Habits Of Children Research Articles

A Narrow Window: Booming Gluten-free Market and Fostering Healthy Dietary Habits in Children With Celiac Disease.

An expanding gluten-free marketplace has left children with celiac disease and their families with a host of new dietary options. The quality of these foods is inconsistent and processed items may be high in caloric content while lacking nutritional value. Assessing the dietary preferences of a cohort of children with celiac disease via cross-sectional survey, we find that these processed food items have become a staple of the gluten-free diet, and in many cases, these foods are consumed to the exclusion of healthy alternatives. Furthermore, children with celiac disease and their families become less interested in dietary education over time, indicating that the greatest opportunity for imparting a healthy diet may occur at the time of diagnosis.

Correlation between Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index, Life Style and Dietary Habits in Children and Adolescents Aged 6 to 18 Years in Tabriz, Iran

Introduction: The prevalence of childhood high blood pressure is rising fast. The possibility of high blood pressure augments with increasing body mass index (BMI), inappropriate dietary intake and lifestyle problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between blood pressure, body mass index, life style and dietary habits in children and adolescents aged 6 - 18 years in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study. Using data of the Sib software (the software used in the health transformation system) were collected. This data includes anthropometric information, some demographic factors, dietary intake and lifestyle of 425 children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. The data were analyzed by STATA software (MP 4.2 potable 2017). Results: The association between systolic blood pressure and dairy products (P = 0.02), watching TV / PC (P = 0.041), BMI quarter (P <0.001), BMI (P <0.001), and age (P <0.001) as well as the association between diastolic blood pressure with BMI quarter (P <0.001), BMI (P <0.001) and age (P <0.001) was statistically significant and the other variables did not show a meaningful statistical relationship. Conclusion: Age, BMI, less dairy consumption, and watching TV/PC has a relationship with high blood pressure. Therefore, nutritionists and health workers should consider the above considerations when making recommendations in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

DISTAL OCCLUSION AND DENTAL CROWDING: TREATMENT STRATEGY

Dental anomalies are the leading ones among dental diseases in the period of mixed (79,96%) and permanent (84,33%) dentition. According to the results of our studies, frequency of distal occlusion (up to 40%) and dental crowding (up to 65%) are the largest in structure of orthodontic pathology.
 The aim of the study is to analyze and summarize knowledge about ways of enhancement of treatment and prophylaxis efficiency in patients with distal occlusion and dental crowding.
 Genetic predisposition, early childhood diseases (including upper respiratory tract infections), children's bad habits, pathological state of teeth (adentia, impaction, micro-, macrodentia), micro-, macrognathia, functional disorders of maxillofacial area contribute a high percentage in structure of "risk factors" which lead to formation of distal occlusion with dental crowding. For each particular patient distal occlusion, complicated by dental crowding, is formed under the influence of combination of several "risk factors", where the first place belongs to disturbances of dental area: breathing, closing of lips, swallowing, chewing, speech.
 Today it is well known that the first step in correction of distal occlusion of dentitions is to evaluate the patient's potential growth. Treatment in the period of mixed dentition is important with relation to protection of palate from trauma by mandibular incisors with a large sagittal gap, prophylaxis of dysfunction of temporomandibular joint, psychological rehabilitation of children during speech formation, as well as to improve the prognosis of treatment in older age. The best period of treatment is a peak of growth and development. Growth is the most important factor in planning treatment of distal occlusion, since dramatic changes in correction are related to growth rather than teeth movement. Orthodontists forbear from recommendations for teeth extraction in growing patients, as they believe that it leads to worsening of face profile and does not allow to achieve optimal relationships of jaw and occlusion.
 In adult patients, complete conservative correction of distal occlusion is possible only in the absence of skeletal disorders. Combined method, namely combination of orthodontic treatment and orthognathic surgery, is an alternative for adults treatment.
 Adequate individual approach to orthodontic treatment in patients with distal occlusion complicated by dental crowding is based on a comprehensive clinical examination, scientific analysis and results interpretation of additional examination methods. Full functional occlusion is possible if all elements of dentition: occlusion, periodontal tissues, temporomandibular joints, muscles and nervous system, are considered. Stable results and positive prognosis are provided by normalization of physiological state of masticatory and mimic muscles.

Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Healthy Eating Habits in Children and Adolescents at Risk of Poverty: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The objective of this review was to provide an up-to-date review of trials that include behavioral intervention on the eating habits of children and adolescents at risk of poverty, applying meta-analysis to estimate the size of the intervention effect. A systematic literature search was performed in the following databases: MEDLINE via Pubmed and via EBSCOhost, LILACS and IBECS via VHL. The MeSH terms were used: “social class”, “poverty”, “diet”, “health promotion” (PROSPERO ID: 183900). A total of 14 articles were finally included in this systematic review. The primary results of the included studies were meta-analyzed with the RevMan 5.3 program, assuming a random effects model. Analysis of the overall effect showed combined standardized mean differences (SMD) of 0.16 (CI 95%: [0.03, 0.30], I2 = 76%). The p-value for the Z statistic was 0.02, which reflects accuracy in the effect estimation. When establishing subgroups based on the intervention tracking time points, studies that provided longer-term follow-up data showed a combined SMD of 0.15 (CI 95%: [−0.02, 0.32], I2 = 81%]). Small effects of behavioral interventions were found to promote healthy eating habits, but better effects were shown in cases where the invention was followed up in the long term.

Protocol: Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status of School-Aged Children in Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract Objectives Healthy eating habits in childhood promote optimal growth and development. With rapid globalization and urbanization, dietary patterns have been negatively impacted in many countries. For households and ultimately children, there is increased access to unhealthy, nutrient-poor, ultra-processed foods. In Pakistan, there is a persistent high burden of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coupled with rising overweight and obesity. The recent Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18 and National Nutrition Survey 2018 has offered insights into the nutritional status of children under-5 years, adolescents and women of reproductive age. However, there is a marked absence of school-aged children (5–9.9 years) within these surveys, and other school-based surveys miss children out-of-school. As such, the objectives of this research are to determine dietary intake, investigate the household and retail food environments and its association with nutritional status. Methods A multi-stage complex household survey was developed for the provinces of Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan. Both in-school and out-of-school-aged children are eligible to participate. Three core modules will be administered to the total sample of children (n = 3832) (and their caregivers): Module 1: Household, Module 2: Child and Module 3: Child Anthropometric Assessment. Three expanded modules will be administered to a subsample of children (n = 1691): Module 4: 24-hour Dietary Recall, Module 5: Child Biochemical Collection and Module 6: Food Environment. Results Preliminary results will be available in May 2020. Conclusions Given our limited knowledge of dietary intake and food environments of school-aged children in Pakistan, this research aims to provide an understanding of both upstream predictors and downstream health outcomes in order to inform policy and develop an evidence-based school health and nutrition intervention planned for 2021. Funding Sources The survey was undertaken under the auspices of the Ministries of Health, Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan with technical support from the Mother & Child Care & Research Inc. and Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Financial support was provided by the Trust for Vaccines & Immunizations Pakistan, MCCR, Governments, with additional unrestricted funding from the Societe des Produits Nestle Ltd, Switzerland.

Dietary Habits in Children with Respiratory Allergies: A Single-Center Polish Pilot Study.

