Parental perceptions,attitudes and acceptance of childhood immunization in Saudi Arabia: A cross sectional study

ObjectivesThe widespread availability and use of vaccines have tremendously reduced morbidity, mortality and health care costs associated with infectious diseases. However, parental beliefs about vaccination are one of the major factors in achieving high vaccination rates. Thus, this study aims to assess the perceptions and attitudes regarding routine childhood immunization among Saudi parents.MethodsA cross sectional study with a pre-tested 18-item questionnaire was conducted using 467 randomly selected parents from the Hail region of Saudi Arabia in the period between February 1st, 2016, and February 1st, 2017. The validated questionnaire consisted of three sections that collected information on participants’ demographics, parents’ awareness of vaccine benefits, and parents’ practices regarding the immunization of their children.ResultsFemale and male parents comprised 54.5% (255) and 45.5% (212) of the sample, respectively, and the response and completion rates were 97%. The majority of the respondents had received a formal education (94.1%, 439), were gainfully employed (62.9%, 294) and had a regular monthly income (73.3%). The majority of the respondents were aware of childhood vaccinations (78.9%), completed vaccinations mandated for children up to 5 years (86.2%), encouraged other parents to do so (89.9%), and had easy access to vaccines (90.5%). Sixty to ninety percent of the respondents were knowledgeable regarding the health benefits of vaccinations in children, even though 18.4% of their children had experienced vaccination-related minor adverse effects during or after vaccination of which 23.2% required doctor's visits. Health care professionals were the most frequent source of parents’ vaccine-related information (65.2%), and vaccination reminder services provided by the Ministry of Health (MOH) via mobile phones were cited by 57.5% of respondents.ConclusionsConfidence in and acceptance of childhood vaccinations, perceptions of vaccine-related health benefits and ease of access to immunizations appeared to be quite good among Saudi parents.     

The intervention priorities of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in Iran

When designing and implementing evidence-based programs for children with an autism spectrum disorder, the intervention priorities of parents are important criteria. Although studies in developed countries have explored parents’ intervention priorities, there is a paucity of this kind of research in developing countries. This research explores the intervention priorities of 207 Iranian parents for their children with autism in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Participants with children between 2 to 21 years of age were asked to rate their intervention priorities from among 10 main categories. In addition, correlations between children’s difficulties and parental intervention priorities were examined.The results indicate that building social communication skills was the highest intervention priority for parents of Iranian children with autism, a contrast to typical current service provision in Iran. The results also substantiated that presence of social communication difficulties and challenging behaviors in children are typically correlated with parents' intervention priorities.     

A randomized-controlled examination of the effect of cognitive reappraisal instruction on maternal accommodation of child anxiety symptoms

Parental accommodation plays a key role in the maintenance of child anxiety, yet much of the research to date has been correlational, making it difficult to draw conclusions about underlying mechanisms. Given preliminary evidence that parental beliefs play a role in parental accommodation, the present study sought to experimentally reduce accommodation by targeting parental attitudes about child anxiety. Mothers of children ages 4–9 (N = 47) were randomly assigned to either receive brief instruction in cognitive reappraisal (EXP) or to a control intervention in which they received no instruction (CON). At pre- and post-intervention mothers were presented with bogus information that their child was experiencing varying levels of distress while completing a task in a nearby room. Maternal distress, negative affect and perceived likelihood of accommodation in the context of child distress were measured pre- and post-intervention. EXP mothers reported greater pre- to post-intervention decreases in distress and perceived likelihood of accommodation, compared to CON mothers. EXP and CON mothers showed similar changes in negative affect. Findings from this study provide preliminary experimental evidence that targeting maternal beliefs about child anxiety can result in changes in maternal distress and behavior following exposure to child distress. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed.     

脑瘫儿童父母睡眠质量的调查分析

目的 了解脑瘫儿童父母的睡眠情况.方法 采用匹兹堡睡眠质量指数(Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index,PSQI)量表作为调查工具,对36例脑瘫儿童的父母和36例正常儿童的父母的睡眠情况进行调查.结果 脑瘫儿童父母睡眠质量问题报告率为34.72％,正常儿童父母睡眠质量问题报告率为19.44％,差异有统计学意义(x2=4.255,P＜0.05).脑瘫儿童父母PSQI总分(5.72±3.54 vs 3.19±2.76,t=3.380,P＜0.01)、主观睡眠质量(1.33±0.83 vs 0.78±0.34,t=3.371,P＜0.01)、入睡时间(1.28±0.88 vs 0.72±0.36,t=3.027,P＜0.01)、睡眠时间(1.16±0.72 vs l.01±0.62,t=2.278,P＜0.05)、睡眠障碍(1.23±0.56 vs 0.75±0.28,t=2.949,P＜0.01)得分与正常儿童父母相比,差异有统计学意义；脑瘫儿童母亲PSQI总分(6.21±0.85 vs 4.32±0.73,t=3.380,P＜0.01)、主观睡眠质量(1.14±0.73 vs 0.89±0.66,t=2.986,P＜0.01)、入睡时间(1.22±0.81 vs 0.96±0.83,t=2.853,P＜0.01)、睡眠时间(1.09±0.66 vs 0.85±0.71,t=2.136,P＜0.05)、睡眠障碍(1.15±0.63 vs 0.83±0.62,t=2.513,P＜0.01)、日间功能影响(1.19±0.43 vs0.88±0.62,t=2.586,P＜0.01)得分与父亲相比,差异有统计学意义.结论 脑瘫儿童父母存在一定的睡眠质量问题,值得关注.     

