A Child-Friendly Environment from Chinese Children’s Perspective: Taking Shanghai Children’s Participation in the HG Park Renewal Project as an Example

The prevalence of dental caries has been decreasing among kindergarten children in Shanghai, China, over recent years, although it still remains at an unacceptably high level. The purpose of this study was to identify which factors were important in providing oral health guidance and achieving further improvement in the oral health status of kindergarten children in urban China. A survey was conducted on dental caries in 128 Japanese and 368 Chinese kindergarten children and a questionnaire given to their parents/guardians on each child's lifestyle and dietary habits from birth to the present. Correlations between responses to each questionnaire item and the status of dental caries were statistically analyzed. The dft index score (p=0.0016), prevalence of dental caries (p=0.0002), and percentages of children with decayed (untreated caries-affected) teeth (p<0.0001) were significantly higher in the Chinese than in the Japanese children. Many differences were observed in lifestyle factors between the two groups. The percentage of parents failing to control the child's snacking habits between meals was higher in China, and weaning was significantly delayed in China compared with in Japan. These lifestyle factors were considered to be associated closely with the high risk of dental caries in Chinese kindergarten children. These findings indicate that oral health guidance for kindergarten children in Shanghai, China, should focus on control of dietary habits, including control of inter-meal snacking, and breastfeeding practices. The results of this study may help improve the status of dental caries among Chinese children.

This study evaluated the effects of Group Triple P with Chinese parents on parenting and child outcomes as well as outcomes relating to child academic learning in Mainland China. Participants were 81 Chinese parents and their children in Shanghai, who were randomly allocated to an intervention group or wait-list control group. Parents in the intervention condition received Group Triple P training, and parents and children were assessed at three/two time points. Compared with the control group, parents in the intervention group reported significant improvements in child adjustment problems, parenting practices, parental adjustment, and parenting self-efficacy at post-assessment. Moreover, there was a significant increase in parents' satisfaction with children's academic achievement and a reduction in children's academic problem behaviors at post-intervention. All these effects were maintained at 6-month follow-up. There was also a significant increase in the child report of positive parenting at post-intervention.

ObjectiveEngaging in physical activity (PA) plays an important role in promoting physical and mental health, but the PA data for Chinese preschool children are lacking. This study aims to objectively...

Immigrant Chinese Mothers of Adolescents* Jean Cheng Gorman** Chinese parenting has historically been seen as more than mainstream American culture. Recent research suggests that authoritarian parenting may be a Western concept that does not accurately depict Chinese socialization. This exploratory study sought qualitative information on the parenting style of Chinese immigrants. Results revealed central themes of watchful and subtle influence to conform with parental expectations. These expectations arose from parents' desires for their children to succeed and be good people. Thus, aspects of Chinese parenting that have traditionally been ascribed to an style may stem from an entirely different set of parenting attitudes and beliefs that are culturally-based. Key Words: authoritarian, Chinese, immigrant, parenting style. The United States is currently experiencing tremendous growth in the proportion of ethnic minorities. A sizable percentage of this growth can be attributed to increasing numbers of immigrants (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992). In New York alone, the percentage of immigrants in the young adult population has increased from 11.4% in 1970 to 32% in 1990 (Krauss, 1995). Census data indicates that the fastest growing minority group is Asian Americans, largely due to changes in immigration laws (Sue et al., 1992). These changing demographics have repercussions on the larger society, as cultural beliefs have been found to impact behavior by affecting life outlook and goals (Strauss, 1992). One area in which the influence of culture is apparent is in parenting. Research suggests that significant qualitative differences in parenting styles exist (Chao, 1994; Chiu, 1987). Thus, an important area of inquiry regarding Asian immigrants is family dynamics, particularly the parenting of immigrant youth. Research has indicated that Chinese parenting differs qualitatively from mainstream American parenting in a number of ways. For example, Hsu (1971) discussed the Chinese concept of jen, where an individual's interpersonal interactions are emphasized above internal qualities in understanding one's personality. Chao (1995) found a similar interpersonal orientation in parenting. In her research, Chinese mothers emphasized their children's relationships with others rather than their children's psychological attributes. This overall orientation is qualitatively different from views held by mainstream American culture, where individuality is stressed and individuals are viewed in terms of personality traits. Another unique element of Chinese parenting is the focus on parental respect and obedience (Chao, 1995; Ho, 1976; Ho, 1989). Some authors have found differential treatment of boys and girls, with stricter discipline and expectations being applied to sons (Ho, 1989). Chinese parents have also been cited as emphasizing education as the avenue to social mobility (Chao, 1995, p. 341; Chen & Uttal, 1988). However, some researchers have found differences in parenting within subgroups of the Chinese, suggesting that general findings should not necessarily be applied to all Chinese and Chinese-American parents (Berndt, Cheung, Lau, Hau, & Lew, 1993). In addition to studies investigating the unique aspects of Chinese parenting, comparative studies of American and Chinese parents have also been conducted. Baumrind's (1968) conceptualization of authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles has often been used to study parenting of different ethnic groups in the U. S.: . . . an authoritarian parent attempts to shape, control, and evaluate the behavior and attitudes of the child in accordance with a set standard of conduct . . . she values obedience as a virtue and favors punitive, forceful measures to curb self-will at points where the child's actions or beliefs conflict with what she thinks is right conduct. (p. 261) In contrast, an authoritative parent directs the child's activities . …

