palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Amaral, Maíra; Paula, Rebeca L; Drummond, Adriana; Dunn, Louise; Mancini, Marisa C

2012-01-01

The participation of children with disabilities in daily chores in different environments has been a therapeutic goal shared by both parents and rehabilitation professionals, leading to increased demand for instrument development. The Children Helping Out: Responsibilities, Expectations and Supports (CHORES) questionnaire was created with the objective of measuring child and teenager participation in daily household tasks. To translate the CHORES questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese, evaluate semantic, idiomatic, experiential, and conceptual equivalences, apply the questionnaire to children and teenagers with and without disabilities, and test its test-retest reliability. Methodological study developed through the following stages: (1) translation of the questionnaire by two different translators; (2) synthesis of translations; (3) back-translation into English; (4) analysis by an expert committee to develop the pre-final version; (5) test-retest reliability; (6) administration to a sample of 50 parents of children with and without disabilities. The CHORES translation was validated in all stages. The implemented adaptations aimed to improve the understanding of the instrument's content by families of different socioeconomic and educational levels. The questionnaire showed strong consistency within a 7 to 14-day interval (ICCs=0.93 a 0.97; p=0.0001). After application, there was no need to change any items in the questionnaire. The translation of the CHORES questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese offers a unique instrument for health professionals in Brazil, enabling the documentation of child and teenager participation in daily household tasks and making it possible to develop scientific investigation on the topic.

Can premium tariffs for micro-generation and small scale renewable heat help the fuel poor, and if so, how? Case studies of innovative finance for community energy schemes in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saunders, R.W.; Gross, R.J.K.; Wade, J.

2012-01-01

In the UK, the introduction of micro-generation Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) and a proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for domestic and small scale schemes have re-energised the market for investment in domestic scale renewable energy. These incentives may provide financial opportunities for those with capital to spend but for the record numbers with low incomes in ‘fuel poverty’, these benefits may seem out of reach. This paper shows that with appropriate financial intermediaries it is possible for renewable energy incentives to be used to alleviate fuel poverty. Simple financial analysis demonstrates the theoretical potential of FiTs to help those in fuel poverty. Two case studies of renewable energy projects in low income areas investigate how the incentives may be used in practice, what barriers exist and what success factors are evident. The analysis shows that local energy organisations (LEOs) are key if the poor are to access benefits from premium tariff schemes. Low interest finance mechanisms, good information sharing and community involvement are found as key success factors. - Highlights: ► This paper researches the potential for FiTs and RHIs to help those in fuel poverty. ► Simple financial modelling shows the potential benefit of FiTs to the fuel poor. ► Original case study research investigates how these benefits can be realised. ► The action of local energy organisations (LEOs) is important to optimise outcomes. ► Financing and dynamics between the community and LEOs are key to success.

Children's behavioral health needs and satisfaction and commitment of foster and adoptive parents: Do trauma-informed services make a difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Erin R; Cleary, Sarah E; Butcher, Rebecca L; Jankowski, Mary K

2018-05-03

Caring for children in foster or adoptive care with behavioral health needs can severely stress parents, contributing to adverse outcomes for children and families. Trauma-informed services from the child welfare and mental health sectors may help prevent poor outcomes by helping children and parents identify and understand trauma and its impact on children's behavioral health and receive effective treatment. To help understand the role of trauma-informed services for the child welfare population, we examined whether trauma-informed child welfare and mental health services moderated the relationship between children's behavioral health needs and parent satisfaction and commitment. The researchers analyzed data from a cross-sectional statewide survey of foster and adoptive parents (n = 512 respondents, 42% of 1,206 contacted) from one state. Foster (but not adoptive) parent ratings of trauma-informed mental health services significantly moderated the relationship between children's behavioral health needs and foster and adoptive parent satisfaction and commitment. As ratings of trauma-informed mental health services increased, the association between child behavioral health needs and parent satisfaction and commitment became nonsignificant, suggesting a buffering effect. Trauma-informed child welfare services did not moderate the relationship for foster or adoptive parents. Leaders and policymakers are urged to promote trauma-informed mental health services for children involved with child welfare to potentially buffer foster parents against lower parenting satisfaction and commitment. More research is needed to replicate and expand on these findings and to examine the effectiveness of trauma-informed services on other relevant child and family outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of poverty in explaining health variations in 7-year-old children from different family structures: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearce, Anna; Lewis, Hannah; Law, Catherine

2013-02-01

Despite rises in reconstituted and lone-parent families, relatively little is known about how the health of children in different family types varies, and the extent to which any differences might be explained by poverty. The authors examined this using cross-sectional data on 13 681 seven-year-olds from the Millennium Cohort Study. The authors estimated RRs and 95% CIs for having poor physical (general health, long-standing illness, injury, overweight, asthma, fits) and mental health (using strengths and difficulties scores) according to family structure using Poisson regression. The authors adjusted for confounders (aRR) and then investigated the role of poverty as a mediator by entering a poverty score (based on income, receipt of benefits, subjective poverty and material deprivation) into the main model. Children living in reconstituted and lone-parent families were at a slight increased risk of poor health compared with those living with two natural parents. Adjusting for poverty tended to remove the elevated risk of poor physical health in children living in lone-parent and reconstituted families. However, for the mental health outcomes, poverty tended to remove the elevated risk for lone parents but not for reconstituted families. For example, the aRR for borderline-abnormal total difficulties fell from 1.45 (1.22 to 1.72) to 1.34 (1.13 to 1.59) in children living in reconstituted families and from 1.29 (1.14 to 1.45) to 1.05 (0.92 to 1.19) in those living with lone parents. Poor physical and mental health was slightly more prevalent in children living in lone-parent or reconstituted families. Poverty reduction may help to reduce these differences, especially for children living with lone parents; however, alternative mechanisms should be also explored, particularly for children living in reconstituted families.

Echoic memory processes in good and poor readers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sipe, S; Engle, R W

1986-07-01

Four experiments were conducted to determine whether echoic memory plays a role in differences between good and poor readers. The first two experiments used a suffix procedure in which the subject is read a list of digits with either a tone control or the word go appended to the list. For lists that exceeded the length of the subjects memory span by one digit (i.e., that avoided ceiling effects), the poor readers showed a larger decrement in the suffix condition than did the good readers. The third experiment was directed at the question of whether the duration of echoic memory is different for good and poor readers. Children shadowed words presented to one ear at a rate determined to give 75-85% shadowing accuracy. The items presented to the nonattended ear were words and an occasional digit. At various intervals after the presentation of the digit, a light signaled that the subject was to cease shadowing and attempt to recall any digit that had occurred in the nonattended ear recently. Whereas good and poor readers recalled the digit equally if tested immediately after presentation, the poor readers showed a faster decline in recall of the digit as retention interval increased. A fourth experiment was conducted to determine whether the differences in echoic memory were specific to speech stimuli or occurred at a more basic level of aural persistence. Bursts of white noise were separated by 9-400 ms of silence and the subject was to say whether there were one or two sounds presented. There were no differences in detectability functions for good and poor readers.

Language and cognitive development in deaf children: deaf children with deaf and deaf children with hearing parents

OpenAIRE

Ajda Pfifer

2011-01-01

The article reviews the current studies regarding language and cognitive development in children who are deaf. Deaf communicate orally and with sign language. 90 % of deaf children are born into hearing families and hearing parents in most cases do not know the sign language. Besides, hearing parents usually want for their child to become "normally" speaking. Most of the deaf children born into hearing families have very poor early communication. It is now well established that deaf children ...

Responding to abuse: Children's experiences of child protection in a central district, Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Child, Jennifer Christine; Naker, Dipak; Horton, Jennifer; Walakira, Eddy Joshua; Devries, Karen M

2014-10-01

Part of a comprehensive response to violence against children involves child protection systems, but there are few data available on such systems in low-income countries. This study describes the characteristics and help seeking behavior of children referred to local child protection services and the quality of the first-line response in one district in Uganda. Participants included 3,706 children from 42 primary schools who participated in a baseline survey on violence as part of the Good Schools Study (NCT01678846, clinicaltrial.gov). Children who disclosed violence were referred according to predefined criteria based on the type, severity, and timeframe of their experiences. Children were followed up to 4 months after the study ended. First-line responses by receiving agencies were classified into 3 categories: plan for action only, some action taken, and no plan and no action taken. Appropriateness of responses was based on which agency responded, timeliness of the response, quality of the documentation, and final status of the case. From the baseline survey, 529 children (14%) were referred. Girls were more likely to be referred and to meet the criteria for a serious case (9% girls, 4% boys). In total, 104 referrals (20%) had some kind of concrete action taken, but only 20 (3.8%) cases met all criteria for having received an adequate response. Nearly half (43%) of referred children had ever sought help by disclosing their experiences of violence prior to the baseline survey. In our study areas, the first-line response to children's reports of abuse was poor even though some referral structures are in place. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mental health care needs and preferences for mothers of children with a disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilson, K-M; Davis, E; Johnson, S; Gains, J; Reddihough, D; Williams, K

2018-05-01

Mothers of children with a disability are at increased risk of poor mental health compared with mothers of typically developing children. The aim of the study was to describe the mental health care needs and preferences for support of mothers of children and young people aged 0-25 years with a disability. A cross-sectional study was used, using an online survey with 294 mothers of children with a disability. Questions were asked about mental health, perceived need for support, barriers to accessing mental health care, and preferences for support. Descriptive and chi-squared analyses were performed. High rates of mental ill health were self-identified in the previous 12 months, with reported clinically significant depression (44%), anxiety (42%), and suicidality (22%). Nearly half (48%) of the mothers reported high to very high psychological distress. Although 75% of mothers perceived a need for professional support, only 58% attempted to access this. Key barriers to accessing support were caregiving duties making it difficult to schedule appointments (45%) and not perceiving the mental health problem as serious enough to require help (36%). Individual counselling was the preferred type of support (66%) followed by professionally guided relaxation (49%) and education about mental health (47%). Support was considered most critical at the time of diagnosis and during medical intervention for their child. Although mental health problems were common and mothers perceived the need for professional help, several key barriers were preventing mothers from accessing help. Our study suggests that improving mothers' knowledge of when and where to seek help (mental health literacy) may encourage their access to support. There also needs to be more accessible treatment to mothers given the high care demands that are placed upon them. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Locus of control fails to mediate between stress and anxiety and depression in parents of children with a developmental disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlyn-Wright, Sarah; Draghi-Lorenz, Riccardo; Ellis, Jason

2007-11-01

Stress, anxiety and depression are raised amongst parents of children with a developmental disorder. However, the processes by which stress leads to depression and anxiety are poorly understood. In a cross-sectional survey, levels of parental stress, depression and anxiety were compared between parents of children with an autistic disorder, children with Down's syndrome and children with no disorder (N = 619) and the mediational role of locus of control was examined. Anxiety and depression were higher in parents of children with a disorder, and highest in parents of children with autism. Locus of control was more external in parents of children with autism. Locus of control failed to mediate the relationship between stress and both anxiety and depression in parents of children with a disorder. This suggests that help for parents of a child with a disorder may be effective if focused on the sources of stress rather than perceived control over events.