Background: The rising trend in allergic diseases has developed in parallel with the increasing prevalence of obesity, suggesting a possible association. The links between eating habits and allergies have not been sufficiently clarified. Aim: To evaluate the nutritional status, eating habits, and risk factors of obesity and pulmonary function in children with allergic rhinitis. Materials and methods: We evaluated 106 children with allergic rhinitis (mean age 12.1 ± 3.4 years; M/F 60/46) from the Department of Allergology. Clinical data were collected regarding allergies, physical activity, nutritional status (Bodystat), dietary habits (Food Frequency Questionnaire validated for the Polish population), skin prick test with aeroallergens (Allergopharma), and spirometry (Jaeger). Results: All children suffered from allergic rhinitis; among them, 43 (40.6%) presented symptoms of asthma. There were differences between children with only allergic rhinitis (AR group) and children with both rhinitis and asthma (AA group) in pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 100 ± 11 vs. 92.1 ± 15.0; p < 0.05). A total of 84 children (79%) presented a normal body mass index (BMI) (10–97 percentile), 8 (7.5%) were underweight, and 14 (13.5%) were overweight or obese. There were no differences in body composition between the AR and AA groups. Incorrect eating habits were demonstrated by most of the children, e.g., consumption of three or fewer meals in a day (38%), sweets every day (44%), snacking between meals every day (80%), and eating meals less than 1 h before bedtime (47%). Compared to the AR group, the AA group was more likely to eat more meals a day (p = 0.04), snack more often (p = 0.04), and eat before sleeping (p = 0.005). Multiple regression analysis showed a significant association between high BMI and snacking between meals and low physical activity (adjusted R2 = 0.97; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The risk factors for obesity in children with allergies include snacking and low physical activity. Most children with respiratory allergies, especially those with asthma, reported incorrect eating habits such as snacking and eating before bedtime. A correlation between pulmonary function and body composition or dietary habits was not found.

The Implementation of Eating Healthy Program in Early Childhood

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Eating habits develop during the first years of a child's life, children learn what, when, and how much to eat through direct experience with food and by observing the eating habits of others. The aim of this study is to get a clear picture of the Eating program Healthy, starting from the planning, implementation, supervision, and evaluation as a case study of nutrition education; to get information about the advantages, disadvantages and effects of implementing a healthy eating program for children. This research was conducted through a case study with qualitative data analysed using Miles and Huberman techniques. Sample of children in Ananda Islāmic School Kindergarten. The results showed the Healthy Eating program could be implemented well, the diet was quite varied and could be considered a healthy and nutritious food. The visible impact is the emotion of pleasure experienced by children, children become fond of eating vegetables, and make children disciplined and responsible. Inadequate results were found due to the limitations of an adequate kitchen for cooking healthy food, such as cooking activities still carried out by the cook himself at the Foundation's house which is located not far from the school place; use of melamine and plastic cutlery for food; the spoon and fork used already uses aluminium material but still does not match its size; does not involve nutritionists.&#x0D; Keywords: Early Childhood, Eating Healthy Program&#x0D;

Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ): адаптація на українській вибірці

The aim of the article is to describe and analyze Children’s Sleep HabitsQuestionnaire (CSHQ), to consider the problem of sleep disturbances of typicalchildren and children with autism spectrum disorders and to present the resultsof adaptation and approbation of the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire(CSHQ) in a sample of Ukrainian children using parent reports.Methods. To achieve the aims of the article, we used methods of theoreticalanalysis of modern research on the topic of the article, methods for assessingpsychometric data using statistical criteria. To calculate the points, the Excel 2016was used, and to check the psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire,the statistical program IBM SPSS Statistics 23 was used.The results of the research. The results of adaptation and approbation of theChildren’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) in a sample of Ukrainian childrenare presented. The scale was translated into Ukrainian from the original language(English) by a professional translator. In the adaptation of the questionnaire theparents of 506 children took part (293 typical children and 213 children withautism spectrum disorders), who filled in a questionnaire about their children’ssleep patterns. To check the psychometric characteristics of the questionnairethe determination of indicators of reliability (reliability as internal consistencyand reliability of repeated testing) and validity (apparent validity, criterionvalidity and constructive validity) were carried out. Psychometric characteristicsshowed a high and sufficient level. The procedure and interpretation of thestudy results were standardized. The frequency distribution was calculated bythe general indicator and additionally by age groups to determine the severityof sleep disturbances in children and adolescents. According to the results offrequency distribution, it was determined the overall distribution of scores,which gave the possibility to determine the presence and severity of the sleepdisorders among children.Conclusions. According to the objectives of the article, the problem of sleepdisturbances of typical children and children with autism spectrum disorderswas consided, the original questionnaire of Childhood Habits Questionnaire(CSHQ) was analyzed, translated into Ukrainian, and successfully adapted,tested and standardized on a sample of Ukrainian children and adolescents withand without autism.

