Changing patterns of parent–teacher communication and parent involvement from preschool to school

This study investigated the nature of parent involvement and parent–educator communication in prior-to-school early childhood settings and school, to explore relations to social capital variables and consistencies and changes in practices over time. Parent interview and teacher questionnaire data from two waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were analysed. Results indicated that parental involvement and communication decreased as children moved from prior-to-school settings to school. Educators in both settings reported using similar strategies to promote parent involvement and communication, but there were setting differences for parents' ratings of communication effectiveness. Using regression analyses, family socio-economic position (SEP), home language (English versus other), Indigenous status and home educational activities were examined as predictors of parent involvement and communication strategies, and effectiveness. Results showed that parents who were more engaged in education activities at home were more involved in their child's early childhood and school settings, had more frequent communication with educators and rated educator communication effectiveness more highly. SEP and home language were less consistent predictors, and Indigenous status was not associated with any of the measures.     

Impact of kangaroo care after caesarean section on paternal–infant attachment and involvement at 12 months: A longitudinal study in Turkey

The mother's first meeting with the baby after the caesarean section is usually delayed due to the reasons arising from the mother and the baby in Turkey. Although there are many benefits of kangaroo care (KC) intervention between the mother and the newborn, there is a limited number of studies on the KC intervention between the newborn and the father after caesarean section in international literature, and there are none in Turkey. This study was carried out to determine the effect of fathers and infants who participated in KC, immediately after birth by caesarean section, on paternal–infant attachment and the fathers' involvement in infant care in the 12th month. The study was conducted as a longitudinal study with a control group. Initially, the sample consisted of 60 fathers. However, the study was completed with 48 fathers. KC intervention was practised to the couple of the father and the infant in the experimental group, while no practice was given to the control group. Fathers in the experimental group were told that they should continue to practice KC intervention at least two times a week until their baby will be 1-year-old. The data collection forms were given to fathers face-to-face in the first interview, and then through phone calls and emails after 12 months. The status of the fathers in the experimental group fathers' involvement in infant care of the baby (p = .005) was significantly higher than the control group. The mean score for the Postnatal Paternal-Infant Attachment Questionnaire (PPAQ), in fathers who participated in KC intervention, was higher than that of fathers who did not participate in the KC intervention (p < .005). The results of this study demonstrated that the paternal–infant attachment and the fathers' participation in infant care were more positive in fathers and babies who performed the KC intervention.     

Mother–daughter communication and health: A cross-cultural comparison

Abstract

Mother–daughter communication about health is one of the most important experiences that young women can have to promote a healthy lifestyle, but the success of that communication depends on a variety of factors. Three factors that influence health motivation and behavior were examined in this study: (1) the frequency mothers and daughters communicate about health, (2) the quality of those interactions, and (3) their country. Participants were 168 female college students (74 from Jamaica and 92 from the United States) who completed online surveys regarding the relationship with their mothers, how often they talked with their mother about a variety of health topics, how they were motivated, and how often they engaged in healthy and unhealthy behaviors. Both the frequency and quality of interactions about health were important, but this effect was stronger for Jamaican women than for Americans. Implications for health research regarding culture and relationships are discussed.     

A dyadic analysis of Head Start parents’ depressive symptoms and parent involvement: sense of mastery as a mediator

This study used the actor–partner interdependence mediation model to examine the association among parents’ depressive symptoms, sense of mastery, and parent involvement. To address the research goal, this study conducted secondary analysis using the cross-sectional data collected from the 2000 cohort of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey. Both mothers and fathers with children enrolled in Head Start programmes completed the phone interviews and questionnaires. Results showed that sense of mastery significantly mediated the association between parents’ depressive symptoms and Head Start involvement for both parents. Specifically, mothers’ increased depressive symptoms were related to lower sense of mastery, which in turn was related to fathers’ increased involvement at Head Start. Implications of this study and future research are discussed.     

