Pediatrics International最新文献

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a prevalent chronic condition in children, adversely affecting their physical and emotional well-being. Parental health literacy (HL) is essential for managing children's health needs, yet its role in pediatric MSK pain remains largely unexplored. This study aims to assess HL levels of parents of children with MSK pain.

Methods: This longitudinal study included pediatric patients with MSK pain and their parents. Parental HL was evaluated using the Turkish Health Literacy-32, allowing for a thorough assessment of HL levels. Parental HL and healthcare utilization, disease characteristics, and parent demographics were carefully examined.

Results: Among 148 patients referred for MSK pain, 141 met the inclusion criteria, with 70.9% of parents being mothers. Reported symptoms included joint pain (42.6%) and limited movement (22.7%), with a median complaint duration of 5 months. Rheumatic disease was diagnosed in 45.4% of patients, primarily juvenile idiopathic arthritis (41.1%). Overall, parental HL was sufficient, with 31.9% scoring adequate and 24.8% excellent. No significant differences in HL were found between parents of children with or without rheumatic diseases. A negligible negative correlation existed between HL and the number of hospital admissions (ρ = -0.18, p = 0.03).

Conclusion: The study found no significant difference in HL levels between parents of children with and without rheumatological diseases, and health behavior variables showed no association with HL scores. These findings underscore the need for further research to enhance parental HL among families of children with MSK pain and explore its potential impact on health behaviors.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 led to a significant reduction of many respiratory tract infections, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

Methods: With the cooperation of all 16 pediatric inpatient facilities in Fukushima Prefecture, we actively investigated the total numbers of RSV hospitalizations and severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) requiring respiratory support during a 10-year period from 2014 to 2023. In addition, the number of sentinel RSV reports was obtained. We compared the disease burden of RSV infection between the period of 2014 and 2019 (defined as pre-pandemic) and that of 2021 to 2023 (defined as post-pandemic).

Results: The annual number of sentinel RSV reports per 10,000 children aged <5 years after the pandemic increased to 611 from 445 compared to the pre-pandemic period. In contrast, the number of RSV-related hospitalizations decreased from 175 to 104, and the number of severe RSV-related LRTI cases decreased from 59 to 43. Analysis of sentinel reports and hospitalization numbers by age group showed a higher hospitalization rate in children aged <1 year compared to those aged ≥1 year. The age distribution of sentinel RSV reports was higher post-pandemic than pre-pandemic.

Conclusion: Although the number of sentinel RSV reports increased after the pandemic, the number of RSV cases requiring hospitalization decreased compared to before the pandemic due mainly to an increase in the age of the infected children. This indicates the importance of preventing initial infection in children aged <1 year.

Background: A gluten-free diet is currently the only treatment for Celiac Disease (CD). Many factors can affect gluten-free diet compliance. This study aims to evaluate the empathy levels of children with CD and their healthy siblings, the impact of sociodemographic data on dietary compliance, and the emotional and behavioral effects of CD on patients and their siblings.

Method: The patients who were diagnosed with CD at least 6 months ago and their healthy siblings were included. Healthy children from different families were included as the control group. Sociodemographic data of the CD cases and questionnaire data, including questions about gluten-free diet and compliance, were obtained. A questionnaire including questions about gluten-free diets and CD was administered to their siblings. Bryant Empathy Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were administered to all cases.

Results: A total of 153 children were included in the study, with 51 (33.3%) being cases of CD. The comparison of empathy and SDQ levels of the three groups is that CD cases had the lowest empathy. Emotional, behavioral, and social problems were found to be high in the CD cases. The level of maternal education was found to be low in diet-noncompliant CD patients. No significant difference was found in the empathy and SDQ levels of diet-compliant and noncompliant CD patients and their siblings.

Conclusion: It is seen that empathy levels of patients with celiac disease and their siblings are significantly affected, and emotional, behavioral, and social problems are higher. A low educational level of the mother may be effective in dietary noncompliance.