Academic cooperation to foster research and advocacy competences in the occupied Palestinian territory (West Bank)

Palestinians living in the West Bank, a territory occupied by the State of Israel according to International Law, face deprived access to land and a limited ability to move freely which pertains to the presence of Israeli settlements and other infrastructure (closures, restricted or forbidden roads, etc.). This confinement has significant impacts on their economic and social livelihoods, and it is even worsening with the on-going construction of a 709 km long Barrier which mainly runs inside the West Bank. With regard to this situation, there is a clear need to strengthen the capacity of civil society and its representatives to apply sound research processes as a basis for improved advocacy for Palestinian human rights. Monitoring processes and tools are needed to assess the impacts of the Palestinians’ confinement, particularly in relation to the Barrier’s construction. Reliable data has also to be collected, managed, and above all, shared. These challenges have been addressed within the Academic Cooperation Palestine Project (ACPP) that brings together academic partners from the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) West Bank (WB), and Switzerland as well as other international academic institutions and Palestinian governmental and non-governmental agencies. ACPP started in early 2011 and is designed as a large cooperation networking platform involving researchers, students, public servants and experts from the oPt WB. A large set of actions have already been developed during the first year of the project, including courses, training, and research actions. First relevant results and impacts of the different actions are presented in this paper. Taken as a whole, the project produces valuable results for all partners: useful advocacy material for the Palestinian partners, and a unique “real-scale laboratory” where investigations are jointly conducted to develop novel confinement and change indicators.

Mind the gap: Do proportional electoral systems foster a more equal representation of women and men, poor and rich?

Female gender and low income are two markers for groups that have been historically disadvantaged within most societies. The study explores two research questions related to their political representation: (1) ‘Are parties biased towards the ideological preferences of male and rich citizens?’; and (2) ‘Does the proportionality of the electoral system moderate the degree of under-representation of women and poor citizens in the party system?’ A multilevel analysis of survey data from 24 parliamentary democracies indicates that there is some bias against those with low income and, at a much smaller rate, women. This has systemic consequences for the quality of representation, as the preferences of the complementary groups differ. The proportionality of the electoral system influences the degree of under-representation: specifically, larger district magnitudes help in closing the considerable gap between rich and poor.

Migration background is associated with caries in Viennese school children, even if parents have received a higher education.

BACKGROUND A low level of education and the migration background of parents are associated with the development of caries in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a higher educational level of parents can overcome risks for the development of caries in immigrants in Vienna, Austria. METHODS The educational level of the parents, the school type, and the caries status of 736 randomly selected twelve-year-old children with and without migration background was determined in this cross sectional study. In children attending school in Vienna the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index was determined. For statistical analysis, a mixed negative-binomial-model was used. RESULTS The caries status of the children with migration background was significantly worse compared to that of the native Viennese population. A significant interaction was found between migration background and the educational level of the parents (p = 0.045). No interaction was found between the school type and either the migration background (p = 0.220) or the education level of the parents (p = 0.08). In parents with a higher scholarly education level, migration background (p < 0.01) and school type (p = 0.018) showed an association with DMFT values. In parents with a low education level, however, migration background and school type had no significant association with DMFT values. CONCLUSION These data indicate that children with a migration background are at higher risk to acquire caries than other Viennese children, even when the parents have received a higher education.

Dental knowledge and attitude toward school dental-health programs among parents of kindergarten children in Winterthur.

The current study investigated the attitudes and knowledge regarding diet and oral hygiene of parents with kindergarten children. The parents' statements were evaluated in terms of their socioeconomic background and were compared with the annual clinical examination of the children. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the school dental-health program and adapt it to today's societal needs. Of those who participated in the interview, 61% were Swiss, 16% were from former Yugoslavia or Turkey, and 12% each from the EU or other countries. Of the children examined, 39% already had caries, and 18% of those showed more than two lesions. The parents' knowledge correlated with the severity of the child's caries as well as with the parents' income, country of origin, and education. There was a correlation between the child's dental decay and lower income, as well as lower education and non-Swiss nationality of the parents. Parents with higher income and better education more often participated in the preschool's preventive program. Parents from former Yugoslavia or Turkey participated less frequently than parents from other countries. The study demonstrated that parents who especially needed instruction and prophylaxis are contacted too late or not at all through the dental-health program at kindergarten and that new approaches to prevention should be implemented to more effectively reach the parents.