The influence of probiotics on vaccine responses – A systematic review

The immunomodulatory effects of probiotics may influence the response to vaccines. We systematically reviewed prospective randomised placebo-controlled studies in humans that have investigated the effect of probiotics on humoral vaccine responses.We found 26 studies, involving 3812 participants, investigating the effect of 40 different probiotic strains on the response to 17 different vaccines. A beneficial effect of probiotics was reported in about half of the studies. The evidence for a beneficial effect of probiotics on vaccine response was strongest for oral vaccinations and for parenteral influenza vaccination. However, there was substantial variation between studies in the choice of probiotic, strain, dose, viability, purity, and duration and timing of administration. The one study that investigated the effect of probiotic administration to mothers during pregnancy found lower vaccine responses in their infants.The studies in our review suggest that probiotics offer a relatively cheap intervention to improve vaccine efficacy and duration of protection. Future studies should focus on establishing optimal strains, doses and timing of administration in relation to vaccination.     

Did parental involvement laws grow teeth? The effects of state restrictions on minors’ access to abortion

We compile data on the locations of abortion providers and enforcement of parental involvement laws to document dramatic increases in the distances minors must travel if they wish to obtain an abortion without involving a parent or judge: from 58 miles in 1992 to 454 in 2016. Using both double and triple-difference estimation strategies, we estimate the effects of parental involvement laws, allowing them to vary with the distances minors might travel to avoid them. Our results confirm previous findings that parental involvement laws did not increase teen births in the 1980s, and provide new evidence that in more recent decades they have increased teen birth by an average of 3 percent. The estimated effects are increasing in avoidance distance to the point that a confidential abortion is more than a day's drive away, and also are substantially larger in the poorest quartile of counties.     

The influence of children’s diet on their cognition and behavior

The rapid growth of the brain and its high metabolic rate suggests that it is reasonable to consider whether their diet may influence the cognitive development of children. To date although there are few nutritional recommendations that can be made with confidence, there is a growing body of evidence that diet can influence the development and functioning of the brain. Several lines of evidence support the view that the diet of the mother during pregnancy, and the diet of the infant in the perinatal period, have long-term consequences. The provision of fatty acids has been the most studied aspect of nutrition, although the evidence is lacking that supplementation has long-term benefits. There is increasing evidence that the missing of breakfast has negative consequences late in the morning and a working hypothesis is that meals of a low rather than high glycemic load are beneficial. The aim is to introduce a range of topics to those for whom this area is of potential interest. Where appropriate the main themes and conclusions are summarized and attention is drawn to review articles that allow those interested to go further.     

A comparison of children and adolescent’s self-report and parental report of the PedsQL among those with and without autism spectrum disorder

Purpose

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are understood to experience a reduced quality of life compared to typically developing (TD) peers. The evidence to support this has largely been derived from proxy reports, in turn which have been evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha and interrater reliability, neither of which demonstrate unidimensionality of scales, or that raters use the instruments consistently. To redress this, we undertook an evaluation of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory? (PedsQL), a widely used measure of children’s quality of life. Three questions were explored: (1). do TD children or adolescents and their parents use the PedsQL differently; (2). do children or adolescents with ASD and their parents use the PedsQL differently, and (3). do children or adolescents with ASD and TD children or adolescents use the PedsQL differently? By using the scales differently, we mean whether respondents endorse items differently contingent by group.

Methods

We recruited 229 children and adolescents with ASD who had an IQ greater than 70, and one of their parents, as well as 74 TD children or adolescents and one of their parents. Children and adolescents with ASD (aged 6–20 years) were recruited from special primary and secondary schools in the Amsterdam region. Children and adolescents were included based on an independent clinical diagnosis established prior to recruitment according to DSM-IV-TR criteria by psychiatrists and/or psychologists, qualified to make the diagnosis. Children or adolescents and parents completed their respective version of the PedsQL.

Results

Data were analysed for unidimensionality and for differential item functioning (DIF) across respondent for TD children and adolescents and their parents, for children and adolescents with ASD and their parents, and then last, children and adolescents with ASD were compared to TD children and adolescents for DIF. Following recoding the data, the unidimensional model was found to fit all groups. We found that parents of and TD children and adolescents do not use the PedsQL differently (\(\chi_{(46)}^{2}\) = 64.86, p = ns), consistent with the literature that children and adolescents with ASD and TD children and adolescents use the PedsQL similarly (\(\chi_{(69)}^{2}\) = 92.22, p = ns), though their score levels may differ. However, children and adolescents with ASD and their parents respond to the PedsQL differently (\(\chi_{(115)}^{2}\) = 190.22, p < 0.001) and contingently upon features of the child or adolescent.

