Large literatures document positive effects of WIC on birth outcomes, and separately connect health at birth and future outcomes.But little research investigates the link between prenatal WIC participation and childhood outcomes.We explore this question using a unique data set from South Carolina which links administrative birth, Medicaid, and education records.We find that relative to their siblings, prenatal WIC participants have a lower incidence of ADHD and other common childhood mental health conditions and of grade repetition.These findings demonstrate that a "WIC start" results in persistent improvements in child outcomes across a range of domains.
The primary objective of this study was to describe parents' and children's perceptions of the health benefits of research participation. We assessed 180 children ages 8 to 17 years who recently enrolled in medical research and their parents. Of the 136 parents with children on observational protocols, 41% indicated that there would be a health benefit to the child. Their descriptions of benefits revealed that many envisioned a future health benefit to the child arising from improvements in treatment due to the research. There was no difference in ratings of likelihood or importance of benefit between parents of children enrolled in observational protocols versus interventional protocols. Children enrolled in observational protocols were more likely to respond "don't know" to the question about potential health benefit compared to children on interventional protocols. For both observational and interventional protocols, the informed consent process may be enhanced when research personnel explicitly differentiate between different types of potential benefits, including heretofore-unrecognized future direct health benefits.
Abstract Children have the right to be heard in child protection proceedings. However, in social work, young people receiving protective services are often perceived as vulnerable and in need of protection, an attitude which prevents young people from participating in making important decisions that affect their lives. In this article, child participation in child welfare services (CWS) is explored through qualitative interviews with thirty-three young people aged fourteen to nineteen, receiving CWS in Nova Scotia, Canada. A thematic analysis of the findings highlighted four overarching themes—un/heard, un/informed, un/involved, and coping strategies—to describe youths’ experiences with service providers. The findings suggest that involving children in casework, including decisions regarding placement, has the potential to foster trust in care providers, improve cooperation and access to formal and informal supports, and enhance child well-being during and after receiving CWS.
Pedagogical documentation can have a significant role in enabling participation in early childhood education. This study investigates child and parent participation in pedagogical documentation processes in a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool in the United States, which gives crucial importance to documentation in education philosophy. For this purpose, 10 early childhood educators were interviewed about their practices, and 15 parents from their classrooms responded to an online survey. Documentation examples (portfolios, newsletters, journals and bulletin boards) were also reviewed from each participant educator, which provided 701 entries for content analysis. The results showed that although educators employed documentation to increase child participation in their classrooms, interview, survey and document analysis all corroborated parents being mostly recipients in the documentation process. Differences were also found between parents' preferred content and actual content of documentations according to the comparison of the findings from the parent survey and content analysis, and implications were provided based upon them.
ABSTRACT Since the wide adoption of the Internet in public schools and libraries, parents, educators and caregivers have been concerned about the safety and efficacy of children's search practice, often willing to accept diminished information quality to ensure that young searchers do not encounter illicit materials. In this study, part of a broader examination of youth search practices in the early years, we demonstrate that “safe”, child‐oriented search engines provide less relevant results, while failing to keep children from the unfiltered Web, the narrow definition of safety proffered by the sites themselves. Based on our findings, we suggest that the rhetorics of these search tools present a false trade‐off and may actually hinder inquiry practice, as opposed to supporting safe and developmentally appropriate access to online materials.
BACKGROUNDCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is more benign in children compared with adults for unknown reasons. This contrasts with other respiratory viruses where disease manifestations are often more severe in children. We hypothesize that a more robust early innate immune response to SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protects against severe disease.METHODSClinical outcomes, SARS-CoV-2 viral copies, and cellular gene expression were compared in nasopharyngeal swabs obtained at the time of presentation to the emergency department from 12 children and 27 adults using bulk RNA sequencing and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. Total protein, cytokines, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA were quantified in nasal fluid.RESULTSSARS-CoV-2 copies, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and TMPRSS2 gene expression were similar in children and adults, but children displayed higher expression of genes associated with IFN signaling, NLRP3 inflammasome, and other innate pathways. Higher levels of IFN-α2, IFN-γ, IP-10, IL-8, and IL-1β protein were detected in nasal fluid in children versus adults. Children also expressed higher levels of genes associated with immune cells, whereas expression of those associated with epithelial cells did not differ in children versus adults. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG were detected at similar levels in nasal fluid from both groups. None of the children required supplemental oxygen, whereas 7 adults did (P = 0.03); 4 adults died.CONCLUSIONThese findings provide direct evidence of a more vigorous early mucosal immune response in children compared with adults and suggest that this contributes to favorable clinical outcomes.FUNDINGNIH grants R01 AI134367, UL1 TR002556, T32 AI007501, T32GM007288, P30 AI124414; an Albert Einstein College of Medicine Dean's COVID-19 Pilot Research Award; and the Eric J. Heyer, MD, PhD Translational Research Pilot Project Award.
