Objectives: The objective of the quantitative research was to estimate the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and severe Early Childhood Caries (s-ECC) and the severity of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in the primary dentition of young children in Ajman, UAE, and investigate their association with child and family characteristics, dietary habits, fluoride use, oral hygiene practices and dental services utilization. The purpose of the qualitative research was to obtain information that could explain some of the findings of the quantitative stage in order to progress towards determining a strategy to control ECC in this population. Methods: A two-stage cluster sample was used to randomly select children aged 5 or 6 years old who were enrolled in public or private schools in Ajman, UAE. Clinical examinations for caries were conducted by a single examiner using WHO criteria. Parents completed questionnaires seeking information on child and family characteristics, dietary habits, oral hygiene, fluoride use and dental service utilization. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk markers and risk indicators for caries experience. To complement the quantitative findings, the second (qualitative) stage of the research was conducted with six chosen groups of mothers from different educational backgrounds and different nationalities. Each group contained between six and ten mothers - some of whose children had been examined in the quantitative section of the project. The mothers were invited to comment on the significance for them of those risk indicators identified in the earlier section of the research. The manual thematic coding method of analysis was used. Problems concerning the dental health of children were identified based on the results of both stages. Results: The total number of children sampled was 1297. Dental examination and questionnaire data were obtained for 1036 (79.9%), of whom 50.0% were female. The prevalence of ECC in 5- and 6-year-old children was 72.9% (95% CI, 61.8, 83.9) and 80.0% (95% CI, 76.0, 84.4) respectively, with mean dmft scores of 4.0 (sd, 4.1) and 4.9 (sd, 4.3) respectively (P<0.05). The overall prevalence of s-ECC was 31.1% (95% CI, 23.6, 38.9). Multivariate analysis indicated that frequency of snacking between meals per day, snack consumption level and the frequency of brushing had a significant effect on the severity of ECC, while only the snack consumption level and the frequency of brushing had a significant effect on plaque score. There was a strong association between plaque score and the severity of ECC. The total number of mothers who contributed to the qualitative study was 42. The findings of the qualitative stage showed that some mothers had a negative perception toward the primary dentition and unhelpful attitudes towards their children�s diets (through promoting a high consumption of cariogenic food), while the use of fluoride (other than in toothpaste) was rare. However, many mothers were in favor of bottled water fluoridation once they understood the benefits of such a scheme and supported the idea of a dental preventive program beng provided through their children�s schools. Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of ECC in young children in Ajman is high, with child and family characteristics, dietary habits, oral hygiene practices and dental utilization being important determinants. Young children in Ajman would benefit from health promotion strategies directed towards appropriate dietary practices and oral hygiene measures framed within culturally specific guidelines.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 135 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The uThukela District in the province of Kwazulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa, has been involved in improving Primary Health Care (PHC) in the district through evaluation surveys carried out at regular intervals during the past six years. World Vision's uThukela District Child Survival Project (TDCSP) began in November 16, 1999. This has been made possible by a Child Survival Grants Program from the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID). In all previous surveys a 30-cluster sampling methodology was used to select individuals from the survey population. This time however, the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) methodology was used. The recent re-organization of the District into municipalities enabled each municipality to function as one Supervision Area (SA) or Lot. Even with a small sample size (in this case 24 per SA), poor health service performance could be identified so that resources are appropriately distributed. Furthermore, people from the community such as Community Health Workers (CHW) were involved in all phases of the study, including the manual analysis of the results, upon being trained appropriate. However, it is questionable as to how accurate and reliable such a manual analysis was. In this dissertation, the manual results of the study were evaluated by doing an electronic analysis. In addition, a more refined analysis of the data has been produced (e.g. population-weighted coverage, graphs and stratified analyses in some cases). From the comparisons made, it was concluded that the manual analysis was very similar to the electronic analysis and that differences obtained were not statistically significant. In addition, due to each municipality varying in population size, it was queried as to whether population-weighted results would produce a marked difference from the un-weighted, manual results. Again, the differences produced were in most cases not statistically significant. This concluded that the manual analysis carried out by the TDCSP team was accurate and that it is appropriate to use such results in determining individual municipality performance and overall District performance so that responsive action can then be taken immediately, without necessarily having to wait for electronic results. / Thesis (M.P.H.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The purpose of health service research is to produce knowledge that will contribute to the improvement in the delivery of health care and it is in this spirit that this study of the quality of paediatric care at King Edward VIII Hospital was undertaken. The main method utilized was an evaluation of aspects of the process of care of selected conditions, as measured against a predefined set of standards. This was accomplished by a retrospective review of patient records. Assessments were also made of the utilization of the Department's services, manpower and equipment. The surveys conducted involved the Outpatient's Department, the General and the Neonatal Wards of the Paediatric Department of the King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban. The Hospital Administration's routine and computerized data were also analyzed. Among the findings was that the routinely collected data is inadequate,providing only limited information for management purposes. The assertion that the utilization of the Department is high was confirmed, as was the claim that some resources are inadequate to cope with increasing demand. Many factors contribute to this, including high bed occupancy, high patient to doctor ratios, and several factors outside of direct hospital control (primary care services). The general clinical care of patients is high, but particular aspects were found to be in need of attention; for example, the metabolic and fluid management of the ill young patient and medical records in general. Immediate and long-term recommendations pertaining to the Paediatric Department and the Administration are presented.

