Sociodemographic Characteristics Of Children Research Articles

Children and young people's body mass index measures derived from routine data sources: A national data linkage study in Wales.

Routine monitoring of Body Mass Index (BMI) in general practice, and via national surveillance programmes, is essential for the identification, prevention, and management of unhealthy childhood weight. We examined and compared the presence and representativeness of children and young people's (CYPs) BMI recorded in two routinely collected administrative datasets: general practice electronic health records (GP-BMI) and the Child Measurement Programme for Wales (CMP-BMI), which measures height and weight in 4-5-year-old school children. We also assessed the feasibility of combining GP-BMI and CMP-BMI data for longitudinal analyses. We accessed de-identified population-level GP-BMI data for calendar years 2011 to 2019 for 246,817 CYP, and CMP-BMI measures for 222,772 CYP, held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank. We examined the proportion of CYP in Wales with at least one GP-BMI record, its distribution by child socio-demographic characteristics, and trends over time. We compared GP-BMI and CMP-BMI distributions. We quantified the proportion of children with a CMP-BMI measure and a follow-up GP-BMI recorded at an older age and explored the representativeness of these measures. We identified a GP-BMI record in 246,817 (41%) CYP, present in a higher proportion of females (54.2%), infants (20.7%) and adolescents. There was no difference in the deprivation profile of those with a GP-BMI measurement. 31,521 CYP with a CMP-BMI had at least one follow-up GP-BMI; those with a CMP-BMI considered underweight or very overweight were 87% and 70% more likely to have at least one follow-up GP-BMI record respectively compared to those with a healthy weight, as were males and CYP living in the most deprived areas of Wales. Records of childhood weight status extracted from general practice are not representative of the population and are biased with respect to weight status. Linkage of information from the national programme to GP records has the potential to enhance discussions around healthy weight at the point of care but does not provide a representative estimate of population level weight trajectories, essential to provide insights into factors determining a healthy weight gain across the early life course. A second CMP measurement is required in Wales.

“You cannot stay with one person once you begin having sex at a young age”: the prevalence, correlates and effects of early sexual debut among children in Ghana

BackgroundChildren’s initiation of early sex has several negative implications on their sexual and reproductive health, growth and development. In Ghana, few studies on early sexual debut have focused on adolescents. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence, causes, correlates and effects of early sexual debut among children aged 8 to 17 in Ghana using secondary data from the Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.MethodsA convergent parallel mixed-method approach guided the study. Descriptive statistics and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to analyse the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.ResultsThe study found that the prevalence of early sexual debut among children was 13.2%, which is more predominant among female children. The main causes of early sexual debut include engaging in sex after watching pornography, self-desire to have sex, and being influenced by alcohol consumption. Also, age, sex, education, marital status, religion, ecological zone, living arrangements, and access to the Internet were significant correlates of early sexual debut. Early sexual debut increases children’s risk of unwanted pregnancy, which leads to the termination of children’s education or induced abortion. Also, early sexual debut had adverse impacts on the wellbeing of pregnant children and increased children’s risk of multiple lifetime sexual partners.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that socio-demographic characteristics of children (e.g., age, sex, education, and marital status) were significant correlates of early sexual debut. Policymakers need to design appropriate interventions, considering the socio-demographic characteristics of children, to curb its occurrence in Ghana.

Nutritional Status of Children in the PROFISEM Intervention Zone: Logone Occidental and Wadi-Fira in Chad

