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Background: The PROMIS® Early Childhood Physical Activity (PROMIS EC PA) scale is a recently developed PROMIS Early Childhood measure to assess PA among children aged 1–5 years. The purpose of this study was to examine test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the PROMIS EC PA scale among toddlers. Method: An ancillary study was conducted in the toddler-mother dyad sample of the Child and Mother Physical Activity Study. Mothers completed the 7-item PROMIS EC PA scale twice: during a study visit (test) and on the last day when their child's wore an ActiGraph accelerometer on the hip for 7 days (retest). The PROMIS EC PA summed score was calculated by totaling scores from items 1–5. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for test and retest PROMIS EC PA. Convergent validity was assessed using rank correlation coefficients (rho) between PROMIS EC PA scores and accelerometer-measured moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA). Results: Among 74 participants (56% female; 19 ± 4 months of mean age with range of 12–30 months), average accelerometer-measured MVPA was 76 ± 24 min/day. The median number of days between PROMIS EC PA test and retest was 8 days (IQR = 6 to 8), with an average PROMIS EC PA summed score of 11.0 ± 3.5 at test and 10.5 ± 3.4 at retest. ICC for the test-retest PROMIS EC PA summed scores was 0.72 (95% CI = 0.59–0.82). The rank correlation between the PROMIS EC PA summed score and accelerometer-measured MVPA was 0.13 (95% CI=-0.10 to 0.35; p = 0.28). Conclusion: In a sample of children aged 12–30 months, test-retest reliability for the PROMIS EC PA scale was moderate and its convergent validity against accelerometer-measured MVPA was poor. Prior to a widespread use of the PROMIS EC PA scale in large-scale research and clinical practice, the tool should be further refined and validated to elucidate how young children's lived PA experience as measured in the PROMIS EC PA scale is relevant to their health and wellbeing outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales (GSC) have been translated into over 60 languages, but use in the sub-Saharan African region is limited. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS child self-report and teen self-report versions into the Chichewa language for Malawi. Methods: The English (USA) versions were adapted (translation, back translation and cognitive interviews to evaluate conceptual equivalence) into Chichewa. We recruited 289 children (8–17 years) in Blantyre, Malawi. Classical psychometrics at the item level (missing data, endorsement frequencies, item redundancy) and scale level (internal consistency, convergent, discriminant and known groups validity) was used to evaluate the new Chichewa versions. Results: Six items were found to need cultural adaptation for Malawi. There were problems with missing data (< 5%) and adjacent endorsement frequency (< 10%) among younger children. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable (Cronbach α > 0.7). Convergent validity was generally strong (correlations > 0.4). Discriminant validity (p > 0.05) was evident with respect to gender and age, but not for school grade (p < 0.05). Effect sizes indicating known groups validity were in the expected direction but of variable magnitude. Conclusion: We have successfully adapted the PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS child self-report and teen self-report into Chichewa for use in Malawi. Many aspects of the psychometric evaluation were promising, though some elements were more mixed and we have not yet been able to evaluate test-retest reliability or responsiveness. We suggest that the PedsQL™4.0 GCS child and teen self-reports should be used with caution among children and adolescents in Malawi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaysian preschool children continue to exhibit a high prevalence of dental caries and poor oral hygiene. There is a need to gain an in-depth understanding of oral hygiene habits and design suitable interventions to improve oral hygiene in early childhood. Objective: To cross-culturally adapt and determine the psychometric properties of the Malay-translated Parenting and Child Tooth Brushing Assessment questionnaire (M-PACTA). Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved face and content validation, and forward and back-translation of PACTA. The M-PACTA was then tested for reliability and construct validity on 150 Malaysian parents of children aged 5 to 6 years old. Results: Face validity indicated that the M-PACTA items were clear and easy to understand. For content validity, some words had to be modified in accordance with the recommendations of the expert committees to make it more coherent to Malaysians. Some statements in the parental knowledge scales were modified according to the guidelines applicable in Malaysia. The content comparison of the back translation with the adapted PACTA revealed that all items were semantic and linguistically equivalent. Exploratory factor analyses of M-PACTA suggested a two-factor structure for three scales including child behaviour scale ('non-compliance' and 'avoidance behaviour'), parental attitudes ('lack of concern' and 'attitude of care'), and parental knowledge ('general tooth brushing knowledge' and 'awareness of tooth brushing care') while for the parental strategy scale, three-factor structure was extracted including 'routine positive methods', 'uncommon positive methods', and 'negative methods'. Internal consistencies for all scales were good (α > 0.9). Conclusion: M-PACTA did not replicate the construct of the original PACTA. Nonetheless, M-PACTA demonstrated good construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability within Malaysian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital or acquired hand differences, including unilateral below-elbow deficiencies, present complex challenges in pediatric rehabilitation. Surgical management and prosthetic provision represent a big challenge to find a good balance for guaranteeing optimal hand function. There is no specific assessment tool for measuring these aspects in the Italian context. The present study investigates the psychometric properties of the ABILHAND-Kids in children with congenital unilateral below-elbow deficiencies and acquired amputation of the upper limb. We measure internal consistency using Cronbach coefficient alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for measuring test-retest reliability. Differences in hand function in both children with acquired or congenital diseases were also investigated. Participants to the study were 107 (49 F and 58 M) children, with a mean (SD) age of 8.88 (4.25). For test retest reliability, conducted on a sub-sample of 58 children, the ICC was 0.92, while for internal consistency, the Cronbach coefficient alpha was 0.90. We did not find statistically significant differences in scoring (p = 0.33) in the use (mean 29.25 SD 6.58) or non-use of a prosthetic device (mean 30.74 SD 7.43), while statistically significant differences were found in hand function (p < 0.01) for children who had a congenital impairment (mean 31.87 SD 6.49) and children who had an acquired amputation (mean 27.77 SD 6.60). In conclusion, the ABILHAND-Kids showed good internal consistency and reliability and can capture differences in hand function in children with both congenital and acquired hand disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopted a quasi-experimental design to explore the effects of fundamental movement skill intervention on the acquisition and retention of physical activity levels and health-related fitness in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the experiments, 11 children received fundamental motor skill training (12 weeks, 60 min/session, 4 times/week), and 10 children maintained traditional physical activity. Assessments were performed using an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer, health-related fitness pre–post intervention, and 1-month follow-up tests. The sedentary time during physical activity was significantly decreased (p = 0.01), and there were large changes in health-related physical fitness indicators, including significantly improved body composition (body mass index, F(1,19) = 8.631, p = 0.03, partial η2 = 0.312), muscle strength and endurance (sit-ups, F(1,19) = 3.376, p = 0.02, partial η2 = 0.151 and vertical jumps, F(1,19) = 5.309, p = 0.04, partial η2 = 0.218), and flexibility (sit and reach, F(1,19) = 36.228, p = 0.02, partial η2 = 0.656). Moreover, the follow-up tests showed that the children's sedentary time continued to reduce, and the muscle strength and endurance (sit-ups, F(1,19) = 4.215, p = 0.01, partial η2 = 0.426) improved continuously after the intervention. Based on this study, actionable and regular fundamental movement skill programs can be provided in the future as an effective way to achieve the healthy development goals of children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with affective dysregulation (AD) show an excessive reactivity to emotionally positive or negative stimuli, typically manifesting in chronic irritability, severe temper tantrums, and sudden mood swings. AD shows a large overlap with externalizing and internalizing disorders. Given its transdiagnostic nature, AD cannot be reliably and validly captured only by diagnostic categories such as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate two semi-structured clinical interviews—one for parents and one for children. Methods: Both interviews were developed based on existing measures that capture particular aspects of AD. We analyzed internal consistencies and interrater agreement to evaluate their reliability. Furthermore, we analyzed factor loadings in an exploratory factor analysis, differences in interview scores between children with and without co-occurring internalizing and externalizing disorders, and associations with other measures of AD and of AD-related constructs. The evaluation was performed in a screened community sample of children aged 8–12 years (n = 445). Interrater reliability was additionally analyzed in an outpatient sample of children aged 8–12 years (n = 27). Results: Overall, internal consistency was acceptable to good. In both samples, we found moderate to excellent interrater reliability on a dimensional level. Interrater agreement for the dichotomous diagnosis DMDD was substantial to perfect. In the exploratory factor analysis, almost all factor loadings were acceptable. Children with a diagnosis of disruptive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or any disorder (disruptive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and depressive disorder) showed higher scores on the DADYS interviews than children without these disorders. The correlation analyses revealed the strongest associations with other measures of AD and measures of AD-specific functional impairment. Moreover, we found moderate to very large associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms and moderate to large associations with emotion regulation strategies and health-related quality of life. Conclusions: The analyses of internal consistency and interrater agreement support the reliability of both clinical interviews. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis, discriminant analyses, and correlation analyses support the interviews' factorial, discriminant, concurrent, convergent, and divergent validity. The interviews might thus contribute to the reliable and valid identification of children with AD and the assessment of treatment responses. Trial registration: ADOPT Online: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) DRKS00014963. Registered 27 June 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of the Problem: It is essential to address caries risk at an early stage for the prevention of dental caries. Mobile application CaRisk is designed in a particular way to self-assess the dental caries risk by the individual’s themselves. Purpose: The current study aimed to assess the dental caries risk among age groups 5-6 and 35-44 using self-assessment caries risk mobile application CaRisk and compare it with the deft and DMFT values. