A longitudinal study of intergenerational transmission of poverty in Hong Kong across the 2010s: Social investment, homeownership and mother’s education

This study examines the extent to which poverty is passed from parents to children in Hong Kong based on the social investment thesis. Through tracking the educational and career trajectories of the second generation (aged 23–25) of 77 families, this study suggests that adolescents with poor parents have a 202 percent higher chance of being poor in young adulthood. This poverty-continuation probability increases dramatically to 681 percent if parental poverty is defined in terms of homeownership rather than income. Another important factor that also affects intergenerational poverty is the mother’s educational level. Implications for social workers and policy makers are discussed.

Factors Associated with Discontinuing Exclusive Breastfeeding among Mothers of Infants Aged 0-6 Months

IntroductionKnowing breastfeeding is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to maintain a good childhealth, majority infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months of age.Thus, the aim of the study was to find out the factors associated with discontinuing exclusivebreastfeeding (EBF) among mothers of infants’ aged 0-6 months. MethodsA analytical study design was used to find out the factors associated with discontinuing EBFamong mothers of infants’ aged 0-6 months in Nepal. A total of 380 mothers of infants whosechild were 0-6 months old were selected using non-probability purposive sampling techniquethrough online survey as people are advised to stay at home during the Covid-19 outbreak. Datawas collected using structured questionnaire with interview technique. ResultsStudy findings revealed that half (50.5%) of the mothers exclusive breastfed their infants withmother’s mean age being 27.39 ± 3.64 years. Discontinuation of EBF varied with mothers age,ethnicity, mother’s educational level, initiation of breastfeeding and sources of informationregarding EBF as newspaper/articles and relatives/friends/neighbors (p=<0.005). The factorsrelated to mother that are associated with discontinuation of EBF were found to be perceivedinsufficient milk, cesarean section delivery, jobholder mother (p= <0.001) respectively. ConclusionsOnly half of respondents exclusively breastfed their infants for the recommended age in whichonly factors related to mother were significant with discontinuation of EBF rather than infants’.Findings of the study emphasizes on counselling the mothers regarding the benefits of EBF toboth child and mother during hospital visits. Keywords: exclusive breastfeeding; factors; under 6 months; EBF.

Sexual Abuse in Adolescent Girls and Boys with Mild Intellectually Disable

Introduction: The problems of girls and boys with mild intellectually disable (MID) increases with age gradually. Due to the emerging changes, puberty is a significant period for adolescents with MID. The aim of this study to investigate sexual abuse in girls and boys with mild intellectually disable in the puberty period. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional study. The statistical population consisted of all boys and girls with mild intellectual disabilities between the ages of 12 and 16 from exceptional public schools and their mothers in Yazd, Iran. 300 MID adolescents (150 girls and boys each) were selected by multi-stage sampling. To study sexual abuse, a self-designed questionnaire was used. The questionnaire comprised two sections. Kuder-Richardson coefficient obtained for boys and girls with MID turned out to be 0.80 and 0.84, respectively. Using frequency, percentage, and correlation coefficient (p<0.05). Data were analyzed with SPSS 24. Results: In this study, 2.67% (n = 4) of girls and 4% (n = 6) of boys with MID were abused. Also, their psychological and physical signs of sexual abuse were assessed (depression: girls,0.75% (n = 3), boys, 33.33% (n = 2), aggression: girls,0.75% (n = 3), boys, 66.66% (n = 4), avoiding certain adults, 0.50% (n = 2), boys, 33.33% (n = 2), sleep and eating disorder, 0.25% (n = 1), boys, 16.66% (n = 1) . Some of their parents pointed that their children had not received training in this area. There was a significant positive correlation coefficient between the mother's educational level and receiving training by schools and family with sexual abuse knowledge (p<0.05). Conclusion: The irrational reaction of families, the community, and the lack of adequate training lead to an increasein sexual abuse in such individuals. Hence, training these young individuals seems essential both before and during puberty.

