Children's Access Research Articles

Children's Access to Healthy Food Suffers When Child Care Programs Close Their Doors

Children's Access to Healthy Food Suffers When Child Care Programs Close Their Doors

Dissemination Science in School Mental Health: A Framework for Future Research.

There has been an increase in school mental health research aimed at producing generalizable knowledge to address longstanding science-to-practice gaps to increase children's access to evidence-based mental health services. Successful dissemination and implementation are both important pieces to address science-to-practice gaps, but there is conceptual and semantic imprecision that creates confusion regarding where dissemination ends and implementation begins, as well as an imbalanced focus in research on implementation relative to dissemination. In this paper, we provide an enhanced operational definition of dissemination; offer a conceptual model that outlines elements of effective dissemination that can produce changes in awareness, knowledge, perceptions, and motivation across different stakeholder groups; and delineate guiding principles that can inform dissemination science and practice. The overarching goal of this paper is to stimulate future research that aims to advance dissemination science and practice in school mental health.

Invandrarnas yrkesutbildning och sysselsättning i Finland

In Finland, immigration has increased in recent decades. An equal quality of life and position for immigrants is a vocational and social challenge. In our article, we examine the challenges adult immigrants face in Finland regarding the recognition of professional qualifications, skills and employment and their children's access to education. As a result, we have two different points of view: adults in working life and young people in school transitions. The research materials were collected through interviews and surveys. The results suggest that adult immigrants usually have their skills recognised in the labour market only when the person obtains an overlapping or supplementary vocational training in Finland. Adolescents’ school transitions are tied to at least three types of factors: the young people themselves, issues related to the community, and services offered by society. The authorities reiterated the importance of language skills, the motivation, and community services, while the young people promoted the social community: the importance of friends and families. The results highlight the importance of cooperation between the authorities, homes and young people so that young people can receive support at special stages in their lives.

Research in Children's Information Seeking Behaviour

Provides an overview on the significance of studying information seeking behavior of children to enhance the role of school libraries. The literature on children's information seeking behavior is reviewed and integrated into the perspective of school library services. Discussion on the different models of information seeking is presented. Focuses on children's information seeking behavior in the electronic environment. Outlines issues related to children's access and barriers to information. An analysis of research methodology used is provided. Offers suggestions on the future research direction with emphasis on the Malaysian school libraries environment.

Online Education during Pandemic: Sharenting vs. Children’s Right to their Own Image and Education

This article examines the legal issues that have forced the transition to an online school learning process for children, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the pandemic. Although we believe that from a legal point of view, children's access to education must be respected, the article highlights the problems regarding the amplification of the sharenting phenomenon (already at worrying levels), determined by the transition to online learning. The article shows that the development of the educational process in the online environment determines the amplification of the sharenting phenomenon: this happens because teachers and parents have no legal knowledge and have not been trained on the risks of the online environment and the limits to children's rights (posting videos and audio of children in the online educational process); the school educational process takes place through social media platforms that are not designed for online learning and are not prepared to respect the child's right to his own image and his privacy and dignity. The article also analyzes the legal implications in the European context related to children's rights.

Exposure to Spoken Communication in Children With Cochlear Implants During the COVID-19 Lockdown