This qualitative study investigates attitudes toward heritage language (HL) maintenance among Chinese immigrant parents and their second-generation children. Specific attention is given to exploring (1) what attitudes are held by the Chinese parents and children toward Chinese language maintenance in the USA, (2) what efforts are engaged in by the Chinese parents in promoting children's HL maintenance, and how do the second-generation children respond to these efforts? Data for this paper are drawn from participant observations in two Chinese local communities in Philadelphia and ethnographic interviews with 18 Chinese immigrant families in the communities. Analysis of the data indicates that while the Chinese parents value their HL as a resource and take positive actions to maintain the HL in the next generation, the children fail to see the relevance of HL learning in their life and often resist parents' efforts in HL maintenance. The results of the study suggest that American mainstream schools should work together with immigrant parents and HL schools to incorporate children's HL in the official school curriculum and create a supportive environment for HL learning.

Many contemporary Chinese artists have proposed and created projects in Shanghai that imagine – in both celebratory and critical ways – the city’s historically rooted “East-meets-West” mythology. This chapter analyzes key case studies by three of China’s most internationally known artists: Gu Wenda’s art proposal Heavenly Lantern Project for Shanghai (2003–ongoing), which utilizes cross-cultural content, aesthetic motifs, and conceptual tropes to celebrate East-meets-West Shanghai; Liu Jianhua’s photographic series The Virtual Scene (2005) and exhibition Export – Cargo Transit (2007), which question Shanghai’s urbanization and highlight the negative impacts of globalization and uneven East–West relations; and Yang Fudong’s photographic triptych The First Intellectual (2000) and film installation Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest (2003–2007), which critique Shanghai’s romanticized mythology and expose current conflicts facing the city’s artists and intellectuals. My analyses aim to disrupt common assumptions underlying recent discussions of urban Shanghai and contemporary Chinese art: that both city and category effortlessly transcend national borders and cultural divides, operating through harmonious East-meets-West encounters. I argue that Gu’s celebratory proposal and critical projects by Liu and Yang construct urban imaginaries that speak less to Shanghai’s East-meets-West status or the seamless integration of diverse cultures and fluid insertion of Chinese art into the Euro-American-dominated canon of contemporary art, and more to the mistranslations, social alienations, and merging of fine art and commodity culture that belie contemporary Chinese art and everyday life in Shanghai.

Friendships, an important form of people’s everyday relationships with others, have been studied by many scholars from different disciplines. However, there is limited research on friendship in the context of childhood, particularly that of Chinese rural children. This chapter presents findings from an in-depth study on Chinese children’s understandings and experiences of friendships with peers in the context of a rural primary boarding school. Data for this research were collected through an intensive five-month study, using an ethnographic approach, in a rural primary boarding school (given the pseudonym ‘Central Primary School’) in the western area of China in 2016. This chapter discusses parents’ influences on children’s selection of friends, particularly their ‘good’ friends, and their understandings of the functions of making friends in the context of rural China. It unpacks parents’ interventions on children’s friendships by discussing the moralised hierarchical relationship between children and their parents – children are expected to show obedience to parents. Then, it argues that the Confucian-collectivist values construct a relationship between a child’s individual achievement and their family’s collective good, which makes friendship not only an individual issue but also a collective one too.

