Preschool Children In Urban Areas Research Articles

Prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms among rural and urban pre-school children in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Background and Aim: Asthma is the most common chronic illness in South African children and its prevalence is increasing in both urban and rural areas. Little is known about the prevalence of asthma amongst pre-school children living in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, which forms part of the Highveld region, a priority area in terms of air pollution. The area is known for poor air quality and elevated concentrations of criteria pollutants. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms among rural and urban pre-school children and the association with environmental risk factors. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study that included 3145 pre-school children from Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Parents of the children were requested to complete a modified ISAAC questionnaire. We analyzed the influence of potential risk factors on dependent variables using bivariate analysis. Significant risk factors identified in the bivariate analysis were included in a multiple logistic regression to develop a final model. Results: Self-reported prevalence of asthma was 2.3% (66/2810), with pre-school children in rural areas reporting a higher rate than pre-school children in urban areas (1.3% vs 1%), χ2=10.86, P <0.001). The prevalence of asthma symptoms was 15.1% (467/3084), with rural pre-school children reporting a higher prevalence of symptoms than urban pre-school children (10% vs 5%), χ2 = 24.45, P < 0.001). Risk factors for asthma and asthma symptoms were vigorous physical activity (odds ratio (OR) 2.31, 95% CI 1.14-4.66), home smoking exposure (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.40-6.19) and male parent smoking (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.01-2.12). Conclusions: Pre-school children in rural areas reported a higher prevalence of asthma compared to pre-school children in urban areas. Risk factors for asthma included physical activity and smoking exposure in the home. Key words: asthma, pre-school children, risk factors

Experimental study on car collisions with bicycles equipped with child seats

In Japan, traffic accidents involving bicycles have become a serious problem as a result of the increase in the use of bicycles due to the rising concerns of environmental and health problems. In recent years, bicycles equipped with child seats have become a popular means of transportation for preschool children in urban areas in Japan. Under such adverse circumstances, it is necessary to conduct more studies and evaluations to prevent traffic accidents and the resulting injuries involving bicycles with children. For accident prevention and damage mitigation, this study mainly aims to understand the kinematic behavior and injury risk of children in collisions involving bicycles equipped with child seats through experiments. First, fall tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of the integrated head restraints (also commonly known as headrests) of child seats. It was confirmed that head restraints can reduce the impact of head collisions with the road surface. Second, side collision tests were conducted between a car and a bicycle equipped with a child seat, and the effects of the seat belt and head restraint of the child seat were investigated. It was shown that the kinematic behavior of the child dummy significantly was changed depending on wearing the seat belt. In the condition that the seat belt was not fastened, the child dummy was ejected out of the child seat while rotating toward the hood after the impact with the front of the car. In contrast, when the seat belt was fastened, the child dummy was restrained in the child seat and moved together with the bicycle from the start of the collision until the complete stop. Thus, it was found that using child seats with head restraints and using seat belts can reduce the risk of injury to children during an impact with the road surface, because the child dummy in the tests impacted the road surface only after the bicycle already had contact with the road surface.

Edukasi gizi menggunakan media booklet dengan atau tanpa konseling terhadap pengetahuan orangtua dan konsumsi sayur dan buah anak prasekolah di wilayah urban

Nutrition education using booklet media with and without counseling on parental knowledge, amount and frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits of preschool children in urban areasBackground: Consumption of vegetables and fruit in preschool children in Indonesia is still less than recommended. Nutrition education through booklets and counseling media will clarify information and understanding of parents about the importance of consuming vegetables and fruit in preschool children, resulting in parental feeding behavior to increase the amount and frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits in preschool children. Purpose: This study aims to determine the effect of nutrition education using booklet media with counseling and without counseling on parental knowledge, amount, and frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits of preschool children in urban areas. Methods: This type of research was a quasi-experimental research design with pre and post-test with the control group. The selection of respondents used purposive sampling to select the sub-districts that had the percentage of excess nutrition in Yogyakarta, namely the Danurejan District, and simple random sampling to choose children and preschools (kindergarten). The number of respondents was 56 people consisting of 28 experimental and 28 controls from 4 kindergartens. Nutrition education in the experimental group gave booklets and counseling, once for 30-60 minutes and at each respondent's home. The control group was only assigned a booklet without counseling. The instruments used consisted of booklets, knowledge questionnaires, and SQ-FFQ. The statistical tests used were paired t-test, Wilcoxon, Mann Whitney, independent t-test, and Pearson. Results: This study showed increased parental knowledge before and after nutrition education in the experimental group (p<0.05). In addition, the amount and frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits of preschool children in the experimental group increased between before and after being given nutrition education (p<0.05). Knowledge, amount, and frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruit also showed differences between the experimental and control groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: Nutrition education using booklets and counseling media affects parents' knowledge and the amount and frequency of consuming vegetables and fruit in preschool children compared to using only booklets without counseling.

