Healthy Behaviors In Children Research Articles

Teacher-Student Relationships and Coping Styles in Chinese Children: The Chain Mediating Role of Peer Relationships and Psychological Suzhi.

As age increases, children will face more and more adversity. How effectively they cope with stress and difficulties of life is of great significance to the development of children's mental health and academic achievement. However, few studies have explored how different interpersonal relationships and psychological suzhi work together to influence children's healthy behaviors, particularly healthy coping in adversity. Therefore, this research focused on the teacher-student relationships and coping styles, as well as the chain-mediated effects of peer relationships and psychological suzhi. A total of 688 children (360 boys, 52.3%; Mage = 10.98 and SD = 0.89) completed questionnaires that assessed using teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, psychological suzhi, and coping styles. The results indicated that teacher-student relationships correlated positively with coping styles, peer relationships, and psychological suzhi in children. Besides, teacher-student relationships positively affected coping styles through both the mediating roles of peer relationships and psychological suzhi. This research elucidated the extrinsic and intrinsic factors impacting the coping styles of children, thus providing empirical validation of existing theoretical frameworks. In China, interventions aimed at promoting Chinese children's positive coping could benefit from strategies focused on cultivating high-quality relationships and enhancing psychological suzhi.

Using Human-Centered Design and Cocreation to Create the Live 5-2-1-0 Mobile App to Promote Healthy Behaviors in Children: App Design and Development

The prevalence of obesity among Canadian children is rising, partly because of increasingly obesogenic environments that limit opportunities for physical activity and healthy nutrition. Live 5-2-1-0 is a community-based multisectoral childhood obesity prevention initiative that engages stakeholders to promote and support the message of consuming ≥5 servings of vegetables and fruits, having <2 hours of recreational screen time, participating in ≥1 hour of active play, and consuming 0 sugary drinks every day. A Live 5-2-1-0 Toolkit for health care providers (HCPs) was previously developed and piloted in 2 pediatric clinics at British Columbia Children's Hospital. This study aimed to co-create, in partnership with children, parents, and HCPs, a Live 5-2-1-0 mobile app that supports healthy behavior change and could be used as part of the Live 5-2-1-0 Toolkit for HCPs. Three focus groups (FGs) were conducted using human-centered design and participatory approaches. In FG 1, children (separately) and parents and HCPs (together) participated in sessions on app conceptualization and design. Researchers and app developers analyzed and interpreted qualitative data from FG 1 in an ideation session, and key themes were subsequently presented separately to parents, children, and HCPs in FG-2 (co-creation) sessions to identify desired app features. Parents and children tested a prototype in FG 3, provided feedback on usability and content, and completed questionnaires. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used for the qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. In total, 14 children (mean age 10.2, SD 1.3 years; 5/14, 36% male; 5/14, 36% White), 12 parents (9/12, 75% aged 40-49 years; 2/12, 17% male; 7/12, 58% White), and 18 HCPs participated; most parents and children (20/26, 77%) participated in ≥2 FGs. Parents wanted an app that empowered children to adopt healthy behaviors using internal motivation and accountability, whereas children described challenge-oriented goals and family-based activities as motivating. Parents and children identified gamification, goal setting, daily steps, family-based rewards, and daily notifications as desired features; HCPs wanted baseline behavior assessments and to track users' behavior change progress. Following prototype testing, parents and children reported ease in completing tasks, with a median score of 7 (IQR 6-7) on a 7-point Likert scale (1=very difficult; 7=very easy). Children liked most suggested rewards (28/37, 76%) and found 79% (76/96) of suggested daily challenges (healthy behavior activities that users complete to achieve their goal) realistic to achieve. Participant suggestions included strategies to maintain users' interest and content that further motivates healthy behavior change. Co-creating a mobile health app with children, parents, and HCPs was feasible. Stakeholders desired an app that facilitated shared decision-making with children as active agents in behavior change. Future research will involve clinical implementation and assessment of the usability and effectiveness of the Live 5-2-1-0 app.

