Probability Of Child Research Articles

Determinants of childhood anaemia in India from 2005 to 2021: insights from the last three rounds of India National Family Health Surveys

Anaemia is a global public health problem affecting 800 million women and children globally. Anaemia is associated with perinatal mortality, child morbidity and mortality, mental development, immune competence, susceptibility to lead poisoning, and performance at work. This paper used data from India National Family Health Surveys (INFHS) carried out in 2005-06, 2015-16 and 2019-21 to identify the factors associated with childhood anaemia among children, adjusting for a range of covariates. In NFHS rounds of 3 and 4 after adjusting for standard covariates, in the probit model, it was found according to marginal effects, the probability of children being anaemic in urban areas is lower. Those belonging to the scheduled tribes have a higher probability of being anaemic in the two survey rounds of NFHS-3 and NFHS-4. Literate mothers were found to have a lower probability of anaemia in their children. In NFHS-5, in the binary logit model after adjusting for standard covariates, it was found that those belonging to the scheduled tribes were 1.348 times more likely to be anaemic compared to the scheduled castes. Maternal education was another significant factor determining the likelihood of being anaemic. Literate mothers were less likely to have anaemic children. This study provides crucial insights into the dynamic nature of childhood anaemia in India, utilizing data from three decades of NFHS surveys. It highlights the need for comprehensive interventions addressing socio-economic determinants, education of women, and behaviour change interventions to mitigate the burden of childhood anaemia in India.

Associations between parent and child latent eating profiles and the role of parental feeding practices

Previous research employing the person-centred approach of Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) with parent-reported data of their child's eating behaviour identified four distinct eating profiles in 3-6-year-old children: typical, avid, happy, and avoidant eating (Pickard et al., 2023). In this follow-up study, the same parents were asked to self-report their own eating behaviour (N = 785) and LPA was conducted to determine the latent eating profiles of the parents/caregivers. The LPA showed that a four-profile solution best represented the sample of parents, termed: typical eating (n = 325, 41.4%), avid eating (n = 293, 37.3%), emotional eating (n = 123, 15.7%) and avoidant eating (n = 44, 5.6%). Multiple mediation analysis was then conducted to examine both the direct associations between parents' eating profiles and the child's probability of eating profile membership, as well as the indirect associations through the mediatory role of specific parental feeding practices. The results suggested direct links between parent and child eating profiles, with the 'avid eating' and 'avoidant eating' profiles in parents predicting similar profiles in their children. Feeding practices, such as using food for emotional regulation, providing balanced and varied food, and promoting a healthy home food environment, mediated associations between parent and child eating profiles. This research provides novel evidence to reinforce the need for interventions to be specifically tailored to both the parent's and child's eating profiles. The work also provides an interesting avenue for future longitudinal examination of whether the parents' provision of a healthy home food environment could protect against intergenerational transmission of less favourable eating behaviours.

Neighbourhood mothers’ education and its differential impact on stunting: Evidence from 30 Sub-Saharan African countries

The study used data from Demographic and Health Surveys for 30 Sub-Saharan African countries to investigate differences in the residential effects of mothers' education on stunting. Multilevel logistic regressions were employed to examine the neighbourhood effects of mothers' education on stunting. The study found that although a higher proportion of mothers with secondary education in a neighbourhood, irrespective of the residence type (rural or urban), reduces a child's probability of being stunted, this effect is stronger for children residing in rural areas than those in the urban. Achieving a target of at least 75 per cent of mothers obtaining secondary education and higher will bridge the rural-urban gap in stunting in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Vaccine Mandates and Influenza Vaccination During the Pandemic.

To determine whether a state influenza vaccine mandate and elevated community coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity affected a child's probability of receiving an influenza vaccine during the 2020-2021 influenza season, given the child's previous vaccination history. Longitudinal cohort study using enrollment and claims data of 71 333 children aged 6 months to 18 years living in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, from a regional insurer. Schoolchildren in Massachusetts were exposed to a new influenza vaccine mandate in the 2020-2021 season. Community COVID-19 severity was measured using county-level total cumulative confirmed case counts between March 2020 and August 2020 and linked by zip codes. The primary outcome of interest was a claim for any influenza vaccine in the 2020-2021 season. Children living in a state with a vaccine mandate during the 2020-2021 influenza season had a higher predicted probability of receiving an influenza vaccine than those living in states without a mandate (47.7%, confidence interval 46.4%-49.0%, vs 21.2%, confidence interval 18.8%-23.6%, respectively, for previous nonvaccinators, and 78.2%, confidence interval 77.4%-79.0%, vs 58.2%, confidence interval 54.7%-61.7%, for previous vaccinators); the difference was 6.5 percentage points greater among previous nonvaccinators (confidence interval 1.3%-11.7%). Previously vaccinated children had a lower predicted probability of receiving an influenza vaccine if they lived in a county with the highest COVID-19 severity compared with a county with low COVID-19 severity (72.1%, confidence interval 70.5%-73.7%, vs 77.3%, confidence interval 74.7%-79.9%). Strategies to improve uptake of influenza vaccination may have differential impact based on previous vaccination status and should account for community factors.

