Caregivers' perceptions of the relationship among weight, health status, and asthma in their children

The role of women in the field of early intervention

This study examines the intersection of early intervention and the role of women as primary caregivers for children with disabilities. Studies for this analysis were collected through a meticulous search in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. This process ensured the inclusion of a wide range of relevant literature from the field of study. A rigorous procedure of identification, selection, eligibility assessment, and inclusion of potentially relevant studies in this research area was conducted. We analyzed 130 articles, identifying 8 key research areas. Significant factors include the impact on parental interactions, communication skills, the role of women in developmental disabilities, mothers' understanding of their children's disabilities, emotional overload, parental stress, and psychological aspects. These factors significantly affect the well-being and development of mothers and children with disabilities. The study also considers the impact on women's careers. While research on psychological aspects and maternal overload is well-developed, establishing early intervention systems to optimize resources for proper child development is a challenge. The findings have high social value, paving the way for improving the quality of early childhood services.

What caregivers believe affected the quality of implementation of asthma-related family management models (AFMM) during COVID-19: A phenomenological qualitative study

PURPOSE

The recurrent COVID-19 epidemic in China has disrupted many aspects of daily life for children with asthma and their caregivers, while negatively impacting their asthma family management models (AFMM). This phenomenological qualitative study identifies what affects the quality of implementation of AFMM in this population and outlines potential coping strategies for the caregivers.

METHODS

We used purposive sampling to conduct semistructured interviews with primary caregivers of school-age children with asthma from community healthcare centers (CHCs), which focused on understanding what factors influenced caregivers' implementation of AFMM during quarantine. The Colaizzi seven-step method was used to independently code and categorize the transcript and to generate themes and identify associated key subthemes.

RESULTS

Twenty-four caregivers were interviewed, and they provided greater insight into barriers and motivators to implement AFMM. The three themes and nine relevant subthemes generated, (a) the "individual-family" internal-level factors: weak health literacy and beliefs, quietly changing family relationships, the dramatic increase in the care burden, gradual adjustment of negative psychology; (b) the "hospital-community" external-level factors: the endless power of peer support, strict community quarantine policy; and (c) the "health system-public" social-level factors: the enormous potential of internet-based telemedicine, improved public awareness of prevention, government's prompt assistance.

CONCLUSIONS

This qualitative study reveals that the quality of AFMM implementation during pandemic is impacted by three different levels. Therefore, a targeted and comprehensive caring model that provides caregivers with the necessary coping strategies around these three levels is needed to achieve better asthma control outcomes.

The association of co-morbid asthma and overweight/obese status with healthcare utilization and caregiver perception of health in children 4-17 years, a NHANES study

OBJECTIVE

Asthma and obesity are two of the most common chronic childhood illnesses. The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between co-morbid asthma and obesity in children aged 4-17 and whether it impacts the caregiver's perception of health and/or healthcare utilization.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) datasets from 2007 to 2018. Cumulative logistic regression models were used to analyze the caregiver's perception of health, received healthcare, and overnight hospital stay as dependent variables. Asthma and weight status were included as covariates, with adjustment for age, income, head of the household's education, gender, race, and insurance.

RESULTS

The sample included 15,386 children. When looking at weight status in addition to asthma, compared to caregivers of children with current asthma and normal weight, caregivers of children with current asthma and with obesity are more likely to perceive their children as having worse health (OR = 1.73, 95%CI = [1.30, 2.32], p = 0.0003), and are more likely to have more frequent healthcare utilization but the results did not reach a statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Caregiver's perception of overall health was worse in caregivers of those with co-morbid obesity/asthma than in caregivers of children with asthma alone. This indicates that caregivers of children with co-morbid asthma and obesity have insight into their children's condition and may be primed for discussion and counseling in the healthcare setting.