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Chennai, India; to evaluate the risk of dental caries in children aged 5 to 6 and adults aged 35 to 44. The scores of the mobile application CaRisk and the decayed- extracted-filled teeth (deft)/ decayed-missing-filled-teeth (DMFT) caries risk assessment were evaluated. Descriptive statistics were performed. The risk category was determined by frequency. Chi-square analysis was done to determine whether the DMFT scores and the CaRisk mobile app were associated. The correlation was performed between the CaRisk mobile application and DMFT scores. Results: Association was found between the caries risk assessment score of the mobile application CaRisk and the DMFT and deft scores of the adults and children for both the age groups 5-6 and 35-44 years respectively and it indicates that it was found to be statistically significant. Pearson’s correlation was performed to assess the strength of association and R-values obtained for the age group 5-6 and 35-44 years respectively, which was statistically significant (0.892 and 0.840). Conclusion: This CaRisk mobile application scores correlate with the deft and DMFT scores and it is an effective self-diagnosis tool for assessing dental caries risk assessment. Further, it is suggested that the mobile application CaRisk should be tested among a huge population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human voice has the potential to serve as a valuable biomarker for the early detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of pediatric conditions. This scoping review synthesizes the current knowledge on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in analyzing pediatric voice as a biomarker for health. The included studies featured voice recordings from pediatric populations aged 0–17 years, utilized feature extraction methods, and analyzed pathological biomarkers using AI models. Data from 62 studies were extracted, encompassing study and participant characteristics, recording sources, feature extraction methods, and AI models. Data from 39 models across 35 studies were evaluated for accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. The review showed a global representation of pediatric voice studies, with a focus on developmental, respiratory, speech, and language conditions. The most frequently studied conditions were autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, asphyxia, and asthma. Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients were the most utilized feature extraction method, while Support Vector Machines were the predominant AI model. The analysis of pediatric voice using AI demonstrates promise as a non-invasive, cost-effective biomarker for a broad spectrum of pediatric conditions. Further research is necessary to standardize the feature extraction methods and AI models utilized for the evaluation of pediatric voice as a biomarker for health. Standardization has significant potential to enhance the accuracy and applicability of these tools in clinical settings across a variety of conditions and voice recording types. Further development of this field has enormous potential for the creation of innovative diagnostic tools and interventions for pediatric populations globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Insulin sensitivity and secretion indices can be useful tools in understanding insulin homeostasis in children at risk for diabetes. There have been few studies examining the reproducibility of these measures in pediatrics. Objective. To determine whether fasting or oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-derived insulin measures would be more reproducible and whether there would be differences based on weight, sex, race, and pubertal status. Design. Observational study. Setting. Clinical research unit. Patients or Other Participants. Two hundred fifty-seven overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 85th%, n = 186) and normal weight (BMI < 85th%, n = 71) children without diabetes between ages of 8 and 17 were included in the study. Methods. OGTT tests performed in study participants at two separate visits within a 3-week period. We performed two formal oral glucose tolerance tests within a 3-week period. The reproducibility of fasting measures was compared with OGTT-derived measures by weight categories and compared by weight, sex, race, and pubertal status. Comparisons were made between the correlation coefficients of fasting vs. OGTT-derived measures and between normal weight vs. obese/overweight participants, male vs. female, White vs. Black, and pre- vs. post-midpubertal. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for each comparison as well. Results. For insulin sensitivity, the OGTT-derived measure was more reproducible than the fasting measures. There were no significant differences in reproducibility in the overweight/obese population compared to the normal weight population nor by sex, race, or pubertal status. Conclusions. Nonfasting insulin sensitivity measures are more reproducible than fasting insulin sensitivity measures, regardless of weight category. Insulin secretion measures have poor reproducibility overall. Weight status, sex, race, and midpubertal stage do not impact the reproducibility of insulin sensitivity and secretion measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2) has been used to assess the gross and fine motor skills of children (0–6 years); however, the measurement properties of the PDMS-2 are inconclusive. Here, we aimed to systematically review the measurement properties of PDMS-2, and synthesize the quality of evidence using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurements Instruments (COSMIN) methodology. Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL and MEDLINE, were searched for relevant studies through January 2023; these studies used PDMS-2. The methodological quality of each study was assessed by the COSMIN risk-of-bias checklist, and the measurement properties of PDMS-2 were evaluated by the COSMIN quality criteria. Modified GRADE was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. We included a total of 22 articles in the assessment. Among the assessed measurement properties, the content validity of PDMS-2 was found to be sufficient with moderate-quality evidence. The structural validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and interrater reliability of the PDMS-2 were sufficient for high-quality evidence, while the intrarater reliability was sufficient for moderate-quality evidence. Sufficient high-quality evidence was also found for the measurement error of PDMS-2. The overall construct validity of the PDMS-2 was sufficient but showed inconsistent quality of evidence. The responsiveness of PDMS-2 appears to be sufficient with low-quality evidence. Our findings demonstrate that the PDMS-2 has sufficient content validity, structural validity, internal consistency, reliability and measurement error with moderate to high-quality evidence. Therefore, PDMS-2 is graded as 'A' and can be used in motor development research and clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of validated "fit-for-purpose" rapid assessment tools to measure 24-hour movement behaviours in children aged 0–5 years is a research priority. This study evaluated the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the open-ended and closed-ended versions of the Movement Behaviour Questionnaire for baby (MBQ-B) and child (MBQ-C). Methods: 300 parent-child dyads completed the 10-day study protocol (MBQ-B: N = 85; MBQ-C: N = 215). To assess validity, children wore an accelerometer on the non-dominant wrist (ActiGraph GT3X+) for 7 days and parents completed 2 × 24-hour time use diaries (TUDs) recording screen time and sleep on two separate days. For babies (i.e., not yet walking), parents completed 2 × 24-hour TUDs recording tummy time, active play, restrained time, screen time, and sleep on days 2 and 5 of the 7-day monitoring period. To assess test-retest reliability, parents were randomised to complete either the open- or closed-ended versions of the MBQ on day 7 and on day 10. Test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC's) were calculated using generalized linear mixed models and validity was assessed via Spearman correlations. Results: Test-retest reliability for the MBQ-B was good to excellent with ICC's ranging from 0.80 to 0.94 and 0.71–0.93 for the open- and closed-ended versions, respectively. For both versions, significant positive correlations were observed between 24-hour diary and MBQ-B reported tummy time, active play, restrained time, screen time, and sleep (rho = 0.39–0.87). Test-retest reliability for the MBQ-C was moderate to excellent with ICC's ranging from 0.68 to 0.98 and 0.44–0.97 for the open- and closed-ended versions, respectively. For both the open- and closed-ended versions, significant positive correlations were observed between 24-hour diary and MBQ-C reported screen time and sleep (rho = 0.44–0.86); and between MBQ-C reported and device-measured time in total activity and energetic play (rho = 0.27–0.42). Conclusions: The MBQ-B and MBQ-C are valid and reliable rapid assessment tools for assessing 24-hour movement behaviours in infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. Both the open- and closed-ended versions of the MBQ are suitable for research conducted for policy and practice purposes, including the evaluation of scaled-up early obesity prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is responsible for the majority of acute lower respiratory infections in infants and can affect also older age groups. Restrictions linked to the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and their subsequent lifting caused a change in the dynamics of RSV circulation. It is therefore fundamental to monitor RSV seasonal trends and to be able to predict its seasonal peak to be prepared to the next RSV epidemics. Methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive study on laboratory-confirmed RSV infections from Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2022. Data on RSV-positive respiratory samples (n = 3,536) and RSV-confirmed hospitalizations (n = 1,895) on patients aged 0–18 years were analyzed. In addition to this, a SARIMA (Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average) forecasting model was developed to predict the next peak of RSV. Results: Findings show that, after the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic season, where RSV circulation was almost absent, RSV infections presented with an increased and anticipated peak compared to pre-pandemic seasons. While mostly targeting infants below 1 year of age, there was a proportional increase in RSV infections and hospitalizations in older age groups in the post-pandemic period. A forecasting model built using RSV weekly data from 2018 to 2022 predicted the RSV peaks of 2023, showing a reasonable level of accuracy (MAPE 33%). Additional analysis indicated that the peak of RSV cases is expected to be reached after 4–5 weeks from case doubling. Conclusion: Our study provides epidemiological evidence on the dynamics of RSV circulation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings highlight the potential of combining surveillance and forecasting to promote preparedness for the next RSV epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few short, validated tools to assess young children's obesity‐related dietary behaviours, limiting the rapid screening of dietary behaviours in research and practice‐based early obesity prevention. This study aimed to develop and assess the reliability and validity of a