Child Poverty in Rural Areas

Evidence from around the world suggests that children experience poverty as a condition that is damaging to their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual development. This chapter sheds light on the ways in which poverty impacts rural children and what poverty reduction means in the lives of African children. While children suffer the worst outcomes overall, children in rural areas are significantly more deprived than urban children. The three deprivations which overlap to impact rural children under two years old the most are water, protection (i.e., security), and housing. For these reasons, there are compelling economic, social, and moral grounds that compel us to evaluate child poverty in rural areas in order to understand its severity and urgently find relevant policy solutions.

Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase Enzyme Activity and Susceptibility to Lead Toxicity in Uganda’s Urban Children

Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and population explosion in sub-Saharan Africa escalate environmental Lead levels with subsequent elevation of blood Lead levels in children. Nutrition status, age, and genetics govern one’s susceptibility to Lead toxicity. This study expounded this susceptibility by relating blood Lead levels, d-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme activity (ALAD), and genetic variations of proteins that code for ALAD enzyme in urban children of Uganda. Spectrophotometric analysis for blood Lead (BL), hemoglobin levels, and determination d-levels aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme activity of the blood samples from 198 children were performed prior to a polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length digestion for ALAD polymorphism was done. Up to 99.5% of samples coded for the ALAD1 allele whereas 0.05% coded for ALAD2. Genotypes ALAD2-2 members had elevated BLL (mean 14.1 µg/dL) and reduced ALAD enzyme activity compared to others. This, therefore, implies that the majority of children hoard BL which may affect them later in life.

The Impact of Media/Technology on Rural and Urban Children to be Bilingual/ Multilingual

This article will focus on the comparative study of the influence of media and technology on rural and urban children to be bilingual and multilingual. The study will also shed light on the importance of bilingualism and multilingualism. TV and YouTube are taken into account as tools of media and technology for implicit language learning. Children of 8-12 years are considered as samples of language learners. Data have been collected from a primary source through a questionnaire and interviews. The result of the research shows that there is a significant impact of watching different kinds of TV/YouTube programs (cartoons, movies, serials, reality shows) which are presented in foreign languages on children to be bilingual and multilingual though the results of the rural and urban area are significantly different. In the study, the researchers have found that children living in municipal area are more bilingual and multilingual compared to children living in rustic area.

Trends of dental caries in permanent teeth among 12-year-old Chinese children: evidence from five consecutive national surveys between 1995 and 2014

Background Dental caries have a serious impact on general health and well-being; however, there is a lack of relevant data on the development trends of dental caries in permanent teeth among 12-year-old children in China. We aim to assess long-term trends of dental caries in permanent teeth among 12-year-old children in China and identify the susceptible subgroups based on five consecutive national surveys from 1995 to 2014. Methods A total of 88 972 subjects were extracted from five consecutive national surveys (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014). Standardized dental examinations were conducted and the oral health status of each subject was recorded. The prevalence of Decayed, Missing and Filled teeth (DMF%), mean Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth score (DMFT) and Caries Filling Ratio (CFR) were used as measurement indicators. Cochran–Armitage trend test was used to evaluate the trends in DMF% and CFR, and multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the trends in DMFT. Results A V-shaped fluctuating upward trend in DMF% during 1995–2014 was observed (Z = − 13.124, P < 0.001), and the DMF% in 1995–2014 was 21.1%, 15.9%, 16.2%, 21.9% and 24.3%. The trend in DMFT was approximately consistent with DMF% (β = 0.057, P < 0.001), but the downward volatility appeared in 2014. The DMFT in 1995–2014 was 0.38, 0.28, 0.31, 0.66 and 0.54. A continuously fluctuant trend in CFR was observed during past two decades (Z = 1.927, P > 0.05), and the CFR in 1995–2014 was 17.4%, 22.8%, 19.3%, 23.4% and 15.6%. The DMF% and DMFT of rural children had a larger absolute increase than that of urban children during 1995–2014 (DMF%-urban: Z = − 0.242, P > 0.05; DMF%-rural: Z = − 19.036, P < 0.001; DMFT-urban: β = 0.035, P < 0.001, DMFT-rural: β = 0.077, P < 0.001). The DMF% and DMFT in girls were higher than that in boys at each survey year (P < 0.001). CFR of urban children was higher than that of rural children at each survey year (P < 0.001). Conclusions Over the past 20 years, DMFT and DMF% of 12-year-old children in China presented V-shaped fluctuant upward trends, with a decline trend from 1995 to 2000 and an upward trend from 2000 to 2014. CFR had no significant improvement. The rural children and girls are the more vulnerable groups in the development of dental caries and need to pay priority. Our study supports the continuation of policies to improve children’ oral health.

