Browsing by Subject "children"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 43
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    2000 Twin Cities Area Survey: Results and Technical Report.
    (Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2001) Minnesota Center for Survey Research
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    Association Between Somali Mothers' Oral Health Literacy and Their Children's Caries Experience in Minnesota
    (2019-07) Zeyer, Kylee
    ABSTRACT Objectives: Dental caries is a major oral health problem among U.S. immigrant children, and Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali-American communities, but little is known about this population’s oral health and oral health literacy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between Somali mothers’ oral health literacy and their children’s caries experience in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas in Minnesota. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed. Data were extracted from a larger cross-sectional study consisting of 99 Somali mothers and 292 children from twelve Somali-owned daycare centers in 3 Minnesota cities. Participating mothers completed an oral health literacy survey (HeLD-14), and mothers and their children received oral screenings where caries experience was recorded using the dfs/DMFS caries indices. Results: Mean age in years was 34.3 for mothers and 6.4 for children. Mothers had moderate oral health literacy with a mean HeLD-14 score of 8.4. The children’s mean dfs score was 3.3, and their mean DMFS score was 0.8. The children’s caries was not associated with the mothers’ total oral health literacy score, although, statistically significant associations were found between 3 of 7 HeLD-14 subcategories: access to care, receptivity, and economic barriers. Conclusions: Somali children’s caries experience was similar to U.S.-born comparatives, but lower than African-American children of similar age. Given, the children’s below average caries experience and the mothers’ moderate level of oral health literacy, may be an indicator that this population does not suffer from oral health disparities related to the oral health literacy and caries experience of mother-child pairs. Key Words: Oral health literacy; Somali; Immigrant; Oral health; Oral health status; Caries experience; Children’s oral health.
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    Asthma Treatment in Children: Information for Parents
    (2008-09-02) Chomilo, Nathan
    Parents are often worried about long-term inhaled steroid use in their children with asthma. This handout explains asthma as a disease as well as going over the risks and benefits of inhaled steroid use.
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    Brain Circuitry, Neuromodulation, and Rehabilitation in Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
    (2017-12) Rich, Tonya
    Background We investigated the safety and preliminary efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with occupation-centered, bimanual training in children and young adults with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). This study utilized cathodal tDCS to the non-lesioned hemisphere, an intervention hypothesized to inhibit excitation of the non-lesioned hemisphere. Methods Eight participants with contralateral or bilateral corticospinal tract (CST) circuitry participated in an open-label study with multiple-baseline design and combined intervention. The combined intervention consisted of 10 sessions of tDCS applied to the non-lesioned hemisphere (20 minutes) concurrently with bimanual motor training tailored to the child’s goals (120 minutes). We measured safety by monitoring the frequency of adverse events and measured intervention efficacy with the Assisting Hand Assessment. Other measurements included subjective (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure - COPM) and neurophysiologic (single pulse amplitude, cortical silent period - CSP, and motor mapping) data. Results All 8 participants were evaluated with all safety, behavioral, and neurophysiologic measures. No serious adverse events occurred. All children demonstrated improvement on at least one measure of hand function. We noted achievements of clinically significant improvements on hand function measures however no significant differences with group-level pre/post comparisons were found. Significant group-level increases were observed with subjective measures such as performance (p=.01, mean change: 2.76, 95% CI 1.77 to 3.74) and satisfaction (p=.02, mean change: 2.54, 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.74) on the COPM and the ABILHAND (p=0.04, mean change 0.19, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.37). Neurophysiologic data suggest a decrease in amplitude of single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) responses in the non-lesioned hemisphere as hypothesized, although group-level pre/post-test comparisons were non-significant. However, a decrease in the CSP duration (p<.03) and increases in the motor mapping sites suggest an excitatory influence of cathodal tDCS on the non-lesioned hemisphere. Conclusions The neurophysiologic effect of cathodal tDCS to the non-lesioned hemisphere confirmed the hypothesized inhibitory effect on amplitude of responses but also documented an excitatory effect on CSP duration and mapping sites. Future studies combining additional assessment measures and computational modeling will contribute to our understanding of the neurophysiologic influence of tDCS in children with UCP. Clinical Trials Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT 02250092.
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    A Briefing Paper on the Minnesota Child Welfare System
    (University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, 2002-04) Wattenberg, Esther; Fumea, Constance
    Responding to the needs of children unable to live at home.
