Children's Mobility Research Articles

Children's collective embodiment—Mobility practices and materialities in mobile preschools

AbstractThis article looks at young children's mobility practices in public spaces within the context of a mobile preschool practice (i.e., a preschool in a bus), with a specific focus on how materialities matter in children's mobilities. Using ethnographic data from a mobile preschool, we argue that the mobile preschool group's mobility should be understood in terms of collective embodiment and the mobile preschool should be viewed as a movingcollective bodyin public space through which children can negotiate their own mobility practices and exercise agency. We show how this collective body is constituted through an assemblage and collaboration of children's and teachers' bodies and material objects. Collective embodiment not only enables and supports children's mobilities in public space but also helps young children to appropriate and claim their democratic right to public space through the visible copresence of bodies and things.

. Дорога в школу: разнообразие миров детства (на материалах эмпирического исследования "Дети и пространства")

The article presents an empirical study of the spatial movements of children, based on the key theoretical and methodological aspects of the study of children's everyday life. The description of the features of children's mobility is based on the study of the "home – school" route, as well as a comparative analysis of children's movements by gender, age and type of settlement, which characterizes the content and independence of children's mobility.

Маршруты оффлайн и онлайн-жизни детства: событийный анализ

The article substantiates the expansion of factors of children's mobility and the inclusion of a temporal factor associated with the characteristics of time: age-related debuts of movements, the transformation of individual episodes of activity into group routes, the sequence of development of environmental objects, the influence of the specific historical situation of residence. There are three areаs of movements in independent mobility – intrafamily, extrafamily, and virtual mobility. Based on the author's study in 2018, the temporal characteristics of many events of modern childhood are presented and some forecasts and hypotheses of the relationship between mobility and growing up are described.

Educational Pathway and Social Mobility in Children of Immigrants

This paper looks at degree completion and wages of immigrants to understand the extent to which a student’s chosen educational pathway limits his or her social mobility. Statistical modeling established the predictive strengths of key variables on educational pathway and statistical analysis is used to understand the relationship between educational pathway, degree completion, and wages. Findings show that educational pathway mediates many of the background determinants that previous research identified as key mechanisms for immigrant social mobility. Furthermore, findings also identify a significant “pathway wage penalty” despite degree completion. New immigration plus births to immigrants added more than 22 million people to the U.S. population in the last decade, equal to 80 percent of total population growth. Immigrants and their children now account for more than one in five public school students. The impact of immigrants and their children on the US population, and the education system, underscores the importance of research examining the immigrant experience.

Assessing the Impact of Barrack Environment on Independent Mobility of Children in the Military Barrack of Nigeria

Independent mobility of children living in the barrack is declining over the last four decades due to its unfriendly environment. There are limited studies on children-environment relationships in Nigeria, especially in the barrack. Available studies from social sciences and public health studies lack policy connection with the child-friendly environment for improved independent mobility. Hence, this study aimed to develop a child-friendly barrack environment policy framework for enhanced independent movement of children. The safety and security, barrack environmental quality, basic services, quality of housing, and children’s participation were five characteristics of a child-friendly environment considered. They exogenously predicted improved independent mobility of children in the barrack. On the other hand, the endogenous construct consists of the land-use change, destination accessibility, home range, travel time, and population density of the barrack. A total of 390 parent and primary school children aged 5-12 living in the Nigerian Air Force Barrack in Kaduna jointly assessed the five barrack environment characteristics and five indicators of children’s independent mobility. The survey questionnaire was analysed using SPSS and PLS-SEM. Consequently, the principal component analysis showed high factor loading for the five characteristics and four independent mobility indicators except for the land use that fell below 0.7 thresholds. The outer weights of the reflexive measurement items were high which signified strong correlations. Hence, barrack environment characteristics strongly predicted improved independent mobility of children. Thus, the structural model’s path coefficient of 0.585 explained 58.5% variance in the independent mobility of children in the barrack residential area. The coefficient of determination R2 value is 0.342, and the p-value is at 0.000 level of significance. It provided an environment planning policy framework to monitor interventions and halt the declining rates of children's independent mobility in the military barrack of Nigeria. The conceptual framework developed is applicable in the para-military barrack, housing estates and compact cities in African countries including Nigeria.