Analysis of the Mental Health of Urban Migrant Children Based on Cloud Computing and Data Mining Algorithm Models

With the rapid development of internet technology, the amount of data generated is also increasing day by day. As a kind of distributed computing, cloud computing has been widely used in the analysis of massive data. With the development of China’s economic construction, the integration of urban and rural areas is constantly improving, and the migrant children in the city are also focused on. After moving into the city, migrant children not only face the pressure from the society but also face the pressure from life, which inevitably affects the physical and mental health of urban migrant children. The education of urban migrant children is also a focus that needs attention. How to integrate into the education environment of urbanization and adjust the learning pressure in the process of education is also worthy of our attention. Therefore, this article analyzes the current status of urban migrant children’s mental health based on cloud computing and data mining algorithm models. Based on the current research status of urban migrant children and the standards of mental health, this paper conducts a survey of middle and high school students in a certain city through questionnaires, then builds a data mining algorithm model to analyze the survey data, and explores the differences in the grades of students’ social identity and the differences in mental health between migrant children and urban children. According to the survey, most of the psychological performances of urban migrant children are very vague. At the same time, there are also some phenomena such as poor adaptability, bad mood, and inferiority complex. During the study period, there are situations such as unwilling to communicate with others, weariness, sensitivity, anxiety, and hostility. The overall incidence of the situation is relatively high in big cities, while the situation of urban children is relatively small.

Nutritional status of children under age five in Benue State, Nigeria

This study aimed at determining the nutritional status of under-five children or pupils in Benue State. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of stunting, wasting and BMI for age of under-five children or pupils in Benue State. The participants for this study were three hundred and forty (340) under-five children or pupils who were sampled from the Early Childcare Centres (ECCs) across the primary schools in selected Local Government Areas of Benue State using multistage sampling technique consisting of three rural local government areas and three urban local government areas. Participants’ stature and body mass were measured in accordance with the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. The body Mass Index (BMI) of the participants was derived as a ratio of weight (in kilograms) to height (in meters) squared (kg/m2) and was expressed in standard deviation unit. The frequency and percentages were adopted in analyzing the prevalence of stunting, wasting and BMI. The WHO Anthroplus Software (version 3.2.2) was used to compute the under-five nutritional status which was categorized based on WHO recommendations. The results of the study indicated that, the overall prevalence of stunting and wasting were 44% and 7.6% respectively. The overall prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were 6.5%, 12.1% and 25.9%, respectively. The prevalence of stunted under-five children or children was more among rural children (49.5%) than their urban counterparts (38.2%). The prevalence of wasting among urban children (7.9%) was slightly higher than their rural counterparts (7.4%), though not significant. The prevalence of each of underweight, overweight and obesity was higher among urban children 7.9%, 13.8% and 27.1% than their rural counterparts which have the corresponding values of 5.3%, 10.6% and 24.3%, respectively. It was therefore recommended that health personnel especially in Benue State should create awareness through seminars and workshops in schools, health facilities and the media on the need to provide whole meals to children and discourage the consumption of snacks or processed foods by not making it part of the children’s lunch pack.

#14: Blastomycosis in 64 Wisconsin Children: Unanticipated Infection Risk and Severity in Urban Residents

Background Blastomycosis is an endemic mycosis of immunocompetent individuals, typically seen after exposure to wooded areas near rivers, lakes, and streams in rural locations, and often not considered a disease of urban environments. Disease can be isolated to lung, or disseminate to skin, bone, or central nervous system. Factors influencing disease acquisition and severity in children are unknown. Methods We analyzed acquisition risk factors and disease characteristics of blastomycosis in children treated at a tertiary care center from 1998–2018 to identify exposure source and measure disease severity, to identify cases without “typical exposure”, and to measure the effect of race on disease severity. Results Of 64 children, median age was 13.3 years, 72% were male, 38% resided in urban counties, and 50% had typical environmental exposure. Isolated pulmonary infection occurred in 33 (52%). The remaining children had evidence of dissemination including skin (N=13), bone (N=16; 7 clinically silent), and central nervous system (N=7; 3 clinically silent). Infection was moderate/severe in 19 (30%). Two children (3%) died. 79% of children with moderate/severe disease (p=0.008) and 71% of urban children (p=0.007) had no typical environmental exposure. Comparing children from urban counties to other residences, 63% versus 5% were black (p&lt;0.001) and 71% versus 35% developed extrapulmonary dissemination (p=0.006). Moderate/severe disease occurred in 7/17 (42%) black and 12/47 (26%) children of other race (p=0.23). Conclusions Blastomycosis, endemic in urban children in the absence of typical exposure history, has frequent, sometimes clinically silent, extrapulmonary dissemination, with a trend toward more severe disease in black children.