The Relationship Between Residence With Parenting Style In Preschool Children

Parenting patterns are the active role of parents development of their children, there are several factors that influence parenting, one of is the living environment, the environment where a family lives will cause the way parents apply parenting. This study aims to find the relationship between residence and parenting patterns of preschool children. This research is a quantitative study with an analytical survey research design with cross-sectional method. Population of this research is all parents who have preschool age children in one kindergarten or SDN Bandar Agung in MUBA district and Bina Vita kindergarten in Palembang city with a large sample taken by purposive sampling technique totaling 116 respondents. The results showed that the parenting pattern of preschool children in rural areas was mostly authoritarian as much as 43.5%, parenting patterns for preschool children in urban areas were mostly permissive as much as 51.6%, and there was a relationship between residence and parenting patterns. preschool children with value = 0.000. This research expected as information and contribution of thoughts to do parentingKeywords: Residence; Parenting Style; Preschool

Screen Time for Preschool Children: Learning from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian Government enacted a study at home policy for all students. This policy also applied to preschool children aged 2 to 6 years old. The purpose of the research was to examine the duration and impact of digital media use by preschool children in urban areas in Indonesia during weekdays and weekends. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire called the Surveillance of digital-Media hAbits in earLy chiLdhood Questionnaire (SMALLQ®). A total of 951 parents or guardians (17-70 years old) who had preschool children volunteered to complete the questionnaire online. Preschool children have been using screen media since infancy, and the time they spend on-screen time is more than 1 hour per day. The digital media most used were mobile phones (91.6%), followed by television (86.1%) and computers (61%). The parents realized the impact and the importance of limiting time of screen media, but it difficult to prevent their children from using it, especially when learning from home. Hence, there is a need different approach to learning from home, especially to manage the duration of screen time for preschool children.

The risk, perceived and actual, of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus for mothers of preschool children in urban China.

BackgroundThe perceived risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can motivate individuals to adopt preventive health behaviors. Compared with fathers, mothers of young children often experience unique risk factors for developing T2DM: pregnancy-related weight gain, lifestyle changes related to child care, and the increased incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus. Understanding how actual risk factors affect the perceived risk of developing T2DM can foster effective diabetes prevention interventions for this population. The aims of this study were to describe the risk, perceived and actual, of developing T2DM and to explore the influencing factors of perceived risk for Chinese mothers of preschool children in China.MethodsA multisite, cross-sectional survey was conducted and included 176 mothers (mean age of 31.19 years old) of preschool children (aged 3–7 years old) from four preschools in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province, China. The overall perceived risk of developing T2DM was measured by one item “Your own personal health risk is at almost no risk, slight risk, moderate risk or high risk from diabetes” from the Risk Perception Survey for Developing Diabetes (RPS-DD). PRS-DD and the Chinese version of the Canadian Diabetes Risk Assessment Questionnaire (CHINARISK) were used to assess perceived risk related worry, personal control, optimistic bias, and diabetes risk knowledge and actual risk of T2DM. Mothers also reported their height, weight, and waist circumference followed by the NIH protocol. Pearson correlation and stepwise multivariate linear regression were used to explore how the actual risk factors affected the perceived risk of developing diabetes (RPS-DD)).ResultsNearly 90% of mothers perceived almost no/slight risk for developing diabetes. Nearly half of the mothers had parents or siblings with diabetes. Roughly 70% of the mothers did not eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and more than 50% did not exercise at least 30 minutes a day. In the five stepwise multivariate linear regression models, young mothers (95% CI .400–1.311) and those with a family history of diabetes (95% CI -0.74- .000) were founded a higher overall perceived risk. Mothers who reported more sedentary time (95% CI -0.029- -0.008) and less physical activity had less personal control (95% CI -0.354- -0.046). Mothers with more sedentary time had more worries about developing T2DM(95% CI 0.008–0.035) . Mothers who were older (95% CI -0.440–0.055) or had more physical activities (95% CI 0.003–0.048) had more optimistic bias of not developing T2DM. Mothers who had a higher education level (95% CI .354–1.422) and a family history of diabetes (95% CI .029–2.231) had more diabetes risk knowledge of developing T2DM.ConclusionThis study found that Chinese mothers of preschool children in urban areas reported low perceived risk of developing T2DM, although they have actual risk factors. These women did not associate anthropometric, health history, or health behavior factors with the risk of developing T2DM. Anthropometrics and risk factors associated with behavioral risk factors may be the focus of diabetes prevention programs.