Quality of Life and Patient Reported Outcomes in Severe Chronic Neutropenia

Introduction: Few studies have evaluated the quality of life (QOL) in those with chronic neutropenia. We present the largest such study to date with an additional extensive evaluation of patient reported outcomes (PROs) within this patient population. Methods: Adult & pediatric patients (or their caregivers) aged 5 years or greater electively completed the adult or pediatric PedsQL version 4.0 questionnaire and PROMIS short forms via an online survey tool following solicitation from the National Neutropenia Network. Survey measures were scored according to their respective scoring manuals. PROMIS scoring used item-level calibrations and patient raw scores were translated into standardized T-scores compared to healthy controls (mean 50, standard deviation 10) with higher scores representing more of the concept being measured. For PROMIS interpretations a minimally important difference (MID) between T-scores was considered ½ of one standard deviation. Demographic and health history questionnaires were also provided to participants. Calculated z-scores used means and standard deviations from previously published age-matched healthy controls. Data comparisons used t-test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test analyses. Results: Eighty adults & 14 children were assessed (Table 1). Chronic autoimmune neutropenia & cyclic neutropenia were the most common diagnoses in adults (45% & 25% respectively); while 43% of children had severe congenital neutropenia (SCN). The majority of adults (57%) receive G-CSF or GM-CSF (15% scheduled daily); 93% felt bone pain from the medication. A greater percentage of children receive G-CSF or GM-CSF (79% overall, 43% scheduled daily) but less (60%) felt bone pain. Bone pain from G-CSF or GM-CSF was rated as moderate or severe in 68% of adults & 40% of children (Table 1). Compared to healthy individuals (assuming mean of zero), patients surveyed had lower overall total QOL scores with a median z-score of -1.77 and interquartile range (IQR) of -3.48 to -0.23. Based on median (IQR) total PedsQL scores, there was a significant difference in the QOL between adults & children, as adults had a lower overall QOL (-2.12 (-3.54, -0.52) vs -0.17 (-1.71, 0.14); p=0.014). Adults showed no difference in mean total overall PedsQL scores for those with congenital neutropenia conditions (SCN & cyclic neutropenia) (mean 56.47, SEM 4.649) compared to those with acquired neutropenia (chronic autoimmune & idiopathic neutropenia) (mean 59.52, SEM 3.209) (p=0.5931). Pediatric patients with congenital neutropenia conditions (mean 68.37, SEM 5.959) showed a significantly lower QOL than children with acquired neutropenias (mean 85.7, SEM 4.304) (p=0.0428). Children & adults were noted to have higher overall scores of anxiety & anger compared to healthy controls (did not reach MID). Both groups also had reduced cognitive function scores compared to controls, with adults only meeting MID criteria (Table 2a). While adults had a MID decrease in physical function versus healthy controls, children with neutropenia were noted to have a MID increase in mobility. Adults described having significantly worse fatigue & pain than healthy controls. Interestingly, children with neutropenia had significantly less depression and stronger peer relationships than controls (Table 2a). Comparable PROMIS analyses between adult & pediatric patients showed a significant difference in fatigue (p=0.001) & depression (p=0.001) with adults noting elevated levels of the parameters. There was nearly a significant difference in pain between the two groups (p=0.081) but no difference in cognitive function, anxiety or anger scores (Table 2a). In-general proxy-reported pediatric PROMIS scores trended towards a negative impact of neutropenia on a child's mental health, mobility, pain, cognition and peer relationships. A significant difference (p=0.005) was noted in PROMIS mobility scores with patients self-reporting improved mobility versus controls and proxies describing reduced mobility (Table 2b). Conclusions: Chronic neutropenia undoubtedly complexly affects QOL and PROs. Assessments of these parameters by adult patients show a negative impact of the condition most prominently on QOL, physical function, fatigue, & pain. Children with neutropenia had comparable QOL scores to healthy controls but were reported to have fewer depressive symptoms, improved mobility and stronger peer relationships. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Application-Based Translaryngeal Ultrasound for the Assessment of Vocal Fold Mobility in Children.

