Happiness and Well-Being of Young Carers: Extent, Nature and Correlates of Caring Among 10 and 11 Year Old School Children

Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. For many of these children and young people, caring has been shown to have a detrimental effect on their lives. For example, caring at a young age appears to be associated with poor health and well-being, bullying and poorer educational outcomes. However, previous research has tended to be retrospective, carried out using small surveys of secondary school-aged children or to use qualitative methods with young people associated with caring projects. In contrast, little is known about the extent and nature of caring undertaken by younger children. This paper reports findings from a random sample survey of 10 and 11 year old children in the final year of their primary school education. 4,192 children completed the Kids’ Life and Times (KLT) online survey in 2011. Twelve percent of respondents to KLT said they helped look after someone in their household who was sick, elderly or disabled. Supporting previous qualitative research, this survey showed that children who were carers had poorer health and well-being, reported less happiness with their lives, were more likely to be bullied at school and had poorer educational aspirations and outcomes than their peers who were not carers. These findings suggest that teachers need to discuss the issue of caring with children in the classroom in a general and supportive way so that young carers feel able to confide in them and seek support if they need it.

Aflatoxin Exposure May Contribute to Chronic Hepatomegaly in Kenyan School Children

BACKGROUND: Presentation with a firm type of chronic hepatomegaly of multifactorial etiology is common among school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: Aflatoxin is a liver toxin and carcinogen contaminating staple maize food. In this study we examined its role in chronic hepatomegaly.

METHODS: Plasma samples collected in 2002 and again in 2004 from 218 children attending two schools in neighboring villages were assayed for aflatoxin exposure using the aflatoxin-albumin adduct (AF-alb) biomarker. Data were previously examined for associations among hepatomegaly, malaria, and schistosomiasis.

RESULTS: AF-alb levels were high in children from both schools, but the geometric mean (95% confidence interval) in year 2002 was significantly higher in Matangini [206.5 (175.5, 243.0) pg/mg albumin] than in Yumbuni [73.2 (61.6, 87.0) pg/mg; p < 0.001]. AF-alb levels also were higher in children with firm hepatomegaly [176.6 (129.6, 240.7) pg/mg] than in normal children [79.9 (49.6, 128.7) pg/mg; p = 0.029]. After adjusting for Schistosoma mansoni and Plasmodium infection, we estimated a significant 43% increase in the prevalence of hepatomegaly/hepatosplenomegaly for every natural-log-unit increase in AF-alb. In 2004, AF-alb levels were markedly higher than in 2002 [539.7 (463.3, 628.7) vs. 114.5 (99.7, 131.4) pg/mg; p < 0.001] but with no significant difference between the villages or between hepatomegaly and normal groups [539.7 (436.7, 666.9) vs. 512.6 (297.3, 883.8) pg/mg], possibly because acute exposures during an aflatoxicosis outbreak in 2004 may have masked any potential underlying relationship.

CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to aflatoxin was associated with childhood chronic hepatomegaly in 2002. These preliminary data suggest an additional health risk that may be related to aflatoxin exposure in children, a hypothesis that merits further testing.

The Temporal Focus Scale:Factor structure and association with alcohol use in a sample of Northern Irish school children

The Temporal Focus Scale (TFS) is a 12-item self-report measure of cognitive engagement with the temporal domains of past, present and future. Developed in college student samples, a three-factor structure with adequate reliability and validity was documented in a series of independent studies. We tested the factor structure of the scale in a sample of Northern Irish adolescents and found that our data supported a three factor structure, although there were problems with item 10. Because time perspective measures have been found to relate differentially to various health behaviours, we tested the relations between scores on the TFS and self-reported alcohol use. Results showed that scores on the TFS were not consistent statistical predictors of drinking category in a logistic regression. Results are discussed in terms of scale development, future scale use and the assessment of health-compromising behaviours such as adolescent alcohol consumption. © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.

