Child Health Research Articles

Parental decision-making in taking care of child health in Indonesia: Findings from a national survey

Background: The decision-making process to search for child health services involves interaction among the mother, partner, and other family members. Parental decision-making is highly complex since it involves an emotional consideration between the benefit and the child's future. The common problem in deciding the service is the lack of capabilities, such as facility, knowledge, and skill.Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of socio-demographic factors on parents' decision-making in obtaining health services for their children Methods: This study design was cross-sectional data from the Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) of 2017, which was applied in this study. The respondents involved were 8,838 women aged 15-49 who had given birth in the last five years. This study employed descriptive, chi-square, and regression statistics analysis. The results were provided as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95 percent confidence intervals. The statistical analysis utilized SPSS version 21.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results: Bivariate analysis revealed a significant relationship between decision-making and age, living place, educational background, and wealth index (p-values 0.030, <0.001, 0.002, and 0.006), but not with health insurance ownership (p=0.242). After multivariate analysis, only age-related decisions were associated with a significant risk. It explained that younger group (15-29) has a 0.325 times chance of making a joint decision than the 40 to 49-year-old group (AOR: 0.325; 95%CI: 0.144-0.733). Conclusion: Parental decision-making regarding childcare is related to several factors, namely age, living place, educational background, and socioeconomic status. Health education is a strategy to promote child health in Indonesia by facilitating proper decision-making.

Relationship between postoperative rehabilitation style, gastrointestinal function, and inflammatory factor levels in children with intussusception.

Intussusception occurs in children and progresses rapidly. If not treated in time, it may lead to secondary complications such as intestinal perforation, which affect the quality of life and health of children. Surgery is the most common clinical treatment and has a good effect. However, the postoperative prognosis of children with intussusception has a correlation with the postoperative rehabilitation method. Therefore, in this study, we explored the relationship between postoperative rehabilitation, gastrointestinal function, and the expression of inflammatory factors in children with intussusception. To explore the relationship between postoperative rehabilitation, gastrointestinal function, and inflammatory factor levels in children with intussusception. The medical records of 18 children who were admitted to our hospital for intussusception surgery between October 2022 and May 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into the routine nursing group (n = 6) and rehabilitation training group (n = 12) according to the postoperative rehabilitation method. The general data, gastrointestinal function, and inflammatory factor levels of the two groups were statistically analyzed. Pearson correlation analysis of gastrointestinal function, inflammatory factors, and postoperative rehabilitation was performed. We found no significant intergroup differences in sex, age, or disease course (P > 0.05). The times to first defecation, bowel sound recovery, and anal exhaust were shorter and inflammatory factor levels were lower in the rehabilitation training group than in the routine nursing group (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that gastrin and motilin levels were positively correlated with postoperative rehabilitation (P < 0.05). Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were negatively correlated with postoperative rehabilitation (P < 0.05). Gastrointestinal function was positively correlated (P < 0.05), and levels of inflammatory factors were negatively correlated with postoperative recovery time (P < 0.05). We found a positive correlation between gastrointestinal function and postoperative rehabilitation training, and a negative correlation between inflammatory factor levels and rehabilitation training in children with intussusception.

Anemia in young pregnant women: A cross-sectional study in Indonesia

Background: The prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Indonesian remains high at 48.9%, with the highest rates observed among young mothers aged 15-24 years. Anemia is associated with adverse outcomes for both mothers and their children. Understanding the determinants of anemia in young mothers is crucial for taking preventive measures. However, there are currently no national studies in Indonesia on the prevalence and risk factors of anemia in pregnant women aged 15 to 24 years.Objective: To measure the prevalence and factors associated with anemia in young pregnant women in Indonesia.Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized on secondary data from the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riset Kesehatan Dasar= Riskesdas). The subject of this research were pregnant women aged 15 to 24 years who participated in Riskesdas 2018 and had independent variables data including hemoglobin measurement data, age, education, residence, occupation, travel time to health facilities, age at first pregnancy, ownership of the maternal and child health (MCH) handbook, history of previous abortion, gestational age, number of iron supplement tablets, supplementary feeding, and chronic energy deficiency. Univariate analysis was conducted to analyse the subject characteristics and hemoglobin data, while chi-square and logistic regression were used to determine factors associated with anemia in young pregnant women Results: The study found that 36.2% of young pregnant women had anemia. The incidence of anemia was associated with gestational age but not with other factors. Pregnancy in the first trimester poses the highest risk compared to other trimesters (cOR=3.89; 95%CI:1.47-10.30; p=0.006), as confirmed by multivariate analysis (aOR=4.44; 95%CI: 1.41-13.95; p=0.01).Conclusion: Anemia affects 36.2% of pregnant women aged 15 to 24 years in Indonesia. The risk of anemia in young pregnant women is significantly associated with gestational age with the first trimester being the most critical period.