caregiver‐reported short dietary questionnaire to rapidly assess obesity‐related dietary behaviours in children aged 6 months to 5 years. The Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Dietary Questionnaire (EPOCH‐DQ) was developed using a rigorous process to determine content and structural validity. Three age‐appropriate versions were developed for (1) infants, aged 6–12 months, (2) toddlers, aged 1–2.9 years and (3) pre‐schoolers, aged 3–5 years. The questionnaire (7–15 items) measures dietary behaviours, including diet risk from non‐core food and beverage intake, diet quality from vegetable frequency, bread type and infant feeding practices. Test–retest reliability was assessed from repeated administrations 1 week apart (n = 126). Internal consistency, concurrent validity (against a comparison questionnaire, the InFANT Food Frequency Questionnaire), construct validity and interpretability were assessed (n = 209). Most scores were highly correlated and significantly associated (p < 0.05) for validity (rs: 0.45–0.89, percentage agreement 68%–100%) and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.61–0.99) for diet risk, diet quality and feeding practice items. The EPOCH‐DQ shows acceptable validity and reliability for screening of obesity‐related behaviours of children under 5 years of age. The short length and, thus, low participant burden of the EPOCH‐DQ allows for potential applications in various settings. Future testing of the EPOCH‐DQ should evaluate culturally and socio‐economically diverse populations and establish the predictive validity and sensitivity to detect change. Key messages: Accurate measurement of obesity‐related dietary behaviours is essential for the evaluation of early obesity prevention programmes and monitoring population trends.The 7–15 item Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Dietary Questionnaire (EPOCH‐DQ) was shown to have acceptable validity and reliability for assessing obesity‐related behaviours of children aged 6 months to 5 years of age.The short length and thus low participant burden of the EPOCH‐DQ allows for potential applications in various settings, including research, population health monitoring and use by health professionals.Future testing of the EPOCH‐DQ should include evaluation across culturally and socio‐economically diverse populations and determine the predictive validity and sensitivity to detect change of the EPOCH‐DQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Procedural learning has been mainly tested through motor sequence learning tasks in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially with isolated Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Reading Disorder (RD). Studies on motor adaptation are scarcer and more controversial. This study aimed to compare the performance of children with isolated and associated DCD and RD in a graphomotor adaptation task. In total, 23 children with RD, 16 children with DCD, 19 children with DCD-RD, and 21 typically developing (TD) children wrote trigrams both in the conventional (from left to right) and opposite (from right to left) writing directions. The results show that movement speed and accuracy were more impacted by the adaptation condition (opposite writing direction) in children with neurodevelopmental disorders than TD children. Our results also reveal that children with RD have less difficulty adapting their movement than children with DCD. Children with DCD-RD had the most difficulty, and analysis of their performance suggests a cumulative effect of the two neurodevelopmental disorders in motor adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is a widely used parent questionnaire for screening motor coordination disorders in children aged 5–15 years. Despite increasing motor difficulties in children, a validated version is lacking in Central Europe. In addition, previous studies pointed out that several DCDQ items were shown to be problematic in different cultural environments. We found that the majority of these studies did not assess the item's content validity approach for keeping the semantic form and linguistic intelligibility of the original items. Therefore, this study aimed to translate the DCDQ, determine the content validity of items, and adapt the DCDQ for Czech children aged 6–10 years, where the identification of motor difficulties is crucial. Back-translation was employed, and face validity was consulted with linguistic experts and occupational therapists. A sample of 25 bilingual parents and practitioners evaluated the translated version, with content validity assessed using the Content Validity Ratio coefficient (CVR). Initial CVR scores ranged from 0.6 to 1.0. Lower scores were found for items 14 and 15, which were shown to be problematic in previous studies. The reason for the lower content validity in these items was due to double negation. Following linguistic modifications, the CVR values improved (range: 0.87–1.0), indicating content and semantic stability. Our findings underscore the importance of considering content validity and language specificity, including issues like double negation, during cross-cultural questionnaire validation to mitigate potential psychometric concerns in the future. The adapted Czech version exhibits significant content validity, thereby warranting further validation of its psychometric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood overweight and obesity is a worldwide problem and to treat it parents' detection has to be improved. The MapMe Body Image Scales (BIS) are a visual tool developed to improve parental perception of child weight in the United Kingdon (UK) based on British growth reference criteria. The aim of this study was to make a transcultural adaptation and validation of the MapMe BIS in Spain based on International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut offs A descriptive cross-sectional study was done. First, a translation and cultural adaptation was carried out. A total of 155 10–11-year-old children and their parents participated in this study. Children were measured to calculate their weight status, Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat Percentage (BFP) and Waist Circumference (WC), and their parents completed a purpose designed questionnaire about their perception and satisfaction of child's body weight status using the adapted BIS. Test-retest reliability, criterion validity and concurrent validity of the adapted BIS were analyzed. This study shows that the adapted MapMe BIS has good psychometric properties and is a suitable visual scale to assess parental perception of weight status in 10 and 11-year-old children in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, no disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire existed for pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). In this revalidation study, the psychometric properties and the validity of the 35-item QOLIBRI-KID/ADO questionnaire in its final German version were examined in 300 children and adolescents. It is the first self-reported TBI-specific tool for measuring pediatric HRQoL in individuals aged between 8 and 17 years. The six-factor model fits the data adequately. The questionnaire's internal consistency was excellent for the total score and satisfactory to excellent for the scale scores. Intraclass correlations indicated good test–retest reliability, and the measure's construct validity was supported by the overlap between the QOLBRI-KID/ADO and the PedsQL, which measures generic HRQoL. The discriminant validity tests showed that older children and girls reported a significantly lower HRQoL than comparison groups, and this was also true of children who were anxious or depressed, or who suffered from post-concussion symptoms, replicating the results of the questionnaire's first developmental study. Our results suggest that the QOLIBRI-KID/ADO is a reliable and valid multidimensional tool that can be used together with the adult version in clinical contexts and research to measure disease-specific HRQoL after pediatric TBI throughout a person's life. This may help improve care, treatment, daily functioning, and HRQoL after TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes were to examine the criterion-related validity of the steps estimated by consumer-wearable activity trackers (wristworn activity trackers: Fitbit Ace 2, Garmin Vivofit Jr, and Xiomi Mi Band 5; smartphone applications: Pedometer, Pedometer Pacer Health, and Google Fit/Apple Health) and their comparability in primary schoolchildren under controlled conditions. An initial sample of 66 primary schoolchildren (final sample = 56; 46.4% females), aged 9-12 years old (mean = 10.4 ± 1.0 years), wore three wrist-worn activity trackers (Fitbit Ace 2, Garmin Vivofit Jr 2, and Xiaomi Mi Band 5) on their non-dominant wrist and had three applications in two smartphones (Pedometer, Pedometer Pacer Health, and Google Fit/Apple Health for Android/iOS installed in Samsung Galaxy S20+/iPhone 11 Pro Max) in simulated front trouser pockets. Primary schoolchildren's steps estimated by the consumer-wearable activity trackers and the video-based counting independently by two researchers (gold standard) were recorded while they performed a 200-meter course in slow, normal and brisk pace walking, and running conditions. Results showed that the criterion-related validity of the step scores estimated by the three Samsung applications and the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 were good-excellent in the four walking/running conditions (e.g., MAPE = 0.6 - 2.3%; lower 95% CI of the ICC = 0.81 - 0.99), as well as being comparable. However, the Apple applications, Fitbit Ace 2, and Xiaomi Mi Band 5 showed poor criterion-related validity and comparability on some walking/running conditions (e.g., lower 95% CI of the ICC < 0.70). Although, as in real life primary schoolchildren also place their smartphones in other parts (e.g., schoolbags, hands or even somewhere away from the body), the criterion-related validity of the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 potentially would be considerably higher than that of the Samsung applications. The findings of the present study highlight the potential of the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 for monitoring primary schoolchildren's steps under controlled conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parental Educational Attainment and children's 24-h behaviors significantly influenced children's hyperactivity symptoms. