Cuban Children Research Articles

Promotion of Cuban Traditional Popular Dances to High School Students

Traditional popular culture and all its components play an important role in the comprehensive general education of the new generations. This article exposes the results of research aimed at promoting the popular traditional Cuban dances <i>Cha Cha chá</i>, <i>Pilón</i>, and <i>Mozambique </i>, among the 8th-grade students of the Conrado Benítez Mixed Center, in Cifuentes, in Cuba. The diagnostic study carried out found insufficient knowledge, in said schoolchildren, about traditional Cuban popular dances. The empirical methods used in the research were: document analysis, participant observation, surveys, interviews, and group techniques. The diagnosis of needs prepared and its analysis allowed the design and development of workshops aimed at the objective of the study. Which had as fundamental characteristics that they were in correspondence to the age of the schoolchildren, stimulated the practice of the proposed dances, and, above all, that motivated the taste for them Its evaluation validated the effectiveness of the developed workshop system for the promotion of traditional dances. The results achieved confirm the need to revitalize and promote traditional popular culture in the comprehensive education of Cuban children, adolescents, and youth. Based on this need, the use of didactic means allowed the acquisition and implementation of the knowledge achieved, by the students, in participatory events of the school and the surrounding community.

Cuban COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: Rinaldo Puga MD MS Principal Investigator, Pediatric Clinical Trials for Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus.

Cuba's decision in September 2021 to launch a massive vaccination campaign against COVID-19 for children as young as two years old turned heads around the world-of clinicians, immunologists, public health experts, governments and regulatory authorities alike. Since then-and just as pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations reached record numbers globally-some two million Cuban children and adolescents have received the Cuban Soberana vaccines (1.7 million, or 81.3% of that population through December 16, 2021).[1] Why did Cuban health authorities decide to vaccinate children? What clinical trials provided the evidence for such a course of action, especially for the youngest? And what have been the results thus far? To answer these and other questions, MEDICC Review spoke with Dr Rinaldo Puga, principal investigator for the completed phase 1/2 clinical trials of the Finlay Vaccine Institute's Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus vaccines in pediatric ages. Dr Puga's 30 years as a practicing pediatrician have been accompanied by teaching and research, the latter earning him awards from the Cuban Academy of Sciences, among others. He is currently chief of pediatrics and chair of the Scientific Council at the Cira García Clinic in Havana, which granted him leave to lead the pediatric vaccine trials.

Behavioral Battery for Assessing Temporal Processing of Language in Cuban Children

Behavioral Battery for Assessing Temporal Processing of Language in Cuban Children

Influence of Auditory-Verbal Therapy in Speech and Language Development in Cuban Children With Pre-Linguistic Sensorineural Hearing Loss With Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study

Motivated by a conjecture of Gyárfás, recently Böttcher, Hladký, Piguet, and Taraz showed that every collection T1,…,Tt of trees on n vertices with ∑i=1te(Ti)⩽(n2) and with bounded maximum degree can be packed into the complete graph on (1+o(1))n vertices. We generalise this result where we relax the restriction of packing families of trees to families of graphs of any given non-trivial minor-closed class of graphs.

Influence of Inflammation on Assessing Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Cuban Preschool Children

Anemia is a public health problem worldwide and is most prevalent in preschool children, for whom it is the most frequent cause of nutritional deficits. In turn, iron deficiency is the main cause of anemia, affecting 43% of children globally. Previous studies in Cuba show rates of iron deficiency in preschool children between 38.6% and 57.6%, higher in infants (71.2% to 81.1%). WHO recommends using serum ferritin as an indicator of iron deficiency accompanied by acute (C-reactive protein) and chronic (a1-acid glycoprotein) inflammation biomarkers. Assess how inflammation affects measuring and reporting of iron-deficiency anemia rates in Cuban preschool children. Data were obtained from serum samples contained in the National Anemia and Iron Deficiency Survey, and included presumably healthy preschool Cuban children (aged 6-59 months). Serum samples were collected from 1375 children from randomly selected provinces in 4 regions of the country from 2014 through 2018. We examined the association between ferritin and two inflammatory biomarkers: C-reactive protein and a1-acid glycoprotein. Individual inflammation-adjusted ferritin concentrations were calculated using four approaches: 1) a higher ferritin cut-off point (⟨30 g/L); 2) exclusion of subjects showing inflammation (C-reactive protein ⟩5 mg/L or a1-acid glycoprotein ⟩1 g/L); 3) mathematical correction factor based on C-reactive protein or a1-acid glycoprotein; and 4) correction by regression with the method proposed by the Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia Group. We estimated confidence intervals of differences between unadjusted prevalence and prevalence adjusted for inflammation by each method. The proportion of children with inflammation according to C-reactive protein concentrations >5 mg/L was lower (11.1%, 153/1375) than the proportion measured according to the concentrations of a1-acid glycoprotein, at >1 g/L (30.8%, 424/1375). The percentage of children with high concentrations of at least one of the aforementioned biomarkers was 32.7% (450/1375). Thus, each correction method increased the observed prevalence of iron deficiency compared to unadjusted estimates (23%, 316/1375). This increase was more pronounced when using the internal regression correction method (based only on C-reactive protein) or the method based on a higher cut-off point. Adjustment using all four methods changed estimated iron deficiency prevalence, increasing it from 0.1% to 8.8%, compared to unadjusted values. One-third of preschool children had biomarkers indicating elevated inflammation levels. Without adjusting for inflammation, iron deficiency prevalence was underestimated. The significant disparity between unadjusted and inflammation-adjusted ferritin when using some approaches highlights the importance of selecting the right approach for accurate, corrected measurement. The internal regression correction approach is appropriate for epidemiological studies because it takes into account inflammation severity. However, other models should be explored that account for inflammation and also provide better adjusted ferritin concentrations.