In Chad, as in most sub-Saharan African countries, the nutritional situation remains a major concern, and is an underlying cause of many other health problems. The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status of children aged 6 to 59 months in the provinces of Logone Occidental and Wadi-Fira, in order to contribute to a better management of nutritional problems. The study was carried out between August 16 and October 10, 2022, and involved 207 children aged 6 to 59 months in Wadi-Fira, and 63 aged 6 to 59 months in Logone Occidental. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire and measurements to collect data on the children's socio-demographic characteristics and anthropometry. Analysis of the children's nutritional status was based on the z-score of nutritional indices and edema according to 2006 WHO references. Analysis of the results showed that the prevalence of global acute malnutrition is 18.84%, chronic malnutrition affects 30.9% and underweight affects 32.9% of children in Wadi Fira. In Logone Occidental, about 1/10 child (9.20%) suffers from acute malnutrition, 33.6% from chronic malnutrition and 22.8% from underweight. In Wadi-Fira, the nutritional situation is considered critical, with more than one child on 15 suffering from global or moderate acute malnutrition. In Logone Occidental, the nutritional situation is precarious for both forms of acute malnutrition. The nutritional situation in both provinces needs a reinforcement of current actions in the fight against malnutrition.

Socio-demographic characteristics of children and young people with primary brain tumours: comparison between a public and private sector tertiary hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Primary brain tumours (PBTs) are the commonest solid tumours in children and young people (CYP). A study was conducted at a private and a public sector hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, to determine the socio-demographic and tumour-related characteristics of CYP with PBTs between those presenting to the public and private hospitals. A total of 49 patients were included. The commonest PBT was pilocytic astrocytoma (29%). There were no differences in tumour-related characteristics between the two groups. However, parents of CYP with PBTs presenting to the public sector hospital were significantly less educated and had lower household incomes. No significant differences in age, gender, educational status, and ethnicity of CYP with PBTs were observed. Since CYP with PBTs presenting at the public sector hospital were from significantly lower socioeconomic backgrounds and their parents were less educated, it suggests socio-economic disparities in PBT care for CYPs in Karachi, Pakistan.

An evaluation of spinal anesthesia results in pediatric patients undergoing pilonidal sinus surgery: a retrospective study

Aims: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy, side-effects, and complications of spinal anesthesia (SpA) in children undergoing pilonidal sinus surgery with SpA.
 Methods: The records of pediatric patients who underwent pilonidal sinus surgery with SpA from January 2019 to March 2023 were retrospectively evaluated from the database in the Samsun University Samsun Maternity & Children's Training and Research Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Türkiye. Children's sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and vital signs, motor block duration, operative time, and complications were recorded.
 Results: Eighty-one patients underwent pilonidal sinus surgery with SpA, 54 (66.7%) boys and 27 (33.3%) girls, with a mean age of 14.38±1.29 years. The patients’ mean body mass index was 26.83±1.1 kg.m-2, and the success rate was 96.3% (n=78). Eleven (13.6%) patients received supplemental anesthesia among the 78 procedures completed using SpA. The incidence of complications was 5.1% (n=4). Intraoperative hypotension developed in two cases and postoperative vomiting in two, all of which resolved with no sequelae.
 Conclusion: Our retrospective analysis suggests that pediatric SpA is a safe and effective technique for children undergoing pilonidal sinus surgery. However, further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Correlates of child mental health and substance use related emergency department visits in Ontario: A linked population survey and administrative health data study.

Knowledge of the sociodemographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics of children visiting emergency departments (EDs) for mental health or substance use concerns in Ontario, Canada is lacking. Using data from a population-based survey linked at the individual level to administrative health data, this study leverages a provincially representative sample and quasi-experimental design to strengthen inferences regarding the extent to which children's sociodemographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics are associated with the risk of a mental health or substance use related ED visit. 9,301 children aged 4-17 years participating in the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study were linked retrospectively (6 months) and prospectively (12 months) with administrative health data on ED visits from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System. Modified Poisson regression was used to examine correlates of mental health and substance use related ED visits among children aged 4-17 years over a 12-month period following their survey completion date, adjusting for ED visits in the 6 months prior to their survey completion date. Subgroup analyses of youths aged 14-17 years who independently completed survey content related to peer victimisation, substance use, and suicidality were also conducted. Among children aged 4-17 years, older age, parental immigrant status, internalising problems, and perceived need for professional help were statistically significant correlates that increased the risk of a mental health or substance use related ED visit; low-income and suicidal ideation with attempt were statistically significant only among youths aged 14-17 years. Knowledge of the sociodemographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics of children visiting EDs for mental health and substance use related concerns is required to better understand patient needs to coordinate effective emergency mental health care that optimises child outcomes, and to inform the development and targeting of upstream interventions that have the potential to prevent avoidable ED visits. Growing rates of child mental health and substance use related ED visits have been observed internationally.A population-based survey linked at the individual level to administrative health data was used to examine the extent to which children's sociodemographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics are associated with the risk of a mental health or substance use related ED visit in Ontario, Canada.Older age, low-income, parental immigrant status, perceived need for professional help, internalising problems, and suicidality increase the risk of an ED visit.Knowledge of the characteristics of children visiting EDs can be used to coordinate effective emergency mental health care that optimises child outcomes, and to inform the development and targeting of upstream interventions that have the potential to prevent avoidable ED visits.