The Effects of School Food Assistance on Children’s Food Sufficiency During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effects of school food assistance on children’s food sufficiency in the United States during the pandemic. We employed the Household Pulse Surveys (HPS) conducted by the United States Census Bureau and administered between July 21, 2021-May 9, 2022. Our outcome of interest is the household self-reported indicator of children’s food sufficiency in the last 7 days. The results show that the probability of children being food sufficient increased significantly by about 12%, 3%, 2%, and 10% among households who received school meals via School pickup, Pandemic-EBT, ate at school, and delivery at home, respectively. The effect of school food assistance on children’s food sufficiency across race and ethnic groups is mixed. While all school food assistance consistently impacts children’s food sufficiency levels among White, only school meals received via school pickup, eating on-site at school, and delivery at home impact children’s food sufficiency among Black. In contrast, only school meals received via school pickup, Pandemic-EBT, and delivery at home impact children’s food sufficiency among Asia households. We also find only school meals received via school pickup impact children’s food sufficiency levels among Hispanics and other races.

Repercussions of patrilocal residence on mothers' social support networks among Tsimane forager-farmers.

While it is commonly thought that patrilocality is associated with worse outcomes for women and their children due to lower social support, few studies have examined whether the structure of female social networks covaries with post-marital residence. Here, we analyse scan sample data collected among Tsimane forager-farmers. We compare the social groups and activity partners of 181 women residing in the same community as their parents, their husband's parents, both or neither. Relative to women living closer to their in-laws, women living closer to their parents are less likely to be alone or solely in the company of their nuclear family (odds ratio (OR): 0.6, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9), and more likely to be observed with others when engaging in food processing and manufacturing of market or household goods, but not other activities. Women are slightly more likely to receive childcare support from outside the nuclear family when they live closer to their parents (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 0.8-3.9). Their social group size and their children's probability of receiving allocare decrease significantly with distance from their parents, but not their in-laws. Our findings highlight the importance of women's proximity to kin, but also indicate that patrilocality per se is not costly to Tsimane women. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.

Dynastic Home Equity

Using a nationally representative panel of consumer credit records for the US from 1999 to 2021, we document a positive correlation between child and parent homeownership. We propose a new causal mechanism behind this relationship based on parents extracting home equity to help finance their child's home purchase and quantify this mechanism in several ways. First, controlling for cohort, zip code, age, and the creditworthiness of parents and children, we find that children whose parents extract equity are 60% more likely to become a homeowner than children whose homeowner-parents do not extract equity. Second, using an event study approach, we find that the increase in child homeownership occurs almost entirely in the year when parents extract equity. Third, using variation in equity extraction induced by households near leverage constraints, we find parental equity extraction increases the child's probability of becoming a homeowner by about five times. Our results highlight the importance of familial wealth for household wealth accumulation and housing wealth in particular. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that dynastic home equity increases housing wealth inequality among young adults by 20%.

Like father, like son? Parental input, access to higher education, and social mobility in China

This paper studies the role of parental input in university access in the context of a 10-fold expansion of China's higher-education sector since 1999. Using a Logit regression, we find that an increase in a parent's education level significantly raises their child's probability of entering university. Moreover, the effects of parental involvement and children's trust towards their parents on university entrance are highly significant. The results are robust to Probit and Linear-Probability-Model specifications. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that for rural and/or worse-educated families, parental involvement significantly affects the child's access to university, while for urban and/or better-educated families, the child's own study attitude is key for progression to university. To address the confounder of genetic inheritance, we use regression discontinuity and two-stage least squares and find that the nine-year compulsory education policy launched in 1986 not only increased the education years of the first generation by about 1.66 years, but has also had a lasting effect by raising the second generation's probability of access to university by 11.77%.

