Children's Routines Research Articles

The Increase in Childhood Obesity and Its Association with Hypertension during Pandemics.

There has been a major ongoing health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's lives, including lifestyle and overall health. Enforcement of prevention measures, such as school closures and social distancing, has significantly affected children's daily routines and activities. This perspective manuscript aims to explore the rise in childhood obesity and its association with hypertension during pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant disruptions in children's routines, including reduced physical activity, increased sedentary behavior, and changes in dietary patterns. These factors, coupled with the psychological impact of the pandemic, have contributed to an alarming increase in childhood obesity rates. This paper has highlighted the concerning increase in childhood obesity and hypertension during pandemics. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced physical activity, increased sedentary behaviors, and changes in dietary patterns, have contributed to the rise in these health conditions. It is crucial to recognize the long-term consequences of childhood obesity and hypertension and the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to address them.

Children's Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross Cultural Comparison Between Portugal, Brazil and Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced governments to implement measures that disrupted the daily routines of many families worldwide. We studied how the COVID-19 lockdown affected children's routines in Portugal (PT), Brazil (BR), and Italy (IT) to determine if children's age and country impacted their physical activity (PA) and sedentary time. We launched an anonymous online survey to assess how 3-12years old children adjusted their daily routines to this situation. Parents reported the times each child was engaged in different activities throughout the day, and we used these data to calculate separately overall sedentary and physical activity time. We conducted separate analyses of variance for age and country on the percentage of time spent in the different activities. Results, based on the data from 3045 children in these three countries (PT n = 2044; BR n = 836; IT n = 165), showed that, during lockdown, most children spent most of their awake daily hours in sedentary activities. There was a clear age effect on the way their routines were organized. Percentages of time spent in intellectual activity, playful screen activity, and overall sedentary time were greater in the older age groups, whereas percentages of time spent in play (with and without PA) and in overall PA were greater in the younger groups. We found a main effect of country for all variables except play without PA. The country effect was mainly due to the difference between the routines in BR when compared to PT and IT. Values of playful screen time and overall sedentary activity were higher in BR than in the two European countries. Conversely, values for play with PA, PA, and overall PA (except in the older group) were lower in BR. Patterns of time spent in these activities were similar in IT and PT, but PA and overall PA times were higher in the two younger age groups in IT. In summary, percentage of PA time of confined children was low and decreased with age across all three countries and was particularly low for children in BR relative to those in PT and IT.

Evaluation of the Effect of a Serious Game on the Performance of Daily Routines by Autistic and ADHD Children.

Learning and performing new routines are difficult for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Studies have shown that consistency in child reinforcement and parental support are effective. For example, digital solutions such as serious games can be used to support parents and children in developing these life skills. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a serious game on the performance of daily routines by autistic and ADHD children. A total of 201 families (parents and children) participated in the study. The study used a combined 3 (intervention) × 3 (diagnosis) × 3 (time) research design with repeated measures. Participants were randomly assigned to three intervention groups (serious game, parental support, and a combination of serious game and parental support) based on their diagnosis (ASD, ADHD, neurotypical). Latent growth modeling and repeated ANOVAS were performed to analyze routine scores collected at three moments (baseline, midpoint, persistence) over an 8-week period. Results show a moderating effect of diagnosis on child routine trajectory. For ADHD participants, we observed a very important significant clinical effect for two interventions (parental support alone and combination of serious game and parental support) where for ASD children, this effect is observed for only one treatment (combination of serious game and parental support). For neurotypical children, results indicate a very important and significant clinical effect when they use the serious game alone. Results show that the serious game can improve children's routines. However, for some neurodevelopmental profiles (ASD or ADHD), the addition of parental support produces greater clinical improvements.

Child-parent relationship during the Wuhan COVID-19 lockdown: Role of changes in preschool children's daily routines.