Impact of dental caries and trauma on quality of life among 5- to 6-year-old children: perceptions of parents and children.

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of dental caries and traumatic dental injuries (TDI) on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of 5- to 6-year-olds according to both self- and parental reports. METHODS A total of 335 pairs of parents and children who sought dental screening at the Dental School, University of São Paulo, completed the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5), which consists of a child self-report and a parental proxy-report version. Three calibrated examiners assessed the experience of caries according to primary teeth that were decayed, indicated for extraction due to caries, or filled (def-t). TDI were classified into uncomplicated and complicated injuries. Poisson regression models were used to associate the different clinical and sociodemographic factors to the outcome. RESULTS Overall, 74.6% of children reported an oral impact, and the corresponding estimate for parental reports was 70.5%. The mean (standard deviation) SOHO-5 scores in child self-report and parental versions were 3.32(3.22) and 5.18(6.28), respectively. In both versions, caries was associated with worse children's OHRQoL, for the total score and all SOHO-5 items (P < 0.001). In contrast, TDI did not have a negative impact on children's OHRQoL, with the exception of two items of the parental version and one item of the child self-report version. In the final multivariate adjusted models, there was a gradient in the association between caries experience and child's OHRQoL with worse SOHO-5 score at each consecutive level with more severe caries experience, for both child and parental perceptions [RR (CI 95%) = 6.37 (4.71, 8.62) and 10.81 (7.65, 15.27)], respectively. A greater family income had a positive impact on the children's OHRQoL for child and parental versions [RR (CI 95%) = 0.68 (0.49, 0.94) and 0.70 (0.54, 0.90)], respectively. CONCLUSIONS Dental caries, but not TDI, is associated with worse OHRQoL of 5- to 6-year-old children in terms of perceptions of both children and their parents. Families with higher income report better OHRQoL at this age, independent of the presence of oral diseases.

Shorter time since inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis in children is associated with lower mental health in parents.

AIM This study assessed the mental health of parents of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compared their mental health with age-matched and gender-matched references and examined parental and child predictors for mental health problems. METHODS A total of 125 mothers and 106 fathers of 125 children with active and inactive IBD from the Swiss IBD multicentre cohort study were included. Parental mental health was assessed by the Symptom Checklist 27 and child behaviour problems by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Child medical data were extracted from hospital records. RESULTS While the mothers reported lower mental health, the fathers' mental health was similar, or even better, than in age-matched and gender-matched community controls. In both parents, shorter time since the child's diagnosis was associated with poorer mental health. In addition, the presence of their own IBD diagnosis and child behaviour problems predicted maternal mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS Parents of children with IBD may need professional support when their child is diagnosed, to mitigate distress. This, in turn, may help the child to adjust better to IBD. Particular attention should be paid to mothers who have their own IBD diagnosis and whose children display behaviour problems.

[Transition - how adolescents with cystic fibrosis their parents experience the change from paediatric to adult care].

BACKGROUND Cystic Fibrosis is the most common autosomal-recessive hereditary disease among white Europeans. The average survival of CF patients has increased to above 40 years and transition from paediatric to adult care has therefore become a significant issue. AIM With this study, experiences of adolescents with CF and their parents with the transition from the paediatric to the adult care were explored. METHODS At a Swiss university CF centre, six adolescents and their mothers were recruited. Twelve narrative interviews were conducted on how the phase of transition was experienced. The transcribed interviews were analysed according to the method of hermeneutic phenomenology. RESULTS Positive and negative experiences with long term routine care in the paediatric service, general themes of adolescence and the quality of the relationship with paediatric doctors influenced the families' experience during transition significantly. For mothers, insensitive information on the CF diagnosis might have influenced the transition experience. The adolescents welcomed an individualized and age appropriate care. Continuity in care, the announcement of, and involvement in the planning of the transfer were of great importance. The families particularly appreciated the timed adaptations of the transfer to individual needs. CONCLUSIONS Flexibility and a strong collaboration between paediatric and adult CF teams are most relevant in the care of families.

Flow-evoking activities foster recovering from Depletion

Self-control is assumed to be a limited resource that becomes drained with use. However, high motivation such as flow experience may compensate for the reduced ability to self-regulate. Results revealed that the more flow students experienced the less depletion of self-regulation was reported.