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Background Young adults in Neither in Employment, Education nor Training (NEET) are at risk of adverse labour market outcomes. Earlier studies often measured NEET status at one time point or compared persistent NEETs with non-NEETs, neglecting other patterns of NEET status. Evidence on early life factors associated with NEET patterns is lacking. This study aims to (i) identify patterns of NEET status over time and (ii) examine whether factors in childhood and adolescence are associated with these patterns. Methods Data were used from 1499 participants of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a Dutch prospective cohort study with 15-year follow-up. NEET status was assessed at ages 19, 22 and 26. Socioeconomic status of parents (SES), intelligence and negative life events were measured at age 11, educational attainment at age 26 and mental health problems at ages 11, 13.5 and 16. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results Four NEET patterns were identified: (i) non-NEETs (85.2%), (ii) early NEETs (4.5%), (iii) late NEETs (5.7%) and (iv) persistent NEETs (4.5%). Reporting internalizing problems at age 11 was a risk factor for early and late NEETs [odds ratio (OR) 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–6.62; OR 5.00, 95% CI 2.22–11.3, respectively]. Low parental SES, lower intelligence scores and negative life events (≥3) were risk factors for persistent NEETs (OR 4.45, 95% CI 2.00–9.91; OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.98; OR 4.42, 95% CI 1.62–12.08, respectively). Conclusions The results highlight the importance of timing and duration of NEET status and emphasize the need for tailored interventions to prevent specific NEET patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major focus of this research is the level of awareness among Dutch parents of general patient rights in relation to minors' patient rights. Moreover, this study is intended to highlight the most effective strategies to increase the awareness of general and minor patient rights in the Netherlands. A survey was conducted among 1010 Dutch parents aged between 35 and 55 years who had at least one child. In this study, we described the relationship between the knowledge among parents of general patient rights and their understanding of the patient rights of minors. A significant connection was found between the knowledge levels of general patient rights and the knowledge levels of the patient rights of minors (p < 0.05 [95% CI: 0.019–0.183]). While age and sex (male/female) did not appear to be significant confounders in this association, the educational background of the participants may have played a role. This study provides comprehensive insights into the association between the knowledge of general patient rights and the patient rights of minors among Dutch parents. Furthermore, this study points out that there is a need for focused educational interventions to address specific areas of misunderstanding or uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Parental education is one of the best predictors of child school achievement. Higher parental education is not only associated with higher child intelligence, but children from highly educated parents also perform better in school due to other family related factors. This study evaluates the relation between parental education, child non-verbal intelligence and parenting practices with child school achievement. Methods Longitudinal data from a large population-based, multi-ethnic cohort of children in the Netherlands (63% Dutch origin) followed from birth to age 13 years (3547 children; 52.3% girls) were analyzed. School achievement was measured at the end of primary school (12 years of age) with a national Dutch academic test score. Parental education was assessed at age 3 years. The non-verbal intelligence of the child was measured at age 6 years and a full intelligence was measured at age 13 years. Maternal and paternal family routines, harsh parenting and corporal punishment were assessed in early and mid-childhood. Mediation analysis was performed with the G-formula and Structural Equation Models. Results Child intelligence partially mediated [B indirect effect =0.54 95% CI (0.46, 0.62) P  < 0.001] the association between parental education and child school achievement. Independent of intelligence, family routines [B indirect effect =0.04 95% CI (0.01, 0.07) P  < 0.01], but not harsh parenting mediated this association. Conclusions Higher parental education was associated with better school achievement through two independent mechanisms, through higher intelligence of the child and parenting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposures to phthalates and bisphenols are associated with impaired brain development in animals. However, epidemiological studies investigating the association between prenatal phthalate or bisphenol exposure and cognition have produced mixed findings and mostly had modest sample sizes and measured the exposure during the third trimester. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between pregnancy maternal urinary biomarkers of phthalate or bisphenol exposure and nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ) in children 6 years of age. METHOD: The study sample consisted of 1,282 mother-child pairs participating in the Generation R Study, a population-based birth cohort in Rotterdam, Netherlands (enrollment 2002-2006). We measured maternal urinary concentrations of 18 phthalate metabolites and 8 bisphenols at <18, 18-25, and >25 wks of gestation. Child nonverbal IQ was measured at 6 years of age using the Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test-Revised. Linear regression models were fit for each of the three collection phases separately, the three collection phases jointly, and for the averaged prenatal exposure across pregnancy. RESULTS: Higher urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites during early pregnancy were associated with lower child nonverbal IQ score [e.g., B per 10-fold increase in summed low-molecular weight phthalates = -1.7 (95% CI: -3.1, -0.3)]. This association remained unchanged when adjusted for mid and late pregnancy exposures. We also observed an inverse association between late pregnancy di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) exposure and nonverbal IQ. Maternal urinary concentrations of bisphenols were not associated with child nonverbal IQ. There was no effect estimate modification by sex. CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe that maternal biomarkers of bisphenol exposure are associated with nonverbal IQ. We found that phthalate exposure in early pregnancy and DNOP exposure in late pregnancy are associated with lower nonverbal IQ scores in children. Our results might suggest that particularly early pregnancy is a sensitive window of phthalate exposure, but future studies are needed to replicate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier studies report inconsistent associations between education and cognitive aging. We assessed the association, accounting for selective dropout due to death or dementia, and, in a subsample, accounting for confounding by early-life intelligence. Data from the Danish component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 3,400) were linked to registry data (education records, dementia diagnoses, and mortality) and the Danish Conscription Database (youth intelligence measurements for 854 men). Word recall and verbal fluency were assessed up to 4 times over 10 years (2004–2013) and combined by averaging the z scores. We fitted a joint model linking a time-to-event model for dementia or death to a linear mixed-effects model for cognitive change. Rate of cognitive decline was slower among people with high education compared with low education (β = 0.112, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.056, 0.170). Adjusting for youth intelligence did not attenuate the association between education and cognitive decline (crude β = 0.136, 95% CI: 0.028, 0.244 vs. adjusted β = 0.145, 95% CI: 0.022, 0.269). The results suggest that higher education may slow cognitive decline in later life. In this sample, results changed little when accounting for selective attrition and confounding by intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Integrative Medicine (IM), an emerging field in paediatrics. It aims at accessing the attitudes and beliefs of Youth Health Care (YHC) physicians in the Netherlands towards IM in paediatrics. It mentions that the study includes a web based questionnare which was mailed to the members of the Dutch Organization of YHC physicians. It concludes that the DUtch YHC physicians showed a positive response towards IP.