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns in Ontario, Canada in the spring of 2020 created unprecedented changes in the lives of all children, including children with hearing loss. To quantify how these lockdowns changed the spoken communication environments of children with cochlear implants by comparing the sounds they were exposed to before the Ontario provincial state of emergency in March 2020 and during the resulting closures of schools and nonessential businesses. This experimental cohort study comprised children with hearing loss who used cochlear implants to hear. These children were chosen because (1) their devices monitor and catalog levels and types of sounds during hourly use per day (datalogs), and (2) this group is particularly vulnerable to reduced sound exposure. Children were recruited from the Cochlear Implant Program at a tertiary pediatric hospital in Ontario, Canada. Children whose cochlear implant datalogs were captured between February 1 and March 16, 2020, shortly before lockdown (pre-COVID-19), were identified. Repeated measures were collected in 45 children during initial easing of lockdown restrictions (stages 1-2 of the provincial recovery plan); resulting datalogs encompassed the lockdown period (peri-COVID-19). Hours of sound captured by the Cochlear Nucleus datalogging system (Cochlear Corporation) in 6 categories of input levels (<40, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, ≥80 A-weighted dB sound pressure levels [dBA]) and 6 auditory scene categories (quiet, speech, speech-in-noise, music, noise, and other). Mixed-model regression analyses revealed main effects with post hoc adjustment of confidence intervals using the Satterthwaite method. A total of 45 children (mean [SD] age, 7.7 [5.0] years; 23 girls [51.1%]) participated in this cohort study. Results showed similar daily use of cochlear implants during the pre- and peri-COVID-19 periods (9.80 mean hours pre-COVID-19 and 9.34 mean hours peri-COVID-19). Despite consistent device use, these children experienced significant quieting of input sound levels peri-COVID-19 by 0.49 hour (95% CI, 0.21-0.80 hour) at 60 to 69 dBA and 1.70 hours (95% CI, 1.42-1.99 hours) at 70 to 79 dBA with clear reductions in speech exposure by 0.98 hour (95% CI, 0.49-1.47 hours). This outcome translated into a reduction of speech:quiet from 1.6:1.0 pre-COVID-19 to 0.9:1.0 during lockdowns. The greatest reductions in percentage of daily speech occurred in school-aged children (elementary, 12.32% [95% CI, 7.15%-17.49%]; middle school, 11.76% [95% CI, 5.00%-18.52%]; and high school, 9.60% [95% CI, 3.27%-15.93%]). Increased daily percentage of quiet (7.00% [95% CI, 4.27%-9.74%]) was most prevalent for children who had fewer numbers of people in their household (estimate [SE] = -1.12% [0.50%] per person; Cohen f = 0.31). The findings of this cohort study indicate a clear association of COVID-19 lockdowns with a reduction in children's access to spoken communication.

Tracking Demographic Movements and Immunization Status to Improve Children's Access to Immunization (TDM-IAI): Protocol for a Field-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundIn Cameroon, the coverage, completeness, and timeliness of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) vaccines administration in children have remained heterogeneous and below the national and districts targets in several districts. In an effort to solve this problem, many interventions have been tested but none has shown significant improvement of the situation.ObjectiveThis trial aims to test whether involving Community Volunteers to assess children vaccination status and demographic movements and using recorded data to plan catch-up immunization sessions can improve children vaccination timeliness, completeness and coverage.MethodsCommunities of the Foumban Health district, West region of Cameroon will be selected and assigned to either intervention or control groups using a restricted randomization of 2. In the intervention group, one Community Volunteer per community will be trained to visit households and record EPI-targeted children in a register, record their demographic movements, and assess their immunization status monthly for a year. The information recorded will be snapped and sent to the competent health center immunization team through WhatsApp. These will be used to plan and implement monthly community catch up immunization sessions in collaboration with the community volunteer. In the control group, the routine immunization sessions will be conducted with health centers organizing either weekly vaccination sessions for communities situated not farther than 5 kilometers away from the health facility or monthly vaccination sessions in communities situated more than 5 kilometers away from the health center. Baseline, mid-term and end-line surveys will be conducted to assess and compare immunization coverage, timeliness, and completeness.ResultsFunded in 2018, data collection started in 2018 and has been completed. Data analysis and reporting are ongoing.ConclusionsThis trial is expecting to test an innovative approach to improving children’s immunization timeliness, completeness and coverage of immunization by tracking EPI targeted population vaccination status and denominator at household level and building collaboration between the community and health facilities vaccination teams to organize monthly community-based response vaccination sessions. This intervention is expected to improve children sustainable access to EPI vaccination as it offers assessing and responding to their immunization needs at monthly basis using low cost local human resources.Trial RegistrationPan African Clinical Trials Registry ID PACTR201808527428720; tinyurl.com/u058qnseInternational Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/21734

