Browsing by Author "Rosado-Marques, Vítor"
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- Children mental health after the 2008 global economic crisis: assessing the impact of austerity in PortugalPublication . Costa, Diogo; Cunha, Marina; Ferreira, Cláudia; Gama, Augusta; Machado-Rodrigues, Aristides M.; Rosado-Marques, Vítor; Nogueira, Helena; Silva, Maria Raquel; Padez, CristinaBackground: The austerity measures implemented in Europe after the 2008 global economic crisis, had a negative impact on the population health. The mental health of adults from southern Europe was particularly affected during this period, however, much less is known about the impact of austerity on the mental health of children. This study measured the impact on Portuguese children’s mental health of specific changes in family life during the 2008 economic crisis. Methods: In this study, a cross-sectional analysis of school-aged children (aged 7.5–11 years old, n = 1157) was conducted in 118 public and private schools of three Portuguese districts during 2016/2017. Parent reports of child’s psychosocial functioning (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – SDQ) and children self-reports of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, Children version – DASS-C) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL - KIDSCREEN-27), were compared according to eight yes/no questions specifically developed about changes to normal life during the economic crisis (e.g. During the economic crisis did you: “Started buying cheaper food?” “Had to change to more economic housing?”). General linear regression models were fitted to estimate mean scores of the selected mental health outcomes according to the positive or negative answers to each question about the changes to life during the economic crisis. The models were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status and district of residence. Results: Following the crisis 48.6% of the parents reported that they had to use their savings, and 6.8% reported that they had to change to a more economic housing. The questions about the changes to life that occurred during the crisis were associated with more frequent psychosocial problems, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms and with poorer HRQoL among children, after adjustment for potential confounders in the regression models. The effect sizes in mean differences for all mental health outcomes assessed according to the changes were small to moderate (Cohen’s d from 0.01 to 0.68). Conclusion: Specific changes to normal life attributed to the economic crisis seem to have an independent negative impact on the mental health outcomes of primary school-aged children. These results highlight the need to tackle early-life determinants of inequalities in children mental health, particularly among those that were exposed to the economic crisis.
- Home vs. bedroom media devices: socioeconomic disparities and association with childhood screen - and sleep-timePublication . Rodrigues, Daniela; Gama, Augusta; Machado-Rodrigues, Aristides M.; Nogueira, Helena; Rosado-Marques, Vítor; Silva, Maria Raquel; Padez, CristinaBackground: The literature has shown a widespread use of portable electronic devices among children over the last years. This study aimed to identify the availability of different media devices at home versus in children’s bedroom according to the socioeconomic status (SES), and analyze the association between that availability and children’s screen- and sleep-time on week and weekend days. Methods: Data from 3 to 10 year-old children (n=8430) from a cross-sectional study conducted in Portugal (2016/17) was used. Screen- and sleep-time, availability of media devices, father and mother education (as a proxy measured of SES) were assessed via questionnaire. Results: Available devices at home was significantly more common among high-SES families; while media devices in the bedroom were more frequent in low-SES families (p<0.001). In preschool and elementary school-aged children, media devices in the bedroom was associated with increase screen-time and shorter sleep per day. Also, mobile devices in the bedroom were shown to exert similar, or even more, influence on children’s screen- and sleep-time as television. Conclusions: Further research is needed to explore the pathways by which different electronic media negatively impacts on children’s sleep and screen-time and to develop effective strategies to minimize device access at bedtime.
- Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in portuguese primary school-aged childrenPublication . Costa, Diogo; Cunha, Marina; Ferreira, Cláudia; Gama, Augusta; Machado-Rodrigues, Aristides M.; Rosado-Marques, Vítor; Nogueira, Helena; Silva, Maria Raquel; Padez, CristinaBackground: Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress experienced during childhood might have a negative impact on development. This study explores factors associated with such symptoms among Portuguese primary school-aged children. Methods: A sample of children (n = 1022, mean age = 8.77 years old) was recruited in public and private schools from the cities of Coimbra, Lisbon and Porto, Portugal. The children’s version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-C) was self-administered. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to measure associations (expressed as Odds Ratio, OR and 95% Confidence Intervals, CI) between each DASS-C subscale, dichotomized by its 4th vs. 3rd or less quartiles (symptoms increase with scores), and covariates: child sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), sports activity beyond school, children self-assessed health status, child and mother’s body mass index and mother’s DASS scores. Results: Age was negatively associated with anxiety symptoms (adjusted OR, 95% CI: 0.70, 0.57–0.87) and girls, compared to boys, presented lower odds of depressive and stress symptoms (adjusted OR, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.47–0.92 and 0.57, 0.41–0.80, respectively). A low socioeconomic status was associated with more frequent symptoms of stress (adjusted OR, 95%CI for low compared to high SES: 1.61, 1.01–2.56). Children with poorer self-assessed health status and whose mothers scored higher in the DASS also presented significantly higher odds of scoring in the 4th quartile (vs. 3rd or less) of the three DASS-C subscales. Conclusions: These results suggest the need to tailor preventive efforts targeting childhood mental health symptoms.
- Social inequalities in traditional and emerging screen devices among portuguese children: a cross-sectional studyPublication . Rodrigues, Daniela; Gama, Augusta; Machado-Rodrigues, Aristides M.; Nogueira, Helena; Silva, Maria Raquel; Rosado-Marques, Vítor; Padez, CristinaBackground: Children are often exposed to too much screen time but few studies have explored the use of old and new digital media among young children. This study assesses screen time, including traditional and mobile devices, in pre-school and elementary school-aged children, according to their gender, age, and socioeconomic position (SEP). Methods: A total of 8430 children (3 to 10 years; 50.8% boys) from the north, center and south-central Portugal were included in the present study. Data was collected by a parental questionnaire during 2016/2017. Children’s screen time (by media device, weekdays and at the weekend; calculated by mean minutes per day) were reported by parents. Analysis were carried to compare screen time by children’s age, gender and family SEP (classified using father’s educational degree). Results: Daily screen time was high both in children aged 3 to 5 and 6 to 10 years – 154 min/day (95% CI: 149.51–158.91) and 200.79 min/day (95% CI: 197.08–204.50), respectively – and the majority of children, independently of their gender, exceed the recommended 2 h/day of screen viewing. Children are still primarily engaging in screen time through television but the use of mobile devices, particularly tablets, were already high among 3 year-old children and increased with age. SEP was a negative predictor of screen time in the linear regression analysis, including after adjustment. Conclusions: Considering the negative health impacts of excessive screen time, recognizing subgroups at risk of excessive screen time and identifying how each device is used according to age is fundamental to enable appropriate future interventions. The screen time in children aged 3–10 years is longer than the recommended, particularly among boys and in those children from lower SEP. Parents and policymakers should have in mind that children spend most of their screen time watching television but mobile devices are becoming extremely popular starting at a young age.