Hubungan Sikap Petugas Kesehatan Dengan Kepuasan Pasien Di Poli KIA UPTD Puskesmas I Denpasar Timur

Background: The high maternal mortality rate (MMR) indicates that maternal and child health (KIA) services must be improved. Applying a positive attitude to all patients is a way that health workers can increase patient satisfaction so that patients are interested in undergoing antenatal care to reduce MMR. Objective: This study aims to determine the relationship between the attitude of health workers and patient satisfaction at the Maternal and Child Health Polytechnic (KIA) UPTD Puskesmas I East Denpasar Method: This research uses a correlation analytical design with a cross-sectional study approach. Sampling used a non-probability sampling technique, namely consecutive sampling. The sample used was 172 respondents and the instrument used was a questionnaire. Results: The results of the study showed that of the 172 respondents, the majority of respondents, namely 94 (54.7%) stated that the attitude of health workers was in the positive category and the majority of respondents, namely 90 (52.3%) stated that they were satisfied with the services provided by health workers. The results of the Spearman Rho test show that there is a significant relationship between the attitude of health workers and patient satisfaction, with a p-value &lt;0.001 Conclusion: The more positive the health worker's attitude, the more satisfied the patient. So it is hoped that health workers can apply a friendly attitude, be polite and have empathy for all patients in order to increase patient satisfaction and reduce MMR

Enhancing maternal health service utilization among highly vulnerable pregnant women through a human-centered design process: Study protocol for a quasi-experimental study in Oromia, Ethiopia

Background Disproportionate uptake of and access to maternal and child health services remain significant challenges across and within countries. Differing geographic, economic, environmental, and social factors contribute to varying degrees of vulnerabilities among individuals, which manifest as disparities in maternal and newborn health outcomes. Designing solutions according to need is vital to improve maternal and child health outcomes. In this paper, we describe our study protocol on evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention package developed through a human-centered design (HCD) process in improving maternal health service uptake among vulnerable pregnant women in rural areas of Ethiopia. Methods The study has two distinct phases. For both phases, solutions will be developed leveraging HCD approaches to improve institutional delivery and antenatal care uptake among vulnerable pregnant women. Final solutions will be implemented in collaboration with community health workers and health officers. A community-based, quasi-experimental, mixed-method study design is used to assess differences between intervention and control arms. A panel sample will be enrolled after screening for pregnancy and vulnerability level and surveyed at baseline and midline in Phase 1. In Phase 2, a post-only study will be conducted in the same intervention and control sites. Pregnant women will receive refined solutions for six months, which will be evaluated using end-line assessment. Qualitative interviews will be conducted among vulnerable pregnant women and healthcare providers. Conclusions and Implications Our sequential approach to evaluating initial solutions, which in turn will be used to inform the enhancement of solutions, will provide practical insights into how solutions are accepted among vulnerable women and how they can be better integrated into women’s lives and health systems. Our findings on program effectiveness and implementation research will be disseminated to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and its partners to inform large-scale implementation at the national level.

Peningkatan Pengetahuan Masyarakat tentang Program Keluarga Berencana

The Family Planning (KB) Program is one of the government's main strategies in controlling population growth and improving the quality of life of the community. However, uneven knowledge among the community often becomes an obstacle in the implementation of this program. This community service activity aims to increase community knowledge about the KB program. The activity was carried out in May 2024 in Mojosongo Village, Jebres, Surakarta, with participants consisting of fertile couples, cadres, and mothers of toddlers. The methods used included interactive counseling and group discussions. The results showed a significant increase in knowledge in participants, measured through pre-tests and post-tests. It is hoped that this increase in knowledge will encourage active community participation in the KB program and the implementation of recommended practices, which will ultimately also improve maternal and child health.

