Background: The prevalence of childhood overweight in the United States continues to be a national public health problem. The child care and household environments play an important role in the nutrition, physical activity, and screen-time behaviors of preschoolers. Aims: This dissertation aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 3-5 year old children enrolled in child care centers in Miami-Dade County; (2) identify early life, dietary, and screen-time risk factors of overweight, and (3) assess child care centers' level of adherence to nutrition, physical activity, and screen-time regulations by center socioeconomic location (SEP). Methods: A total of 366 children ages 3-5 years old from 34 child care centers participated in the study. Caregivers completed a questionnaire on socioeconomic, early life, dietary, and screen-time factors. We measured children's heights and weights. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between child overweight and determinants. Results: the prevalence of overweight was 29.8% in this sample. The middle-SEP group had the highest prevalence of overweight (35.3%) when compared to low and high-SEP groups. Being Hispanic was associated with a three-fold risk of overweight/ obesity (AOR: 2.91, 95% CI 1.36, 6.21). Lack of daily fruit consumption increased the risk of overweight in Hispanic children. Middle-SEP children reported lowest consumption of fruits and vegetables. There were significant differences in breastfeeding practices by ethnicity and SEP. Assessment of child care practices resulted in all child care centers adhering to two-hour screen-time regulation for children older than 2-years old. Low and middle SEP centers fared better in serving of fruits , vegetables, and low fat/ fat free milk. The centers had incorporated quite and active play in their routines. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine prevalence by SEP in Miami-Dade County. Findings highlight opportunities for improvement in early life nutrition, as well as dietary and screen-time practices in the household and child care environments.

It has long been the quest of developmental theorists to understand the mechanisms behind cognitive functioning and the acquisition of language. Studies have identified that there is an interdependent, dialectical relationship between cognitive development and language acquisition. The development of language, in typical populations, is therefore dependent on a baseline cognitive skill, which, once acquired, capacitates the further development of cognition. However, very little is known about this process within atypical populations, particularly those with speech and language impairment. This study examined the relationship between cognitive functioning and early predictive factors in an atypical population of pre-school children with speech and language impairment using three measures of cognitive functioning (as measured by the WPPSI (Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Intelligence Scale), the Griffiths and the JSAIS (Junior South African Individual Scale)) and a range of demographic, diagnostic and early developmental childhood factors. Results identify factors such as parental levels of education, family structure, gender and pregnancy and early childhood health as the main influences of cognitive performance. They also highlight the pervasive influence of speech and language impairment on non-verbal and processing speed abilities. The presence of genetic conditions as well as multiple diagnoses was frequently found to have significant associations with poor cognitive performance. The study also highlighted two things of unexpected interest. The first refers to the role of handedness (particularly undifferentiated handedness) in identifying cognitive difficulty which is related to hemispheric lateralisation, and its relationship to the various diagnostic groups represented within the sample. The second considers the high proportion of diagnostic co-morbidity and the common cognitive profiling patterns across diagnostic categories in abilities outside of the verbal range to highlight potential directions for future research. The implications of these overlaps are considered within existing research on brain laterality, hemispheric dominance and neurological immaturity.