Asian Americans are at heightened risk for type 2 diabetes, yet research on cultural and intergenerational dynamics remains limited. Guided by Family Systems Theory and Leininger's Transcultural Nursing Theory, this cross-sectional study examined diabetes knowledge and family support in 102 Chinese and Filipino American dyads (parent with diabetes + adult child) in Northern California. Using the Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire and the Family Supporters National Survey Tool, we found that Filipino parents scored higher in diabetes knowledge than Chinese parents. T-tests revealed significant differences in knowledge scores between Chinese and Filipino parents, t(102) = -2.91, p < .004, d = .45. Four significant predictors emerged: dyadic roles, age, English proficiency, and health status, F(9, 94) = 4.66, p < .001, R2 = .31. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a positive correlation between diabetes knowledge and family support among Filipino children but an inverse trend among Chinese children, F(1, 97) = 4.22, p = .043. Findings suggest the importance of culturally tailored, family-centered diabetes interventions for Asian American communities.

Identifying the definition of "being a good parent" facilitates the understanding of parents' personal beliefs and deeds regarding their ill child. The aim of this study was to explore the concept of "being a good parent to my ill child" during pediatric cancer treatment from the perspective of Chinese children, parents, and providers. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 6 children, 18 parents, 5 doctors, 19 nurses, and 3 social workers by semistructured interviews at 3 Chinese hospitals. Except for "letting the Lord lead," 7 themes from the original conceptual model were validated, for example, "being there for my child" (n = 51, 100.0%); "doing right by my child" (n = 38, 74.5%), "being an advocate for my child" (n = 27, 52.9%), "conveying love to my child" (n = 26, 51.0%), "making my child healthy" (n = 18, 35.3%), "being a good life example" (n = 13, 25.5%), and "not allowing suffering" (n = 13, 25.5%). A new theme, "rebuilding myself" (n = 39, 76.5%), emerged in the Chinese context. "Being a good parent to my ill child" is perceived differently among stakeholders. Healthcare professionals' facilitation to fulfill the concept included "recognizing the individualized good-parent definition," "providing best available care" and "establishing a supportive environment." "Being a good parent to my ill child" is meaningfully expressed by Chinese parents and recognized by children and providers during pediatric cancer treatment. It is important to support parents in conveying their internal good parent definition and sharing it with stakeholders. Attention should be paid to related cultural influencers, a supportive family-friendly environment, and shared decision making involving the child's voice.

More recently, concern on children’s well-being, health, mobility and upbringing has been increasingly being discussed. The child of today is the city-maker of tomorrow. Rapid urbanization impacts children the most as they have less access to the natural environment in the city. Moreover, in most developing nations including Malaysia, children opinions are not taken into consideration in the development of urban public spaces such as parks, playfields, streets and plazas. Living in an urban environment is not primarily about people relationship but rather the relationship between people, places and spaces. Realizing this, as the Malaysian urban population rapidly increases, the government and local councils have started to rethink and redesign urban spaces to sustain the basic needs and welfare of its citizen. Since neighborhood streets, public spaces, alleys and loose-fit spaces are essential spaces for children’s exploration and play, place-making is one of the favorite projects that many have chosen to use to create an urban environment that is child-friendly. According to Project for Public Spaces (2011), place-making is an integrative approach to better plan, design and manage the urban environment. It focuses on the cooperation and contribution of local communities to promote their safety and well-being. This paper attends towards children’s artworks impact to create a child-friendly environment in an urban environment. From a review of 50 articles in journals of various discipline which includes Environmental Psychology, Art Education, Urban Sociology, Children Cognitive Functioning and Children Geographies, it is understood that children’s participation in place-making an urban environment are influenced to three attributes: (1)artworks as a mode of place-making for a positive emotional sense-of belonging, (2) active participatory of children in creating artworks could cultivate community bond and social skills, and (3) public sphere are spaces for children to exhibit their sense-of-attachment. The review construes that place-making through art can contribute to create a child-friendly environment that is inclusive, healthy, nurturing and sustainable.

