Children Birth Research Articles

Caregiver perceptions of sleep problems and desired areas of change in young children

ObjectiveTo explore the prevalence of and relationship between caregiver-reported sleep problems and sleep-related desired areas of change in young children (0–36 months) in a multinational sample. MethodsCaregivers (96.5% mothers) of 2219 young children (birth to 3 years; M = 13.7 mos; 49.8% male) completed an online survey including an abbreviated Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire-Revised (BISQ-R) and questions about desired areas of change regarding their child's sleep. Data were collected in six countries (Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and United States). ResultsOverall, 35% of caregivers reported a sleep problem and nearly all (96%) indicated a desired area of change, with 76% endorsing changes in 3 or more categories (bedtime/falling asleep, overnight, morning, and naps). Desiring a change in their child's sleep was universal across age group and country, with those perceiving a sleep problem more likely to endorse an area of change than those without a sleep problem. Overall, the top change categories were bedtime (80%), naps (74%), and overnight (67%). Top specific areas of change related to sleeping for longer stretches, waking up later in the morning, and having an earlier bedtime. ConclusionsAlthough one-third of caregivers perceived that their child had a sleep problem, nearly all caregivers identified desired areas of change related to their child's sleep, across the first three years of life and all countries. Sleep education, such as normalizing sleep challenges that are developmentally appropriate, is warranted for all families of young children, regardless of whether sleep problems are endorsed.

Year-end academic review of 2021: Advances in the field of birth defect prevention and control in China as of 2021

Year-end academic review of 2021: Advances in the field of birth defect prevention and control in China as of 2021

Teacher-Rated Executive Functions, Gender and Relative Age: Independent and Interactive Effects on Observed Fundamental Motor Skills in Kindergarteners.

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) of children can be affected by different variables, such as executive functions (EF), gender and relative age. However, the effects of these variables on FMS have been scarce studied, especially in early childhood, and show inconsistent results. To clarify these relationships, this study was carried out. Its aim was to analyze whether EF, gender and relative age influenced FMS in 43 Spanish kindergarteners. A multimethod and mixed methods approach was used. Kindergarteners’ teachers completed the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory to know the children level of EF (working memory and inhibition control). Kindergarteners’ parents complimented ad hoc questionnaire reporting the children gender and birth data (to know their relative age). A Nomothetic/Punctual/Multidimensional observational design was used to observe children FMS in their habitual motor sessions at school. Two-way ANOVAs were performed to know the independent and interactive effects of working memory level (lower/higher), inhibition control level (lower/higher), gender (boys/girls) and relative age (according to the birth semester in the year) on FMS. Results showed these variables have independent and interactive effects on some FMS, but not on others. FMS influenced by these variables vary depending what independent variable(s) is/are considered. Therefore, it can be concluded that the influences of teacher-rated EF, gender and relative age on observed FMS in kindergarteners are complex and specific. Results obtained must be taken into to design and implement instructional and intervention strategies, as well as educational and sport policy changes, especially in early childhood, when FMS are more malleable.

Mitigating the Impact of Coronavirus Disease-2019 on Child and Family Behavioral Health: Suggested Policy Approaches

Mitigating the Impact of Coronavirus Disease-2019 on Child and Family Behavioral Health: Suggested Policy Approaches

The Consecutive 3-month Length Increment to Predict Early Linear Growth Failure

AIM: This study aimed to assess the consecutive 3-month length increment thresholds, by the first 6 months, to predict stunted at the age of 6 months. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Bogor Longitudinal Study on Child Growth and Development in West Java, Indonesia. A total of 635 free of stunting at birth children were analyzed in this study. Early linear growth faltering, as the dependent variable, was the stunted at 6 months of age. The four thresholds of the consecutive 3-month length increment were considered in predicting stunted at the age of 6 months. The thresholds were a consecutive 3-month length increment below 25th percentile, 15th percentile, and 5th percentile of the WHO Child Growth Velocity Standard. The 4th threshold was generated from the Bogor Longitudinal Study sample and determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the thresholds were calculated. RESULTS: Among the thresholds, the 25th percentile of the WHO Child Growth Velocity Standard generates the highest sensitivity. The ability of the 25th percentile threshold to correctly identify children who had stunting at 6 months of age is 56.7%. However, the children whose experience a consecutive 3-month length increment below 15th percentile had highest risk to become stunted at the age of 6 months, adjusted by sex, birthweight, and birth length. CONCLUSION: A consecutive 3-month length increment could be beneficial as a tool in identifying infants at high risk of early linear growth failure in stunted prevalent population.