To compare the evaluation of vocal fold mobility between flexible nasal laryngoscopy (FNL) and a handheld application-based translaryngeal ultrasound (TLUS) platform. Prospective analysis included patients with unknown vocal fold mobility status who underwent FNL and TLUS. Tertiary referral center. TLUS was performed on 23 consecutive children (<18 years old) presenting for laryngoscopy due to unknown vocal fold mobility status. After the recording of three 10-second TLUS videos as well as FNL, the study was divided into 2 parts: parental assessment of laryngeal ultrasound at the time of patient evaluation and random practitioner assessment of ultrasound videos. We describe 23 patients who underwent TLUS and FNL. Ten patients (43.5%) had normal vocal fold function bilaterally, and 13 (56.5%) had either left or right vocal fold immobility. Family members and physicians correctly identified the presence and laterality of impaired vocal fold mobility in 22 of 23 cases (κ = 0.96). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of FLUS in diagnosing vocal fold immobility were 92.3%, 100%, 100%, and 90.9%, respectively. Random practitioners accurately identified the presence and laterality of vocal fold immobility under all circumstances. A handheld application-based ultrasound platform is both sensitive and specific in its ability to identify vocal fold motion impairment. Portable handheld TLUS has the potential to serve as a validated screening examination, even by inexperienced providers, and in specific cases may obviate the need for an invasive transnasal laryngoscopy.

Smart media technologies controlling child's mobility (a case-study of Russian families)

ABSTRACTThis article presents the results of a case-study of children's smart-mobility which appears with the spread of smart wearables. The authors consider the formation of a socio-technical system that regulates behavior of a child in a city. Drawing on the data from three Russian families the authors consider the problems of strengthening the ethics of technological control in relations ‘child–parent’ and the habit of being ‘under surveillance’. The authors analyze new trends in family control and introduce the research ideas about social effects of children's mobility that is controlled with the help of special gadgets.

Examining mobility, independence, motor function, participation, and parental stress in a school-aged Turkish cerebral palsy population: a cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to describe a school-aged Turkish cerebral palsy (CP) population in terms of gross motor function, mobility, independence, and participation, and to investigate parental stress. Mobility (Functional Mobility Scale (FMS)), independence (Barthel Index (BI)), motor function (Gross Motor Function Measurement (GMFM)), functional classification (Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)), participation (Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument (PODCI)), and parents' stress (Parental Stress Scale (PSS)) of 100 school-aged children with CP aged 5-15years old were evaluated. School-related difficulties and restrictions were also questioned. Of the 100 children with GMFCS levels I-V, almost half had independent mobility on level or all surfaces according to the FMS, with a relatively high GMFM score (72.8%), and above average BI (12 from 20), and PODCI Global Functioning (62.8%) scores. Strong-to-very strong correlations were determined between all test batteries. A mean score of 42.3 ± 9.92 out of 90 was obtained for parental stress with a weak correlation to the GMFCS and the child's mobility distance according to family (p < 0.05). Turkish school-aged children with CP displayed functional abilities that are above average besides experiencing restrictions in the school environment. Parents' view on the physical condition of the school varied depending on functional and mobility levels of their children.

The effect of age & gender on children's mobility in Riyadh's neighborhoods

Children's mobility in terms of frequencies, challenges, and solutions have a direct impact on their lifestyle. The study aims to assess the notion of children's mobility within urban neighborhoods in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It further examines the effects of school proximity and age/gender of children on their mobility patterns within Riyadh's neighborhoods. A sample questionnaire for school going students are used to assess their mobility patterns. The study showed that age and gender have significant effects on mobility, which seemed to increase among males and older boys in particular. Although automobiles are still the dominant mode for traveling, there are significant differences in walking trips in favor of male students to neighborhood facilities including schools. The study concluded that there is a need for Saudi cities to adopt aggressive policies that promote walking for children and adults within and between nearby neighborhoods.

‘So that we don't spoil them’: understanding children's everyday mobility through parents’ affective practices

ABSTRACTChildren's everyday mobility and freedom of movement have been closely linked to parental practices, or what has been referred to as parental ‘mobility permits’ or ‘mobility licences’. Most research tends to focus on parental restrictions, while this article explores the affective practices Swedish middle-class parents use in order to enhance their children's mobility, i.e. how emotions are perceived as enabling parents’ and children's spatial experiences and thus their feelings of safety and security; as well as how emotions are talked of as disabling or disrupting the potential for children's mobility. These affective practices are analysed in relation to the parents’ self-reflexive positioning on a continuum between ‘the helicopter parent’ and ‘the engaged and enabling parent’. The material for the article is comprised of 33 interviews with the children's parents, carried out within a larger ethnographic research project on children's everyday mobility in Sweden.