The Influence of Diet, Exercise and Education Level During Pregnancy on Child Cavities and Tooth Eruption

Objectives: This study’s objective was to evaluate if exercise during pregnancy, a healthy diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and calcium, and the mother’s educational level influenced the dental health measures of caries risk and tooth eruption of their offspring. Methods: Women with children 6 years and younger completed questionnaires regarding PA and diet (PUFA-rich, calcium-rich (Ca) dairy foods) during pregnancy and education level prior to their child’s dental examination. T-tests were used to compare exercisers and non-exercisers; correlation and regression analyses were conducted to determine relationships and predictors of child dental health, respectively. Results: Eighty-two mother-child pairs were analysed. Exercisers had trends of increased PUFA (p=0.07) and Ca-rich dairy foods (p=0.12) to non-exercisers during pregnancy. Ca-rich dairy foods during pregnancy had positive associations with primary tooth count (p=0.004), mixed surface count (p=0.02), and tooth eruption (p=0.04). Controlling for maternal education and exercise, tooth eruption was predicted by PUFA summary and cheese consumption while dairy summary predicted primary tooth count; caries risk was predicted by maternal education; primary surface caries was associated with exercise duration. Conclusion: During pregnancy, calcium-rich dairy and PUFA-rich foods influenced child tooth eruption and thus tooth count, while exercise duration was associated with primary surface caries. Maternal education was associated with lower caries risk. Our findings support educating women on calcium intake and appropriate exercise levels during pregnancy, plus oral health counseling for their child.

Determinants of fruits, vegetables, and ultra-processed foods consumption among infants

The objective was to evaluate the influence of individual and contextual determinants on infant’s consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV), and ultra-processed foods (UPF). The data was obtained from the Survey of Prevalence of Breastfeeding in Brazilian Municipalities, 2008. A representative sample of 14,326 infants 6-11.9 months old, from seventy-five municipalities of São Paulo state was evaluated. The influence of determinants on FV and UPF consumption was analyzed using Poisson multilevel regression. Mother’s educational level and maternal age had positive dose-response effect for the consumption of FV (p trend < 0.001) and negative for UPF (p trend < 0.001). Infants of multiparous women and those who received outpatient care in public medical system showed lower prevalence of FV (p < 0.001 for both) and higher prevalence of UPF (respectively, p < 0.001 and p = 0.001). Moreover, the contextual variable related to population size indicated that the prevalence of consumption of FV decreased (p < 0.001) and UPF increased (p = 0.081) with decreased population size. Therefore, infants born to women with low education levels, who received outpatient care in the public health network, and who reside in small municipalities should be prioritized for educational programs related to feeding practices.

Use of Big Data to Determine the Effect of Parental Educational Level on the Quality of College Students’ Employment

the quality of College Students’ employment is important because it involves human capital and social capital. The human capital and social capital of college students directly affects their quality of employment but the root is the parents’ human capital. Empirical analysis shows that the effect of the father’s educational level on the monthly wage of College Students’ children is significant at a level of 5% and the direction is positive. The effect of the mother’s educational level on the monthly wage of College Students’ is also significant at a level of 5%, with a positive direction and the effect coefficient is greater than that for the father. Therefore, the equalization of educational opportunities is related to the life of one generation and to the growth of several generations. On-the-job education and lifelong education also play an important role in improving the quality of life for the offspring.

Czech mothers read books to their young children: association with mothers’ education

The study concentrated on mothers’ reading to their preschool children. Three broad questions were posed about how the mother’s educational level is associated with: (1) the mother’s reasons to read to the child, (2) frequency and duration of this reading, (3) mother-child literacy interaction with the child. The sample of low education mothers (n=55) and high education mothers (n=213) was recruited to fill in a questionnaire of 46 items. Higher education mothers outperformed low education mothers in these variables: reading to the child in order to enhance cognitive development, appreciate the time they are with the child in reading sessions, reading to child frequency, and the number of books the child possesses. On the other hand, low education mothers more frequently than high education mothers ask children about book characters and explain reasons for reading.

Are laws restricting soft drinks sales in Brazilian schools able to lower their availability?