Medo odontológico em escolares: um estudo piloto utilizando o Children’s Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale

Estimar a prevalência de medo odontológico em escolares e verificar sua associação com o sexo, a faixa etária e os hábitos de saúde bucal. Estudo transversal composto por 44 estudantes do ensino fundamental de escolas públicas. Foram coletados dados referentes a questões sociodemográficas e aos hábitos de saúde bucal das crianças e aplicado o questionário Children’s Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS). Foi realizada a análise descritiva dos dados, testes Exato de Fisher e U Mann-Whitney (p&lt;0,05). A prevalência de medo odontológico foi de 6,8% e a média do escore total do CFSS-DS foi de 26,43 ± 7,20, mediana de 24,50, IIQ25-75 21-33, escore mínimo de 16 e máximo de 42. A maioria das crianças apresentaram baixo nível de medo odontológico (95,5%). Os níveis de medo odontológico não apresentaram associações estatisticamente significantes entre o sexo (p=0,162), a faixa etária (p=0,181), ter visitado o dentista alguma vez na vida (p=0,201), a queixa de dor (p=0,522) e de sensibilidade dentárias (p=0,181). A prevalência de medo odontológico foi baixa e a maioria das crianças apresentaram baixo nível de medo odontológico. Não se verificou associação entre o medo odontológico e as variáveis sexo, faixa etária, ter visitado o dentista alguma vez na vida, queixa de dor e queixa de sensibilidade dentária.

Fresh leaves of ora-pro-nóbis in cakes prepared from commercial pre-mixture

Establishing good infant eating habits in childhood is quite important for proper growth and development. The increasing number of mothers who work outside home has made children have their meals in day care centers or schools. In addition, meals have their preparation being replaced by more suitable options, like instant food, lately depriving kids from good eating and nutritional habits. Such kind of food does not contribute to the formation of good eating habits. Thus, vegetables such as the ora-pro-nóbis (unconventional vegetable, known in English language countries as Barbados Goosenberry and cientific name Pereskia aculeata Miller) that have in their leaves proteins, fibers and minerals, like iron, can contribute to improve the childlike feeding. In order to improve the nutritional value of commercial chocolate cake premixes, in natura ora-pro-nóbis leaves were added in at ratios of 0 (standard), 10, 20, 30 and 40% leaf weight per dough weight, which were covered with chocolate kind icing. Moisture, ashes, lipids, proteins, crude fiber and carbohydrate and total caloric content (VCT) were analyzed in the elaborated formulations. The results showed a significant increase in water retention, crude fiber content and decrease in total caloric value (VCT) in the added cakes of ora-pro-nóbis leaves.

To Study the Influence of Advertisement of Food Items on Eating Habit of Children

To Study the Influence of Advertisement of Food Items on Eating Habit of Children

Types of Feeding and Presence of Harmful Oral Habits in Children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate: A Pilot Study

Objective: To verify the relationship between the types of feeding and presence of harmful oral habits (HOH) in children with cleft lip (CL), palate (CP) and cleft lip and palate (CLP), as well as to compare the different types of cleft to each other. Material and Methods: A form was applied to the parents of 162 children (3-5 years old), addressing the following variables: gender, cleft type, age, socioeconomic conditions, type of breastfeeding, presence of HOH, and the parents' knowledge about the consequences of oral habits. The data obtained were analyzed by chi-square test (p<0.05). Results: The majority of children (83.3%) were bottle-fed and 12.3% were exclusively maternal breastfed. The main reason for weaning was the presence of cleft (59.9%). Breastfeeding was significantly higher in children with CL (75%) in comparison with CP (20%) and CLP (5%) (p<0.001). Children with CLP were 12 times more likely to be bottle-fed than children with CL (OR=12.21; CI=4.09-36.45). The prevalence of HOH was 37%. Sociodemographic characteristics were not associated with the presence of HOH (p>0.05). The type of feeding and cleft were not decisive to present some type of HOH (p>0.05) and 87% of parents stated that HOH could lead to serious complications of tooth misalignment. Conclusion: The type of feeding and fissure did not determine the acquisition of harmful oral habits in children with cleft. However, the greater the fissure's complexity, the lesser the chance of children receiving exclusive breastfeeding.

