This study investigates the family well-being among Saudi Arabian families with youth who have an intellectual disability. A sample of 148 family members, including parents and other relatives, was surveyed on emotional well-being, family interactions, and parenting. This study aimed to explore the unique challenges and dynamics within these families, providing insights into how an intellectual disability in a youth affects the family unit. The research highlights a gap in understanding the specific impacts of intellectual disability on family life in the Saudi context. Key findings include variations in family quality of life perceptions among different family members, with fathers showing distinct levels of satisfaction. This study contributes to the development of culturally sensitive support strategies and policies, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to enhance the well-being of these families in Saudi Arabia.

Parental perceptions of school meals can affect student participation and overall support for school meal policies. Little is known about parental school meal perceptions under universal free school meals (UFSM) policies. We assessed California parents\' perceptions of school meals during the COVID-19 emergency response with federally funded UFSM and whether perceptions differed by race/ethnicity. Among 1110 California parents of K-12 students, most reported school meals benefit their families, saving them money (81.6%), time (79.2%), and stress (75.0%). Few reported that their child would be embarrassed to eat school meals (11.7%), but more parents of White students than Hispanic students reported this. Many parents reported that their child likes to eat lunch to be with friends (64.7%); about half felt their child has enough time to eat (54.2%). Fewer parents perceived school lunches to be of good quality (36.9%), tasty (39.6%), or healthy (44.0%). Parents of Hispanic and Asian students had less favorable perceptions of school meal quality, taste, and healthfulness than parents of White students. Parents report that school meals benefit their families, but policy efforts are needed to ensure schools have the resources needed to address cultural appropriateness. Schools should address parental perceptions of meals to optimize participation, nutrition security, and health.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are a set of common childhood problems. Community-level interventions that target behavioral change among children with LUTS can improve symptoms outside of the clinic environment. Parents, navigating the home and school environments, are key in supporting healthy bladder behaviors. Thus, we asked parents about their perceptions and barriers related to pediatric bladder health.
METHODS: English-speaking parents (n = 30) of children ages 5-10 years with and without LUTS were interviewed. Transcripts were coded iteratively by two independent coders using deductive and inductive approaches that emphasized consensus coding and peer debriefing.
RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of participants were women, 50% were 30-39 years old, and 60% held a graduate degree. Parents identified school-, classroom-, and child-based barriers to bladder health. These included the bathroom environment, restrictive policies for bathroom use, and anxiety on how and when to use the bathroom.
CONCLUSIONS: Addressing school-, classroom-, and child-based barriers is necessary to promote healthy bladder habits among children in the school environment and beyond. Recommended school-based interventions include bathroom use and sanitation policies that support students\' voiding needs, teachers\' professional development, and school readiness initiatives. Limitations include participation of English-speaking parents only.

There is a critical need to understand vaccine decision-making in high-risk groups. This study explored flu vaccine acceptance among Jordanian parents of diabetic children. Employing a cross-sectional approach, 405 parents from multiple healthcare centers across Jordan were recruited through stratified sampling, ensuring a broad representation of socioeconomic backgrounds. A structured questionnaire, distributed both in-person and online, evaluated their knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance of the flu vaccine for their diabetic children. The results indicated that only 6.4% of the study sample reported vaccinating their children against the flu annually, and only 23% are planning to vaccinate their children this year. A multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed notable variability in responses. Specifically, parents with a positive attitude towards the flu vaccine and those with older children had less odds to reject the vaccine (OR = 0.589, 95% CI (0.518-0.670), p < 0.001 and OR = 0.846, 95% CI (0.736-0.974), p = 0.02, respectively). Conversely, prevalent misconceptions regarding vaccine safety and efficacy emerged as significant barriers to acceptance. Our findings advocate for targeted educational programs that directly address and debunk these specific misconceptions. Additionally, strengthened healthcare communication to provide clear, consistent information about the flu vaccine\'s safety and benefits is vital to help enhance vaccine uptake among this vulnerable population, emphasizing the need to address specific concerns and misinformation directly.

Expansion of newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) can increase health gain for more children but also increases the number of false-positive and uncertain results. The impact of abnormal and inconclusive NBS results on parental well-being and healthcare utilization was investigated. A questionnaire was sent to Dutch parents receiving an abnormal or inconclusive NBS result five weeks (T1) and four months (T2) post-NBS and compared to parents with a normal result (controls). In total, 35 true-positive (TP), 20 false-positive (FP), and 57 inconclusive (IC) participants and 268 controls filled out T1; 19 TP, 14 FP, 27 IC, and 116 controls filled out T2. Participants showed positive attitudes towards NBS. FP participants more often considered NBS less reliable. TP and FP participants experienced more negative emotions regarding the test result compared to controls at both T1 and T2, and IC only at T1. Parent-reported child vulnerability and perceptions of the newborn\'s health status and of parenthood showed no differences. TP and FP participants reported more healthcare utilization at T1, and mainly TP at T2. TP and IC participants showed more emergency department visits at T1. The findings can be used to improve NBS programs and optimize support for families with various NBS results.