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of children's 24-h behavior changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic between Parental Educational Attainment and children's hyperactivity index. It also aimed to investigate the associations between Children's Physical Activity, digital media use, sleep, and hyperactivity index between two clusters of Parental Educational Attainments. The goal was to provide targeted behavioral optimization recommendations for caregivers to reduce the risk of children's hyperactivity. Methods: The study was a collaborative extension of the International iPreschooler Surveillance Study Among Asians and otheRs project and the Chinese Children and Adolescent Sports Health Promotion Action Project. The Parent-Surveillance of Digital Media in Childhood Questionnaire® and the Abbreviated Rating Scales from the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire were used to measure Parental Educational Attainment, children's behavior changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and hyperactivity indexes. A total of 11,190 parents of 6-to-12-year-old children completed the online surveys in mainland China. A structural equation model was established by using Smart-PLS, and the linear regression model, and isotemporal substitution models were established by using a Compositional Data Analysis package with R program to achieve the research objectives. Results: Changes in children's 24-h behaviors due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant mediation effect on the negative associations between Parental Educational Attainment and children's hyperactivity index (β = 0.018, T = 4.521, p < 0.001) with a total effect (β = −0.046, T = 4.521, p < 0.001) and a direct effect (β = −0.064, T = 6.330, p < 0.001). Children's Digital Media use was significantly and negatively associated with hyperactivity index among all children. Reallocated time from digital media use to both sleep and physical activity decreased the hyperactivity index, and vice-versa. For parents without tertiary education (R2 = 0.09, p < 0.001), sleep was significantly and negatively associated with the hyperactivity index (βilr-CSL = −0.06, p < 0.001); for parents with tertiary education (R2 = 0.07, p < 0.001), physical activity was significantly and negatively associated with the hyperactivity index (βilr-CPA = −0.05, p < 0.001), and sleep was significantly and positively associated with the hyperactivity index (βilr-CSL = 0.03, p < 0.001). A significant increase in the hyperactivity index was detected when physical activity time was reallocated to sleep, with a significant decrease in the opposite direction. Conclusions: Parental Educational Attainment and children's 24-h behaviors directly influenced children's hyperactivity index. However, a purposeful and targeted optimization of children's 24-h behaviors—namely, physical activity, digital media use, and sleep—could assist parents with different educational attainments to reduce their children's hyperactivity index and mitigate the risk of hyperactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatoform disorders (SD), commencing during adolescence, represent a major problem in health care systems. While literature underlines the high presence of mental health problems among children and adolescents afflicted by somatic symptoms in the general population, limited evidence is available on the prevalence of comorbid somatic symptoms in child and adolescent psychiatric populations. We assessed the prevalence of somatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety by validated questionnaires in an inpatient cohort. We further screened for the presence of SD. Out of 434 inpatients aged 11–17 years, 371 were included and a total of n = 288 (77.6%) children and adolescents participated in the study. A total of 93.8% of the inpatients reported somatic symptoms within the past six months and still almost half (45.7%) of the sample reported at least one somatic symptom within the last seven days prior to inquiry. Relating to the past six months, 59.5% were positively screened for SD, and 44.6% reported symptoms eligible for positive screening within the past seven days prior to the survey. Somatoform symptomatology was highly associated with anxiety and depression scores, but functional decline was amenable to the number of somatic symptoms only. We provide evidence that somatic symptoms are frequent in children and adolescents being treated in child and adolescent psychiatry and are relevant to everyday functioning. Screening for somatic symptoms should be introduced in the routine diagnostic procedures for early detection of SD in the commencing stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women are at increased risk of trauma exposure and of experiencing prolonged posttraumatic stress. Maternal trauma exposure and associated impairment may adversely impact mother–infant interaction quality, which may in turn be associated with infant temperament difficulties. More research is needed to identify which maternal trauma predictors are most robustly related to infant temperament outcomes. The present study aimed to address this gap by examining maternal sensitivity as a mediator of relations between maternal trauma and infant temperament in a longitudinal study of a rural cohort of mother–infant dyads. Mediation via maternal sensitivity was not supported in any of the primary analyses. Greater maternal trauma exposure was found to predict greater infant regulation behavior, a finding that was in opposition to expected results and which may be explained by protective factors found within the sample. The present sample was skewed toward married, educated women who reported high social support satisfaction and low trauma-associated impairment. The findings elucidate protective factors that may mitigate adverse outcomes for both mothers and infants. Future research models should include additional maternal trauma variables (e.g., recency, type, revictimization/polyvictimization), in utero maternal cortisol exposure, maternal insensitivity/ambiguous response patterns during caregiver tasks, and analysis of the IBQ-R subscales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EA-QOL questionnaire measures quality-of-life specifically for children born with esophageal atresia (EA) aged 8–18 and was completed in Sweden and Germany. This study aimed to describe an international collaborative initiative to establish a semantically equivalent linguistic version of the EA-QOL questionnaires in 12 new countries. The 24-item EA-QOL questionnaire was translated into the target languages and the translated questionnaire was evaluated through cognitive debriefing interviews with children with EA aged 8–18 and their parents in each new country. Participants rated an item as to whether an item was easy to understand and sensitive/uncomfortable to answer. They could choose not to reply to a non-applicable/problematic item and provide open comments. Data were analyzed using predefined psychometric criteria; item clarity ≥80%, item sensitive/uncomfortable to answer ≤20%, item feasibility(missing item responses ≤5%). Decision to improve any translation was made by native experts–patient stakeholders and the instrument developer. Like in Sweden and Germany, all items in the cross-cultural analysis of child self-report (ntot = 82, 4–10 children/country) met the criteria for item clarity in all 12 new countries, and in parent-report (ntot = 86, 5–10 parents/country) in 8/12 countries. All items fulfilled the criteria for sensitive/uncomfortable to answer (child-report 1.2–9.9%; parent-report 0–11.6%) and item feasibility. Poor translations were resolved. Hence, this study has established semantically equivalent linguistic versions of the EA-QOL questionnaire for use in children aged 8–18 with repair of EA in and across 14 countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is no national, validated, generic patient‐reported experience measure (PREM) for children under 15 years of age in Sweden. A recent cross‐sectional study found no consensus in how children's voices are heard in paediatric health care, as well as a lack of validated questionnaires. Aim: The aim of this study is to translate, adapt and validate the six versions of the Children's and Young People's PREM for use in a Swedish health care context. Design: An exploratory sequential mixed‐method design including cognitive interviews and content validity index (CVI) was used. The interviews focused on evaluating children's understanding of the questionnaire, and the CVI was used to further adjust the relevance of the questionnaire. Participants: A convenience sample of 62 children participated in the cognitive interviews and an additional convenience sample of 42 children was included in the CVI testing. The children, aged 8–16 years, were attending routine visits at paediatric departments in a county hospital and a children's hospital in the mid‐Sweden region between October 2020 and June 2022. Results: The translation, adaptation and validation process identified several issues regarding the understanding of the questionnaire in a Swedish context. Adaptations were made based on issues related to context, wording and the structure of the questions. CVI testing resulted in the removal of 3–10 questions in each of the different versions of the questionnaire. Conclusion: The study has resulted in six face‐ and content‐validated Swedish versions of the questionnaire ready for pilot testing. Although the versions of the original questionnaire were developed in collaboration with children in the United Kingdom, this did not mean that they could automatically be used in a Swedish health care context. This study confirms the importance of a rigorous process of adaptation and validation to ensure quality and applicability to children accessing health care in different countries. Patient or Public Contribution: Children's views have guided the development of the original instrument and its adaptation to the Swedish health care context. Due to the strong patient involvement in the process of developing the Swedish versions of the questionnaire, the research group made a pragmatic decision to have no other patient contribution in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: A literature review of both Eastern and Western literature regarding families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) revealed limited empirical research that examines ASD in China. Furthermore, most research in this area comes from a deficit model and there is a lack of research that comes from a strengths background. No previous study in China has looked at the positive contributions of children with ASD to their families. The present study came from a strengths-based perspective and aimed to develop a new questionnaire to evaluate the positive contributions made to families by children who have ASD in China and are raised by their respective families. It considered the severity level of the children's disorder and the impact this had on the parents. Besides examining the children's impairment levels, the study also examined positive contributions and their relationship with socio-demographic elements such as family income and employment status of the parents, which also seem to be related to the positive contributions experienced by the parents. Methods: First, based on the literature review, an initial qualitative interview protocol was developed and administered to 10 parents of children with ASD. Then, based on the analyses of the interviews, a quantitative questionnaire was developed to assess the positive contributions of children with ASD to their families. The questionnaire was then administered to 156 parents of children with ASD. The internal structure of the questionnaire was analyzed by factor analysis. The questionnaire's reliability and validity were also examined. The data were then analyzed with multiple correlation comparisons and an independent sample T-test. Results: Six factors emerged for families of children with ASD. The results showed that the cumulative explanatory variance of the six dimensions of the questionnaire was 65.42%. The Cronbach's coefficient of each dimension was between 0.7 and 0.9, and the combined Cronbach's coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.945. This study found that the overall average positive contribution to families by children with ASD was 3.32, which is at a medium level, and all six dimensions were at a medium-to-high level. This study also found that the family's monthly income contributed to the overall positive contribution, intimacy and happiness, and gaining more special knowledge through experience dimensions. Furthermore, it was found that moderate severity of ASD, high income, and parental employment were all associated with more positive contributions. Conclusion: This new questionnaire appears to have good reliability and validity and seems suitable for assessing the positive contributions to families by children with ASD in China. Implications: The present study may be helpful for the parents of children with ASD and will likely help them focus on the strengths of their children rather than their shortcomings. The study might also benefit counselors and researchers who would be able to use the new questionnaire to evaluate the positive contributions made to families by children who have ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Questionnaires are useful tools for clinicians. This study aimed to translate the Dizziness Handicap Inventory for Patient Caregivers (DHI-PC) into Persian (DHI-PC-P) and assess its psychometric properties for children aged 5-12 years. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical psychometrics study. After obtaining permission from the developers of the DHI-PC, translation into Persian and cross-cultural adaptation were done according to the international guidelines for self-assessment tools recommended by the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons. Participants were 21 parents (mean age: 38.05 years, SD=6.1 years, 18 female) and their children with dizziness (mean age 8.69 years, SD=2.41 years, 9 female) between the ages of 5-12 years old. Face validity, content validity, and test-retest reliability at an interval of 14-21 days were evaluated for the DHI-PC-P. Results: The face validity was confirmed qualitatively by the experts' opinions and quantitatively by calculating the item impact score. Content validity was confirmed by calculating the content validity index and the content validity ratio (0.97 and 0.86, respectively). The internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha=0.90). For the testretest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient was obtained 0.94, indicating an excellent reliability. Conclusion: The DHI-PC-P can be used clinically as a valid and reliable tool for children with dizziness aged 5-12 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) was adapted for American and Chinese youth, but never for European youth. Moreover, the factor structures found in these previous studies were not consistent. Methods. The DTS was adapted for Portuguese children and then validated among 153 children aged 6–13 years with emotional disorders. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted; the DTS reliability and validity were analyzed, and sex and age differences were explored. A sub-sample of children who received a transdiagnostic CBT (Unified Protocol for Children) was used to analyze the DTS's sensitivity to therapeutic change. Results. The five tested models (based on previous studies) exhibited adequate fit in the CFA. However, the model previously reported for use in American children with emotional disorders was selected as the most appropriate. The DTS demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, and its validity was established through significant negative associations with measures of anxiety, depression and negative affect, as well as positive associations with positive affect. Age and sex differences were discussed. The DTS scores significantly increased from pre- to post-treatment, demonstrating sensitivity to therapeutic change. Conclusions. The DTS is a suitable and useful measure for assessing children's distress tolerance and to assess the efficacy of CBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infant colic, causing excessive crying, poses anxiety for parents and a challenge for pediatricians and nurses. The Infant Colic Scale (ICS) serves to assess the severity and causal factors of colic. Despite its significance, the psychometric properties of ICS have not been evaluated in the Iranian population. This study seeks to address this gap by assessing the psychometric properties of ICS in Iran. Methods: A sample of 220 mothers with 2-16-week-old term infants diagnosed with infantile colic was selected through convenience sampling. Following forward and back-translation, the face validity, content validity, and construct validity of ICS were systematically evaluated. Reliability was examined through both internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest stability methods. Results: Content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) values for ICS were 0.94 and 0.81, respectively. The good fit indices confirmed the validity of the five-factor structure. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were 0.71 and 0.94, respectively. Conclusion: The Persian version of ICS is a valid and reliable tool, suitable for assessing infantile colic in the Iranian population. Future studies and clinical practice can utilize this tool to identify major causes of this disorder in the Iranian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity is critical to functional rehabilitation for youth with chronic pain, which may be especially true for those with co-occurring obesity. To facilitate the development of physical activity interventions for youth with chronic pain, the newly developed "Rating of Perceived Exertion—Pediatric" scale was modeled after the widely used pain numeric rating scale-11. This study is an initial evaluation of the scale in a sample of adolescents (n = 157, 13–17 years, 51% female) with four subgroups: (1) healthy controls (healthy weight/no pain); (2) chronic pain/healthy weight; (3) obese (no pain); (4) chronic pain/obese. Participants rated perceived exertion using the new scale and the Borg 6–20 Scale of Perceived Exertion while holding a three-minute yoga pose (Warrior II). In the whole sample, the Perceived Exertion—Pediatric scale showed good concurrent (p < 0.001), convergent (all ps < 0.05), discriminant (p = 0.431), and known-groups validity (all ps < 0.05). The chronic pain subgroup also showed good concurrent (p < 0.001), mixed convergent (ps < 0.001 to 0.315), and good discriminant validity (p = 0.607). Limitations include the restricted age range, lack of diversity, and lack of test-retest reliability. The RPE-P shows promise as an assessment tool for perceived exertion in adolescents with and without chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knowledge on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is limited, and longitudinal studies are lacking. We aimed to describe OHRQoL in children and adolescents with JIA compared to controls, and to explore the validity and internal consistency of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance (Child-OIDP). Furthermore, we wanted to investigate associations between OHRQoL and orofacial pain, physical health, disease activity, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement in JIA. Methods: The Norwegian prospective, multicenter cohort study recruited participants with JIA between 4 and 16 years of age and corresponding controls from three pediatric university hospital departments and public dental health services. In the present study, we analyzed OHRQoL in all children < 12 years with the ECOHIS and adolescents ≥ 12 years with the Child-OIDP at the first visit and the two-year follow-up. Associations between OHRQoL and JIA characteristics, collected in clinical exam and questionnaires, were analyzed in logistic regressions. Results: The same OHRQoL questionnaire was completed both at first visit and two-year follow-up in 101 children < 12 years (47 JIA, 54 controls) and 213 adolescents ≥ 12 years (111 JIA, 102 controls). The frequency of OHRQoL impacts in children was similar at the first visit and the two-year follow-up (ECOHIS > 0: JIA group 81% and 85%, p = 0.791; control group 65% and 69%, p = 0.815), while adolescents with JIA reported fewer impacts at the two-year follow-up (Child OIDP > 0: JIA group 27% and 15%, p = 0.004; control group 21% and 14%, p = 0.230). The internal consistency of the OHRQoL instruments was overall acceptable and the criterion validity indicated that the instruments were valid at both visits. Orofacial pain was more frequent in children and adolescents with JIA than in controls. We found associations between OHRQoL impacts and orofacial pain, impaired physical health, disease activity, and TMJ involvement. Conclusions: Children and adolescents with orofacial pain or impaired physical health were more likely to report impacts on daily life activities than those without. Pediatric rheumatologists and dentists should be aware of impaired OHRQoL in individuals with JIA with active disease or temporomandibular joint involvement. Trial registration: Registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03904459, 05/04/2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness of the importance of physical literacy (PL) is globally increasing; however, knowledge of the applicability of PL measurement tools in southeastern Europe is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of translated versions of the CAPL-2 and PLAYself questionnaires in 9- to 11-year-old elementary school children from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The participants were 303 children (141 girls; all 9 to 11 years of age) from Croatia (n = 71), Bosnia and Herzegovina (n = 162), and Montenegro (n = 70), enrolled in regular elementary school. The participants were tested throughout a test–retest procedure using two PL evaluation tools, i.e., the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (shorter version, CAPL-2) and the Physical Literacy Assessment of Youth (PLAYself) questionnaires. With an intraclass correlation (ICC) of 0.70–0.80 for specific questionnaire subscales and 0.84 for the total score, PLAYself was found to be reliable. With Kappa values of 0.11–0.23 and a percentage of absolute agreement of less than 62%, CAPL-2 appeared to be less reliable. Factors related to sport participation were significantly positively associated with the PLAYself score, indicating its proper validity. In conclusion, we suggest the usage of the PLAYself questionnaire in further studies examining PL in children of a similar age in the region. Future studies in other age groups and languages are also warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) is a patient-reported outcome measure that assesses the frequency and severity of dysphagia in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE); however, it has only been validated for use in patients with EoE aged 11–40 years. This study examined the content validity of the DSQ and its usability on an electronic handheld device in children aged 7–10 years with EoE. Methods: In this qualitative, observational cohort study, participants were recruited to partake in two rounds of interviews. During visit 1, a cognitive interview examined EoE-associated concepts and the appropriateness of the DSQ for assessing dysphagia. Participants completed the DSQ daily for 2 weeks, and DSQ scores were calculated. After 2 weeks, a second interview assessed the usability of the DSQ on the electronic device and the burden associated with completing it daily. Results: Overall, 16 participants were included (aged 7–8 years: n = 8; aged 9–10 years: n = 8); most were male (75%) and white (81%), and the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 8.4 (1.3) years. The most commonly reported EoE-associated concept was 'trouble with swallowing' (63% [10/16]). Most participants reported that the questions were 'easy to complete' and 'relevant to someone with EoE and dysphagia'. Overall, participants reported understanding the questions and associated responses; however, further probing demonstrated inconsistent comprehension. Key challenging concepts included 'solid food', 'trouble swallowing', 'vomit', and 'relief'; some participants also reported difficulty differentiating between pain levels (31% [4/13]). Most caregivers reported that their child had experienced dysphagia (94% [15/16]); however, mean (SD) DSQ scores over the study period were low (7.3 [7.4]), suggesting infrequent and mild dysphagia, or a lack of comprehension of the questions. Most participants reported that completing the DSQ on the electronic device was easy (93% [14/15]) and they would be willing to complete it for longer than 2 weeks (73% [11/15]). Conclusions: Difficulties with comprehension and comprehensiveness suggest that the DSQ may not be sufficiently comprehensive for use in all patients in this population, and wording/phrasing changes are required