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    Children and Depression
    (2009-05-04) Goulet, Bridgette
    Studies have shown that children and adolescents with depression who are treated with antidepressants show a significant improvement in their depressive symptoms. In addition, although the FDA found that children have a higher rate of suicidal thoughts when treated with antidepressants, this article found no difference in the amount of suicidal thoughts/attempts between children treated with antidepressant medication and children treated with placebo. This indicates that the benefits of antidepressants in children outweigh the risks in most cases.
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    Children in the Shadows: The Fate of Children in Neglecting Families
    (Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota., 1995) Wattenberg, Esther
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    Children Receiving Services at a Community Child Advocacy Center: A Mixed-Method Examination of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Coping Responses
    (2022-05) Zheng, Linda
    Schemas are core emotional and cognitive themes regarding oneself and one’s environment. Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are themes originating from childhood and are associated with unmet emotional needs and adverse experiences, such as those that occur in caregiver-child relationships. EMS are maintained throughout life by unhelpful coping responses. However, it is unclear when children develop EMS and how the relationship between EMS and coping responses presents in children. Objective: The present study examined: (1) the prevalence of EMS and coping responses in children who have experienced maltreatment, (2) the relationship between EMS and coping responses, (3) how qualitative data compare to previous theoretical structures found in quantitative studies, and (4) how personal factors (e.g., age, gender) and abuse factors (e.g., frequency, type) are related to EMS and coping responses. Participants: Data were collected in collaboration with a child advocacy center through forensic interviews in which a child reported primary and/or secondary abuse. Measures: EMS were assessed using the Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (excluding illustrations). Coping responses were assessed using the COPE Inventory. Information about individual and abuse factors were gathered from case reports. Procedure: Staff at the child advocacy center completed the measures based on information obtained during forensic interviews. Results: All EMS were present in this sample. Excessive responsibility/standards was positively associated with self-sufficient coping and negatively associated with avoidant coping. Children of color, older children, and children who experienced multiple forms of abuse also reported higher levels of disconnection/rejection. Children who reported multiple forms of abuse also reported higher levels of impaired autonomy/performance. Conclusion: Early interventions should address EMS and reinforce more helpful coping responses for children with such adverse experiences.
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    Considering Children and Finances in Divorce Decision-Making
    (2020-07) Bell, Natasha
    Divorce is a well-research topic and has been widely discussed both empirically and anecdotally. However, there is little research that provides an in-depth evaluation of the process of making the decision to divorce; though this area of inquiry is growing recently. The existing literature makes it clear that deciding to divorce or stay in one’s marriage is confusing, frustrating, and rarely is there a clear path or decision. People in this situation often engaged in extended periods of time where they go back and forth considering their options. Two areas of common consideration in the divorce decision-making process are that of the impact of divorce on their children and their financial situation. The purpose of this study is to employ an inductive qualitative content analysis of 30 interviews (N=30) to gain further understanding of the divorce decision-making process and the role that children and finances (external entities to the marriage) play in that process. Key findings include that children and finances are not only reasons to stay in a marriage (barriers to divorce) but are also reasons people give for why they are interested in leaving the marriage. Also, further detail is reported on the way people consider children and finances in their divorce decision-making. Clinical implications of this work include that therapists should consider creating space for the ambiguous nature of divorce decision-making. Researchers could focus their efforts on furthering the understanding of children and finances in the divorce decision-making process and on teasing out the processes related to finances in families.
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    Damiano Center's Kids Cafe
    (2005) Miller, Susanna
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    Debating the Options for Adolescents at Risk: Can We Safeguard the Interests of Endangered Adolescents?