Urinary biomarkers of environmental exposures and asthma morbidity in a school inner city asthma study

BackgroundThe burden of pediatric asthma and other allergic diseases is not evenly distributed among United States populations. ObjectiveTo determine whether urinary biomarkers are associated with asthma morbidity, and if associations vary by child race, ethnicity and sex. MethodsThis study includes n = 152 children with physician-diagnosed asthma who participated in the School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study (SICAS-2). Metabolites of phenol, paraben, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and phthalate analytes were analyzed from urine samples collected at baseline. Asthma symptom days over the past 2 weeks were dichotomized to no asthma symptom days or any asthma symptom days. Cross-sectional regression models were adjusted for age, sex, number of colds, household income, prescription control, race and ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) percentile, and smoke exposure. Weighted quantile sum regression was used to analyze each chemical class and a total mixture effect, controlling for the same covariates. Analyses were conducted with the assistance of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Children's Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR). ResultsParticipants were mostly Hispanic/Latino and low income with an average age of 7.83 years and the average maximum asthma symptom days over the past two weeks of 2.13 (standard deviation: 3.56). The maximum concentrations indicate extreme values for several chemicals, including bisphenol-3, 2,5-dichlorophenol, propyl and methyl parabens, triclosan, methyl paraben and cotinine. We found a significant interaction effect and differing contributions of analytes for children with allergen sensitivity versus those that did not. For stratified analyses assessing effect modification by child race and ethnicity, weighted quantile sum interaction models showed reduced odds of asthma symptoms to a greater magnitude in children of other races and ethnicities compared to Black, Non-Hispanic children. ConclusionsPreliminary analyses of the association between environmental chemical exposure and asthma symptoms among inner-city children revealed an inverse association, which may be due to personal care and medication use and can be understood further in future analyses. Beneficial effects were detected for most of the chemicals.

The efficacy of nebulized budesonide and ambroxol hydrochloride in treating pediatric community-acquired pneumonia and their impact on clinical characteristics and inflammatory markers

PurposeTo evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of intravenous amoxicillin clavulanate potassium combined with nebulized budesonide and ambroxol hydrochloride in pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and its impact across various microbial strains and clinical symptoms. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate combined with nebulized budesonide and ambroxol hydrochloride in the treatment of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), and to analyze their impact on different microbial strains and clinical symptoms. Secondary objectives include assessing the treatment's effect on the improvement of clinical symptoms, hospital stay duration, and the levels of inflammatory markers.DesignProspective, single-center study.MethodsFifty-six children with CAP, aged under 6 years, from Affiliated Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nantong University were included. Patients were treated with conventional therapy and the study medication. Clinical characteristics, microbiological data, symptom improvement, and hospitalization times were analyzed.FindingsYoung children, particularly under 1 year, exhibited a higher incidence of multiple microbial infections and severe clinical manifestations. Treatment with budesonide and ambroxol hydrochloride led to significant clinical improvement across all age groups, with notable efficacy against various pathogens.ConclusionsNebulized budesonide and ambroxol hydrochloride are effective in treating pediatric CAP, offering a promising therapeutic option, particularly for young children with severe presentations.

Analysis of the Efficacy of Erythromycin Cyclic 11,12-Carbonate Combined with Azithromycin in the Treatment of Severe Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia in Children and its Effect on Cytokines

Introduction: Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia (MPP) is an inflammation of the lungs caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Macrolide antibiotics are the therapeutic agents of choice for MPP. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of erythromycin cyclic 11,12-carbonate combined with azithromycin in treating children with severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP). Methods: 84 children with SMPP treated at Hubei Maternal and Child Health Hospital between February 2021 and December 2021 were randomly divided into two groups. The control group was treated with intravenous azithromycin and then changed to oral azithromycin. The experimental group was treated with intravenous azithromycin and then switched to oral erythromycin cyclic 11,12-carbonate. The clinical efficacy, symptom improvement, inflammatory levels, and cytokine levels before and after treatment were compared, and the occurrence of adverse reactions was recorded. Results: The overall effective rate of treatment in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P&lt;0.05). The time to the disappearance of clinical symptoms and length of hospitalization of the experimental group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P&lt;0.05). After treatment, inflammatory levels and cytokine levels of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P&lt;0.05). There was no difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: Erythromycin cyclic 11,12-carbonate combined with azithromycin in the treatment of children with SMPP had significant efficacy, superior to azithromycin monotherapy, which could effectively improve immune function and clinical symptoms.