Mobile phones and children: exposure and pattern of usage of mobile phones among children - a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: Mobile phone as an invention of the modern world has managed to penetrate not only the most distant parts of the world but also various age groups in a person’s life. There is a need to evaluate the children’ interactions with these modern devices as they might have a significant effect on their behavior, sleep patterns, and psychological addiction. Objectives of the research were: to study the socio demographic characteristics of children using mobile phones, to determine the average time duration of exposure to mobile phones, and to determine the age of initial exposure to mobile phones. Methods: It was a descriptive cross sectional observational study. The study was conducted at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital. All the children between the age group of 0-12 years visiting the pediatric outpatient department fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Results: Of the 248 children enrolled in the study mobile phone exposure was found in 143 (57.66%) boys and 105 (42.34%) girls. 67.74% of the parents agreed that the mobile phones were being used by their children just for fun without any intended or specific use. 26% of the times it was used to engage the children when the parents were busy. 30.24% of the kids had a screen time of less than 30 minutes on a daily basis. 23.39% of the children were used to the screen for more than 2 hours in a day, on a cumulative basis. It was noted that more than 50% of children were exposed to mobile phones within 1 year of age. The earliest age of exposure to mobile phone was 2 months of age. Conclusions: Regardless of the socioeconomic status the accessibility and the owning of the mobile phones is same across the socioeconomic strata. The need of the hour is to raise awareness among the parents regarding the excessive use of mobile phones among children and their possible adverse impacts on physical and psychosocial health.

Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Disorders in Children Aged 9 and 10 Years: Results From the ABCD Study

To estimate the prevalence of current DSM-5 disorders in children 9 to 10 years of age and their associations with sociodemographic and physical characteristics. In this analysis of Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) first wave study data, current child mental disorders were based on the computerized parent version of Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) for DSM-5 (N= 11,874) supplemented with the child version of K-SADS for mood and selected anxiety disorders and with teacher Brief Problem Monitor ratings for the attention and externalizing scales. Child sociodemographic (race/ethnicity, nativity, parental marital status, parental education, family income) and physical (sex, pubertal stage, weight status, maternal age) characteristics were derived from parent report and anthropometric measurement. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI assessed associations with child mental disorders. The prevalence of any current mental disorder was 10.11%, including 11.48% among boys and 8.68% among girls. After controlling for several sociodemographic and physical characteristics, boys (OR= 1.53, 95% CI= 1.17-1.99), children from families with incomes below $25,000 (OR= 2.05, 95% CI= 1.31-3.22) and families with incomes of $25,000 to $49,000 (OR= 1.90, 95% CI= 1.20-3.00) (reference: $75,000), and obese children (OR= 1.45, 95% CI= 1.16-1.81) (reference: healthy weight) were at increased risk for any current child mental disorder. Children from the lowest family income group were at particularly high risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (OR= 3.86, 95% CI= 1.69-8.79) and disruptive behavior disorders (OR= 4.13, 95% CI= 1.86-9.15). These patterns underscore the importance of strengthening service planning, preventive interventions, and etiological research focused on children from low-income families. We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented sexual and/or gender groups in science. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.

Identifying factors that shape whether digital food marketing appeals to children.