The current study investigates parents\' perceptions of their child\'s assessment, focusing on their responses to the Italian version of the Parents\' Experience of Assessment Scale (QUEVA-G). Twenty parents, who voluntarily agreed to be contacted after completing the questionnaire, participated in qualitative interviews to gain deeper insights into their assessment experiences. A thematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcriptions, highlighting three primary domains of parental experience: (1) parental perceptions of the assessment process; (2) effects of the assessment; and (3) parental perceptions of their relationship with their children\'s teachers. The findings indicate that the QUEVA-G accurately captures most areas of interest as well as reveals unexplored aspects.

UNASSIGNED: The cognitive and social benefits of bilingualism for children, including those with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs), have been documented. The present study was designed to characterize and compare English and Spanish use in Hispanic families with and without NDDs residing in the U.S. as well as to understand parental perceptions of their child\'s bilingualism and of community and professional support.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted an online survey of 84 Spanish-speaking parents of 4- to 24-year-olds with (n = 44) and without NDDs (n = 40) who were born in and living in the U.S.
UNASSIGNED: We found that bilingualism was a desired goal for 95% of our families. We also found, however, that 17.1% of parents of children with NDDs have raised them as monolinguals English-speakers, as they thought there were reasons for that, while all families from the NT group raised their children in both languages. In addition, nearly 40% of the NDD children only speak English, compared to a 5% in the NT group. Finally, parents of children with NDDs cite a lack of support for bilingualism in the community (47.6% do not feel supported, compared to a 7.9% in the NT group) and recommendation from professionals as major factors for not raising their children as bilingual.
UNASSIGNED: The results suggest a need to educate professionals from many disciplines about the benefits of bilingualism for children with NDDs and for implementation of inclusion policies that provide access to dual-language programs.

The present study examines whether the association of the neighborhood environment and overweight in children is moderated by age. This was a cross-sectional study of 832 children aged 3 to 10 years living in the city of Oporto (Portugal). Children were recruited under the scope of the project \"Inequalities in Childhood Obesity: The impact of the socioeconomic crisis in Portugal from 2009 to 2015.\" Overweight was defined according to the International Obesity Task Force criteria. Parents completed a self-administered questionnaire capturing sociodemographic characteristics and their perceptions of their neighborhood environment. Logistic regressions were used to examine the influence of parental perceived neighborhood characteristics (latent variables: attractiveness, traffic safety, crime safety, and walkability) on overweight in children. A stratified analysis by age category was conducted. Overall, 27.8% of the children were overweight, 17.4% were aged 3 to 5 years, and 31.8% were aged 6 to 10 years. Children aged 3 to 5 years were more sensitive to the neighborhood environment than children aged 6 to 10 years. For children aged 3 to 5 years, the risk of overweight was inversely associated with neighborhood crime safety (OR = 1.84; 95% CI 1.07-3.15; p = 0.030).    Conclusion: Our study suggests the existence of a sensitive age period in childhood at which exposure to a hostile neighborhood environment is most determining for weight gain. Until today, it was thought that the impact of the neighborhood environment on younger children would be less important as they are less autonomous. But it may not be true. What is Known: • The neighborhood environment may adversely affect children\'s weight status. However, the moderating role of child age in the association between neighborhood environment and overweight is uncertain. What is New: • The study highlights that the association between the neighborhood environment and child overweight is attenuated by age. It is stronger for preschoolers than for early school-age children.

OBJECTIVE: The current study intends to measure parents\' perceptions of newborn and toddler physical activity.
METHODS: A Cross-sectional study was conducted at the pediatric clinic at a University Hospital in Riyadh. The parents or guardians of children 0 to 3 years of age, healthy infants, and toddlers who visited the vaccination and pediatric clinic at a University Hospital in Riyadh, were recruited. The Parental Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS) was translated into the Arabic language. The Chi-square test was applied to observe the association between categorical variables. P value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
RESULTS: A total of 383 parents were recruited. There was a significant association observed between physical activity and income, employment, and education. A significant association was observed between the following perceptions; the child enjoys physical activity, it increases the child\'s fitness level, the strength of the muscles, flexibility, and life span, improves happiness, keeps the child active, and provides a sense of achievement, and decrease future weight problems.
CONCLUSIONS: The study determined that parental inclination towards engaging in a physical activity intervention for their infants, as well as identifying any concerns that may impact their children\'s adherence to physical activity was satisfied.
What is already known on this subject? Youth health is crucial since cardiovascular disease and obesity are linked to sedentary behaviors in children and will persist into adulthood.What this study adds? The study addresses the concerns of parents regarding physical activities which is an emerging concern for children\'s health. It investigates the viewpoint of parents about physical activities and the risk of diseases that may develop due to sedentary behaviors among infants and toddlers.

(1) Background: The study\'s purpose was to explore the knowledge, perceptions, and confidence of mothers about infant care to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death. (2) Methods: A purposeful sampling method was used to recruit 15 first-time mothers from Georgia with infants under 1 year of age. The researchers utilized the Socio-ecological model to report the results. Participants also provided recommendations on how to improve infant care and reduce the risk of SUID. (3) Results: The confidence level of infant care among most participants was low but increased over time. Mothers\' knowledge level about the prevention of SUID was high, but poor emotional health could hurt their parental abilities. Most participants recognized medical providers as the main source of reliable information. However, a lack of emotional and physical support was reported by mothers. (4) Conclusions: Results suggested that a more holistic approach to infant care is needed. The healthcare system and communities should provide more physical, social, and mental support to first-time mothers, a consolidated approach to care before and after birth, and easy access to services at all stages of the process to reduce the risk of SUID.