Carl A. Pierce, Sharlene Sy, Benjamin T Galen et al.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the digital environments in which children learn, communicate, and socialize. While AI-driven technologies create valuable opportunities for education, creativity, and online safety, they also expose children to risks such as harmful content, digital addiction, online grooming, and deepfake exploitation. This study examines the sociological, legal, and economic dimensions of AI-driven child protection through an interdisciplinary qualitative approach. It analyzes the impact of AI on children’s emotional development and online experiences, compares regulatory approaches in the United States and the European Union, and evaluates the role of trustworthy AI in content moderation and online safety. The article argues that effective child protection cannot rely solely on restrictive legislation. Instead, responsible AI governance requires a combination of legal safeguards, ethical corporate responsibility, digital literacy, transparency, and meaningful human oversight. Ultimately, the study concludes that AI should be understood as a dual-use technology capable of both harm and protection, whose societal impact depends largely on the ethical and regulatory frameworks governing its development and deployment.
Youth online safety research in HCI has historically centered on perspectives from the Global North, often overlooking the unique particularities and cultural contexts of regions in the Global South. This paper presents a systematic review of 66 youth online safety studies published between 2014 and 2024, specifically focusing on regions in the Global South. Our findings reveal a concentrated research focus in Asian countries and predominance of quantitative methods. We also found limited research on marginalized youth populations and a primary focus on risks related to cyberbullying. Our analysis underscores the critical role of cultural factors in shaping online safety, highlighting the need for educational approaches that integrate social dynamics and awareness. We propose methodological recommendations and a future research agenda that encourages the adoption of situated, culturally sensitive methodologies and youth-centered approaches to researching youth online safety regions in the Global South. This paper advocates for greater inclusivity in youth online safety research, emphasizing the importance of addressing varied sociocultural contexts to better understand and meet the online safety needs of youth in the Global South.
Ozioma Collins Oguine, Oghenemaro Anuyah, Zainab Agha et al.
Among children with autism, drowning is the leading cause of death through 14 years old. Attributes such as wandering, sensory issues, impulsivity, and a limited sense of danger could increase risk. In addition, autistic children often have trouble participating in structured group activities like swimming lessons. The purpose of this study is to better understand water safety experiences of parents of children with autism. Parents of autistic children were asked to participate in a focus group about their family's water safety experiences. Six focus groups and one interview were held. Six major themes were identified from transcripts that were common among participants: autism characteristics influence water safety risk; water safety fears influence family life; it is difficult to find and access water safety and swimming lesson information for children with autism; autism characteristics affect participation in swimming lessons and other aquatic activities; autistic children have unique swimming lesson needs; and instructor preparedness is key to swimming lesson success for autistic children. Water safety needs to be elevated in importance for families of autistic children. Information on drowning risk and prevention should be made more accessible. Barriers to adaptive swimming lessons such as cost, scheduling, and availability need to be addressed. More training opportunities need to be provided to swimming instructors to improve teaching children with complex needs, such as those with autism.
Barbara D Cosart, Karla A. Lawson, Stewart R Williams et al.
ABSTRACT Objective: to develop and validate a checklist of safety actions for hospitalized children. Method: a methodological research study carried out from March 2017 to March 2020 in two phases: 1) Identification of the themes and elaboration of the checklist through the literature review; 2) Content validation with expert judges by means of the Delphi technique, applying the Content Validity Index (CVI), accepting values >0.8 for the CVI per item and >0.9 for the checklist. The data collection instrument was organized using an ordinal progressive valuation scale, of the Likert type. The content validation stage was performed in three rounds using a Google Forms® electronic form. Fifteen experts participated in the survey in the first round and 14 in the second and third rounds. The statistical analysis of the data was performed with the aid of Google Forms® and of the Excel® software, and the results were presented descriptively and in a table. Results: the final version of the checklist consisted of 6 categories and 23 check items, validated with a Content Validity Index of 0.98. The checklist was also validated in relation to the objectives (0.95) and to the structure and presentation (0.98). Conclusion: validation of the content, objectives, structure and presentation of the checklist allows this tool to be implemented in any pediatric hospitalization unit, contributing to the care practice aimed at the safety of hospitalized children.
Aline Verônica de Oliveira Gomes, Maria Aparecida de Luca Nascimento