Income-related inequality and inequity in children’s health care: A longitudinal analysis using data from Brazil

The Brazilian Unified Health System was created in the late 1980s to ensure free universal access to health care and was funded by taxes and social contributions. The persistent inequity in access to health services in favour of richer individuals in Brazil has been observed in the literature. However, to the best of our knowledge, no measurement of inequality in medicine use or private health insurance (PHI) among children has been performed with longitudinal data. This paper uses inequality indices and their decompositions to analyse the income-related inequalities/inequities in children's health care in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, using longitudinal data following children from 12 to 72 months of age. Our sample with data in all waves has between 1877 and 2638 children (varying according to outcome). We seek to answer three questions: i) How does the inequality/inequity in health care evolve as children grow up? ii) What are the main factors associated with inequality in children's health care? iii) How much of the change in inequality/inequity is explained by mobility in children's health care and income mobility? We found that inequities in health care have their beginnings in early childhood but that there was a reduction in inequity at 72 months of age. Ownership of children's PHI was associated with greater pro-rich inequity in health care. The reduction in inequality/inequity was linked to mobility in the sense that initially poorer children had greater gains in health care (a greater increase in PHI ownership and a lower reduction in medicine use). Despite this improvement among the poorest, apparently, the Brazilian public health service seems to fail to ensure equity in health care use among children, with possible long-term consequences on inequalities in health.

Children's mobility and environmental exposures in urban landscapes: A cross-sectional study of 10–11 year old Scottish children

Research into how the environment affects health and related behaviour is typically limited in at least two ways: it represents the environment to which people are exposed using fixed areal units, and, it focuses on one or two environmental characteristics only. This study developed a methodology for describing children's mobility and the complexity of their environmental exposure across a 1934 km2 study area, including urban, suburban and rural zones. It conceptualised and modelled this area as a landscape, comprised of spatially discrete amenities, infrastructure features, differing land covers/use and broader environmental contexts. The model used a 25 m2 grid system (∼3 million cells). For each cell, there was detailed built-environment information. We joined data for 100 10/11-year-old children who had worn GPS trackers to provide individual-level mobility information for one week during 2015/16 to our model. Using negative binomial regression, we explored which landscape features were associated with a child visiting that space and time spent there. We examined whether relationships between the features across our study area and children's use of the space differed by their sociodemographic characteristics.We found that children often used specific amenities outside their home neighbourhood, even if they were also available close to home. They spent more time in cells containing roads/transportation stops, food/drink retail (Incidence rate ratio (IRR):4.02, 95%CI 2.33 to 6.94), places of worship (IRR:5.98, 95%CI 3.33 to 10.72) and libraries (IRR:7.40, 95%CI 2.13 to 25.68), independently of proximity to home.This has importance for the optimal location of place-based health interventions. If we want to target children, we need to understand that using fixed neighbourhood boundaries may not be the best way to do it. The variations we found in time spent in certain areas by sex and socio-economic position also raise the possibility that interventions which ignore these differences may exacerbate inequalities.

A Cross-Sectional Description of Parental Perceptions and Practices Related to Risky Play and Independent Mobility in Children: The New Zealand State of Play Survey.

The potential for risky play and independent mobility to increase children’s physical activity, and enhance cognitive development and emotional wellbeing has been recognised for some time. The aim of this study was to describe the attitudes of New Zealand parents towards such risky play practices and independent mobility, the barriers preventing them from allowing their children to participate, and how often their children engaged in risky play activities. An online survey comprised mostly of validated scales and standardised questions was completed by a nationally representative sample of 2003 parents. We found that parents had neutral feelings about the risk of injury to their child through play, rather they were concerned about road safety and “stranger danger”. There was strong agreement that there are multiple benefits to be gained from exposure to risk and challenge, and that health and safety rules are too strict. However, 73% of respondents stated that their 5–12 year old child seldom or never engaged in four or more risky activities, and only 14.3% engaged in four or more often or always. While parents agree that their child is likely to benefit from risky play, they do not have the confidence to allow their children to engage in such activities. Future research should address barriers and fears when implementing strategies to facilitate risky play.