Educação infantil e tecnologias digitais: reflexões em tempos de pandemia

O cenário de pandemia gerado pela COVID-19 tem trazido preocupações e acentuado outras já existentes para aquelxs que se interessam pela educação das crianças de 0 a 5 anos e 11 meses de idade. Dentre estas, estão o acesso das crianças às tecnologias digitais no contexto das instituições educacionais e/ou fora dele. Neste artigo, reflete-se sobre as relações das crianças pequenas desde bebês com as tecnologias digitais, considerando os princípios e especificidades da Educação Infantil. O objetivo do artigo é problematizar a recomendação para o uso das tecnologias digitais nesta etapa educativa, considerando o contexto de pandemia. A partir deste objetivo geral, temos como objetivo específico propor as tecnologias digitais como suporte de comunicação e manutenção de vínculos entre as famílias e as instituições educacionais. A partir de uma pesquisa documental que inclui textos legais e manuais orientadores sobre Educação Infantil e COVID-19, discute-se a presença das tecnologias, considerando: a brincadeira e as interações, os princípios éticos, políticos e estéticos, a relação família-escola e a legislação brasileira.

The Forbidden Reward. The Emergence of Parent-Child Conflicts About Food Over Time and the Influence of Parents' Communication Strategies and Feeding Practices.

One of the most critical arenas for conflicts between parents and their children relates to food. Although parent-child conflicts about food are a real occurrence, this form of parent-child interaction has been rarely examined. Given the special role of parents in shaping children's diet, we especially focus on the impact of parental measures. This study investigates how parental communication strategies (i.e., active vs. restrictive) and feeding practices (i.e., overt control vs. covert control) affect the emergence of parent-child conflicts about food over time. Based on previous research, we assessed overt control through parents' use of food as a reward and restriction of their children's access to specific food types. We explored the impact of our predictors on both conflicts about unhealthy and healthy food with a two-wave panel study including parents and their children (N = 541; children aged between 5 and 11) in Austria between fall 2018 and spring 2019. Results of two multiple linear regressions indicated that predominantly parents' use of unhealthy food as a reward is connected to both healthy and unhealthy food conflicts. Furthermore, inconsistent parental educational styles increased the respective conflict potential. Active food-related mediation and covert control did not relate to food-related conflicts about unhealthy and healthy food. Parents' increased use of overtly controlling and restrictive feeding practices might not be only counterproductive for children's diet but also for food-related parent-child interactions. Instead, a “health discourse” (i.e., active food-related mediation) might prevent food-related conflicts and foster a healthy growth in the future.

The role of teaching and learning materials and interaction as a tool to quality early childhood education in Agona East District of the Central Region of Ghana

Early years experiences in quality thinking and socialization are critical to the optimal development of children, and Quality Early Childhood Education (QECE), is crucial in achieving these quality developments. However, several literatures suggest that there is a general lack of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana inclusive. Meanwhile, the constructivists’ theory and other researches indicate that to ensure QECE, TLMs should be available and accessible to learners to interact with in advance and during a lesson. Using case study design therefore, data in the form of interview and observation were collected from twelve ECE schools in the Agona East District of the Central Region of Ghana. Participants composed of twelve ECE teachers and twelve headteachers of the schools totalling twenty-four. The findings suggest that participants perceived TLMs as very important factor in ensuring QECE provision. Again, TLMs were not readily available and so the children could not interact with them. The study further revealed that the unavailable nature of the TLMs hindered children's accessibility and active interaction with them. The findings further revealed that interaction could not feature prominently in the provision of the ECE due to unavailability and inaccessibility of TLMs. Based on the findings, it is suggested that teachers and providers of ECE should ensure that TLMs are made available and accessible to learners to interact with. Teachers should also devise innovative ways of creating and developing TLMs from their locality. Moreover, they should encourage and promote children’s active interaction with the TLMs, as this is a sure way of achieving learning.

