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The environmental influences on early childhood development are understudied. The association between vegetation cover (i.e., trees, shrubs, grassed areas) in four key behaviour settings and socioemotional functioning was investigated in 1196 young children (2–5 years). Emotional difficulties were inversely associated with vegetation cover in the home yard (OR: 0.81 [0.69—0.96]) and neighbourhood (OR: 0.79 [0.67–0.94]), but not in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centre outdoor areas or the ECEC neighbourhood. The higher odds of emotional difficulties associated with lower levels of maternal education was reduced with higher percentages of home yard vegetation cover. There was no evidence of mediation of the relationship between emotional difficulties and vegetation cover by time spent playing outside the home, day or nighttime sleep duration, or physical activity. We found no associations between vegetation cover and conduct, hyperactivity and inattention, peer difficulties, or prosocial behaviours. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3HeEiIjVZc [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed at revealing the caregiving challenges of the caregivers of people with dementia (PwD) during the COVID‐19 pandemic when daycare service was stopped as an infection control measure, and discussed ways to help PwD and their family caregivers to maintain their well‐being in the era of the pandemic. Methods: Between April and May 2020, a cross‐sectional survey was conducted in 152 family caregivers of PwD who were clients of daycare service prior to the pandemic. The survey examined caregivers' stress and challenges faced during daycare service cessation, their perceived needs for continuation of daycare service, and observed changes in functional status of PwD. Regression analyses were performed to explore the associated factors of caregiving stress and preference for continuation of daycare service. Results: Family caregivers of PwD experienced greater caregiving stress after cessation of daycare service. Infection was their main challenge in caregiving, and their physical and emotional health was adversely affected by the longer time commitment with PwD under the stay‐home policy. Older age of caregivers, greater emotional and communication problems of PwD, and more time spent with PwD were associated with greater caregiving stress. More than one‐third of the participants preferred the continuation of daycare service during the pandemic. Conclusions: Policy makers should consider the well‐being of PwD and their caregivers when planning infection control measures. Daycare service with enhanced infection controlled measures should remain available to PwD during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Key points: Family caregivers of PwD experienced greater caregiving stress during the COVID‐19 pandemic due to anxiety of infection and longer time commitment with PwD.The cognitive function and mobility of PwD deteriorated after daycare service cessation because of the lack of cognitive, social, and physical activities with the stay‐home policy.More than a third of family caregivers thought that continuation of daycare service during the COVID‐19 pandemic was important because it provided useful respite for the caregivers and a safer place for PwD to go to.Online intervention could be an alternative form of social stimulation for PwD and may reduce caregiving stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the beginning, theories of attachment and caregiving have given rise to questions about minimum and maximum numbers of attachment figures. The child's tendency to direct attachment behavior to a specific figure rather than to whoever is nearby has led to the idea of monotropy, suggesting that a child would thrive best with one special attachment figure. From an evolutionary perspective kinship caregiving networks are more plausible as they would increase the chances of survival, and in hunter‐gatherer and agricultural communities paternal care and kinship networks providing care for young children were indeed common. A recent development in cultural evolution is the invention of organized day care and children's homes and institutions. Although the attachment network may increase in size with the child's cognitive development, research on institutionalized care demonstrates that high numbers of caregivers preclude secure attachments. The limiting factor to attachment networks may however not be the number of caregivers, but the opportunities for the child to learn contingencies in social relationships that have an attachment component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of hydrolyzed infant formulas in the prevention of asthma and allergies remains inconsistent. We tested whether extensively hydrolyzed casein formula compared to conventional cow's milk–based formula prevented asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic eczema. Methods: In the randomized double‐blind Trial to Reduce IDDM in Genetically at Risk (TRIGR), comparing extensively hydrolyzed to standard cow's milk–based infant formula during the first 6‐8 months of life, we assessed the effect of the intervention on the incidence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema when the children were 9‐ to 11‐years old. The asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema occurrence was assessed using online standardized and validated ISAAC questionnaire. Of the 