Children are frequently exposed to unhealthy food marketing on digital media. This marketing contains features that often appeal to children, such as cartoons or bold colours. Additional factors can also shape whether marketing appeals to children. In this study, in order to assess the most important predictors of child appeal in digital food marketing, we used machine learning to examine how marketing techniques and children's socio-demographic characteristics, weight, height, BMI, frequency of screen use and dietary intake influence whether marketing instances appeal to children. We conducted a pilot study with thirty-nine children. Children were divided into thirteen groups, in which they evaluated whether food marketing instances appealed to them. Children's agreement was measured using Fleiss' kappa and the S score. Text, labels, objects and logos extracted from the ads were combined with children's variables to build four machine-learning models to identify the most important predictors of child appeal. Households in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 39 children aged 6-12 years. Agreement between children was low. The models indicated that the most important predictors of child appeal were the text and logos embedded in the food marketing instances. Other important predictors included children's consumption of vegetables and soda, sex and weekly hours of television. Text and logos embedded in the food marketing instances were the most important predictors of child appeal. The low agreement among children shows that the extent to which different marketing strategies appeal to children varies.

Frequency of Iron Deficiency Anemia and Its Association with Persistent Diarrhea, Weight and Parasitic Infestation in Children, 1-2 Years of Age in Semi-Rural Area of District Sialkot, Pakistan

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common health problem in Pakistan and persistent diarrhea under two years of age is one of its major reasons. Objectives: To determine the frequency of IDA among children 1-2 years of age and to find its association with persistent diarrhea and parasitic infestation. Methods: In this hospital-based study, 345 children 1-2 years of age visiting OPD of Tehsil Headquarter Hospital, with persistent diarrhea were included. Socio-demographic characteristics of children and their parents collected with the questionnaire while total body iron stores determined by checking Hemoglobin (Hb), Serum Ferritin and Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) in the blood while parasitic infestation was determined by Ova and Cyst in the stool samples. Chi-square test was used to test association. Results: Out of total children, 55.9% children were bottle fed, weaning was started among 97.7% children at the age of 6 months, 44.9% had weight <8 kg, 53.0% children were anemic, had TIBC >450 µg/dl and serum ferritin level <7 ng/ml. The association of IDA with age, gender, mode of feeding, food allergies and vaccination history were significant while it was insignificant with persistent diarrhea and parasitic infestation. Conclusions: Study concluded that IDA was very frequent among children in less than 2 years of age and among contributing factors, lack of beast-feeding and diarrhea are important. Correlation was significant between IDA with age and feeding mode while association was insignificant with persistent diarrhea and parasitic infestation

Types of kindergarten and their relationship with parental and children's socio-demographic characteristics in Denmark.

In Danish outdoor kindergartens, children are spending most of the day outdoors often in forests or similar nature environments. These children are assumed to be healthier than children attending conventional kindergartens, however, factors related to choosing a specific type of kindergarten may explain the differences. To better understand this, we aimed to investigate parents reasons for choosing either outdoor or conventional kindergartens based on a mixed-method participatory Concept Mapping approach, and further if parental socio-demographics and early child characteristics differed prior to enrolling children to either type of kindergarten using a cohort register-based approach. Parents of children attending outdoor kindergartens (n = 23) weighed reasons such as "physical setting, outdoor life, and freedom of movement" high, whereas "a good first impression of the kindergarten" was an important reason for parents choosing a conventional kindergarten (n = 22). In the register-based approach, 2434 and 2643 children attended outdoor or conventional kindergartens, respectively. The parents choosing outdoor kindergartens as well as their children differed according to most investigated characteristics, including origin (maternal non-Western: 4.2% vs. 21.9%, p < .0001), educational level (maternal long education: 45.6% vs. 33.0%, p < .0001), prematurity (5.1% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.004) and sex (females: 43.5% vs. 48.6%, p = <0.0013). In conclusion, parental reasons for choosing kindergarten as well as parental socio-demographics differed substantially among kindergarten type. These differences might cause selection bias if not considering when comparing health outcomes among children attending different kinds of kindergartens.

