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Biomedical subjects

N Butler

Publications and source records attributed to N Butler.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Family type and accidents in preschool children.

Children living in single-parent families or stepfamilies were found to be more likely to suffer accidental injuries in their first five years of life than children living with two natural parents. Frequent household moves, low maternal age, and perceived poor behaviour in the child were all more strongly associated with overall accident rates than family type, and these disadvantages were more common in atypical families. Family type appeared to be the most important influence on hospital admission after accidents. Overall, there was a close similarity in accident rates between children of single-parent families and stepfamilies, and both groups were more at risk than children living with both natural parents.

Accidents↗

Breast feeding, eczema, asthma, and hayfever.

The association of breast feeding with rates of atopic illness during the first five years of life was assessed in a national study of 13 135 children studied during the first week and at age 5 years. Eczema was reported more often in children who had been breast fed; this relationship persisted even after allowance was made for social and family factors influencing the likelihood both of breast feeding and of eczema; the other factors most significantly associated with rates of eczema were parental history of eczema or asthma and advantaged family socioeconomic status. A similar, but less pronounced, positive association of breast feeding with reported hayfever became non-significant after adjustment for intervening factors. Rates of reported asthma were not influenced by breast feeding. "Any wheezing" including asthma was reported more often in children who had not been breast fed, but this association disappeared after adjustment for parental asthma and maternal smoking. Breast feeding does not appear to protect against these atopic diseases. The positive association with reported eczema might relate to accuracy of diagnosis or to associated influences not considered in the analysis; alternatively, it might be due to (recent) environmental contaminants crossing in breast milk, causing eczema in the child.

Asthma↗

A non-polarized alternative to polarized nearpoint test cards.

Refractive balance at near is feasible with an inexpensive, nonpolarizing device that yields data which compare favorably with polarizing methods. The device described here differs from the Turville system in that it provides a fused central field flanked by right and left peripheries that are seen monocularly. Among the advantages are simplicity, ease of alignment and low cost.

Humans↗

A national study of asthma in childhood.

A history of asthma was obtained in 3.5% of a representative national sample of children aged 11 years. A further 8.8% had a history of wheezy bronchitis. In the 12 months before the interview, 2% had experienced attacks of asthma and a further 2.9% attacks of wheezy bronchitis. Both conditions were significantly more common among boys than girls, and a history of asthma was reported more frequently among children from non-manual than from manual social classes. Children with frequent attacks of wheezing had lower mean relative weights. A history of eczema and hay fever was more frequently discovered in children with reported asthma than in those with wheezy bronchitis, whereas migraine or recurrent headaches, recurrent abdominal pain, and recurrent throat or ear infections were more commonly associated with wheezy bronchitis than with asthma. The modified Rutter home behaviour scale, which reflects the parental view of the child's behaviour, was significantly raised among children with a history of wheezing, but their school behaviour as judged by the Bristol social adjustment guide showed no such difference. In spite of increased absence from school because of illness, no differences were found in educational attainment between children with a history of asthma or wheezy bronchitis and those with neither condition.

Age Factors↗