1106 children who participated in this Ancillary study, 560 had been randomized to the experimental (extensively hydrolyzed casein formula) and 546 to the control arm (cow's milk–based formula). Results: The risk of persistent asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic eczema did not differ by treatment, the hazard ratios (95% CI) being 1.00 (0.66‐1.52), 0.95 (0.66‐1.38), and 0.89 (0.70‐1.15), respectively, in the intention‐to‐treat analysis. Neither were there any differences in the per‐protocol analysis. Conclusions: Extensively hydrolyzed casein formula did not protect from asthma, rhinitis, or eczema in this population carrying genetic risk for type 1 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, parents can place autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children in either mainstream or special education settings, which differ in their ability to provide structured early intervention programs. There are no clear guidelines for how to make initial placement decisions and ongoing debate about the benefits and drawbacks of each educational setting. Previous studies have mostly examined placement of school‐age children and reported that those with poorer cognitive abilities and more severe ASD symptoms tend to be placed in special education. The placement of younger children has rarely been studied. Here, we utilized the database at the National Autism Research Center of Israel to examine whether ASD severity, cognitive abilities, and parent education influenced the placement of 242 children. We performed the analyses separately for 1–3‐year‐old children who were placed in daycare centers and 3–5‐year‐old children who were placed in pre‐school kindergartens. Our analyses revealed surprisingly small differences across special and mainstream education settings, particularly in daycare centers. Cognitive scores and parent education were significantly higher in ASD children placed in mainstream education, but these differences were of moderate effect size and explained a relatively small percentage of the variability in placement choices (<15%). Indeed, we found considerable overlap in the characteristics of ASD children across educational settings, which suggests that initial placement decisions are performed with little regard to the children's abilities. Given the importance of optimal early intervention, further studies are warranted to determine whether children with specific abilities and needs benefit more from placement in either educational setting. Lay Summary Currently, there are no clear recommendations for placing young children with ASD in special versus mainstream education settings. We examined the influence of ASD severity, cognitive abilities, and parent education on the initial placement of 242 children. While we found significantly higher cognitive scores and parental education in children placed in mainstream education, there was a remarkable overlap in the characteristics of children across both settings, suggesting that initial placement is performed with limited regard to the children's abilities. Autism Res 2021, 14: 699–708. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain knowledge about the role of young children attending daycare in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) epidemic, a random sample of children (n = 84) aged between 6 and 30 months attending daycare in Belgium was studied shortly after the start of the epidemic (February 29th) and before the lockdown (March 18th) by performing in‐house SARS‐CoV‐2 real‐time polymerase chain reaction. No asymptomatic carriage of SARS‐CoV‐2 was detected, whereas common cold symptoms were common (51.2%). Our study shows that in Belgium, there was no sign of early introduction into daycare centers at the moment children being not yet isolated at home, although the virus was clearly circulating. It is clear that more evidence is needed to understand the actual role of young children in the transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 and their infection risk when attending daycare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International adoptees need to cope with stressful transitions and to develop secure attachment with their caregivers at the same time. Although most children adopted from abroad adjust fine, they are at increased risk of psychological problems. We investigated whether both child and family-related factors are associated with later psychological problems and whether the length of time spent at home after adoption before daycare moderates these associations among internationally adopted children in Finland (FinAdo, Finnish Adoption Study). The sample consisted of 1,265 children (708 girls, 557 boys) who arrived in Finland before they started school (mean age 2 years at arrival). Later behavioral problems were measured using the Child Behavior Check List ( CBCL). According to our results, male gender, older age, child's early clinical symptoms (problems of sensory processing) and single parenthood were associated with later behavioral problems measured by CBCL scores. Longer stay at home before the start of daycare or school modified these results. Longer stay at home was associated with less later behavioral externalizing problems in girls but not in boys compared to those who spent a shorter time at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether employees' assessment of their primary task quality has a significant impact on their well-being and job satisfaction, respectively. Furthermore, the