The Relationship Between Children's Birth Time and Short Stature.

BackgroundThere are few current reports on the relationship between time of birth and short stature in children. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether there is an association between time of birth and short stature in children.Materials and MethodsIn this study, basic information was collected from 462 children aged 2–14 years old. We collected data on gender, height, height standard deviation score (SDS), weight, body mass index (BMI), serum 25(OH)D levels, date of birth, and whether the above children were short stature. Demographic description, univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression analysis, smooth curve fitting, and threshold effects were used to explore possible linear or non-linear relationships between children's birth time and short stature.ResultsThe mean age of the 462 children was 9.76 ± 3.10 years old, and 52.16% were male. A total of 129 (27.92%) children were defined as 25(OH)D insufficiency, including 107 (38.91%) in the short stature group and 22 (11.76%) in the normal stature group. Fully adjusted logistic regression showed that the risk of short stature was reduced by 56.5% in children born in summer compared with spring (P < 0.05) [odds ratio (OR): 0.435, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.197–0.959]. A non-linear relationship was found between “sequential day of the year” and short stature from the 1st to the 250th day of the year, the risk of short stature in children is reduced by 0.6% for each day that passes (P = 0.002) (OR: 0.994, 95% CI: 0.990–0.998), and from the 250th to the 365th day of the year, the risk of short stature in children was increased by 0.8% for each day that passed (P = 0.008) (OR: 1.008, 95% CI: 1.001–1.025).ConclusionsChildren born in summer have a lower risk of short stature than spring. For children born before the 250th day of the year, “sequential day of the year” was negatively associated with short stature, and for children born after the 250th day, “sequential day of the year” was positively associated with short stature.

A Systematic Review of Early Childhood Exclusionary Discipline

Young children (birth to age 5) are more likely to be expelled or suspended than school-aged children, but we know comparatively little about the precursors to and prevention of exclusion in early childhood settings. Furthermore, what research has been conducted has not been systematically synthesized to inform policy and funding decisions. The present review seeks to determine how early childhood exclusion is defined and assessed in the academic literature. Studies measuring early childhood suspension or expulsion were systematically gathered and coded for study characteristics, definitions, and measures of exclusionary discipline and disparity, and factors associated with exclusion rates. Results (n = 20) show an accelerating pace of inquiry that attends to multiple levels of the ecological system (children, teachers, and programs) across diverse settings (home-, center-, and school-based care). Additional research that draws on data spanning multiple types of early care and education settings is needed to inform legislation and intervention funding decisions.

Predictors of the amount of intake of Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic foods among children in outpatient therapeutic programs in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ready‐to‐use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) therapy is a standard protocol for treating children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) admitted in Out‐Patient Therapeutic Programmes (OTP). The amount of RUTF to be consumed by a child is based on weight (200 kcal/kg body weight/day) as stipulated in the Kenya Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) protocol for timely weight gain. There is limited information on the determinants of consumption of the correct amount of RUTF. This study sought to fill this gap by establishing the associations between the caregivers' and the child's characteristics and the amount of RUTF the child ate within a 24‐h recall period. We used a cross‐sectional study design and interviewed 200 caregivers of children 6–23 months of age admitted in four OTP centers in Nairobi Kenya. We used a researcher‐administered questionnaire to collect information from the caregivers. Seventy‐three percent of the children ate the recommended amount of RUTF. A smaller proportion (54.4%) of younger children (6–11 months of age) ate the recommended amount of RUTF compared to older children (12–17 months old and 18–23 months old at 89.1% and 82.8%, respectively). The predictors of consumption of the correct amount of RUTF were child's birth order—firstborn (AOR 29.92; 95% CI: 5.67–157.93) and children's age; 12–17 months old (AOR 5.19; 95% CI: 2.18–12.36) and 18–23 months (AOR 6.19 95% CI: 2.62), indicating that firstborn and older children were more likely to consume the correct amounts of RUTF. Caregivers' knowledge and correct practices in feeding a child with RUTF also predicted the consumption of the correct amount of RUTF. In conclusion, maternal and child characteristics are determinants of the consumption of the correct amount of RUTF by children in OTP.

