Child Care Health and Development最新文献

Background: Food insecurity can affect children's diet quality and academic achievement. This study was conducted to determine children's experiences of food insecurity and to examine its impact on diet quality and academic achievement in a public secondary school.

Method: The study was conducted from October 2023 to February 2024 with 168 volunteer children. Descriptive information, food consumption frequency and retrospective 24-h food consumption records of the children were obtained by the investigator. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waist and mid-upper-arm circumference) were also recorded. The children were asked to complete the Child Food Insecurity Experiences Scale. Their end-of-semester grades were obtained from the school principal. Diet quality was determined according to the Healthy Eating Index (HIE-20). IBM SPSS Statistics 22 was used for data analysis and the significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results: At the end of the study, 76% of the children were found to experience food insecurity. No child had good diet quality according to the HEI-20 score. Saturated fat consumption was higher among children experiencing food insecurity than among those with no experiences of food insecurity (p = 0.042). Among the girls, intake of added sugars was significantly higher in those experiencing food insecurity. The mean mathematics and science scores and end-of-semester grades of children experiencing food insecurity were significantly lower than those of children with no experiences of food insecurity (p = 0.005, p = 0.0013, p = 0.007, respectively). An increase of 1 point in the food insecurity score caused a decrease of 1.877 points in mathematics, 1.094 points in science, 1.373 points in social sciences and 0.918 points in the final grade (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Increasing children's access to healthy diets is critical to support their academic success. Therefore, school feeding programmes need to be improved and policies and interventions to reduce food insecurity need to be implemented.

Introduction: Although the increased risks of child labour and parental discipline on children's psychosocial functioning are well-documented in various settings, there is a paucity of data addressing these associations in Laos. This research aims to investigate the prevalence of child labour and parental discipline and their potential associations with psychosocial difficulties among children and adolescents aged 5-14 years.

Methods: This study employed data from the 2023 Laos Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), a nationally representative cross-sectional dataset. Multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between child labour, child discipline and different categories of psychosocial functioning difficulties. Adjusted odds ratios were estimated controlling for potential confounders, including children's age, mother's education, sex, residential area, wealth index and ethnicity.

Results: A considerable proportion of children and adolescents experienced disciplinary practices, with 73.8% exposed to nonviolent forms and 65.6% to violent disciplinary methods. Overall, 15.8% of children were identified as having at least one psychosocial functioning difficulty. Engagement in child labour was significantly associated with five out of 10 psychosocial difficulties (aORs: 1.28-3.75; 95% CIs: 1.05-5.26; p-values < 0.02). Non-violent discipline was significantly associated with seven out of 10 psychosocial functioning difficulties (aORs: 1.72-2.68; 95% CIs: 1.03-4.30; p-values < 0.02). Additionally, exposure to psychological aggression was significantly associated with impairments in seven out of 10 psychosocial domains (aORs: 1.49-2.16; 95% CIs: 1.11-3.06; p-values < 0.02). Moderate physical aggression was significantly associated with four out of 10 psychosocial difficulties (aORs: 1.49-1.83; 95% CIs: 1.12-2.81; p-values < 0.01), while severe physical punishment was significantly associated with severity in four out of 10 domains (aORs: 1.48-1.59; 95% CIs: 1.02-2.29; p-values < 0.02).

Conclusions: The findings highlight strong associations between exposure to psychological and physical disciplinary practices, as well as child labour, and a wide range of psychosocial functioning difficulties among children and adolescents. These results underscore the urgent need for interventions aimed at reducing harmful disciplinary practices and child labour to support children's well-being.

Background: Hospital-to-home (H2H) transitions of children with medical complexity (CMC) are a multifaceted process with many challenges and obstacles, especially for parents. The 'Jeroen Pit Huis' (JPH) is a stand-alone, innovative transitional care unit (TCU) that aims to improve the transition home. This study explored parents' experiences with the H2H transition via the JPH TCU setting, including the facilitators and barriers that shaped this process.

Methods: A qualitative study using semistructured interviews was conducted between January and November 2023. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was reached.