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No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Lina Monteiro de Castro Lobo - 2013.pdf: 714186 bytes, checksum: 5d5c6b250a7a628a15bcfb47e33f1a3b (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-16 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Introduction: Vitamin A deficiency can increase susceptibility to infection and reduce growth rate, besides it is an important cause of blindness in childhood. Infants and preschools are the most vulnerable groups to this deficiency. Objective: To evaluate the factors related to serum retinol in infants aged from six to 24 months who were attended at municipal daycare centers (CMEIs) in the city of Goiânia - Goiás State, Brasil. Methods: A cross-sectional study, undertaken between 2005 and 2006 in CMEIs located in Goiânia. A socioeconomic and demographic survey was performed as well as blood samples were drawn from 193 infants to analysis of complete blood count (CBC), serum retinol, ferritin and C-reactive protein (CRP). Retinol was determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) being considered deficient retinol levels under 0,7 μmol/L. Data were analyzed by the softwares Stata/SE 12.0 and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 18.0 (SPSS). T student test, Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation and multiple linear regression were performed. Results: The mean serum of retinol level was of 1,00 ± 0,38 μmol/L and the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency was of 21,8%. The average levels of retinol did not differ significantly between gender, age, type of water consumed, prenatal assistance, breastfeeding (predominant or current), presence or absence of anemia and ferritin levels. There was no correlation between the mother’s schooling, birth weight and number of infants younger than five years of age with serum retinol. There was association between vitamin A deficiency and inflammation (p=0,04). For each CRP unit that increased there was a reduction of 0,133 e 0,115 mg/dL in serum retinol levels, according to two models of multiple linear regression, keeping other variables constant. Conclusion: Vitamin A deficiency in infants who were attended at a municipal daycare centers in Goiânia is high and the factor related to this deficiency was the inflammatory state of the child which is represented by the CRP serum levels, adjusted by sanitary sewage, habitation location and ferritin level. / Introdução: A deficiência de vitamina A pode aumentar a susceptibilidade à infecção e redução do crescimento, além de ser importante causa de cegueira na infância. Os grupos mais vulneráveis para esta deficiência são os lactentes e pré-escolares. Objetivo: avaliar os fatores relacionados ao retinol sérico em crianças de seis a 24 meses de idade que frequentavam Centros Municipais de Educação Infantil (CMEIs) no município de Goiânia-Goiás, Brasil. Métodos: Estudo transversal, realizado entre 2005 e 2006 em CMEIs da cidade de Goiânia. Realizou-se inquérito socioeconômico e demográfico e coleta de sangue de 193 crianças para análise do hemograma, retinol sérico, ferritina e proteína C-reativa (PCR). O retinol sérico foi determinado por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Performance (HPLC) considerando como deficiência os níveis de retinol <0,7 μmol/L. Analisou-se os dados nos programas Stata/SE 12.0 e Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 18.0 (SPSS). Utilizou-se o teste t de Student, correlação de Pearson ou Spearman e regressão linear múltipla. Resultados: A média de retinol sérico foi de 1,00 ± 0,38 μmol/L e prevalência de deficiência de vitamina A de 21,8%. Os níveis médios de retinol sérico não apresentaram diferença estatística entre os sexos, idade da criança, tipo de água consumida, assistência pré-natal, aleitamento materno (predominante ou atual), presença ou não de anemia e níveis de ferritina. Não houve correlação entre escolaridade da mãe, peso ao nascer e número de crianças menor que cinco anos com o retinol sérico. Verificou-se associação entre deficiência de vitamina A e inflamação (p=0,04). Para cada unidade de aumento do PCR houve redução de 0,133 e 0,115 mg/dL nos níveis de retinol sérico, segundo dois modelos de regressão linear múltipla, mantendo as outras variáveis constantes. Conclusão: a deficiência de vitamina A nas crianças frequentadoras de CMEIs em Goiânia é alta e o fator relacionado à esta deficiência foi o estado inflamatório da criança representado pelos níveis séricos de PCR, ajustado pelo esgotamento sanitário, local de moradia e nível de ferritina.

This diploma final project deals with prevention of dyslexia in kindergarten. Teoretical part has three chapters. In the first part, there is a short survey of the development literacy and definition of foundations of literacy like phonemic awareness and letter knowledge. The second part describes the world of preschooler. There is a short characterization of development of child at this age. The last chapter in theoretical part is called Prevention of Dyslexia. Practical part is based on the questionnaire for teachers. The questionnaire was originally created for the purpose of the international longitudinal study ELDEL ("Establishing the Foundations of Literacy in European Languages"). The aim of this thesis is a bit different from the longitudinal study. The objective of this thesis lay in the description of the structure of teacher's practices in prevention of dyslexia, not just in literacy foundations development and find out, which activities teachers prefer. If they are inspired by czech tradition or if they know and prefer outland views of preventiv dyslexia.

