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PubMed1998

The role of domestic factors and day-care attendance on lung function of primary school children.

The results of studies examining the relationship of domestic factors to lung function are contradictory. We therefore examined the independent effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), the presence of a cat, type of heating and cooking used in the home and day-care attendance on lung function after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). Nine hundred and eighty-nine children from 18 Montreal schools were studied between April 1990 and November 1992. Information on the child's health and exposure to domestic factors was collected by questionnaire. Spirometry was performed at school. The data were analysed by multiple linear regression with percent predicted FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC as dependent variables. In the overall sample (both sexes combined), cat in the home (regression coefficient, beta = -1.15, 95% confidence interval, CI: -2.26-(-)0.05) and electric baseboard units (beta = -1.26, 95% CI: -2.39-(-)0.13) were independently associated with a lower FEV1/FVC, while day-care attendance (beta = -2.05, 95% CI: -3.71-(-)0.40) significantly reduced FEV1. Household ETS was significantly associated with increasing level of FVC (beta = 2.86, 95% CI: +0.55 to +5.17). In boys but not girls, household ETS (beta = -2.13, 95% CI: -4.07-(-)0.19) and the presence of a cat (beta = -2.19, 95% CI: -3.94-(-)0.45) were associated with lower FEV1/FVC. By contrast, day-care attendance was associated with lower FEV1 (beta = -2.92, 95% CI: -5.27-(-)0.56) and FEV1/FVC (beta = -1.53, 95% CI: -2.73-(-)0.33) in girls only. In conclusion, the results provide evidence that domestic factors and day-care attendance primarily affected airway caliber and gender differences were apparent in the effects of these factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of goiter prevalence, iodine status and thyroid functions in school-age children of rural Yusufeli district in eastern Turkey.

According to previous studies, Turkey has generally been accepted as a moderate endemic iodine deficient country. However, it has recently been reported that there are regions in Turkey where iodine deficiency is more severe than previously known. The current study was aimed at ascertaining the goiter prevalence by thyroid volumes, iodine status and thyroid functions in school-age children living in an area which is suspected to have moderate or severe iodine deficiency. Overall goiter was found in 47.6% of children, in 22.8% of girls and in 24.8% of boys. Mean thyroid volumes did not differ significantly according to sex. Significant correlation was found between thyroid volume and body surface area and age. There was a negative correlation between the urinary iodine concentration and thyroid volume (r = 0.45, p < 0.01). Median urinary iodine concentrations in subjects with and without goiter were 20 microg/dl and 5.2 microg/dl, respectively. While median urinary iodine levels of the subjects with goiter were consistent with severe-moderate iodine deficiency, levels in subjects without goiter were comparable to moderate-mild iodine deficiency. None of the subjects had the signs or symptoms of hyper-or hypothyroidism. The differences in the mean values of thyroid hormones and TSH levels between subjects with or without goiter were not significant (p > 0.05). No correlation was found between urinary iodine concentrations and thyroid hormone levels. A weak correlation was found between urinary iodine concentration and TSH levels (r = 0.12, p = 0.05). Individuals with goiter were investigated etiologically: biochemical hypothyroidism was detected in 2%, compensated hypothyroidism in 12.6%, autoimmune thyroiditis in 2%, nodular goiter in 3% and isolated high TSH level with autoimmune thyroiditis in 0.08%. In conclusion, although a salt iodization program has been started in Turkey, our study indicates that some regions with severe iodine deficiency are still present. This research suggests that this program should be re-evaluated for remote areas with self-contained economic systems, and should be expanded and more effectively applied nation-wide.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Gender Differences in Writing Motivation and Achievement of Middle School Students: A Function of Gender Orientation?

The aim of this study was to determine whether gender differences in the writing motivation and achievement of middle school students (N = 497) are a function of gender-stereotypic beliefs rather than of gender. Girls reported stronger writing self-efficacy, writing self-concept, self-efficacy for self-regulation, value of writing, and task goals, and they received higher grades in language arts. Boys reported stronger performance-approach goals. All gender differences favoring girls in writing motivation and achievement were rendered nonsignificant when feminine orientation beliefs were controlled. Findings suggest that a feminine orientation is adaptive in the area of writing, whereas a masculine orientation is beneficial when escorted by a feminine orientation. Results are interpreted from the perspective of A. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Acute effects of summer air pollution on respiratory function in primary school children in southern England.

