Camilla Laaksonen

The change in child self-assessed and parent proxy-assessed Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in early adolescence (age 10—12)

Aims: To examine the development of self-assessed and parent proxy-assessed health related quality of life (HRQL) in pre-adolescent schoolchildren. Methods: The population (n = 1,346) consisted of the total cohort of children starting 4th grade (age 10) in 2004 in primary schools in a Finnish city of 175,000 inhabitants. HRQL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM 4.0 (PedsQL TM 4.0). The baseline study was conducted in 2004 (child age 10) and follow-up in a panel setting in 2006 (child age 12). The response rate for the children was 80% (n = 1,094) in 2004 and 85% (n = 1,139) in 2006. The response rate for children having responded both in 2004 and 2006 was 73% (n = 986). For parents of the children, one parent participated in the parents’ survey (n = 999 in 2004, n = 888 in 2006). Results: HRQL scores increased significantly in the two-year follow up (child t = 10.16—5.95, p < 0.0001, parent-proxy t = 6.35—2.76, p < 0.0001—0.006). Correlation between baseline and follow-up assessments was significant (child r = 0.4—0.5, p < 0.0001, parent r = 0.47—0.57, p < 0.0001). The correlation between baseline HRQL and change was negative (child r =−0.67 to −0.56, p < 0.0001, parent r =−0.62 to −0.46, p < 0.0001). Correlation between child and parent assessments increased from baseline (r = 0.20—0.39, p < 0.0001) to follow up (r = 0.3—0.42, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Child-assessed and parent proxy-assessed HRQL scores increase, suggesting HRQL improves, when children grow from age 10 to age 12. Baseline HRQL may not strongly predict future HRQL in early adolescence. The correlation between child self-assessment and parent proxy-assessment is fragile.

Utilising Social Media for Intervening and Predicting Future Health in Societies

Background: The aims of this paper are to describe 1. systematic reviews describing the relation between social media and health and 2. previous research on utilising social media for predicting health on a population level. Method: A literature search utilising PubMed was performed in March 2014.

The prevalence of neck-shoulder pain, back pain and psychological symptoms in association with daytime sleepiness – a prospective follow-up study of school children aged 10 to 15

Abstract Background and aims Chronic and recurrent pain is prevalent in adolescents and generally girls report more pain symptoms than boys. Also, pain symptoms and sleep problems often co-occur. Pain symptoms have negative effects on school achievement, emotional well-being, sleep, and overall health and well-being. For effective intervention and prevention there is a need for defining factors associated with pain symptoms and daytime sleepiness. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the prevalence and association between neck-shoulder pain, back pain, psychological symptoms and daytime sleepiness in 10-, 12- and 15-year-old children. This study is the first that followed up the same cohort of children from the age of 10 to 15. Methods A cohort study design with three measurement points was used. Participants (n=568) were recruited from an elementary school cohort in a city of 1,75,000 inhabitants in South-Western Finland. Symptoms and daytime sleepiness were measured with self-administered questionnaires. Regression models were used to analyze the associations. Results Frequent neck-shoulder pain and back pain, and psychological symptoms, as well as daytime sleepiness, are already common at the age of 10 and increase strongly between the ages 12 and 15. Overall a greater proportion of girls suffered from pain symptoms and daytime sleepiness compared to boys. Daytime sleepiness in all ages associated positively with the frequency of neck-shoulder pain and back pain. The more that daytime sleepiness existed, the more neck-shoulder pain and back pain occurred. Daytime sleepiness at the age of 10 predicted neck-shoulder pain at the age of 15, and back pain at the age of 10 indicated that there would also be back pain at the age of 15. In addition, positive associations between psychological symptoms and neck-shoulder pain, as well as back pain, were observed. Subjects with psychological problems suffered neck-shoulder pain and back pain more frequently. Conclusions This study is the first study that has followed up the same cohort of children from the age of 10 to 15. The studied symptoms were all already frequent at the age of 10. An increase mostly happened between the ages of 12 and 15. Moreover, the self-reported daytime sleepiness at the age of 10 predicted neck-shoulder pain at the age of 15. More attention should be paid to the daytime sleepiness of children at an early stage as it has a predictive value for other symptoms later in life. Implications School nurses, teachers and parents are in a key position to prevent adolescents’ sleep habits and healthy living habits. Furthermore, the finding that daytime sleepiness predicts neck-shoulder pain later in adolescence suggests that persistent sleep problems in childhood need early identification and treatment. Health care professionals also need take account of other risk factors, such as psychological symptoms and pain symptoms. The early identification and treatment of sleep problems in children might prevent the symptoms’ development later in life. There is a need for an individuals’ interventions to treat adolescents’ sleep problems.

Associations Between Daytime Sleepiness, Psychological Symptoms, Headache, and Abdominal Pain in Schoolchildren

Daytime sleepiness and different symptoms are common problems affecting health and well-being of schoolchildren. This population-based cohort study included 568 children who were followed from ages 10 to 15 years. Daytime sleepiness, headache, abdominal pain, and psychological symptoms (depression, irritability or bad temper, nervousness, anxiety, and dejection) were assessed by self-administered questionnaires. The prevalence of frequent daytime sleepiness was 13% at the ages of 10 and 12 years and increased significantly up to 24% at the age of 15 (p < .0001). Daytime sleepiness as well as psychological symptoms were positively associated with headache and abdominal pain from ages 10 to 15 years. Headache in girls at the ages of 10 predicted the occurrence of headache at the age of 15. School nurses and other professionals need to understand the importance of a holistic evaluation of sleep and different symptoms in children. There is also a need for interventions targeting several co-occurring symptoms.

Association of Self-Perceived Physical Competence and Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Childhood—A Follow-Up Study

BACKGROUND The basis of self-perceived physical competence is built in childhood and school personnel have an important role in this developmental process. We investigated the association between initial self-perceived physical competence and reported leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) longitudinally in 10-, 12-, and 15-year-old children. METHODS This longitudinal follow-up study comprises pupils from an elementary school cohort (N = 1346) in the city of Turku, Finland (175,000 inhabitants). The self-perceived physical competence (fitness and appearance) and LTPA data were collected with questionnaires. The full longitudinal data were available from 571 pupils based on repeated studies at the ages of 10, 12, and 15 years in 2004, 2006, and 2010. We analyzed the association of self-perceived physical competence and LTPA using regression models. RESULTS Self-perceived physical competence was positively associated with LTPA at all ages (10 years p < .05, 12 years p < .0001, 15 years p < .0001). Increase in the self-perceived physical fitness scores was likely to associate with higher LTPA at each age point (10 years [odds ratio, OR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.09-1.27; 12 years [OR] = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.18-1.37; and 15 years [OR] = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.19-1.38). CONCLUSIONS Self-perceived physical competence is associated with LTPA in children and adolescents, and the association is strengthened with age.

A New Participative, Family-Oriented Health Counseling Approach for Children and Their Families: A Comparative Qualitative Analysis

Health counseling is an essential part of health promotion and there is a need for new, family-oriented health counseling methods. The objective of this study was to describe the differences in physical activity conversations from the perspective of family-oriented care between child health visits using the Weighty Matter Toolkit and those using normal protocol. In total, 35 health visits were analyzed. The results indicate that the Weighty Matter Toolkit offers the child, and other family members, a better opportunity to participate to conversations, and the focus of the conversation is more diverse and based on the family’s perception regarding physical activity compared to the normal protocol. Thus, the Weighty Matter Toolkit is a promising method for family-oriented health counseling.