Background: Excessive media usage affects children’s health. This study investigated associations between children’s and mother’s media use, parent-child interactions, and early-childhood development outcomes. Methods: 296 healthy 2- to 5-year-old preschoolers (52.4% male, mean age = 3.5) and 
224 mothers from the LIFE-child cohort study were analyzed. Screen times and parent-child interactions were assessed using standardized parental questionnaires. Developmental skills were investigated using the standardized development test ET 6-6-R. Results: High screen times in children (> 1 h/day) were significantly associated with lower percentile ranks in cognition (b = -10.96, p < 0.01), language (b = -12.88, p < 0.01), and social-emotional skills (b = -7.80, p = 0.05). High screen times in mothers (> 5 h/day) were significantly associated with high media use by children (OR = 3.86, p < 0.01). Higher parent-child interaction scores were significantly associated with better body motor (b = 0.41, 
p = 0.05), cognition (b = 0.57, p < 0.01), language (b = 0.48, p = 0.02) and social-emotional outcomes (b = 0.80, p < 0.01) in children. Conclusions: Public health strategies should seek to educate caregivers as competent mediators for their children’s media habits, with focus on the need for children to have frequent parent-child interactions.

Cardiovascular disease begins to develop in childhood. Physical activity positively impacts cardiovascular health and lowers cardiovascular disease risk in school-aged children and adults; however, there is insufficient evidence to determine the effects of physical activity on cardiovascular health during early childhood. The specific dose of physical activity required for favourable cardiovascular health in this age group is also unknown. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the relationships between physical activity and cardiovascular health indicators during early childhood. In the first study, we found that physical activity engagement has beneficial effects on cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure, autonomic function, and arterial stiffness during early childhood. We then determined in the second study that to avoid unfavourable cardiovascular health, preschool-aged children should engage in at least 240 minutes of activity at any intensity, 80 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, or 8700 steps per day. Finally, in the third study we evaluated a novel technique for examining arterial wall properties, carotid artery longitudinal wall motion, and determined that it was weakly associated with an established indicator of arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity) in early childhood. These findings highlight that the benefits of physical activity on cardiovascular health begin in early childhood and the minimal amount of activity to avoid unfavourable cardiovascular health is higher than current recommendations. For the most part, physical activity benefited boys and girls similarly, although it is unclear if the physical activity targets apply equally to boys. We also determined that carotid artery longitudinal wall motion may not be an indicator of arterial stiffness in young children. Future studies should determine if the favourable effects of physical activity on cardiovascular health during early childhood carry over to later years and if achieving the physical activity targets determined in this thesis are associated with additional health benefits. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Heart disease develops slowly over time, starting in childhood. This thesis explored if physical activity can begin to prevent heart disease even in preschoolers, and how much physical activity preschoolers need in order to keep their hearts and blood vessels healthy. We found that preschool-aged children who were more active had better heart health, including better blood vessel health and higher fitness. While all activity was good, more intense, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (sometimes called energetic play) was more beneficial and slowed down the stiffening of their blood vessels as the children grew. We determined that preschool-aged children should engage in at least 4 hours of physical activity at any intensity or 80 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day to avoid poor heart health. The findings in this thesis highlight the importance of regular physical activity participation to promote heart health even in preschool-aged children.

Contexte. Les attitudes et comportements alimentaires développés pendant la petite enfance influencent grandement la relation future du mangeur à l’égard des aliments. Le parent s’avère en ce sens des plus déterminants. Objectifs. Cette étude vise à connaître les pratiques et attitudes employées par les parents québécois d’enfants d’âge préscolaire pour favoriser le « bien manger » ainsi que le repas familial agréable. Méthodes. La collecte de données a été effectuée à l’aide de cartes postales qui étaient distribuées dans six cent cinquante Centres de la Petite Enfance parmi les mille retrouvés dans la province de Québec pour ensuite être remises aux parents. L’analyse des réponses aux deux questions ouvertes figurant sur la carte postale a été effectuée en se basant sur le modèle des prises alimentaires de Jean-Pierre Poulain. Résultats. Plus de mille (1257) cartes postales ont été retenues aux fins d’analyses. Les données recueillies permettent dans un premier temps de connaître la perception des parents quant à la notion de manger bien. Les notions de qualité et de quantité, diamétralement opposées se démarquent. Dans le cas du repas familial, la discussion, la présence de tous les membres à table ainsi que l’absence de télévision sont abondamment mentionnées. Conclusion. Cette étude permet de constater la variété des stratégies employées par les parents québécois au moment du repas. Ces données d’une grande pertinence pour la santé publique permettront de cibler les messages clés à promouvoir auprès de ces acteurs d’influence dans le développement des habitudes alimentaires des tout petits. / Context. Food attitudes and behaviors developed during early childhood greatly influence the future relationships that children will have with food. Parents play a major role in this part of their preschool child’s life. Objective The main goal of this study is to explore attitudes and behaviors that Quebec parents adopt at meal time with their preschooler in order to encourage healthy eating practices as well as enjoyable family meals. Methodology. To collect data, postcards, an innovative tool, were sent to six hundred fifty day-care centres, also known as Centres de la petite enfance (CPE), of which there are more than a thousand in Quebec. The postcards were then distributed to parents, who were asked to respond to two open-ended questions. Analysis of the qualitative data was based on Jean-Pierre Poulain’s food intake model. Results. More than a thousand (1,257) postcards were used in the analysis. Data collected illustrate first and foremost the vision that parents have of healthy eating and reveal two diametrically opposed perspectives: quality and quantity. With regard to family meals, respondents frequently mentioned conversation at the table, the presence of all family members and the absence of television while eating. Conclusion. Findings from this study show the diverse strategies used by Quebecers during mealtimes. The data are essential to defining key public health messages about eating habits for children that should be promoted among these influential actors.