Secular trends in low birth weight and child undernutrition in West Africa: evidence from complex nationwide surveys, 1985-2019.

We present prevalence estimates and secular trends of stunting, wasting, underweight, and anaemia among children under 5 years of age and low birth weight (LBW) over the period 1985-2019 in West Africa (WA). Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and World Bank data. DerSimonian-Laird random effect model with the Knapp-Hartung adjustment to the standard error was used to derive overall prevalence estimates. We used fixed effect ordinary least square regression models with cluster robust standard error to conduct time trends analyses. West Africa. Children aged 0 to 59 months. Three distinct periods (1986-1990, 1993-1996 and 1997-2000) of sharp increases in prevalence of all outcomes was observed. After the year 2000, prevalence of all outcomes except LBW started to decline with some fluctuations. LBW prevalence showed a steady increase after 2000. We observed a decline in prevalence of stunting (β = -0·20 %; 95 % CI -0·43 %, 0·03 %), log-wasting (β = -0·02 %; 95 % CI -0·02 %, -0·01 %), log-underweight (β = -0·02 %; 95 % CI -0·03 %, -0·01 %) anaemia (β = -0·44; 95 % CI -0·55 %, -0·34 %), and an increase in LBW (β = 0·06 %; 95 % CI -0·10 %, 0·22 %) in WA over the period. Pooled prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, anaemia and LBW in WA for the period 1985-2019 was 26·1 %, 16·4 %, 22·7 %, 76·2 % and 11·3 %, respectively. Child undernutrition prevalence varied greatly between countries and the year cohorts. We observed marginal reductions in prevalence of all outcomes except anaemia where the reductions were quite striking and LBW where an increase was noted. There is the need for more rigorous and sustained targeted interventions in WA.

The role of foster carers in England and Portugal: Is it solely a parenting role?

AbstractThe role of foster carers can be described as similar to the role of parents, but with some additional tasks. Through focus groups, children in care, young adults who are care‐experienced, foster carers, and social workers in England and Portugal shared their views on this role. Key themes included the need to promote children's sense of belonging and relationships with foster carers and their birth family, to support children's individual needs, and to recognise the influence of children's social care services, social workers and foster carers’ family and social network. Foster carers and social workers in the English sample talked about the complementarity between the parenting side of the role and these additional tasks. On the other hand, children and young adults in both samples, and foster carers and social workers in the Portuguese sample, focused mostly on the parenting side of the role, but also stated the importance of some additional tasks, such as collaboration with children's birth families. These findings reflect policies and alternative care context differences between England and Portugal.

Growth Prediction of Under-5 Children Using Statistical Models for Eastern Region of India.

Percentile curves are often used to assess variances in children's growth pattern. This study is aimed at explaining effect of the respondents' sociodemographic characteristics on under-5 children's birth weight and identifying most suitable models, out of 11 statistical models reviewed, for estimating children's growth in terms of height and weight of a given birth-weight category and obtain estimated growth curves. The study used National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 data from four Eastern States of India, consisting of 54,075 under-5 children. Estimated growth curves were obtained, using best-fit models. Birth weight was found to be associated with children's age, gender, birth order, body mass index, mother's education, living place and wealth index. Two models - Cubic Model and Power Model - showed best fit to the height and weight measurements. We obtained estimated growth curves of boys and girls for a given birth-weight category. All socio-demographic factors studied, except respondent's occupation, were associated with children's birth weight. Cubic and Power Models were most suitable for assessing growth in terms of height and weight of boys and girls, belonging to a given birth-weight category.

Effects of prenatal subjective well-being on birth outcomes and child development: A longitudinal study.