An American Perspective of the Dental and Public Health Initiatives in Cuba

Aim: To compare following the Cuban Revolution, Cuba’s economy and civil society was transformed by the initiation of a program of nationalization and political consolidation. The Cuban government operates a national health system and assumes fiscal and administrative responsibility for the healthcare of its citizens. Other industrialized nations continue to surpass the US in health-related outcomes indicating areas of improvement in its healthcare system. Assessing the successes and failures as well as the advantages and disadvantages of other countries’ healthcare systems may be instrumental in the development of modifications to the organization and delivery system of healthcare in the US. This paper aims to report the information attained from previous literature as well as from first-hand observations from a public health trip to Cuba in order to compare the healthcare systems in Cuba and the United States. Materials and Methods: A group of New York University College of Dentistry faculty and students traveled to Cuba in April 2019 for professional research and professional meetings (CFR 515.564). While in Cuba, the researchers took written notes of the lecture-based material and conversations. Upon return to the United States, published literature was searched for the collection of any additional data and all qualitative data and quantitative data was compiled and organized. Since 1959, Cuba has made continuous adjustments and improvements to its universal, free and accessible healthcare system. Results: There have been notable improvements to the country’s public health status, such as the implementation of an immunization program and subsequent eradication of communicable diseases, such as polio and rubella. Additionally, the implementation of the National Program on Dentistry guarantees dental care to all Cuban children under the age of 19. Today, the Cuban National Health System (NHS) initiatives have evolved to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Conclusion: Recognizing the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the Cuba’s National Health System (NHS) would be useful for future policymakers in the United States. Cuban approaches to health could be tailored to the United States environment to improve healthcare effectiveness and population health status in the future.

Operation Pedro Pan and the Exodus of Cuba's Children

Operation Pedro Pan and the Exodus of Cuba's Children

Reference values of plasma homocysteine in Cuban children and adults

Abstract Objectives Homocysteine (Hcy) is a nonessential amino acid, produced by the demethylation of methionine. High Hcy levels, or hyperhomocysteinemia, have been associated with genetic and multifactorial diseases. Hcy reference values may vary between different populations, as Hcy levels are affected by factors such as sex, age, diet, smoking, and coffee consumption. The estimation reference interval (RI) allows to establish the normal values of this marker in population. At present, these levels are unknown in Cuba. The aim of this work is to estimate the Hcy reference intervals in Cuban children and adults. Methods Total Hcy concentration was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in plasma. Hcy levels were evaluated in samples from 507 healthy individuals (260 children, 247 adults). Results RIs were estimated by nonparametric methods. We found significant differences between both age groups, but we did not find significant differences between sexes, within these groups. The established ranges were 2.56–14.55 µM and 3.63–17.19 µM for children and adults, respectively. Also, we observed a weak association between Hcy levels and age in both sex groups. Conclusions This is the first study that assesses Hcy reference values in Cuban population. Our results will allow the introduction of Hcy as a biochemical marker in laboratory testing.

A Historical Inquiry Into Bilingual Reading Textbooks: Coloniality and Biliteracy at the Turn of the 20th Century

AbstractThe authors present an analysis of bilingual reading textbooks published at the turn of the 20th century. The authors examined the kinds of opportunities for learning offered by bilingual reading textbooks developed for students in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War. The analysis revealed challenges to understanding related to both the content and the structure of these textbooks, as well as the coloniality of knowledge embedded in them. The historical record also reveals a rejection of the format and content from scholars and educational leaders, and the subsequent turn toward reading materials, which better reflected the everyday experiences of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Filipinx children, albeit often monolingually rather than bilingually. Implications are offered for how contemporary literacy materials might support (bi)literacy development of bilingual students across the globe.