A report of twenty cases of ovarian Brenner tumor and literature review: a case series study

BackgroundTo explore the clinical characteristics of ovarian Brenner tumors and provide some basis for the treatment regimen of ovarian Brenner tumors.MethodsA retrospective analysis of the pathology database of surgical specimens at the Huzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital from September 2008 to February 2023 was conducted. Patients who were pathologically diagnosed with ovarian Brenner tumors were included. Clinical data of patients was collected, and their diagnostic and treatment characteristics were summarized and analyzed.ResultsA total of 20 cases were included in this study, all of which were histologically confirmed by surgical pathology. Among them, 8 cases (40%) were combined with serous, mucinous cystadenoma, or simple cyst. One case presented with a benign ovarian Brenner tumor combined with mucinous cystadenoma, underwent right adnexectomy, and relapsed 5 years later as a malignant Brenner tumor (MBT) coexisting with ovarian squamous cell carcinoma. Multiple tumor markers were elevated malignantly, with CA199 being the most significant. Treatments included unilateral adnexectomy in 7 cases, bilateral adnexectomy in 3 cases, total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy in 7 cases, radical hysterectomy in 1 case, and 2 cases underwent ovarian staging surgery. MBT patients received three cycles of postoperative chemotherapy with the carboplatin-paclitaxel (TC) regimen. Follow-up: One case with concomitant cervical cancer was lost to follow-up after surgery in an external hospital; one case with concomitant ovarian cancer received no further treatment after surgery and was lost to follow-up after 2 years; one case with concomitant endometrial cancer received no further treatment after surgery, and had no recurrence after 4 years of follow-up. Regular follow-up for MBT patients continued for 5 years without recurrence. The remaining 16 cases were followed up for a period ranging from 6 months to 7 years, with no reported recurrences.ConclusionClinical manifestations and auxiliary examinations of ovarian Brenner tumors lack obvious specificity. When necessary, a combination of tumor markers and imaging examinations can aid in diagnosis. Surgical strategies should be selected according to the patient's menopausal status.Trial registrationNot applicable.

Assessment of the Quality of Preventive and Clinical Care among Women in the Early Months of Pregnancy in A Maternal and Child Health Center, Zagazig City

Assessment of the Quality of Preventive and Clinical Care among Women in the Early Months of Pregnancy in A Maternal and Child Health Center, Zagazig City

Nurses' Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Regarding Climate Change and Its Impact on Children's Health in Egyptian Hospitals: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Pediatric nurses are believed to play a crucial role in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on children's health. Consequently, this study aims to compare nurses' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding climate change and its effects on children from hospitals in two provinces in Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted involving staff nurses working in different pediatric units in hospitals across two provinces in Egypt. A total of 336 nurses were purposively selected as participants. Data collection utilized three tools: a designed structured questionnaire for knowledge, a climate health skills rating scale, and an attitude scale. Results: In Beni-Suef hospitals, a significant proportion of participants exhibited poor knowledge, skills, and attitudes (48.2%, 50.6%, and 54.2%, respectively). In contrast, most participants in Al Azhar hospitals demonstrated good knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding climate change (69.6%, 29.2%, and 82.1%, respectively). These differences between the two provinces were highly statistically significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Nurses at Al Azhar Hospital exhibited higher levels of knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding climate change compared to their counterparts at Beni-Suef Hospital.

