A systematic review of the impact of childhood vision impairment on reading and literacy in education

Purpose: This systematic review evaluates current literature on the impact vision impairment has on reading and literacy levels within education. Methods: Six databases were searched with inclusion criteria of trials or studies involving children who are blind or vision impaired, and impact on academic or school performance – including reading and literacy. 1262 articles were identified, with 61 papers undergoing full screening. Quality appraisal was performed using Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) and seven articles deemed eligible for inclusion. Results: Included articles achieved a quality score of over 70 % using the CASP checklists. Direct comparison of articles was not possible due to methodological differences in assessing reading and literacy levels. All seven studies investigated aspects of reading speed, with additional measures of reading performance, such as reading reserve, comprehension, and reading accuracy. Discussion: Underlying trends highlighted students with a vision impairment do not perform at same level as their normally sighted peers with respect to reading performance - in terms of speed, but not ability. Additionally, early intervention to enhance literacy skills may help improve educational outcomes. Future direction should be aimed at identifying specific obstacles to learning these students face and providing interventions to improve academic outcomes. (AU)

Caregiver and parent-child relationship during COVID-19: The mediator role of anxiety and life satisfaction.

AIM: This research was conducted to evaluate the mediation effect of anxiety and life satisfaction on the relationship between Care burden and Parent Child Relationship in Turkish parents during the COVID-19 epidemic. METHODS: The research was carried out with parents (221 women and 219 men) who have children between the ages of 6-18 living in Turkey. Data were collected in June-July 2021 using the demographic data form, "Care Burden Scale," "Pervasive Anxiety Disorder-7 Test," "Satisfaction with Life Scale," and "Parent Child Relationship Scale." Path analysis was used to analyse the relationships. In this study, structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the path analysis. RESULTS: It was found that the burden of care and anxiety of the parents and the parent-child conflict relationship were positively correlated and negatively correlated with the life satisfaction and parent-child closeness relationship (p < 0.05). Path model analyses revealed that the burden of care had a direct effect on anxiety and life satisfaction, and an indirect effect on the parent-child relationship, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It shows that parents' perceptions of how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their mental health have implications for parent and child well-being, with stronger relationships for low-income families. Anxiety and life satisfaction had a mediating effect between care burden and parent-child relationship. Given the demonstrable impact of COVID-19 on the parent-child relationship, this study may guide the planning of coping strategies and programmes focused on mental health.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Medical and Paramedical Students Toward Human Milk Banks and Breast Milk Donation.

Background and objectives Human milk benefits for both mothers and babies are widely acknowledged. Human milk banks (HMBs) are essential in providing newborns who would not otherwise have access to pasteurized and stored human milk. The objective of this research was to investigate the understanding, opinions, and outlooks of medical and paramedical students regarding breast milk donation and the concept of an HMB. Material and methods A total of 398 professional female students specializing in physiotherapy, nursing, and medicine were given an online self-administered questionnaire as part of a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data on the characteristics, HMB knowledge, awareness levels, and attitudes toward HMB and breast milk donation were to be gathered through the questionnaire. Every student's answer to the survey was kept private and confidential. Result According to the survey, 188 students (47.24%) belong to the medical college, 126 students (31.66%) belong to the physiotherapy college, and the remaining 84 students (21.11%) are from the nursing college. A total of 294 students (74.12%) had heard about human milk banking before and received information from health professionals (195 students, 48.99%), the news (67 students, 16.83%), and family and friends (61 students, 15.33%). However, only 224 students (56.28%) are willing to feed their babies with HMB milk in the future. On the other hand, 216 students (54.27%) are ready to donate breast milk to HMB. The majority of students have a favorable opinion of breast milk donation. A staggering 394 students (98.99%) think that donating human milk can save babies. Furthermore, 379 students (95.23%) think that all the nutrients needed for a baby's healthy development are found in human milk. Merely 350 students (87.93%) think that breastfeeding does not result in malnourishment for either the mother or the baby. When there is an excess of milk, the majority of students (378 or 94.97%) think that there is nothing wrong with donating it. Moreover, 312 (80.41%) students are happy to donate milk in the future. A total of 373 students (93.71%) are overjoyed that a sick baby will survive because of their donated milk. Only 100 students (25.12%) will give milk, though, and only to the infants of their friends and relatives, never to complete strangers. Conclusion A dearth of knowledge pertaining to human milk banking is rampant among medical and paramedical female students, yet the gravity of the circumstances remains concealed. Consequently, it is imperative to extensively educate all Indian communities about the concept of human milk banking to gain widespread acceptance. This research sheds light on the issue and promotes scientific knowledge of HMB, as many students are unaware of it.