Dental erosion among 12-14 year old school children in Khartoum:A pilot study

Objectives: To investigate dental erosion among 12-14 year old Sudanese school children and evaluate the associated risk factors. Basic Research Design: Cross sectional survey in secondary schools in Khartoum city, Sudan. Method and Participants: A sample of 157 school children was obtained from both private and public schools. Erosion on the labial and palatal surfaces of maxillary incisors was measured by criterion based on the Smith and Knight Tooth Wear Index. Dietary intake and other related factors were assessed using a questionnaire. Results: The overall erosion prevalence in this group was 66.9%, of which 45.2% was mild and 21.7% was moderate erosion. A strong association was found between erosion and private schooling (higher socioeconomic groups), carbonated drinks, herbal hibiscus drink and traditional acidic food consumption. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of dental erosion among Sudanese school children which was mild to moderate in severity and was strongly associated with acidic dietary intake © BASCD 2007.

Bookstart Treasure Implementation Study: A Book-gifting Programme for Pre-school Children

Booktrust Treasure is a bookgifting programme delivered in pre-school and early years settings. The primary intended outcomes of the programme are increased family enjoyment of reading and sharing books. The following study explored the implementation quality of Bookstart Treasure and how this was associated with family reading outcomes.
The findings reveal strong perceptions among practitioners that the intervention is having a positive effect on a wide range of family reading outcomes. Whilst this is a positive finding in relation to programme implementation, it is important to note that this does not, in itself, constitute evidence that Bookstart Treasure is having a positive effect. Unfortunately, measuring programme effectiveness was not possible within this implementation study.
With regard to delivery, the programme was found to be equally well delivered in both voluntary and statutory settings. There is also some evidence that higher quality programme implementation is associated with increased enjoyment and usage of the packs amongst families. Whilst encouraging, it is important to note that it cannot be concluded from this that higher levels of implementation have a direct effect on these family outcomes. Furthermore, the findings also provide some evidence that parents with lower levels of education enjoy and use the packs more than their counterparts with higher levels of education.

The design and psychometric assessment of a TPB-based questionnaire suitable for use with primary school children

Despite the popularity of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) a lack of research assessing the efficacy of the model in understanding the health behaviour of children exists, with those studies that have been conducted reporting problems with questionnaire formulation and low to moderate internal consistencies for TPB constructs. The aim of this study was to develop and test a TPB-based measure suitable for use with primary school children aged 9 to 10 years. A mixed method sequential design was employed. In Stage 1, 7 semi-structured focus group discussions (N=56) were conducted to elicit the underlying beliefs specific to tooth brushing. Using content thematic analysis the beliefs were identified and a TPB measure was developed. A repeated measures design was employed in Stage 2 using test re-test reliability analysis in order to assess its psychometric properties. In all, 184 children completed the questionnaire. Test-retest reliabilities support the validity and reliability of the TPB measure for assessing the tooth brushing beliefs of children. Pearson’s product moment correlations were calculated for all of the TPB beliefs, achieving substantial to almost perfect agreement levels. Specifically, a significant relationship between all 10 of the direct and indirect TPB constructs at the 0.01 level was achieved. This paper will discuss the design and development of the measure so could serve as a guide to fellow researchers and health psychologists interested in using theoretical models to investigate the health and well-being of children.

An investigation into the factors influencing tooth brushing behaviour amongst school children living in Northern Ireland: An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

Background: Northern Ireland has the worst oral health in the UK and its children have among the highest levels of tooth decay in Europe (DHSSPS, 2007).
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the factors influencing tooth brushing behaviour among Year 6 primary schoolchildren using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).
Method: Seven semi-structured focus groups involving 56 children were conducted during which children were asked questions about the factors that influence whether or not they brush their teeth. Thematic analysis was used with the purpose of eliciting the belief-based measures for all the TPB constructs.
Results: The findings suggest that children are knowledgeable about their teeth and are aware of the importance of maintaining good oral health; although a number of barriers to consistent tooth brushing exist.
Discussion: The findings will be used to inform stage 2 of the research project; questionnaire development to identify the factors influencing young people’s motivations to improve their tooth brushing behaviour and to assess their relative importance.