Association of seminal plasma zinc levels with human semen quality and its toxic effects on sperm motility

Infertility has become one of the most common chronic diseases among reproductive- aged individuals, and male factors account for about 50 %. Zinc is a trace element that is essential for sperm quality and male reproductive system. Although several current studies with small sample sizes have investigated this relationship, the conclusions have been still controversial. Here, using a large population sample involved 25,915 participants from Changzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, we revealed an inverted “U”-shaped trend between seminal plasma zinc concentrations and sperm motility PR/PR + NP (PR, progressive motility; NP, non-progressive motility). The results showed that the highest values of sperm PR/PR + NP observed in the group with intermediate concentrations of zinc (Group 2, 0.25–2.11 mmol/L). The mean values were 43.17 ± 19.03 % and 56.64 ± 20.28 %, respectively. And the lowest values came out in the highest zinc levels group (Group 4, > 3.04 mmol/L). In vitro cell experiments also showed that zinc caused dose-dependent cytotoxicity for GC-2 cells at a threshold value. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that high concentrations of zinc exerted toxic effects on GC-2 cells through immune injury. Taken together, our findings suggested that moderate amounts of zinc are crucial for human reproduction and excessive concentrations may have adverse effects on male fertility.

Associations Among Lifetime Discrimination Typologies and Psychological Health in Black and Hispanic Women After Birth

ObjectiveTo identify lifetime discrimination typologies and examine their associations with psychological health outcomes among Black and Hispanic women after birth. DesignSecondary analysis of the Community and Child Health Network study data. ParticipantsA total of 1,350 Black and 607 Hispanic women. MethodsWe built two latent class models for Black and Hispanic women using eight indicator variables from different life domains of discrimination (childhood, family, work, police, education, housing, health care, and loans). We used bivariate and multiple regression analyses to examine the association among the identified typologies and postpartum depression and perceived stress at 6 months postpartum. ResultsWe selected the three-class model with best fit indices and interpretability: no lifetime discrimination (n = 1,029; 76.22%), high childhood–family racial discrimination (n = 224, 16.59%), and moderate lifetime discrimination (n = 97, 7.19%) among Black women and no lifetime discrimination (n = 493, 81.22%), high childhood–family racial discrimination (n = 93, 15.32%), and high education discrimination (n = 21, 3.46%) among Hispanic women. The adjusted postpartum depression and perceived stress scores were significantly greater in Typologies 2 and 3 than Typology 1 in Black women. The adjusted perceived stress scores were significantly greater in Typologies 2 and 3 than Typology 1 in Hispanic women. ConclusionLifetime discrimination experiences manifested in complex patterns. Women who experienced moderate to high discrimination across all or specific life domains had worse postpartum depression and perceived stress at 6 months after birth. It is crucial to address lifetime discrimination to improve maternal mental health.

Diverging destinies: How children are faring under demographic transition

India reached the replacement level of fertility in 2020. However, the journey of fertility transition is unconventional and heterogeneous within the country and across the different socio-economic groups. The fertility transition is considered to be faster than its socio-economic and health transition in several states. Thus, it has been presumed that the returns to fertility decline are heterogeneous across the states and population sub-groups. Our specific hypothesis is that although rich and poor, and educated and un-educated, everyone had significantly contributed to the fertility decline in response to family planning policies, only those socio-economically better-off have been investing relatively more in their children compared to the poor, and this has led to diverging destinies for children. We tested this supposition using a macro-level panel dataset (1992–2021), fixed and random effects, and IV regression models. The results confirm that child health care and outcomes have diverged while fertility declined from 1992 to 2021. These results are sustained in multiple robustness checks. While fertility is declining with highly state-sponsored family planning programmes, the persistent socio-economic inequalities are leading to unequal progress in health outcomes for children in India.

Investigation of the psychometric properties of the Turkish child-friendly Oral Health Questionnaire

BackgroundOral problems are a common occurrence among school-age children. In order to develop effective oral health interventions and services, it is essential to determine children's oral health behaviours using an internationally accepted standardised instrument that is child-friendly. However, no instrument currently exists to measure oral health according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in Turkish school-aged children. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Oral Health Questionnaire, which includes the components of the theory of planned behavior such as attitude toward children's oral health, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and self-efficacy, for the Turkish population.MethodsThis was a methodological–descriptive–correlational study conducted on 298 school children aged 9–10 years. Data were collected using The Oral Health Questionnaire. The data were evaluated using explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, item-total score correlation, and Pearson product-moment correlation analysis.ResultsFactor analysis confirmed the five-dimensional structure. The factor loads were greater than 0.30, and all fit indices were greater than 0.90. The model consistency indexes were found to be X2 = 146.95, RMSEA = 0.053, GFI = 0.94, CFI = 0.98, IFI = 0.97, and NNFI = 0.97. The Cronbach's alpha values of its sub-dimensions were 0.71 and 0.80.ConclusionsThe Turkish version of Oral Health Questionnaire is considered a reliable and valid instrument that can be used by professionals to determine children's attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and oral and dental health intentions toward tooth brushing.