ObjectiveWe examined the impact of the strict lockdown on 130 preschool‐age children's daily routines and how their routine changes from pre‐lockdown were related to child–parent relationship quality during the lockdown.BackgroundTo contain the spread of the COVID‐19, the city of Wuhan underwent a strict 76‐day lockdown, during which children's routines were drastically altered, yet families did not have a frame of reference to use to determine how changes in children's routines would be related to their family dynamics.MethodParents provided survey data on the amount of time their children spent daily on learning, screen devices, play and exercise, and nighttime sleep before, during, and after the lockdown. The also described general family functioning, child–parent closeness, and child–parent conflict during the lockdown.ResultsThe lockdown led to changes in all four routines, but all returned to pre‐lockdown level after the lockdown was lifted. Regression analyses showed that decrease in play and exercise time was related to less child–parent closeness, and decrease in learning time and increase in nighttime sleep time were related to more child–parent conflict.ConclusionFindings suggested changes in the children's play and exercise time, learning time, and nighttime sleep time were related to negative child–parent relationship (i.e., less closeness or more conflict), but favorable general functioning was a protective factor.ImplicationsOur study highlighted family resilience in restoring the children's routines after the lockdown, as well as family vulnerability during the lockdown, as changes in three of the four routines examined were linked to negative child–parent relationship.

Well adapted

The pandemic has heightened parents’ anxieties and caused disruption to children's routines. Katy Morton finds out how settings are helping families to deal with change

RESPONSE TO DAVID BLAU'S ESSAY

RESPONSE TO DAVID BLAU'S ESSAY

Parenting stress in lockdown: The role of changes in Children's routines and Parents' relationship with live‐in grandparents

AbstractObjectivesThis study examined parenting stress in relation to changes in preschool‐aged children's routines and change in relationship quality between parents and live‐in grandparents caused by the lockdown.BackgroundThe Chinese city of Wuhan was the first city in the world to enforce a strict citywide lockdown to curtail the spread of Covid‐19. The 76‐day (1/23–4/8/2020) lockdown affected about 13 million of Wuhan's residents, many of whom were families with young children.MethodSurvey data were collected from 130 parents in Wuhan on parenting stress, children's routines in learning, play/exercise, screen exposure and sleep before, during and after the lockdown.ResultsThe lockdown led to a significant decrease in the amount of time that the children spent daily in playing/exercise and learning, but a significant increase in nighttime sleep and screen exposure. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed that controlling for other variables, the following significantly predicted parenting stress: decrease in learning time, parent–grandparent relationship deterioration, and the interaction between decrease in learning time and parent–grandparent relationship improvement.ConclusionMinimizing loss of learning time and preventing parent–grandparent relationship deterioration could help reduce parenting stress during the lockdown.

Use and impact of Cheneau brace in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a literature review

<p class="abstract">The Cheneau brace is the most commonly used rigid thoracolumbosacral orthosis in Europe. It is designed to de-rotate the apical segment of the curve and provide 3D correction of the spinal deformity. In terms of brace application outcomes, the Cheneau brace has been shown to prevent curve progression and decrease axial rotation. The objectives of the Cheneau brace are to achieve a three-dimensional correction of the scoliotic deformity, focusing on the sagittal plane as well as the coronal and transverse planes. This literature review aims to review the impact of Cheneau brace on usage and compliance in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and reference lists from all retrieved papers were used to conduct an electronic database search. The Cheneau brace may be beneficial in preventing curvature progression in AIS patients. With careful fitting and adjustment of the pads by an experienced Orthotist, the curve should be corrected to the greatest extent possible in the brace. Poor outcomes can also be the result of poor patient management, which can have an impact on compliance. A successful treatment outcome can be achieved with close monitoring of the patient's compliance and in brace correction. According to the literature, the Cheneau brace is an effective treatment for mild to moderate AIS. Starting brace usage at a younger age and taking into account the child's routines and preferences, as well as the treatment plan and prescribed orthosis regimen, can drastically improve compliance.</p>