    (University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, 2001-07-31)
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    Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry as a Measure of Leg Length in Children and Adolescents
    (2024-06) Dooley, Jack
    INTRODUCTION: Leg length has been found to be a reliable and useful means for determining adolescent risk factors of metabolic disease (MetD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is often used to measure body composition in both adults and children and might provide another, accurate method to determine leg length in children than current methods utilized. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between DXA-derived leg length (DXA-LL) and traditionally-derived leg length. Also, to determine the relationship between DXA-LL and measures of cardiometabolic health, heart rate variability (HRV), arterial stiffness, and bone mineral density (BMD) when interacting with subject group status.METHODS: A total of 84 children and adolescents (n = 44 females, 40 males; age: 12.7±2.8 yrs.) had their leg length determined using the standard method of measuring seated height and then subtracting this from standing height. Subjects were scanned on a GE Healthcare Lunar iDXA and analyzed using enCore software version 16.2. The DXA-LL was determined by creating a custom region of interest (ROI) line drawn vertically from the greater trochanter of the femur to the calcaneus. In all participants supine blood pressure and pulse wave analysis (PWA) were determined using an automated blood pressure cuff, pulse wave velocity (PWV) was determined using an automated blood pressure cuff alongside an application tonometer, HRV measures were recording using an electrocardiogram (ECG), and fasting blood samples were collected for the determination of blood biomarkers of MD and T2D risk. The homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated from measurements of glucose and insulin. Paired T-test assessed similarity between DXA-LL and traditionally measured leg length. Pearson’s correlation coefficients fit to determine correlation between variables of interest. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine associations between the DXA-LL with blood biomarkers, HRV metrics, and BMD measures. RESULTS: DXA-LL was not significantly different than traditionally-derived leg length (86.05±5.31 vs 87.21±10.24 cm, p=0.26). There was a significant correlation between DXA-LL with group status (r2 = -0.26, p<0.05), total cholesterol (r2 = -0.25, p<0.01), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (r2 = -0.25, p<0.05), and pulse pressure (PP) (r2 = 0.36, p<0.01), as well as significant associations between cholesterol (Estimate = -1.50, 95% confidence interval= [-2.60, -0.39], p<0.01) and HDL (-0.85 [-1.43, -0.26], p<0.01) with DXA-LL, but not when interacting with group status. Glucose was significantly associated (-1.03 [-1.64, -0.41], p<0.01) with DXA-LL when interacting with group status. PP was found to be significantly associated with DXA-LL alone (0.55 [0.02, 0.45], p < 0.01) as well as when interacting with group status (1.01 [0.36, 1.67], p=0.01). There were significant correlations (r2=0.27-0.47, p<0.05) between total body bone mineral density (BMD), regional BMD, and individual leg BMD and DXA-LL. There were significant associations between all BMD measures (Total BMD: 0.01 [0.001, 0.011], Regional BMD: 0.01 [0.006, 0.018], right leg BMD: 0.01 {0.005, 0.016], left leg BMD: 0.01 {0.008, 0.019], p<0.01 for all) and DXA-LL alone, but not when interacting with group status. CONCLUSION: DXA-LL was not significantly different than traditionally-derived leg length. Therefore, DXA-LL can be used as an accurate and reliable way to measure leg length. In addition, DXA-LL was correlated with total cholesterol, HDL, PP and all measures of BMD. However, no significant association was found when interacting with group status and adjusting for covariates, suggesting that while there may be a connection between DXA-LL and these variables of interest, this sub-analysis did not reveal the predictive nature of this relationship.
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    Early Childhood Education Research Project: 1991-1992.
    (1993) Karp, Joan M; Carlson, Helen; Keller, Clayton
    The first purpose of the Early Childhood Education Research Project, a collaborative project between the University of Minnesota, Duluth and the Duluth Public Schools was to determine the significance of differences on cognitive and social competence measures, if any, among third grade pupils who had been in various types of early childhood programs when they were younger. The second purpose of the project was to determine if there were differences in parents actions and views about influences of early childhood programs on their children's development and education and ways the parents were involved in their children's education which could be related to their participation in early childhood programs.
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    The Emergence of Gendered Phonetic Variation in Preschool Children: Findings from a Longitudinal Study
    (2021-06) Koeppe, Kiana
    Gendered speech variation has been found in adults and children. In adults, sexual dimorphism is an important component of this variation, but prepubertal children lack this anatomical differentiation. Research has shown that adults also use learned behaviors to perform their gender, and a growing body of research has suggested that gendered speech variation in children is also due to learning. One of those learned sociophonetic variations is seen in the production of /s/. In this study, the development and variation of /s/ and /ʃ/ production between 55 children assigned male at birth (AMAB) and 55 children assigned female at birth (AFAB) was analyzed. A systematic comparison of /s/ and /ʃ/ accuracy and spectral properties at 28-39 months old and at 53-66 months old suggested that /s/ variation is a possible gender marker that is learned early in life.