Demand Creation for Polio Vaccine in Persistently Poor-Performing Communities of Northern Nigeria: 2013-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Warigon, Charity; Mkanda, Pascal; Muhammed, Ado; Etsano, Andrew; Korir, Charles; Bawa, Samuel; Gali, Emmanuel; Nsubuga, Peter; Erbeto, Tesfaya B; Gerlong, George; Banda, Richard; Yehualashet, Yared G; Vaz, Rui G

2016-05-01

Poliomyelitis remains a global threat despite availability of oral polio vaccine (OPV), proven to reduce the burden of the paralyzing disease. In Nigeria, children continue to miss the opportunity to be fully vaccinated, owing to factors such as unmet health needs and low uptake in security-compromised and underserved communities. We describe the implementation and evaluation of several activities to create demand for polio vaccination in persistently poor-performing local government areas (LGAs). We assessed the impact of various polio-related interventions, to measure the contribution of demand creation activities in 77 LGAs at very high risk for polio, located across 10 states in northern Nigeria. Interventions included provision of commodities along with the polio vaccine. There was an increasing trend in the number of children reached by different demand creation interventions. A total of 4 819 847 children were vaccinated at health camps alone. There was a reduction in the number of wards in which >10% of children were missed by supplementary immunization activities due to noncompliance with vaccination recommendations, a rise in the proportion of children who received ≥4 OPV doses, and a decrease in the proportion of children who were underimmunized or unimmunized. Demand creation interventions increased the uptake of polio vaccines in persistently poor-performing high-risk communities in northern Nigeria during September 2013-November 2014. © 2016 World Health Organization; licensee Oxford Journals.

Dental caries status and oral health practice among 12-15 year old children in Jorpati, Kathmandu.

Science.gov (United States)

Khanal, S; Acharya, J

2014-09-01

Oral health is an essential component of health throughout life. There has been a decline in dental caries and periodontal disease in developed countries which can be attributed to the implementation of preventive programmes but in developing countries dental diseases are still on the rise. Therefore this cross sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of dental caries and oral hygiene practices among 12 to 15 years old children. Self administered close ended questionnaires were used to assess the oral hygiene practice. The overall dental caries prevalence was 58.3% and the mean DMFT score was 1.2 (± 1.79) and the deft score was 0.6 (± 1.24). Majority of the children (84.1%) presented with the practice of brushing their teeth once everyday using tooth brush and toothpaste. Regular dental check up was very poor (5.6%) but 77.4% reported that they visited a dentist in case of pain or presence of stains in the teeth. Females (63.4%) and children studying in higher secondary class (74.2%) showed a "good" level of oral hygiene practice than males and children in secondary class respectively. Children having "good" practice presented with "low" dental caries severity. The utilization of dental services was poor in the children, therefore highlighting the necessity to implement preventive programmes is important which would help in reducing the incidence of the dental caries as well as aiding in prompt treatment of dental caries at its initial stages.

Children and war: the work of the Children and War Foundation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Yule

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Children and War Foundation was established after the authors’ experiences following the civil war in former Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s. Many organizations tried to mitigate the effects of the war on children but few interventions were based on evidence and fewer were properly evaluated. The Foundation was established in Norway with the aim of promoting better evidence-based interventions to help children after wars and natural disasters.The Foundation has developed a number of empirically grounded manuals that aim to help children learn strategies that will lessen the stress reactions that they have developed. The manuals are designed to be delivered by personnel who are not necessarily very experienced in child mental health. They are aimed at groups of children using a public health approach to reach large numbers in a short space of time. The strategies are not intended as individual therapy.The Teaching Recovery Techniques manual has been used following a number of earthquakes and other natural disasters and data from a number of these will be discussed. A Writing for Recovery manual is aimed at helping adolescents and is based on the seminal work of James Pennebaker. It is currently being evaluated in three separate studies. A group-based manual to help children bereaved by war or disaster has recently been developed.

Help Your Child Learn To Write Well.

Science.gov (United States)

Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.

Addressing parents, this pamphlet describes ways to help children learn to write well and thereby excel in school, enjoy self-expression, and become more self-reliant. Writing is discussed as a practical, job-related, stimulating, social, and therapeutic activity that receives inadequate attention in many schools. It is emphasized that writing is…

Correlates of poor mental health in early pregnancy in obese European women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sattler, Matteo C; Jelsma, Judith G M; Bogaerts, Annick

2017-01-01

health, in a group of overweight/obese pregnant women in nine European countries, and thus, to contribute to better recognition and intervention for maternal depression. METHODS: In this cross-sectional observational study, baseline data from early pregnancy (... in European overweight/obese pregnant women. The identified correlates might help in early recognition and subsequent treatment of poor mental health problems during pregnancy. This is important to reduce the unfavorable effects of poor mental health on pregnancy outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN70595832...

Preferences for Depression Help-Seeking Among Vietnamese American Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim-Mozeleski, Jin E; Tsoh, Janice Y; Gildengorin, Ginny; Cao, Lien H; Ho, Tiffany; Kohli, Sarita; Lam, Hy; Wong, Ching; Stewart, Susan; McPhee, Stephen J; Nguyen, Tung T

2017-11-11

Culture impacts help-seeking preferences. We examined Vietnamese Americans' help-seeking preferences for depressive symptoms, through a telephone survey (N = 1666). A vignette describing an age- and gender-matched individual with depression was presented, and respondents chose from a list of options and provided open-ended responses about their help-seeking preferences. Results showed that 78.3% would seek professional help, either from a family doctor, a mental health provider, or both; 54.4% preferred to seek help from a family doctor but not from a mental health provider. Most (82.1%) would prefer to talk to family or friends, 62.2% would prefer to look up information, and 50.1% would prefer to get spiritual help. Logistic regression analysis revealed that preferences for non-professional help-seeking options (such as talking to friends or family, looking up information, and getting spiritual help), health care access, and perceived poor health, were associated with increased odds of preferring professional help-seeking. This population-based study of Vietnamese Americans highlight promising channels to deliver education about depression and effective help-seeking resources, particularly the importance of family doctors and social networks. Furthermore, addressing barriers in access to care remains a critical component of promoting professional help-seeking.

Characteristic Symptoms and Adaptive Behaviors of Children with Autism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rauf, N. K.; Haq, A.; Aslam, N.; Anjum, U.

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine the characteristic symptoms and adaptive behaviors of children with autism, as well as the distribution of autism severity groups across gender. Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Special Education Schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, from September 2011 to January 2012. Methodology: Thirty nine children of either gender, aged 3 - 16 years and enrolled in special education schools, fulfilled the DSM-IV-TR criteria of autism. Among those, were identified as meeting the criteria of autism. The childhood autism rating scale-2 (CARS-2) was used to study the characteristics and severity of symptoms of autism. Later, adaptive behavior scale (school edition: 2) ABS-S: 2, was administered on children (n=21) to formulate the level of adaptive functioning. Results: There were 15 boys and 8 girls with mean age of 10.6 +- 2.97 years. They showed marked impairment in verbal communication (mean=3.17 +- 0.90) followed by relating to people (mean=2.75 +- 0.83) and general impression (mean=2.73 +- 0.7). Most of the children showed average to below average adaptive behaviors on number and time (n=19, 90.5%), independent functioning (n=17, 81.0%), self direction (n=17, 81.0%), physical development (n=13, 61.9%), responsibility (n=12, 57.1%) and socialization (n=13, 61.9%) as well as poor to very poor adaptive behaviors on prevocational skill (n=15, 71.4%), language development (n=13, 61.9%) and economic development (n=13, 61.9%). The frequency of boys with autism was more towards moderate to severely impaired spectrum, without gender differences in any symptom associated with autism. Conclusion: Comprehension of the presentation of characteristic symptoms of children with autism will be helpful in devising the indigenous intervention plans that are congruent with the level of adaptive functioning. (author)

Can Parents Treat their Anxious Child using CBT? A Brief Report of a Self-Help Program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esbjørn, Barbara Hoff; Christiansen, Bianca Munkebo; Walczak, Monika Anna

2016-01-01

Objective: We developed and tested a self-help program with minimal therapist involvement for parents of anxious children. Method: The program focused on transfer of control from therapist to parents of children with moderate anxiety, and consisted of two therapist-led workshops, a Facebook group......, and Cool Kids manuals for parents and children. The sample consisted of 20 families, and 17 completed treatment. Results: After treatment, intent-to-treat analyses indicated that 65% of the children were free of all anxiety disorders. The corresponding figure for completers was 76.5%. Conclusion: Our...... results suggest that parent-based self-help groups focusing on transfer of control may be a cost-effective way of providing treatment to children with moderate anxiety...