Although maternal mental illnesses have been found to influence child health and development, little is known about the impact of maternal positive well-being on child health and development. Therefore, this longitudinal study investigated the effects of prenatal subjective well-being on birth outcomes and child development by considering the potential modifier effect of parity. Pregnant women in early stages of pregnancy were recruited at five selected hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan, during their prenatal appointments since 2011. Self-reported evaluations were conducted at seven time points up to 2 years postpartum. Linear regression and generalized estimating equation models were used for examination. Higher prenatal eudaimonic well-being was associated with longer gestational length (adjusted beta [aβ] = 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.03, 0.68) and higher birth weight (aβ = 124.71, 95% CI = 35.75, 213.66). Higher positive and negative affect were associated with longer gestational length (aβ = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.06, 0.70) and smaller birth weight (aβ = -93.51, 95% CI = -178.35, -8.67), respectively. For child's outcomes, we found an association between higher prenatal eudaimonic well-being and decreased risks of suspected developmental delay, particularly for children of multiparous mothers (adjusted odds ratio = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.70). Higher levels of prenatal depression and anxiety were significantly associated with increased risks of suspected developmental delay for children of primiparous mothers. Positive prenatal maternal mental health may benefit birth outcomes and child development, particularly for children of multiparous mothers. Interventions for improving prenatal mental health may be beneficial for child development.

Marital Disturbance and Object Relations in Mothers of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): The Mediating Role of Psychological Coherence

Background and Purpose: Mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to be at risk of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic, phobias, mood disorders, depression, psychological cohesion, low object relations, and marital disturbance in the family, which generally starts before their children's birth; hence, the presents research aimed to investigate the marital disturbance and object relations in mothers of children with spectrum disorder with the mediating role of psychological cohesion.. Methods: The research method was cross-sectional and correlational. The statistical population consisted of all the mothers of children with autism in Tehran in 2020 among whom 457 mothers were selected by the convenience sampling method. The research tools included the marital disturbance questionnaire (Schneider, 1997), object relations questionnaire (Bell, 1995), and psychological coherence questionnaire (Kimiaei et al., 2014) all of which had acceptable validity and reliability. SPSS V.23 and LISREL V7.8 were used to analyze data. Structural equation modeling was utilized to respond to the research hypotheses. Results: The research results indicated that the model had a good fit, and there was a relationship between object relations and marital disturbance in mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder. There was also a relationship between psychological cohesion and marital disturbance in mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder. There was an indirect effect of object relations on marital disturbance through the mediating role of psychological cohesion in mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Paying attention to the above-mentioned variables helps researchers and therapists to prevent and design more suitable treatments.

Prospects for maternal and child health in Japan.

In Japan, outcome measures for maternal and child health measures such as maternal, perinatal, and infant mortality have consistently shown a trend toward improvement. On the other hand, the problems of the declining birth rate, child abuse, and domestic violence have become evident since the 1990s. In terms of Japan's maternal and child health, it is necessary to take measures to preserve mental health of mothers and children, and also to respond to family issues such as abuse and violence. The services needed such as comprehensive support centers for families with children and new postpartum care programs have been established. It is necessary to further improve the competence of doctors, public health nurses, and midwives working in the maternal and child health field and to promptly construct a cooperation system in the community. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 159-164, August, 2022.

Решение медико-социальных проблем материнства и детства в курсе социальной политики СССР 1936–1953 гг. (на материалах Иркутской области и Бурят-Монгольской АССР)

The article is devoted to the consideration of social policy in the field of motherhood and childhood in the USSR in 1936–1953. The aspect of solving medical and social problems of families in the context of the development of certain territories of Eastern Siberia is studied. The main features of the development of women's and children's health protection, as well as the impact of health measures on the birth rate and child mortality are noted. On the basis of archival materials, an analysis of the indicators of the number of abortions, as well as the dynamics of the development of maternity institutions, is presented. The peculiarities of the restructuring of the healthcare system during the war years are noted. The analysis of social policy on the example of the Irkutsk region and the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR showed that both locally and in the country as a whole, human life was valued most of all, and its preservation was the main task of the healthcare system developing throughout the studied period.