The thesis discusses the current phenomenon of ICT penetration in kindergarten. The author at first take into account the broader context of the issue of changing the role of educator role in postmodern society. After that discusses the process and organizational incorporation of selected courses aimed at training teachers in kindergartens in the area of ICT. The first chapter concludes with a broader, related to the use of ICT focused, analysis of intergenerational differences that determine the further development of educational policy and requirements for the education of children. The second chapter focuses on the issue of school readiness of a child, in particular a close look at the psychological profile of the individual according to his age and development of cognitive function in preoperative stage. It is therefore a basis with which to be reckoned with in the revision of existing knowledge and increased demands on the educational component of pre-school preparation. It is also pointed to specific foreign studies that deal with the question of the effectiveness of the involvement of ICT in teaching preschool children. There is also a look back at criticism of current threats called as digital degeneration. In the third chapter are answered three hypotheses and also concluded whether a...

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:57:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Anegreice Valerio.pdf: 1120929 bytes, checksum: d8b30b566b522daf1e41d93a3037c97e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-05-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Understanding mental states such as desires, emotions and beliefs is important for the success to our every Day relationships. The acquisition and development of this ability are aspects that have been studied under the name of theory of mind. To study the first manifestations of this comprehension can enable to understand this development. The central objective of this research is to examine the constitution of children s theory of mind. Another objective, a practical one, is to offer assistance for the promotion of activities that favor this development. 58 preschool children of a medium-high socioeconomic level, 29 boys and 29 girls between 1;11 to 3;7 year-olds, were followed for 18 months in 4 gatherings with intervals of 6 months through two procedures: a) observation in playful situation kids were videotaped playing in groups of 4; b) they were given tasks, kids answered individually to tasks of belief and false belief. Verbalizations were typed and submitted to software SPAD-T for treatment and categorization according to the type of attribution of mental states. The performance in the tasks was submitted to the Factorial Analysis. The results showed that the attributions more precocious of mental states to the other one happened at 2 years 5 months (emotion), 2 years and 7 months (desire) and 3 years and 2 months (belief). Differences were found in relation to the period of acquisition in terms related to belief. The most used terms were the verbs gostar (to like), querer (to want) and saber (to know). Other words frequently used were medo (fear), feliz (happy) and triste (sad) at the end of the second year of life and pensar (to think), conhecer (to know), mentir (to lie) and enganar (to cheat) during the third year of life. The factorial analysis revealed that there was age influence in this development and found different profiles of development. The results of both groups of data (verbal manifestations and task performance) were used in the intra-individual analysis of 10 participants and, in all cases, were complemented in the explanation of the behavior of each child / Compreender estados mentais como desejos, emoções e crenças é importante para o êxito de nossas relações cotidianas. A aquisição e o desenvolvimento dessa habilidade são aspectos que têm sido estudados sob o nome de Teoria da Mente. Estudar as primeiras manifestações dessa compreensão pode colaborar para entender esse desenvolvimento. A presente pesquisa é um estudo longitudinal com o objetivo central de examinar a constituição da teoria da mente das crianças. Outro objetivo, de caráter prático, é oferecer subsídios para a promoção de atividades escolares favorecedoras desse desenvolvimento. Participaram da pesquisa 58 crianças, 29 meninos e 29 meninas, entre 1a11m e 3a7m, de uma escola de educação infantil que atende crianças de NSE médio e alto. Os participantes foram acompanhados por 18 meses, em quatro coletas, com intervalos de 6 meses, por meio de dois procedimentos: a) observações em situações lúdicas - as crianças foram vídeo-gravadas brincando em grupos de quatro; b) aplicação de tarefas - as crianças responderam individualmente a tarefas de crença e crença falsa. As verbalizações foram transcritas, submetidas ao software SPAD-T para tratamento e categorizadas segundo o tipo de atribuição de estados mentais. O desempenho nas tarefas foi submetido à Análise Fatorial. Os resultados mostraram que as atribuições mais precoces de estados mentais ao outro ocorreram aos 2a5m (emoção), 2a7m (desejo) e 3a2m (crença). Foram encontradas diferenças em relação ao período de aquisição de termos relativos à crença. Os termos mentais mais utilizados foram os verbos gostar, querer e saber. Outras palavras utilizadas com freqüência foram medo, feliz e triste no final do segundo ano de vida e pensar, conhecer, mentir e enganar durante o terceiro ano. A análise fatorial revelou que houve influência da idade nesse desenvolvimento e encontrou diferentes perfis de desenvolvimento. Os resultados dos dois conjuntos de dados (manifestações verbais e desempenho em tarefas) foram utilizados na análise intra-individual de 10 participantes e, em todos os casos, se complementaram na explicação do comportamento de cada criança