Parents in death-related literature for children.

Science.gov (United States)

Corr, Charles A

This article explores ways in which parents are represented as being involved with children in death and loss experiences. These representations are taken from 46 selected examples of death-related literature designed to be read by or with children. The main goal for us is to ask how parents are portrayed in these books and how their interactions with children are depicted. Since parents usually bear primary responsibility for the care of their children, they are ordinarily expected to share their experience and insights with their children, and to help children cope with death and loss. What do they do and how do they help (or not help) children in this body of literature?

Empowering Children to Cope with Teasing

Science.gov (United States)

... control will foster relationships, increase compliance, and improve self-esteem. Children who learn, practice, and Amy Smith • Child Life ... Every Kid’s Guide to Personal Power and Positive Self-Esteem by Gershen Kaufman, & ... Can Help their Children. •Pope, A., 2003. Advice for Parents: Helping Children ...

Management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma in patients with poor prognosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bullock, Andrea; McDermott, David F; Atkins, Michael B

2010-01-01

An improved understanding of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) biology has translated into major advances in the treatment of patients with metastatic RCC in recent years. Clinical and pathologic criteria can be used to identify RCC patients with poor prognoses. Such patients, however, are often excluded from the cancer clinical trials that guide treatment recommendations. This article reviews available information on the management of patients with metastatic RCC and poor risk features, focusing on the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. While patients with poor risk features have a more guarded outcome, treatment with temsirolimus has produced meaningful improvements in overall survival for this population. Definitive phase III trial data are lacking for the VEGF pathway inhibitors in patients with poor prognostic features. However, available data suggest that such patients tolerate VEGF pathway blockade reasonably well and are likely to achieve some benefit relative to treatment with interferon. Ongoing translational research efforts may help to define novel treatment approaches specific for patients with metastatic RCC and poor prognostic features

Mental Illness in Children: Know the Signs

Science.gov (United States)

... how you can help. By Mayo Clinic Staff Mental illness in children can be hard for parents to ... help they need. Understand the warning signs of mental illness in children and how you can help your ...

Estimating Rates of Psychosocial Problems in Urban and Poor Children with Sickle Cell Anemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbarin, Oscar A.; And Others

1994-01-01

Examined adjustment problems for children and adolescents with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Parents provided information on social, emotional, academic, and family adjustment of 327 children with SCA. Over 25% of children had emotional adjustment problems in form of internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression); at least 20% had problems related to…

Children's (Pediatric) Abdominal Ultrasound Imaging

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. Children's (pediatric) ... uterus Abdominal ultrasound images can be used to help diagnose appendicitis in children. Except for traumatic injury, ...

Being Poor at School: Exploring Conditions of Educability in the "Favela"

Science.gov (United States)

Bonal, Xavier; Tarabini, Aina

2016-01-01

This article explores how different ways of experiencing poverty affect the possibilities of poor children to make the most of their education. The study uses the concept of conditions of educability to reflect how the different dimensions of the experience of poverty facilitate or hinder the success of educational practices and the learning of…

Echolalia and Comprehension in Autistic Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Jacqueline M. A.

1989-01-01

The study with 10 autistic children (ages 4-17) found that those children with poor receptive language skills produced significantly more echolalic utterances than those children whose receptive skills were more age-appropriate. (Author/DB)

Sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption correlates with BMI, waist circumference, and poor dietary choices in school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Collison, Kate S; Zaidi, Marya Z; Subhani, Shazia N; Al-Rubeaan, Khalid; Shoukri, Mohammed; Al-Mohanna, Futwan A

2010-05-09

The prevalence of obesity and overweight is increasing globally. Frequently coexisting with under-nutrition in developing countries, obesity is a major contributor to chronic disease, and will become a serious healthcare burden especially in countries with a larger percentage of youthful population. 35% of the population of Saudi Arabia are under the age of 16, and adult dietary preferences are often established during early childhood years. Our objective was to examine the dietary habits in relation to body-mass-index (BMI) and waist circumference (W_C), together with exercise and sleep patterns in a cohort of male and female Saudi school children, in order to ascertain whether dietary patterns are associated with obesity phenotypes in this population. 5033 boys and 4400 girls aged 10 to 19 years old participated in a designed Food Frequency Questionnaire. BMI and W_C measurements were obtained and correlated with dietary intake. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12.2% and 27.0% respectively, with boys having higher obesity rates than girls (P sweetened carbonated beverage (SSCB) intake in boys only. The association between male BMI and SSCB consumption was significant in a multivariate regression model (P sweetened hot beverages were higher in older versus younger children (P < 0.001). BMI and W_C were negatively correlated with hours of night-time sleep and exercise in boys, but only with night time sleep in girls, who also showed the lowest frequency of exercise. A higher intake of SSCB is associated with poor dietary choices. Male SSCB intake correlates with a higher W_C and BMI. Limiting exposure to SSCB could therefore have a large public health impact.

Children at Risk: Global Views on Challenges Facing Children

Science.gov (United States)

Neugebauer, Roger

2011-01-01

Members of the World Forum community were invited to respond to the question: "What is the most urgent challenge facing young children in your country?" Here are some of their responses. Jamils Richard Achunji Anguaseh mentions that in Cameroon, young children face lots of insecurity, both from health hazards and poor parenting practices. There…

Alphabet Writing and Allograph Selection as Predictors of Spelling in Sentences Written by Spanish-Speaking Children Who Are Poor or Good Keyboarders.

Science.gov (United States)

Peake, Christian; Diaz, Alicia; Artiles, Ceferino

This study examined the relationship and degree of predictability that the fluency of writing the alphabet from memory and the selection of allographs have on measures of fluency and accuracy of spelling in a free-writing sentence task when keyboarding. The Test Estandarizado para la Evaluación de la Escritura con Teclado ("Spanish Keyboarding Writing Test"; Jiménez, 2012) was used as the assessment tool. A sample of 986 children from Grades 1 through 3 were classified according to transcription skills measured by keyboard ability (poor vs. good) across the grades. Results demonstrated that fluency in writing the alphabet and selecting allographs mediated the differences in spelling between good and poor keyboarders in the free-writing task. Execution in the allograph selection task and writing alphabet from memory had different degrees of predictability in each of the groups in explaining the level of fluency and spelling in the free-writing task sentences, depending on the grade. These results suggest that early assessment of writing by means of the computer keyboard can provide clues and guidelines for intervention and training to strengthen specific skills to improve writing performance in the early primary grades in transcription skills by keyboarding.

Twelve-Month Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Internet-Based Guided Self-Help for Parents of Children on Cancer Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cernvall, Martin; Carlbring, Per; Wikman, Anna; Ljungman, Lisa; Ljungman, Gustaf; von Essen, Louise

2017-07-27

A substantial proportion of parents of children on cancer treatment report psychological distress such as symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTSS), depression, and anxiety. During their child's treatment many parents also experience an economic burden. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy of Internet-based guided self-help for parents of children on cancer treatment. This study was a parallel randomized controlled trial comparing a 10-week Internet-based guided self-help program, including weekly support from a therapist via encrypted email, with a wait-list control condition. The intervention was based on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and focused on psychoeducation and skills to cope with difficult thoughts and feelings. Primary outcome was self-reported PTSS. Secondary outcomes were self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, health care consumption, and sick leave during the past month. Outcomes were assessed pre- and postintervention and at 12-month follow-up. Parents of children on cancer treatment were invited by health care personnel at pediatric oncology centers, and parents meeting the modified symptom criteria on the PCL-C were included in the study. Self-report assessments were provided on the Web. A total of 58 parents of children on cancer treatment (median months since diagnosis=3) were included in the study (intervention n=31 and control n=27). A total of 18 participants completed the intervention, and 16 participants in each group participated in the 12-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed significant effects in favor of the intervention on the primary outcome PTSS, with large between-group effect sizes at postassessment (d=0.89; 95% CI 0.35-1.43) and at 12-month follow-up (d=0.78; 95% CI 0.25-1.32). Significant effects in favor of the intervention on the secondary outcomes depression and anxiety were also observed. However, there was no evidence for intervention efficacy on health care consumption or

Effect of poverty reduction program on nutritional status of the extreme poor in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalal, Chowdhury S B; Frongillo, Edward A

2013-12-01

Poverty alleviation programs for the extreme poor improve participants' economic status and may impact other important outcomes that are seldom evaluated. A program targeted to the extreme poor by BRAG, a development organization in Bangladesh, has been successful in significantly alleviating extreme poverty. We hypothesized that the program also improved the nutritional status of women and preschool children. A nonequivalent control, pre- and posttest quasi-experimental design that was longitudinal at the village level was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from a random sample of 4,131 children and 3,551 women from 3,409 households in 159 villages of 3 northern districts of Bangladesh in 2002 and 2006. Linear mixed random-intercept models accounted for clustering effects and potential confounders. The weight-for-height of children between 24 and 35 months of age from program households was significantly higher (p growth and body-composition indicators in three other age categories of preschool children or in women. These results are important, as this is a large-scale program that has already been extended to more than half the country. The findings will contribute to judging the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of the program and in garnering support for the expansion of such programs.

Synthetic phonics and decodable instructional reading texts: How far do these support poor readers?