Conclusions

We suggest this is due to children or adolescents with ASD being less forthcoming with their parents about their lives. This, however, will require additional research to confirm. Consequently, we conclude that parents of high-functioning children with ASD are unable to act as reliable proxies for their children with ASD.

     

Tea consumption and lung cancer risk: A meta-analysis of case–control and cohort studies

ObjectiveRecent epidemiologic studies, especially cohort and case–control studies, have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the association between tea consumption and risk for lung cancer. The aim of this study was to assess a potential relationship between tea consumption and the incidence of lung cancer worldwide.MethodsA systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, the Chinese Biomedical Database, and Wanfang Database was conducted from 1966 to January 2014 by two investigators. All cohort studies and case–control studies that evaluated the association of tea and lung cancer were included. Summary relative risks (RR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Quality assessments were performed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q and I² tests, and the source of heterogeneity was detected by meta-regression analysis. Publication bias was evaluated with Egger's regression symmetry test. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis were performed.ResultsThirty-eight lung cancer studies (26 case–control studies and 12 cohort studies) with 59,041 cases and 396,664 controls were included. Overall tea consumption was significantly associated with decreased risk for lung cancer (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.70–0.87). Subgroup analyses showed that tea consumption was associated with reduced risk for lung cancer in women (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62–0.93), case–control studies (RR 0.72; 95% CI 0.63–0.83), Western studies (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75–0.97), and studies in China and Japan (RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.62–0.88). Both green tea (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.62–0.91) and black tea (RR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71–0.94) were significantly associated with reduced lung cancer risk. No significant association was found in men or in cohort studies.ConclusionTea consumption may offer some protection against lung cancer.     

A pilot study on early mother–infant communication during and after NICU admission

Premature children or infants with neonatal pathologies have a higher risk of developing communicative problems. This pilot study aimed to explore communicative behaviour between the mothers and the infants during the hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and follow-up paediatric visit. The verbal interactions in the NICU were observed using an Observational Scale (N-EOV-INC). Observations at follow-up were carried out in 9 mothers and their high-risk children at infant's age around 9 and 11 months. The results show that the number of words produced by the mother during follow-up was associated both with the number of verbal interactions initiated by the mother and infant replies during NICU stay. The infant's verbal responses during neonatal admission were also related with the number of words uttered by the mother at follow-up. Our study is a first exploratory investigation on the communicative interaction between mothers and their high-risk children.     

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents’ perceptions and acceptance of routine childhood vaccination in Canada: A national longitudinal study

BackgroundA decline in routine vaccination was reported by some countries early in the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of the pandemic, determinants of routine childhood vaccination may have changed. Changes over time in parents’ perceptions of routine vaccines and intentions for their children during the pandemic have not been fully explored. Understanding changes provides opportunities to promote routine childhood vaccines and address factors that may compromise parents’ acceptance.MethodsWe conducted longitudinal analysis of two sequential national surveys during the pandemic (Dec 2020 and Oct/Nov 2021) to assess changes over time in Canadian parents’ perceptions of routine childhood vaccines, intentions to vaccinate, access for their children ≤ 17 years, and differences among sociodemographic characteristics. McNemar-Bowker tests were used to determine changes in parents’ responses collected at two time points.ResultsOf the 650 parents in the sample, 25.1% with a child ≤ 6 years and 20.5% with a child 7–17 years perceived that routine childhood vaccines were more important because of the pandemic. Between the two time points, parents’ confidence in the safety (72.8% to 80.2%, p <.001) and effectiveness (81.7% to 85.2%, p =.007) of routine vaccines increased, parents were more engaged in vaccine decision-making (73.4% to 79.8%, p =.006), and everyday stress preventing vaccination decreased (78.8% to 68.5%, p <.001). Acceptance of routine vaccines increased (82.9% to 86.5%, p =.021), but more parents were undecided about influenza vaccination (12.6% to 20.3%, p =.002). Compared to parents with 1 child, those with 2 children reported increased vaccination acceptance (82.6% to 87.4%, p =.024).InterpretationUnder the spotlight of COVID-19, parents’ confidence in routine vaccines, engagement in decision-making, and vaccination acceptance increased. Vaccination providers should support parents’ decision-making as they navigate routine childhood vaccine uncertainties. Differences in parents’ acceptance of routine and influenza vaccines for their children highlight the need for targeted communication strategies for specific vaccines.     

