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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Children's Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 12801

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jitse P. van Dijk

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
2. Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Palacky University Olomouc, 771 11 Olomouc, Czech Republic
3. Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia
Interests: mental health; adolescents; Roma health; religiosity/spirituality and health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Children’s Health” in IJERPH, I am pleased to announce this Special Issue titled “Exclusive Paper Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health”. This Special Issue will be a collection of high-quality papers from the Editorial Board Members of IJERPH only. The aim is to provide a venue for networking and communication between IJERPH and scholars in the field of children's health. All papers will be published with fully open access after peer review.

Dr. Jitse P. van Dijk
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

children, adolescent, youth
health, health outcome, mental health, physical health
environment
exclusive, exclusivity

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 394 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Brazilian Immigrant Parents’ Preferences for Content and Intervention Modalities for the Design of a Family-Based Intervention to Promote Their Preschool-Age Children’s Healthful Energy Balance-Related Behaviors

by Thaís Vilasboas, Qun Le, Mary L. Greaney and Ana Cristina Lindsay

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4817; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20064817 - 09 Mar 2023

Viewed by 989

Abstract

Brazilians are a rapidly growing ethnic immigrant population in the United States (U.S.), and there is a lack of childhood obesity prevention interventions addressing the needs of Brazilian preschool-age children. Using the family ecological model (FEM) as a guide, this developmental cross-sectional study assessed the preferences (content, intervention modality, and language) of 52 individual Brazilian immigrant parents (27 mothers, 25 fathers) for a family-based intervention to promote healthful energy balance-related behaviors (EBRB). Overall, 85% or more of parents reported being interested or very interested in content related to five of the seven assessed EBRBs (increasing fruits and vegetables, reducing unhealthy foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, increasing physical activity, and reducing screen time). Parent-preferred intervention modalities were group sessions delivered by community health workers (CHWs, 86.5%), email (84.6%), and messaging (78.8%), with most parents (71.2%) indicating a preference for content in Portuguese. Interventions integrating multiple components, such as group sessions offered by CHWs and text messaging using SMS and WhatsApp, should be considered. Future steps for intervention development should include investigating different communication channels and their integration into a culturally and linguistically tailored family-based intervention designed to promote healthful EBRBs of preschool-age children in Brazilian families living in the U.S. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health)

10 pages, 1515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

COVID-19 School vs. Community-Based Outbreak Trends among New Jersey K–12 Schools during the 2020–2021 School Year

by Juhi Aggarwal, Maureen W. Gichura, Maryanne L. F. Campbell, Kimberly T. Nguyen and Derek G. Shendell

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9285; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19159285 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1409

Abstract

Identifying potential rapid methods to track COVID-19 trends within schools has become a necessity in understanding how to provide both education and maintain health and safety during a pandemic. This study examined COVID-19 trends and sociodemographic information in New Jersey (NJ) schools during the 2020–2021 school year. A database was compiled for this study in Microsoft Excel using various state and federal resources. Data used in the study are a combination of extracted data from weekly NJ Spotlight reports, weekly NJ COVID-19 Activity Level Index (NJ CALI) reports, and reports of school-based outbreaks via the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH). In 2020–2021, in NJ K–12 schools, the NJDOH defined a school-based outbreak incidence as two or more students and/or adult staff with a laboratory-confirmed positive molecular test for COVID-19 based on transmission occurring on campus. Data were organized into six regions across 21 counties within NJ (3–4 counties per region per NJDOH). COVID-19 trends in NJ schools mirrored trends in their districts, i.e., communities, within the state’s region; noticeably, there were consistently high trends during the winter holiday season (November 2020–January 2021). The cumulative number of incidences of school-based outbreaks remained relatively low but, nevertheless, increased throughout the 2020–2021 school year. This study recommends increased accessibility to COVID-19 reports for school and public health officials, and in the future for data to be reported to identify rates of transmission of other communicable diseases within K–12 students, and to further reinforce established mandates and other preventative measures in public while traveling during holiday seasons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health)

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10 pages, 321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Screening Children for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Experiences from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

by Sayyed Ali Samadi, Roy McConkey, Hana Nuri, Amir Abdullah, Lizan Ahmad, Barez Abdalla and Cemal A. Biçak

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4581; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19084581 - 11 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1987

Abstract

Screening tools for the early identification of developmental disabilities are strongly advised, yet culturally valid tools are not readily available for use in low- and middle-income countries. The present study describes the context and the processes used to develop a suitable screening procedure for use in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. This was based on an autism rating scale—GARS-3—developed in the USA for use primarily with children’s parents. It was administered to three groups of children: those with a pre-existing diagnosis of ASD; those with a confirmed diagnosis of a developmental disability; and those who were typically developing—735 participants in all. The 10 items from the 58 items in the full GARS-3 scale that best discriminated the three groups of children were identified. Subsequent analysis confirmed that the ten-item summary scores had reasonable internal reliabilities, with a good specificity and sensitivity in distinguishing children with ASD from those that were typically developing but less so for children with other developmental disabilities. The study confirms the universality of autism symptoms but also the different emphasis Kurdish parents may place on them. Nevertheless, screening procedures need to be developed in the context of support services that can undertake follow-up diagnostic assessments and provide suitable interventions for use by parents to promote their child’s development. The study provides an example of how this can be possible in low- and middle-income countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health)

