Search Results (16)

The construction of child-friendly cities is important for social and economic development. Based on the two-dimensional analysis framework of “Policy Tools–Policy Elements”, this study uses NVIVO 15 qualitative analysis software to code and quantitatively analyze China’s current child-friendly city construction policies. This study examines the formulation strategies and operational characteristics of policy texts on building child-friendly cities in China. The research shows that there are structural imbalances in current policies on child-friendly city construction in China, with too many supply-oriented policy tools and insufficient application of environmental policy and demand-oriented policy tools. The mix of policy instruments is poorly structured, with insufficient attention to children’s rights and social policies and a lack of monitoring and evaluation of policy performance. In the future, China’s children’s urban construction policy should strengthen the balance between the design of policy structures, optimize the structure of policy tools, strengthen the design and protection of laws and policies of children’s rights, and establish a monitoring and evaluation system of policy performance. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the living arrangements of many college students in the United States, potentially impacting their academic development, which plays a critical role in their mental health. At the start of the pandemic, university closures led to an abrupt transition from face-to-face instruction to online instruction, which may have caused significant challenges for college students, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others who identify as having a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity (LGBTQ+). To identify academic challenges and associated protective factors, we examined LGBTQ+ college students’ social support from family and friends, the parent–child relationship quality, and their associations with academic challenges during the first months of the pandemic. The results of online surveys indicated that LGBTQ+ college students (N = 408; Mean Age = 20.4 yrs) who reported less family support and worse relationship quality with their parents perceived that academics had become relatively harder than before the pandemic. In contrast, friend support was unrelated to perceived academic challenges. These findings underscore the potentially protective role of supportive and high-quality relationships with family. The findings also provide insight into how universities could support students’ academic success during other temporary academic breaks and sudden, unplanned disruptions, such as hurricanes or other weather-related events, which is essential in promoting LGBTQ+ college students’ mental health and academic success. Full article

This study used longitudinal survey data of Filipino American and Korean American youth in the Chicago Metropolitan area (N = 786, M_AGE = 15.00, SD = 1.91 at Wave 1 in 2014) to examine whether and how a set of organized predictors (i.e., universal predictors of youth outcomes and cultural orientations) independently and collectively explains internalizing and externalizing problems and academic performance. The results were that universal predictors such as youth antisocial beliefs, peer antisocial behaviors, and the quality of parent–child relations, were extensively predictive of youth outcomes in the expected directions. The magnitudes of universal predictors were largely unchanged when bilinear and multidimensional cultural orientation variables were accounted for together. The magnitudes of cultural orientation variables were slightly attenuated in full models but showed independent associations with youth outcomes. Specifically, English and heritage language proficiencies were protective of externalizing and internalizing problems. Behavioral practices in respective cultures increased youth problems. In addition, ethnic identity, although beneficial to mental health, can increase externalizing problems. The findings of this study provide insights into understanding the mixed outcomes among Asian Americans and important empirical evidence that can inform intervention programs to prevent youth problems, ultimately toward a pathway to positive youth development among Asian American youth. Full article

The oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) has been the mainstay of polio eradication, especially in low-income countries, and its use has eliminated wild poliovirus type 2. However, the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is safer than OPV, as IPV protects against paralytic poliomyelitis without producing adverse reactions. The present study compared mucosal and humoral responses to poliovirus vaccines administered to previously OPV-immunized children to assess the immunity gap in children in areas of high poliovirus transmission. A cluster-randomized trial was implemented in three high-risk districts of Pakistan—Karachi, Kashmore, and Bajaur—from June 2013 to May 2014. This trial was community-oriented and included three arms, focusing on healthy children below five years of age. The study involved the randomization of 387 clusters, of which 360 were included in the final analysis. The control arm (A) received the routine polio program bivalent poliovirus vaccine (bOPV). The second arm (B) received additional interventions, including health camps providing routine vaccinations and preventive maternal and child health services. In addition to the interventions in arm B, the third arm (C) was also provided with IPV. Blood and stool samples were gathered from children to evaluate humoral and intestinal immunity. The highest levels of poliovirus type 1 serum antibodies were observed in Group C (IPV + OPV). The titers for poliovirus type 2 (P2) and poliovirus type 3 (P3) were noticeably higher in those who had received a routine OPV dose than in those who had not across all study groups and visits. Providing an IPV booster after at least two OPV doses could potentially fill immunity gaps in regions where OPV does not show high efficacy. However, IPV only marginally enhances humoral immunity and fails to offer intestinal immunity, which is critical to stop the infection and spread of live poliovirus in populations that have not been exposed before. Full article