Contexte. Les attitudes et comportements alimentaires développés pendant la petite enfance influencent grandement la relation future du mangeur à l’égard des aliments. Le parent s’avère en ce sens des plus déterminants. Objectifs. Cette étude vise à connaître les pratiques et attitudes employées par les parents québécois d’enfants d’âge préscolaire pour favoriser le « bien manger » ainsi que le repas familial agréable. Méthodes. La collecte de données a été effectuée à l’aide de cartes postales qui étaient distribuées dans six cent cinquante Centres de la Petite Enfance parmi les mille retrouvés dans la province de Québec pour ensuite être remises aux parents. L’analyse des réponses aux deux questions ouvertes figurant sur la carte postale a été effectuée en se basant sur le modèle des prises alimentaires de Jean-Pierre Poulain. Résultats. Plus de mille (1257) cartes postales ont été retenues aux fins d’analyses. Les données recueillies permettent dans un premier temps de connaître la perception des parents quant à la notion de manger bien. Les notions de qualité et de quantité, diamétralement opposées se démarquent. Dans le cas du repas familial, la discussion, la présence de tous les membres à table ainsi que l’absence de télévision sont abondamment mentionnées. Conclusion. Cette étude permet de constater la variété des stratégies employées par les parents québécois au moment du repas. Ces données d’une grande pertinence pour la santé publique permettront de cibler les messages clés à promouvoir auprès de ces acteurs d’influence dans le développement des habitudes alimentaires des tout petits. / Context. Food attitudes and behaviors developed during early childhood greatly influence the future relationships that children will have with food. Parents play a major role in this part of their preschool child’s life. Objective The main goal of this study is to explore attitudes and behaviors that Quebec parents adopt at meal time with their preschooler in order to encourage healthy eating practices as well as enjoyable family meals. Methodology. To collect data, postcards, an innovative tool, were sent to six hundred fifty day-care centres, also known as Centres de la petite enfance (CPE), of which there are more than a thousand in Quebec. The postcards were then distributed to parents, who were asked to respond to two open-ended questions. Analysis of the qualitative data was based on Jean-Pierre Poulain’s food intake model. Results. More than a thousand (1,257) postcards were used in the analysis. Data collected illustrate first and foremost the vision that parents have of healthy eating and reveal two diametrically opposed perspectives: quality and quantity. With regard to family meals, respondents frequently mentioned conversation at the table, the presence of all family members and the absence of television while eating. Conclusion. Findings from this study show the diverse strategies used by Quebecers during mealtimes. The data are essential to defining key public health messages about eating habits for children that should be promoted among these influential actors.