Child: care, health and development
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Child Care Health Dev · May 2012
Comparative StudyAccidental injuries are more common in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder compared with their non-affected siblings.
Accidental injuries are a leading cause of paediatric morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common childhood disorder characterized by behaviours such as hyperactivity and impulsivity, is a risk factor for accidental injuries. Previous retrospective studies suggested that children with ADHD have an increased injury rate, but controlled prospective studies are lacking. ⋯ School-aged children with ADHD are at higher risk of accidental injuries than their non-ADHD siblings, regardless of ADHD subtype, co-morbid psychiatric conditions, developmental co-ordination problems and environmental/familial conditions. Awareness and adequate education of parents and caregivers of children with ADHD concerning the increased injury risks are thus warranted.
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Child Care Health Dev · Mar 2012
ReviewA systematic review on the mental health of children and adolescents in areas of armed conflict in the Middle East.
For many decades, the Middle East has been troubled with numerous long-standing armed conflicts and wars. Children and adolescents were not spared the trauma and its consequences. Exposure to traumatic events can result in mental, behavioural and emotional problems in children and adolescents. ⋯ These findings bring to light the pressing need to provide children and adolescents living in conflict areas with help. They are useful in designing new interventions to strengthen child and adolescent resilience in areas of conflict worldwide. Specific recommendations are included.
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Child Care Health Dev · Mar 2012
Two-year follow-up of the 'Families for Health' programme for the treatment of childhood obesity.
The high prevalence of obesity in children in the UK warrants continuing public health attention. 'Families for Health' is a family-based group programme for the treatment of childhood obesity. Significant improvements in body mass index (BMI) z-score (-0.21, 95% CI: -0.35 to -0.07, P = 0.007) and other health outcomes were seen in children at a 9-month follow-up. ⋯ Improvements in BMI z-score and certain other outcomes associated with the 'Families for Health' programme were sustained at the 2-year follow-up. 'Families for Health' is a promising new childhood obesity intervention, and a randomized controlled trial is now indicated.
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Child Care Health Dev · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyA comparison of doctors', parents' and children's reports of health states and health-related quality of life in children with chronic conditions.
Health-related quality of life is an important outcome. Self-report is the gold standard, but in the paediatric setting we often rely on proxy reporting. Our understanding of the differences between self- and proxy reports and the factors that influence them is limited. These differences can impact on treatment choices and the patient-doctor relationship. ⋯ We identified factors associated with level of agreement for self- and proxy reporting on the HUI23. Parent-child agreement was higher than doctor-child agreement. Patients with significant pain or emotional distress and patients with a diagnosis of severe cerebral palsy or chronic neurological conditions were more susceptible to under-reporting of subjective aspects of well-being by doctors and parents and may benefit from formal assessment of health-related quality of life in the clinical setting.
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Child Care Health Dev · Jan 2012
Are family-centred principles, functional goal setting and transition planning evident in therapy services for children with cerebral palsy?
Family-centred service, functional goal setting and co-ordination of a child's move between programmes are important concepts of rehabilitation services for children with cerebral palsy identified in the literature. We examined whether these three concepts could be objectively identified in programmes providing services to children with cerebral palsy in Alberta, Canada. ⋯ Lack of formal processes for delivery of family-centred service, goal-setting and co-ordination between children's programmes may result in inequitable opportunities for families to participate in their children's rehabilitation despite attending the same programme. Standardized programme processes and policies may provide a starting point to ensure that all families have equitable opportunities to participate in their child's rehabilitation programme.