OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate factors related to the periodontal health of 12-year-old children.METHODS: In 2015, the Korean Children's Oral Health Survey from the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare conducted a nationwide representative sample comprised of 23,702 12-year-old children. The calibration-trained dentists examined the gingivitis and dental calculus of the children taking into consideration of the Löe and Silness gingival index to diagnose gingivitis with a modified gingivitis scale. We used questionnaires to collect data from the children on dental treatments, the experience of dental pain and gingival bleeding, self-perceived oral health, and oral health behaviors. Data were analyzed using a complex samples Chi-square test, general linear model, and logistic regression. Significance was determined at P < 0.05.RESULTS: The prevalence of gingivitis was higher among males (OR 1.57), among children with poor perception (OR 1.19), dental calculus (OR 3.68), or gingival bleeding experience (OR 2.00), and among children not using dental floss (OR 1.69) or tongue cleaner (OR 1.90). The prevalence of dental calculus was higher among children with gingivitis (OR 3.82) and among children who had not visited a dental clinic in the preceding year (OR 1.31). However, dental calculus was lower among children with a higher frequency of daily toothbrushing (OR 0.75), intake of cariogenic foods (OR 0.90), or a higher DMFT index (OR 0.91).CONCLUSIONS: Children with dental calculus and gingival bleeding who did not visit a dental clinic in the preceding year also had a higher prevalence of gingivitis and dental calculus. The prevalence of children's dental calculus was lower among children with a high frequency of daily toothbrushing.
Child ; Dental Calculus ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Devices, Home Care ; Dentists ; Gingivitis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Oral Health ; Periodontal Index ; Prevalence ; Social Welfare ; Tongue ; Toothbrushing

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the disability registration state of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Korea. METHODS: Based on the National Health Information Database, the disability registration state was examined for brain lesion disability and other possible complicated disabilities accompanying brain disorder in children diagnosed with CP aged up to 5 years old who were born between 2002 and 2008. RESULTS: Of children diagnosed with CP, 73.1% were registered as having brain lesion disability for the first time before they turned 2 years old. The younger the children, the more likely they will have 1st and 2nd degree disability. However, when the age of children is increased, such likelihood is decreased. The percentage of children registered as having overlapping disabilities was 7%–20%. CONCLUSION: It is important to establish a more accurate standard to rate disability and provide national support systems for children with CP with various severities and multiple disabilities. By reorganizing the current disability registration system for pediatric brain lesions, the system could serve as a classification standard to provide medical and social welfare services.
Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Classification ; Disabled Children ; Humans ; Korea* ; Registries ; Social Welfare

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a disease prevalent throughout the world. However, there is limited information regarding whether familial factors are associated with the risk of adolescent IDA. METHODS: This study evaluated the association between adolescent IDA and family history of IDA using data from the fifth Korea National Health Nutrition Survey (2010–2012). Data from 10-18-year-old children who underwent laboratory testing were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of IDA was 3.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4−4.1%), with prevalence of 0.5% among boys (95% CI: 0.2−1.3%) and 6.2% among girls (95% CI: 4.6−8.3%). The prevalence of IDA was associated with female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 13.43, 95% CI: 4.92−36.65; P < 0.001) and a family history of IDA (OR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.11−8.76; P=0.03). Other risk factors for IDA were receiving social welfare support (OR: 3.31, 95% CI: 1.45−7.56; P=0.031), low maternal education (OR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.39−6.99; P=0.006), receiving charitable food support (OR: 2.27: 95% CI: 0.9−5.44; P=0.04), poor body-image (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.16−3.93; P=0.026), and weight-loss efforts (OR: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.27−4.61; P=0.01). Nutritional supplementation protected against IDA (OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.19−0.82; P=0.007), although adolescents with awareness of nutritional labels had a high IDA prevalence (OR: 8.06, 95% CI: 1.71−38.05; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A family history of IDA was an independent risk factor for IDA. Further studies are needed to determine whether family-level educational interventions can reduce the risk of adolescent IDA.
Adolescent* ; Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency* ; Child ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Iron* ; Korea* ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Social Welfare

OBJECTIVES: To initiate and develop a treatment guideline in multidisciplinary approaches for related professions who are either working and/or living with children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders who show behavioral problems. METHODS: To collect and reflect opinions from multiple professions who assumedly have different interventions or mediations on behavioral problems, a self-report survey and Focus Group Interview (FGI) were conducted for a group of child and adolescent psychiatrists, behavioral therapists, special education teachers, social welfare workers, and caregivers. RESULTS: According to a self-report survey and FGI results from multiple professional groups, aggressive behavior is the mostly common behavioral problem necessitating urgent interventions. However, both mainly used intervention strategies and effective treatment methods were different depending on professional backgrounds, such as pharmacological treatment, parent training, and behavior therapy, even though they shared an importance of improving communication skills. In addition, there was a common understanding of necessity to include parent training in a guideline. Lastly the data suggested lack of proper treatment facilities, qualified behavior therapists, and lack of standardized treatment guideline in the field needed to be improved for a quality of current therapeutic services. CONCLUSION: It is supported that several subjects should be included in the guidelines, such as how to deal with aggressive behavior, parent training, and biological aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders. Also, it is expected that publishing the guideline would be helpful to above multiple professions as it is investigated that there are lack of treatment facility and qualified behavioral therapists compared to need at the moment.
Adolescent* ; Autistic Disorder ; Behavior Therapy ; Caregivers ; Child* ; Developmental Disabilities ; Education, Special ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Negotiating* ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders* ; Parents ; Problem Behavior* ; Psychiatry ; Social Welfare