Cytokines in Schizophrenia: Predisposing Factors and Inflammatory Responses

Schizophrenia is a multifactorial disease that may be triggered by environmental disorders, mental stress, or physical illness in a person who is genetically predisposed to it. Recent research has extremely evaluated the role of inflammatory cytokines in schizophrenia. The current study attempted to find any association between cytokines and schizophrenia. This narrative study was conducted through a literature review in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases using keywords related to schizophrenia and cytokines without any time limitation. This review focused on discussing the relationship between various symptoms of disease and cytokine levels. Environmental factors such as embryonical infections were found to be associated with alternations in mothers’ blood cytokines and further effects on schizophrenia probability in children. Heritable factors including disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) and neuregulin 1 (NRG1) genes were shown to be linked with immunological responses, as well as Toll-like receptors or AKT1/p13k activation and following alternations in the cytokine profile. Based on the findings, the cytokines and inflammatory responses of the body were reported to be involved in many psychological disorders and schizophrenia. Various interleukins (ILs), as well as IL-6, IL-8, and IL-2R are known to be associated with the severity of schizophrenia symptoms. Although various data exist regarding different cytokines and their association with schizophrenia, no study has so far formulated research fields on specific types of cytokines that have the potential to be further studied for therapeutic hope.

Evaluation of suicide probability in children and adolescents with epilepsy.

We aimed to examine suicide probability, factors affecting suicide, and personality traits of children and adolescents diagnosed with epilepsy, and to compare their results with those of children without epilepsy. Fifty-six children diagnosed with epilepsy and 56 control children, aged 11-16 years, were evaluated by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria, the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version, the Child Depression Inventory, the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 - Brief Form - Children (PID-5-BF) scales. Factors predicting suicide risk in children with epilepsy were analyzed. The mean age, SPS total score, and hopelessness subscale score, PID-5-BF total score as well as disinhibition and psychoticism subscale scores of the epilepsy group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the Child Depression Inventory, and other subscales of the Suicide Probability Scales and PID-5-BF scales. The SPS total score was higher in patients with comorbid psychiatric diseases, those using psychiatric drugs, and girls (P < 0.05). An ANCOVA analysis indicated that the most important factor that predicted the probability of suicide and its subscale scores was the level of depression, and the presence of epilepsy was not predictive. We found a high probability of suicide and personality pathology in children with epilepsy but the main predictor of suicide probability was the level of depression, not the presence of epilepsy.

Beyond personal factors: Multilevel determinants of childhood stunting in Indonesia.

Stunting is still a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, including Indonesia. Previous studies have reported the complexities associated with understanding the determinants of stunting. This study aimed to examine the household-, subdistrict- and province-level determinants of stunting in Indonesia using a multilevel hierarchical mixed effects model. We analyzed data for 8045 children taken from the 2007 and 2014 waves of the Indonesian Family and Life Surveys (IFLS). We included individual-, family-/household- and community-level variables in the analyses. A multilevel mixed effects model was employed to take into account the hierarchical structure of the data. Moreover, the model captured the effect of unobserved household-, subdistrict- and province-level characteristics on the probability of children being stunted. Our findings showed that the odds of childhood stunting vary significantly not only by individual child- and household-level characteristics but also by province- and subdistrict-level characteristics. Among the child-level covariates included in our model, dietary habits, neonatal weight, a history of infection, and sex significantly affected the risk of stunting. Household wealth status and parental education are significant household-level covariates associated with a higher risk of stunting. Finally, the risk of stunting is higher for children living in communities without access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Stunting is associated with not only child-level characteristics but also family- and community-level characteristics. Hence, interventions to reduce stunting should also take into account family and community characteristics to achieve effective outcomes.

Autism spectrum disorder detection using sequential minimal optimization‐support vector machine hybrid classifier according to history of jaundice and family autism in children

SummaryAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by several nervous system problems that change the function of the brain. It is either congenital or occurs in the early years of life. Although the cause of ASD is not known exactly, it is generally thought to be genetic. Today, the relationship of ASD with other diseases is under investigation. One of these diseases is jaundice. It has been shown in different medical studies that the probability of children, who were jaundiced in the newborn period and/or had a family history of autism, having this disorder is higher than the others. However, studies in this area using artificial intelligence techniques are limited. For this reason, in this study, the relationship between ASD with jaundice and/or family history of autism in children was emphasized by using current machine learning techniques and analyses. Datasets were established by digitizing verbal data obtained from children between the ages of 4 and 11: (1) subjects with a family history of autism, (2) subjects with a history of jaundice, (3) subjects with both history of jaundice and family autism, and (4) subjects with no conditions. Since the verbal datasets created by the answers from the children (with or without ASD) or the people around them were converted into numerical form with 0–1 coding, mathematical operations could be performed using these datasets. The four subgroups of data mentioned above were given to the sequential minimal optimization‐support vector machine hybrid classifier after they were separated into training and test data via the stratified cross‐validation method. The results were analyzed with various statistical parameters. In addition, the sequential forward floating selection algorithm was used to determine which features were not effective for ASD detection. Obtained results from all datasets can provide a new perspective for the literature. As a result, it was determined with a 100% success rate for dataset1 and dataset3. In addition, the ASD detection rate was calculated at 95.52% in children with a history of jaundice. Finally, considerable and meaningful interpretations were made about which features according to the history of jaundice and family autism for each dataset are more effective in ASD detection in children.