Central Venous Access in Children: Technique and Complications

Children with complex diseases often need central venous catheter, not only for intraoperative use, but also for parenteral nutrition, multiple blood draw due to lab examination and to administer drugs that cannot be given via peripheral lines. Whereas the landmark driven vascular access was teached for years, nowadays the routine use of ultrasound based techniques can be called the gold standard. This article highlights standard locations for central venous access like cannulation of the internal jugular vein as well as novel alternatives such as the cannulation of the brachiocephalic vein. The correct insertion depth of central lines is essential to avoid serious complications. Several different formulas are available and can be used. Independent of the used formula, you have to make sure that complications due to incorrect depth of central venous line are a topic of the past. Finally, important tips and tricks to avoid failure and serious complications are discussed.

Improving the engagement of Aboriginal families with maternal and child health services: a new model of care.

Access in the early years to integrated community-based services that are flexible in their approach, holistic and culturally strong is a proven critical predictor of a child's successful transition to school and lifelong education and employment outcomes, providing long-term wellbeing. Studies show that participation in maternal and child health (MCH) services in Victoria, Australia, improve health outcomes for children and families, particularly for Aboriginal families. Poorer health outcomes and lower participation rates for these families in MCH services suggest there is a need for an urgent review of the current service model. The purpose of this paper is to outline the Early Assessment Referral Links (EARL) concept that was trialled in the Glenelg Shire in Victoria, Australia (2009-2014) to improve the engagement of Aboriginal families in MCH services. Development of EARL involved the core principles of appreciative inquiry to change existing patterns of conversation and give voice to new and diverse perspectives. A broad cross-section of the Aboriginal community and their early years health service providers were consulted and stakeholders recruited. Regular meetings between these stakeholders, in consultation with the Aboriginal community, were held to identify families that weren't engaged in MCH services and also to identify families who required further assessment, intervention, referral and/or support, ideally from the preconception or antenatal periods. Outcome measures used to evaluate the EARL concept include stakeholder meetings data, numbers of referrals, and participation rates of women and children in MCH services. Participation of Aboriginal women and children in MCH services was consistently above the state average during the pilot period, and significant numbers of Aboriginal women and children were referred to EARL stakeholders and other health professionals via EARL referrals. Additionally, there were increases in Aboriginal children being breastfed, fully immunised and attending Early Start Kindergarten. Identification of Aboriginal women and children at risk of vulnerability also improved with a dramatic increase in referrals for family violence and child protection, and decreased episodes of out-of-home care (OoHC) for children. Evaluation of pilot outcomes indicate that the EARL concept improved women and children's access to and engagement with MCH services, and identified more families at risk of vulnerability than the traditional MCH service model, particularly for Aboriginal women and children.

Evaluating network adequacy of oral health services for children on Medicaid in Arizona.

PurposeInadequate networks can prevent patients from being able to see the providers that they trust and depend upon, especially for children insured through Medicaid. To improve our understanding of poor oral health care outcomes, we conducted a test of network adequacy among Medicaid pediatric dental providers in Arizona through a “secret shopper” phone survey.MethodsThis study tested multiple components of children's access to oral health care, including reliability of provider directory information, appointment availability at the practice level for children covered under Medicaid versus commercial insurance, and compliance with regulatory standards. We contacted individual providers, following a standardized script to schedule a routine appointment on behalf of a 5-year-old patient enrolled in either a Medicaid or commercial plan. We documented the time until the next available appointment, if the practice was reached, and if the practice accepted the specified insurance plan.ResultsWe identified, catalogued, and attempted to call a total of 185 unique practices across Arizona. In four counties, we were unable to identify a single pediatric oral health provider through health plan directories. We observed minimal differences in appointment wait times between callers with commercial insurance and those insured through Medicaid.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the need to improve the accessibility of pediatric health services, especially in rural regions. Facilitating access to routine and recommended oral health screenings for children enrolled in Medicaid is imperative to appropriate stewardship and fulfilling our commitment to provide this vital public health resource.