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    An Evaluation of the Literacy Demands of Online Natural Disaster Preparedness Materials for Families
    (Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2020) So, Marvin; Franks, Jessica L.; Cree, Robyn A.; Leeb, Rebecca T.
    Objective: Natural disasters are becoming increasingly common, but it is unclear whether families can comprehend and use available resources to prepare for such emergencies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the literacy demands of risk communication materials on natural disasters for US families with children. Methods: In January 2018, we assessed 386 online self-directed learning resources related to emergency preparedness for natural disasters using 5 literacy assessment tools. Assessment scores were compared by information source, audience type, and disaster type. Results: One-in-three websites represented government institutions, and 3/4 were written for a general audience. Nearly 1-in-5 websites did not specify a disaster type. Assessment scores suggest a mismatch between the general population’s literacy levels and literacy demands of materials in the areas of readability, complexity, suitability, web usability, and overall audience appropriateness. Materials required more years of education beyond the grade level recommended by prominent health organizations. Resources for caregivers of children generally and children with special health care needs possessed lower literacy demands than materials overall, for most assessment tools. Conclusions: Risk communication and public health agencies could better align the literacy demands of emergency preparedness materials with the literacy capabilities of the general public.
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    Examining the Inclusive Summer Camp Environment as an Opportunity for Developing Social and Self-Determination Skills of Youth with Disabilities
    (2018) Dostal, Kurtis, M
    Important developmental aspects in adolescence include the ability to acquire and cultivate friendships, proficiencies, healthy lifestyle habits, and an overall purpose and meaning in life. Inclusion provides each child an equal opportunity to develop in a normal and integrated environment. Participation in stimulating and intrinsically motivating recreation and leisure activities offers a central means for the growth of this development in children with and without disabilities. The social and self-determination skills of youth with disabilities were hypothesized to develop and improve as the youth became more actively involved and engaged with other children, daily activities, and the experiences of an inclusive summer day camp program. The sample was composed of 29 youth participants with various disabilities, aged 6-14. The frequency of participation and level of engagement for the above measures was recorded weekly over the participants’ involvement in inclusive summer camp programs. The average length of enrollment in the summer camp programs was 4.31 ± 1.47 weeks. The frequency of participation and level of engagement for each study measure of the Youth Participation and Engagement Scale was positively correlated with the involvement of youth with disabilities in an inclusive summer camp program. While the correlations did not showed significant regression values, each measure indicated a positive growth of each skill. The results of this study show the benefits of the inclusive and recreational setting for the development of all youth, but especially for those with disabilities.
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    Extension Programs Raise Awareness and Increase Knowledge about Effects of Parental Incarceration on Children and Families
    (University of Minnesota Extension, 2014-10) Langworthy, Sara; Cronin, Sarah; Michaels, Cari; Myers, Judy
    Today in the U.S., an estimated 1 in 28 children have a parent who is incarcerated, a rate higher than either juvenile diabetes or autism (Maruschak et al., 2010). Despite its high prevalence and implications for behavioral problems and poor health outcomes in children, parental incarceration has received relatively little attention from researchers, policymakers or professionals (Eddy & Poehlmann, 2010). Recently, we organized three programmatic efforts aimed at increasing professionals‘ knowledge of research and practice implications of this topic. Over 560 people, predominantly professionals in social services, education, and mental health fields participated in these efforts. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that these 3 efforts – 2 presentation-based seminars (Lessons from the Field (LFTF), Research to Practice Series at the Minnesota Association for Children‘s Mental Health Conference (MACMH)), and one online publication linking research and practice efforts (Children‘s Mental Health eReview) – contributed to significant learning: • 85% of survey respondents indicated they learned about parental incarceration research; • Perceptions of incarcerated parents were positively altered as a result of viewing Mother‘s of Bedford, a documentary shown at MACMH and LFTF; • A majority of professionals indicated they planned to discuss what they learned with colleagues, and stated they planned to change their work as a result of participating; • Qualitative themes across efforts included increased knowledge and feelings of empathy, and recognition of relevance of topic to professionals‘ work. These changes in knowledge, perceptions, and practices demonstrate how Extension‘s mission of research and education is effectively strengthening families affected by incarceration across Minnesota.
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    The Fragile Early Years: Assessing the Mental Health of Infants and Toddlers
    (University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, 2000) Wattenberg, Esther
    A summary of proceedings of the symposium held September 30, 1999 at the University of Minnesota.