Potocki-Lupski Syndrome in Ethiopian Child: A Case Report.

Background: Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS) is a rare developmental disorder resulting from the partial duplication of the short arm of chromosome 17. Affected children may have hypotonia, facial dysmorphism, or neurological abnormalities. Case Presentation: We present the case of a 5-year-old female patient from Ethiopia diagnosed with Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS)(17p11.2 microduplication) through multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) testing. This technique identified the duplication of regions of the 17p11.2 chromosome (RAI1, DRC3, USP22, COPS3 and LLGL1). The patient exhibited neurological manifestations including speech delay and mild intellectual disability, along with craniofacial dysmorphism characterized by a triangular face, wide forehead, dental malocclusion, and micrognathia. Conclusion: A multidisciplinary team approach is imperative for managing patients with PTLS. Parental counseling and genetic advice are crucial for families with children affected by PTLS.

Development and validation of an intervention for childhood trauma and exposure to violence in Vhembe District, South Africa.

Most strategies are implemented; however, South Africa needs to evaluate and develop trauma interventions. The study aims to develop, test and validate childhood trauma exposure intervention in the Vhembe district, Limpopo province. Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model will guide the study. The study will employ multiphase mixed methods with five phases. Phase 1 will be a thorough systematic evaluation of literature on childhood trauma and exposure to violence interventions to describe existing interventions. Phase 2, stage 1: Will explore the experiences of children exposed to trauma and violence regarding their experiences of the treatment they received, using semi-structured qualitative interviews. Non-probability purposeful sampling techniques will be used to select participants. The Thoyondou Victim Empowerment's database will select participants. The researchers will conduct semi-structured and unstructured interviews with youngsters exposed to violence and trauma. Stage 2 will be a qualitative study of trauma centre managers and personnel sampled from the contact record. IPA will analyze data. Phase 3 will conceptualize Phase 1 and the empirical phase into Donabedian's SPO framework for Phase 4. Phase 4 develops the intervention using Phase 3's conceptual framework and tests and validates it.

Association Between Maternal Prenatal Exposure to Household Air Pollution and Child Respiratory Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Maternal prenatal exposure to household air pollution (HAP) is a critical public health concern with potential long-term implications for child respiratory health. The objective of this study is to assess the level of association between prenatal household air pollution and child respiratory health, and to identify which HAP pollutants are associated with specific respiratory illnesses or symptoms and to what degree. Relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed databases up to April 27, 2010, and their reference lists were reviewed. Random effects models were applied to estimate summarized relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The analysis involved 11 studies comprising 387 767 mother-child pairs in total, assessing various respiratory health outcomes in children exposed to maternal prenatal HAP. Children with prenatal exposure to HAP pollutants exhibited a summary RR of 1.26 (95% CI=1.08-1.33) with moderate between-study heterogeneity (I²=49.22%) for developing respiratory illnesses. Specific associations were found between prenatal exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) (RR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.09-1.13), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) (RR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.09-1.60), and particulate matter (PM) (RR=1.26, 95% CI: 1.2186-1.3152) and child respiratory illnesses (all had I² close to 0%, indicating no heterogeneity). Positive associations with child respiratory illnesses were also found with ultrafine particles (UFP), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and ozone (O3). However, no significant association was observed for prenatal exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO2). In summary, maternal prenatal exposure to HAP may contribute to a higher risk of child respiratory health issues, emphasizing the need for interventions to reduce this exposure during pregnancy. Targeted public health strategies such as improved ventilation, cleaner cooking technologies, and awareness campaigns should be implemented to minimize adverse respiratory effects on children.

Unifocal Tubercular Osteomyelitis of Ulna Diaphysis in a Child: A Case Report.

