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Natural disasters, pandemics, and epidemics have devastating impacts on communities. Poverty, famine, ill health, social isolation, and death are some of the consequences of such events. Transformations in culture, religion, political and economic stability, and other social aspects can also be attributed to catastrophic incidents. Whilst such events have been well documented and studied, little attention has been given to their effect on children. Using osteoarchaeological and historical evidence, this review article explores how children appear to have been affected during, and in the aftermath of, natural disasters and epidemics. A range of cases from Antiquity to the modern day is provided, alongside three focal case studies. This research demonstrates analogies with the present-day where countries face disease outbreaks, droughts, floods, and earthquakes. Ultimately, the findings presented in this paper illustrate the extent to which these events shaped the lives and deaths of children in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the potential associations between household renovation and allergic diseases among preschool children in Wuhan, we conducted a large cross-sectional questionnaire survey among 9455 preschool children aged 3–6 years in Wuhan during November to December 2019. Data on demographics, health status, and home decoration conditions were analysed based on a questionnaire. Compared with tiles/stone/cement floor covering, the use of composite floor significantly increased the risk of diagnosed rhinitis and eczema among children (rhinitis: AOR, 95% CI: 1.36, 1.06–1.73; eczema: AOR, 95% CI: 1.47, 1.17–1.85). Household renovation had significant associations with diagnosed eczema (within 1 year before pregnancy: AOR, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.20–1.50; during pregnancy: AOR, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.08–1.44). This study suggests that use of artificial synthetic materials in home renovation during early childhood and pregnancy may be potential risk factors for childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends previous measurements of the children's income-health gradient through 2015. We first replicate findings about the steepness of the gradient from 1986 to 2005. We then find that since 2005, the health gradient between children in low-income families and high-income families has flattened, but it still steepens with age. We also show that overall children's health has improved since 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article examines traffic safety behaviors for different types of road users among children aged 0 to 17 years in Guangzhou, China. Methods: A stratified cluster sample of 7034 children from pediatric clinics (816 children aged 0–2 years who are receiving vaccines), kindergartens (1148 children aged 3–5 years), primary schools (2410 children aged 6–11 years), and secondary schools (2660 children aged 12–17 years) was collected by self-reported questionnaire surveys. The respondents were instructed to respond to each behavior question, using response choices scoring from 0 to 3. An 18-item-weighted Road Safety Behavior Index (RSBI), including 5 items for walking, 7 items for cycling, 2 items for public transport, and 4 items for private motor vehicles, was developed to quantify the child road safety behaviors and further investigate their interrelations with the sociodemographic factors among different age groups and travel categories. A higher RSBI indicates a lower risk of childhood road safety. Results: Results from statistical analysis indicate that (1) the effects of children's sociodemographic characteristics on the RSBIs differ greatly concerning each particular travel category; and (2) RSBIs are associated more with child-related characteristics than with parent-related characteristics as the age of the children's group increases. The research findings from analyzing the self-report questionnaires were further validated with field observational records, medical records, and police records. Conclusions: The article concludes with some recommendations for preventing the increasing toll of road traffic injury among Chinese children, which include (1) continuing educational efforts to increase knowledge of road safety and reduce traffic risk behaviors for children and their parents; (2) creating a safe and convenient environment for walking, cycling, and public transport travelers; and (3) promoting legislation and enforcement such as the mandatory usage of bicycle helmets and child passenger restraints. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The foods offered through the USDA commodity food program significantly impact the nutrient quality of school food. A sample of school food service directors (n = 27) and government agency employees (n = 6) were interviewed about their experience with the commodity food program. High administrative costs and dependence upon the types of food offered through the commodity food program were the main impediments to food quality improvement. Despite requests for more fresh and low-fat commodity offerings (n = 12), nearly half of the food service directors interviewed did not receive fresh fruits and vegetables through commodity distribution due to programmatic issues. Recommendations for the 2007 farm bill are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]