Science.gov (United States)

Price-Mohr, Ruth Maria; Price, Colin Bernard

2018-05-01

This paper presents data from a quasi-experimental trial with paired randomisation that emerged during the development of a reading scheme for children in England. This trial was conducted with a group of 12 children, aged 5-6, and considered to be falling behind their peers in reading ability and a matched control group. There were two intervention conditions (A: using mixed teaching methods and a high percentage of non-phonically decodable vocabulary; P: using mixed teaching methods and low percentage of non-decodable vocabulary); allocation to these was randomised. Children were assessed at pre- and post-test on standardised measures of receptive vocabulary, phoneme awareness, word reading, and comprehension. Two class teachers in the same school each selected 6 children, who they considered to be poor readers, to participate (n = 12). A control group (using synthetic phonics only and phonically decodable vocabulary) was selected from the same 2 classes based on pre-test scores for word reading (n = 16). Results from the study show positive benefits for poor readers from using both additional teaching methods (such as analytic phonics, sight word vocabulary, and oral vocabulary extension) in addition to synthetic phonics, and also non-decodable vocabulary in instructional reading text. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Does Poor Handwriting Conceal Literacy Potential in Primary School Children?

Science.gov (United States)

McCarney, Debra; Peters, Lynne; Jackson, Sarah; Thomas, Marie; Kirby, Amanda

2013-01-01

Handwriting is a complex skill that, despite increasing use of computers, still plays a vital role in education. It is assumed that children will master letter formation at a relatively early stage in their school life, with handwriting fluency developing steadily until automaticity is attained. The capacity theory of writing suggests that as…

EDUCATION AND FAMILY INCOME: CAN POOR CHILDREN SIGNAL THEIR TALENT?

OpenAIRE

Gonzalo Olcina Vauteren; Luisa Escriche

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to explain how financial constraints and family background characteristics affect the signalling educational investments of individuals born in low-income families. We show that talented students who are poor are unable to signal their talent, as the maximum level of education they can attain may also be achieved by less talented students who are rich. Under this approach, a de-crease in inequalities across generations cannot be expected. The paper also shows that an ...

Risk factors of poor anthropometric status in children under five ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2010-06-25

Jun 25, 2010 ... 35% of the total South African population.10 In 1995, the South ... is likely to provide better estimates of child malnutrition levels. Both the EC and KZN provinces had an average breastfeeding rate of 78% ... In the original study, a stratified random sample of 4 000 children ..... For attainment of optimal.

Poor motor skills: a risk marker for bully victimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Bejerot, Susanne; Plenty, Stephanie; Humble, Alice; Humble, Mats B

2013-01-01

Children who are clumsy are often bullied. Nevertheless, motor skills have been overlooked in research on bullying victimization. A total of 2,730 Swedish adults (83% females) responded to retrospective questions on bullying, their talents in physical education (i.e., coordination and balls skills) and school academics. Poor talents were used as indicators of poor gross motor skills and poor academic skills. A subset of participants also provided information on educational level in adulthood, childhood obesity, belonging to an ethic minority in school and socioeconomic status relative to schoolmates. A total of 29.4% of adults reported being bullied in school, and 18.4% reported having below average gross motor skills. Of those with below average motor skills, 48.6% were bullied in school. Below average motor skills in childhood were associated with an increased risk (OR 3.01 [95% CI: 1.97-4.60]) of being bullied, even after adjusting for the influence of lower socioeconomic status, poor academic performance, being overweight, and being a bully. Higher odds for bully victimization were also associated with lower socioeconomic status (OR 2.29 [95% CI: 1.45-3.63]), being overweight (OR 1.71 [95% CI: 1.18-2.47]) and being a bully (OR 2.18 [95% CI: 1.53-3.11]). The findings indicate that poor gross motor skills constitute a robust risk-marker for vulnerability for bully victimization. © 2013 The Authors. Aggressive Behavior Published by Wiley-Blackwell.

"Daddy, Read to Me": Fathers Helping Their Young Children Learn to Read.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Robert W.; McCarty, Laurie L.

1997-01-01

Reports that not much is known about the role of fathers' involvement in their children's early reading development. Provides background information concerning research into fathers' involvement in early literacy development. Offers various suggestions on encouraging fathers to become involved with their children's early literacy activities. (PA)

Executive Functions and Working Memory Behaviours in Children with a Poor Working Memory

Science.gov (United States)

St. Clair-Thompson, Helen L.

2011-01-01

Previous research has suggested that working memory difficulties play an integral role in children's underachievement at school. However, working memory is just one of several executive functions. The extent to which problems in working memory extend to other executive functions is not well understood. In the current study 38 children with a poor…

Who gets help for pre-school communication problems? Data from a prospective community study.

Science.gov (United States)

Skeat, J; Wake, M; Ukoumunne, O C; Eadie, P; Bretherton, L; Reilly, S

2014-03-01

Pre-school communication problems are common, with implications for school readiness and educational achievement. Help is available from a variety of community healthcare providers. This study examined the extent to which help is received, and the predictors of service receipt. Prospective community study, in Melbourne, Victoria. At age 4 years, we assessed the speech, receptive and expressive language and fluency of 1607 children and gave feedback to their parents. At age 5 years, 983 families provided data on service use for communication problems between and 4 and 5 years. We compared service use between participants with and without impairment, and used logistic regression to estimate the strength of association between potential predictors (gender, socio-economic status, maternal education, English-speaking background status, family history of speech and language problems and parent concern) and service use (binary outcome). Data were available for both communication status and service use for 753 children. Only 44.9% of the 196 children with communication impairment received help from a professional. Furthermore, 7% of the 557 that did not meet criteria for communication impairment nevertheless received help from a professional. Parent concern was the strongest predictor of service use (adjusted odds ratio = 9.0; 95% CI: 5.6-14.8). Both over- and under-servicing for communication problems were evident. This study shows that accessing help for communication problems requires more than simply informing parents about the problem and having services available; there is a need for systematic support to get the right children to services. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reported Hyperphagia in Foster Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Demb, Janet M.

1991-01-01

Foster children (age 0-14, n=190) referred for mental health evaluations were compared to a subsample of 10 children identified as hyperphagic. These children displayed hyperactivity and poor impulse control, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. Mothers exhibited a high incidence of drug/alcohol abuse. Hyperphagia should alert…

Interference control in working memory: comparing groups of children with atypical development.

Science.gov (United States)

Palladino, Paola; Ferrari, Marcella

2013-01-01

The study aimed to test whether working memory deficits in children at risk of Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be attributed to deficits in interference control, thereby implicating prefrontal systems. Two groups of children known for showing poor working memory (i.e., children with poor comprehension and children with ADHD) were compared to a group of children with specific reading decoding problems (i.e., having severe problems in phonological rather than working memory) and to a control group. All children were tested with a verbal working memory task. Interference control of irrelevant items was examined by a lexical decision task presented immediately after the final recall in about half the trials, selected at random. The interference control measure was therefore directly related to working memory performance. Results confirmed deficient working memory performance in poor comprehenders and children at risk of ADHD + LD. More interestingly, this working memory deficit was associated with greater activation of irrelevant information than in the control group. Poor decoders showed more efficient interference control, in contrast to poor comprehenders and ADHD + LD children. These results indicated that interfering items were still highly accessible to working memory in children who fail the working memory task. In turn, these findings strengthen and clarify the role of interference control, one of the most critical prefrontal functions, in working memory.

The Comprehension Problems for Second-Language Learners with Poor Reading Comprehension Despite Adequate Decoding: A Meta-Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Mercedes; Wagner, Richard K.

2017-01-01

We conducted a meta-analysis of 16 existing studies to examine the nature of the comprehension problems for children who were second-language learners with poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding. Results indicated that these children had deficits in oral language (d = -0.80), but these deficits were not as severe as their reading…

Helping as Coping by Siblings of the Disabled.

Science.gov (United States)

Midlarsky, Elizabeth; Hannah, Mary Elizabeth

Research has shown that siblings can experience either negative or positive mental health outcomes as a result of having a brother or sister with disabilities. When maladjustment occurs, it is frequently attributed to the stress of excessive helping. This research-based paper proposes that siblings of children with disabilities, perceiving…

Where in the World? Ways to Help Young Gifted Children Think Globally

Science.gov (United States)

Sandberg-Howe, Carol

2016-01-01

What parent doesn't hope to give their children "the world," and at the earliest possible age start their journey in becoming responsible global citizens? Through play, children as young as 3 years old can assume active roles in learning important cultural-historical concepts. At home, parents can provide cultural information and…

Birthday Cake Activity Structured Arrangement for Helping Children Determining Quantities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neni Mariana

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Few researches have been concerned about relation between children’s spatial thinking and number sense. Narrowing for this small research, we focused on one component of spatial thinking, that is structuring objects, and one component of number senses, that is cardinality by determining quantities. This study focused on a design research that was conducted in Indonesia in which we investigated pre-school children’s (between 2 and 3.5 years old ability in making structured arrangement and their ability to determine the quantities by looking at the arrangements. The result shows us that some of the children were able to make such arrangement. However, the children found difficulties either to determine quantities from those arrangements or to compare some structures to easily recognize number of objects.

Issues of poor rural self-employed women.

Science.gov (United States)

Jumani, U

1994-01-01

Most Indian women are low income and self-employed, but women's studies have not focused on this large population. In order to fill in the gap in the literature on women's employment in India, a study was conducted in 1985 among 800 women from 5 "talukas" in Ahmedabad district. This article describes the common social and economic issues faced by poor, rural, self-employed women. Most of the sample belong to lower caste groups. The caste system contributed largely to their poverty, exploitation, and lack of access to facilities. The Harijans are treated the worst and many villages consider them untouchables. The Vaghris and the Dehgam are considered low caste but not untouchables. These groups are not treated much better than the Harijans. Relations between various castes are often strained. In many villages access to information about government programs is controlled by the Sarpanch and Talati and denied to the lower castes. Women's division of labor is determined by caste. The response to the demands of survival among low-income women is to adopt a "contingency" approach to life. These women are mobile, travel with few belongings, and seek shelter anywhere. Children are not sent to school. Many are untrained even in a caste-based occupation. The poor are generally landless and without assets. Work skills are acquired from family or neighbors. Women and poor people lack access to loans and lack awareness of detailed procedures. Cash payment does not usually go to women. Women work in caste-based occupations in addition to two or three seasonal agricultural labor jobs. Development programs do not address the current situation of the poor.