Health Insurance Access Among US Citizen Children In Mexico: National And Transborder Policy Implications.

More than 500,000 US citizen migrant children were residing in Mexico in 2015, and more than half of them had limited, inadequate health insurance despite their citizenship status. The majority of these children lived in Mexican states near the US border. Despite these numbers, knowledge regarding these children and their health has been scarce. To address these knowledge gaps, we analyzed data from the 2015 Mexican Intercensal Survey to examine whether the health insurance status of US citizen migrant children in Mexico is linked to individual, household, and state factors. We compared rates of insured US citizen migrant children with rates among those who were underinsured. We found high rates of underinsurance among US citizen migrant children, especially in northern Mexican border states. Parental education, labor-force participation, urban residence, and border residence partially accounted for these children's probability of being insured. Our results have implications for binational policies that extend health care protection to US citizen migrant children through reintegration assistance for their parents, an expedited dual-citizenship application process, and exempting these children from the automatic cancellation of US-based health benefits.

Trends and patterns of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) in Peru: a pooled analysis of 129,159 mother\u2013child dyads

BackgroundThis study aims to evaluate trends of DBM in Peru over the last 20 years.MethodsUsing individual-level data collected in nationally representative household surveys from Peru between 1996 and 2017, we analysed trends in the prevalence and patterning of the DBM. We classified the nutritional status of children and their mothers as undernourished (either underweight, stunted or wasted for children), normal, overweight or obese. Children classified as experiencing the DBM were those undernourished and living with an overweight or obese mother. We also fitted logistic regression models to evaluate the probability of children having an overweight/obese mother across subgroups of socioeconomic status, place of residence and education.ResultsThe overall percentage of children experiencing the DBM in 2016 was 7%, and constitutes ~203,600 children (90% of whom were stunted). Between 1996 and 2016, undernourished children have seen the largest relative increase in the risk of having an overweight mother (31% vs. 37%) or obese mother (6% vs. 17%); however, due to the substantial decrease in the absolute number of undernourished children, the DBM has not grown. Moreover, all children, irrespective of their own nutritional status, are now more likely to live with an overweight or obese mother, a consistent pattern across wealth, location and education subgroups, and all regions of Peru.ConclusionsDBM prevalence in Peru has decreased, although the number of DBM cases is estimated to be above 200,000. In addition, all children are now more likely to live with overweight or obese mothers. The basic pattern has shifted from one of undernourished children whose mothers have a ‘normal’ BMI, to one where now most children have a ‘normal’ or healthy anthropometric status, but whose mothers are overweight or obese. This suggest that Peru is on the cusp of a major public health challenge requiring significant action.

Biological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Sediments and Health Risk Assessment in Marine Organisms from Daya Bay, China

The concentrations of heavy metals in sediments and marine organisms in Daya Bay were investigated, and the Monte Carlo method was used to analyze the uncertainty of the results of geo-accumulation characteristics and ecological and health risks. The mean concentrations of metal elements in sediments were in the following order: Zn &gt; Cr &gt; Cu &gt; As &gt; Cd &gt; Hg, while those in marine organisms were Zn &gt; Cu &gt; As &gt; Cr ≈ Cd &gt; Hg. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) indicated that the primary pollutant was Hg, with 5.46% moderately polluted, and 39.52% for unpolluted to moderately polluted. Potential ecological risks (RI) were between low and high risks, and the contributions of Hg, Cd, and As to ecological risks were 50.85%, 33.92%, and 11.47%, respectively. The total hazard coefficients (THQ) were less than 1, but on the basis of total carcinogenic risks (TCR), the probability of children and adults exceeded the unacceptable risk threshold of 22.27% and 11.19%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis results showed that the concentrations of carcinogenic elements contributed to risk in the order of As &gt; Cd &gt; Cr. Therefore, in order to effectively control heavy metals contamination in Daya Bay, it is necessary to strengthen the management of Hg, Cd, and As emissions.

Developing a Nomogram Model to Predict the Risk of Poor Chinese Handwriting in First Grade.