Effects of Exergaming on Preschoolers' Executive Functions and Perceived Competence: A Pilot Randomized Trial.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a child-centered exergaming program and a traditional teacher-led physical activity (PA) program on preschoolers’ executive functions and perceived competence. Methods: Sixty children aged 4–5 years from an urban childcare center in China completed an 8-week exergaming/traditional PA intervention. After baseline measurements of executive functions and perceived competence (i.e., perceived physical competence and social acceptance), children were randomly assigned to either an exergaming group or traditional PA group (30 children per group). Exergaming and traditional PA programs were offered 20 min/session by trained instructors for 8 weeks. Post-intervention measures were identical to baseline measures. Results: In general, children’s executive functions, perceived physical competence, and perceived social acceptance were enhanced over time. Analysis of variance revealed significant time by group interaction effects for executive functions, F(1, 58) = 12.01, p = 0.01, and perceived social acceptance, F(1, 58) = 6.04, p = 0.02, indicating that the exergaming intervention group displayed significantly greater increases in executive functions and perceived social acceptance in comparison with traditional PA children. In addition, children’s executive functions and perceived physical and social competence significantly improved from baseline to post-intervention. However, there was no significant difference in the increase of children’s perceived physical competence across groups over time. Conclusion: The results suggested exergaming to be beneficial in enhancing young children’s executive functions and perceived social acceptance compared to the traditional PA program. More diverse samples with a longer intervention duration in preschool children in urban areas are warranted.

Epidemiological characteristics and relevant factors on the comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergic diseases in preschool children

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics and relevant factors on the comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergic disease among preschool children in urban areas of Ma'anshan city. Methods: During April 2014 to April 2015, 91 kindergartens over 3 years old were investigated. In the investigation, 16 439 questionnaires were distributed to parents, and 15 291 valid questionnaires were collected. Conners abbreviated symptom questionnaire (brief symptom questionnaire) was filled out by parents to assess the children's hyperactive behaviors. Information of allergic disease history was reported by parents, including allergic dermatitis/eczema, food/drug allergy, allergic rhinitis and asthma. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the relevant factors of comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergy diseases. Results: The average age of the 15 291 children were (4.5±1.0) years old, among which 53.7% (8 218/15 291) were boys. The prevalence of hyperactive behaviors was 8.6%(1 317/15 291), and the comorbidity rate of hyperactivity and allergic deseases was 1.7% (258/15 291). After confounding factors including gender, age, delivery mode, father's age and pregnancy complications adjusted, poor sleep quality (OR=4.45, 95%CI: 2.85-6.94), long duration of watching TV at weekend (OR=1.39, 95%CI: 1.00-1.94) and poor eating behavior (OR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.07-2.98) were relevant factors of the comorbidity of hyperactivity and allergic diseases. Conclusion: The prevalence of comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergic disease among preschool children in urban areas of Ma'anshan city was not high. Poor night sleep quality, long duration of watching TV and frequently picky eating were relevant factors of the comorbidity of hyperactive behaviors and allergic diseases.