Book review : Dubinsky, K. (2010). Babies without Borders: Adoption and Migration Across the Americas. Toronto: University of Toronto Press

In Babies without Borders: Adoption and Migration across the Americas, historian Karen Dubinsky uses archival data to weave together a narrative that complicates common understandings of international and interracial adoption as either “imperialist kidnap” of children from vulnerable, poor or hapless parents, or humanitarian efforts at “rescue” of innocent children for the sake of their survival, development or spiritual salvation. By sharing her own experiences of adopting a child from Guatemala, she demonstrates how popular discourses of rescue and kidnap do not adequately describe the lived experiences of those involved. Her book discusses the manner in which the bodies of children become conduits through which a society’s fears operate and the manner in which children become emblems of the nation. Adopted children become symbols on the basis of which nations and its citizens are seen to be fighting communism, imperialism, racism or lack of social progress. The book explores history through the representation of three sets of symbolic children— the “National Baby” (Cuban children during the cold war), the “Hybrid Baby” (Interracial adoptions in Canada) and the “Missing Baby” (transnational adoption of children from Guatemala).

Cuban Youth Promote Healthier Diet through Art.

Art, education, health and nutrition: encouraging healthy eating at an early age is central to the World Food Programme’s (WFP) goals. To this end, using art as a learning and communications tool, the program sponsors WFP in Action, a drawing contest open to youngsters 5–18 years old. Cuba has participated in the contest nationally since the 1990s, and since 2002 has sent a selection of drawings annually to the international competition at WFP headquarters in Rome. In the 2018 edition of the contest, international judges received 5 drawings from each of 20 participating countries. Applying criteria of esthetic appeal, originality and artistic quality, they awarded 20 prizes. Four of the five drawings from Cuba were among the international prize winners. The WFP reproduces prize-winning images in calendars, t-shirts, and other materials to promote their programs and raise funds towards ending world hunger and child malnutrition. WFP began its collaboration with Cuba in 1963, providing emergency relief after Hurricane Flora devastated the island’s eastern provinces. Today, WFP programs in Cuba aim to boost food and nutritional security among the country’s most vulnerable populations, strengthen the food supply chain with an emphasis on high-protein beans (a Cuban dietary staple) and consolidate community resiliency and responsiveness in disaster risk management. MEDICC Review is pleased to reproduce this year’s four winning drawings by Cuban children—each of whom hails from a different province.

Cuban Experience Using Growth and Development as a Positive Indicator of Child Health.

Growth and development is considered the best positive indicator of children's quality of life and well-being. Studies have been carried out in Cuba since the early 20th century and large scale, periodic an-thropometric surveys have been regularly conducted by its National Health System to chart modifications in growth patterns of children and adolescents. These surveys have produced national references for the anthropometric indicators most commonly applied in individual assessment of the health and nutritional status of children and ado-lescents in health care settings. These have also provided data for estimating the magnitude and characteristics of secular growth trends, and for comparing growth of Cuban children with that of children in other countries and with WHO's proposed growth standards. The data have also served as evidence of persisting social gradients. The most important results include, as positive data, the positive secular trend in school-aged children's growth of 9.7 cm between 1919 and 2005, with an average increase of 1.1 cm per decade, and, in preschool children, 1.9 and 1.8 cm in boys and girls, respectively, between 1972 and 2015. More recent studies have detected unfavorable changes associated with a marked increase in adiposity and, therefore, in the prevalence of excess weight and obesity. Another interesting result is the gradual movement toward WHO height-for-age standards in preschool children in Havana, verified in surveys conducted in 2005 and 2015. KEYWORDS Growth and development, growth, child development, children, adolescents, nutrition, obesity, pediatrics, Cuba.

The association between dengue immunoglobulin G titres with previous clinical dengue infection and white cell counts in Cuban children: A population-based study.