With the motto ‘Equity from the Start for a Healthy Future’, the Seoul Healthy First Step Project (SHFSP) was launched in 2013 in an attempt to support women with young children, to improve the health and development of babies, and eventually to close the gap in child development. The SHFSP contains both universal components (universal risk assessment of mothers and universal home visitation after birth) and selective components (prenatal and postnatal sustained home visits, mothers' groups, and community service linkage), thereby taking a proportionate universality approach. For sustained home visits, the SHFSP introduced the Maternal and Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) program from Australia, which has been proven to be effective in improving maternal and childhood outcomes. Between 2013~2017, the SHFSP has paid 58,327 visits to roughly 38 thousand families with babies. In 2017, the SHFSP covered 19.6% of families with newborn babies in Seoul. The SHFSP conducted internal satisfaction surveys of universal and sustained visitation service recipients, in which an overwhelming majority of mothers provided positive feedback. A performance assessment conducted in 2016 by an external organization showed that 93% of SHFSP service recipients were satisfied with the home visitations. Considering the popular support for the program from mothers and families in Seoul (the most affluent area in Korea) and the lack of a national home visiting program to promote early childhood health and development, this program should be expanded nationally in the near future.
Australia ; Child ; Child Development ; Female ; Home Health Nursing ; House Calls ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Maternal-Child Health Services ; Mothers ; Risk Assessment ; Seoul ; Social Welfare

Japan has been facing a serious shortfall of child and adolescent psychiatric workforce relative to increasing service needs. Likely because of a combination of limited workforce supply and limited trust or perception of effectiveness, mental health services are under-utilized by the educational and child welfare systems. Child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) has not been a formally established specialty in Japan. The lack of basic structure in the specialty most likely contributes to a lack of training facilities, limited exposure to and interest in the specialty, and hence an inadequate workforce. To date, there exists no standardized training program for CAP in Japan and each training hospital determines its own teaching curriculum and training content. Clinical experience in CAP varies greatly among hospitals. To solve current problems in child and adolescent psychiatry in Japan, we advocate for the development and establishment of a more standardized child and adolescent psychiatry training system that is akin to what exists in the US and that teaches and evaluates according to specific competencies. Through standardizing care and education and ultimately improving workforce, the quality of mental health services can be raised. The tragic and costly consequences of unidentified and untreated mental illness in youth can be avoided by taking timely evidence based actions in partnership with others.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry* ; Adolescent* ; Child Welfare ; Child* ; Curriculum ; Education ; Humans ; Japan* ; Mental Health Services

Japan has been facing a serious shortfall of child and adolescent psychiatric workforce relative to increasing service needs. Likely because of a combination of limited workforce supply and limited trust or perception of effectiveness, mental health services are under-utilized by the educational and child welfare systems. Child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) has not been a formally established specialty in Japan. The lack of basic structure in the specialty most likely contributes to a lack of training facilities, limited exposure to and interest in the specialty, and hence an inadequate workforce. To date, there exists no standardized training program for CAP in Japan and each training hospital determines its own teaching curriculum and training content. Clinical experience in CAP varies greatly among hospitals. To solve current problems in child and adolescent psychiatry in Japan, we advocate for the development and establishment of a more standardized child and adolescent psychiatry training system that is akin to what exists in the US and that teaches and evaluates according to specific competencies. Through standardizing care and education and ultimately improving workforce, the quality of mental health services can be raised. The tragic and costly consequences of unidentified and untreated mental illness in youth can be avoided by taking timely evidence based actions in partnership with others.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry* ; Adolescent* ; Child Welfare ; Child* ; Curriculum ; Education ; Humans ; Japan* ; Mental Health Services