Effect of Two Physical Activity Interventions on Preschool Children’s Cognitive Functions and Perceived Competence

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of adapting a child-centered exergaming program and a traditional teacher-led physical activity (PA) program to incorporate additional daily physical activities among preschool children; as well as examine the effect of the interventions on children’s cognitive functions and perceived competence. METHODS: Children aged 3-5 years from an urban university child care center were assessed pre-intervention (n = 20) and following a 7-session intervention (n = 19). After baseline measurements of cognitive functions and perceived competence (perceived physical competence, perceived social competence; Harter, 1981), children were randomly assigned to either an exergaming group or traditional PA group (10 children per group). Exergaming and traditional PA were offered 20 min/session by trained staff for 7 sessions. Post-intervention measures were identical to baseline measures. Individual implementing and overseeing the interventions was interviewed at post-intervention only, to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the interventions. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 19 young children (9 boys; Mean age=4.52 year old, BMI=15.54±1.22). On average, children’s cognitive functions increased from pre-intervention (47.22 for exergaming; 46.80 for traditional PA) to post-intervention (48.89 for exergaming; 47.90 for traditional PA). Yet, no significant main effects for group, F(3,14) = .05, p = .98, or time, F(3,14) = 1.38, p = .29 were seen. Children’s perceived physical competence remained relatively stable over time (3.15 and 3.13 for exergaming; 3.08 and 3.27 for traditional PA), but their perceived social sompetence decreased slightly after the interventions (3.11 and 2.91 for exergaming; 2.93 and 2.90 for traditional PA). Similarly, no significant main effects emerged for group and time. Interventions were deemed feasible and acceptable by interviewing and observing the staff implementing and supervising the programs. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was no statistical significance, findings support the notion that PA has the potential to improve young children’s cognitive functions. Yet, 7 sessions may not be enough for intervention, thus large scale PA programs with longer intervention lengths among preschool children in urban areas are warranted.

“Nutritional status assessment of under five children in urban field practice area of Mysore”

Background: Preschool children age group is a vulnerable population which needs more attention on nutritional status. Objectives: 1) To assess nutritional status of under five children with anthropometric measurements. 2) To assess the gender differences in nutritional status by using nutritional status indices. Material and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Anganwadi’s from August 2014 to December 2014. 307 preschool children in urban area were selected. Anthropometric measurements like height, weight were taken by using appropriate technique. IAP classification for underweight and WHO classification for stunting and wasting were used. Results: Out of 307 children 49.51% were girls and 50.48% were boys. The mean Age, Weight in kg and Height in cm was 34 months, 11.8 kg and 86.9 cm respectively. 24.8% had under nutrition, 55% had stunting and 23.1% had wasting. There was a no statistical significant difference between the gender for weight for age and height for age, however it was found statistical significant for weight for height. Conclusion: There was a high proportion of under nutrition, stunting and wasting among under five children and there was no statistically significant difference between the gender for nutritional status except for weight for height. Key words: Under five children, Nutritional status

Environmental factors associated with developmental coordination disorder in preschool children in urban area of Suzhou city