Introduction: Osteoarticular tuberculosis (OATB) contributes to around 10% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis of which the spine is the most common site. Isolated involvement of ulna diaphysis is extremely rare. We present a case of unifocal tuberculous osteomyelitis of ulna diaphysis in a 3 -year-old male child and highlight its resemblance with musculoskeletal tumors and stress the importance of GeneXpert mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)/resistance to rifampicin (RIF) in the diagnosis of OATB. Case Report: A mother of a 2-year-old male child incidentally noticed that her son complained of left forearm pain. She was not sure of any fall or trauma to the forearm. No history of fever or other constitutional symptoms was present. Clinical examination was uneventful except for local tenderness in over the dorsomedial aspect of the left mid forearm. A plain radiograph revealed an oval solitary lytic lesion over distal one-third ulna diaphysis. A needle biopsy was done after clinical, hematological, and radiological evaluation, and finally, GeneXpert detected tuberculosis without RIF. No further tests were required and the child was started on antitubercular therapy (ATT) which resulted in complete healing without any symptoms. Conclusion: The authors conclude that it is therefore essential to consider tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis while evaluating a lytic bone lesion. Where possible, all patients should have a biopsy of the lesion and provide a specimen for GeneXpert MTB/RIF to confirm the diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing.

Pediatric Synovial Osteochondromatosis of the Knee with Leg Length Discrepancy: A Case Report.

Introduction: Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is very rare among children. We are aware of no reports of patients with SC accompanied by leg length discrepancy (LLD). Case Report: We describe a case of synovial osteochondromatosis of a 7-year-old boy complicated by LLD. We performed epiphysiodesis of the distal femur and arthroscopic resection of loose bodies and total synovectomy. Three years after surgery, LLD had been corrected and there was no sign of recurrence. Conclusion: Physicians should be aware of synovial osteochondromatosis complicated by LLD in childhood and take radiographs of the whole length of lower legs when this condition is suspected.

Assessing the risk of concurrent mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children with tracheobronchial tuberculosis: retrospective study.

Objective: This study aimed to create a predictive model based on machine learning to identify the risk for tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBTB) occurring alongside Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in pediatric patients. Methods: Clinical data from 212 pediatric patients were examined in this retrospective analysis. This cohort included 42 individuals diagnosed with TBTB and Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (combined group) and 170 patients diagnosed with lobar pneumonia alone (pneumonia group). Three predictive models, namely XGBoost, decision tree, and logistic regression, were constructed, and their performances were assessed using the receiver's operating characteristic (ROC) curve, precision-recall curve (PR), and decision curve analysis (DCA). The dataset was divided into a 7:3 ratio to test the first and second groups, utilizing them to validate the XGBoost model and to construct the nomogram model. Results: The XGBoost highlighted eight significant signatures, while the decision tree and logistic regression models identified six and five signatures, respectively. The ROC analysis revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.996 for XGBoost, significantly outperforming the other models (p < 0.05). Similarly, the PR curve demonstrated the superior predictive capability of XGBoost. DCA further confirmed that XGBoost offered the highest AIC (43.226), the highest average net benefit (0.764), and the best model fit. Validation efforts confirmed the robustness of the findings, with the validation groups 1 and 2 showing ROC and PR curves with AUC of 0.997, indicating a high net benefit. The nomogram model was shown to possess significant clinical value. Conclusion: Compared to machine learning approaches, the XGBoost model demonstrated superior predictive efficacy in identifying pediatric patients at risk of concurrent TBTB and Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. The model's identification of critical signatures provides valuable insights into the pathogenesis of these conditions.

A Review of Dupilumab in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Infants and Children.

Atopic dermatitis (AD), a common pruritic and chronic inflammatory skin disease, has a major impact on a patient's quality of life. It is characterized by dry, itchy, and eczema-like rashes. AD is more prevalent in young children and has been linked to a variety of other allergy disorders. Traditional drug therapy has certain limitations for treating young children with AD. However, biologics have good clinical application prospects in the medical treatment of young patients. Dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, specifically binds to the IL-4 Rα subunit, inhibiting IL-4 and IL-13 signaling and blocking the occurrence of type 2 inflammatory response. It has a good effect on treating infants and children with moderate-to-severe AD. This review explores the safety and efficacy of dupilumab in the treatment of AD in infants and children and the impact of early intervention on AD progression, with the aim of informing clinical practice in the use of dupilumab for the treatment of young patients with AD.

Where the children play: Gender gaps in recess physical activity by age and playground area.