Associations between impairments and activity limitations components of the international classification of functioning and the gross motor function and subtypes of children with cerebral palsy.

[Purpose] Cerebral palsy (CP) encompasses a group of disorders of movement and posture with wide ranges of impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. Guiding management of children with CP by the ICF model is important to deliver quality services. This study aimed to explore relationship between CP subtypes and the Gross Motor Function Classification System-Expanded and Revised (GMFCS-E&R) and to examine differences in distribution of impairments and activity limitations across CP subtypes and GMFCS-E&R levels. [Participants and Methods] 70 children with CP (mean age: 6.5 ± 2.9 years) were classified using CP subtypes and GMFCS-E&R. Research assistants examined impairments including: scoliosis, scissoring, and inability to bear weight. Parents described their children’s transfers and functional mobility. [Results] CP subtypes and GMFCS-E&R levels were significantly associated. Scissoring and scoliosis were predominant in children in levels IV and V of the GMFCS-E&R. Only scoliosis was predominant in children with quadriplegia. Transfer activities and functional mobility were more limited in children with quadriplegia and in level V of the GMFCS-E&R. [Conclusion] Impairments and activity limitations components of the ICF can be differentiated by CP subtypes and GMFCS-E&R. Clinicians can use the two classification in providing comprehensive and individualized services for children with CP and their families.

Effect of Treadmill Training With Eyes Open and Closed on Knee Proprioception, Functional Balance and Mobility in Children With Spastic Diplegia.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of treadmill training with eyes open (TEO) and closed (TEC) on the knee joint position sense (JPS), functional balance and mobility in children with spastic diplegia.MethodsForty-five children with spastic diplegia aged 11–13 years participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to three groups of equal number. The control group (CON) underwent designed physical therapy program whereas, the study groups (TEO and TEC) underwent the same program, in addition to treadmill gait training with eyes open and closed, respectively. Outcome measures were the degree of knee joint position error, functional balance and mobility. Measurements were taken before and after 12 weeks of intervention.ResultsAfter training, the three groups showed statistically significant improvement in all measured outcomes, compared to the baseline with non-significant change in the knee JPS in the CON group. When comparing posttreatment results, the TEC group showed greater significant improvement in all measured outcomes, than the TEO and CON groups.ConclusionTreadmill training with eyes open and closed is effective in rehabilitation of children with diplegia, but blocked vision treadmill training has more beneficial effect.

Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Functional Mobility in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Functional Mobility in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Functional Mobility in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Functional Mobility in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Measuring change in gait performance of children with motor disorders: assessing the Functional Mobility Scale and the Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire walking scale.

AimTo examine the responsiveness and minimal important change (MIC) of two gait performance measures, the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) and the Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire walking scale (FAQ), in a paediatric inpatient setting.MethodSixty‐four children and adolescents with a motor disorder, including cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or stroke (25 females, 39 males; mean age [SD] 12y 6mo [3y 2mo], range 6–18y 6mo), were recruited. Physiotherapists scored the FMS and FAQ at the start and end of active gait rehabilitation. Change scores were compared with changes in gait capacity tests, the walking item of the Functional Independence Measure for Children, and a global rating scale (GRS) on the physiotherapists’ perceived change of the child's functional mobility. The GRS was also used to define the MIC.ResultsChange scores of the FMS and FAQ correlated between 0.35 and 0.49 with those of the capacity tests, 0.54 to 0.76 with the Functional Independence Measure for Children walking item change scores, and 0.57 to 0.76 with the GRS. The MIC values for the FMS and FAQ were 0.5 and 1.5 respectively.Interpretation FMS and FAQ can illustrate change in inpatient gait performance of children and adolescents with motor disorders. An improvement of one level in the FMS and two levels in the FAQ is considered as a clinically meaningful change.What this paper adds The Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) can detect change in children's inpatient gait performance.The Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire walking scale (FAQ) can also detect change in children's inpatient gait performance.A one‐level improvement in the FMS is clinically relevant.A two‐level improvement in the FAQ is clinically relevant.

A Conceptual Model of Personal and Environmental Factors Contributing to the Mobility in Children With Cerebral Palsy

A Conceptual Model of Personal and Environmental Factors Contributing to the Mobility in Children With Cerebral Palsy