Objective: To examine the factors that may influence Chinese parent's willingness to donate their children's biospecimens for use in pediatric research. Study Design: Parents or caregivers of the patients in the neurosurgery ward, oncological surgery ward, and internal medical wards at Shanghai Children's Medical Center were recruited during the period of March 1, 2016 to July 8, 2018. The questionnaire included the willingness to provide consent for donating their children's clinical biospecimens, their attitudes toward and motivations for donating their children's clinical biospecimens, opinions of contributing specimens, and an ethical consideration for their children's future willingness to donate biospecimens. Participants' demographic data and children's basic information were collected. Results: The majority of the participants agreed to donate the patients' biospecimens for research. Parents with pronounced religious beliefs, less education, who had only one child, child with a more severe disease, and living in an urban district were associated with negative attitudes toward biospecimen donation, but none of other parents' sociodemographic characteristics and some of the children's basic characteristics disclosed significant differences in donation attitudes. In five different types of biospecimens, parents were more reluctant to donate specific blood biospecimens. Physical pain and privacy protection were of most concern to parents when it came to donating their child's biospecimens. It was widely believed in parents that reconsent would be necessary for the 18-year-old adolescent. Conclusions: Our findings explored the factors that were of greatest worry to parents related to parents' willingness to donate their child's biospecimens in China. We recommend greater patient explanation to enhance the participant's engagement in the biospecimen donation, and the adolescent's attitude toward biospecimen donation needs further consideration.

This study compared 50 Chinese and 100 North American Caucasian children aged 6 to 17 who were learning piano, in terms of their work ethic, motivation, and parental influences. Compared to North American Caucasians, Chinese children and parents believed more strongly that musical ability requires hard work, and Chinese children were more interested in working hard at piano practice, and practiced nearly twice as much. We also found differences in autonomous motivation, as defined by Self-Determination Theory: compared to Caucasians, Chinese children identified more with playing the piano, found it more intrinsically enjoyable, and pressured themselves less by shame or guilt, though they were more motivated by a desire to please their teachers and parents. Furthermore, Chinese parents more frequently sat in on their child’s piano lessons. These findings suggest several reasons that may contribute to the success of Chinese musicians.

&lt;p&gt;Since the 1950s, an increasing number of Chinese-origin children in Britain have been struggling on the edge of heritage language loss, which is involved with both British-born Chinese children and those who immigrate to Britain with their parents. How to maintain these children’s heritage language is of great concern to many Chinese communities in Britain, in particular, to Chinese parents. This essay consists of three sections: language use of Chinese-origin children in Britain, supports from Chinese parents as well as implications for Chinese parents. It chiefly focuses on the second section – scaffoldings from Chinese parents, and discusses it from social, cognitive, and linguistic perspectives for the purpose of providing Chinese parents with a few suggestions and encouragement for heritage language maintenance. As a result, an affectionate family setting lays a good foundation and makes it possible for children to low down language shift. In addition, parents’ English proficiency plays an important role. Also, the improvement of parent’s English may help parents enhance the intercommunication among children, home, community and school. And parents may have to support the development of target language – English – temporarily in order to help children’s two languages remain balanced. Presently, “identity conflicts” is a big problem facing Chinese bilingual children. Hence, it is important for parents to make children familiar with Chinese culture and build up their confidence in their heritage culture.&lt;/p&gt;

Due to the rapid sociocultural changes in China, Chinese parents' childrearing beliefs and practices have undergone dramatic transformations. Against this context, this study examined whether Chinese parents' endorsement of progressive and traditional childrearing beliefs would predict children's academic achievement, as well as whether parenting practices would mediate this association. This study utilized a longitudinal design and followed 206 Chinese families for 2 years from the end of preschool to Grade 2. Parents showed greater endorsement of progressive than traditional childrearing beliefs, as well as higher use of authoritative than authoritarian parenting practices. Parents' childrearing beliefs in preschool predicted children's math achievement in Grade 2 via authoritative parenting. However, parenting beliefs were unrelated to authoritarian parenting, and authoritarian parenting did not predict any of the child academic outcomes in Grade 2. The findings suggest Chinese parents' orientations toward progressive parenting beliefs and authoritative parenting practices. They also highlight the utility of parenting beliefs in explaining disparities in early academic achievement. The nonsignificant findings pertinent to authoritarian parenting call for re‐examination of the cultural meaning and effects of authoritarian parenting in Chinese society.

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide in Chinese children with asthma and allergies–A two-city study