Parity, Maternal-Child Oral Interactions and Early Childhood Caries (ECC) among Northern Nigerian Hausa children

Objective: To determine the relationship of parity, maternal-child oral interactions, child socio-demographic characteristics and child oral health behaviours with early childhood caries (ECC). Predisposing factors including mother-child kissing, maternal premastication of food and mother-child sharing of utensils were considered.

Associations Between Age of Onset of Pediatric Overweight/Obesity, a Child's Sociodemographic Characteristics, and Characteristics of a Child's Home Census Tract.

To identify associations between age of onset of overweight/obesity, a child's sociodemographic characteristics, and characteristics of a child's home census tract. Retrospective electronic health record review of children with overweight/obesity. Three primary care centers associated with a free-standing, tertiary-care pediatric institution in Cincinnati. Patients born between August 1, 2013 and July 31, 2014, who had a body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile before 5years of age (n = 794). Primary outcome was the patient's age at the first encounter when BMI was ≥85th percentile. Patient-level predictors were sex, age, race/ethnicity, health insurance, and number of moves captured in the health record. Census tract-level predictors were density of bus stops, presence of grocery stores, and a Socioeconomic Deprivation Index. Multivariable linear regression models assessed for independent associations between age of onset of overweight/obesity and predictors. Patients were 55.8% female, 73.6% black, and 79.1% publicly insured. Each additional move per year was associated with onset of overweight/obesity occurring 4.05 months earlier (P < .0001). No significant associations between age of onset of overweight/obesity and census tract-level density of bus stops (P = .82), presence of grocery stores (P = .39), and socioeconomic deprivation (P = .53) were demonstrated. Public policy efforts toward improving access to grocery stores or public transportation may not be sufficient to prevent childhood obesity. Population-level interventions related to improving housing may also reduce obesity.

Attitudes and perceptions of mothers towards childhood vaccination in Greece: lessons to improve the childhood COVID-19 vaccination acceptance.

BackgroundMaternal attitudes and beliefs have been shown to influence childhood vaccination coverage, resulting in under-vaccination, non-vaccination, and vaccination delay. This study aimed to investigate the mothers' attitudes and perceptions about vaccination for their children in Greece.MethodsThis was an online cross-sectional study, conducted from 4 April to 8 June 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information about mothers' and their children's socio-demographic characteristics, previous vaccination behavior, and mothers' attitudes and perceptions about childhood vaccination. Participants included adult mothers with at least one minor child.ResultsOne thousand eight hundred eighty-five mothers participated, with the majority (91.7%) believing in the usefulness of vaccines and that vaccines protect children from serious and life-threatening diseases. A larger percentage of mothers with higher educational attainment agreed/absolutely agreed that all vaccinations provided by the National Vaccination Program must be offered to their children (91.6%) (p = 0.02) and that vaccines protect children from serious and life-threatening diseases (92.9%) (p = 0.01). Significant more married/in cohabitation and not single-parent mothers agreed that vaccines are safe (53.5% and 53.4%, respectively). There were also several significant associations between maternal attitudes toward childhood vaccination and previous maternal vaccination practices [(e.g., adherence to recommended vaccination dosages (all p-values < 0.01), vaccination delays (all p-values < 0.05), and vaccination during pregnancy (all p-values < 0.01)].ConclusionMaternal attitudes and perceptions toward childhood vaccination are significantly influenced by sociodemographic factors and maternal vaccination practices. Revealing those is essential for public health officials in developing future strategies to improve childhood vaccination coverage and acceptance of new vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine.