Objective: Recess contributes meaningfully to physical activity (PA), but recess time has declined. The study's purpose was to report PA by age, gender, and playground feature to inform potential playground configurations more conducive to PA during recess. Methods: Using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in the Youth, kindergarten through 5th grade recesses were observed on at least four days at four schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States during May 2023. Target playground features were ball courts, grass, pavement, play structures, and swings. To provide inferential analysis, a comparison of conditional means across playground features, age, and gender was conducted using linear regression with robust standard errors clustered by school. Results: 3,356 playground scans (intercoder correlation = 0.93) were collected and aggregated by school, day, gender, age (grade), and target feature for a sample size of 292 observations. The gender gap was widest among 4-5th graders, 79 % (95 % CI: 72, 86) for males and 64 % (95 % CI: 58, 70) for females. Among females, PA was highest on swings [82 % (95 % CI: 77, 86)] and lowest on paved areas [56 % (95 % CI: 43, 69)]. Among males, it was highest on both swings [81 % (95 % CI: 75, 86)] and ball courts [83 % (95 % CI: 77, 89)] and lowest on grassy areas [64 % (95 % CI: 60, 67)]. Conclusion: Swings, courts, and play structures were associated with a higher proportion of children being engaged in PA. Research is needed to identify whether physical improvements to facilitate access to these features increase PA.

Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale: Psychometric Evaluation in Portuguese Preschoolers.

Objective: to contribute to the validation of the Early Childhood Oral Impact Scale (ECOHIS) by studying its psychometric properties when applied to a Portuguese preschool population. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted with children aged between three and five-years-old. The non-probabilistic sample included two preschools in the municipality of Lisbon. Children who agreed to participate and whose guardians signed the informed consent were included. Data collection included a questionnaire, administered to the parents, and an intraoral examination of the children. The questionnaire included the Portuguese version of ECOHIS. The intraoral examination included the caries diagnosis according to the World Health Organization criteria. Discriminant validity compared the ECOHIS score between children with and without caries experience (Mann-Whitney U-test). Cohen's d was calculated to estimate the magnitude of the difference. Reliability analysis included Cronbach's α and test-retest. Construct validity was analyzed by the correlation between the ECOHIS score and dmft (Spearman's correlation). A significance level of 5% was used. Results: The sample included 104 children (mean age 4.1 years). ECOHIS values were significantly different between children with and without caries (p=0.004). The Cohen's d was 0.84. The Cronbach's was 0.78, with no significant increase in value when eliminating any of the items. The test-retest showed significant correlation (r=0.76; p=0.01). There was a significant correlation between the ECOHIS score and caries experience (r=0.28; p=0.004). Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the ECOHIS showed good psychometric properties, indicating that it is a reliable and valid tool to measure the impact of oral health in preschool children.

Occlusal Radiographs in a Turkish Pediatric Subpopulation.

Objectives: Dental radiographs are a useful diagnostic aid in the oral health care and dental treatment of children. The most commonly used radiographs are periapical and panoramic radiographs. Occlusal radiographs are preferred in more specific cases. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the reasons for obtaining occlusal radiographs in pediatric patients. Material and methods: Occlusal radiographs of patients aged 1-13 years who attended the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Dentistry between 01 August 2015 and 01 August 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients with syndromes and diseases that could cause cleft lip and palate and dental anomalies were not included in the study. The medical history of the 354 patients who were included in the study was provided by the automated system. Results: A total of 359 occlusal radiographs from these patients were analysed. The number of male patients included in the study was 208 and the number of female patients was 146. Occlusal radiographs of the maxilla of 312 patients were taken, of the mandible of 37 patients, and both the upper and lower jaws of 5 patients. It was found that occlusal radiographs were taken mostly for dental trauma in the permanent dentition (156), injuries in the primary dentition (68) and for the diagnosis of dental anomalies (57). Conclusions: Occlusal radiographs are taken for specific situations in pediatric dentistry and are particularly useful in the detection and diagnosis of primary and permanent tooth injuries.

The correlations between parental warmth and children's approaches to learning: a moderated mediation model of self-efficacy and teacher-child closeness.

Researchers have increasingly considered approaches to learning (ATL) a key indicator of school readiness. Our study purposed to examine the impacts of parental warmth on children's approaches to learning, and the mediating role of self-efficacy, as well as the moderating role of teacher-child closeness in this relationship. Using a whole-group sampling method, 414 Chinese children aged 5-6 years participated this research together with their parents and teachers. Parents of those children were asked to fill out in person questionnaires on parental warmth, children's approaches to learning, and self-efficacy. Children's teachers completed the questionnaire regarding teacher-child closeness. Results indicated that children with high parental warmth were more likely to get high approaches to learning and their self-efficacy played a partial mediating role in this link. In addition, teacher-child closeness moderated the correlation between parental warmth and children's self-efficacy. Specifically, the association between parental warmth and children's self-efficacy was stronger for children with high teacher-child closeness than those with low teacher-child closeness. The results extend our understanding of how parental warmth affects children's approaches to learning, revealing that strategies that could enhance self-efficacy would be effective in improving children's approaches to learning.

