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Article
Publication date: 7 May 2024

Gülfer Akça, Aslihan Sanri and Unal Akca

This study aims to evaluate the health literacy level of the parents of children diagnosed with Down syndrome (DS) within one institution in Turkey.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the health literacy level of the parents of children diagnosed with Down syndrome (DS) within one institution in Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey measuring demographics, information of the child and the parent and health literacy was administered to participants. The health literacy levels in the study were measured with the European Health Literacy Scale (EHLS), which consists of 47 questions.

Findings

Of the 65 participants who completed the questionnaire, 56.9% were mothers, 68.1% were diagnosed in the neonatal outpatient clinic examination after birth, and 58.5% stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit after birth. The mean score of the IHLS scale was 25.06 ± 6.59. Of the parents, 63.1% were found to be inadequate, 18.5% problematic-limited, and 18.5% adequate health literate. Any parent with excellent health literacy level was identified. High education level (p < 0.001), high income level (p < 0.001), living in the city center (p < 0.05), planned pregnancy (p < 0.05) and being a health worker (p < 0.001) were found to be statistically significant with a high EHSL score.

Research limitations/implications

The presence of Down syndrome (DS) in a child also necessitates ongoing monitoring for a range of conditions, including eye diseases and heart disease. Some surgical procedures, such as heart or gastrointestinal surgeries, may also be required. Additionally, the child may require the administration of various medications. Finally, due to the potential lifelong need for assistance, the child may require the support of an adult throughout their lifetime. This is because of the child's inability to live independently due to their mental state. Therefore, parent education is the most important issue in the follow-up of the disease.

Practical implications

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to determine that parents of children diagnosed with DS have very limited knowledge of the disease and health literacy. Explanation of current diseases, treatments and training of parents should also be included in genetic counseling.

Social implications

DS is a chromosomal disease that requires multidisciplinary care. Parents have to know the course of the disease and its complications.

Originality/value

The findings of this study indicate that parents of children with Down syndrome exhibit a profound lack of knowledge regarding the nature of their child's condition and the available healthcare options. It is therefore imperative that genetic counseling incorporates an explanation of the diagnosed diseases, treatments, and educational resources for parents.

Details

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1282

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 May 2024

Lin Zhu, Yan Wang and Yanhong Chen

Mothers sharing images and information on social media about their children is a contemporary cultural norm. While the practice has been heavily discussed in popular media, there…

Abstract

Purpose

Mothers sharing images and information on social media about their children is a contemporary cultural norm. While the practice has been heavily discussed in popular media, there is a lack of empirical research examining the phenomenon from the perspectives of parents and adolescent children in China. The current study aims to find out whether or not mothers and their children engage in discussions about sharenting and how adolescents negotiate their privacy concerns with their mothers.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study examined how parents and their children make sense of sharenting via semi-structured interviews with 16 Chinese mothers. In addition, the study enlisted 21 adolescents to examine their perspectives on sharenting. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Results showed that although documentation is articulated as the primary sharenting motivation, identity management is a major drive behind sharenting. The dynamics between mothers and their children, as well as between adolescents and their parents, are also explored regarding the issues of consent, privacy and identity.

Research limitations/implications

This study has theoretical implications for the communication privacy management (CPM) theory, as it underscores the dynamic nature of privacy management, shaped by cultural norms, family dynamics and evolving communication technologies. It also adds value for campaign practitioners to provide education programs on the serious consequences of sharenting.

Originality/value

This research serves as a starting point to further explore a child’s entrance to adulthood as our culture’s first true digital natives who will bear extensive online and offline identities.

Details

Internet Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 May 2024

Gozde Aydin, Claire Margerison, Anthony Worsley and Alison Booth

Schools have long been perceived as an ideal setting to support the healthy eating behaviours of children. The aim of the study was to examine the views of Australian primary…

Abstract

Purpose

Schools have long been perceived as an ideal setting to support the healthy eating behaviours of children. The aim of the study was to examine the views of Australian primary school parents regarding school food and nutrition, including education, practices and policy.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted among 787 parents in March 2021, which included closed and open-ended questions.

Findings

The results indicated the inconsistent implementation of policies and/or varying practices among different schools. Parents’ views were slightly associated with some demographic and personal measures including their SES levels, education, age, the main language spoken at home and universalism values. Parents viewed healthy food provision through canteens, policies and informing parents, fruit and vegetable breaks and kitchen and garden programs as the main contributors to the promotion of healthy eating. They believed unhealthy options in canteens, school fairs, events and birthdays are the major contributors to the formation of unhealthy eating habits among children at schools. Results revealed the efforts to establish health promoting school food environments in Australian primary schools; however, inconsistencies and discrepancies among schools should be addressed to ensure equity among all children.