Overview of Integrated Population Administration Services at the Probolinggo Regency's of Indonesia

Population administration fulfils administrative rights, such as public services and protection related to population documents, without discriminatory treatment. Population administration is the service of all population documents by the Presidential Regulation concerning the requirements and procedures for population and civil registration. However, public awareness of the importance of population documents is still deficient; economic conditions and the distance of people from their domiciles, especially those in remote areas/difficult areas, so that there are still many residents who do not have population documents. With integrated services carried out by the Population and Civil Registration Office of Probolinggo Regency, it aims to provide more effective, efficient, fast, and complimentary services. This study aims to describe and analyze population administration services integrating birth certificates, family cards, and child identity cards based on minister of Home Affairs Regulation concerning population administration services at the Probolinggo Regency Population and Civil Registration Service and the obstacles in its implementation. This study uses qualitative methods through observation, interviews, and documentation. The analysis results show that the integrated population administration service has so far been able to adapt to new policies that require using the latest applications in population administration services. More than 1 million residents of Probolinggo Regency who cannot reach population administration service facilities offline and online can be reached and complete the application for population administration and have been facilitated to completion. Besides that, The obstacles faced from the inner side include the policy of refocusing the budget, lack of facilities and infrastructure, and human resources. Meanwhile, the outer side, including the elderly, who lack technology understanding and disabilities, require special officers and internet network disturbances

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SMART CITY PROGRAM TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SERVICES IN SEMARANG CITY

This study aims to determine the implementation of Semarang Smart City in improving public services. This study uses qualitative research methods sourced from various literature or literature studies in answering the research results. The findings found that Smart living with free WIFI service, an ambulance is available 24 hours a day. Smart living is responsive to various community reports, such as reports on water pumps that don't flow. Bright Environment successfully manages a harmonious, comfortable, and clean Environment by turning a slum village into a healthier and cleaner city. Smart mobility with the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service aims to provide an alternative mode of transportation that is reliable and safe for the citizens of Semarang City. The implementation of good governance is the existence of services starting from the management of children's birth certificates, death certificates, Electronic ID cards, and various other public services that provide convenience for the people of Semarang. Intelligent people develop formal education in schools and universities that are evenly distributed to citizens based on IT, such as the implementation of e-learning, providing internet access as a source of information, and free schools for elementary and junior high school students. An innovative Economy is realized through increasing access, equity, relevance, and quality of essential social services, improving the quality and competitiveness of the workforce, controlling the number and rate of population growth, and increasing citizen participation.

LITERATURE REVIEW: DAMPAK ANEMIA DEFISIENSI BESI PADA IBU HAMIL

In general, the most common cause of anaemia in pregnancy is iron deficiency, which arises from maternal-fetal iron transfer, which is often exacerbated by a decrease in maternal iron stores. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pregnancy anaemia is a global health problem that affects almost half of pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to conduct a journal review of explanatory and experimental articles published in the last 5 years starting in 2016 on deficiency anaemia in pregnancy. The research method is carried out by literature study using an electronic reference library through Medline, PubMed, NCBI, Science Direct and Proquest by investigating the impact of anaemia in pregnant women. The results literature from research in various developing and developed countries show that there is an impact that occurs when the mother had anaemia during pregnancy, namely prematurity, low birth weight, postpartum hemorrhage, maternal mortality, cesarean delivery and mental development of children. The conclusion is that there are several effects of anaemia in pregnant women, which are prematurity, low birth weight, postpartum hemorrhage, maternal mortality, cesarean delivery and children's mental development.

Challenge of Teaching Genetics at Early Stage

As a part of early science education, biogenetics is one of the critical components. Usually, the course is taught at the middle school at the earliest (Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8, 2015). There may be specific difficulties for adolescent students who are first exposed to genetics knowledge, from cognition to knowledge reserve. In addition, understanding its basic concepts may require the lecturer to adopt certain methods and skills (Hirsh et al., 2020). Due to the abstract nature of genetics, this is more challenging for students of this age.

Low weight at birth can be an indicative in childhood as a marker of metabolic syndrome and hypertension

As low weight at birth can be a marker for future risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, public school children who had this positive history were studied S to nutritional status, lipids, glucose, uric acid, blood pressure and socioeconomic conditions. The main interest of the investigation is to find statistically significant correlations among data collected from young public school children from a city outside of the capital of Sao Paulo in Brazil. Results: risk factors for metabolic syndrome presented higher impact considering blood pressure and socioeconomic conditions, calling for better prenatal care and surveillance plus intervention in the low weight at birth children.