The association between parents phubbing and prosocial behavior among Chinese preschool children: a moderated mediation model.

Introduction: The popularization and widespread use of smartphones and other electronic devices have led to the occurrence of "parents phubbing", which may have a negative impact on child-parent relationship and preschoolers' prosocial behavior. Methods: To clarify this process, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 3,834 parents from 20 kindergartens in Zhuhai, China. This study examined the relationship between between parents phubbing, closeness child-parent relationship, authoritative parenting style and children's prosocial behavior. Results: According to the study, we found a significant negative correlation between parents phubbing and preschoolers' prosocial behavior. Closeness child-parent relationship mediated between parents phubbing and preschoolers' prosocial behavior through mediation effects analysis. In other words, parent phubbing was negatively associated with closeness child-parent relationship, which in turn predicted less child prosocial behavior. In addition, authoritative parenting styles have a moderating effect. As the level of authoritative parenting style increases, the negative impact of parent phubbing on the prosocial behavior of preschool children is attenuated. Discussion: This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between parents phubbing and prosocial behaviors of preschool children, as well as the internal mechanisms at work. Practically, the study suggests that parents should reduce the incidence of phubbing in their contact with their children and, at the same time, work to improve the child-parent relationship and promote the development of prosocial behaviors in children.

Impact of the Integrated Program of Transdiagnostic Treatment and Parent Education on the Social Anxiety of Female Students.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the combined program of transdiagnostic treatment and parent education in reducing social anxiety among female students. METHODOLOGY:  This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among all female elementary school students in Bandar Abbas, Iran, during the academic year 2022-2023. The social phobia questionnaire was given to all female students in grades three to six to assess individuals in terms of the social anxiety disorder (SAD) variable. We used the social anxiety scale developed by Leibovitz as the questionnaire in this investigation. This self-assessment questionnaire was designed for individuals aged 18 and above. It consists of 24 statements, divided into two subscales: performance anxiety (13 statements) and social settings (11 statements). Each item is individually assessed for fear intensity on a scale of 0 to 3, ranging from no to extreme. Similarly, avoidance behavior is evaluated on a scale of 0 to 3, representing the frequency ranging from never to always. RESULTS:  The mean general anxiety levels among both groups (students vs. parents) during the pre-test were similar (48.06 ± 4.39 vs. 48.06± 4.1). However, in the post-test, the mean of the experimental groups was lower than that of the pre-test (32.13 ± 3.77 vs. 47.2 ± 3.6). The normality assumption for the pre-test and post-test variables of generalized anxiety was verified with a significance level over 0.05 (p ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated that the integrated meta-diagnostic treatment program for parents had a more pronounced effect on alleviating their social anxiety in comparison to students. These findings imply that if parents possess a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to their children's anxiety, it will significantly enhance their ability to mitigate their child's social anxiety.

Perceptions of facilitators, barriers and solutions when preparing to implement a home visiting program in Sweden: a mixed-methods study.

Background: Although there is growing awareness that early childhood development programs are important for a sustainable society, there is a knowledge gap about how to implement such programs. Successful implementation requires attention to implementation drivers (competency, organization, and leadership) during all phases of the implementation. The purpose of this study was to describe cross-sectoral operational workgroups' perceptions of facilitators, barriers and solutions related to implementation drivers in the preparationphase of implementing an evidence-based early childhood home visiting program. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from twenty-four participants, divided into 5 groups, during implementation planning workshops. The workshops were guided by a structured method informed by the principles of Motivational Interviewing and within a framework of implementation drivers. Groups sorted cards with statements representing implementation drivers according to perceptions of facilitators and barriers, and percentages were calculated for each type of implementation determinant, for each type of driver. The groups discussed their card sorting and wrote action plans to address barriers, yielding documentation that was analyzed using deductive qualitative content analysis. Results: A mixed-methods analysis resulted identification of facilitators, barriers, unknowns and solutions in two to three subcategories under each main category of implementation driver. A competent and confident workforce, and enthusiasm and commitment were key facilitators. Key barriers were unclear roles and responsibilities, and insufficient articulation of local vision and goals. Many factors were described as yet unknown. Specific solutions were generated to support the implementation. Conclusions: Our study furthers the scientific understanding of how to take evidence-based early childhood programs from research to practice within an implementation drivers framework. Facilitators, barriers and solutions in key areas during the preparation phase were identified with the help of a novel tool. The results provide useful knowledge for decision makers and organizations preparing similar initiatives in communities striving to attain sustainable development goals.

