Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes special study report entitled: Implication of children's experience on spatial design. Includes bibliographical references.

The last oral health survey conducted by the government of Hong Kong in 2001 found that dental caries was common among the kindergarten children and that most of their dental caries was untreated. The overall aims of this research project were to find out the oral health status of the kindergarten children in Hong Kong and the outcomes of providing a private practice based dental service programme to these children. To achieve the first aim, an oral health survey was conducted in 2007. Through stratified simple random sampling, 12 kindergartens in Hong Kong Island were selected. All children attending grades 1 to 2, aged 3 to 5 years, in the kindergartens were invited to participate. Children with parental consent were clinically examined by one of two calibrated examiners. A questionnaire on the child’s demographic background and oral health related behaviours was completed by the parents. Response rate of the survey was 89% and 1,343 children were examined. Their mean age was 52 months (SD=7) and 51.5% were boys. Around one third (35.3%) of the children had experienced dental caries. The mean dmft score was 1.5, increasing from 1.2 at age 3 to 2.0 at age 5 (ANOVA, p=0.016). Soft, cavitated caries (dt) accounted for 90% of the dmft score. The prevalence and severity of dental caries in the children were associated with the children’s socio-demographic background, and their dietary and tooth-brushing habits. To find out the feasibility of implementing a private clinic based dental service program for the preschool children a total of 245 children attending grade 1 in 9 kindergartens were invited to participate. Baseline information of the children was collected through a clinical examination and a parental questionnaire at April 2007. After baseline data collection, the study children were randomly allocated into the test or the control group. Children in the test group were offered free dental services at regular intervals in 3 private dental clinics. Evaluation took place in July 2009 after the completion of the 24-month intervention programme through conducting clinical examinations and a parental questionnaire. After 24 months, 88% of the control and test group students remained in the study. The mean dental appointment attendance rate of the test group children was 53%. Individualized instructions on oral hygiene were provided to 82% of the children and 52% of the children had received topical fluoride application. Treatments were provided to more than 30% of the children and the mean number of dental fillings placed is 1.1. The mean total running cost per child was around HK$100 a year. The kindergarten children who were covered by the study dental service programme had better oral health than that of the children who were not. The study programme was effective in preventing development of new dental caries and in reducing the amount of untreated caries among the test group children. However, it was not effective in improving the oral health related behaviours and oral hygiene status of the children. The study programme was acceptable to the kindergartens, the parents and the children by the satisfaction study. Consumer satisfaction was reasonable high. / published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with varied etiology and diverse clinical course. World Health Organization (WHO) has distinguished three types of diabetes mellitus: insulin-dependent (Type I), non insulin-dependent (Type II) and associated with other disease and syndromes. Type I diabetes patients account for approximately 10% of all diabetics, in which children and adolescent almost exclusively develop Type I diabetes. Diabetes can be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, such as excessive thirst appetite, polyuria, body weight reduction, glucosuria and hyperglycaemia, confirmed by laboratory test. Acute complications may develop in the course of diabetes, usually related to extreme level of plasma glucose. Chronic complications usually developed secondary to micro-vascular changes, causing damages to small vessels, nerves, multiple organs and oral cavity. The systematic review summarized the available evidence on the oral health of children with Type I diabetes mellitus. A total of 1179 abstract were retrieved during the initial search, and after exclusion, only 37 articles were qualified for final review and analysis. Though there was conflicting evidence regarding caries experience, it is clear that children with Type I diabetes mellitus exhibited poorer overall oral health status with higher plaque accumulation compared to healthy children. The case-control study aimed to evaluate and compare the oral health status of children with Type I diabetes mellitus with healthy, non-diabetic controls in Hong Kong. A sample of 64 children (32 Type I diabetes mellitus, 32 age- and gender-matched controls) were included in the study. The study concluded that children with Type I diabetes had poor oral health status with greater plaque deposition when compared to healthy, non-diabetic controls. / published_or_final_version / Dental Surgery / Master / Master of Dental Surgery

No description available.

This study explores the coping mechanisms of mothers caring for adolescent children with cerebral palsy. This study attempted to address a gap in the literature pertaining to understanding negative and positive ways of coping related to mothers and the specific pr oblems they have to deal with when caring for adolescents with cerebral palsy . The qualitative study foc uses on experiences and feelings directly obtained from mothers and it looked at what coping mechanisms benefit mothers whilst they are caring for their adolescent child with cerebral p alsy, what factors could compromise the mother’s coping style and how adolescence impacts on the mother’s ways of coping. The research revealed that mothers tended to use either emotion - focused ways of coping which was more maladaptive, or problem - focused ways of coping which were more adaptive ways of coping. A number of coping mechanisms were identified which appeared to benefit mothers, some of these include obtaining support from the medical profession as well as obtaining so cial support. The findings illustrated that there were particular ‘poor’ facilitative factors that could compromise the mothers coping style. Facilitative factors either influenced mothers to use more problem - focused ways of coping or more emotion - focused ways of coping. It was found that both these ways of coping were link ed to different defenc e mechan isms. This study found that adolescence placed more stress on the mother since new issues relating to adolescence emerged and had to be managed. The implications of these findings for management and care of mothers in these situations are discussed. It i s hoped that the present findings will contribute to assisting clinicians in being able to focus on the important areas when working in this field. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Nursing, Faculty of Nursing.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and needs of families during the admission of a child to a paediatric ward in an acute care hospital. Qualitative research methods were used to access the caregivers' and professionals' perceptions of the culture that families experience in a paediatric in-patient setting. For this project, data collection methods included a review of the literature in the area, individual interviews with caregivers, and focus groups with paediatric health care professionals. / In the study, both parents and paediatric professionals described a multitude of experiences and needs of families during a child's admission to a paediatric ward in an acute care setting. Understanding the experiences and needs of families is important for professionals. The information collected in this study provides some insight into the culture that families experience when their child is admitted to a paediatric ward in an acute care hospital.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1946.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Independent College Programs, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.