Impact of COVID-19 on Children's and Adolescent's Mental Health in Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundCOVID-19 outbreak was sudden and unexpected in most countries. It has spread globally between January and March 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the outbreak as a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. While this lockdown has proven to be an important and successful method of social distancing to counter the growing spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus, it has also created a degree of psychological impact on the public. Children may be strongly exposed to pandemic-generated biopsychosocial stressors, and once the containment measures of the population are needed to minimize the spread of viruses, they may be negatively impacted by the disturbance of everyday life as a result of social isolation. During school closures, children's routines may change, and healthy behaviors, such as physical activity, adequate diet, or good sleeping habits, may be less likely to happen.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia from 20 March 2021 to 30 March 2021, targeted at children's parents and adolescents. Our concentration was on the impact of COVID-19 on the psychiatric wellbeing of children and adolescents. The data was collected through an online self-administered questionnaire which contains 56 close-ended questions for parents of children and 46 close-ended questions for adolescents. Statistical analysis was performed using R v 3.6.3 (R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Counts and percentages were used to summarize the distribution of categorical variables.ResultsThe questionnaire was completed by 1141 respondents, 454 were < 18 years old. Thus, these respondents completed the questionnaire on behalf of themselves. The remaining 688 respondents were adults and completed the questionnaire on behalf of their children. Results showed that higher children's age was associated with less increase in worrying, restlessness, and a higher increase in sadness. Higher age was associated with a higher increase in the frequency of waking up, sleeping little, and uneasiness, and nervousness. Having relatives who were infected with COVID-19 was associated with higher increases in most of the negative behaviors such as anxiety, sadness, sleeping little, indecisiveness, and irritability. Punishment threats, screaming, and hitting were associated with a higher increase in negative behaviors during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. Results showed that neither the gender of the parent nor the child was associated with any of the domains of the child's behavior. Children whose parents were divorced had higher scores on anxiety, restlessness, and sleep disorders than children whose parents were not divorcedConclusionCOVID-19 has caused increased stress on families, especially children and adolescents who are vulnerable populations. Our results show that the COVID-19 pandemic can affect the mental health of children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia. We showed that parental stress is a predictor of psychiatric problems, which, if unaddressed, can cause child maltreatment and greater psychological distress.

Parents Are Stressed! Patterns of Parent Stress Across COVID-19.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused numerous unexpected challenges for many families, and these long-lasting demands likely contribute to higher stress for parents. The aim of this study was to describe changes in parent stress longitudinally from before (retrospective) to two timepoints during COVID-19. Stressors that influenced parenting and strategies to manage parenting difficulties at each timepoint during COVID-19 are also described.Methods: Parents (N = 433; 95% female) in the US with >1 child aged 5–18 years completed an online survey in May 2020 (T1; at the peak of stay-at-home mandates) and in September 2020 (T2; children's return to school). Surveys included the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and questions on parenting-specific stress, stressors that influenced parenting, and strategies to manage parenting difficulties during COVID-19. Retrospective report of pre-COVID-19 stress was assessed at T1; current stress was assessed at T1 and T2. Repeated measures analysis of variance examined changes in stress over time.Results: Parent's stress increased from before COVID-19 to T1 (PSS score: 16.3 ± 5.7 to 22.0 ± 6.4, respectively; p < 0.01), and decreased by T2 (19.2 ± 6.0), but remained elevated above pre-COVID-19 values (p < 0.01). Most parents (71.1%) reported an increase parenting-specific stress from before COVID-19 to T1, which continued to increase for 55% of parents at T2. Common stressors that impacted parenting during COVID-19 were changes in children's routines, worry about COVID-19, and online schooling demands. Common strategies parents used to manage parenting difficulties included doing family activities together, keeping in touch with family/friends virtually, and keeping children on daily routines.Conclusions: Parent stress increased substantially during COVID-19 and has not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, suggesting the need for enhanced mental health resources and supports. Public health interventions should address parenting-specific stressors and effective strategies for managing parenting difficulties to mitigate their deleterious impact.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's lifestyles and anxiety levels.

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to determine the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic on children's lifestyles and anxiety levels.MethodsThis study was designed as a descriptive, cross‐sectional online questionnaire survey.ResultsOf the children, 91.9% reported that the pandemic had an important effect on their lifestyle. Children stated that they experienced changes in terms of nutrition, sleep, television‐internet use, social activity, coursework time, and school success due to the pandemic.Implication for PracticeIt was determined that the COVID‐19 pandemic caused changes in children's routines, and the children experienced moderate or high levels of anxiety. Primary healthcare providers should increase their attention to these issues to protect and improve children's mental health during the pandemic period.