Despite the increasing acceptance of biopsychosocial models of pain and multidisciplinary treatments for pain, relatively little is known about the specific psychological variables and social processes related to postoperative pain in children, especially in an outpatient setting. The present study examined demographic, medical, and psychological predictors of children's pain and parents' administration of pain medication. Two hundred and thirty-six families with children aged 2 to 12 undergoing day surgery participated in the study. This included a subset of 100 children aged 6 to 12, who were asked to complete self-report measures of anxiety, expected pain, coping style, and pain. Parents of all children completed measures of expected pain, expected benefit from medication, perspective taking, and negative attitudes towards analgesics. Parents and school-aged children completed pain diaries on the day of surgery and two days following surgery. The prevalence of clinically significant pain was somewhat lower than in previous studies, but both pain and undertreatment (parents who gave less than the recommended amount of pain medication) remained common. Predictors of pain were examined by multiple regression, using data from the subset of 100 children aged 6 to 12. More intense pain was related to more invasive surgery, a constellation of analgesic-related variables (more doses of analgesia given, the use of a regional block, the use of local infiltration), high anxiety, high expectations of pain, and a tendency to cope with pain by acting out and catastrophizing. Predictors of dosing were examined by multiple regression, using data from the entire sample of 236 children. Parents gave more medication when their children had invasive surgery and high levels of pain, when they expected a lot of pain, and when they were relatively unconcerned about the negative effects of pain medication. In each case, the psychological variables, entered as a block, were significant predictors of pain even after controlling for demographic and medical variables. Health care providers should be aware of psychological factors predicting pain, as they may help to identify families that are at "high risk" for pain and undermedication. In addition, the variables identified in this study are appropriate targets for further research on psychological factors that cause, mediate or contribute to pain processes, and as such may contribute to the development of theoretical models of pain and pain management.

This study examined the introduction of a Child Sexual Abuse Protocol, supported by a specialized training program, in a large social service centre, to determine effects on social work practice and case outcomes. The sample (N = 261) represented referrals during two years, one before and one after introduction of the Protocol. Data sources were agency files, supplemented by interviews with five key informants. It was found that the Protocol and training had little effect on worker practice or case outcomes. An uneven and ambiguous implementation process, combined with the lack of coordination of the social service, police, and judicial systems, were contributing factors. The conflicting views of managers were important influences. Interagency coordination, and application of consistent standards, are recommended. Effective intervention in child sexual abuse cases requires a revision of the Protocol, which takes into account the experiences and limitations of the participating systems.

This investigation aimed to determine factors that influence women's utilisation of maternal health services, with specific focus on the quality of care and services available to disadvantaged communities in South Africa. It used the women's perspectives to assess the quality of maternal healthcare services in peri-urban commercial farming and rural areas with the purpose of understanding why women utilise maternal services the way they do.

Objectives: The objective of the quantitative research was to estimate the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and severe Early Childhood Caries (s-ECC) and the severity of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in the primary dentition of young children in Ajman, UAE, and investigate their association with child and family characteristics, dietary habits, fluoride use, oral hygiene practices and dental services utilization. The purpose of the qualitative research was to obtain information that could explain some of the findings of the quantitative stage in order to progress towards determining a strategy to control ECC in this population. Methods: A two-stage cluster sample was used to randomly select children aged 5 or 6 years old who were enrolled in public or private schools in Ajman, UAE. Clinical examinations for caries were conducted by a single examiner using WHO criteria. Parents completed questionnaires seeking information on child and family characteristics, dietary habits, oral hygiene, fluoride use and dental service utilization. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk markers and risk indicators for caries experience. To complement the quantitative findings, the second (qualitative) stage of the research was conducted with six chosen groups of mothers from different educational backgrounds and different nationalities. Each group contained between six and ten mothers - some of whose children had been examined in the quantitative section of the project. The mothers were invited to comment on the significance for them of those risk indicators identified in the earlier section of the research. The manual thematic coding method of analysis was used. Problems concerning the dental health of children were identified based on the results of both stages. Results: The total number of children sampled was 1297. Dental examination and questionnaire data were obtained for 1036 (79.9%), of whom 50.0% were female. The prevalence of ECC in 5- and 6-year-old children was 72.9% (95% CI, 61.8, 83.9) and 80.0% (95% CI, 76.0, 84.4) respectively, with mean dmft scores of 4.0 (sd, 4.1) and 4.9 (sd, 4.3) respectively (P<0.05). The overall prevalence of s-ECC was 31.1% (95% CI, 23.6, 38.9). Multivariate analysis indicated that frequency of snacking between meals per day, snack consumption level and the frequency of brushing had a significant effect on the severity of ECC, while only the snack consumption level and the frequency of brushing had a significant effect on plaque score. There was a strong association between plaque score and the severity of ECC. The total number of mothers who contributed to the qualitative study was 42. The findings of the qualitative stage showed that some mothers had a negative perception toward the primary dentition and unhelpful attitudes towards their children�s diets (through promoting a high consumption of cariogenic food), while the use of fluoride (other than in toothpaste) was rare. However, many mothers were in favor of bottled water fluoridation once they understood the benefits of such a scheme and supported the idea of a dental preventive program beng provided through their children�s schools. Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of ECC in young children in Ajman is high, with child and family characteristics, dietary habits, oral hygiene practices and dental utilization being important determinants. Young children in Ajman would benefit from health promotion strategies directed towards appropriate dietary practices and oral hygiene measures framed within culturally specific guidelines.

Thesis (B.A.Hons.))--University of Adelaide, Dept. of History, 1981. / Typescript (photocopy).