Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: More than two decades of epidemiological and clinic-based studies indicate that children with disabilities and chronic illnesses and their mothers are at high risk for secondary mental health problems. Despite this extensive body of work, few community-based interventions have been developed to reduce the risk of poor mental health outcomes, and few have been evaluated comprehensively. The goal of this study was to implement and evaluate a 15-month parent-professional intervention designed to reduce the risk of poor mental health outcomes for children with chronic illnesses and their parents. This study aimed to (1) assess the intervention's success in reaching specific objectives, (2) assess the intervention's impact on participants' mental health, and (3) document which children and parents benefit most from the intervention. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Children with Special Health care Needs, Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities, MCH Research, Mental Health, Parent Support Services, Parents, Parents, Research, School-age children, Self Esteem

Annotation: This book provides parents and others with the skills to organize effectively and speak out on issues that affect children at home, at school, and in the broader community. Topics include (1) why taking action is important, (2) getting started, (3) reaching out and involving others, (4) forming action groups, (5) using action groups to take action, (6) sustaining momentum and celebrating success, and (7) real-life examples of advocates in action.

Keywords: Advocacy, Child health, Children, Communities, Education, Families, Safety, School-age children

Annotation: While causes of homelessness can be traced, much is unknown about the course of homelessness over time. By following a sample of homeless and housed families for 24 months and collecting additional data, the study team: (1) Examined the course of homelessness among families and the extent to which it is chronic or episodic; (2) compared factors that increase the risk of homelessness with those that prolong it; (3) examined mediating factors, especially social supports; (4) described the consequences of homelessness for women; and (5) examined the consequences of homelessness, other risk factors, and protective factors on the development, adaptation, and achievement of children. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Adolescents (not pregnancy related), Families, Homeless Persons, Infants, MCH Research, Mental Health, Nonpregnant women (not otherwise identified as adolescents), Parents, Pregnant women (not otherwise defined as adolescents), Preschool children, Psychosocial Factors, Research, School-age children, Toddlers

Annotation: This project was designed to evaluate the long-term effects of home intervention on the health, growth, and development of low-income, inner-city children diagnosed with nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFTT). The longitudinal study built on an ongoing randomized clinical trial of home intervention. The study followed the intervention children and their matched controls through their preschool years until they reached first grade. Approximately 90 percent of the children were from African-American families and most of the families were headed by single mothers who had not completed high school. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Blacks, Failure to Thrive, Home Health Services, Home Visiting Programs, Home Visiting Services, Low Income Population, MCH Research, Preschool children, Research, School-age children, Urban Population

Annotation: Long-term dietary treatment of patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) is essential for optimal development and maintenance of intellectual ability. Children should be educated and adequately prepared to assume self-management of their treatment as they undergo physiological and psychosocial maturation. This study examined the effects of an experimental program that uses both an educational and a behavioral approach to accomplish dietary self-management by child and adolescent phenylketonuria patients. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Adolescents, Adolescents, Children with Special Health care Needs, Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities, Chronically Ill, MCH Research, Metabolic Disorders, Nutrition, Patient Education, Phenylketonuria, School Age Children, School-Age Children

Annotation: This study investigated the nature, origins, and consequences of adult and adolescent views of the role of the parent (conceptions of parenting). Specifically, the study sought to: (1) Develop a causal model of the determinants of parental behavior, with parenting beliefs constituting a component of the model; and (2) develop and test hypotheses on how parenting beliefs are learned. This portion of the study examined the extent to which beliefs about parenting are transmitted across generations. The findings indicated that determinants of parenting practices include degree of satisfaction with the parent-child relationship and the type of parenting the mother and father received as children. The study also found evidence to support the contention that socialization of parenting beliefs differs by gender of the child. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Adolescents, Parent-child interaction, Parenting attitudes, Parents, School-age children, Siblings