BackgroundThe prevalence of dengue infection is increasing globally. There are few prospective population-based surveillance studies of the immunological and inflammatory consequences of exposure to dengue virus in young children.ObjectiveTo study the association between serologically confirmed prior medical diagnosis of dengue infection and blood measures of systemic inflammation with dengue virus immunoglobulin G levels.MethodsA population-based study of healthy three-year old children living in Havana, Cuba.Results865 individuals provided a blood sample. Fourteen (1.6%) had a prior medical diagnosis of dengue infection, and 851 individuals had no prior medical diagnosis. There was no difference in the serum immunoglobulin G titres between these groups (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.49). Total white cell count, blood neutrophil and eosinophil counts were linearly associated with a dengue immunoglobulin G value above the median value.ConclusionsThere was no difference between the dengue immunoglobulin G titres in young children who had previously had clinically proven dengue infection compared to those who had no diagnosis of prior infection. This may be a consequence of a relatively high prevalence of sub-clinical infection. A higher dengue immunoglobulin G level was positively associated with a range of inflammatory biomarkers, although these data cannot demonstrate a causal association.

Adaptación y Validación del Test of Emotion Comprehension en escolares cubanos

ResumenLa comprensión emocional en los niños incluye todo un conjunto de habilidades para entender las emociones propias y ajenas. Para la evaluación de este constructo fue construido por Pons y colaboradores (Pons, Harris y de Rosnay, 2004) el Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). El trabajo realizado constituye la adaptación de la prueba para la población de niños cubanos de 8 a 10 años, teniendo como objetivo analizar algunas de sus propiedades psicométricas. Para ello se efectuó un estudio cuantitativo, de tipo instrumental, con una muestra de 200 escolares seleccionados aleatoriamente. El procesamiento de los datos se hizo mediante el paquete estadístico SPSS 21.0, específicamente se determinó la confiabilidad de la prueba a partir del método test-retest, así como la correlación entre la escala y el ítem global, empleándose el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson. Se efectuó el análisis factorial confirmatorio, con el uso del programa AMOS 21.0, utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales para determinar la validez de constructo del TEC. Los resultados muestran una elevada correlación entre los resultados de la primera y la segunda aplicación de la prueba que avalan su estabilidad temporal y confiabilidad. Se determinó que el modelo presenta un buen ajuste, según los índices consultados, garantizando su aplicabilidad en los niños cubanos. AbstractEmotional understanding in children includes a whole set of skills to understand one's own and others' emotions. For the evaluation of this construct was constructed by Pons and collaborators (Pons, Harris y de Rosnay, 2004) the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). The work carried out constitutes the adaptation of the test for the population of Cuban children aged 8 to 10 years, aiming to analyze some of their psychometric properties. For this, a quantitative study, of an instrumental type, was carried out with a sample of 200 randomly selected students. The data were processed using the statistical package SPSS 21.0. The reliability of the test was determined from the test-retest method, as well as the correlation between the scale and the global item, using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed using the AMOS 21.0 program, using structural equation models to determine the construct validity of the TEC. The results show a high correlation between the results of the first and the second application of the test that support its temporal stability and reliability. It was determined that the model presents a good fit, according to the indexes consulted, guaranteeing its applicability in Cuban children.

Prevalence, incidence and factors associated with adverse reactions to foods in Cuban infants. A population-based cohort study

The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in Cuban children is high, but little is known about adverse reactions to foods. To determine the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for adverse reaction to foods in children. Population-based cohort study carried out in Havana, Cuba, in a three-year period. Parents of 1543 children provided medical and lifestyle information from the first to the third year of age, which was collected using a questionnaire. An adverse reaction to foods was defined by medical diagnosis reported by the parents or caregivers. Annual cumulative incidence was 5.7%, 1.9% and 0.8%, whereas annual prevalence was 5.7%, 4% and 2.5% at 1, 2 and 3 years of age, respectively; 8% of infants had experienced an adverse reaction to foods when they turned 3 years of age. Cow milk was the most commonly implicated food. Main risk factors were allergenic food consumption, use of antibiotics, factors related to the presence of allergens, maternal history of overweight during pregnancy and allergy to insect bites. Adverse reaction to food is a significant clinical problem in children from Havana. Modifiable risk factors were identified, the understanding of which will help to direct effective intervention strategies.

Soil-transmitted helminth infections and intestinal and systemic inflammation in schoolchildren

•The objective of this study was to assess whether soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are associated with systemic and local intestinal inflammation in school-age children. In two studies in schoolchildren in Cuba (N = 1389) and in Cambodia (N = 2471), STH infections and calprotectin concentrations were measured in stool samples and acute phase proteins C-reactive protein (CRP) and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) were measured in blood. Associations between STH infections and elevated concentrations of CRP, AGP and calprotectin were estimated using multiple logistic regression. The prevalence of elevated CRP concentration (≥5 mg/L) was 5.4% in both populations. Elevated AGP (≥1 g/L) was found in 39.5% of the Cambodian children and 11.3% of the Cuban children. Fecal calprotectin was elevated (≥50 mg/kg) in 9.4% of the Cambodian children and 3.7% of the Cuban children. STH infections in Cuba were mainly due to Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, with prevalences of 5.2% and 3.2%, respectively. In Cambodia, hookworm was the most prevalent species (16.3%). We found no significant associations between elevated concentrations of either acute phase proteins or fecal calprotectin and STH infections. We observed a trend towards an inverse association between elevated CRP and STH infections in both studies. STH infections are not associated with either local intestinal or systemic inflammation. The trend towards less elevated CRP concentration in STH infections may indicate a reduced risk of metabolic inflammatory diseases, which merits further investigation.