A population-based study on developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was conducted in Suzhou to explore the impacts of family and kindergarten environment on pre school children with DCD so as to provide a basis for etiological research and early intervention. Stratified clustered sampling was used to select 160 classes from randomly selected 15 public nursery schools distributed throughout the five main districts in Suzhou city. A total of 4 001 children were included in the study. The family environment scale on motor development for urban preschool children (FESMDPU) which was established by our study group and early childhood environment rating scale-revised (ECERS-R) which has been applied well in China were used to assess the family and kindergarten's environment. The multilevel logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of DCD when kindergarten environment were considered as "context variables" and the family environment as "individual variables". According to DSM-IV criteria, a total of 330 children were diagnosed as DCD. The prevalence of DCD was 8.3%. However, there were differences between the two groups in age, gender and Kaup index (all P < 0.05). The results of ECERS-R and FESMDPU showed that the scores of "class space and faculty" "class activity" "class interaction" "family material environment" "family rearing environment" in DCD group were 48.00, 51.00, 49.00, 39.00, and 30.00, respectively, which were higher than those of control group (45.00, 50.00, 47.00, 41.00, 31.00) with statistical significance (U = 455 446.000, 550 787.000, 508 109.000, 543 159.000, and 490 119.000, P < 0.05 for all comparisons) . The score of ECERS-R and FESMDPU were grouped into different levels using the method of K-MEANS. The school and family environment were compared after the clustering. The results showed that the distribution of the rates in different levels between the DCD and control group were different with statistical significance (χ(2) = 51.091, 9.295, 35.464, 15.174, 13.500, P < 0.05 for all comparisons) . There was no significant difference between DCD and non-DCD children in parents' schooling years and family per-capita income of every month (all P > 0.05). The results of the multilevel logistic regression model showed that when children's gender, age and Kaup index were controlled, "class space and faculty" "class activity" "class interaction" "family material environment" "family rearing environment" were included in the model (OR was 3.486, 1.840, 1.623, 1.531, and 1.379, respectively, P < 0.05 for all) . The prevalence of DCD in study area was higher than that reported by European and American countries. The family and kindergarten environment may affect the incidence of DCD in preschool children. Parents and preschool educational and child health care practitioners should conduct the early prevention and intervention on DCD based on the risk factors of environment in preschool children.

Prenatal and early life home environment exposure in relation to preschool children’s asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in Taiyuan, China

Prenatal and early life home environment might be related to children’s asthma or allergic diseases later in life. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was designed and a questionnaire survey was performed in 3700 preschool children in urban areas in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. Questions on children’s asthma and allergic diseases from the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) were integrated with questions on home environment from the Swedish Dampness in Buildings and Health (DBH) study, appropriately modified for Chinese life habits. By multivariate regression analyses controlling for age, gender, heredity, location in urban/suburban or rural areas, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and breastfeeding, we found that home new furniture (HNF) before birth (referring to 1 year before pregnancy and during pregnancy) was positively associated with wheezing ever (odds ratio(OR) 1.23 with 95% CI of 1.03–1.48) and wheezing last 12 months (1.24,1.00–1.54), allergic rhinitis (AR) (1.26,1.06–1.51), and eczema (1.42,1.01–1.99). HNF between 0–1 years old was also positively associated with wheezing last 12 months. Home new decoration (HND) during 0–1 years old was positively associated with AR symptoms and eczema symptoms, more in the last 12 months. Stronger positive associations were found for signs of home mold and dampness with almost all children’s asthmatic and allergic symptoms (OR ranging from 1.23–1.85, P<0.05). By mutual adjustment between HNF before children’s birth and home mold or dampness, all the significance remained unchanged. Prenatal HNF and home mold or dampness was independently associated with children’s asthmatic and allergic diseases later in life.

Blood lead status and influencing factors among preschool children in urban areas of China

To investigate the blood lead status and influencing factors among preschool children in the sampling city. Stratified-clustered-random sampling was used. Standardized questionnaire and peripheral blood samples were obtained from 69 968 children aged 0-6 years in fixed kindergartens and communities of Yinchuan, Xi'an, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hefei, Beijing, Harbin, Zhengzhou, Huhhot, Shijiazhuang, Haikou, Dalian, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Nanning and Changsha from 2004 to 2008, respectively. Tungsten atomic absorbtion spectrophotometry was employed to determine the blood lead level of children. The proportion of children with blood lead level ≥ 100 µg/L was 7.57% (among which the proportion of high blood lead level, mild lead poisoning, moderate lead poisoning, severe lead poisoning were 91.0%, 2.76%, 3.32%, 2.93%, respectively) and the blood lead level was lower than those of the past studies. The proportion of high blood lead level has steadily declined from 2004 to 2008 [the proportions were 10.03%, 7.85%, 7.40%, 6.91% and 4.78%, respectively (χ(2) = 297.36, P < 0.0001)]. The proportion of children with blood lead level ≥ 100 µg/L in Haikou, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Changsha, Xi'an, Wuhan, Hefei, Chengdu, Yinchuan, Harbin, Beijing, Dalian, Huhhot, Nanning and Qingdao were 12.15%, 10.49%, 10.37%, 9.69%, 9.53%, 9.46%, 9.40%, 8.50%, 7.99%, 7.98%, 7.51%, 6.10%, 3.25%, 2.89%, 2.46% and 2.39%, respectively (χ(2) = 768.21, P < 0.0001). By multiple regression method, the risk factors which influenced blood lead status of children were education status of mother, older children, behavior and dietary habit of children, boy, stay for long time in traffic busy areas, the type of housing, taking traditional Chinese and herbal medicine. The protective factors against lead poisoning in children mainly included scattered living, the nutritional status of calcium, iron, zinc, frequent intake of milk, and older mother. The blood lead level of children has decreased, but is still higher than those in developed countries. Lead exposure remains a public health issue which affects children most. The blood lead level of children is affected by multiple factors. Government and the whole society should pay attention to interrupt the lead pollutant and to promote nutritional health education. With all these efforts, it is possible to stop the progress of lead exposure and reduce its hazardous effects on the growth and development of children.