paper hypothesizes that professional values and norms affect employees' quality expectations on their work tasks and thus their assessment of primary task quality. The paper proposes a measure for primary task quality and uses it in the analyses of responses from 1,247 preschool teachers and teaching assistants in 94 public daycare centers in Denmark. The results indicate that an important factor for employees is their experience of quality in the job they perform. Moreover, quality expectations can differ between employees performing the same task due to, for example, difference in professional training. This leads us to propose a new research direction for job design theory that addresses employees' assessment of the quality of their primary task job performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Studies vary with respect to the reported effects of day care attendance on childhood asthma. Objectives To evaluate the independent and combined effects of day care attendance and respiratory infections on the development of asthma at the age of seven in a prospective birth cohort. Method At the age of seven, the study sample included 589 children with complete data of 762 enrolled at birth. Day care hours and number of respiratory infections were reported in follow-up questionnaires through age four. At 7 years of age, asthma was diagnosed in 95 children (16%), based on predefined symptoms criteria confirmed by either asthma FEV1 reversibility after bronchodilator or a positive methacholine test ( PC20 ≤ 4 mg/mL). Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationships between asthma at the age of seven, cumulative hours of day care attendance and reported respiratory infections at ages 1-4. Results In the univariate analyses, day care attendance at 12 months was associated with an increased risk of asthma [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.8, 95% confidence interval ( CI) = 1.1-3.0]. Both upper and lower respiratory infections at 12 months also increased the likelihood of asthma [ OR = 2.4 (1.4-4.1); OR = 2.3 (1.5-3.7), respectively]. In the final multivariate logistic model, cumulative hours of day care attendance and number of lower respiratory infections at 12 months were associated with asthma [ OR = 1.2 (1.1-1.5); OR = 1.4 (1.2-1.7), respectively]. However, a threshold of greater than 37.5 hours per week of day care attendance was associated with a lower risk of asthma [ OR = 0.6 (0.4-0.9)]. Conclusion Depending on duration of attendance, day care during infancy can either increase or reduce risk of asthma at the age of seven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study examining the relationship between three measures of early life exposure to infections with the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children, two ethnicities that show sociodemographic differences in California. Three measures of early life exposure to infections are daycare attendance, birth order and common childhood infections in infancy.

This study examines the association between nighttime sleep characteristics and cortisol levels and how these variables relate to aspects of children's temperament and behavior. Twenty-seven healthy children, aged 12–36 months, attending group childcare settings, participated in the study. Each child's sleep was measured at home with actigraphy over three nights. Saliva samples were collected by the mothers at bedtime and within 30 min of awakening. In addition, both the mother and the daycare teacher rated the child's behavioral difficulties and negative emotionality. It was found that children with more fragmented sleep displayed higher awakening cortisol levels compared to children with more efficient sleep. Moreover, elevated awakening cortisol levels were correlated with teachers' ratings of internalizing behavior and negative emotionality. These preliminary findings suggest that awakening cortisol may serve as a useful index of adrenocortical reactivity in young children, signaling a disturbance in physiological regulation, and underscore the need for more research pertaining to the dynamic associations between sleep and HPA-axis across the 24-hr period. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 44–53, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is a deficit of information on policies regarding oral hygiene practices in Toronto daycares. It is unknown if any tooth-brushing programs are in existence and if children are permitted to follow professional advice on oral hygiene. The main objectives of this investigation were to a) determine the prevalence of oral care policies in daycares and b) examine the availability of resources. Telephone interviews were conducted with daycare supervisors using a pretested questionnaire. Summary statistics and the chi-square test were used to analyze the results. Two hundred forty-nine questionnaires were completed (response rate of 99.6 percent), representing 38 percent of the total daycare population (650) in Toronto. Eighty-three percent did not have a policy on oral care and 11 percent would not cede to requests from parents or medical professionals to brush teeth. However, 50 daycares indicated that their centers used to have a tooth-brushing program, and most (79 percent) were open to establishing an oral care policy. Fifteen percent reported not having proper sinks for tooth brushing. Many daycares do not have a policy regarding oral hygiene. A policy that encourages and provides guidance on safe tooth-brushing procedures is