The comprehension of Italian relative clauses in poor readers and in children with Specific Language Impairment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Arosio

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI and children with Developmental Dyslexia (DD have problems comprehending relative clauses (RCs and find object RCs more difficult than subject RCs, as do typically developing children. Few studies have compared these groups directly, leaving it unclear whether the problems observed in children with DD are similar to those described in SLI. Work with typically developing children has shown that the comprehension of passive RCs is less challenging than that of object RCs. It is argued that this asymmetry depends on intervention effects as modelized in a Relativized Minimality framework. Since movement is challenging for children with SLI and those with DD, examining and comparing their comprehension of object RCs and passive RCs can broaden our understanding of their language deficits. In fact, both structures involve movement, but the moved element and the movement configuration are different. In our study we investigated the comprehension of subject RCs, object RCs and passive RCs in 12 Italian monolingual children with SLI (mean age: 7;6, 13 Italian monolingual children with DD (mean age: 10;7 and 50 typically developing controls matched for age, grammar and vocabulary. Results from a picture selection task show that: (i subject RCs are unproblematic for all children; (ii object RCs are challenging for children with SLI, children with DD and younger typically developing controls; (iii passive RCs are better understood than object RCs in all groups, but still problematic for children with SLI and younger typically developing controls. Our data show that intervention effects are found in children with SLI and children with DD and that those with SLI have a deficit in transferring thematic roles to moved elements. Our results point out that some of the children with DD have a mild grammatical deficit that was undetected or escaped standardized tests.

Innovative Strategies to Help Families Cope with the Effects of Domestic Violence

Science.gov (United States)

Haeseler, Lisa Ann

2011-01-01

Women and children coping with issues of domestic violence abuse urgently require help from early childhood professionals. The U.S. Department of Justice (2008) details these women and children are in peril. This article focuses on female domestic violence abuse. It presents some warning signs of domestic violence. It also offers steps on how to…

Vietnam seeks help expanding voluntary surgical contraception.

Science.gov (United States)

Piet-pelon, N J; Sukop, S

1992-07-01

Recent surveys by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health suggest that 60% of married women desire no more children. Yet only 2% of currently married women and less than 1/2 of 1% of their partners use sterilization. Underscoring the high unmet need for effective family planning, over 1 million abortions (legal in Vietnam for the past 20 years) are performed annually. This rate corresponds to 1 abortion for every live birth. The Ministry of Health has recently welcomed a variety of organizations, including AVSC, whose assistance can help expand the country's family planning programs. Sorely lacking in supplies, equipment, and trained personnel, Vietnam has merited priority status--2nd only to China and India--from the UNFPA, which has committed $36 million over the next 4 years. Other organizations currently working in Vietnam include the Population Council, the Population Crisis Committee, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Despite enormous casualties during the war years, and a decrease since the 1970s in average family size from 6 to 4 children, the population of Vietnam has continued to grow rapidly, far outpacing economic growth. Currently 67 million, the population is expected to reach 80 million by the year 2000. The average Vietnamese annual income is only $195, among the lowest in the world. Doi moi, the process of economic reform begun in 1986, coupled with new government incentives for families who have no more than 2 children, is changing the face of family planning in Vietnam. Newly opened pharmacies sell imported birth control pills and condoms (to those who can afford them), while government hospitals and health clinics provide mainly IUDs, in addition to limited supplies of pills and condoms. Throughout the country, some 8000 community-level health centers are staffed by nurse-midwives trained in family planning. Voluntary sterilization is available at the district, provincial, and national hospitals. All married women may obtain family

THE POINT OF VIEW OF POOR PEOPLE WORKING IN INFORMAL SECTOR ON POVERTY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gonul ICLI

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Even though the poor with a lower income than poverty line though hired to be paid constitute the majority of the whole population in many countries, they have not been researched sufficiently. Working poor people can not reach the sufficient level of income to meet their expenses as a result of familial circumstances like insufficient education, divorce, excessiveness of the number of children, loss of a spouse as well as working for low wage due to the labour market. This research is supposed to be about poor people working as wage earners in informal sector in Denizli. 100 apartment doorkeepers, 100 house cleaners and 100 baby sitters have been included into the research as its samples. This research is concerned with the point of view about poverty of working poor people, their strategies of coping with poverty and their social relations

Sticker charts: a method for improving adherence to treatment of chronic diseases in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Luersen, Kara; Davis, Scott A; Kaplan, Sebastian G; Abel, Troy D; Winchester, Woodrow W; Feldman, Steven R

2012-01-01

Poor adherence is a common problem and may be an underlying cause of poor clinical outcomes. In pediatric populations, positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts may increase motivation to adhere to treatment regimens. To review the use of sticker charts to improve adherence in children with chronic disease, Medline and PsycINFO searches were conducted using the key words "positive reinforcement OR behavior therapy" and "adherence OR patient compliance" and "child." Randomized controlled retrospective cohort or single-subject-design studies were selected. Studies reporting adherence to the medical treatment of chronic disease in children using positive reinforcement techniques were included in the analysis. The systematic search was supplemented by identifying additional studies identified through the reference lists and authors of the initial articles found. Positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts increase adherence to medical treatment regimens. In several studies, this effect was maintained for months after the initial intervention. Better adherence correlated with better clinical outcomes in some, but not all, studies. Few studies examining the use of sticker charts were identified. Although single-subject-design studies are useful in establishing the effect of a behavioral intervention, larger randomized controlled trials would help determine the precise efficacy of sticker chart interventions. Adherence to medical treatments in children can be increased using sticker charts or other positive reinforcement techniques. This may be an effective means to encourage children with atopic dermatitis to apply their medications and improve clinical outcomes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenopathy in children: a guide to chest radiography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, Anthony; Andronikou, Savvas [Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and the University of Bristol, Department of Paediatric Radiology, Bristol (United Kingdom); Pillay, Tanyia; Zar, Heather J. [University of Cape Town and Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children' s Hospital, Cape Town (South Africa); Goussard, Pierre [Tygerberg Hospital and the University of Stellenbosch, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cape Town (South Africa)

2017-09-15

Making the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children can be difficult because microbiological confirmation is not often achieved. Diagnosis is therefore often based on clinical features in combination with chest radiograph findings. Chest radiographs can demonstrate lymphadenopathy of the hilar and para-tracheal regions on the anteroposterior view, and subcarinal lymphadenopathy on the lateral view. However poor interobserver agreement has been reported for radiologist and clinician assessment of lymphadenopathy. This might reflect the lack of standardised imaging criteria for diagnosis as well as radiologists' objectives for achieving sensitivity rather than specificity. In this paper the authors provide a pictorial aid of chest radiographs in children with culture-confirmed tuberculosis to help clinicians identify lymph node enlargement in primary pulmonary tuberculosis. This collection of images comprises chest radiographs accompanied by schematics and either CT or MRI scan confirmation of pathological lymph node enlargement at the positions commonly affected in tuberculosis. (orig.)

Self-Recognition in Live Videos by Young Children: Does Video Training Help?

Science.gov (United States)

Demir, Defne; Skouteris, Helen

2010-01-01

The overall aim of the experiment reported here was to establish whether self-recognition in live video can be facilitated when live video training is provided to children aged 2-2.5 years. While the majority of children failed the test of live self-recognition prior to video training, more than half exhibited live self-recognition post video…

Designing TEL products for poor comprehenders: evidences from the evaluation of TERENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Rosita Cecilia

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Developing the capabilities to read and comprehend texts is fundamental for the development of children and for their full participation in society. The FP7 European project TERENCE faced the problem of poor text comprehenders and created the first adaptive learning system for text comprehension for primary school children. The paper, after a brief introduction to the research problem behind TERENCE and an overview of the system, reports on the findings of four round of evaluations aimed at assessing both the usability and the psycho-pedagogical effectiveness of the system, and report them as hints useful for researchers and designers.

Self-help and help-seeking for communication disability in Ghana: implications for the development of communication disability rehabilitation services.

Science.gov (United States)

Wylie, Karen; McAllister, Lindy; Davidson, Bronwyn; Marshall, Julie; Amponsah, Clement; Bampoe, Josephine Ohenewa

2017-12-29

In low and middle-income countries, such as Ghana, communication disability is poorly recognised and rehabilitation services for people with communication disability are limited. As rehabilitation services for communication disability develop, and the profession of speech-language pathology grows, it is important to consider how services can most appropriately respond to the needs and preferences of the community. Understanding the ways in which people currently self-help and seek help for communication disability is central to developing services that build on existing local practices and are relevant to the community. A qualitative descriptive survey was used to explore likely self-help and help-seeking behaviours for communication disability, in Accra, Ghana. The survey required participants to describe responses to hypothetical scenarios related to communication disability. A mix of theoretical sampling and convenience sampling was used. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data and develop categories and subcategories of reported self-help behaviours and sources of help and advice for communication disability. One hundred and thirty-six participants completed the survey. Results indicated that community members would be likely to engage in a variety self-help strategies in response to communication disability. These included working directly with a person with a communication disability to attempt to remediate a communication impairment, altering physical and communication environments, changing attitudes or care practices, educating themselves about the communication disability, providing resources, and responding in spiritual ways. Participants indicated that they would seek help for communication disability across a range of sectors - including the Western healthcare, religious, and traditional sectors. Understanding existing community actions to self-help and help-seek may allow emerging communication rehabilitation services, including the

Children and Hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Denise

1983-01-01

Since children as young as seven years old can suffer from hypertension, all children should have blood pressure checked during physical examinations. Guidelines for testing children's blood pressure are presented along with suggestions about what schools and parents can do to help deal with the problem. (PP)

Poor Oral Hygiene and Middle Ear Infections: Any Relationship?