Trends in overweight and obesity in pre-school children in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 2002 to 2005

To assess the trends in overweight and obesity in pre-school children in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam, over the period 2002 to 2005. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2002 and 2005. Multistage cluster sampling was used in both surveys to select the subjects. Sociodemographic information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire given to parents in 2002 and using an interview-administered questionnaire to parents in 2005. Weight and height were measured using the same standard methods in both surveys. BMI (kg/m2) was calculated and overweight/obesity was defined using the age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points proposed by the International Obesity Taskforce. Children aged 4 to 5 years, attending pre-schools in urban areas of HCMC, Vietnam, in 2002 (n 492) and 2005 (n 670). The prevalence of overweight and obesity almost doubled from 2002 to 2005 (21.4 % and 36.8 %, respectively). The increase was more evident in less wealthy districts than in wealthy districts. The proportion of boys classified as obese in 2005 (22.5 %) was three times that in 2002 (6.9 %). The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased rapidly in children aged 4 to 5 years in urban areas, and especially in less wealthy districts, over a 3-year period. These results signal an urgent need for prevention programmes to control and reverse this rapid upward trend in overweight and obesity in young children in HCMC.

Energy and macronutrient intakes in preschool children in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

BackgroundAn increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity has been documented in preschool children in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. However, little is known about what preschool children in HCMC eat or how well their nutrient intake meets nutrient recommendations. This study aims to describe the energy and macronutrient intake and compare these nutrient intakes with the recommendations for Vietnamese children aged four to five years.MethodsThe data comes from the baseline measurement of a one year follow-up study on obesity in 670 children attending kindergartens in HCMC. Dietary information for each child at the school and home settings was collected using Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs), by interviewing teachers and parents or main caregivers. The average energy and nutrient intake in a day was calculated. The proportion of children with energy intake from macronutrients meeting or exceeding the recommendations was estimated based on the 2006 recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vietnamese children in this age group.ResultsThe dietary intake of the participants contained more energy from protein and fat, particularly animal protein and fat, and less energy from carbohydrates, than the RDA. Most children (98.1%) had mean energy intake from protein greater than the recommended level of 15%, and no child obtained energy from animal fat that was in accordance with the recommendation of less than 30% of the total fat intake. Nearly one half of children (46.5%) consumed less than the advised range of mean energy intake from carbohydrate (60%–70%).ConclusionIn this preschool child population in HCMC, in which obesity is emerging as major public health problem, there is an imbalance in dietary intake. Healthy eating programs need to be developed as a part of an obesity prevention program for young children in HCMC.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool children and associated socio-demographic factors in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