Adherence to a Vitamin D Supplement Intervention in Urban Schoolchildren

Vitamin D supplementation is an important strategy for preventing low levels of serum 25OHD and improving bone health and consequent associated health risks, especially in children at risk of deficiency. Although vitamin D supplements are recommended, there is limited research on the factors that influence adherence to taking them. In a cross-sectional sample of 256 child (aged 9 to 15 years) and parent pairs in the Boston, MA, area during January to March 2012, analysis of covariance was used to determine associations between health beliefs about vitamin D, parental vitamin D−containing supplement use, and the individual responsible for pill administration with supplement adherence measured by pill counts. Mean and median supplement pill count adherence over 3 months were 84% and 89%, respectively. Adherence was positively associated with parents’ use of vitamin D−containing supplements (7% higher, P=0.008) and with combined child and parent responsibility for administration of the supplement compared with child only (9% higher, P=0.03). Parents’ beliefs about vitamin D neither predicted their children’s beliefs nor positively influenced children’s adherence. Adherence was higher when parents took vitamin D−containing supplements and when parents and children shared responsibility for administering the supplement. Promoting child supplement use through parent involvement and role modeling may be a practical solution for registered dietitians who are aiming to improve vitamin D adherence in at-risk youth.     

An Interactive Parents' Guide for Feeding Preschool-Aged Children: Pilot Studies for Improvement

There are few motivational materials to help families with limited resources develop optimal, practical feeding strategies for young children to reduce dietary risk for poor diet and weight status. Formative evaluation strategies consisting of both qualitative and quantitative data helped to refine the parent feeding guide Eat Healthy, Your Children are Watching, A Parent's Guide to Raising a Healthy Eater. An interdisciplinary planning team developed a five-topic, multimedia, interactive guide addressing the strategies most associated with improved diet quality and weight status of children aged 3 to 5 years. Research staff conducted iterative phases of field testing, reformatting, in-depth interviews, and materials testing with Head Start or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education caregivers (N=38) of children aged 3 to 5 years during 2011 and 2012. Convergence of feedback from caregivers' interviews and each booklet's attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction subscale scores were used to determine and affirm areas for improvement. Lower than desired attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction scores (optimal score=5) in 2011 and too much text resulted in revisions and reformatting that improved scores from 3.8 to 4.9 in 2012. The revision of materials to reflect less text, additional white space, checklists of mealtime behaviors, and learning activities for preschool-aged children resulted in dramatically improved materials and greater acceptance by parents, as shown by both quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Formative evaluation procedures involving the use of data-based decision making allowed for the development of intervention materials that met the unique needs of the population served.     

Mothers and fathers of young Dutch adolescents with Down syndrome: Health related quality of life and family functioning

BackgroundLike any child, children with Down syndrome (DS) affect the lives of their families. Most studies focus on the adaptation of parents and families of young children with DS, while relatively few studies include the perspective of fathers.AimsTo determine 1) whether mothers and fathers of 11 to 13-year-olds with DS differ from reference parents in health related quality of life (HRQoL) and family functioning, and 2) whether HRQoL in parents of children with DS changes over time, from when the child was 6–8 years old to when the child was 11–13 years old.Methods80 mothers and 44 fathers completed HRQoL and family functioning questionnaires. 58 parents (53 mothers) had completed the HRQoL-questionnaire in a previous study.ResultsMothers differed from reference mothers in one HRQoL-domain (Sexuality), while fathers’ HRQoL did not significantly differ from reference fathers. Both mothers and fathers scored in the (sub)clinical range more frequently than reference parents in Total family functioning, and in the domains Partner relation and Social network. Furthermore, fathers scored in the (sub)clinical range more frequently than reference parents in Responsiveness and Organization. HRQoL showed no significant change over time.Conclusions and implicationsOur findings indicate frequent family functioning problems but few HRQoL problems in parents and families of children with DS. In offering care, a family based approach with special attention for partner relation and social functioning is needed.