scholarly journals Functioning of children and adolescents with Down syndrome and the association with environmental barriers and facilitators during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 174462952110327
Author(s):  
Beatriz Helena Brugnaro ◽  
Olaf Kraus de Camargo ◽  
Carolina Corsi ◽  
Ana Carolina de Campos ◽  
Gesica Fernandes ◽  
...  

Purpose: To compare functioning and environmental aspects before and during physical distancing (DPD) and to determine which social, physical, behavioral and functioning aspects of DPD are correlated. Methods: Sixteen parents of children/adolescents with Down syndrome (11.38 ± 3.00 years) were surveyed before and DPD. Paired t-tests were used to compare functioning and environmental aspects before and DPD and chi-square tests were used to test associations. Results: There were increases in the frequency (p < 0.001) and involvement (p = 0.01) in home participation and on the impact, noticed by the parents, of the possibility of child to participate in daily activities (p = 0.036), as well as a reduction in social supports perceived by caregivers (p = 0.049). An association was found between the child’s socio-emotional difficulties symptoms and practice of physical activity (p = 0.043) and with parents’ satisfaction with the level of child’s home participation (p = 0.042). Conclusion: Functioning can be affected in either positive or negative ways.

Author(s):  
Adel Alizadeh ◽  
Reza Negarandeh ◽  
Fahimehe Bagheri Amiri ◽  
Zahra Yazdani

Abstract Objectives This systematic and meta-analysis review was conducted to determine the status of Iranian children and adolescents’ physical activity. Content All the related articles which were published in the major databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Magiran, SID from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2019, were reviewed by researchers. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was also used to evaluate the quality of articles. Moreover, I 2 index and chi-square were used to assess the heterogeneity between the results. Summary 490 articles were found as a result of the search in the selected international and local databases, where finally, 10 articles were included into the meta-analysis after the elimination of the duplicated articles and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results indicated that 29.5% of the girls were considered active according to WHO criteria (16.1–42.8: 95% CI) and also 20.5% of the boys (7.3–33.7: 95% CI). Outlook Overall, this study’s findings showed that a large percentage of Iranian children and adolescents do not achieve the level of physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization. This can lead to undesirable consequences for this group of population that is considered as the human capital of any country; consequently, it seems necessary to take basic measures at the micro and macro levels in order to reduce such problems in the society.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Fatima Abid ◽  
Musa Aamer ◽  
Samira Faiz ◽  
Fahad Azam ◽  
Abida Shaheen ◽  
...  

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea is a very common reproductive issue present in young females that severely impacts their life. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea amongst undergraduate students of Pakistan, the association of dysmenorrhea with various factors, and the impact on academic performance. Methodology: An observational study was carried out at different Pakistani universities. The data was collected using a self-designed, pre-tested questionnaire. which was distributed online. The data was analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version (Armonk, NY) 26.0. Descriptive statistics were applied for qualitative variables. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables. Chi-square was applied to determine if the differences in cycle length were significantly related to dysmenorrhea. T-tests were applied to determine if there were significant differences in age and body mass index in participants with dysmenorrhea. Result: There were 226 students who had participated in the study. There were 193 (85.40%) participants who reported experiencing dysmenorrhea out of which 97 students (50.26%) took a drug or a combination of drugs to alleviate the pain. There was a high prevalence of stress symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea with fatigue after sleep (p<0.05). Physical activity did not have any effect on dysmenorrhea. Physical activity, the average grade of pain, and the presence of pain in each cycle were significant predictors of dysmenorrhea (p<0.05). Conclusion Physical activity and characteristics of pain, such as cyclical nature and intensity, are predictors of dysmenorrhea. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Widehammar ◽  
Ingvor Pettersson ◽  
Gunnel Janeslätt ◽  
Liselotte Hermansson

Background: Prostheses are used to varying degrees; however, little is known about how environmental aspects influence this use. Objectives: To describe users’ experiences of how environmental factors influence their use of a myoelectric arm prosthesis. Study design: Qualitative and descriptive. Methods: A total of 13 patients previously provided with a myoelectric prosthetic hand participated. Their age, sex, deficiency level, etiology, current prosthesis use, and experience varied. Semi-structured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed through inductive content analysis. Results: Four categories were created from the data: “Prosthesis function,” “Other people’s attitudes,” “Support from family and healthcare,” and “Individual’s attitude and strategies.” The overarching theme, “Various degrees of embodiment lead to different experiences of environmental barriers and facilitators,” emerged from differences in individual responses depending on whether the individual was a daily or a non-daily prosthesis user. Environmental facilitators such as support from family and healthcare and good function and fit of the prosthesis seemed to help the embodiment of the prosthesis, leading to daily use. This embodiment seemed to reduce the influence of environmental barriers, for example, climate, attitudes, and technical shortcomings. Conclusion: Embodiment of prostheses seems to reduce the impact of environmental barriers. Support and training may facilitate the embodiment of myoelectric prosthesis use. Clinical relevance For successful prosthetic rehabilitation, environmental factors such as support and information to the patient and their social network about the benefits of prosthesis use are important. Local access to training in myoelectric control gives more people the opportunity to adapt to prosthesis use and experience less environmental barriers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Prochnow ◽  
Haley Delgado ◽  
Megan S. Patterson ◽  
M. Renée Umstattd Meyer