Family member and service provider experiences and perspectives of a digital surveillance and service navigation approach in multicultural context: a qualitative study in identifying the barriers and enablers to Watch Me Grow-Electronic (WMG-E) program with a culturally diverse community

BackgroundChildren and families from priority populations experienced significant psychosocial and mental health issues to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet they also faced significant barriers to service access, particularly families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. With most child and family health nurse clinics ceasing in-person consultations due to the pandemic, many children missed out on health and developmental checks. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives and experiences of family members and service providers from an urban, CALD community regarding the implementation of a digital, developmental surveillance, Watch Me Grow-Electronic (WMG-E) program.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 family members, service navigators, and service providers in a multicultural community in South Western Sydney, Australia. This qualitative study is an implementation evaluation which formed as part of a larger, two-site, randomised controlled trial of the WMG-E program. A reflexive thematic analysis approach, using inductive coding, was adopted to analyse the data.ResultsParticipants highlighted the comprehensive and personalised support offered by existing child and family health services. The WMG-E was deemed beneficial because the weblink was easy and quick to use and it enabled access to a service navigator who support family access to relevant services. However, the WMG-E was problematic because of technology or language barriers, and it did not facilitate immediate clinician involvement when families completed the weblink.ConclusionsFamilies and service providers in this qualitative study found that using WMG-E empowered parents and caregivers to access developmental screening and learn more about their child’s development and engage with relevant services. This beds down a new and innovative solution to the current service delivery gap and create mechanisms that can engage families currently not accessing services, and increases knowledge around navigating the health and social care services. Notwithstanding the issues that were raised by families and service providers, which include accessibility challenges for CALD communities, absence of clinical oversight during screening, and narrow scope of engagement with available services being offered, it is worth noting that improvements regarding these implementation factors must be considered and addressed in order to have longevity and sustainability of the program.Trial registration.The study is part of a large randomised controlled trial (Protocol No. 1.0, Version 3.1) was registered with ANZCTR (registration number: ACTRN12621000766819) on July 21st, 2021 and reporting of the trial results will be according to recommendations in the CONSORT Statement.

Alaa Murabit: resolute advocate for women's and children's health

Alaa Murabit: resolute advocate for women's and children's health

Professional perspectives on facilitators and barriers for high quality provision of health, education and social care services to disabled children in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

ObjectivesTo understand how health, education and social care services for disabled children changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, what did or did not work well and what the impacts of service...

The relationship between nutritional problems, eating behaviors, and diet quality in children with autism

Objectives This study aimed to determine the current nutritional problems, eating behaviors, and diet quality of children with autism and to examine the relationship between eating behavior and diet quality. Methods This descriptive study was conducted with 52 children aged 8–14 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Data were collected by using a questionnaire consisting of five sections (descriptive information form, anthropometric measurements, Screening Tool for Nutritional Problems (STEP), Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for Children and Adolescents (KIDMED), and Child Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (CTFEQ)). The significance level of statistical tests was accepted as p < 0.05. Results The mean age of children was 11.52 ± 2.73 years, 84.6% were male, and 21.2% were obese. Current nutritional issues were primarily behavioral disorders and nutritional skills-related. The highest score on the Three-Factor Eating Scale was in the uncontrolled eating sub-dimension (15.02 ± 3.63). The mean score for children with autism was 5.79 ± 1.87, with the majority (69.2%) moderately adhering to the Mediterranean diet. In the low adherence group, total Three-Factor Eating Scale score and uncontrolled eating sub-scale score were significantly higher than the moderate-high adherence group (p < 0.05). Although adherence to the Mediterranean diet increased as the frequency and severity of nutritional problems decreased according to the STEP, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions Our results show that children with autism are at risk for obesity. Identifying current nutritional problems, improving diet quality, and detecting and preventing unhealthy eating behaviors such as uncontrolled eating are important for the health of children with autism.