Executive functioning in child victims of sexual abuse: A multi-informant comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Research examining the association between child sexual abuse and executive functions is limited. Yet, exposure to traumatic situations at a young age has been associated with changes in the prefrontal cortex, which hosts executive functions (Wesarg et al., 2020). These functions are crucial for social adaptation, as they make it possible to inhibit maladaptive behavior and respond flexibly to the demands of the environment. As middle childhood is a sensitive period for the development of self-regulatory abilities, exploring executive functioning in school-age children could provide potential intervention targets (Dajani & Uddin, 2015). OBJECTIVE: Using multiple informants, this study compared executive functioning of sexually abused children to that of non-sexually victimized children and examined whether the differences were moderated by sex. METHODS: The sample consisted of 225, 6-to-12 years old children with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) and 97 children without a history of CSA. Children completed two executive functioning tasks measuring cognitive flexibility and inhibition. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires evaluating children's executive functioning. RESULTS: In comparison to non-abused children, children with a history of CSA displayed greater executive functioning difficulties as assessed by both informant-reported questionnaires and self-completed tasks. Significant interaction effects were found, such as CSA predicting lower inhibition and executive functions at school in boys but not in girls. CONCLUSION: This study is a first step in understanding the association between CSA and executive functioning and offers a clearer picture of the differential impact of sexual trauma according to children's sex.

Evidence-based practice criteria's effect on the implementation of the family first prevention services act in Nebraska and Colorado.

Child abuse, particularly neglect, is often preventable because many causes of harm stem from poverty, lack of social connections, substance use disorders, mental illness, lack of childcare, and other family support shortages. Prevention of child abuse and neglect starts with family support in these areas. The federal government recognized this need for prevention, and through considerable bipartisan support, passed the Family First Prevention Services Act on February 9, 2018. The Family First Prevention Services Act was designed to divert investment away from long-term foster care and toward programs that prevent unnecessary placement and child protective services interventions. The Family First Prevention Services Act restricts the state's use of federal funds for institutional foster care placements and uses those savings to fund reimbursements for evidence-based family preservation. The requirement for evidence-based prevention is a first in child-welfare federal law, and compliance with this requirement requires public-private partnership with agencies implementing the models, infrastructure, and evaluation standards that most states must build to be eligible for the new funding. This evaluation research analyzed how the stringent guidelines for prevention funding and the requirement of federally approved evidence-based practice programming affect the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act in Nebraska and Colorado.

Quality evaluation of nutrition policies in early childhood education and care services in Nerang, QLD.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Food environments in early childhood, such as early childhood education and care services, influence the development of dietary patterns and behaviours that traverse into adulthood, where they affect health and longevity. Nutrition policies are mandatory in early childhood education and care services in Australia and can positively or negatively shape the food environment. However, the quality of such nutrition policies is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the comprehensiveness and strength of nutrition policies of early childhood education and care services among services participating in a university-community alliance in South East Queensland. METHODS: Early childhood education and care services (n = 12) in Nerang, Queensland, Australia, participated in a cross-sectional study evaluating the comprehensiveness and strength of nutrition policies across four domains (Nutrition Education, Nutrition Standards, Promoting Healthy Eating and Communication and Evaluation) of the Wellness in Child Care Assessment Tool. RESULTS: Nutrition policies evaluated in this study had median total comprehensiveness scores of 55 (out of 100) and median total strength scores of 19 (out of 100). 'Nutrition Education' had the highest median scores for comprehensiveness (67 out of 100) and strength (33 out of 100), while 'Nutrition Standards' had the lowest comprehensiveness score (41 out of 100), and 'Communication and Evaluation' had the lowest strength score (0 out of 100). CONCLUSIONS: All services have a nutrition policy, but there are opportunities to enhance both the content and linguistic strength of statements within policies related to nutrition domains. SO WHAT?: There is a clear need to improve the comprehensiveness and strength of written statements in nutrition policies across all four domains, particularly 'Nutrition Standards' and 'Communication and Evaluation'.