Child: care, health and development
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Child Care Health Dev · Nov 2011
Crossing the transition chasm: experiences and recommendations for improving transitional care of young adults, parents and providers.
Transition from paediatric to adult healthcare has received little attention in the Netherlands. This study aimed to: (i) map experiences with the transfer to adult care of young adults with chronic conditions; and (ii) identify recommendations for transitional care of young adults, their parents and healthcare providers. ⋯ Action is required to cross the chasm between paediatric and adult-oriented care. Preparation for transition should start early and focus on strengthening adolescents' independency without undermining parental involvement. Building bridges between services, gaining trust and investing in new personal relations is a challenge for all parties involved: transition is about responding and bonding.
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Child Care Health Dev · May 2011
Weight loss induced by 6-month lifestyle intervention improves early endothelial activation and fibrinolysis in obese adolescents.
Adolescent obesity is associated with an increased risk of adult obesity and subsequent cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to assess the effect of weight loss after 6-month lifestyle intervention in obese adolescents on biomarkers of endothelial activation and fibrinolytic system. ⋯ The present study demonstrated increased endothelial activation and impairment of the fibrinolytic system in early life, which is in part reversible by a 6-month lifestyle intervention.
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Child Care Health Dev · Nov 2010
Parents' decision following the Food and Drug Administration recommendation: the case of over-the-counter cough and cold medication.
In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended against parents administering over-the-counter cough and cold medications (OTC-CCM) to children under 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur. This study examined the impact of FDA's recommendations against giving children under 2 years old OTC-CCM. ⋯ Parents' confidence in the FDA recommendations predicted whether they would continue or stop administering OTC-CCM to their children. Our findings illustrate the urgent need for widespread public education about OTC-CCM products to ensure children's safety.
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Child Care Health Dev · Nov 2010
Translating the tears: parents' use of behavioural cues to detect pain in normally developing young children with everyday minor illnesses or injuries.
The objectives of this paper were to (i) identify the behavioural cues used by parents to detect young children's transient pain from minor illnesses or injuries ('everyday pain'); and (ii) perform an initial psychometric evaluation of the Parents' Post-operative Pain Measure (PPPM) in the context of children's everyday pain. ⋯ The PPPM is a promising tool for parental assessment of children's pain in everyday situations. Further research is needed to determine its utility in facilitating communication between parents and healthcare professionals, and in improving the management of young children's pain.
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Child Care Health Dev · Nov 2010
HENRY: development, pilot and long-term evaluation of a programme to help practitioners work more effectively with parents of babies and pre-school children to prevent childhood obesity.
Despite epidemic numbers of obese and overweight pre-school children, professionals report a lack of confidence and self-efficacy in working with parents around lifestyle change. HENRY--Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young--trains health and community practitioners to work more sensitively and effectively with parents of babies and pre-school children around obesity and lifestyle concerns. Underpinned by the Family Partnership Model, reflective practice and solution-focused techniques, it offers face-to-face training and e-learning. This paper describes the development, pilot and evaluation of HENRY Sure Start Children's Centres. ⋯ HENRY is an innovative approach that offers some promise in tackling obesity through training community and health practitioners to work more effectively with parents of very young children. It appears to have an effect on participants' personal lives as well as professional work. A large-scale long-term study would be required to ascertain if there is the desired impact on young children's lifestyles and risk of obesity.