OpenAIRE

Esra, Eryaman; Banu, Oter Ilhan; Erdinc, Aydin

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between poor oral hygiene and middle ear infections. 59 children between 3–12 age intervals were included in this study. The ears were examined by microscope. The findings were marked according to Kempthorne clinical scale and tympanograms were performed. For data analysis of dental caries, dft and DMFT indexes were used in accordance with WHO (World Health Organization) criteria for oral health surveys. The oral hygiene status was det...

Como los padres ocupados pueden ayudar a sus hijos a aprender y desarrollarse (How Busy Parents Can Help Their Children Learn and Develop). Early Childhood Digest.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Ellen; Kreider, Holly; Vaughan, Peggy

Although parents are often very busy with work and family responsibilities, there are many things they can do to help their school-age children learn and develop. This Spanish-language early childhood digest for parents provides tips obtained from parents of first and second graders in the School Transition Study on creative ways to stay involved…

Foetal growth restriction is associated with poor reading and spelling skills at eight years to 10 years of age.

Science.gov (United States)

Partanen, Lea; Korkalainen, Noora; Mäkikallio, Kaarin; Olsén, Päivi; Laukkanen-Nevala, Päivi; Yliherva, Anneli

2018-01-01

Foetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with communication problems, which might lead to poor literacy skills. The reading and spelling skills of eight- to 10-year-old FGR children born at 24-40 gestational weeks were compared with those of their gestational age-matched, appropriately grown (AGA) peers. A prospectively collected cohort of 37 FGR and 31 AGA children was recruited prenatally at a Finnish tertiary care centre during 1998-2001. The children's reading and spelling skills were assessed using standardised tests for Finnish-speaking second and third graders. Significantly more children performed below the 10th percentile normal values for reading and spelling skills in the FGR group than in the AGA group. At nine years of age, the FGR children had significantly poorer performance in word reading skills and reading fluency, reading accuracy and reading comprehension than the AGA controls. No between-group differences were detected at eight years of age. FGR is associated with poor performance in reading and spelling skills. A third of the FGR children performed below the 10th percentile normal values at nine years of age. These results indicate a need to continuously evaluate linguistic and literacy skills as FGR children age to ensure optimal support. ©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Shape Your Family's Habits: Helping Kids Make Healthy Choices

Science.gov (United States)

... kids to be active. When it comes to food and physical activity, what you say and do around your children can have a lasting effect. Work ... Choices Help Kids Form Healthy Habits Be a role model. Eat healthy family meals together. Walk or ride ...

Racial and ethnic disparities in children's oral health: the National Survey of Children's Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, Thomas; Culler, Corinna; Garcia, Raul I; Henshaw, Michelle M

2008-11-01

The authors evaluated racial/ethnic differences and their socioeconomic determinants in the oral health status of U.S. children, as reported by parents. The authors used interview data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health, a large representative survey of U.S. children. They calculated weighted, nationally representative prevalence estimates for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics, and they used logistic regression to explore the association between parents' reports of fair or poor oral health and various socioeconomic determinants of oral health. The results showed significant racial/ethnic differences in parental reports of fair or poor oral health, with prevalences of 6.5 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 12.0 percent for non-Hispanic blacks and 23.4 percent for Hispanics. Although adjustments for family socioeconomic status (poverty level and education) partially explained these racial/ethnic disparities, Hispanics still were twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to report their children's oral health as fair or poor, independent of socioeconomic status. The authors did find differences in preventive-care attitudes among groups. However, in multivariate models, such differences did not explain the disparities. Significant racial/ethnic disparities exist in parental reports of their children's oral health, with Hispanics being the most disadvantaged group. Disparities appear to exist independent of preventive-care attitudes and socioeconomic status.

Suppressing Irrelevant Information from Working Memory: Evidence for Domain-Specific Deficits in Poor Comprehenders

Science.gov (United States)

Pimperton, Hannah; Nation, Kate

2010-01-01

Previous research has suggested that children with specific reading comprehension deficits (poor comprehenders) show an impaired ability to suppress irrelevant information from working memory, with this deficit detrimentally impacting on their working memory ability, and consequently limiting their reading comprehension performance. However, the…

BIRTHDAY CAKE ACTIVITY STRUCTURED ARRANGEMENT FOR HELPING CHILDREN DETERMINING QUANTITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neni Mariana

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Few researches have been concerned about relation between children’s spatialthinking and number sense. Narrowing for this small research, we focused onone component of spatial thinking, that is structuring objects, and onecomponent of number senses, that is cardinality by determining quantities. Thisstudy focused on a design research that was conducted in Indonesia in which weinvestigated pre-school children’s (between 2 and 3.5 years old ability inmaking structured arrangement and their ability to determine the quantities bylooking at the arrangements. The result shows us that some of the children wereable to make such arrangement. However, the children found difficulties eitherto determine quantities from those arrangements or to compare some structuresto easily recognize number of objects.Keywords: structures, structured arrangement, cardinality DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.1.1.790.53-70

Empathic Concern and the Desire to Help as Separable Components of Compassionate Responding.

Science.gov (United States)

Ministero, Lauren M; Poulin, Michael J; Buffone, Anneke E K; DeLury, Shane

2018-04-01

When do people experience versus regulate responses to compassion-evoking stimuli? We hypothesized that compassionate responding is composed of two factors-empathic concern and the desire to help-and that these would be differentially affected by perspective taking and self-affirmation. Exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory (Study 2) factor analyses indicated that a compassion measure consisted of two factors corresponding to empathic concern and the desire to help. In Study 1 ( N = 237), participants with high emotion regulation ability reported less empathic concern for multiple children than for one, but perspective taking prevented this effect. In Study 2 ( N = 155), participants reported less desire to help multiple children, but only in the presence of self-affirmation. In both the studies, empathic concern predicted greater distress while the desire to help predicted greater chances of donating. Compassionate responding may consist of two separable facets that collapse under distinct conditions and that predict distinct outcomes.

Social value of a nutritional counselling and support program for breastfeeding in urban poor settings, Nairobi.

Science.gov (United States)

Goudet, Sophie; Griffiths, Paula L; Wainaina, Caroline W; Macharia, Teresia N; Wekesah, Frederick M; Wanjohi, Milka; Muriuki, Peter; Kimani-Murage, Elizabeth

2018-04-02

In Kenya, poor maternal nutrition, suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices and high levels of malnutrition have been shown among the urban poor. An intervention aimed at promoting optimal maternal infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN) practices in urban poor settings in Nairobi, Kenya was implemented. The intervention involved home-based counselling of pregnant and breastfeeding women and mothers of young children by community health volunteers (CHVs) on optimal MIYCN practices. This study assesses the social impact of the intervention using a Social Return on Investment (SROI) approach. Data collection was based on SROI methods and used a mixed methods approach (focus group discussions, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, quantitative stakeholder surveys, and revealed preference approach for outcomes using value games). The SROI analysis revealed that the MIYCN intervention was assessed to be highly effective and created social value, particularly for mothers and their children. Positive changes that participants experienced included mothers being more confident in child care and children and mothers being healthier. Overall, the intervention had a negative social impact on daycare centers and on health care providers, by putting too much pressure on them to provide care without providing extra support. The study calculated that, after accounting for discounting factors, the input ($USD 419,716) generated $USD 8 million of social value at the end of the project. The net present value created by the project was estimated at $USD 29.5 million. $USD 1 invested in the project was estimated to bring USD$ 71 (sensitivity analysis: USD$ 34-136) of social value for the stakeholders. The MIYCN intervention showed an important social impact in which mothers and children benefited the most. The intervention resulted in better perceived health of mothers and children and increased confidence of mothers to provide care for their children, while it

Impact, meaning and need for help and support: The experience of parents caring for children with disabilities, life-limiting/life-threatening illness or technology dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiting, Mark

2013-03-01

Parenting a child with complex needs or disabilities is a challenging proposition. This study, which drew upon of the experiences of the parents of 34 children (in 33 families), set out to explore the themes of impact, need for help and support and meaning/sense-making as they were related by parents. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and an emerging theoretical framework was validated through the use of a series of mind-maps(®) which were presented to individual parents as the basis for a second round (verificational) interview. Parents were nominated into the study by health care professions who were asked to identify the subject children to one of three separate sub-groups: children with a disability; children with a life-limiting/life-threatening illness or children with a technology dependence. Comparisons were made between the three study sub-groups in order to identify areas of consistency and of inconsistency. A fourth study theme - 'battleground' emerged from entirely within the data set. Sense-making occupied a central position within the overall theoretical framework for the study and parental perception of 'battleground' presented as significant element of parental sense-making, particularly in the context of their relationships with professional staff. © The Author(s) 2012.

Migraine Variants in Children

Science.gov (United States)

... Headaches in Children FAQ Migraine Variants In Children Children Get Migraines Too! Learn More Migraine Information Find Help Doctors & Resources Get Connected Join the Conversation Follow Us on Social Media Company About News Resources Privacy Policy Contact Phone: ...

Parental care and overprotection of children with cystic fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cappelli, M; McGrath, P J; MacDonald, N E; Katsanis, J; Lascelles, M

1989-09-01

Parental overprotection has often been clinically associated with the psychological maladjustment of children with a chronic disease. The purpose of this study was to examine parental care and overprotection in children with cystic fibrosis compared to healthy controls. Results indicated no differences in the level of parental care or overprotection between controls and children with cystic fibrosis. However, a number of significant correlations were found between parental care and overprotection and children's psychosocial functioning. In particular, positive correlations were found between parental overprotection and poor psychosocial functioning in children with cystic fibrosis, whereas, poor psychosocial functioning in healthy children was associated with lack of parental care. Parental overprotection and care appear to play important roles in the emotional and psychological functioning of healthy and chronically ill children.