In this paper, authors introduce the basic prerequisite for rational, targeted, and above all, child-oriented diagnosis of fractures and dislocations in children and adolescents is in-depth prior knowledge of the special features of trauma in the growth age group. This review summarizes the authors’ many years of experience and the state of the current pediatric traumatology literature. It aims to provide recommendations for rational, child-specific diagnostics appropriate to the child, especially for the area of extremity injuries in the growth age. The plain radiograph remains the indispensable standard in diagnosing fractures and dislocations of the musculoskeletal system in childhood and adolescence. Plain radiographs in two planes are the norm, but in certain situations, one plane is sufficient. X-rays of the opposite side in acute diagnostics are obsolete. Images to show consolidation after conservative treatment is rarely necessary. Before metal removal, however, they are indispensable. The upcoming diagnostical tool in pediatric trauma is ultrasound. More and more studies show that in elected injuries and using standardized protocols, fracture ultrasound is as accurate as plain radiographs to detect and control osseous and articular injuries. In acute trauma, CT scans have only a few indications, especially in epiphyseal fractures in adolescents, such as transitional fractures of the distal tibia or coronal shear fractures of the distal humerus. CT protocols must be adapted to children and adolescents to minimize radiation exposure. MRI has no indication in the detection or understanding of acute fractures in infants and children. It has its place in articular injuries of the knee and shoulder to show damage to ligaments, cartilage, and other soft tissues. Furthermore, MRI is useful in cases of remaining pain after trauma without radiological proof of a fracture and in the visualization of premature closure of growth plates after trauma to plan therapy. Several everyday examples of rational diagnostic workflows, as the authors recommend them, are mentioned. The necessity of radiation protection must be taken into consideration. Full article

This article explores a story taken from the Talmud Bavli (Yevamot 65b) which describes a dialogue between the arguments raised by an anonymous woman and a rabbinical judge, R. Ammi, with regard to her demand for a divorce and for receipt of the payment for her prenuptial agreement. The article examines aspects relating to the design of the Talmudic story, which belongs to the genre of halakhic stories containing an argument, the law, and its explanation, i.e., elements that are not always explicitly stated in the Talmudic text. The article also examines the point of encounter between the pleas of the anonymous woman who sought a divorce from her husband alleged that he was infertile and that she wished to have a child, versus the strict customary legal halakhic law that exempted her from the religious obligation to procreate and therefore did not protect her rights. In addition, the article provides the context of the woman’s pleas in court and the attitudes of the judge towards the woman, as evident in two contradictory rulings with regard to the anonymous woman. Finally, the character of the anonymous woman, as reflected in the story, is described. This article joins a gradually developing trend in recent years within the study of the Talmud Bavli that addresses issues related to women’s status and gender discourse. Nevertheless, it is notable that different orientations emerged in the research with regard to gender issues from the mid-1990s onwards. Full article

Child Development Centers (CDCs) in Thailand are developed from the same national standard building plan across the country. Due to hot weather conditions, low-cost building materials, and a failure to consider the specific surrounding conditions of each case, thermal discomfort results. This study focuses on an improvement in the thermal comfort of a pilot CDC building in Maha Sarakham province, Thailand. Three CIBSE TM52 model criteria were applied to assess the level of overheating in the CDC building. The IESVE simulation tool was employed to assess the improvement from using passive design strategies (such as orientation, solar protection, thermal insulation, and ventilation). The results showed that passive design strategies could improve the overall thermal comfort of the CDC building. Thermal insulation, especially roof insulation, was the key element in reducing overheating in the building. A fully insulated building with shading devices and a night-time only window-opening pattern could meet the three targeted overheating criteria. Although the limitations of using the CIBSE TM52 model in hot and humid regions have been identified, these findings can be used as an exemplar of passive design strategy integration for other CDC buildings across the country. Full article