To evaluate the magnitude of overweight and obesity and its relationship with socio-demographic factors among preschool children in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. This is the baseline measurement from a one-year follow-up study on obesity in children attending kindergartens in HCMC with a sample of 670 children. Socio-demographic information was collected using an interview-administered, pre-coded questionnaire. Weight and height were measured. Body mass index (BMI: kg/m(2)) was calculated and overweight/obesity was defined using age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.5% (95% CI: 17.5, 24.3) and 16.3% (95% CI: 13.2, 20.4), respectively. The level of overweight/obesity was similar in both less wealthy and wealthy urban areas: 35.9% (95% CI: 29.4, 42.9) and 38.9% (95% CI: 32.3, 45.0), respectively. A multivariate model showed that gender, parental overweight, paternal education, high birth weight, duration of breast-feeding and sleep hours at night were all significantly associated with overweight/obesity (p < 0.05). The prevalence ratio of overweight/obesity and obesity in children where both parents were overweight were 1.87 (95% CI: 1.37, 2.54) and 2.59 (95% CI: 1.46, 4.61) times, respectively, higher than for children whose parents were of normal weight. The prevalence ratio of being obese significantly decreased by 5% (PR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93, 0.98) for each additional month of breast-feeding. Overweight and obesity is a public health problem in preschool children and apparently becoming widespread in urban areas of HCMC. Overweight and obesity in children were strongly associated with parental overweight status, but longer duration of breast-feeding and longer sleep duration at night appear to protect against overweight and obesity in young children.

Constraints on Good Child-Care Practices and Nutritional Status in Urban Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

Care is increasingly being recognized as a crucial input to child health and nutrition, along with food security, availability of health services, and a healthy environment. Although significant gains have been made in the fight against malnutrition in Tanzania, the nutritional status of preschool children in urban areas is not improving. To assess child-care practices and the nutritional status of infants and young children with the aim of improvingfeeding practices and child nutritional status. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in urban Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The study involved 100 randomly selected mothers of children 6 to 24 months old from households in Ilala Municipality, one of the three municipalities that constitute the Dar-es-Salaam City Council. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire, spot-check observations, and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence rates of stunting, underweight, wasting, and morbidity were 43%, 22%, 3%, and 80%, respectively. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was very low (9%), and most stunted children (88%) were not exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months. The mean age at which complementary foods and fluids were introduced was 3.26 +/- 1.12 months (range, 1 to 5 months). The fluids given were mainly water and thin cereal-based porridge. More than half of the households practiced good hygiene. Most of the psychosocial practices (e.g., caregiver's attention, affection, and involvement in child feeding, hygiene, health care, and training) were performed by mothers, except for cooking and feeding the children and child training, which were done mostly by alternative caregivers. Nearly half of the mothers (44%) worked out of the home. The mean number of working hours per day was long (10.32 +/- 2.13), necessitating the use of alternative caregivers. A negative correlation was found between height-for-age z-scores and the number of hours mothers worked outside the home. The prevalence rates of chronic malnutrition and morbidity are high, and child-feeding practices are inadequate in this urban population. Maternal employment and educational characteristics constrain good child-care practices, and alternative caregivers are taking a more important role in child care as mothers join the work force. We recommend that formative research be conducted to study the actual practices of caregivers in order to form the basis for a child-care education program. There is also a need to strengthen national health system support for improved child feeding.

Current level of gross motor development of 3-6 year-old children in Potchefstroom, South Africa

Research shows that preschool children are physically not as active as in the past, leading to the question of the current level of gross motor development of preschool children in urban areas in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to establish and describe specific gross motor components in a group of 3-6 year old urban South African children and compare the results to standardized norms and developmental criteria. A total of 462 3-6 year old children (215 males and 247 females) was tested on 8 gross motor tasks, and compared to norms and criteria as found in the literature. The 3, 4 and 5 year olds compared favourably to their counterparts in the tests for hopping, one leg balance and "jumping jacks". The 5 year olds compared favourably in standing long jump and skipping, while the 3 and 4 year olds compared favourably in the throwing test. Balance walk and catching ability of the 3, 4 and 5 year olds, standing long jump in the 4 year olds and throwing in the 5 year old group were lower than the norms used. The 6 year old group scored lower than the norms and criteria in all the tests except for standing long jump, where they scored higher than the norms. The implications for school readiness of the below-average level of gross motor development of the 6 year olds in this study are discussed. Key words: Gross motor development level, preschool children, norms, criteria. (Af. J. Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance: 2002 8(1): 106-119)