Using Games to Promote Healthy Behavior in Children: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND: Games are a fairly effective method to overcome public health problems, especially in children. AIM: This study aims to review the use of games to promote healthy behavior in children. METHODS: The method used is to search for literature published in PubMed in 2017–2021. Search using the keywords: Games, intervention, children, health, and behavior. Based on the search, 452 articles were found. Then, the articles are selected based on inclusion criteria, which are open-access articles, original research, and addressing behavioral problems related to public health. RESULTS: Based on the inclusion criteria, 18 articles were selected to be analyzed. The 18 articles discussed the use of games to overcome health behavior problems in children. In detail, there are three articles on mental health, eight articles on nutritional behavior, four articles on physical and sedentary activity, one article on dental health, and two articles on hand washing practices. CONCLUSION: The game method is mostly used to shape nutritional behavior. There are still few articles that discuss clean living behaviors, such as waste management. So that research is needed that looks at the effectiveness of the game method to shape waste management behavior in children.

Oregon Parents’ Perceptions of the Supportiveness of the School Environment for Their Children's Health Behaviors

ObjectiveTo describe Oregon parents’ perceptions of their children's school regarding health behaviors; examine how perceptions vary by parent, child, and community characteristics; and identify recommendations for improving school environments. MethodsOregon parents with an elementary school–aged child completed an electronic survey. ResultsOver 90% of parents (n = 814) described their child's school as supportive of healthy eating and physical activity. Parents who ate ≥5 fruits/vegetables per day more often perceived their children's school as unsupportive of healthy eating (P < 0.001) and physical activity (P < 0.05) relative to others. Parents of children eligible for free/reduced-price lunch more often perceived the school as unsupportive of physical activity (P < 0.05) relative to others. Parental recommendations included improving school meals and providing short physical activity breaks. Conclusions and ImplicationsParents’ suggested school improvements can inform school wellness committees’ and administrators’ quality-improvement efforts and, in turn, better support children's healthy behaviors.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the use of dental care services during early childhood: an epidemiological survey.

The use of dental care services contributes to the improvement of children's healthy behaviors, reducing the prevalence of future dental problems. In this way, the purpose of this study was to describe the use of dental care service during early childhood and the possible socioeconomic inequalities in this use. Data from the Brazilian Oral Health Survey (SB Brasil, 2010) were used. Interviews with the children's parents and clinical examinations with the children were conducted in a 5-year-old representative sample. Descriptive, bivariate and multiple hierarchical statistical analyses were applied. Of the 7241 children included, 3812 (53.2%) had used dental care services at least once in their lifetimes, and 1872 (48.8%) had used services for check-up/prevention. The use of dental services was greater among children with a higher family income (P < 0.05). The use of check-ups was lower among children with non-White skin color (Black and Browns) and among those who did not live in state capitals (P < 0.05). Clinical conditions and self-perception were also associated with the use (P < 0.05). Socioeconomic differences in the general use of dental care and in its use for check-ups were identified during early childhood, indicating the presence of inequalities.

Parents and Teachers Acting as Change Agents: The Influence of Nutritional Knowledge to Support the Development of Healthy Behaviors in Children in Rural Appalachia

Parents and Teachers Acting as Change Agents: The Influence of Nutritional Knowledge to Support the Development of Healthy Behaviors in Children in Rural Appalachia

Social determinants of health behaviors in primary school children: A cross-sectional study of both migrant and resident children in Beijing, China.

Childhood risky behaviors always result in adverse health outcomes. These behaviors are greatly affected by social environment and individual factors. However, few studies explored the social determinants of schoolchildren's health behaviors. In this cross-sectional study, the social determinants of health behaviors were examined among both migrant and resident students in Beijing, China. Data of 967 children from six urban and suburban primary schools were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that less than 60% of children performed some healthy behaviors, although their health knowledge was generally good. Children's health behavior scores were greatly determined by school characteristics, health knowledge, demographic characteristics, and family context. Therefore, improving health education and conditions in primary schools is the priority to promote children's healthy behaviors, especially for disadvantaged children.

