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Background: The ageing of people with intellectual disabilities, with associated morbidity like dementia, calls for new types of care. Person-centred methods may support care staff in providing this, an example being Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). DCM has been shown to be feasible in ID-care. We examined the experiences of ID-professionals in using DCM. Methods: We performed a mixed-methods study, using quantitative data from care staff (N = 136) and qualitative data (focus-groups, individual interviews) from care staff, group home managers and DCM-in-intellectual disabilities mappers (N = 53). Results: DCM provided new insights into the behaviours of clients, enabled professional reflection and gave new knowledge and skills regarding dementia and person-centred care. Appreciation of DCM further increased after the second cycle of application. Conclusion: DCM is perceived as valuable in ID-care. Further assessment is needed of its effectiveness in ID-care with respect to quality of care, staff-client interactions and job performance.

Summary: Background: Socioeconomic inequalities contribute to childhood overweight. Identifying mediators could help reduce these inequalities. Objective: We assessed to what extent and how parental health literacy and health behaviours mediate the relationship between parental socioeconomic status and childhood overweight. Methods: Data were taken from the multigenerational prospective Dutch Lifelines Cohort Study. We included 6683 children, baseline age 9.8 years (SD = 2.6), with an average follow‐up of 36.2 months (SD = 9.3). Overweight was defined using age‐ and sex‐specific cut‐offs. Three indicators of socioeconomic status were included: education, income and occupation. We assessed the mediating role of parental health literacy and health behaviours (smoking, diet, physical activity and alcohol) using causal mediation. Results: Four additional years of education and an SD‐increase in both income and occupation decreased the odds of childhood overweight by 42%, 12% and 20%, respectively. Only parental smoking independently mediated the relationship of both education (6.6%) and occupation (5.7%) with overweight. Parental health behaviours jointly explained 8.4% (education), 19.4% (income) and 9.8% (occupation) per relationship. Lastly, adding parental health literacy explained 10.8% (education), 27.4% (income) and 13.3% (occupation) of these relationships. Conclusions: We found large socioeconomic inequalities in childhood overweight. Remarkably, parental smoking was a key mediator. Therefore, prevention targeting smoking may reduce socioeconomic inequalities in childhood overweight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess whether referral of parents of 6 months old children by a well‐child care (WCC) clinic medical practitioner for an early first dental visit combined with the Non Operative Caries Treatment and Prevention (NOCTP) approach in dental practices was effective to maintain oral health in children. Methods: The study was conducted as a quasi‐experimental comparative pre‐post trial with a baseline measurement before the intervention. In total 1347 children were allocated at the age of 6 months and 306 children (intervention group: n = 166; care as usual (CAU) group: n = 140) underwent an oral examination at 5 years of age and their parents completed a questionnaire. Nonparametric tests and Hurdle models were used to determine differences in caries experience between the intervention and CAU groups. Results: Children in the intervention group had significantly lower caries experience (d1,2,3mfs) than children in the CAU group (Median = 2 vs. 5, r =.15, p <.01). Children in the intervention group had significantly fewer inactive caries lesions compared with children in the CAU group (Median = 2 vs. 3, r =.18, p <.001). No differences were found for dentin caries experience and also no differences for active caries lesions. Conclusions: Referral of parents of newborns for a preventive first dental visit by a WCC medical practitioner combined with NOCTP in dental practices may offer a new opportunity to reduce enamel caries lesions in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Research on adolescents’ academic performance has mostly focused on the contribution of objective factors, such as socioeconomic situation of the family or individual cognitive skills and school results. Evidence with a focus on adolescents’ subjective experiences is scarce. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore factors related to adolescents’ academic performance from their perspectives. Methods: We used data from 11 group semi-structured interviews conducted in 2020/2021 with 45 adolescents in the first year of high school in Slovakia (mean age  =  14.98; 22.2% boys). Participants were selected from three types of high school with regards to the graduation system. We analysed the data using consensual qualitative research and thematic analysis. Results: Based on the statements of the adolescents, we identified five main themes of factors that affect their academic performance. Adolescents reported that the following contribute to their academic performance: the contents and methods of teaching; how teachers behave and do their jobs; the way in which adolescents study and what motivates them; support within and outside the school, and the environment and appearance of the school. Adolescents reported that improving the curricula and using teaching methods that balance theoretical information with practical skills training would help their academic performance immensely. Conclusion: We identified several factors related to adolescents’ academic performance using their own perspectives and experiences. Strengthening the capacities of teachers may largely benefit adolescents’ educational process and further academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ageing of people with intellectual disabilities, involving consequences like dementia, creates a need for methods to support care staff. One promising method is Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). This study examined the effect of DCM on job satisfaction and care skills of ID-care staff. Methods: We performed a quasi-experimental study in 23 group homes for older people with intellectual disabilities in the Netherlands. Among staff, we assessed job satisfaction and care skills as primary outcomes and work experience measures as secondary outcomes (N = 227). Results: Dementia Care Mapping achieved no significantly better effect than care as usual (CAU) for primary outcomes on job satisfaction (MWSS-HC) and working skills (P-CAT). Effect sizes varied from -0.18 to -0.66. We also found no differences for any of the secondary outcomes. Conclusion: Dementia Care Mapping does not increase job satisfaction and care skills of staff caring for older people with intellectual disabilities. This result differs from previous findings and deserves further study.

Background: The number of people with intellectual disability and dementia increases; this combination causes behavioural changes. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) supports staff in dementia care in nursing homes and may be useful in intellectual disability-care. This qualitative study examines the feasibility of DCM for older people with intellectual disability and dementia. Methods: The present authors obtained data in focus groups and interviews with professional users and analysed using a framework for feasibility studies. With experts in dementia and intellectual disability researches, the present authors determined the overall feasibility. Results: DCM was found to be feasible in intellectual disability-care, regarding five domains of feasibility. Staff reported DCM to be useful and valuable and addresses to their demand for skills and knowledge. All professional users found DCM feasible in intellectual disability-care, which was confirmed by experts. Conclusions: DCM is feasible in intellectual disability-care. When fully tailored to intellectual disability-care, DCM is useful and provides opportunities to assess its effectiveness.

Background and objective: Even though children with complex problems frequently need psychosocial care, two thirds does not receive treatment. Various barriers, particularly expectations of barriers, can hinder effective access of care. Our aim was to assess the practical barriers expected by parents, and the child, family and need factors associated with these expected barriers. Methods: We sent web‐based questionnaires to parents of a random sample of children known to have or be at risk of having complex problems (response = 77%). We used backward regression analyses to examine which factors were associated with expected barriers for children using psychosocial care, or no care at all. Results: Seventy‐three percent of all parents expected practical barriers. Parents of children using psychosocial care expected more barriers than when using no care at all. For children who used no care, parents of girls expected more barriers (regression coefficient 0.54; 95%—confidence interval 0.16, 0.92) as did families having less social support (−0.30; −0.50, −0.11). When children used psychosocial care, parents expected more barriers when their child was of school‐age (0.38; 0.01, 0.75), of non‐western origin (vs. native) (0.52; 0.17, 0.88), when parents were older (i.e., 36+ years) (−0.77; −1.12, −0.42), experienced more adverse life events (0.29; 0.13, 0.45) or had less social support (−0.17; −0.34, 0.00). Conclusion: Even when their child is already receiving treatment, parents continue to expect practical barriers to psychosocial care. Psychosocial care services and their gatekeepers should address these concerns. Access to psychosocial care can be improved by removing practical barriers, especially if children already receive psychosocial care, or when parents have a limited network or belong to an ethnic minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]