The quality of the environment should be measured by the satisfaction of the public and guided by the issues of public concern. With the development of the internet, social media as the main platform for people to exchange information has become a data source for planning and management analysis. Nowadays, the rural catering industry is becoming increasingly competitive, especially after the pandemic. How to further enhance the competitiveness of the rural catering industry has become a hot topic in the industry. From the perspective of consumers, we explored consumers’ preferences in a rural outdoor dining environment through social media data. The research analyzed the social media data through manual collection and object detection, divided the landscape of the rural outdoor dining environment into eight categories with 35 landscape elements, and then used BP (Back Propagation) neural network nonlinear fitting and least square linear fitting to analyze the 11,410 effective review pictures from eight rural restaurants’ social media comments in Chengdu. We derived the degree of consumer preference for the landscape quality of the rural outdoor dining environment and analyzed the differences in preference among three different groups (regular customers, customers with children, and customers with the elderly). The study found that agricultural resources are an important factor in the competitiveness of rural restaurant environments; that children’s emotions when using activity facilities can positively influence consumers’ dining experiences; that safety and hygiene environment are important factors influencing the decisions of parent–child dining; and that older people are more interested in outdoor nature, etc. The research results provide suggestions and knowledge for rural restaurant managers and designers through human-oriented needs from the perspective of consumers, and clarify the preferences and expectations of different consumer groups for rural restaurant landscapes while achieving the goal of rural landscape protection. Full article

(1) Background: Religious involvement and spirituality have proven to be sources of well-being for individuals at different moments in life and are also associated with a decrease in depression, anxiety, and substance use. Therefore, these could be protective factors against stressful conditions and contribute to mental health. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between religious involvement and substance use among students in northern Chile. (2) Methods: The design is retrospective ex post facto with only one group, and the sample included 2313 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age from public and private schools. A subscale of the Child and Adolescent Assessment System was used to assess substance use and Universal Age I-E-12 to measure religious involvement. (3) Results: The findings suggest that the intrinsic orientation of religiousness (β = −0.048, p < 0.014), age (β = 0.374, p < 0.000), gender (β = 0.039, p < 0.040), and ethnic identity (β = 0.051, p < 0.008) have significant correlations with substance use. (4) Conclusions: The intrinsic orientation of religion is a relevant variable associated with consumption due to its non-instrumental characteristics of religion and practices aimed at self-exploration and self-knowledge that favor the subjective well-being of individuals, which could prevent drug use from becoming an alternative for dealing with conflicts in the children and young population of this region of Latin America. Full article

The primary moral commitment of medical care has traditionally been based on a belief in the intrinsic value and significance of human life and a desire to protect the most vulnerable from harm. In this respect, the care of newborn infants who are at the border of viability is no different. Despite the intrinsic value of the life of every newborn, all agree that there is no moral duty of doctors to provide every possible treatment where the prognosis is hopeless. Instead, every action and treatment should be orientated towards the best interests of the individual child and towards the minimisation of serious harm. Decisions about the withholding or withdrawal of life-supportive treatment should be made collaboratively between professionals and parents, with discussion starting prior to delivery wherever possible. The goals of neonatal palliative care are to prevent or minimise pain and distressing symptoms and to maximise the opportunity for private, loving interaction between the dying baby and his or her parents and the wider family. Physical contact, gentle stroking, cuddles and tender loving care are of central importance for the dying baby. At the same time, we must provide psychological support for parents and family as they go through the profound and painful life experience of accompanying their baby to death. To enable a baby to die well, pain-free and in the arms of loving parents and carers is not a failure but a triumph of neonatal care. Full article

This article investigates the family and child welfare system in Lithuania in terms of social sustainability, with an emphasis on children’s rights. The conceptual framework of Gilbert et al. (2011a) on child welfare was used as the substance of the research, identifying the problem frame, aim and mode of intervention, and parent–state relationship as the main dimensions for analyzing configurations of the child welfare systems. The analysis in this article focuses on how the family and child welfare system is observed in everyday professional practice in Lithuania by linking it with the social sustainability concept. The quantitative research sample comprised 501 respondents from Lithuania, representing different professionals of the family and child welfare system. An online questionnaire was distributed across regional municipal social services departments and to the national service of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service. Explorative factor analysis and multidimensional scaling were used for data analysis. The research demonstrated that family and child welfare dimensions are meaningfully related to the social sustainability concept through the rights of a child such as the child’s best interests, accessibility to services, the right to be heard, protection against violence, child identity, development assurance, and so forth. The research indicates the need for awareness raising, including education and training for professional actors regarding child and family welfare, as an integral part of the concept of social sustainability. Full article