Adopting healthy habits through the collaboration of health, education and culture systems

Abstract Background The ’Adopt healthy habits’ program is a health promotion program that links the health system, education system and the City of Zagreb library. It is based on the association of mental, physical and emotional health factors. It is done through work in smaller groups, using educational interactive materials and methods with selected books in accordance with the topic of the workshop and with the practice of applying the adopted knowledge. Methods of work The methodological basis of the programs are health workshops conducted in the libraries of the City of Zagreb in cooperation with the primary schools. They imply working with students by acting on risk factors: obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and low self-esteem. The skills used are promoting health, cognitive-behavioral methods, health education, kinesiology, nutrition and bibliotherapy. Objectives Educating students about the importance and ways of adopting healthy habits and gaining self-esteem and reducing the occurrence of risky behaviors. Long-term objectives are improvement of the psychophysical development of students, increase of the population of the City of Zagreb with balanced dietary habits and regular physical activity and normal body mass index and reduction of the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases in adulthood. Results In the period from 2015 to 2018, a total of 141 workshops were conducted through which 3,106 pupils were educated. The workshops were conducted in 12 primary schools of the City of Zagreb and 5 of the related city libraries. Conclusions Interactive approaches in the creative environment proved to be the most appropriate in educative work with children. It is necessary to continue to implement this form of primary prevention on a wider population. Key messages Adopting healthy habits in childhood is the basis for primary prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. Multidisciplinary approach to health education in youth assures a more permanent adoption of positive health behavior.

Hubungan Higiene Sanitasi dengan Infeksi Kecacingan pada Anak SD

Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) is a transmitted intestinal nematode through the soil. Primary school children (SD) have a high risk due to several factors which one is the low level of personal sanitation hygiene. Elementary school children Bedug 03 have a habit of not washing hands before eating, not maintaining hygiene after defecation, uncontrolled hand hygiene, and children's habits of playing in dirty places and not wearing footwear. To find out whether there is relation of Sanitation Hygiene with Worms Infection In SDN Bedug 03 Pangkah Subdistrict, Tegal Regency. This is a descriptive explanative research using a cross sectional approach. The number of sample is 96 children. The feces sample is collected and examined through qualitative direct method. The occurence of Soil Transmitted Helmints worm’s egg infection with the result of 14 children (14,6%) are positive of Ascaris lumbricoides worm’s egg, 1 children (1,04%) is positive of the double of Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm’s egg, 1 children (1,04%) are positive of hookworm’s egg, 1 children (1,04%) are positive of Trichuris trichiura worm’s egg and 79 children (82,3%) are negative of worm’s egg. The Sanitation Hygiene behavior in elementary school children Bedug 03 is 63 children (65,6%) gain good result and 33 children (34,4%) gain bad result. There is relation of Sanitation Hygiene with Worms Infection In SDN Bedug 03 Pangkah Subdistrict, Tegal Regency.

