RATIONALE. The timely identification of children with psycho social problems is very important in facilitating early intervention. Detection of these children in the community setting requires the development of an easy-to-use screening tool that can be used by community health workers.

OBJECTIVE. To develop a valid and reliable screening tool that can be easily used by community health workers for the detection of psycho social problems in Filipino children. Specifically, 1) To develop a Filipino version of the Pictorial Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PPSC) for use by community health workers; and 2) To culturally validate the PPSC-Filipino version in a low-income urban community.

METHODS. This study consisted of three phases: Phase 1 (Exploratory Study) consisted of focus group discussions and key informant interviews for content validation. Phase 2 (Questionnaire Development) involved refinement of the Filipino translation of the PPSC. In Phase 3 (Actual Survey), the PPSC was administered by health workers to 127 primary caregivers of children aged 4 to 7 years residing in a low-income community in Pandacan, Manila. Data gathered were subjected to reliability testing and factor analysis for construct validation. Chi-square analyses were done to determine the association of sociodemographic factors to overall PPSC results.

RESULTS. Construct and content validity were confirmed. The Filipino PPSC showed high internal consistency (Cronbachs alpha 0.89). Factor analysis resulted in three new domains: 1) Attention & Externalizing Problems, 2) Internalizing Problems, and 3) School & Learning Problems. Among the 127 children screened, 24 (18.9%) were positive for psychosocial problems. Externalizing behaviors (fighting, rule-breaking, teasing) dominated among those who screened positive. The child age and number of siblings were the factors significantly associated with the overall PPSC results.

CONCLUSIONS. The Pictorial Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Filipino Version is a valid and reliable tool in screening for psychosocial problems in children aged 4 to 7 years old residing in a low-income urban community. Administration by community health workers is feasible and its use in the community setting is particularly relevant since many cases of psychosocial disorders remain undetected.

Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Focus Groups ; Early Intervention (education) ; Caregivers ; Community Health Workers ; Checklist ; Translations ; Poverty ; Bullying ; Attention

Objective: To compare outcomes of low-birth-weight neonates delivered before and after implementation of intermittent kangaroo mother care (KMC) in terms of duration of hospital stay, mortality rate, and clinical outcome. Methods: This is a retrospective analytical study that included all neonates delivered in a tertiary government hospital with birth weight of less than 2000 grams before and after intermittent KMC implementation from January 2015 to December 2016. Chart review was done for demographics, mortality profile, and length of hospital stay. Chi-square test and Student’s t-test were used to compare mortality rate and length of hospital stay, and odds ratio was used for mortality outcome. Results: A total of 677 low birth weight newborns were reviewed and of these, 276 (79.8%) neonates in group 1 (Pre-intermittent KMC implementation), and 263 (79.4%) neonates in group 2 (Post-intermittent KMC implementation) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The duration of hospital stay of neonates enrolled in KMC was significantly shorter (p ≤ 0.05). In Groups 1 and 2, 93–94% of neonates were discharged improved with a 5–6% mortality of almost equal distribution. There was no significant difference in mortality between groups 1 and 2 (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.59, 2.42). Conclusion There was no significant difference in mortality rate and cause of death pre- and post-intermittent KMC implementation. However, the length of hospital stay among the LBW neonates discharged improved was significantly shortened.
Kangaroo-Mother Care Method ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Length of Stay