Management of Central Venous Access in Children With Intestinal Failure: A Position Paper From the NASPGHAN Intestinal Rehabilitation Special Interest Group.

Intestinal failure requires the placement and maintenance of a long-term central venous catheter for the provision of fluids and/or nutrients. Complications associated with this access contribute to significant morbidity and mortality, while the loss of access is an increasingly common reason for intestinal transplant referral. As more emphasis has been placed on the prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections and new technologies have developed, care for central lines has improved; however, because care has evolved independently in local centers, care of central venous access varies significantly in this vulnerable population. The present position paper from the Intestinal Failure Special Interest Group of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) reviews current evidence and provides recommendations for central line management in children with intestinal failure.

Measuring "Language Access Profiles" in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children With the DHH Language Exposure Assessment Tool.

Purpose The purposes of this study were (a) to introduce "language access profiles" as a viable alternative construct to "communication mode" for describing experience with language input during early childhood for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children; (b) to describe the development of a new tool for measuring DHH children's language access profiles during infancy and toddlerhood; and (c) to evaluate the novelty, reliability, and validity of this tool. Method We adapted an existing retrospective parent report measure of early language experience (the Language Exposure Assessment Tool) to make it suitable for use with DHH populations. We administered the adapted instrument (DHH Language Exposure Assessment Tool [D-LEAT]) to the caregivers of 105 DHH children aged 12 years and younger. To measure convergent validity, we also administered another novel instrument: the Language Access Profile Tool. To measure test-retest reliability, half of the participants were interviewed again after 1 month. We identified groups of children with similar language access profiles by using hierarchical cluster analysis. Results The D-LEAT revealed DHH children's diverse experiences with access to language during infancy and toddlerhood. Cluster analysis groupings were markedly different from those derived from more traditional grouping rules (e.g., communication modes). Test-retest reliability was good, especially for the same-interviewer condition. Content, convergent, and face validity were strong. Conclusions To optimize DHH children's developmental potential, stakeholders who work at the individual and population levels would benefit from replacing communication mode with language access profiles. The D-LEAT is the first tool that aims to measure this novel construct. Despite limitations that future work aims to address, the present results demonstrate that the D-LEAT represents progress over the status quo.

Changes in Safer Internet Use of Children in Turkey between 2010-2015 and Impact of Contextual Issues*

The purpose of this study is to reveal the changes that occurred between 2010 and 2015 in the Internet activities performed, Internet use skills, online risks, and coping strategies related to such risks of children between the ages of nine and 16 in Turkey as well as the impact of the contextual issues on such changes. An explanatory design using mixed research methods was used for this study. In the quantitative part of the study, the data were collected from 784 children between the ages of nine to 16 who were selected, via a survey, from 12 regions in Turkey in 2015. The data were compared to 2010 data which used similar sampling method and instruments and which collected from 1018 children. In the qualitative part of the study, 84 participants were interviewed, including two children, two parents, two teachers, and a school administrator from each of the 12 regions. The results showed that the Internet access age for children has gradually decreased and that children's Internet access time has increased. An increase has also occurred in regard in the activities performed by children online, such as social networking and watching online movies or video clips, which adds up to an increase in the entertainment factor related to the Internet for children. A significant increase has also occurred in the number of children who feel uncomfortable when they are not online, seek new friends online, and receive general sexually explicit messages over the Internet due to the long hours that they spend online.