before use in a clinical trial setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures that facilitate self-report by children are needed to reduce the bias of proxy report. We previously developed an electronic Pediatric Asthma Symptom Diary (ePASD) to assess the severity of daily asthma symptoms and proximal impacts in children aged 6–11 years with mild to severe asthma. The ePASD, administered via a digital application with visuals, sounds, and text, is uniquely designed to minimize the importance of reading skills on children's ability to self-report accurately. Here, we describe the ePASD's psychometric properties. Methods: Ninety-one children aged 6–11 years with mild to severe asthma and their caregivers participated in 2 study visits, which consisted of training on the provisioned device and completing asthma-specific clinical outcome assessment (COA) questionnaires. The children self-completed the ePASD at home twice daily for 8 consecutive days. The scoring of the ePASD was guided by factor analyses, inter-item correlations, and internal consistencies. Reliability, discriminating ability, construct validity, and responsiveness were evaluated for ePASD items and candidate scores. Results: All COAs included in the study—the ePASD, Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Childhood Asthma Control Test, Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire–Standardized (PAQLQ[S]), and global ratings—demonstrated that the children exhibited few asthma-related symptoms and impacts at all timepoints, and consequently, showed little change over time. Internal consistencies (all Cronbach's alphas ≥ 0.52) and test-retest reliabilities (all intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.60) were largely satisfactory. Patterns of convergent and divergent correlations supported the construct validity of ePASD scores. The ePASD symptom scores correlated moderately to strongly with PAQLQ(S) Symptom scores (all correlations ≥ − 0.46) and with ACQ scores (all correlations ≥ 0.42), as predicted. Evidence of the discriminating ability of ePASD items and composite scores was demonstrated by known-groups analyses. Conclusions: The ePASD is a reliable and valid measure of asthma symptoms and proximal impacts in children aged 6–11 years with mild, moderate, or severe asthma. These results lay the psychometric groundwork for use of the ePASD in future clinical trials for the management of pediatric asthma. An ongoing pediatric asthma treatment trial is anticipated to provide evidence of the ePASD's responsiveness to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically examines pediatric adnexal torsion, proposing a diagnostic approach using machine learning techniques to distinguish it from acute appendicitis. Our retrospective analysis involved 41 female pediatric patients divided into two groups: 21 with adnexal torsion (group 1) and 20 with acute appendicitis (group 2). In group 1, the average age was 10 ± 2.6 years, while in group 2, it was 9.8 ± 21.9 years. Our analysis found no statistically significant age distinctions between these two groups. Despite acute lower abdominal pain being a common factor, group 1 displayed shorter pain duration (28.9 h vs. 46.8 h, p < 0.05), less vomiting (28% vs. 50%, p < 0.05), lower fever incidence (4.7% vs. 50%, p < 0.05), reduced leukocytosis (57% vs. 75%, p < 0.05), and CRP elevation (30% vs. 80%, p < 0.05) compared to group 2. Machine learning techniques, specifically support vector classifiers, were employed using clinical presentation, pain duration, white blood cell counts, and ultrasound findings as features. The classifier consistently demonstrated an average predictive accuracy of 87% to 97% in distinguishing adnexal torsion from appendicitis, as confirmed across various SVM models employing different kernels. Our findings emphasize the capacity of support vector machines (SVMs) and machine learning as a whole to augment diagnostic accuracy when distinguishing between adnexal torsion and acute appendicitis. Nevertheless, it is imperative to validate these results through more extensive investigations and explore alternative machine learning models for a comprehensive understanding of their diagnostic capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air displacement plethysmography (ADP) has been considered as the 'standard' method to determine body fat in children due to superior validity and reliability compared with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). However, ADP and BIA are often used interchangeably despite few studies comparing measures of percentage body fat by ADP (%FMADP) with BIA (%FMBIA) in children with and without obesity. The objective of this study was to measure concurrent validity and reliability of %FMADP and %FMBIA in 6-to-12-year-old boys with and without obesity. Seventy-one boys (twenty-five with obesity) underwent body composition assessment. Ten boys participated in intra-day reliability analysis. %FMADP was estimated by Bodpod using sex- and age-specific equations of body density. %FMBIA was estimated by a multi-frequency, hand-to-foot device using child-specific equations based on impedance. Validity was assessed by t tests, correlation coefficients and limits of agreement (LoA); and reliability by technical error of measurement (TEM) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Compared with %FMADP, %FMBIA was significantly underestimated in the cohort (–3·4 ± 5·6 %; effect size = 0·42) and in both boys with obesity (–5·2 ± 5·5 %; ES = 0·90) and without obesity (–2·4 ± 5·5 %; ES = 0·52). A strong, significant positive correlation was found between %FMADP and %FMBIA (r = 0·80). Across the cohort, LoA were 22·3 %, and no proportional bias was detected. For reliability, TEM were 0·65 % and 0·55 %, and ICC were 0·93 and 0·95 for %FMBIA and %FMADP, respectively. Whilst both %FMADP and %FMBIA are highly reliable methods, considerable differences indicated that the devices cannot be used interchangeably in boys age 6-to-12 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recognizing the need for a reliable and valid instrument to assess psychological distress among children and adolescents, the present study translated the newly developed Depression Anxiety Stress Scale for Youth (DASS-Y) into Chinese, while also comparing its psychometric properties with those of the well-established DASS-21 within a primary and middle school demographic. Methods: Utilizing a combination of convenience sampling and purposive sampling, a cohort comprising 1,507 primary and 1,131 middle school students was recruited. Rasch analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used in the data analysis. Results: Significant differences were observed between the DASS-Y and the DASS-21, notably within the anxiety subscale. The proportions of individuals with clinical mood disorders identified by the two scales demonstrated a significant disparity. Both scales, following an adjustment of responses, exhibited satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity, with the acceptance of a three-factor structure. Furthermore, the DASS-Y showed superior discriminant validity relative to the DASS-21, providing more compelling evidence regarding concurrent validity. Conclusion: Overall, the Chinese version of the DASS-Y demonstrated superior robustness to the DASS-21 in terms of psychometric properties. The findings provide initial evidence for the psychometric properties of the DASS-Y from another culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Reviewing the literature related to the use of polysyllabic words in the assessment of speech sound disorders (SSD) in children have indicated the necessity of using these words for providing additional information such as prognostic information. Despite strong literature in other languages, there is scant research on examining the production of these words in the Persian language among children aged 4-7 years. Therefore, this study aims to design and assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the polysyllabic words test (PWT) for measuring production skills in Iranian preschool children. Materials & Methods In this cross-sectional study, First, 532 polysyllabic words with 3, 4, 5, and 6 syllables were selected from preschool children's books, which was reduced to 66 words after agreement among authors in three rounds. The content validity of the items was examined according to the opinions of five experts in typical speech development and SSD in terms of four criteria: Appropriateness for producing polysyllabic words, appropriateness for children aged 4-7 years, imageability, and cultural fit. After selecting pictures, face validity of items was examined by implementing the test on eight 4-7-year-old children (at least one child from each age group). Finally, 40 items were considered as the final words of PWT. For measuring psychometric properties, 120 children with normal development (60 males, 60 females), and 20 children with SSD (10 males, 10 females) participated. The control children were divided into 6 age groups with a 6-month interval (10 males and 10 females in each age group). Their inclusion criteria were age 4-7 years, not being bilingual, and passing the Persian diagnostic evaluation of articulation and phonology test (DEAP; Zarifian, 2014) and informal language screening test successfully. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of most schools, the sampling of control children was done using a convenience method from two cities (Tehran and Karaj). The inclusion criteria for SSD children were: Inability to pass the DEAP test, not being bilingual, and having SSD. Their sampling was also done using a convenience method. For evaluating construct validity, the differences among six age groups, between males and females, and between control and SSD children were examined in terms of total score, percent consonants correct (PCC), percent vowels correct (PVC), and percent phonemes correct (PPC). Test-retest reliability was determined using 20 children at a one-week interval, and interrater reliability was determined by investigation of relations between scores of two independent raters for 20 children using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The internal consistency was determined by measuring the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, independent t-test, Tuckey's post hoc test, were used for data analysis in SPSS software, version 26. Results In comparing the age groups, the results showed a significant difference in terms of total score, PCC and PPC (P<0.001), but not significant difference was found in PVC (P=0.23). No significant differences were found between males and females in total score, PCC, PPC, or PVC. In comparing control and SSD children, the results showed a significant difference between the two groups in total score, PCC, PPC (P<0.001), and PVC (P=0.02). The ICC was reported 0.98 for test-retest reliability and 0.79 for intra-rater reliability. The internal consistency was 0.75 for 3-syllable words, 0.65 for 4-syllable words, and 0.63 for 5-syllable words. Conclusion The Persian PWT can be used as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring speech production ability of Iranian children with SSD aged 4-7 years in clinical settings or for research. This test is consistent with other tests such as Baker (2013)'s test in terms of considering methodological principles such as inclusion words with different lengths, phonetic forms, and stress patterns, high imageability, using common words for preschool children, and providing opportunities for eliciting common error patterns of the target language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Child aggression is not easily reduced as children grow up, and it is a serious problem that can develop into a life of crime if left unaddressed. (2) Methods: This study was conducted among elementary school children and their parents in C and K provinces and D city. Data were collected through a survey. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyze parental hostility and each child's self-control and aggression. (3) Results: Child aggression had a significant negative correlation with self-control and a significant positive correlation with parental hostility. In particular, there was a significant positive correlation between physical aggression and revenge, which are sub-factors of parental hostility. In addition, the children's self-control was significantly negatively correlated with parental hostility. (4) Conclusions: Since there is a positive correlation between children's aggression and self-control, it is necessary to develop strategies to improve self-control when seeking intervention measures for children's aggression. In addition, since there is a significant quantitative correlation between children's aggression and parental hostility, it is necessary to deal with parental hostility in order to control children's aggression. Since there is a significant negative correlation between parental hostility and children's self-control, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of parental attitudes and behaviors to improve children's self-control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several studies report on the importance of physical activity (PA) in childhood, which influences attitudes towards health in adulthood. For monitoring PA, trustworthy measurement tools are needed. The study aimed to adapt the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) to the Hungarian language and assess its validity, reliability, and factor structure. Methods: A total of 620 children (the average age was 10.62 (SD 2.36)) participated in the cross-sectional study. To assess physical activity, the PAQ-C questionnaire was used. The collected data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 28.0 and IBM SPSS AMOS 29.0 software. Results: The internal consistency was acceptable (alpha = 0.729) and the test-retest reliability showed acceptable agreement (ICC = 0.772). The confirmatory factor favoured a one-factor structure of the questionnaire. The average PAQ-C score for girls was 2.87 (SD 1.07), and for boys it was 3.00 (SD 1.05), which showed a significant difference (p = 0.005). Discussion: Based on our findings, our study tested the validity and reliability of the one-factor PAQ-C questionnaire, a valid and reliable measurement tool to test the physical activity patterns of primary school children in a Hungarian sample. Further research is needed to develop physical activity monitoring of Hungarian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) are important for pre-school children's health and development. Currently, no tools with appropriate content validity exist that concurrently capture these movement behaviours in young children. The aim of this study was to co-design and assess the content validity of a novel tool to concurrently measure movement behaviours in pre-school aged children (aged 3–4 years). Methods: We followed four distinct steps to develop and assess the content validity of Movement Measurement in the Early Years (MoveMEY): (1) We conducted an extensive literature search, to identify pre-existing proxy measurement tools (questionnaires and diaries) to inform the design of a novel tool, which aimed to effectively capture movement behaviour guidelines of pre-school aged children. (2) We facilitated focus group discussions with parents and carers of pre-school aged children (n = 11) and (3) a qualitative survey with free text responses was completed by topic relevant researchers (n = 6), to co-design the measurement tool. (4) We assessed the content validity of the developed tool, MoveMEY, through interviews with parents of pre-school aged children (n = 12) following piloting of the tool. Results: We developed an initial version of MoveMEY based on the format of an existing questionnaire and by mapping the content of questions to the guidelines. Co-design of MoveMEY resulted in changes to the format (e.g. short questionnaire to a seven-day diary) and content (e.g. inclusion of 'general information' questions on illness, disabilities and sleep disturbances; question on screen time before bed). Content validity assessment demonstrated that the items of MoveMEY were relevant and comprehensive for the assessment of children's movement behaviours. MoveMEY was felt to be comprehensible, however, parental suggestions were implemented to finalise and improve MoveMEY (e.g. adding examples to questions aiming to detect moderate to vigorous physical activity). Conclusion: MoveMEY is the first co-designed measurement tool that has relevance for assessing the movement behaviour guidelines of pre-school aged children. Parent/carer and topic relevant researcher involvement throughout the development process resulted in a seven-day daily reported activity diary that is comprehensive of children's movement behaviours and comprehensible to parents and carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this project was to identify the top 10 priorities for childhood chronic conditions and disability (CCD) research from the perspectives of children and young people with lived experience, their parents and caregivers and the professionals who work with them. Methods: We conducted a three‐stage study based on the James Lind Alliance priority‐setting partnership methods. It comprised two online surveys (n = 200; n = 201) and a consensus workshop (n = 21) with these three stakeholder groups in Australia. Results: In the first stage, 456 responses were submitted, which were coded and collapsed into 40 overarching themes. In the second stage, 20 themes were shortlisted, which were further refined in stage 3, before the top 10 priorities being selected. Of these, the top three priorities were improving awareness and inclusion in all aspects of their life (school, work and social relationships), improving access to treatments and support and improving the process of diagnosis. Conclusions: The top 10 priorities identified reflect the need to focus on the individual, health systems and social aspects of the CCD experience when conducting research in this area. Patient or Public Contribution: This study was guided by three Advisory Groups, comprising (1) young people living with CCD; (2) parents and caregivers of a child or young person with CCD and (3) professionals working with children and young people with CCD. These groups met several times across the course of the project and provided input into study aims, materials, methods and data interpretation and reporting. Additionally, the lead author and seven members of the author group have lived and experienced CCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in children in Saudi Arabia. Cytogenetic investigations, including karyotyping and FISH, are used to determine the incidence and prognostic significance of chromosomal abnormalities in B-ALL. However, in ALL, accurate identification of the morphology of chromosomes is sometimes not achieved. Flow cytometric DI may have the advantage of being technically fast, using either fresh or frozen samples to correctly stratify the patient into the appropriate risk group for treatment. In this study, we evaluated the reliability and validity of using fixed samples instead of fresh samples to determine aneuploidy in cancer cells using a DNA index. The results of the DNA index obtained by flow cytometry were compared with those of conventional cytogenetic analysis to validate the accuracy. Fixed samples (n = 72) from children diagnosed with B-ALL at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh between 2017 and 2019 were investigated. The results showed strong and statistically significant positive correlation between DNAI-FCM and conventional cytogenetic analysis (p = 0.000 < 0.01). The DNA index value by flow cytometry was proportional to the cytogenetic study in 94.36% (67) of the cases, while discrepancy was observed in 5.6% (four) cases. Our findings highlight the ability of the DNA index method to provide complementary information for the accurate diagnosis of aneuploidy in patients with B-ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective In the absence of an age normed developmental battery for Persian, the major objectives of this research are to develop a reliable and valid clinical linguistic battery to collect normative data from 3 to 7-year-old healthy Persian speaking children. The battery can also be used to measure severity of language impairments in 3 to 7-year-old Persian speaking children as compared with their aged matched peers. Materials & Methods Development of this battery is considered as a descriptive tool in which reliability and validity of the normative data were developed in 3 stages. The first version with 9 different sub-tests, 180 items and two descriptive pictures was developed after cultural and linguistic adaptations for the Persian language for different linguistic levels of phonology, morphology, syntax and pragmatics. The first draft was performed using 200 3 to 8-year-old healthy children in Tehran to measure the sensitivity of different tasks of the test for different age groups. This draft was not sensitive for 8-year-old children. The CVR of the first draft of the battery was checked by 3 Persian speaking clinical linguistic experts and 3 expert speech therapists and also was introduced to 20 SLP experts in a clinical linguistic workshop. In the second stage, based on the results and suggestions, necessary corrections were made in the test structure and items. Also, plural morpheme task of the previous version which was not sensitive enough, was removed and a new semantic task (word definition) as a sensitive semantic task used in other developmental language batteries was added to the battery. The results showed that the diagnostic sensitivity of the test for the 8-year-old age group is not satisfactory. The final version of the battery consisted of 9 subtests with 105 items and two descriptive pictures were used to collect normative data from 200 children. To evaluate reliability and validity of the final version, the opinions of 8 speech therapists and linguists were used.and to evaluate the construct validity, the correlation matrix and confirmatory factor analysis and for its validity Cronbach's alpha were used. The final version of the battery was sent to expert speech therapists in 5 selected target group provinces (Tehran, Mazandaran, Fars, Esfahan and Khorasan) to collect normative data from 1200 3 to 7-year-old typically developement children in available kindergartens and schools. Finally, the collected data for task items and connected speech measures were processed and analyzed using SPSS software, version 20. Results The content validity was 0.78 and test reliability was 0.76. In addition to confirm the construct validity and diagnostic validity of the test, the correlation between the sub-tests and the overall test scores were also significant at the level of 0.01 (with a correlation of 0.20 to 0.83). The norm for each age group was six months and one year and was calculated as a standard score and reported in the tables. Conclusion Finally, the results of the normative data of this battery are proved to be clinically normative as an indication of the level of linguistic development for each age group and also determine the severity of their language impairment. The battery can also be used to measure the efficacy of rehabilitation in 3 to 7-year old Persian speaking children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing use of the Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits (ICU) to examine callous-unemotional traits, few studies have explicitly tested the most appropriate ICU factor structures and measurement invariance in Chinese children at preschool age. This study was conducted with a large community sample of 2055 Chinese preschoolers (53.6% male, M