OBJECTIVE: To describe students protected by laws and exposed to soft drinks sales and assess whether forbidding laws are associated with lower availability of these beverages. METHODS: We identified laws forbidding non-government administered cafeterias or sales of soft drinks in schools in the 27 Brazilian state capitals. Data on soft drinks sales were obtained from Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar 2015 (PeNSE – National Survey of School Health 2015), for a representative sample of 9th graders from public and private schools. Students were attributed with the status of their school regarding the law and sale of soft drinks. Co-variables were school status (public or private), school size, geographic regions, mother’s educational level, score of goods and services. We performed multivariate analyses using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The total of 23 laws forbidding sales of soft drinks covered 63.0% of capitals, comprising 56.9% of students. Law coverage was higher among students from more developed regions (67.6%) and in public schools (60.6%), compared with those from less developed regions (38.0%) and private schools (45.8%). Soft drinks were available for 33.9% of students. Students attending public schools in less developed regions had the lowest availability of soft drinks, regardless of law coverage (14.8%; 12.0%); while students attending private schools in these regions had a high availability, regardless of law coverage (82.1%; 73.4%). Restrictive laws were associated with lower sales of soft drinks in more developed regions, and restrictions had a greater association with the availability of soft drinks in public schools (PR = 0.25; 95%CI = 0.15-0.41), compared with private schools (PR = 0.48; 95%CI = 0.35-0.66). CONCLUSION: Laws restricting soft drinks in schools were associated with fewer sales in more developed regions. Private schools were less compliant with the law than public schools. A broadly enforced national law could reduce the availability of soft drinks in schools.

PERCEPTION ON DATING, COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN FEDERAL TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN OGUN STATE

The study examined the perception on dating, courtship and marriage amongst undergraduates in Federal Tertiary Institutions in Ogun State. The study adopted a survey design. The sample size consisted of 445 students using random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire constructed by the researchers. Results indicated that 57.8% were of the opinion that marriage shouldn’t be an obligation as it is in our society, 77.5% agreed that to be adequately prepared for adulthood, dating must be practiced, the study also revealed that 97.1% agreed that courtship prepares individuals for marriage life. The study further indicated that there was a significant relationship between undergraduates perception on courtship and mother’s educational level with a value of (χ2 = 13.21. P <0.05). The study concluded that dating helps in the development of adolescents but could pose dangers if not properly practiced, courtship is a structured relationship leading to a long lasting union. It is recommended that practices of sexual adventures a as a result of dating calls for family life education as it would equip young people with knowledge on dating.

The Correlation between Family Socioeconomic Status and the Delayed Treatment of Retinoblastoma Patients at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya

Introduction: Retinoblastoma is a cancer with the highest incidence in children and the second type of cancer that most often causes death in children in Indonesia. The level of delay in attending treatment for retinoblastoma patients in Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya is still high because in general the patients come with an advanced stage, they are already in serious condition or with a poor prognosis. Treatment delay from the patients can be caused by the patients that are not feeling disturbed by the disease, not aware of the dangers of the disease, feel afraid, have no cost, the family does not allow them to see the doctor, and the health facilities are unaccessable. One of the factors that influence decision making whether or not someone comes to seek treatment is their socioeconomic status. A high education level will make it easier for a person or society to obtain and understand information to solve health problems that are happening in their families, and then with a high level of occupation and income, people are able to choose health services for themselves. The aim of this research is to analyze the correlation between family socioeconomic status with the delayed treatment for retinoblastoma patients at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya.Methods: This research used observational analytic cross-sectional study. This research was conducted with the help of 33 retinoblastoma patients and families of retinoblastoma patients in the Outpatient Unit of the Poli Onkologi Satu Atap (POSA) Mata at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya, and was taken by total sampling.Results: The results were obtained from 33 samples, 18.2% of patients came with a good prognosis, and 81.8% of patients came with a poor prognosis. The Fisher’s Exact Test analysis (α = 0.05) was used to determine the correlation between the father’s educational level and the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients (p = 0.322), correlation between the mother’s educational level and the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients (p = 0.129), correlation between the father’s level of occupation and the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients (p = 0.028), correlation between the mother’s occupational level and the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients (p = 0.640), correlation between the family income level and the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients (p = 0.026).Conclusion: There were significant correlation between father’s occupational level and family income level with the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients. Meanwhile there were no significant correlation between father’s educational level, mother’s educational level, and mother’s occupational level with the delayed treatment of retinoblastoma patients.