Legacy for ChildrenTM: a pair of randomized controlled trials of a public health model to improve developmental outcomes among children in poverty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perou Ruth

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background One in five Americans under age 18 lives in a family below the Federal poverty threshold. These more than 15 million children are at increased risk of a wide variety of adverse long-term health and developmental outcomes. The early years of life are critical to short- and long-term health and well-being. The Legacy for ChildrenTM model was developed in response to this need and marries the perspectives of epidemiology and public health to developmental psychology theory in order to better address the needs of children at environmental risk for poor developmental outcomes. Methods/design The Legacy for ChildrenTM group-based parenting intervention model was evaluated as a pair of randomized controlled trials among low-income families in Miami and Los Angeles. The study was designed to allow for site-stratified analysis in order to evaluate each model implementation separately. Evaluation domains include comprehensive assessments of family, maternal, and child characteristics, process outcomes, and prospective programmatic cost. Data collection began prenatally or at birth and continues into school-age. Discussion The societal costs of poor developmental outcomes are substantial. A concerted effort from multiple sectors and disciplines, including public health, is necessary to address these societal concerns. Legacy uses a public health model to engage parents and promote overall child well-being in families in poverty through rigorous evaluation methodologies and evidence-based intervention strategies. This study collects rich and modular information on maternal and child outcomes, process, and cost that will enable a detailed understanding of how Legacy works, how it can be refined and improved, and how it can be translated and disseminated. Taken together, these results will inform public policy and help to address issues of health disparities among at-risk populations. Trial registration NCT00164697

Mental disorders in Australian 4- to 17- year olds: Parent-reported need for help.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Sarah E; Lawrence, David; Sawyer, Michael; Zubrick, Stephen R

2018-02-01

To describe the extent to which parents report that 4- to 17-year-olds with symptoms meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria for mental disorders need help, the types of help needed, the extent to which this need is being met and factors associated with a need for help. During 2013-2014, a national household survey of the mental health of Australia's young people (Young Minds Matter) was conducted, involving 6310 parents (and carers) of 4- to 17-year-olds. The survey identified 12-month mental disorders using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children - Version IV ( n = 870) and asked parents about the need for four types of help - information, medication, counselling and life skills. Parents of 79% of 4- to 17-year-olds with mental disorders reported that their child needed help, and of these, only 35% had their needs fully met. The greatest need for help was for those with major depressive disorder (95%) and conduct disorder (93%). Among these, 39% of those with major depressive disorder but only 19% of those with conduct disorder had their needs fully met. Counselling was the type of help most commonly identified as being needed (68%). In multivariate models, need for counselling was higher when children had autism or an intellectual disability, in blended families, when parents were distressed, and in the most advantaged socioeconomic areas. Many children and adolescents meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria for mental disorders have a completely unmet need for help, especially those with conduct disorders. Even with mild disorders, lack of clinical assessment represents an important missed opportunity for early intervention and treatment.

Supporting Children's Initiative: Appreciating Family Contributions or Paying Children for Chores.

Science.gov (United States)

Coppens, Andrew D; Alcalá, Lucía

2015-01-01

Collaborative initiative is an important aspect of Learning by Observing and Pitching In (LOPI), and many interrelated family and community practices in LOPI may support children's initiative. In this chapter, we examine two cultural ways of supporting children's helpfulness and responsibility that draw on different cultural paradigms for organizing children's participation in everyday work in U.S. Mexican-heritage and European American communities. European American university students reported having received allowances as a contractual enticement to do assigned chores. In contrast, although U.S. Mexican-heritage university students reported having received pocket money from their families, this was as a gift, noncontingent on completed chores or good behavior. They reported that this noncontingent support for children's responsibility focuses children on collaborating with the family, and contributing to shared work with initiative, consistent with LOPI, in which children are integrated in family and community endeavors and are eager to contribute. The chapter challenges traditional dichotomies in motivational theory that attempt to specify the "source" of children's motivation to learn and help within either individuals or social contexts. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Drug use among street children and adolescents: what helps?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yone Gonçalves de Moura

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated to frequent and heavy drug use among street children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. A sample of 2,807 street children and adolescents from the 27 Brazilian state capital cities was analyzed. A World Health Organization questionnaire for non-students was adapted for use in Brazil. Data analysis was performed using logistic regression and decision tree models. Factors inversely associated with frequent and heavy drug use were: being age nine to 11 years (OR = 0.1; school attendance (OR = 0.3; daily time (one to five hours spent on the streets (OR = 0.3 and 0.4; not sleeping on the streets (OR = 0.4; being on the streets for less than one year (OR = 0.4; maintenance of some family bonds (OR = 0.5; presence on the streets of a family member (OR = 0.6; not suffering domestic violence (OR = 0.6; being female (OR = 0.8. All of these variables were significant at the p < 0.05 level. The findings suggest that being younger, having family bonds and engagement in school are important protective factors that affect drug use among this population and should be considered in the formulation of public policies.

Drawing helps children to talk about their presenting problems during a mental health assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Woolford, Junie; Patterson, Tess; Macleod, Emily; Hobbs, Linda; Hayne, Harlene

2015-01-01

When children require mental health services, clinicians need to conduct assessments that are developmentally sensitive and that include the child's point of view. Drawing is a popular tool that is commonly used in clinical settings. Research on drawing in experimental settings has confirmed that the opportunity to draw while talking increases the amount of verbal information that children report during an interview. The present research examined whether drawing also facilitates children's self reports during a mental health assessment. A total of 33 5-12-year-old children were asked either to draw and tell about their presenting problem or to tell only. Children who drew and told provided twice as much verbal information as children who told only. Further, interviewers in the draw and tell condition used a greater number of minimal responses than did interviewers in the tell only condition. These data have important implications for clinical practice. © The Author(s) 2013.

?Maybe I will give some help?. maybe not to help the eyes but different help?: an analysis of care and support of children with visual impairment in community settings in Malawi

OpenAIRE

Gladstone, M.; McLinden, M.; Douglas, G.; Jolley, E.; Schmidt, E.; Chimoyo, J.; Magombo, H.; Lynch, P.

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Visual impairment in children is common in low and middle?income settings. Whilst visual impairment (VI) can impact on the development of children, many reach full potential with appropriate early intervention programmes. Although there is increased emphasis on early child development globally, it is not yet clear how to provide specific programmes for children with VI in low and middle?income settings. This study aims to identify facilitators and barriers to the provision...

The Power of Caring to Help Kids Adjust and Achieve Is Now Documented

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Susan

2006-01-01

Teacher warmth and support, say University of Virginia researchers Bridget Hamre and Robert Pianta, have unparalleled power to help children adjust and achieve. Their 2005 study of 910 first-grade students included 5- and 6-year-olds whose mothers had low-level education and children identified with "significant behavior, social, and/or…

Fine motor deficiencies in children diagnosed as DCD based on poor grapho-motor ability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits-Engelsman, BCM; Niemeijer, AS; van Galen, GP

A sample of 125 children from grades 4 and 5 of two normal Dutch primary schools were investigated regarding the incidence of handwriting problems and other fine motor disabilities. Handwriting quality was assessed with the concise assessment method for children's handwriting (BHK) and the school

Poor endoscopic findings in children with non variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: is biopsy necessary?

OpenAIRE

Giannakopoulos, A; Logothetis, A; Panayiotou, J; Van-Vliet, K; Orfanou, I; Roma-Giannikou, E

2010-01-01

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding in infants and children is a potentially serious condition in the practice of general pediatrics that requires investigation. The objective of this study is to describe the endoscopic and histopathological findings in children with upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding of non variceal origin.

A REVIEW OF SELF HELP GROUPS: ISSUE AND CHALLENGES IN INDIA

OpenAIRE

Anoop Dixit *, Dr. S. K. Sharma

2017-01-01

Basic purpose of this study is to review the challenges and issues faced by SHGs in India. It was found that SHG’s facilitated the members to become self dependent for solving their social & economic problems and enhances the social status of members by virtue of their being members to the group. Self help groups are small informal association of the poor created at the grass root level for the purpose of enabling members to reap economic benefits out of mutual help solidarity and joint respo...

The role of self-help in the treatment of mild anxiety disorders in young people: an evidence-based review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bradford S

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Debra Rickwood1,2, Sally Bradford31Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia; 2headspace: National Youth Mental Health Foundation, North Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 3Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, AustraliaAbstract: Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems experienced by young people, and even mild anxiety can significantly limit social, emotional, and cognitive development into adulthood. It is, therefore, essential that anxiety is treated as early and effectively as possible. Young people are unlikely, however, to seek professional treatment for their problems, increasing their chance of serious long-term problems such as impaired peer relations and low self-esteem. The barriers young people face to accessing services are well documented, and self-help resources may provide an alternative option to respond to early manifestations of anxiety disorders. This article reviews the potential benefits of self-help treatments for anxiety and the evidence for their effectiveness. Despite using inclusive review criteria, only six relevant studies were found. The results of these studies show that there is some evidence for the use of self-help interventions for anxiety in young people, but like the research with adult populations, the overall quality of the studies is poor and there is need for further and more rigorous research.Keywords: adolescent, young adult, children, mental disorder, self-administered, bibliotherapy, therapist-guided

The memory systems of children with (central) auditory disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Pires, Mayra Monteiro; Mota, Mailce Borges; Pinheiro, Maria Madalena Canina

2015-01-01

This study aims to investigate working, declarative, and procedural memory in children with (central) auditory processing disorder who showed poor phonological awareness. Thirty 9- and 10-year-old children participated in the study and were distributed into two groups: a control group consisting of 15 children with typical development, and an experimental group consisting of 15 children with (central) auditory processing disorder who were classified according to three behavioral tests and who showed poor phonological awareness in the CONFIAS test battery. The memory systems were assessed through the adapted tests in the program E-PRIME 2.0. The working memory was assessed by the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C), whereas the declarative memory was assessed by a picture-naming test and the procedural memory was assessed by means of a morphosyntactic processing test. The results showed that, when compared to the control group, children with poor phonological awareness scored lower in the working, declarative, and procedural memory tasks. The results of this study suggest that in children with (central) auditory processing disorder, phonological awareness is associated with the analyzed memory systems.