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe the demographic profile of the both the victims and perpetrators of incest as well as the circumstances surrounding the abuse.
METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive retrospective study of incest cases seen at the WCPU of VSMMC after getting permission from the WCPU Head and Medical Records Section of the said hospital while maintaining anonymity and after gaining the Ethics & Research Committee approval. The charts with incomplete data were excluded.
RESULTS: Ninety six charts were reviewed. Fifty one (53.13%) were in the age range of 11 - 15 years old with the youngest victim being only 3 years old and the eldest was 27 years old at the time of referral though the incest began when she was 10 years old. All the victims referred were female and 94 (97.92%) were children at the time of referral to the WCPU thus 53.13% had only attained an elementary education. Seventy one (73.95%) of the victims were not residents of Cebu City. Sixty one (63.54%) of the incest cases occured during the day between 12 noon till 559 PM. Two thirds (64 or 66.67%) of the incest cases occured within the victim's household and 72 or 75% of the abuse was done repeatedly. The abuse was usually reported after 72 hours in 69 of the cases (71.88%). There were 101 perpetrators wherein 99% were males. Forty nine (48.51%) were in the age range of 28-47 years old while there were 11 (10.89%) were in the 13-17 years age range. Majority (53 or 52.48%) had blue collar jobs while 43 (42.57%) were unemployed. All of the perpetrators were known to the victim with the ff distribution: almost half (47 or 46.53%) were fathers or stepfathers and the other half  (46 or 45.54%) were extended family members such as uncles (22 or 21.78%), first cousins (16 or 15.84%) and grandfathers (8 or 7.92%). There were 7 (6.9%) brothers and 1 (0.99%) sister who were also perpetrators of incest.
CONCLUSION: The demographic profile and circumstances surrounding the abuse were as expected with many coming from remote communities outside the city of Cebu that could possibly be the cause of delayed consultation at the WCPU despite laws that require reporting to the Department of Social Welfare within 24 hours.

Human ; Female ; Adolescent ; Child ; Incest ; Family Characteristics ; Child Abuse ; Social Welfare ; Medical Records ; Referral And Consultation

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe the demographic profile of the both the victims and perpetrators of incest as well as the circumstances surrounding the abuse.
METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive retrospective study of incest cases seen at the WCPU of VSMMC after getting permission from the WCPU Head and Medical Records Section of the said hospital while maintaining anonymity and after gaining the Ethics & Research Committee approval. The charts with incomplete data were excluded.
RESULTS: Ninety six charts were reviewed. Fifty one (53.13%) were in the age range of 11 - 15 years old with the youngest victim being only 3 years old and the eldest was 27 years old at the time of referral though the incest began when she was 10 years old. All the victims referred were female and 94 (97.92%) were children at the time of referral to the WCPU thus 53.13% had only attained an elementary education. Seventy one (73.95%) of the victims were not residents of Cebu City. Sixty one (63.54%) of the incest cases occured during the day between 12 noon till 559 PM. Two thirds (64 or 66.67%) of the incest cases occured within the victim's household and 72 or 75% of the abuse was done repeatedly. The abuse was usually reported after 72 hours in 69 of the cases (71.88%). There were 101 perpetrators wherein 99% were males. Forty nine (48.51%) were in the age range of 28-47 years old while there were 11 (10.89%) were in the 13-17 years age range. Majority (53 or 52.48%) had blue collar jobs while 43 (42.57%) were unemployed. All of the perpetrators were known to the victim with the ff distribution: almost half (47 or 46.53%) were fathers or stepfathers and the other half  (46 or 45.54%) were extended family members such as uncles (22 or 21.78%), first cousins (16 or 15.84%) and grandfathers (8 or 7.92%). There were 7 (6.9%) brothers and 1 (0.99%) sister who were also perpetrators of incest.
CONCLUSION: The demographic profile and circumstances surrounding the abuse were as expected with many coming from remote communities outside the city of Cebu that could possibly be the cause of delayed consultation at the WCPU despite laws that require reporting to the Department of Social Welfare within 24 hours.

Human ; Female ; Adolescent ; Child ; Incest ; Family Characteristics ; Child Abuse ; Social Welfare ; Medical Records ; Referral And Consultation

PURPOSE: Child Health nurse practitioners (CHNPs) in Korea have important roles in disease management and health promotion for children and adolescents. Yet, practices of CHNPs licensed and employed in hospitals have not been adequately identified. Thus, in this study the scope of practice by CHNPs and job satisfaction and stress were investigated and compared according to the CHNPs' position in the working place. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. All 53 licensed CHNPs participated in the mail survey which included a 71-item questionnaire on job performance and job satisfaction and a job contents questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi2 test, independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare CHNPs employed as nurse practitioner (NP) and CHNPs employed as staff nurses. RESULTS: Compared to CHNPs employed as staff nurses, CHNPs employed as NPs more frequently provided education, environment management, coordination and research in their practice areas. No significant difference was found in job satisfaction between the two groups except for the administration and income subdomains. Only the physical exertion subdomain in job stress was stressful to CHNP employed as staff nurse. Conclusions: Job performance of CHNPs in Korea needs to be revised to include more practical practice in education, coordination, and research related areas. CONCLUSIONS: Job performance of CHNPs in Korea needs to be revised to include more practical practice in education, coordination, and research related areas.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child Welfare* ; Child* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Disease Management ; Education ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Korea ; Nurse Practitioners* ; Pediatric Nurse Practitioners ; Physical Exertion ; Postal Service ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Workplace*