Results: Twenty-one parents (13 mothers and 8 fathers) of 14 CMC participated in 14 interviews. Inductive thematic analysis identified the following five interrelated processes shaping parental experiences: regaining control and confidence, emotional recovery and resilience, relational dynamics and family adaptation, navigating care systems, as well as child well-being and development. Across these processes, parents reported key facilitators-grouped into the following four domains: TCU supportive environment, professional guidance and continuity, family and peer empowerment, as well as coordinated care systems. At the same time, barriers were described across four domains: privacy and boundaries, emotional and psychological strain, family equity challenges, as well as systemic and practical barriers.

Conclusion: Parents experienced H2H transition via the TCU valuable for the well-being and development of both their child and family. By capturing both facilitators and barriers, this study underscores the opportunities and challenges of a stand-alone TCU and provides insights to inform the development of transitional care for CMC.

Background: In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) established guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. Since then, the SUNRISE Study has been producing evidence on the proportion of children meeting the guidelines and their association with healthy development.

Objectives: This SUNRISE Portugal pilot study aimed to (a) report the prevalence of 3- to 4-year-old Portuguese children meeting the WHO guidelines and (b) assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the SUNRISE protocol in the Portuguese context.

Methods: A total of 115 preschool children were recruited from three urban and three rural public early childcare and education centres in Portugal. Parents answered questions on the children's screen time and sleep patterns. Movement behaviours were objectively measured using accelerometers wGT3X. Anthropometrics, gross and fine motor skills, physical fitness and executive functions were assessed using the SUNRISE protocol. Children were categorized as compliant or not with the guidelines, and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the protocol's feasibility.

Results: From those recruited, 77 children provided valid accelerometer data. Compliance was slightly higher when considering parent-reported sleep data instead of device-based measurements of sleep (33.8% and 31.2%, respectively). When considering the restrained time recommendation, no child was classified as non-compliant. The highest compliance rate was observed for parent-reported sleep time (89.7%), whereas the lowest was for physical activity (53.3%). A total of 66.3% of the children complied with screen time recommendations. Response rates to the protocol were consistently high, exceeding 70% across all measures.

Conclusion: Compliance with the WHO guidelines among Portuguese children varies depending on the protocol used to assess sleep duration and the inclusion or not of the restrained time recommendation. The SUNRISE protocol proved to be feasible for implementation in the Portuguese context, and valuable lessons were learned regarding response rates for both accelerometer data and the parent questionnaire.

Background: Developmental delays in gross motor, fine motor, language or social skills can affect children's growth and well-being. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overall and domain-specific delays and identify associated risk factors among Malaysian children aged 6-59 months using recent national data.

Methods: This population-based, cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022, focusing on children aged 6-59 months. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with caregivers, and physical assessments were conducted by trained nurses. Overall developmental delay was defined as failing an age-specific assessment in at least one of four domains: gross motor, fine motor, language, or social skills. Multivariable logistic regression, accounting for the complex survey design, was performed using SPSS version 23 to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with developmental delays across all domains.

Results: Prevalence of overall developmental delay was 7.4%. Children aged 24-35 months (AOR: 2.40), boys (AOR: 1.44) and those with low birth weight (AOR = 1.76) were significantly at risk of overall developmental delay. By domain, social delay (4.1%) was the most prevalent delay, followed by language delay (2.7%), fine motor delay (1.9%) and gross motor delay (1.0%). Children aged 36-59 months were at higher risk of fine motor and language delays. Low birth weight was a strong predictor across all domains, with the greatest effect on gross motor delay (AOR: 3.75). Boys had higher odds of fine motor (AOR: 1.49), language (AOR: 1.77) and social delays (AOR: 1.55), while being overweight was specifically associated with gross motor delay (AOR: 2.79).

Conclusion: Developmental delays are prevalent among Malaysian children, with low birth weight as a consistent risk factor across domains. Domain-specific assessment reveals distinct patterns and unique risk profiles that are masked by overall prevalence, underscoring the need for targeted early interventions.