Association of infant and child health characteristics with the hazard of any medical condition or disability in Australian children

BackgroundThe incidence of any medical condition (e.g., sight, hearing, and speech problems, blackouts, chronic pain etc.) or disability (e.g., limited use of arms or fingers, legs, and feet, or other physical long-term health condition limiting everyday activities etc.) have been increasing among Australian children in recent decades.ObjectivesThis study assessed whether infant or child health characteristics might be predictors of subsequent medical conditions or disabilities in children in the first 15 years of life.MethodsUsing time to event data of 5107 children, obtained from the Birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, the study estimated the incidence of any medical condition or disability using the survival analysis technique. This study followed up the children from birth to 14 or 15 years of age (2004–2018) and assessed the association of infant and child health characteristics (birthweight, gestational age, use of intensive care unit or ventilator during their neonatal age and obesity) with hazard of any medical condition or disability using the random effect parametric survival regression model. The infant characteristics were measured in the Wave 1 while the children were aged 0/1 year and obesity characteristics were measured longitudinally over all the waves up to 14/15 years of age.ResultsThe hazard rate of any medical condition or disability for all participants was 26.13 per 1000 person-years among children in Australia. This hazard incidence rate was higher among low birthweight (39.07) children compared to the children of normal birthweight (24.89) children. The hazard rate also higher among obese (34.37) children compared to the normal weight children (24.82) and among those who had received after-birth ventilation or intensive care unit emergency services (36.87) compared to those who have not received these services (24.20). The parametric panel regression model also suggests that children with low birthweight were 1.43 times (Hazard Ratio: 1.43, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.05–1.94) more likely to have any medical condition or disability than children with normal birthweight. The time to event analyses also revealed that being recipient of after-birth emergencies (HR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.23–1.75), being male children (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.14–1.48) or being obese (HR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.07–1.79) significantly increased the likelihood of the incidence of a medical condition or disability among children. The regression model was adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics of children and mothers..ConclusionsThe study findings suggest that infants with low birth weight, hospital emergency service use and children with obesity would benefit from additional health care monitoring to minimize the risk of any medical condition or disability.

Socio-demographic characteristics of children and young adults with varied asthma control- does it make a difference?

The socioeconomic status and caregiver perception of asthma as a disease, the availability of specialty care and medication adherence have major influence on outcome of asthma control in children with asthma. The control of asthma therefore depends on the optimizing the interplay of these factors taking into consideration the regional and racial variations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between socio-demographic factors and asthma control outcome in children with asthma. This was a cross-sectional study involving 66 consecutively enrolled participants with asthma whose economic burden for asthma was assessed in a previous study. Based on the number of registered children attending the clinic, a minimum sample size of 66 calculated for this study was obtained.The participants were consenting children and young adults between the ages of 1 and 20 years. Using standard methods, data on socio-economic status, personal and family demographics, including household number, mothers' educational attainments and employment status; and asthma control were collected and analyzed. Asthma control was assessed using Asthma control test (ACT) and guided by the original developers scoring, participants were grouped into well controlled, partly controlled and uncontrolled. The Chi-square test was used to test for association between participants' socio-demographic characteristics (age, socioeconomic status, mothers' education and employment, and number of children in the household) and asthma control status at 5% level of significance. Of all study participants, 34 (51.55%) were male, with mean age (SD) of 11.6 (4.8) years. The mean (SD) age at initial asthma diagnosis was 6.2 (4.6) years. The majority 49(76.5%) of the mothers had tertiary education. Study participants belonging to the poorest; very poor; poor; and least poor socio-economic cadres were, 16 (24.2%); 17 (25.8%); 17 (25.8%); and 16 (24.2%) respectively. Asthma control classification showed that, 26 (39.4%); 31 (47%) and 9 (13.6%) participants had well controlled asthma, partially controlled asthma and uncontrolled asthma respectively. The factors like age, socioeconomic status, mothers 'educational level, employment status and number of children in the household did not show any statistically significant association with the asthma control status of participants. Asthma control outcome remains multifactorial as participants' socio-demographic characteristics did not impact on the level of control of asthma, among participants in the south eastern parts of Nigeria, despite being in a LMIC. A larger study is recommended to further explore this.