Background: Regular physical activity (PA) has many benefits for children and adolescents, yet many do not meet PA recommendations. Social context is important for promoting or discouraging PA among children and adolescents. This review aimed to identify social network variables related to PA among children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in September 2018 using PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science. Included articles needed to (1) be focused on children (aged 5–11 y) or adolescents (aged 12–17 y), (2) include a measure of PA, (3) include a measure of egocentric or sociocentric social connection in which alters were nominated, and (4) perform an analysis between network data and PA. Results: A search of 11,824 articles was refined to a final sample of 29 articles. Social network themes and concepts such as homophily, centrality, and network composition were related to child and adolescent PA behavior across the literature. Conclusions: The impact of an individual’s social network is evident on their PA behaviors. More research is needed to examine why these networks form in relation to PA and how interventions can utilize social network analysis to more effectively promote PA, especially in underserved and minority populations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamile Marchi ◽  
Nina Johansson ◽  
Anna Sarkadi ◽  
Georgina Warner

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is primarily a crisis that affects people's physical health. However, it is well-known from previous epidemics and pandemics that there are other indirect negative impacts on mental health, among others. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore and summarise primary empirical research evidence on how the COVID-19 pandemic and societal infection control measures have impacted children and adolescents' mental health.Methods: A literature search was conducted in five scientific databases: PubMed, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINHAL, and Social Science Premium Collection. The search string was designed using the Population (0–18 years), Exposure (COVID-19), Outcomes (mental health) framework. Mental health was defined broadly, covering mental well-being to mental disorders and psychiatric conditions.Results: Fifty-nine studies were included in the scoping review. Of these, 44 were cross-sectional and 15 were longitudinal studies. Most studies reported negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health outcomes, yet the evidence was mixed. This was also the case for studies investigating societal control measures. Strong resilience, positive emotion regulation, physical activity, parental self-efficacy, family functioning and emotional regulation, and social support were reported as protective factors. On the contrary, emotional reactivity and experiential avoidance, exposure to excessive information, COVID-19 school concerns, presence of COVID-19 cases in the community, parental mental health problems, and high internet, social media and video game use were all identified as potentially harmful factors.Conclusions: Due to the methodological heterogeneity of the studies and geographical variation, it is challenging to draw definitive conclusions about the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents. However, the existing body of research gives some insight to how parents, clinicians and policy makers can take action to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and control measures. Interventions to promote physical activity and reduce screen time among children and adolescents are recommended, as well as parenting support programs.


2019 ◽  
pp. 399-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin A. Haegele ◽  
Carrie J. Aigner ◽  
Sean Healy

The purpose of this study was to compare the degree to which children and adolescents with and without visual impairments (VIs) met national physical activity, screen-time, and sleep guidelines. This observational, cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health focused on children (age 6–12 yr) and adolescents (age 13–17 yr) with and without VIs. The sample included 241 (weighted n = 472,127) and 17,610 (weighted n = 28,249,833) children, and 255 (weighted n = 505,401) and 17,417 (weighted n = 20,071,557) adolescents with and without VIs, respectively. Chi-square statistics were computed to examine the degree to which participants with and without VIs met health-behavior guidelines. Children (p = .02) with VIs were less likely to meet screen-time guidelines, but adolescents with VIs were not (p = .87). VI status was not associated with the likelihood of meeting physical activity or sleep guidelines (p < .05). Low numbers of children and adolescents with and without VIs meeting health-behavior guidelines warrant targeted interventions aimed at enhancing engagement.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E Wentz ◽  
Julia Looper ◽  
Kristi S Menear ◽  
Dipika Rohadia ◽  
Nora Shields

Abstract Children with Down syndrome often have lower physical activity levels compared to their peers with typical development and face challenges such as medical co-morbidities, access issues and societal stigma, to being physically active. Physical therapists are experts in exercise prescription and physical activity and are thus uniquely qualified to successfully promote participation among children with Down syndrome in spite of inherent challenges. Our perspective is that a shift in physical therapy service delivery is needed. We suggest that physical therapists change the focus of their interventions for children with Down syndrome from underlying impairments such as low tone or joint laxity, or from developing motor skills in isolation and ‘correct’ movement patterns. Instead, physical therapists should allow the physical activity preferences and the environmental contexts of the children and adolescents they are working with to direct the treatment plan. In this way, physical therapy intervention becomes more child centered by concentrating on developing the specific skills and strategies required for success in the child’s preferred physical activity. In this paper, we consider the role of pediatric physical therapists in the United States, as well as in low- and middle- income countries, in promoting and monitoring physical activity in children with Down syndrome from infancy through adolescence. Examples of physical therapist interventions such as tummy time, movement exploration, treadmill training, bicycle riding and strength training are discussed, across infancy, childhood and adolescence, with a focus on how to successfully promote lifelong participation in physical activity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62
Author(s):  
Efstathios Christodoulides

AbstractDue to special historical circumstances, advancements in science and technology have affected various aspects of Cypriot people’s life relatively late. However, since the modern way of life requires less and less compulsory physical activity, this has manifested itself recently in the spreading of a sedentary lifestyle in Cyprus also. The purpose of this paper is to present the changes in the frequency, intensity and type of physical activity throughout three Cypriot generations. It is based on a part of research carried out by survey method of the population of that consisted of secondary school students, their parents, and their grandparents. The sample was selected by stratified, random, and snowball selection (N = 1067). With the youngest generation, the data were collected in groups at their school by questionnaire; the members of other two groups answered the questionnaires individually. In order to analyze the data, the Wilcoxon two related sample test and chi-square analyses were performed. The results revealed that the older generations’ everyday life encompassed more active elements in their childhood and youth than the youngsters’ life comprises nowadays. Both intragenerational and intergenerational changes in daily living and health-related physical activity occurred, and the advancements in science and technology have had a contradictory impact on these processes. In the conclusions, the necessity of taking measures to stop the decline of physical activity is emphasized.


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