Few predictive models for later handwriting difficulties have been developed for kindergarteners. To develop a nomogram for the purpose of detecting the risk of later poor Chinese handwriting among Taiwanese kindergarteners. One-year prospective longitudinal, observational study. Kindergarten and elementary school. One hundred fifty-six kindergarteners were included. In first grade, they were grouped into the normal and poor handwriting groups on the basis of handwriting performance in first grade. Participants received fine motor (FM), visual-perceptual (VP), and visual-motor integration tests in kindergarten and handwriting assessments in first grade. Logistic regression results indicated that younger age at school entry and lower scores on measures of FM and VP in kindergarten increased the risk for later poor handwriting. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the nomogram built with these risk factors was .75, indicating that the nomogram had acceptable diagnostic value. This nomogram could be used as a screening tool to detect kindergarteners at risk of poor Chinese handwriting in first grade. This study is the first to establish a nomogram constructed with significant predictors in kindergarten of a child's probability of poor handwriting later in first grade. This predictive nomogram may help occupational therapists, educators, and parents identify at-risk kindergarteners early for the purpose of early interventions to prevent later poor Chinese handwriting.

Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia in a Pediatric Population: Implications for Clinical Probability Scores and Testing

To determine the applicability of the 4Ts score and the Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) Expert Probability (HEP) score in children with suspected HIT and to estimate the number of children potentially at risk of HIT. We retrospectively estimated 4Ts and HEP scores in a cohort of 50 children referred for laboratory screening with enzyme immunoassay. In addition, minor modifications were introduced to the 4Ts score (modified 4Ts score) to adapt it for use in the pediatric setting. All patients with positive enzyme immunoassays were tested with serotonin release assay. We also extracted the number of patients started on heparins in a similar period of time. The median age at the time of testing was 4years (25th-75th percentile, 8.7months to 13.5years); 78% of patients had low and 22% had intermediate risk pretest probability scores using the original 4Ts score; 86% had low risk and 14% had intermediate risk scores using the modified 4Ts score; 54% of children had a HEP score of ≥2. Six patients (12%) had a positive (≥0.40 optical density units) enzyme immunoassay, but none had a positive serotonin release assay. Based on anticoagulation dose, there were 1-2 new daily potentially high-risk exposures to heparinoids at our institution. The modified 4Ts and original 4Ts scores may be more adequate than the HEP score to determineHIT pretest probability in children. Despite the number of patients potentially at risk, HIT is rare in pediatrics.

Women’s Political Representation and Educational Attainments: A District-level Analysis in India

This paper has three major objectives: (1) to analyse whether the gender of politicians in India is relevant to the educational achievements of the residents of the districts in which they were elected; (2) to test whether politicians are more sensitive to the needs of the people of same gender and (3) to explore the potential channels through which the above relationships operate. By applying econometric techniques to a dataset obtained by merging individual with district-level political data, we concluded that an increase by 10 percentage points in women’s political representation produces an increase by 6 percentage points in the probability of children completing primary school. We then found gender-differentiated results: women’s political representation affects significantly more girls’ than boys’ education. This relationship works partly through the improvement of women’s access to educational programmes like the Mid-Day Meal scheme, while an increase in school infrastructures does not appear to be an important mediating factor. While an in-depth understanding of the pathways through which women’s representation in politics impacts on children’s education is hindered by data constraints, our findings seem to point to the importance of the ‘role model’ effect.

Summer-born struggle: The effect of school starting age on health, education, and work.

Children starting school older consistently exhibit better educational outcomes. In this paper, we underscore child development as a mechanism driving this effect. Using unique administrative data on health examinations, we study the causal effect of school starting age (SSA) on a child's probability of being diagnosed with special educational needs in early grades. Results show that children with higher SSA are less likely to develop behavioral problems and speech impediments, whereas learning disabilities, ADHD, and dyslexia/dyscalculia remain unaffected. Importantly, these effects only arise after primary school entry and are not due to preexisting health conditions. We also find that teachers tend to over‐refer relatively young children to special needs services, but this over‐referring behavior is not driving the results, which are based on psychologists' diagnoses. The SSA effect persists throughout compulsory schooling, resulting in higher test scores and better quality vocational training contracts. However, SSA does not affect employment, earnings, or disability insurance benefits at labor market entry.

The Long-Term Labor Market Effects of Parental Unemployment

I investigate the impact of parental unemployment on children's educational attainment and long-run labor market outcomes in Austria. I find that parental unemployment shortly before an important educational decision by parents for their children lowers a child's probability of holding a university degree by more than 5 percentage points. I do not find that income is affected at the beginning of a child's labor market career along the distribution but find a gradual deterioration later on. A substantial share of these long-term losses can be explained by the lower parental investment decision. My results emphasize the intergenerational and long-lasting consequences of parental unemployment.