Long-term effect of feeding snacks at age 6 years on body mass index at ages 12 and 22 years

We investigated the effect of snacking habits in childhood on changes in body mass index (BMI) and high BMI in adolescence and adulthood. In total, 2141 Japanese children from the Ibaraki Children’s Cohort Study were evaluated at age 6 years (baseline), then at ages 12 and 22 years. We examined associations between snacking (scheduled times, when children wanted, and freely) at age 6 years and changes in BMI over time and the proportion of high BMI at ages 12 and 22 years, using time-dependent mixed-effects and logistic regression models. Compared with children who snacked at scheduled times, those provided snacks when they wanted experienced larger increases in BMI over time between ages 6 and 22 years (multivariable time-dependent effect: 0.03 kg/m2 for boys, p = 0.047; 0.04 kg/m2 for girls, p = 0.019). No differences were observed in children who snacked freely. A higher proportion of high BMI was found in boys who were provided snacks when they wanted compared with those who snacked at scheduled times. The multivariable odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.52 (1.04–2.23) at age 12 years and 2.23 (1.12–4.45) at age 22 years. No differences were observed for girls at either age. Children who were provided snacks when they wanted showed larger increases in BMI over time compared with those who snacked at scheduled times. Boys who were provided snacks when they wanted showed the higher proportion of high BMI at follow-up.

The curse of dimensionality: Animal-related risk factors for pediatric diarrhea in western Kenya, and methods for dealing with a large number of predictors.

BackgroundPediatric diarrhea, a leading cause of under-five mortality, is predominantly infectious in etiology. As many putative causal agents are zoonotic, animal exposure is a likely risk factor. To evaluate the effect of animal-related factors on moderate to severe childhood diarrhea in rural Kenya, where animal contact is common, Conan et al. studied 73 matched case-control pairs from 2009-2011, collecting rich exposure data on many dimensions of animal contact. We review the challenges associated with analyzing moderately-sized datasets with a large number of predictors and present two alternative methodological approaches.Methodology/Principal findingsWe conducted a simulation study to demonstrate that forward stepwise selection results in overfit models when data are high-dimensional, and that p values reported directly from the data used to train these models are misleading. We described how automated methods of variable selection, attractive when the number of predictors is large, can result in overadjustment bias. We proposed an alternative a priori regression approach not subject to this bias. Applied to Conan et al.’s data, this approach found a non-significant but positive trend for household’s sharing of water sources with livestock or poultry, child’s presence for poultry slaughter, and child’s habit of playing where poultry sleep or defecate. For many predictors evaluated few pairs were discordant, suggesting matching compromised the power of this analysis. Finally, we proposed latent variable modeling as a complimentary approach and performed Item Response Theory modeling on Conan et al.’s data, with animal contact as the latent trait. We found a moderate but non-significant effect (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.78, 1.87, unit = 1 standard deviation).Conclusions/SignificanceAutomated methods of model selection are appropriate for prediction models when fit and evaluated on separate samples. However when the goal is inference, these methods can produce misleading results. Furthermore, case-control matching should be done with caution.

Oral habits in Children with Cleft (Lip and) Palate: A Pilot Study

Background/Aims: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of oral habits and non-nutritive sucking habits in children with cleft (lip and) palate (CL/P) between 0–12 years, compared to peers without CL/P. Methods: Children with CL/P (mean age 6.0 years, SD 2.80) were recruited from the Ghent University Hospital and compared to gender- and age-matched children without CL/P (mean age 5.8 years, SD 3.09). A self-report questionnaire was developed and given to the caregivers. To compare the occurrence of oral habits and non-nutritive sucking habits in children with and without CL/P, χ² tests or Fisher’s exact tests were used. Results: The present study revealed a significantly lower occurrence of non-nutritive sucking habits in children with CL/P. These children showed significantly less pacifier sucking; no significant difference was found regarding thumb or finger sucking nor regarding sucking on other objects. Additionally, the results showed that the occurrence of snoring was statistically significantly higher in children with CL/P. Conclusion: Children with CL/P show less non-nutritive sucking habits, but more snoring compared to a control group without CL/P. Although further research regarding the oral habits in children with CL/P is necessary, cleft teams should give attention to the occurrence of oral habits.

Prevalence of Myopia and Associated Risk Factors in Schoolchildren in North India.