Dengvaxia sensitizes seronegatives to vaccine enhanced disease regardless of age.

During a large scale clinical efficacy trial of the Sanofipasteur live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia), features of hospitalized disease accompanying dengue infections in placebo recipients were closely similar to those in vaccinated children. However, the age specific hospitalization curves for these two populations differed. The curve for children vaccinated at ages 2-16 years closely resembled the 1981 age specific hospitalization rate curve for Cuban children infected with DENV 2 who were sensitized by a prior DENV 1 infection. The corresponding age specific hospitalization curve for placebos experiencing heterotypic secondary dengue infections peaked at age, 9-11 years. These differing epidemiological features support the conclusion that antibody dependent enhanced (ADE) dengue disease occurred in seronegatives who were sensitized by vaccine. As hospitalizations continue to occur in all age groups Dengvaxia consumers should be warned that sensitized vaccinated seronegatives will experience enhanced dengue disease into the forseeable future.

A presença infantil e o lugar do espectador em práticas cênicas com crianças: os alcances da crise da representação nas infâncias cubanas

Os estudos sobre a presença infantil na cena e o lugar do espectadorcriança no contexto cubano vêm encarando grandes desafios a partirdos impactos da chamada crise da representação. Esse é um fenômeno que manifesta a tensão presente no modelo de representação da Primeira Modernidade que instaurou as equivalências entre o representante e o representado, trazendo para as culturas infantis uma alteraçãoradical do simbólico, situando as crianças cubanas num entrelugar. Nessesentido, o artigo expõe os fenômenos que em Cuba vêm incidindo naconfiguração da presença infantil e do lugar do espectador em práticascênicas infantis, a partir do jogo, da performatividade e da teatralidade,bem como aborda as razões do poder da representação no teatro entre as crianças e os adultos.

Hepatitis B virus infection assessed 3 to 18years after vaccination in Cuban children and adolescents born to HBsAg-positive mothers.

Thirty-two participants, aged between 3-18 years, born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers and vaccinated at birth were analyzed for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Overall, 56% had anti-HB titers ≥10IU/L; five were positive for antibodies to the core antigen (anti-HBc), and two of these were also positive for HBsAg/DNA. One of the HBsAg/anti-HBc double-negative children presented with an unusual occult infection (HBV DNA-positive). No known vaccine escape mutations were detectable. Our data suggest that the vaccine protected 93.8% of children in this high-risk group against chronic HBV infection. Occult infections should be considered even in countries with low endemicity and high vaccination coverage.

Disability-adjusted Life Years for Diabetes in Cuban Children and Adolescents, 1990-2010.

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Shifts in diabetes onset to earlier ages, globally and in Cuba, signify greater risk of early complications and premature death, with consequent economic and social repercussions for families and health systems. OBJECTIVE Describe the trend in diabetes burden in Cuban children and adolescents in the period 1990 to 2010, in terms of disability-adjusted life years. METHODS A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted of diabetes burden in Cuba, analyzing the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 for the age group 0–19 years. Disability-adjusted life years were obtained from the sum of potential years of life lost plus years lived with disability. The first is calculated based on total deaths in the country in which diabetes was recorded as underlying cause; the second from the product of severity, as assigned to diabetes in similar studies, and incidence and average duration, provided by the DISMOD II program, which estimates six internally consistent epidemiological indicators. RESULTS Mortality indicators improved, with a decrease in the rate of potential years of life lost in boys from 21.9/100,000 population in 1990 to 0 in 2010, and in girls from 38.8/100,000 in 1990 to 4.9/100,000 in 2010 (1% of disability-adjusted life years in girls in 2010, corresponding to one death). In contrast, years lived with disability increased by 134.5% in boys and 156.4% in girls. The net result was that disability-adjusted life years increased by >100% in both sexes (from 137.2 to 321.9/100,000 in boys and from 157.3 to 403.3/100,000 in girls, increases of 102.3% and 108.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Disability-adjusted life years lost for diabetes in Cuban children and adolescents have increased, due to disability, while mortality has decreased.