age = 62.23 months, SD = 9.91) to test the most appropriate model of ICU and the measurement invariance across parent gender, child gender, as well as age. The confirmatory factor model suggested that the two-factor model with 11 items (ICU-11) is the best-fitting model for a Chinese preschool sample, which includes a callousness and an unemotional factor. The results from measurement invariance revealed that the factor structures were invariant across child gender, as well as child age and parental gender. The finding suggested that the ICU-11 may be a useful tool for evaluating CU traits in Chinese preschoolers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Involving communities in research priority setting can increase the relevance and efficiency of research, leading to better health outcomes. However these exercises often lack clarity in how communities are involved and the extent to which priorities are acted upon is unclear. Seldom-heard groups, for example ethnic minorities may experience barriers to participation. We report methods and outcomes of an inclusive co-produced community research priority setting exercise within the multicultural and deprived city of Bradford, UK. The aim was to identify priorities for keeping children happy and healthy and was undertaken by the Born in Bradford (BiB) research programme to inform future research agendas. Methods: A 12 member multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic community steering group led the process using a modified James Lind Alliance approach between December 2018-March 2020. Research priorities were collected through a widely distributed paper and online survey. Respondents were asked to list three important things to keep children i) happy, ii) healthy and what needs to change to improve either health or happiness. Free text data were coded iteratively by community researchers, and shared priorities were co-produced in a series of workshops and meetings with the community steering group and community members. Results: Five hundred eighty-eight respondents to the survey identified 5748 priorities, which were coded into 22 themes. These covered a range of individual, social and wider socioeconomic, environmental and cultural priorities. Diet/nutrition and exercise were most commonly identified as important for health, including what needs to change to improve health. For happiness, home life and family relationships, listening to children, and education/activities were the most commonly identified. Community assets were identified as important to change for both health and happiness. From the survey response the steering group developed 27 research questions. There were mapped onto existing and planned research agendas within BiB. Conclusions: Communities identified both structural and individual factors as important priorities for health and happiness. We demonstrate how communities can be involved in priority setting using a co-productive approach in the hope this can be used as a model for others. The resulting shared research agenda will shape future research to improve the health of families living in Bradford. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Family-centered rehabilitative care optimizes outcomes for children with significant developmental disabilities. Family-centered services involve assessing family resources that promote positive developmental outcomes for children. Little is known regarding family resources in the context of caring for a child with developmental disabilities in Brazil due to an absence of validated measures. This study describes the translation and cultural adaptation of the Family Resource Scale and explored the measurement quality of the resulting measure (the Brazilian-Family Resource Scale, or B-FRS). METHODS: A rigorous serial translation process that emphasized linguistic accuracy as well as cultural adaptation was utilized. The resulting 27-item B-FRS was theoretically related and reflected the contextual intent of the original measure. RESULTS: A four-factor scoring approach yielded acceptable internal consistency estimates for the subscales and total scale score. Overall, low levels of family resources were reported by caregivers of children with Congenital Zika Syndrome. Low family resources were associated with parental depressive and stress-related symptoms. CONCLUSION: Confirmatory factor analysis of the B-FRS in a larger sample is recommended. Practitioners in Brazil should broadly consider family needs and resources to provide family-centered care that is effective for the child and engages the family in a way that highlights their strengths and promotes positive developmental trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Robust measures of integration are essential for assessment of the development, design and implementation of integration within healthcare systems. This review aimed to identify measurement instruments for integration within children and young people’s (CYP) healthcare systems (PROSPERO registration number CRD42021235383). Methods: We searched electronic databases (PubMED and Ovid Embase) using three main concepts: ‘(integrated care) AND (child population) AND (measurement)’, along with additional searches. Results: Fifteen studies describing 16 measurement instruments were eligible for inclusion. The majority of studies were conducted in the USA. There was a diversity of health conditions included in the studies. The most frequent type of assessment used was a questionnaire (11 identified), but interviews, patient data and healthcare records, and focus groups were also used. Integration outcomes assessed were quality of care coordination, quality of collaboration, continuity of care, completeness of care, structure of care, quality of communication, and local implementation of integrated care. Conclusion: A variety of instruments for the measurement of integration within CYP healthcare systems were identified. Further work on the standardisation of integrated care measures would be valuable; however, it is important that instruments and measures meet the needs of specific settings, populations and conditions being studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly common in children and can continue lifelong. Looking at children's participation in detail is excessively important since it affects their quality of life (QoL). The Iranian children's participation assessment scale is a questionnaire that determines children's participation and is primarily built for children with cerebral palsy. This study aims to estimate the psychometric properties of this questionnaire for children with ADHD. Methods: The content validity was estimated using the Lawshe method with 8 occupational therapy experts (5 with a PhD and 3 with a MA degree with at least 5 years of experience). Test-retest reliability was done using an intraclass correlation class (ICC) in a two-week interval among 30 children with ADHD. Results: Regarding content validity, CVI was found to be 1 for all items, and CVR values were between 0.75 and 1 for all items. Regarding reliability, the ICC result was 1 for all the items. Discussion: No item was omitted in the validity part, and all items showed good reliability. The test is valid and reliable for children with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining children's physical activity levels is crucial to preventing obesity and improving their health and well-being. However, achieving the recommended daily level of 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity can be difficult for children with disabilities. Moreover, children with disabilities spend less time engaging in physical activity than their typically developing peers. This study aimed to assess the personal, environmental, and social determinants of physical activity among children with disabilities. This quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey of a convenient sample, including 125 parents of children with disabilities aged between 5 and 18 years from different regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Approximately 40.8% of the participants were aged between 41 and 50 years, and 57.6% (the participants and friends of their children) did not engage in regular exercise. Statistically significant differences were observed between the perception of children's health and physical activity summary scores and the engagement of children's friends in physical activity and physical activity summary scores. Efforts should be made to reinforce parents' perceptions of their children's health regarding physical activity and to support the social determinants of physical activity that ensure their children's friends' engagement. Specialized interventional studies are needed to support parents with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The medium-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of children and adolescents remains unclear. More than 2 years into the pandemic, we aimed to quantify the frequency and determinants of having been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and estimate its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health. Methods: Data was drawn from a population-based cohort of children and adolescents, recruited between December 2021 and June 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Coronavirus impact scale was used to assess the multidimensional impact of the pandemic on children through parent's report. A score higher than one standard deviation above the mean was deemed a severe impact. Parents additionally reported about their offspring HRQoL and mental health with validated scales. Determinants of having been severely impacted were assessed with logistic models, as were the associations between having experienced a severe impact and poor HRQoL or mental health. Results: Out of 2101 participants aged 2–17, 12.7% had experienced a severe pandemic impact. Having a lasting health condition, a pandemic-related worsening of lifestyle habits or an unfavorable family environment were associated with having been severely impacted by the pandemic, while a previous anti-SARS-CoV-2 infection was not. Participants who had experienced a severe pandemic impact were more likely to present poor HRQoL (aOR = 3.1; 95% CI 2.3–4.4) and poor mental health (aOR = 3.9; 95% CI 2.5–6.2). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic may have persistent consequences on the wellbeing of children and adolescents, especially among those with health and family vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to identify children who are struggling with emergent literacy skills as early as possible to provide them with the support they need to prevent future academic failure. Screening tools administered in groups are more cost-effective than those administered individually, but few are available in Portugal. The goal of this study was to explore the psychometric properties (difficulty, reliability, and validity) of a group emergent literacy screening test for Portuguese-speaking children. The test includes two phonological awareness tasks, one vocabulary task, and one concepts of print task. The sample comprised 1379 children from pre-K (n = 314), kindergarten (n = 579), and first grade of primary education (n = 486). Measures of emergent literacy, reading and writing skills, and academic achievement were used to test the validity of the screening test. The Rasch model results suggest that the tasks were suitably difficult for the kindergarten group, but had varying levels of difficulty for pre-K and first grade. Reliability was adequate for the tasks with an appropriate level of difficulty. Scores for the screening test were highly correlated with measures of literacy and with academic achievement. These findings suggest that the presented emergent literacy screening test is valid and reliable, making it a useful tool for practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]