No description available.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references.

Objective: Little is known about the parental perception of usage and delivery of Vaccine Information Statements (VISs), the timing of VIS delivery, parent opportunity to read VISs, and time for discussing content of VISs with providers. Parental reports of dissemination and use of VISs are explored in this study, including parental use, experience, and perceptions. Method: Data for this pilot cross-sectional descriptive study were collected via an online survey. The instrument consisted of 21questions including five demographic questions, 11 questions about VIS distribution, four questions about parental use and understanding of VISs, and one open-ended question about finding information about immunizations (see appendix A). The questionnaire was available in both English and Spanish. Results: Responses from 130 parents in one school district were used for analysis. Most participants (67.7%) reported getting vaccine information from a pediatric healthcare provider. A large majority of participants (71.5%) said VISs were included as part of the vaccination process and that they received a paper copy (64.6%). About a third of participants (37.7%) said they read some or all of the VIS before their child was vaccinated and over half (59.3%) said they read some or all of the VIS after their child was vaccinated. Discussion: While it is promising that many parents reported receiving the federally mandated vaccine information, over a quarter of parents reported they did not receive a VIS. Similar to findings in the literature, a majority of parents read all or part of the VIS after an immunization appointment. Limited time to read and understand the information on the VIS before an immunization was administered may lead to limited parental understanding. Although some parents reported struggling to understand VISs, more than half of the parents in our study said that VISs were helpful and would read another in the future. Nursing Implications: Without appropriate use of VISs and other vaccine education material, providers miss the opportunity to educate parents on the risks and benefits of vaccinating their children. Conclusion: Since their implementation in 1986, there has been little research on VIS use for vaccine education and parental perception. Providers must be aware of literacy levels and vaccine attitudes and create appropriate opportunities for parents to read and learn about vaccines. VISs are a valuable tool to educate patients and parents on the benefits and risks of vaccines. Improvements are needed to improve the clarity of the VIS messaging and dissemination practices.

No description available.

School districts are charged with the task of providing America’s youth with the most well-rounded education so that they can grow into the most productive adult citizens. However, school funding cuts and the unending demand to make AYP often push students out of the center of that focus. As a result, matters like school-based Body Mass Index notifications have been moved to the backburner and are often simplified to only what the law requires. Although researchers have sought the best practice to address this cause, it still remains that those not directly involved in the process are designing and implementing regulations. The perceptions of parents and school personnel are not being addressed. As a result, this exploratory, single-case, qualitative study, researched the best school-based body mass index notification practice according to the perspective of eleven total parents and school personnel. These participants were from a school in Southeastern Pennsylvania, whose process is mandated by the state. Based on the findings, it is recommended that schools collaborate with parents to establish the most informative notification letter that meets their needs, rather than simply address the requirements of the state’s mandate. This collaboration must be inviting and easy to enter into and the findings need to be implemented, instead of just gathered and recorded. Prior notification must also be improved and supplemental materials need to be included in the mailing. / Educational Leadership

The growing childhood obesity epidemic and its association with adverse health outcomes have prompted increasing research in the recent past. Researchers have examined numerous aspects of the obesity epidemic. For example, the impact of parent behavior on child behavior has been considered. Likewise, researchers have examined the connection between parent perceptions of obesity and concern regarding a child’s weight status. Still other research has focused on the influence of a child’s behavior on weight status. Existing research has reported that within the African American community there is an apparent inaccuracy in perceptions regarding weight. Children who would be classified as overweight or obese according to body mass index (BMI) calculations are viewed by parents as having normal or healthy weight. Thus, among African-American parents, there is often no correlation between a child’s weight status and the parent’s perception of a weight concern. Moreover, it is not clear that there is a relation between parent concern regarding a child’s weight status and the amount of physical activity that the child engages in among African-American individuals. Further, it is not clear what relations may exist among parent physical activity level, child physical activity level, and the child’s BMI status. Finally, after conducting a semi-exhaustive study of the research, the links among child dietary habits, parent dietary habits, and the child’s BMI status in the African American population have not been addressed. The purpose of this study is to more closely examine the impact of risk factors such as parental physical activity, dietary habits, and parent concern and perception regarding weight on children’s weight status within an African American sample.

