Child Health Improvement in a Summer Camp (Parental Opinion)

Introduction: Efficiency criteria of recreational facilities for children shall be updated in the light of goals and tasks set for contemporary camps. Objective: To evaluate parents’ opinion about organization of recreation and health improvement in children’s summer camps. Materials and methods: In 2019–2020, an anonymous questionnaire-based survey of 343 parents, potential consumers of children’s recreation services, from 48 Russian regions was carried out with support of the Internet catalog of children’s camps incamp.ru. Results: According to the parents, the main purpose of the children’s stay in the camp is rest (88.0 % of the respondents; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 84.6–91.5), mastering of communication skills and making new friends (79.9 %; 95 % CI: 75.6–84.1), health improvement (49.0 %; 95 % CI: 43.7–54.3), and acquisition of new knowledge (48.1 %; 95 % CI: 42.8–53.4). A third of the parents positively assessed health improvement of their child in the camp without specifying its criteria (32.3 %; 95 % CI: 27.4–37.4); 27.1 % (95 % CI: 22.4–31.8) noted an improvement in the child physical and emotional state. The respondents believed that child health improvement was strongly influenced by increased physical activity (86.6 %; 95 % CI: 83.0–90.2), diet quality (83.7 %; 95 % CI: 79.8–87.6), camp location (77.0 %; 95 % CI: 72.5–81.4), and living conditions (74.3 %; 95 % CI: 69.7–79.0). The parents were of the opinion that the length of stay was of least importance for health improvement (32.1 %; 95 % CI: 27.1–37.0). Conclusions: An effective system of developing children’s recreation and health improvement should take into account that parents and guardians are an essential part of it as potential consumers of children’s recreation services and their current expectations need to be considered when updating efficiency criteria for children’s camps.

Are evangelical Christians abandoning public schools?

Conventional wisdom suggests that evangelical Christians, often among the most vocal advocates of school choice efforts in the U.S., are promoting choice out of a sense of frustration with public schools and perceived bias against religion. Research by Marilyn Anderson Rhames, however, suggests that evangelicals are no more concerned about religious bias in their local schools than other Americans. Using data from the 2019 PDK poll into the public’s attitudes toward the public schools, Rhames analyzed responses to questions about pressure to “fit in” or conform; religious bias; bias against gay, lesbian and/or transgender students; and the perceived risks of improper civics, Bible, and comparative religion instruction. In most cases, evangelical responses were not significantly different from those of other parents. In some case, racial identity and ideology were stronger drivers of parental opinion.

Observational study of parental opinion of deferred consent for neonatal research

ObjectiveTo evaluate the opinions of parents of newborns following their infant’s enrolment into a neonatal research study through the process of deferred consent.DesignMixed-methods, observational study, interviewing 100 parents recently approached for deferred consent.SettingTertiary-level neonatal intensive care unit, Melbourne, Australia.ResultsAll 100 parents interviewed had consented to the study/studies using deferred consent; 62% had also experienced a prospective neonatal consent process. Eighty-nine per cent were ‘satisfied’ with the deferred consent process. The most common reason given for consenting was ‘to help future babies’. Negative comments regarding deferred consent mostly related to the timing of the consent approach, and some related to a perceived loss of parental rights. A deferred approach was preferred by 51%, 24% preferred a prospective approach and 25% were unsure. Those who thought prospective consent would not have been preferable cited impaired decision-making, inappropriate timing of an approach before birth and their preference for removal of the decision-making burden via deferred consent. Seventy-seven per cent thought they would have given the same response if approached prospectively; those who would have declined reported that a prospective approach under stressful conditions was unwelcome and too overwhelming.ConclusionIn our sample, 89% of parents of infants enrolled in neonatal research using deferred consent considered it acceptable and half would not have preferred prospective consent. The ability to make a more considered decision under less stressful circumstances was key to the acceptability of deferred consent.

Parental Opinion about the Low FODMAP Diet in Dietary Treatment of Children with Functional Abdominal Pain

The aim of this study was primarily to evaluate differences between parental opinion about the diet and overall changes in children’s symptoms of functional abdominal pain (FAP) during the low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) diet. Secondly, this paper examined the agreement between parental perception of children’s symptoms and children’s self-assessment of symptoms during the diet in both treatment groups. Twenty-seven children with diagnosed functional abdominal pain (FAP) were randomized to one of two group, receiving the low FODMAP diet or the diet based on NICE guidelines. Children reported gastrointestinal symptoms at baseline and during the diet. At the end of the intervention, parents assessed their children’s diet and symptoms changes, using Likert scales. The agreement between parental and children assessments of gastrointestinal symptoms was defined as the percentage of compatible answers. In the low FODMAP group a significantly lower percentage of parents (38%) declared that it was easy to follow the diet, compared to the NICE group (57%), (p = 0.017). A high percentage of parents in both groups reported improvement in all symptoms of children during dietary intervention. A high level of agreement was also observed between parental and children’s self-assessment of abdominal pain intensity and frequency. Our research suggests that in parental opinion the low FODMAP diet is as effective as the diet based on NICE guidelines in children with FAP. However, the low FODMAP diet may seem more difficult to follow, and this may have had an impact on the effectiveness and acceptability of the FODMAP diet by children.

Parental Attitude Toward the Prenatal Diagnosis of Oral Cleft

Objectives: The prenatal diagnosis of oral clefts (OCs) by ultrasound can pose an ethical dilemma. The purpose of this study was to obtain insight into the psychosocial and moral considerations of prospective parents concerning OCs, the burden of OCs and parents’ attitude toward possible termination of pregnancy (TOP) in order to improve counseling in the future. Design: Between August 2011 and August 2014, a prospective cohort questionnaire study was administered. Setting: Prenatal care clinic of the Wilhelmina’s Children hospital, a Tertiary Care Centre. Participants: Parents expecting a child with an OC. Main Outcome Measures: Expectation of OCs in general and attitudes toward the impact and expected burden of the OC of their child. Furthermore, parents were asked if they had considered TOP. Results: Most of the parents described an OC as a cosmetic disability (50.6%) or as “just a little different” (29.4%). These parents expected that the OC would not affect their own happiness and have only minor influence on the happiness of their future child. Health professionals had a considerable influence on parental opinion. A minority (6.4%, 5/85) of the respondents considered TOP, and none of the responders chose to terminate the pregnancy. Conclusions: This study suggests that future parents have very few negative perceptions of OC after prenatal counseling. Caregivers should be aware that their counseling is important for decision-making of parents.