The impact of intermittent exotropia and surgery for intermittent exotropia on myopic progression among early school-aged children with myopia

ABSTRACTPsychosocial environments impact normative behavioral development in children, increasing the risk of problem behaviors and psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. Converging evidence demonstrates early normative development is affected by the gut microbiome, which itself can be altered by early psychosocial environments. Nevertheless, these relationships are poorly understood in childhood, particularly beyond peri- and postnatal microbial colonization. To determine the gut microbiome’s role in the associations between childhood adversity and behavioral development, we conducted a metagenomic investigation among cross-sectional sample of early school-aged children with a range of adverse experiences and caregiver stressors and relationships. Our results indicate that the taxonomic and functional composition of the gut microbiome links to behavioral dysregulation during a critical period of child development. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that both socioeconomic risk exposure and child behaviors associate with the relative abundances of specific taxa (e.g., Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species) as well as functional modules encoded in their genomes (e.g., monoamine metabolism) that have been linked to cognition and health. We also identified heretofore novel linkages between gut microbiota, their functions, and behavior. These findings hold important translational implications for developmental psychology and microbiome sciences alike, as they suggest that caregiver behavior might mitigate the impact of socioeconomic risk on the microbiome and modify the relationship between subclinical symptoms of behavioral dysregulation and the gut microbiome in early school-aged children.

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Auditory, Social, and Behavioral Skills of Children With Unilateral/Mild Hearing Loss

The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education ◽

10.1093/deafed/enz041 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 167-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Flora Nassrallah ◽

Ken Tang ◽

JoAnne Whittingham ◽

Huidan Sun ◽

Elizabeth M Fitzpatrick

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Behavioral Skills ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Early School ◽

The Social ◽

Behavior Skills ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Impact ◽

Auditory Skills

Abstract This study explored the impact of mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss on auditory, social, and behavior skills in early school-aged children. Thirty-two children (aged 5–9 years) were evaluated with parent and teacher questionnaires. Most outcomes were within the range of expected scores. However, functional auditory skills were below published results for children with typical hearing. On the social skills scale, about 21.4% (parent-reported) and 20.0% (teacher-reported) of children were below one standard deviation (SD) of the normative mean (i.e., a standard score below 85). On the parent-reported behavior test, over a quarter of children scored beyond 1 SD on some subscales. Laterality of hearing loss had no effect on outcomes (p > .05). Agreement between parents and teachers varied from poor (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: .162) to moderate (ICC: .448). Results indicate that these children are functioning in most areas like their peers with typical hearing. Additional research on this population of children who may benefit from early identification and amplification is warranted.

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Proactive aggression in early school-aged children with externalizing behavior problems: A longitudinal study on the influence of empathy in response to distress.

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry ◽

10.1037/ort0000319 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 88 (3) ◽

pp. 346-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Peter K. Deschamps ◽

Esmee E. Verhulp ◽

Bram Orobio de Castro ◽

Walter Matthys

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Externalizing Behavior Problems ◽

Proactive Aggression ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Early School

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Impact of COVID-19 Home Confinement in Children’s Refractive Errors

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18105347 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5347

Author(s):

Cristina Alvarez-Peregrina ◽

Clara Martinez-Perez ◽

Cesar Villa-Collar ◽

Cristina Andreu-Vázquez ◽

Alicia Ruiz-Pomeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health Problem ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

World Population ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Digital Devices ◽

Visual Screening ◽

Near Work ◽

The Impact

Background: Myopia is a public health problem, with estimations that 50% of the world population will be myopic by 2050. Some environmental factors, such as time spent outdoors, doing near work, and using digital devices, influence the development of myopia in children. Home confinement in Spain has increased these risk factors, so this study aims to investigate the impact of home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak in the vision of school-aged children; Methods: A cross-sectional study in children between 5 and 7 years old that completed a visual screening and a questionnaire about their lifestyles at opticians in Spain in September and October of 2019 and 2020. Statistical analysis to compare lifestyles pre and post confinement, and vision in 2020 versus a similar cohort examined at the same opticians in 2019, was conducted; Results: Spanish children spent less time outdoors and more time doing near work in 2020 than in 2019 (p ≤ 0.001). There was a significant decrease of the spherical equivalent (mean ± standard deviation; 0.66 ± 2.03 D in 2019 vs. 0.48 ± 1.81 D in 2020; p ≤ 0.001); Conclusions: Lifestyles of Spanish children changed during the home confinement at the beginning of 2020. Together with changes in their lifestyles, spherical equivalents have decreased, which implies higher figures of myopia for children aged between 5 and 7.

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Health Literacy of Parents and Carers in a Regional Community: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Quarterly of Community Health Education ◽

10.1177/0272684x211022572 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0272684X2110225

Author(s):

Matthew J. Leach ◽

Sue Nichols ◽

Sven Trenholm ◽

Martin Jones

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Primary School ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Functional Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Healthy Development ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Australian Community ◽

Literacy Scores ◽

The Impact

Background Supporting a child’s healthy development is determined, in part, by a parent’s ability to seek, access, interpret and effectively utilize health information. This aspect of parenting draws on a set of skills referred to as health literacy. Objective To assess the level of health literacy among parents/carers in a regional South Australian community. Methods Parents/carers of primary school-aged children, residing in Whyalla, South Australia, were invited to complete the 13-item All Aspects of Health Literacy Survey. Results 155 parents/carers completed the survey (79% mothers). Most participants were English-speaking (97%), employed (62%) and had 2–3 children (62%), with 52% completing tertiary education. Median total health literacy scores were mostly in the moderate-high range (median 27, IQR 26,27), as were critical health literacy scores (median 7, IQR 6,8). Higher scores were reported for functional health literacy (median 8, IQR 7,9), communicative health literacy (median 9, IQR 8,9) and empowerment health literacy (median 4, IQR 3,5). Conclusions Our findings reveal modest levels of health literacy among a sample of parents/carers of primary school-aged children in a regional South Australian community. Further work is needed to understand the differential effect of parental health literacy on child health outcomes, and the types of strategies that may mitigate the impact of these barriers on a child’s healthy development.