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern about health effects of air pollution in the UK. Studies in the USA have reported adverse effects on lung function among children but no comparable studies have been published in the UK. This study investigates the relationship between daily changes in ambient air pollution and short term variations in lung function in a panel of school children. METHODS: One hundred and fifty four children aged 7-11 attending a primary school adjacent to a major motorway in Surrey, south-east England, were studied. Bellows spirometry was performed daily on 31 schooldays between 6 June and 21 July 1994. Levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and particulates of less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) were measured continuously at the school and the pollen count was measured six miles away. Relationships between daily changes in forced expiratory volume in 0.75 seconds (FEV0.75), forced vital capacity (FVC), the FEV0.75/FVC ratio and pollutants were analysed using separate autoregressive models for each child. A weighted average of the resulting slopes was then calculated. RESULTS: There was a significant inverse relationship between daily mean PM10 levels lagged one day and FVC, with a reduction in lung function of 1% (95% CI 0.3% to 2%) across the whole range of PM10 levels (20-150 micrograms/m3). The effect on FEV0.75 was similar (-0.5%) but was not significant when weighted by 1/SE2 (95% CI -1.2% to 0.2%). There was no effect of PM10 levels on the FEV0.75/FVC ratio. No significant association was seen between FEV0.75, FVC, or the FEV0.75/FVC ratio and either ozone or nitrogen dioxide levels. There was no evidence that wheezy children were more affected than healthy children. Pollen levels on the previous day had no effect on lung function and did not change the air pollution results. CONCLUSIONS: There is a very small, but statistically significant, adverse effect of airborne respirable particulate matter, measured as PM10, on lung function in this study group. There is no evidence for an inverse association of lung function with levels of ozone or NO2 measured on the previous day.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1994

Asthma-related symptoms and lung function in primary school children.

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of asthma-related symptoms in a group of primary school children, by means of a questionnaire completed by their parents, and their lung function using spirometry and the forced oscillation technique (FOT). Also investigated were diagnostic labeling and medical prescription. We approached 535 children, from two primary schools in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Completed questionnaires were received from 482 children (90%). Valid lung function values were obtained in 470 of these children (98%). The lifetime prevalence of wheeze and attacks of shortness of breath with wheeze was 29% and 19%, respectively. The period prevalence of wheeze was 15%, 13% reported chronic cough, and 10% attacks of shortness of breath with wheeze. The doctor-diagnosed asthma and bronchitis prevalence was 6% and 19%, respectively. Of the children diagnosed as having asthma, 69% used antiasthma medication; none of the children diagnosed as having bronchitis used antiasthma medication. A symptom-based asthma prevalence of 11% was calculated. Statistically significant differences in spirometric and FOT indices were found between the children with and without complaints. In conclusion, among the 482 investigated children a relatively high prevalence of unrecognized or misclassified, and therefore undertreated, asthma-related symptoms was found. These observations were confirmed by the lung function data, in that we found significant differences in spirometric and FOT indices between children with and without complaints.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1997

[Cigarette smoking by mothers during pregnancy and pulmonary function of their school age children].

The paper examines the relation of maternal smoking during pregnancy and lung function of 1029 schoolchildren aged 9 years. Children from Cracow whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy had significantly lower lung function than the children whose mothers had not smoked in this period. On average, spirometric data of FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75% and PEFR were 1.1%, 4.7%, and 3.2% lower respectively, in those children whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy. The effect was statistically significant after accounting for potential confounders such as current smoking habit of parents. The results provide a new support for the hypothesis that deficit in lung function among children is associated with maternal smoking in pregnancy. The strongest effects were found to involve the function of small airways.

Asthma↗
PubMed1996

Language and pragmatic functions in school-age children on the autism spectrum.

This study examined group differences in language and pragmatic functions across sex-, age- and IQ-matched samples of Asperger syndrome (N = 22), high-functioning autism (N = 11), deficits in attention, motor control and perception (DAMP) (N = 11), and speech and language disorder (SLD) (N = 11) groups. The purpose was to explore possible differentiating features in the fields of vocabulary, comprehension and pragmatics and, in addition, to determine whether Asperger syndrome could be reliably separated from high-functioning autism on these variables. The findings suggest that Asperger syndrome may be associated with higher full-scale and verbal IQ than high-functioning autism; Asperger syndrome may not be associated with better pragmatic skills (as defined in this context) than high-functioning autism; language comprehension may not clearly separate Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism once the effects of very low IQ are partialled out; both DAMP and SLD can be distinctly separated from Asperger syndrome and autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Learning disabilities and intellectual functioning in school-aged children with prenatal cocaine exposure.