Perceived Parental Barriers to and Strategies for Supporting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating among Head Start Children.

Despite the need for parents to support their children's healthy behaviors, knowledge of factors preventing parents from doing so is still rudimentary. This study primarily aimed to explore perceived parental barriers to and strategies for supporting physical activity and healthy eating among Head Start children. A semi-structured interview format was used with four focus groups conducted at two urban Head Start centers in the Midwestern U.S. A qualitative content analysis of audio-recorded sessions was facilitated using ATLAS.ti7. A convenience sample of 32 parents (Mage=34.97years) participated. Over half were female (78.1%), African Americans (65.6%), and single (65.6%). About 61.3% reported an annual family income <$20,000, and 43.8% were unemployed. Three themes reflected the barriers: (1) intrapersonal (child): short attention span and limited eating preferences; (2) interpersonal (parent): lack of time and cooking skills and a tight family budget; and (3) environmental: inaccessible programs, lack of age-appropriate education, electronic media use, and unsafe environment. Parents across all groups expressed high interest in enrolling in a program with their children. Recommendations included: parents' support team; family outings at parks; taking a walk or enrolling in a class with children; and planting a garden. Many parents showed their preference for face-to-face meetings and a support group, but repulsion of counseling. To promote parental support in future interventions with Head Start children, their perceived intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental barriers should be considered as intervention targets. Involving parents through a support group and face-to-face meetings is recommended.

Self-perceived oral health influences tooth brushing in preschool children.

This study assessed the influence of socioeconomic and clinical factors, as well as parent's perception of child's oral health on the toothbrushing frequency of 0-5-year-old children. The study was carried out in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, during the National Children's Vaccination Day, and 478 children aged 0-5 years were included. Data were collected by clinical examinations and a structured questionnaire, conducted by 15 calibrated examiners and 30 supports. A questionnaire was filled out by the parents with information about several socioeconomic indicators, perception of child's oral health and frequency of tooth brushing. The main outcome was collected by the question: "How many times a day do you brush your child's teeth?". Multivariable Poisson regression model taking into account the cluster sample was performed to assess the association between the predictors and outcome. Children whose parents related worse perception of child's oral health showed less tooth brushing frequency (PR 1.23; 1.06 - 1.43). Young children brush their teeth less than the older ones (PR 0.90; 0.84 - 0.96); and lack of visit to a dentist was predictor for less tooth brushing frequency (PR 1.29; 1.05 - 1.59). Parent's perception of child oral health influence children's healthy behaviors, supporting the evidence that psychosocial factors are strong predictors of children's oral health.

Feasibility of an Individualized, Home-Based Obesity Prevention Program for Preschool-Age Children

This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of an individualized, home-based routines intervention targeting preschool-age children's everyday sleeping and eating routines. Using a one-group, pre–post design (N = 11), single mothers with 3- to 5-year-old children participated in an intervention over 6 weeks. Data (self-report, actigraphy, and family mealtime observations) were collected at baseline and 1-month post intervention. Mothers found the intervention acceptable, and point estimates for the intervention effects were in the expected direction. Individualized, home-based interventions targeting everyday mealtime and sleep routines hold promise in assisting mothers with developing and sustaining their children's healthy behaviors and decreasing their overweight and obesity risks.

Factors Associated With Health Behaviors in Middle Childhood

Health behaviors of school-aged children are the precursors of adolescents' health-risk behaviors. The study reported here is the first wave of a cohort-sequential longitudinal study of health-risk behaviors in youth. Using a youth resilience framework, researchers collected data from 1,934 youth in Grades 4-6. Statistically significant differences in health behaviors were found for gender, ethnicity, and grade level, which accounted for only 2% of the variance. Risk and protective factors accounted for an additional 18% of variance in health behaviors. With the federal mandate for schools to establish wellness policies, school nurses are ideally situated to influence school environments to support children's healthy behaviors.