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Reopening schools safely in the face of COVID-19: Can cluster randomized trials help?

Clinical Trials ◽

10.1177/1740774520984860 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174077452098486

Author(s):

Charles Weijer ◽

Karla Hemming ◽

Spencer Phillips Hey ◽

Holly Fernandez Lynch

Keyword(s):

Randomized Trials ◽

Cluster Randomized Trial ◽

Evidence Based ◽

School Closures ◽

School Aged Children ◽

The Face ◽

Community Transmission ◽

Cluster Randomized ◽

The Impact ◽

Health Policymaking

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges of evidence-based health policymaking, as critical precautionary decisions, such as school closures, had to be made urgently on the basis of little evidence. As primary and secondary schools once again close in the face of surging infections, there is an opportunity to rigorously study their reopening. School-aged children appear to be less affected by COVID-19 than adults, yet schools may drive community transmission of the virus. Given the impact of school closures on both education and the economy, schools cannot remain closed indefinitely. But when and how can they be reopened safely? We argue that a cluster randomized trial is a rigorous and ethical way to resolve these uncertainties. We discuss key scientific, ethical, and resource considerations both to inform trial design of school reopenings and to prompt discussion of the merits and feasibility of conducting such a trial.

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Rubella Antibody Levels in School-Aged Children in Newfoundland: Implications for a Two-Dose Rubella Vaccination Strategy

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1155/1997/215383 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 85-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Samuel Ratnam ◽

Roy West ◽

Veeresh Gadag ◽

Brett Williams ◽

Elizabeth Oates

Keyword(s):

Single Dose ◽

Screening Program ◽

Serum Antibody ◽

Vaccination Strategy ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Age Group ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Rubella Vaccination ◽

The Impact

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevailing levels of rubella immunity among school-aged children who received a single dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine at one year of age.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with a two stage cluster sampling of randomly picked schools across the province of Newfoundland.STUDY POPULATION AND METHODS: A total of 1053, five to 17-year-old children were enrolled; vaccination history was verified through official records; and a sample of blood was taken. Rubella immunity was determined by enzyme immunoassay based on a serum antibody protective cut-off titre of more than 10 IU.RESULTS: A total of 145 (13.8%) were found to be nonimmune. The rate of susceptibility ranged from 3.2% to 25.9% for different age groups. The proportion susceptible was significantly higher at 16.5% in the age group eight to 17 years old versus 3.9% for the age group five to eight years old (χ2=24.08; df=1, P<0.001). There was a significant regression of logarithm titre values on the age of children with an average decline in titre values of 8.1% per annum.CONCLUSIONS: A substantial number of those who were given a single dose of MMR II vaccine may not have protective immunity against rubella as they reach prime reproductive age. There is a definite need to consider a two-dose rubella vaccination strategy in Canada, and these data suggest the second dose given after eight years of age will be most beneficial. In the move towards a routine two-dose measles vaccination strategy in Canada, the MMR II vaccine is being used for the second dose and given either at 18 months of age or at school entry. While this approach will have an overall beneficial effect, the impact of the above timing of the second dose on long term rubella immunity cannot be predicted at this time. These data also underscore the continuing need for prenatal rubella screening program.

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Item Pool Development for the School-Aged Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (SA- LIBRE5-12) Profile Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT): An Observer-Reported Outcome Assessment Measuring the Impact of Burn Injuries in School-Aged Children

Journal of Burn Care & Research ◽

10.1093/jbcr/irab247 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Silvanys L Rodríguez-Mercedes ◽

Khushbu F Patel ◽

Camerin A Rencken ◽

Gabrielle G Grant ◽

Kate Surette ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Framework ◽

Critical Time ◽

Cognitive Interviews ◽

Item Pool ◽

Computerized Adaptive Test ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Adaptive Test ◽

Life Impact ◽

The Impact ◽

Item Pools

Abstract Introduction The transition from early childhood to teen years (5-12) is a critical time of development, which can be made particularly challenging by a burn injury. Assessing post-burn recovery during these years is important for improving pediatric survivors’ development and health outcomes. Few validated burn-specific measures exist for this age group. The purpose of this study was to generate item pools that will be used to create a future computerized adaptive test (CAT) assessing post-burn recovery in school-aged children. Methods Item pool development was guided by the previously developed School-Aged Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (SA-LIBRE5-12) Conceptual Framework. The item pool development process involved a systematic literature review, extraction of candidate items from existing legacy measures, iterative item review during expert consensus meetings, and parent cognitive interviews. Results The iterative item review with experts consisted of six rounds. A total of 10 parent cognitive interviews were conducted. The three broad themes of concern were items that needed 1) clarification, needed context or were vague, 2) age dependence and relevance, and 3) word choice. The cognitive interviews indicated that survey instructions, recall period, item stem, and response choices were interpretable by respondents. Final item pool based on parental feedback consist of 57, 81, and 60 items in Physical, Psychological, and Family and Social Functioning respectively. Conclusion Developed item pools (n=198) in three domains are consistent with the existing conceptual framework. The next step involves field-testing the item pool and calibration using item response theory to develop and validate the SA-LIBRE5-12 CAT Profile.

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