Risk for developing a learning disability (LD) or impaired intellectual functioning by age 7 was assessed in full-term children with prenatal cocaine exposure drawn from a cohort of 476 children born full term and enrolled prospectively at birth. Intellectual functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (Wechsler, 1991) short form, and academic functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT; Wechsler, 1993) Screener by examiners blind to exposure status. LDs were categorized based on ability-achievement discrepancy scores, using the regression-based predicted achievement method described in the WIAT manual. The sample in this report included 409 children (212 cocaine-exposed, 197 non-cocaine-exposed) from the birth cohort with available data. Cumulative incidence proportions and relative risk values were estimated using STATA software (Statacorp, 2003). No differences were found in the estimate of relative risk for impaired intellectual functioning (IQ below 70) between children with and without prenatal cocaine exposure (estimated relative risk = .95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.65, 1.39; p = .79). The cocaine-exposed children had 2.8 times greater risk of developing a LD by age 7 than non-cocaine-exposed children (95% CI = 1.05, 7.67; p = .038; IQ >/= 70 cutoff). Results remained stable with adjustment for multiple child and caregiver covariates, suggesting that children with prenatal cocaine exposure are at increased risk for developing a learning disability by age 7 when compared to their non-cocaine-exposed peers.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1979

Respiratory function in aboriginal school children.

Two hundred and three school-age Aboriginal children living on Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement have had lung function tested with a dry spirometer. As with other non-Caucasian children, the forced vital capacity (FVC) was about 25% below values for Caucasian children, but the ratio between forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC ratio), the mean mid-expiratory flow rate (MMEFR) and testing before and after a bronchodilator showed no evidence of widespread airways disease. Analysis of a subgroup of 126 children showed that birthweight, weight at one year of age, and current nutrition did not affect the level of the FVC.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Visual function in school-aged children born before 29 weeks of gestation: a population-based study.

The aim of this study was to assess visual function, including visual perception, in a geographically-based population of school-aged children, with a median age of 7.2 years (range 5.1 to 9.3 years), born before 29 weeks of gestation to mothers living in Goteborg, Sweden. Fifty-one preterm children participated in the study, six of whom had known brain lesions. Visual acuity, visual fields, stereoacuity, and visual perception were tested. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills Revised (TVPS-R, Gardner 1996) was used to measure visual perception, and the results were compared with those of 50 term (control) subjects. Six percent of the preterm children were visually impaired, with a visual acuity of less than 0.3 (6/18), while 42% of all the preterm children and 34% of those without known brain lesions had a total score below the 5th centile of the reference material for the test, compared with 14% of the control subjects. In conclusion, visual-perceptual problems seem to be common among very preterm children and should be screened for and assessed before the children start school.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Pulmonary function at school-age in surfactant-treated preterm infants.

A follow-up study was conducted in 40 children who had been enrolled in a prospective randomized study of exogenous surfactant therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (n = 22; S) or placebo (n = 18; P) to determine long-term pulmonary sequelae of surfactant treatment in premature infants with RDS. At follow-up, mean (SD) age was 6.63 (0.18) and 6.55 (0.23) years for S and P, respectively. Complete lung function tests (LFT) were attempted in all patients. Satisfactory data were obtained in 17/22 surfactant-treated and in 12/18 control children. There was no significant difference between groups for any of the parameters measured. Mean (SD) functional residual capacity (FRC) was 92% (16%) and 90% (21%) predicted, mean (SD) airway resistance (R(aw,exp)) was 122% (25%) and 127% (61%), and mean (SD) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was 104% (12%) and 99% (17%) predicted for S and P. Only maximal expiratory flow at 25% vital capacity (L/s) was significantly below the predicted range in S and P groups, with 74% (23%) and 77% (28%), respectively. To test bronchial hyperreactivity, a simple standardized running test was performed: 4 children in S and 5 in P showed a significant response as defined by clinical airway obstruction or changes in FEV1 and/or R(aw), with no significant difference between groups. Although we found no major abnormalities in lung function and no difference between S and P at early school-age, lack of cooperation during lung function tests makes further follow-up necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Effects of indoor air pollution on lung function of primary school children in Jordan.