Indoor air quality for poor families: new evidence from Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Dasgupta, Susmita; Huq, Mainul; Khaliquzzaman, M.; Pandey, Kiran; Wheeler, David

2004-01-01

Indoor air pollution (IAP) from cooking and heating is estimated to kill a million children annually in developing countries. To promote a better understanding of IAP, the authors investigate the determinants of IAP in Bangladesh using the latest air monitoring technology and a national household survey. The study concludes that IAP is dangerously high for many poor families in Bangladesh. Concentrations of respirable airborne particulates(PM10) 300 ug/m3 or greater are common in the sample, ...

Easing the Pain of Divorce through Children's Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Pamela A.; Smith, Gail G.

1998-01-01

Describes children's typical reactions to divorce and practical techniques that teachers and caregivers can use in helping children deal with divorce. The use of bibliotherapy is described as a means to help children. An annotated bibliography of select literature is provided, along with descriptions of developmentally appropriate activities that…

Risk Factors for Death in Bangladeshi Children Under 5 Years of Age Hospitalized for Diarrhea and Severe Respiratory Distress in an Urban Critical Care Ward.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Tahmina; Ahmed, Tahmeed; Sarmin, Monira; Shahrin, Lubaba; Afroze, Farzana; Sharifuzzaman; Akhter, Shamima; Shahunja, K M; Shahid, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin; Bardhan, Pradip Kumar; Chisti, Mohammod Jobayer

2017-01-01

Children with diarrhea hospitalized for respiratory distress often have fatal outcome in resource-limited settings, although data are lacking on risk factors for death in such children. We sought to evaluate clinical predictors for death in such children. In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled under-5 children with diarrhea admitted with severe respiratory distress to the intensive care unit of Dhaka Hospital of International Centre for Diarhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, from September 2014 through September 2015. We compared clinical and laboratory characteristics between study children those who died (n = 29) and those who survived (n = 62). In logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, the independent predictors for death in children hospitalized for diarrhea and severe respiratory distress were severe sepsis and hypoglycemia ( P < .05 for all). Thus, recognition of these simple parameters may help clinicians identify children with diarrhea at risk of deaths in order to initiate prompt management for the better outcome, especially in resource-poor settings.

Risk Factors for Death in Bangladeshi Children Under 5 Years of Age Hospitalized for Diarrhea and Severe Respiratory Distress in an Urban Critical Care Ward

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tahmina Alam MBBS

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Children with diarrhea hospitalized for respiratory distress often have fatal outcome in resource-limited settings, although data are lacking on risk factors for death in such children. We sought to evaluate clinical predictors for death in such children. In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled under-5 children with diarrhea admitted with severe respiratory distress to the intensive care unit of Dhaka Hospital of International Centre for Diarhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, from September 2014 through September 2015. We compared clinical and laboratory characteristics between study children those who died (n = 29 and those who survived (n = 62. In logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, the independent predictors for death in children hospitalized for diarrhea and severe respiratory distress were severe sepsis and hypoglycemia (P < .05 for all. Thus, recognition of these simple parameters may help clinicians identify children with diarrhea at risk of deaths in order to initiate prompt management for the better outcome, especially in resource-poor settings.

Children's perceptions of others' kindness in helping: the endocentric motivations of pride and guilt.

Science.gov (United States)

Shorr, D N

1993-09-01

Elementary school and college students rated the kindness of helping by story protagonists with different attributed motivations. Of particular interest was the effect of the endocentric (self-serving) motivations of anticipated pride and guilt on the kindness ratings. A number of prosocial theorists view such endocentrically motivated helping as less altruistic than exocentrically (other-serving) motivated helping. Compared with helping attributed to the exocentric motivation of sympathy, helping attributed to guilt avoidance led to lower ratings of kindness by all but second graders. Pride-attributed helping, however, did not result in lower kindness ratings at any grade level. The motivational attributions of praise and reward attainment and criticism and punishment avoidance led to relatively low kindness ratings, with the two avoidance motivations leading to the lowest ratings. The latter finding suggests an alternative explanation of the kindness ratings for guilt-motivated helping.

The association of fast food consumption with poor dietary outcomes and obesity among children: is it the fast food or the remainder of the diet?

Science.gov (United States)

Poti, Jennifer M; Duffey, Kiyah J; Popkin, Barry M

2014-01-01

Although fast food consumption has been linked to adverse health outcomes, the relative contribution of fast food itself compared with the rest of the diet to these associations remains unclear. Our objective was to compare the independent associations with overweight/obesity or dietary outcomes for fast food consumption compared with dietary pattern for the remainder of intake. This cross-sectional analysis studied 4466 US children aged 2-18 y from NHANES 2007-2010. Cluster analysis identified 2 dietary patterns for the non-fast food remainder of intake: Western (50.3%) and Prudent. Multivariable-adjusted linear and logistic regression models examined the association between fast food consumption and dietary pattern for the remainder of intake and estimated their independent associations with overweight/obesity and dietary outcomes. Half of US children consumed fast food: 39.5% low-consumers (≤30% of energy from fast food) and 10.5% high-consumers (>30% of energy). Consuming a Western dietary pattern for the remainder of intake was more likely among fast food low-consumers (OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.85) and high-consumers (OR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.60, 3.05) than among nonconsumers. The remainder of diet was independently associated with overweight/obesity (β: 5.9; 95% CI: 1.3, 10.5), whereas fast food consumption was not, and the remainder of diet had stronger associations with poor total intake than did fast food consumption. Outside the fast food restaurant, fast food consumers ate Western diets, which might have stronger associations with overweight/obesity and poor dietary outcomes than fast food consumption itself. Our findings support the need for prospective studies and randomized trials to confirm these hypotheses.

[Effects of egg and milk supplementation on growth and development among children in poor rural area].

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shuang; Hu, Xiaoqi; Zhang, Fan; Ruan, Qing; Tang, Wen; Tao, Longxiang; Pan, Hui; Zhang, Qian

2015-08-01

To evaluate the effects of egg and milk supplementation on growth and development and body composition among children in poor rural area in Tianyang County of Guangxi province. Total four schools were randomly selected from four towns in Tianyang County of Guangxi province as intervention group in April, 2013. The intervention measures included that these students were given salty egg (net weight: 50 g) and ultra-high-temperature-sterilization school milk (net weight: 200 g) every school day and these schools were equipped with standard kitchens. Another four schools of familiar socio-economic level, teaching quality and size from the same town were randomly chosen as control group and none of the intervention measures were implemented. About 25 students were randomly selected and stratified by grades from grade one to grade five. The height, weight, and body composition of all students were measured in April, 2013 and one year after the intervention. A total of 978 students were measured at baseline from age 6 to 13, 552 students as intervention group and 426 as control group. t-test was used to compare the differences between groups and multivariate unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the factors of malnutrition. After one year intervention, 892 students were measured randomly, with 515 students in intervention group and 377 in control one. The average weight of boys in intervention group increased (3.6 ± 1.7) kg compared with baseline. It was significantly higher than that of control group ((2.9 ± 1.5) kg) (t = 4.40, P < 0.001). The boy's lean body mass of intervention group increased (2.6 ± 1.4) kg, higher than the control group ((2.0 ± 1.2) kg) (t = 3.95, P < 0.001). The decrease of malnutrition rate of intervention schools (11.8%) was significantly higher than that of the control schools (4.7%, χ² = 16.90, P < 0.001), and the odds ratio was 0.37 (95% CI: 0.23-0.59). The risk difference of overweight and obesity was not statistically

Do Children Understand Fraction Addition?

Science.gov (United States)

Braithwaite, David W.; Tian, Jing; Siegler, Robert S.

2017-01-01

Many children fail to master fraction arithmetic even after years of instruction. A recent theory of fraction arithmetic (Braithwaite, Pyke, & Siegler, in press) hypothesized that this poor learning of fraction arithmetic procedures reflects poor conceptual understanding of them. To test this hypothesis, we performed three experiments…

Phonological Working Memory in German Children with Poor Reading and Spelling Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Steinbrink, Claudia; Klatte, Maria

2008-01-01

Deficits in verbal short-term memory have been identified as one factor underlying reading and spelling disorders. However, the nature of this deficit is still unclear. It has been proposed that poor readers make less use of phonological coding, especially if the task can be solved through visual strategies. In the framework of Baddeley's…

Investing in children's health: what are the economic benefits?

Science.gov (United States)

Belli, Paolo C.; Bustreo, Flavia; Preker, Alexander

2005-01-01

This paper argues that investing in children's health is a sound economic decision for governments to take, even if the moral justifications for such programmes are not considered. The paper also outlines dimensions that are often neglected when public investment decisions are taken. The conclusion that can be drawn from the literature studying the relationship between children's health and the economy is that children's health is a potentially valuable economic investment. The literature shows that making greater investments in children's health results in better educated and more productive adults, sets in motion favourable demographic changes, and shows that safeguarding health during childhood is more important than at any other age because poor health during children's early years is likely to permanently impair them over the course of their life. In addition, the literature confirms that more attention should be paid to poor health as a mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Children born into poor families have poorer health as children, receive lower investments in human capital, and have poorer health as adults. As a result, they will earn lower wages as adults, which will affect the next generation of children who will thus be born into poorer families. PMID:16283055