Caregiver Social Status and Health-Related Quality of Life in Neurologically Impaired Children on Home Enteral Nutrition

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the association between caregiver social status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with neurological impairment (NI) on home enteral nutrition (HEN). This was an ancillary study of a multicenter, cross-sectional study which explored HRQoL in 75 NI children on HEN. All the caregivers from the original cohort were contacted, and data on education level, occupation and marital status were collected. The association between social status and HRQoL was investigated using a multiple Poisson Generalized Linear Model. In total, 93 caregivers were included, responsible for the care of 71 children. The caregivers of four children of the original cohort did not answer the questionnaire. Mothers with high-level education presented lower HRQoL in comparison to mothers with low-level (β: −5.97; 95% CI −11.51, −0.10; p = 0.027) or medium-level education (β: 4.85; 95% CI −9.87, 0.53; p = 0.044). The analysis of the subgroup of cases in which the main caregiver was represented by both parents gave similar findings, with education level of the father being negatively correlated with HRQoL. Our data showed that higher education level may negatively affect quality of life of caregivers of NI children. This could be helpful in identifying at-risk families and addressing supportive efforts.

Non-linear Relationship of Maternal Age With Risk of Spontaneous Abortion: A Case-Control Study in the China Birth Cohort

“…We identified potential covariates using a literature search. Most of the covariate data were obtained from standard and structured questionnaires: maternal ethnicity (Han/minority) ( 17 ), maternal education (below college/college/college graduate) ( 34 ), maternal occupation (manual/non-manual/unemployed) ( 35 ), maternal income (<50,000 yuan/50,000–100,000 yuan/>100,000 yuan) ( 34 ), parity (nullipara/multipara) ( 36 ), conception method (natural conception/assisted reproduction) ( 20 ), maternal secondhand smoking (no/yes) ( 37 ), maternal drinking (no/yes), folic acid supplementation (no/yes) ( 38 ), multivitamins supplementation (no/yes) ( 39 ), medication use (no/yes) ( 40 ). The height and weight of the pregnant women were obtained through accurate measurement.…”

Protective Effect of Maternal First-Trimester Low Body Mass Index Against Macrosomia: A 10-Year Cross-Sectional Study

“…BMI was categorized as low (BMI < 18.5 kg/m 2 ), normal (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m 2 ), and obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m 2 ) based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Occupational physical activities were categorized into three levels: a) light (e.g., unemployed/housewife), b) moderate (e.g., salespeople or clerk), and c) active (e.g., farmer or manual worker) ( 19 ). Parental smoking or drinking was defined as mothers or fathers who smoked at least one cigarette per day or drank alcohol once a week for over 6 months ( 20 ).…”

Nutritional status and function after high-calorie formula vs. Chinese food intervention in undernourished children with cerebral palsy

“…For neurologically impaired children, clinical guidelines recommended a high-calorie formula as the preferred way to provide enteral nutrition support ( 10 ). It is recommended to feed a neurologically impaired child with enteral formulas containing multi-nutrients that suffice for long-term use ( 11 ), but daily food diets are still prevalent and widely used in China because most Chinese families believe that such food is more natural and healthier. On the other hand, the types and components of the daily diet in different countries may vary owing to different food cultures and culinary habits.…”