Environmental exposure to tobacco smoke and contaminants from unvented cooking stoves has been linked to impaired pulmonary function and respiratory diseases. These risk factors exist to a greater extent in developing countries and, in the case of exposure to tobacco smoke, they are reported to be increasing. In this study, pulmonary function studies were performed on 1905 children in Jordan. The effect of exposure to these environmental factors on respiratory function was analyzed. A significant negative impact was found with regard to environmental exposure to both passive smoking and wood and kerosene unvented cooking stoves. The mean values of lung function in children exposed and not exposed to passive smoking were, respectively, FVC (L): 1.29-1.49; FEV1 (L): 1.2-1.4; FEF25-75 (L/S): 1.84-2.24; PEFR (L/S): 2.6-3.21, and to wood and kerosene were FVC (L): 1.02-1.32; FEV1 (L): 0.91-1.25; FEF25-75 (L/S): 1.24-1.86; PEFR (L/S): 1.67-2.64. This is a major problem in developing countries because of the increasing incidence of smoking and the high exposure to pollution risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Intellectual and functional status at school entry of children who weighed 1000 grams or less at birth: a regional perspective of births in the 1980s.

The intellectual and functional status of a regional cohort of children who weighed 501 to 1000 gm when born between 1980 and 1982 was evaluated at a mean age of 5 1/2 years by standard psychometric tests. Of 90 long-term survivors (survival rate 49%), 78 children (87%) had the full test battery, 5 children (6%) had other tests (4 were blind), and one child was untestable. Most of the mean scores were within 1 SD of the test norms; the lowest scores were in the McCarthy Motor scale and in the Beery Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Children without neurologic impairments and those with an IQ greater than or equal to 68 (n = 60) had higher overall scores but still performed poorly on the Motor subscale and the Beery test. Children who weighed less than 800 gm at birth (n = 28) were similar to those who weighed greater than 800 gm (n = 50), except in the Memory and Motor subscales, in which they performed significantly less well. At a functional level, determined by the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales, two thirds of the children were performing in the adequate range and the remainder in the moderately low to low range. Of the 43 children with no neurosensory impairments and an IQ greater than or equal to 84, 49% were identified (by the Florida Kindergarten Screening Battery) to be at mild to high risk for future learning disabilities. The data from this unselected population provide an unbiased estimate of the prevalence of intellectual and functional problems in children who weighed less than or equal to 1000 gm at birth.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1998

[Importance of assessment of visual function in nautical school students and naval engineers].

Eighty-seven junior nautical school students, of which 46 undergraduate marine engineers and 41 undergraduate nautical officer were examined for visual functions as a part of screening procedure for nautical occupations. All students were male, aged between 17 and 18. Examination comprised visual acuity, visual depth, and colour vision. The visual functions were then quantified according to ergo-ophthalmologic criteria. Statistically, the visual functions were found to be within the normal limits. Only 5% of students bordered with visual impairments in acuity and depth. Five undergraduate marine engineers and one undergraduate nautical officer were found to be deuteranomalous. Deuteranomaly in the latter presented a serious impediment and the student was not eligible for the occupation. It turned out that he had not been examined before the enrollment. The enrollment in the nautical school should be conditioned by previous medical examination that would be performed in accordance with the Regulations for Nautical Personnel. The student's health should be monitored throughout the education and the examination should be repeated on entering the junior class. The existing Regulations for Nautical Personnel should be updated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Physical development and formation of psychophysiological functions in young school-age children].

The aim of investigation was to study of physical development and psychophysiological functions forming in children of young school age. Were studied 25 schoolchildren (12 girls and 13 boys) in 4 class of average school. Anthropometric and functional parameters as level of physical development were studied. In dynamics of school year were studied of psychic functions. The investigations are showed that process of learning provokes of fatigue and reflects on psychic functions efficiency as well as negative influence on physical development. The psychic functions forming characterized to gradual mobilization of new elements of functional system during school year in children of young school age.

Anthropometry↗