14 pages, 348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shifts in Sources of Food but Stable Nutritional Outcomes among Children in the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Christine Borger, Courtney Paolicelli, Lorrene Ritchie, Shannon E. Whaley, Jill DeMatteis, Brenda Sun, Thea Palmer Zimmerman, Amanda Reat and Sujata Dixit-Joshi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12626; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182312626 - 30 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2480

Abstract

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), State governments, and school districts took unprecedented steps to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on students’ nutrition. To examine the effect of emergency responses on 6-year-old children’s nutritional outcomes, this study analyzed longitudinal data from a national study of children’s feeding practices, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (WIC ITFPS-2). Findings include no differences in food insecurity prevalence; however, there were shifts in sources of food, with children in the post-COVID-emergency-declaration (post-ED) group consuming more dietary energy from stores and community food programs and less from restaurants and schools than children in the pre-COVID-emergency-declaration (pre-ED) group (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). Examination of within-person mean differences in 2015 Healthy Eating Index scores and nutrient intakes between ages 5 and 6 years revealed few statistically significant differences between the two groups: children in the post-ED group consumed slightly fewer vegetables (p = 0.02) and less sodium (p = 0.01) than their pre-ED peers. Findings suggest emergency efforts to maintain children’s nutrition were largely successful in the early months of the pandemic. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which emergency efforts contributed to these findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health)

Review

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17 pages, 1562 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Literature Cases Summarized Based on Their Polysomnographic Findings in Rett Syndrome

by Xin-Yan Zhang and Karen Spruyt

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3422; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19063422 - 14 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2724

Abstract

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe and rare neurodevelopmental disorder affecting mostly girls. In RTT, an impaired sleep pattern is a supportive criterion for the diagnosis, yet little is known regarding the sleep structure and sleep respiratory events. Aiming to delineate sleep by aggregating RTT case (series) data from published polysomnographic studies, seventy-four RTT cases were collected from eleven studies up until 6 February 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD 42020198099). We compared the polysomnographic data within RTT stratifications and to a typically developing population. MECP2 cases demonstrated shortened total sleep time (TST) with increased stage N3 and decreased REM sleep. In cases with CDKL5 mutations, TST was longer and they spent more time in stage N1 but less in stage N3 than those cases affected by MECP2 mutations and a typically developing population. Sleep-disordered breathing was confirmed by the abnormal apnea/hypopnea index of 11.92 ± 23.67/h TST in these aggregated cases. No association of sleep structure with chronological age was found. In RTT, the sleep macrostructure of MECP2 versus CDKL5 cases showed differences, particularly regarding sleep stage N3. A severe REM sleep propensity reduction was found. Aberrant sleep cycling, possibly characterized by a poor REM ‘on switch’ and preponderance in slow and high-voltage sleep, is proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health)

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15 pages, 836 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review of Statistical Methods for Twin Studies Relating Exposure to Early Life Health Conditions

by Salvatore Fasola, Laura Montalbano, Giovanna Cilluffo, Benjamin Cuer, Velia Malizia, Giuliana Ferrante, Isabella Annesi-Maesano and Stefania La Grutta

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12696; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182312696 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2446

Abstract

When investigating disease etiology, twin data provide a unique opportunity to control for confounding and disentangling the role of the human genome and exposome. However, using appropriate statistical methods is fundamental for exploiting such potential. We aimed to critically review the statistical approaches used in twin studies relating exposure to early life health conditions. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase (2011–2021). We identified 32 studies and nine classes of methods. Five were conditional approaches (within-pair analyses): additive-common-erratic (ACE) models (11 studies), generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs, five studies), generalized linear models (GLMs) with fixed pair effects (four studies), within-pair difference analyses (three studies), and paired-sample tests (two studies). Four were marginal approaches (unpaired analyses): generalized estimating equations (GEE) models (five studies), GLMs with cluster-robust standard errors (six studies), GLMs (one study), and independent-sample tests (one study). ACE models are suitable for assessing heritability but require adaptations for binary outcomes and repeated measurements. Conditional models can adjust by design for shared confounders, and GLMMs are suitable for repeated measurements. Marginal models may lead to invalid inference. By highlighting the strengths and limitations of commonly applied statistical methods, this review may be helpful for researchers using twin designs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members in Section Children's Health)

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