Studies reporting the prevalence and associated risk factors of myopia among schoolchildren in India are limited. Knowledge about the prevalence and the modifiable risk factors associated with myopia development will help in planning cost-effective strategies to prevent its progression in India. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated behavioral risk factors of myopia in schoolchildren in Gurugram, Haryana, in north India. This cross-sectional study was conducted on schoolchildren (aged 5 to 15 years) from two private schools in Gurugram. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart. Myopia was defined as the spherical equivalent refractive error of at least -0.50 D in the better eye. Information on the child's habits and lifestyle, study hours, hours of playing video games, and outdoor playtime were obtained using a questionnaire. Association of behavioral risk factors was analyzed for children with and without myopia, and adjusted odds ratio (OR) for each factor was estimated. A total of 1234 children (mean ± SD age, 10.5 ± 3 years; 59% boys) were screened. Myopia prevalence was found to be 21.1% (n = 261; mean ± SD age, 11 ± 2 years; 52% boys). The mean ± SD myopic spherical error was -1.94 ± 0.92 D. The prevalence of myopia was found to be higher (27%; 95% confidence interval, 23 to 30.6; OR, 3.19 [2.13 to 4.76]) among older children (9 to 12 years). Prevalence of myopia was more in boys (25%; 95% confidence interval, 21.1 to 28.8) compared with girls (P < .01). A positive association of presence of myopia was observed with children studying more than 4 hours per day (P < .008) and with children playing computer/video/mobile games more than 2 hours per day (P < .001). A protective effect was observed in children with outdoor activities/play for more than 1.5 hours per day (OR, 0.01 [0.00 to 0.06]). Myopia is a major public health concern, and its prevalence is increasing rapidly among schoolchildren in India. There is a pressing need to develop cost-effective strategies to prevent this cause of vision impairment, which can be easily treated with optical interventions.

Gardening Sebagai Media Edukasi Untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Motorik Anak

The purpose of this paper is to find out the gardening as an educational medium to improve children's motorbike in the garden of Wonorejo II Surabaya nursery. The research method used qualitative descriptive with the subject of the research of children assisted by as many as 20 children aged between 4-6 years. In the procedure for implement- ing educator gardening learning using two languages, namely English and Indonesian. The results of the study showed that children seemed to enjoy learning and educators. They learn to explain the environment and if something goes wrong with the children when mentioning plants, leaves and flowers, they are given sanctions by singing while being guided by tutors using English. Then gardening becomes one of the media for the introduction of the environment (ecoliterasy) giving an impact on children's habits in understanding the importance of protecting the environment.

Parental perceptions and drinking water source among pediatric population in the United Arab Emirates

Aims: The aim of the study is to determine the water source used for drinking and cooking purpose by the pediatric population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To ascertain the underlying factors influencing the parental choice for selecting tap water or bottled water. The study was also done to evaluate whether demographic factors have an influence on the parental choice of water consumption source.Materials and Methods: A total of 200 parents who had children aged between 3- and 15-year-old were chosen for this randomized cross-sectional study. The parents of the selected children were given a prewritten questionnaire consisting of 12 questions in four different languages. The questionnaires documented sociodemographic characteristics, water consumption practices, and the rationale for choosing bottled water and tap water. The responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Chi-square test for a single proportion. Results: Majority of the parents in this study preferred bottled water to tap water for drinking and cooking purposes. About 84% of the parents opted bottled water for drinking and 57% selected bottled water for cooking at home. The consumption of tap water for drinking purpose from school and home was only 13% and 16%, respectively. Parental educational background and household income did not affect their selected source of water. A Chi-square test of independence conducted to investigate possible association between source of water and its purpose for drinking and cooking revealed that the source of water (tap/bottled water) was dependent on its purpose. Conclusion: A greater percentage of the UAE pediatric population utilized bottled water for drinking at school and home. The perceptions about the quality and safety of tap water had a great effect on the caregiver's choice on children's water consumption habits. The demographic factors such as socioeconomic status and parental education had no influence on the source of water used for drinking purpose.