Annotation: This study had four aims to: (1) Describe the patterns of bleeding in a sample of children and adolescents with hemophilia; (2) examine the relationship of stress as perceived by children or parents and the frequency of bleeding; (3) determine the rate of psychological problems among boys with hemophilia and examine the characteristics that affect that risk; (4) determine the impact of bleeding on the functioning of children and adolescents with hemophilia. Approximately 100 school age children with hemophilia were studied for a period of 6 months. The study found high rates of bleeding associated with trauma. It also found that the impact of stress in increasing the likelihood of bleeding is clinically relatively small, suggesting that the impact of improved stress management will also be small. The study showed a high rate of psychological problems among children with hemophilia. It also demonstrated a strong link between maternal self-esteem and the psychological functioning of the child. In addition, types of parenting were associated with different levels of social competence. These findings suggest psychological and social functioning of children with hemophilia may be improved through work with parents rather than directly with children. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Chronically ill, Coping skills, Hemophilia, Parents, School-age children, Self-esteem, Stress

Annotation: This project expanded childhood injury surveillance efforts and childhood injury prevention activities within local community health services. Project activities included compiling data on childhood-specific injury morbidity and mortality, creating a coalition of agencies with an interest in childhood injuries, providing assistance in developing local prevention programs, developing a comprehensive approach to reduce scald injuries in children ages birth to five years, and making long-range plans to address other types of injuries and other age groups. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Adolescents, American Academy of Pediatrics, Burns, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Child, Data Collection, Education of Health Professionals, Emergency Medical Services, Injury Prevention Injuries, Morbidity, Mortality, Preschoolers, Rural Population, Scalds, School-Age Children

Annotation: The primary aim of this study was to describe and analyze the everyday out-of-school life experiences of chronically ill school-age children, and to examine the effects of different ecological contexts on the child's out-of-school life. To accomplish this aim, we focused on the ways in which chronically ill children use their out-of-school time. The use of time is a proxy—an indicator of what matters to children and to their parents. Based on the analysis of data from a pilot study, two general hypotheses were developed: (1) The patterns of chronically ill children's time use depend on the extent to and the manner in which parents and others engage in joint activities with them; and (2) the capacity of the parents to engage in such joint behavior depends on the extent to which there exist external support systems that provide opportunity, assistance, resources, and channels of communication. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data at one point in time from a sample of 365 chronically ill school-age children and their parents. We examined time use in five areas: Children's activities on their own (alone or with friends); children's activities with their parents; children's in-home and out-of-home chores, jobs, and responsibilities; children's participation in organized activities; and television viewing. These were activities that would be meaningful to children from a wide range of backgrounds, and represent different aspects of daily life for a school-age child. Children were selected with a variety of chronic illnesses. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: After School Activities, Chronically Ill, Parents, School-Age Children

Annotation: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity (and clinical utility) of selected aspects of infant development in relationship to later specific learning disability. The study sought to determine whether the neurodevelopmental substrate for learning disorders could be detected prior to academic underachievement. 240 children participated in the study. The findings of the study supported the original premise: Early deviations in the pattern of development are associated with developmental dysfunctions in other areas. Such deviations are detectable by techniques that can be employed in the course of well-child care. If replicated, the data give primary care providers a means of placing infants "at risk" for learning dysfunction that is based on performance instead of history. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Learning disabilities, Nervous system diseases, Preschool children, School-age children, Specific learning disability (SLD)

Annotation: The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to aspirin and acetaminophen using three measures of outcome in seven-year-old children: Attentional parameters; IQ scores; and height, weight, and head circumference. The study followed 531 first-born singletons whose mothers had been interviewed prenatally in 1974/75. Among the findings were: (1) Prenatal acetaminophen exposure was not significantly associated with attention, IQ score, weight, or head circumference but it was significantly associated with offspring height at seven years; and (2) prenatal aspirin exposure was associated with significantly poorer attention and lower IQ scores, but not with decrements in height, weight, or head circumference. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Acetaminophen, Aspirin, Attention Deficit Disorder, Intelligence tests, School-age children