Acesso da criança na atenção primária í saúde: uma revisão integrativa

Objetivo: Analisar os fatores relacionados a garantia do acesso de crianças na atenção primária í saúde. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura realizada a partir das bases de dados ScIELO, LILACS e BDENF. Para a definição da pergunta norteadora utilizou-se a estratégia PICO e quanto ao processo de seleção dos estudos, utilizou-se o fluxograma PRISMA. As buscas abrangeram o perí­odo de 2014 a 2019, sendo selecionados os artigos disponí­veis em português, na í­ntegra e no formato original. Resultados: Identificou-se barreiras relacionadas ao acesso, principalmente organizacional, e fragilidades na articulação entre os diferentes ní­veis e locais de prestação de serviços. Conclusão: Faz-se necessário uma atuação de modo multiprofissional com a participação ativa do enfermeiro. Além disso, entende-se que precisa existir ví­nculo empático, longitudinal e integral entre os profissionais de saúde e as famí­lias.

A rapid review of the impact of quarantine and restricted environments on children's play and the role of play in children's health.

Amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, there is uncertainty regarding potential lasting impacts on children's health and educational outcomes. Play, a fundamental part of childhood, may be integral to children's health during crises. We undertook a rapid review of the impact of quarantine, isolation and other restrictive environments on play and whether play mitigates adverse effects of such restrictions. Fifteen peer‐reviewed studies were identified, spanning hospitals, juvenile and immigration detention and refugee camps. We found evidence of changes in children's access to play in crises and quarantine. These studies indicated how play might support children enduring isolation but lacked robust investigations of play as an intervention in mitigating impacts of restriction. Studies pertaining to children in isolation due to infectious disease outbreaks were notably absent. It is important that the potential effects of changes to such a crucial aspect of childhood are better understood to support children in this and future crises.

Inclusive Education for Refugee Children With Disabilities in Berlin—The Decisive Role of Parental Support

Inclusive education for persons with disabilities, although an internationally recognized human right, is far from being fully and adequately implemented. Since this crucial human right does not only apply to citizens, the lack of implementation holds true for refugees, too. Therefore, the present research elaborates on the extent to which the right to inclusive education is ensured for refugee children with disabilities in Berlin as well as on the obstacles and challenges with regard to access to this right. The theoretical basis of this research is formed by an outline and discussion of the manifold legal frameworks on different relevant levels of law and is contextualized by pertinent key concepts. Shedding light on the discrepancy between theory and practice, problem-centered expert interviews with six social workers in Berlin were conducted. These interviews were evaluated and analyzed according to the so-called Grounded Theory. It will be shown that apart from structural shortcomings and resource shortages, the parents' capacity is one of the decisive aspects on which the prospects of inclusive schooling depend on. Within this context, the research focuses on the parent's capacity in terms of, inter alia, knowledge about the education and support system and their personal conditions in either facilitating or constraining their children's access to inclusive education as well as on the importance of social worker's support and consultation measures which aim at strengthening the parent's capacity. Interestingly, this approach shifts away the focus from accusations on a structural level of policymaking to suggestions of improving low-threshold support systems.

Prevention of children’s eye health, current state and opportunities for further development – the Bulgarian perspective

Introduction: Preventive measures addressing children's eye health include early detection of visual impairments and timely treatment, which is a guarantee for long-term quality of life. Most of the causes of visual impairment are preventable or treatable. Improving children's eye health through prevention is one of the contemporary aspects of the nurse professional activity. Aim: The aim of the current article is to study and present the Bulgarian experience in the prevention of children's eye health and the participation of medical specialists in relative activities. Materials and Methods: An analysis of Bulgarian scientific literature, reflecting the national experience in the prevention of children's eye health and national regulations related to preventive activities and measures was conducted. A documentary method was applied. Results: The analysis showed that, at the moment in Bulgaria, only episodic regional prophylactic programs for children's vision are implemented. There are scarce data on the participation of nurses in the programs. The prophylactic activities for children's eye health provided by the NHIF are limited. Conclusion: Good eye health is a prerequisite for normal development and good quality of life. In order to improve children's health and equal access of children to preventive care, it is necessary to create a national program and the participation of a multidisciplinary team, including medical specialists and nurses.