Sleep duration and blood pressure in Spanish children with obesity

AbstractIntroduction:Hypertension is a public health problem and its prevalence in children is on the rise, often continuing into adulthood and increasing the risk related cardiovascular complications. Sleep plays an essential role in children's growth and several studies suggest that insufficient sleep duration is associated with hypertension in adults. However, few studies have evaluated this association in children. Thus, the aim of the study is to ascertain whether the sleep duration is a risk factor for elevated blood pressure (BP) in children.Methods:We studied 776 children (5–18 years old), (46.7% male, 78.8% 5–13 years, 73.6% overweight/obesity). Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BP was measured with an electronic manometer to find a 25.3% of children with an elevated systolic BP (SBP, &gt; P90th) and 14% with an elevated diastolic BP (DBP, &gt; P90th) (Task Force 2017). Sleep duration was assessed by asking the parents “¿How many hours does your child sleep in a typical weekday?”. Weekday sleep hours were considered since they are more representative of children's routines than weekend hours. Hours were converted into a dichotomous variable based on the fulfillment or not of the “Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth recommendations”: 9–11 hours for 5- to 13-year-olds; 8–10 hours for 14- to 17-year-olds.A spearman correlation analysis was performed between sleep duration, SBP and DBP. Then, a general linear model analysis adjusted for BMI Z-score was done to evaluate differences in SBP and DBP between children following the sleep recommendations. Analyses were stratified by sex and age range (5–13 and 14–17).Results:In girls 5–13 years, we found a significant negative correlation between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.226, p = 0.000) and between sleep and systolic BP (r = -0.188, p = 0.001). Girls 5–13 years not following sleep recommendations showed significantly higher SBP values than those who followed the recommendations (112 ± 11 mmHg vs. 106 ± 12 mmHg, p = 0.007), independently of BMI. No significant differences were observed in girls 14–17 years nor in males.Discussion:In the present study, we show that girls 5–13 years with shorter sleep duration show increased SBP values independently of BMI, in contrast to previous studies which showed similar associations that disappeared when adjusting for BMI. Our results support the need for wider strategies in population education so that sleep recommendations are followed by children in the general population.

The Effect of Cognitive Therapy on Executive Functions and Occupational Routines in Children with Dyslexia

The Effect of Cognitive Therapy on Executive Functions and Occupational Routines in Children with Dyslexia

Photographs as a Research Tool in Child Studies: Some Analytical Metaphors and Choices

This methodological paper discusses how photographs can be used in multi-layered data projects with children and families. We present photographs as a versatile low-fi digital artifact that can be used under a variety of research circumstances and critically discuss this particular visual tool in the context of the growing body of visual and multimodal research with children and families. The critical discussion draws on a series of research projects in which we have employed photographs (topics of the projects include family diversity or children's routines). The comparisons between projects highlights some of the procedural and analytical choices that are opened up when using photographs. In particular, we focus on two issues: (a) differences that emerge when materials are created by participants or are elicited by researchers, and; (b) the metaphors that are applied to interpret and work with photographs.

Del hogar a la ciudad como camino de ida y vuelta en el desarrollo de la identidad: el caso de las rutinas de la infancia urbana de clase media/alta en Madrid

Se viene definiendo el hogar como un espacio dinámico (POVEDA et al., 2012), que no forma parte únicamente de lo público o lo privado, los límites entre ambos se vuelven más difusos, ya que los medios digitales ponen al alcance el espacio público dentro del entorno privado. Presentamos un estudio cualitativo de las rutinas y el uso que la infancia hace de los recursos que su entorno les proporciona. Se realizó con 4 menores de entre 9-13 años de 2 distritos de clase alta de Madrid. El análisis muestra cómo reparten su tiempo entre el espacio público y privado, cómo hacen uso de los recursos a tienen acceso y que les proporciona el hogar, y a su vez la familia, ambos ofrecen un amplio acceso al capital económico y cultural (BOURDIEU, 1994), asociado a su clase socioeconómica. (LAREAU, 2002)

The Influence of Urban Form and Family Decision Making on Children's Travel to School