Practical implications

The findings may provide directions for policymakers and school managers and can inform future reforms and initiatives in Australian primary schools and elsewhere.

Originality/value

This is the first study that has examined Australian parents’ views of school food policy, practices and environments using a mixed-methods design.

Details

Health Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2024

Jingxian Wang

This research aims at explaining the phenomenon of the “black children” (heihaizi), a very little-known generation who lived with concealment under the one-child policy in China…

Abstract

This research aims at explaining the phenomenon of the “black children” (heihaizi), a very little-known generation who lived with concealment under the one-child policy in China. The one-child policy was officially introduced to nationwide at the end of 1979 by permitting per couple to have one child only, later modified to a second child allowed if the first was a girl in rural China in 1984. It was officially replaced by a nation-wide two-child policy and most existing research focused on the parents’ sufferings and policy changes. The term “black children” has been mainly used to describe their absence from their family hukou registration and education. However, this research aims at expanding the meaning of being “black” to explain the children who were concealed more than at the level of family formal registration, but also physical freedom and emotional bond. What we do not yet know are the details of their lived experiences from a day-to-day base: where did they live? How were they raised up? Who were involved? Who benefited from it and who did not? In this way, this research challenges the existing scholarship on the one-child policy and repositions the “black children” as primary victims, and reveals the family as a key figure in co-producing their diminished status with the support of state power. It is very important to understand these children’s loss of citizenship and human freedom from the inside of the family because they were concealed in so many ways away from public view and interventions. This research focuses on illustrating how their lack of access to continued, stabilized, and reciprocally recognized family interactions framed their very idea of self-worth and identity.

Details

More than Just a ‘Home’: Understanding the Living Spaces of Families
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-652-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2024

Katie Lindekugel and Naja Ferjan Ramírez

Although studies have shown that electronic media exposure can negatively affect infants’ and young children’s language development, exposure to these forms of media is increasing…

Abstract

Although studies have shown that electronic media exposure can negatively affect infants’ and young children’s language development, exposure to these forms of media is increasing in North America. To better understand the types of electronic media exposure and their potential effects, we utilized naturalistic daylong recordings collected in the homes of bilingual Spanish–English infants of Latinx descent (n = 37). The present study examines contextual aspects of electronic media exposure, and the effects of electronic media on two types of parent–infant social interactions associated with child language development: parentese (a style of infant-directed speech distinguished by its higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation) and parent–infant turn-taking. Using Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA), two daylong audio recordings were collected from each family. These recordings were manually annotated for electronic media type, directedness, language, parental support, parentese, and turn-taking. Our results showed that the infants in our study experienced exposure to many different forms of electronic media, in both English and Spanish, and that the programming was predominantly adult-directed rather than child-directed. While both parentese and turn-taking were reduced in the presence of electronic media, the strength of these effects was modulated by electronic media sources, demonstrating that various devices differentially affect parental language input. These results provide a glimpse into what types of media young bilingual Spanish–English learning infants are experiencing and can help researchers design language interventions that are inclusive and relevant for families from these populations.

Details

More than Just a ‘Home’: Understanding the Living Spaces of Families
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-652-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2023

Hoàng Long Phan and Ralf Zurbruegg

This paper examines how a firm's hierarchical complexity, which is determined by the way it organizes its subsidiaries across the hierarchical levels, can impact its stock price…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines how a firm's hierarchical complexity, which is determined by the way it organizes its subsidiaries across the hierarchical levels, can impact its stock price crash risk.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ a measure of hierarchical complexity that captures the depth and breadth of how subsidiaries are organized within a firm. This measure is calculated using information about firms' subsidiaries extracted from the Bureau van Dijk (BvD) database that allows the authors to construct each firm's hierarchical structure. The data sample includes 2,461 USA firms for the period from 2012 to 2017 (11,006 firm-year observations). Univariate tests and panel regression are used for the main analysis. Two-stage-least-squares (2SLS) instrumental variable regression and various other tests are employed for robustness check.

Findings

The results show a positive relationship between hierarchical complexity and stock price crash risk. This relationship is amplified in firms with a greater number of subsidiaries that are hierarchically distanced from the parent company as well as in firms with a greater number of foreign subsidiaries in countries with weaker rule of law.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to investigate the impact hierarchical complexity has on crash risk. The results highlight the role that a firm's organizational structure can have on asset pricing behavior.

Details

International Journal of Managerial Finance, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1743-9132

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2024

Silvia Di Giuseppe

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, although the current situation is more under control. Because the development of the pandemic took place in the context of a…

Abstract

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, although the current situation is more under control. Because the development of the pandemic took place in the context of a digital society, where digital information and communication technologies (ICT) were already widely used, households certainly had to make greater use of this powerful communication tool, partly for work, and partly for distance learning purposes. It is likely that the increased use of ICT in the home, due to the lockdown, created an environment in which families were more united but also isolated and in conflict and this trend may still be present today.