(1) Parents caring for children and adolescents with rare diseases fear the long-term progression of the child’s disease and the loss of their parental role. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life, mental health and associated protective factors of mothers and fathers caring for children with rare diseases requiring mechanical long-term ventilation. (2) In a cross-sectional design, data on quality of life, mental health, coping mechanisms, social support and family functioning from n = 75 affected families were collected using standardized psychometric questionnaires. (3) Mothers compared to fathers were significantly more impaired in their quality of life and mental health. Protective factors significantly associated with the respective outcomes for mothers were coping mechanisms, social support and family functioning, whereas for fathers solely the latter was found to be significant. Multiple regression analyses showed that family functioning may be the most important predictor of quality of life and mental health. (4) The results support the need for family-oriented care in parents of children with rare diseases. To reach optimal efficiency, health care providers should not only screen parents for psychosocial impairment but also provide interventions that consider gender-specific differences in psychological health. Full article

Marketing unhealthy foods negatively impacts children’s food preferences, dietary habits and health, prompting calls for regulations that will help to create an “enabling” food environment for children. One powerful food marketing technique is product packaging, but little is known about the nature or quality of child-targeted food products over time. This study assesses how child-targeted supermarket foods in Canada have transformed with respect to nutritional profile and types of marketing appeals (that is, the power of such marketing). Products from 2009 (n = 354) and from 2017 (n = 374) were first evaluated and compared in light of two established nutritional criteria, and then compared in terms of marketing techniques on packages. Overall, child-targeted supermarket foods did not improve nutritionally over time: 88% of child-targeted products (across both datasets) would not be permitted to be marketed to children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, and sugar levels remained consistently high. Despite this poor nutritional quality, the use of nutrition claims increased significantly over time, as did the use of cartoon characters and appealing fonts to attract children’s attention. Character licensing—using characters from entertainment companies—remained consistent. The findings reveal the critical need to consider packaging as part of the strategy for protecting children from unhealthy food marketing. Given the poor nutritional quality and appealing nature of child-oriented supermarket foods, food product packaging needs to be included in the WHO’s call to improve the restrictions on unhealthy food marketing to children. Full article

The nutritional composition of foods marketed to children is important, as it can significantly influence children’s preferences. The objective of this research was to evaluate the presence of child-oriented food products in the food supply and to investigate their nutritional composition. The sample included 8191 prepacked foods in the Slovenian food supply available in the market in 2015. The nutrient profile (World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe nutrient profile model) of the products with child-targeted promotions was compared to the nutrient profile of those without child-targeted promotions. Food categories with the highest proportion of products with child-focused promotions were “Breakfast Cereals” (17%), “Chocolate and Sugar Confectionery” (15%) and “Edible Ices” (13%). Altogether, 93% of all products with child-focused promotions and 73% of products without such promotions were classified as “not permitted”. The proportion of “not permitted” foods was significantly higher in products with child-targeted promotions, compared with products without child-targeted promotions (p < 0.0001), and this trend was observed in a majority of food categories. To protect children from exposure to the marketing of foods with less favourable nutritional compositions, public health strategies should be focused also towards limiting promotions of unhealthy foods to children on product packaging, not only in media. Full article

This paper will provide an overview and analysis of developments in child protection and out of home care in Australia. It will outline early responses to perceived inadequate parenting to provide the historical and policy contexts of contemporary debates on, and responses to, the care and protection of children and young people. Child maltreatment affects a large number of children across Australia. The statistics of reported maltreatment reflect striking increases over time. Over the last decade, several public inquiries into the operation of child protection have been undertaken in a number of state jurisdictions following which some states have embarked on large scale reform of legislation and policy, to either strengthen the child protection mandate, or refocus services. Some exemplars of significant reform in selected states will be cited. Some of the themes that will be explored in the paper will include the impact of major state based public inquiries, overseas reviews and research on child protection policy and practice; the changing balance between orientations to child protection and family support, the parameters of out of home care, the high levels of governmental intervention experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and a critical appraisal of major transformations in protective care. Full article