Can the school make a difference? A multilevel analysis of adolescent risk and health behaviour

The main aim of this article is to assess the relationship between the structural and (health) policy variables of the school and characteristics of the individual on the risk and health behaviour of adolescents. Individual and school level effects on seven health-related behaviours are simultaneously estimated, using multilevel modelling. The data are from the Flemish health behaviour in school-aged children study in Belgium. Data are used from 29 Flemish schools in which students (N=3225), school administrators (N=29) and teachers (N=1132) were surveyed with anonymous written questions. The analysis confirms previous findings concerning individual level effects. Although differences between schools in risk and health behaviour were found to originate mainly from differences in pupil characteristics, substantial variation between schools remained with regard to regular smoking, drinking habits and tooth brushing after controlling for individual effects. A wide range of school structure and policy variables were taken into account, but only few of them were found to influence the health and risk behaviour of young people. Moreover, the study could not detect an effect of health promotion policy at school. The analysis therefore only partially confirms the hypothesis that the school has an impact on the health behaviour of young people. The findings demonstrate the need for a more thorough examination of the paths by which schools can influence the health behaviour of their pupils.     

Misreporting of energy: prevalence, characteristics of misreporters and influence on observed risk estimates in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort

The present study investigates the prevalence of misreporting of energy in the Malm? Diet and Cancer cohort, and examines anthropometric, socio-economic and lifestyle characteristics of the misreporters. Further, the influence of excluding misreporters on risk estimates of post-menopausal breast cancer was examined. Information of reported energy intake (EI) was obtained from a modified diet history method. A questionnaire provided information on lifestyle and socio-economic characteristics. Individual physical activity level (PAL) was calculated from self-reported information on physical activity at work, leisure time physical activity and household work, and from estimates of hours of sleeping, self-care and passive time. Energy misreporting was defined as having a ratio of EI to BMR outside the 95 % CI limits of the calculated PAL. Logistic regression analysed the risk of being a low-energy reporter or a high-energy reporter. Almost 18 % of the women and 12 % of the men were classified as low-energy reporters, 2.8 % of the women and 3.5 % of the men were classified as high-energy reporters. In both genders high BMI, large waist circumference, short education and being a blue-collar worker were significantly associated with low-energy reporting. High-energy reporting was significantly associated with low BMI, living alone and current smoking. The results add support to the practice of energy adjustment as a means to reduce the influence of errors in risk assessment.     

Cigarette smoking and risk of cancers of the colon and rectum: A case–control study from Italy

The relationship between smoking habit and risk of colon and rectal cancers was considered in a case–control study conducted between 1991 and 1996 in six Italian centers. Cases were 1225 patients below age 75 with histologically confirmed cancer of the colon and 728 with cancer of the rectum.Controls were 4154 patients admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic diseases. Compared to neversmokers, the odds ratios (OR) for current smokers of 25 or more cigarettes/day was 0.90 for patients with colon and 0.86 for those with rectal cancer and those for ex-smokers were 1.02 and 1.09 for colon and rectal cancer, respectively. No increase in risk was found with duration of the habit, the OR for 40 or more years being 0.79 for colon and 0.87 for rectal cancer. Furthermore, no relationship was apparent with time since starting (the OR for 40 or more years were 0.94 for colon and 1.01 for rectal cancer), or age at starting (the OR for < 18 years were 1.02 for colon and 1.00 for rectal cancer), or for pack-years smoked (the OR for 40 or more pack-years were 0.93 for colon and 0.91 for rectal cancer) or time since stopping among ex-smokers. No increase in risk was found in smokers of 15 cigarettes/day for 40 years or longer (OR: 0.93). No significant heterogeneity was found across strata of age at diagnosis, sex, education, physical activity at work, intake of alcohol, coffee, vegetables, total energy, and number of meals/day. Likewise, no significant association was apparent for various intestinal subsites. Thus, this study did not find cigarette smokers at higher risk for cancer of the bowel even after a long duration and a long period since starting.