needed and may improve the oral health of preschool children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative analysis was conducted to identify and compare the health status and behaviors of preschoolers attending daycare centers in South Korea between children living with parents and those under guardianship. Design: The study design was descriptive and correlational. Sample: Data were collected from 152 parents and 85 guardians of preschool children using a structured questionnaire. Results: Of 237 children, 23.9–32.5% were overweight or obese, while 13.8–30.0% were underweight. Boys under guardianship were more likely to be obese. Hand-foot-mouth disease and atopic dermatitis were more prevalent among children living with parents, while those under guardianship were less likely to have dentistry visits, more likely to be absent from childcare due to pneumonia, and had significantly fewer health-related conversations with their guardians. In relation to health behaviors, the frequency of tooth-brushing and high-calcium food consumption was significantly lower among children under guardianship than among those living with parents. Conclusion: Compared with children living with parents, those under guardianship were exposed to unfavorable circumstances in terms of health management practices and health behaviors, which implies that the guardians were less interested in health care and dealt inappropriately with the health problems of their foster children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Daycare infants have more infectious episodes, see a physician more often, and are prescribed antibiotics more often than home care infants. Aim: To compare physician consultations and antibiotic prescription in daycare children and home care children taking number of symptom days, sociodemographic factors, concern about infectious illness and antibiotic knowledge into account. Methods: For a cohort of Swedish 18-month-old children all infectious symptoms, physician consultation and antibiotic prescriptions were registered during 1 month. Results: 561 infants with daycare outside the home and 278 with daycare at home were included. Of the daycare infants, 23.2% saw a physician and 11.4% were prescribed antibiotics, as compared with 10.8% physician consultations and 5.0% antibiotic prescription for the home care infants. For daycare infants the crude odds ratio for physician consultation were 2.49 (1.63–3.82) and for antibiotic prescription 2.43 (1.34–4.41) compared with home care infants. However, these differences were no longer statistically significant when background data, concern about infectious illness and reported symptoms were taken into account. Conclusion: When background data, concern about infectious illness and reported infectious symptoms were taken into account daycare infants saw a physician and was prescribed antibiotics in the same way as home care infants [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the additive effect of structural variables, child characteristics, and the family environment on mothers' and fathers' work/family role strain. Differences between mothers and fathers on these variables were also examined. The sample consisted of 36 dualearner families whose children had been in daycare from infancy through 4 years of age. Structural variables included work schedules and time spent with child for mothers only, fathers only, and both parents together with child. Child characteristics included temperament and health. Family environment variables included different components of the family environment (conflict, cohesion, expressiveness, organization, and control) and parenting daily hassles. Results showed that mothers' time with child and caregiving for child were greater than fathers'. Mothers reported more expressiveness in the family and more daily hassles with children than fathers. Mothers' level of role strain was also significantly higher than fathers'. For mothers, role strain was associated with hours away from home, child sociability, family conflict, and daily hassles resulting in an R[sup 2] of 0.57. Fathers' role strain was associated with family expressiveness, organization, and their wives' daily hassles resulting in an R[sup 2] of 0.37. Data suggest that mothers' and fathers' role strain may be driven by somewhat different factors. For women, aspects of the family and the child and work hours accounted for a considerable portion of the variance while for men, only aspects of the family environment were associated with their level of role strain. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of different environmental features at nine daycare centers on 74 children's (42 boys and 32 girls) emotions in relation to their individual traits. The environments were predominantly assessed by semantic scales, and the children's emotions using a structured observational technique. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the activation level as well as the control of the behavior were related to the individual traits of the children, whereas the directedness and the hedonic tone of the behavior were related to the environment and the situation (meal or free play). Of special interest is the result that extrovert children displayed higher levels of control than the more introvert children. The most important quality of the physical daycare environment was unity, whereas intensity and familiarity were to most salient qualities of the social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]