Clinical Profile and Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in Southern Odisha

Introduction: Severe acute Malnutrition (SAM) is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality amongst less than five years of age. In the National Family health Survey (NFHS), it was seen that 10% of children with SAM would require hospital admission. Even with establishment of nationwide Nutritional Rehabilitation centres (NRC) and standard guidelines, the problem of SAM is high in Odisha. The present study was undertaken to look at the clinical profile of the children with SAM in southern Odisha. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from one month to 60 months of age with SAM who were admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital. Demographics, clinical features, laboratory tests were recorded and tabulated. Results: We enrolled 70 SAM children (screened = 3288) for our study who were primarily nutritional. Exclusive breast feeding till six months was present in 26%, and all had inadequate complementary feeding. The major clinical presentations of SAM were diarrhea (36%), fever (34%) and poor weight gain (29%). Conclusions: Majority of SAM had low birth weight, and had poor rates of exclusive breast feeding, inadequate complementary feeding, and recurrent infections.

Family and personal factors associated with the participation of children with special needs in leisure activities: A Turkish perspective

ObjectiveThe primary aims of the current study were to describe the participation patterns in leisure activities of children between the ages of 6 and 15 years with special needs and to analyze family behavior and personal factors that affect participation. Material and methodsOverall, 112 children with special needs aged 6–15 years and their families participated in the present study. Children's sociodemographic characteristics, participation patterns in leisure activities, family behavior, and quality of life were evaluated. ResultsIn this study, it was observed that children participated in recreational activities the most and in physical activities the least. Most of the families reported that they did not have an influence on determining the activity. The findings showed correlations between leisure activities and age, gender, and socioeconomic status (p < 0.05). ConclusionThe findings suggest that (a) children's participation in activities outside the home and (b) family guidance are insufficient. Thus, rehabilitation professionals can inform families about activities appropriate for children, positive family behavior, and social support programs.

25.2 EARLY IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 SHIFT TO REMOTE LEARNING ON ACUTE CHILD MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN US CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS

The objectives of this session are to: 1) examine variation in the percentage change in acute care encounters in US children’s hospitals by primary physical and mental health diagnosis before and after the COVID-19 shift to remote learning (RL); and 2) examine how the percentage change in primary psychiatric acute care encounters varies by child sociodemographic and clinical characteristics before and after the COVID-19 shift to RL.

COVID 19 Outbreak and Care Givers' Management Approach of their Children who undergoing Hemodialysis

Background: COVID-19 is an acute pulmonary infection caused by a coronavirus and characterized by several clinical characteristics ranging from asymptomatic to respiratory failure that required special care. Aim: Evaluate the impact management approach for caregivers regarding prevention and control strategies of COVID19 for their children undergoing hemodialysis. Study Design: Quasi-experimental design was used. Setting: The study was conducted at pediatrics dialysis units at Mansoura University Children’s Hospital. Subjects: A convenient sample of (34) children undergoing hemodialysis therapy & their caregivers who accompanied them. Tools: three tools used in this study; Tool (I): Include three parts: Socio-demographic characteristics of the studied children, Clinical information of the studied children undergoing hemodialysis, and Sociodemographic characteristics of children's caregivers. Tool (II): included two parts; Knowledge of caregivers related to hemodialysis, knowledge of caregivers related to COVID19, and Preventive and control strategies of Covid19 used by caregivers for their children undergoing hemodialysis therapy. Tool (III): Strategies and precautions followed by caregivers related to hemodialysis therapy and preventive and control strategies of Covid19 used by caregivers for their children undergoing hemodialysis therapy. Results: The results revealed that there was a statistically significant effect on caregiver’s knowledge regarding hemodialysis, COVID-19. In addition to there was a statistically significant difference in the application of COVID19 prevention precautions followed by caregivers for their children undergoing hemodialysis through the program phases with P<0.001.Conclusion: a significant improvement of caregiver’s knowledge regarding the hemodialysis, COVID-19 post & follow up implementation phases compared with the pre-implementation phase. In addition to there was also a significant improvement in the application of preventive and control strategies of Covid19 followed by studied caregivers for their children who undergoing hemodialysis after the program application. Recommendation: Infectious disease guidelines of the COVID-19 epidemic should be conducted by healthcare staff in pediatric dialysis centers in order to reduce the transmission of infection among children with chronic renal failure.