This chapter is based on a study of ICT in the daily lives of Portuguese and Italian women, who lived in nuclear families, during and after the COVID pandemic. Through the testimonies of these women, therefore, we will discuss the results of the study to describe and understand how families used ICT during and after the pandemic. In particular, we are interested in answering the following questions: Did domestic spaces become more and more like work spaces due to the increased use of ICT due to the pandemic lockdown? Did distance learning, due to the lockdown, lead to an increase in ICT use by children/adolescents that is still perpetuated today?

Details

More than Just a ‘Home’: Understanding the Living Spaces of Families
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-652-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2023

Rong Huang, Guang Yang, Xiaoye Chen and Yuxin Chen

This study aims to investigate the influence of CEO’s only-child status on corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. It seeks to extend the understanding of upper echelon…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of CEO’s only-child status on corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. It seeks to extend the understanding of upper echelon theory by examining unexplored CEO characteristics and their impact on CSR decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses manually collected CEO family information and Chinese Stock and Market Accounting Research data as a basis to examine the influence of CEOs’ early-life experiences on their engagement in CSR activities. The study applies attachment security theory from developmental psychology and uses upper echelon theory, particularly focusing on CEOs’ only-child status. A comparative analysis of philanthropic donations between CEOs who are only children and those who have siblings is conducted. The study also examines the moderating effects of corporate slack resources and CEO shareholdings.

Findings

Preliminary findings suggest that CEOs who are only children are more likely to engage in CSR compared to their counterparts with siblings. However, the difference in donation amounts between the two groups tends to attenuate with decreased slack resources and increased CEO shareholdings.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research represents the first attempt to investigate being the only child in one’s family and the CSR-related decision of CEOs, which extends the upper echelon theory by introducing the family science theory into the management domain.

Details

Society and Business Review, vol. 19 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5680

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2024

Hongze Wang

Many practical control problems require achieving multiple objectives, and these objectives often conflict with each other. The existing multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement…

Abstract

Purpose

Many practical control problems require achieving multiple objectives, and these objectives often conflict with each other. The existing multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement learning algorithms cannot achieve good search results when solving such problems. It is necessary to design a new multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement learning algorithm with a stronger searchability.

Design/methodology/approach

The multi-objective reinforcement learning algorithm proposed in this paper is based on the evolutionary computation framework. In each generation, this study uses the long-short-term selection method to select parent policies. The long-term selection is based on the improvement of policy along the predefined optimization direction in the previous generation. The short-term selection uses a prediction model to predict the optimization direction that may have the greatest improvement on overall population performance. In the evolutionary stage, the penalty-based nonlinear scalarization method is used to scalarize the multi-dimensional advantage functions, and the nonlinear multi-objective policy gradient is designed to optimize the parent policies along the predefined directions.

Findings

The penalty-based nonlinear scalarization method can force policies to improve along the predefined optimization directions. The long-short-term optimization method can alleviate the exploration-exploitation problem, enabling the algorithm to explore unknown regions while ensuring that potential policies are fully optimized. The combination of these designs can effectively improve the performance of the final population.

Originality/value

A multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement learning algorithm with stronger searchability has been proposed. This algorithm can find a Pareto policy set with better convergence, diversity and density.

Details

Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-6969

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2024

Andrea Lučić and Marija Uzelac

This study aims to explore possible behavioural change venues, beyond the traditional approach to financial education, using the capability-opportunity-motivation behaviour…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore possible behavioural change venues, beyond the traditional approach to financial education, using the capability-opportunity-motivation behaviour theoretical framework of behavioural change.

Design/methodology/approach

The study included 45, semi-structured, in-depth interviews of young adults to explore which elements of financial behaviour formation should interventions target to be effective.

Findings

To strengthen capability, the study recommends behavioural education and training for boosting financial knowledge and skills, enablement of financial independence and modelling for empowering self-control and reducing impulsiveness. To boost motivation, gamification of modelling is advised for boosting responsible financial behaviour as part of the identity and inducing consideration of future consequences. Persuasion is advised for inducing positive emotions while incentivization and coercion are advised for empowering self-conscious intentions. To rise opportunity, the study proposes incentivization and coercion imposed by parents, and governmental efforts regarding restriction, enablement and environmental restructuring.

Practical implications

The study brings recommendations for developing efficient interventions for strengthening responsible financial behaviour that may help design type-specific education programmes to promote responsible financial behaviour.

Originality/value

The present study attempts to explore new venues in intervention design that break away from the traditional approach of financial education focused on knowledge and skills that is proven to be ineffective

Details

Young Consumers, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-3616

Keywords

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