Since Western lifestyles can foster obesity and other problems, attention is turning to active travel (AT) as a means of increasing physical activity for both adults and children. Children's routines regularly focus on trips to and from school which can admit walking and other AT. Yet promoting such an approach encounters a problem around the relative influence on AT of urban form and family decision making. To address it, this study applies the recently-constructed Model of Children's Active Travel (M-CAT). Via its formulations, two field sites in Queensland, Australia, were selected based on objective physical characteristics, determined as supportive and not supportive of children's AT. Parents of 206 children aged 9 to 12 years were surveyed. While 43% reported that their children used AT, a significant difference was observed among children dwelling in areas identified as having high as opposed to low support. Behind this clear result, objective attributes of the physical environment, parents' perceptions and evaluations of urban form and child and family characteristics link in intricate ways to determine children's level of engagement. The inquiry argues for an interdisciplinary approach involving urban designers, planners and health care professionals to address a complex physical and social interaction.

The role of children's routines of daily living, supervision, and maternal fatigue in preschool children's injury risk

The purpose of this study was to (a) explore the relationship between the lack of everyday routines and children's unintentional injuries, (b) examine two mechanisms of effect through which lack of routines might operate, children's sleep and maternal supervision, and (c) explore the influence of maternal fatigue in routines and maternal supervision. The sample comprised 264 mothers and their 3-year-old children. Routines were not directly related to children's injuries, but they moderated the relationship between maternal supervision and injuries. Lack of supervision was positively related to injuries only for children with infrequent everyday routines. Infrequent everyday routines were also related to inadequate children's sleep and maternal fatigue was inversely related to routines and maternal supervision.

Ritual Behavior in Obsessive and Normal Individuals

Ritualized behavior is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but it is also observed in other, nonclinical contexts such as children's routines and cultural ceremonies. Such behaviors are best understood with reference to a set of human vigilance–precaution systems in charge of monitoring potential danger and motivating the organism toward appropriate precautions. Ritualized behavior focuses attention on low-level representations of actions, probably leading to some measure of intrusion suppression. Cultural rituals too may be understood in this framework.

Developing Everyday Routines

This study obtains a deeper understanding of the processes supporting the formation of young children's routines in a child care classroom. Eight infants and toddlers and their teachers from two child care classrooms were observed for 4 to 6 months during periods of regularly occurring activities. Detailed, moment-to-moment descriptions of their behaviors and interactions were analyzed. Eleven processes supported the development of children's routines. Teachers structured and guided the children's experiences in learning routines, and children initiated requests to do routines. The study also identified three processes where children invited, coached, and modeled, supporting one another in learning routines. Finally, familiar objects used in routines elicited the children's engagement.

A Qualitative Study of Caregivers' Experiences With Newly Diagnosed Advanced Colorectal Cancer

To report on a descriptive, qualitative study of 14 caregivers of patients newly diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. Qualitative. One urban ambulatory cancer center in the northeastern United States. 14 identified caregivers of patients newly diagnosed with stage III or IV colorectal cancer. Semistructured interviews were taped recorded. Interviewers asked participants to describe their experiences caring for a loved one with colorectal cancer. Thematic content analysis with inductive coding was used to code the transcribed interview data. Throughout the data-coding process, emics in each category were compared within and between categories to maximize the fit of participants' data. Categories were reviewed in a final stage of analysis and further organized into domains from which the core category was derived. Caregiver experiences of living with a person with colorectal cancer, effect on daily living, coping strategies used, and effect on children. The coded interview data yielded three domains: Experiencing Total Disruption of My Life, Staying Positive, and Attempting to Keep Family and Children's Routines as Normal as Possible. The core category that explained study participants' caregiving experiences was "balancing caregiving activities and disruptions while dealing positively with daily demands and personal impact." The dominant experiences of the participants focused on coming to terms with the disease's disruption in their lives, attempting to deal positively with the effect of the disease, and maintaining normalcy in family life. Targeted assessment of caregivers' needs is important in the three dimensions of the study domains. Clinicians who work with caregivers of patients with cancer should offer direct support because caregivers cope with the care of their loved one and struggle with their own distress and with maintaining normal family life. Findings suggest the importance of offering psychosocial support to caregivers and providing guidance to caregivers for support of their children and families.