The current research considered parent report of sleep problems in children with an intellectual disability (ID). Of specific interest were parents who reported child sleep issues/disturbances but who did not consider their child to have a sleep problem. Also of interest was the use of a general parent-training program to treat both the sleep and behaviour problems in children with an ID. Study 1 examined parent perceptions regarding sleep in children with an ID. Parents who reported a child sleep problem provided information on the types of sleep treatment tried and rated their effectiveness. Overall, 243 questionnaires were completed by parents of children with a range of disabilities aged between 3.1 to 18.7 years. While 62% of parents rated their child as displaying problematic night settling, night waking, early waking, or other disturbing sleep behaviours, only 27% of parents considered their child to have a sleep problem. A higher number of parents (75%) than expected had tried at least one type of intervention, although it was not possible to discern 'self help' treatments from 'professionally sought' treatments. Study 2 investigated child and parent factors associated with parent perception of sleep problems in children with an ID. Seventy-six parents from Study 1 completed measures in relation to child adaptive and daytime behaviour, parent stress, locus of control, personality (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism), parenting competence, and perceived control over the child's sleep and daytime behaviour. Based on parent report on a sleep measure and response to the question 'do you think your child has a sleep problem' parents were allocated into one of three sleep groups: Parents who recognised a sleep problem (RSP, N=20), parents whose child did not have a sleep problem (NSP, N=35), and parents who did not recognise their child to have a sleep problem (USP, N=21). The results revealed differences between parents who do (RSP) and parents who do not (USP) recognise their child's sleep problem. These differences related to amount of child sleep (as reported by parents) and parent perceived control over the child's sleep and daytime behaviour. Study 3 examined the efficacy of a general parent-training (behaviour management) program, with sleep used as the training exemplar, for the treatment of sleep problems in children with an ID. Of the 20 parents in the RSP group in Study 2, five agreed to take part in Study 3 and three completed the intervention. The effect of the intervention on (a) a targeted sleep problem, (b) a targeted behaviour problem, (c) other sleep and daytime behaviours, (d) parent stress, (e) parent sleep, (f) parent sense of competence, and (g) parent perceived control over the child's sleep and daytime behaviour were examined. All parents reported an improvement in target sleep behaviour, and at follow-up all of the parents no longer considered their child to have a sleep problem. One parent reported a decrease in stress and an increase in measures of perceived control, and parenting competence, while two parents showed minimal to no improvement on child and parent outcomes.

Patterns of representation of African Americans in K-12 special education programs vary across the United States. A school district in Arizona has a 13% African American population, yet the African American special education representation is 17%. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an understanding of the processes related to special education referral and assignment of African American elementary students as perceived by 7 teachers and 6 parents in the school district. Inductive analysis including open, axial, and selective coding led to the categorization of three themes: complexity in the referral process, inadequate teacher-parent communication and lack of shared knowledge, and inadequate teacher training. A key finding was parents' dependency on teachers for placing children in special education without the requisite knowledge to ask questions or make critical choices for their children. Parents' powerlessness and lack of knowledge may contribute to the overrepresentation of African American children in special education programs in the district. Findings may be used to educate parents and train teachers in the processes of referral and assignment of students to special education programs.

No description available.

68 14 Resumé in English This study is aimed on the image of women as it was perceived by advertising in magazines between 1917 and 1930. The focal points are lexemes: lady, mistress, housewife, a girl, ma'am, miss, household, parent, cook, mother, daughter, child. Their occurrences are statistically processed in the tables according to selected criteria, for example: whether the lexemes are developed by attribute or not. The obtained data are interpreted in the chapters which are divided according to ad focus on three sections: Decoration, Household, Family relationships. The conclusion is based on all of the data created by the image of women as perceived by contemporary advertising compared to what was required of traditional society. The conclusion of the study, including a shift in social values, is supported by a brief comparison of the results of this work, based on knowledge of the study Language image of women in advertising in the late 19th Century (Štumpf, M., RP, Charles University, 2008).