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Parental Preferences (parental + preference)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	66%

Selected Abstracts

Treatment of vesico-ureteric reflux: a new algorithm based on parental preference

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2003
N. Capozza
Authors from Rome evaluated parental preference for treatment in children with grade III VUR. Parents were provided with detailed information about the three treatment options: antibiotic treatment, open surgery, endoscopic treatment. Most parents chose endoscopic management; with this in mind, the authors proposed a new treatment algorithm for VUR. OBJECTIVE To assess parental preference (acknowledged in treatment guidelines as important when choosing therapy) about treatments for vesico-ureteric reflux (VUR, commonly associated with urinary tract infection and which can cause long-term renal damage if left untreated), as at present there is no definitive treatment for VUR of moderate severity (grade III). SUBJECTS AND METHODS The parents of 100 children with grade III reflux (38 boys and 62 girls, mean age 4 years, range 1,15) were provided with detailed information about the three treatment options available for treating VUR (antibiotic prophylaxis, open surgery and endoscopic treatment), including the mode of action, cure rate and possible complications, and the practical advantages and disadvantages. They were then presented with a questionnaire asking them to choose their preferred treatment. RESULTS Most parents preferred endoscopic treatment (80%), rather than antibiotic prophylaxis (5%) or open surgery (2%); 13% could not decide among the three options and endoscopic treatment was recommended. CONCLUSION Given the strong preference for endoscopic treatment we propose a new algorithm for treating VUR; endoscopic treatment would be considered as the first option for persistent VUR, except in severe cases where open surgery would still be recommended. [source]

When doctors disagree: a qualitative study of doctors' and parents' views on the risks of childhood food allergy

HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 3 2008
Wendy Hu MBBS Dip Paed MHA PhD FRACGP
Abstract Objective, To examine the views of doctors which underpin clinical practice variation concerning an uncertain health risk, and the views of parents who had sought advice from these doctors, using the example of childhood food allergy. Study design, Qualitative study involving in-depth interviews and participant observation over 16 months. Focus groups and consultation audio-recordings provided corroborative data. Setting, Three specialist allergy clinics located in one metropolitan area. Participants, Eighteen medical specialists and trainees in allergy, and 85 parents (from 69 families) with food allergic children. Results, Doctors expressed a spectrum of views. The most divergent views were characterized by: scientific scepticism rather than precaution in response to uncertainty; emphasis on quantifiable physical evidence rather than parental histories; professional roles as providers of physical diagnosis and treatment rather than of information and advocacy; libertarian rather than communitarian perspectives on responsibility for risk; and values about allergy as a disease and normal childhood. Parents held a similar, but less divergent range of views. The majority of parents preferred more moderate doctors' views, with 43% (30 of 69) of families expressing their dissatisfaction by seeking another specialist opinion. Many were confused by variation in doctors' opinions, preferring relationships with doctors that recognized their concerns, addressed their information needs, and confirmed that they were managing their child's allergy appropriately. Conclusions, In uncertain clinical situations, parents do not expect absolute certainty from doctors; inflexible certainty may not allow parental preferences to be acknowledged or accommodated, and is associated with the seeking of second opinions. [source]

DETECTION OF LOCAL INTERACTIONS FROM THE SPATIAL PATTERN OF NAMES IN FRANCE,

JOURNAL OF REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008
Keith Head
ABSTRACT Using data on the geographic distribution of names in France, we investigate the social transmission of parental preferences. Drawing on recent work on nonmarket interactions, we develop a linear discrete choice model that relates choices made in one location to those made in nearby areas. We explain the shares of parents that give their children Saint, Arabic, and American-type names. We also examine the effect of distance between locations on differences in naming patterns. We find that the importance of geographic distance is declining over time while differences in class and national origins have increasing explanatory power. [source]

How Much of the Gender Difference in Child School Enrolment Can Be Explained?

BULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004
Evidence from Rural India
I21; O15 Abstract There are significant gender differences in child schooling in the Indian states though very few studies explain this gender difference. Unlike most existing studies we take account of the implicit and explicit opportunity costs of schooling and use a bivariate probit model to jointly determine a child's participation in school and market jobs. Results obtained from the World Institute of Development Economics Research (WIDER) villages in West Bengal suggest that indicators of household resources, parental preferences, returns to and opportunity costs of domestic work significantly affect child school enrolment. While household resources have similar effects on enrolment of boys and girls, other arguments tend to explain a part of the observed gender difference. Even after taking account of all possible arguments, there remains a large variation in gender differences in child schooling that cannot be explained by differences in male and female characteristics in our sample. [source]

Treatment of extremely preterm infants: parents'attitudes

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 6 2003
B Mølholm Hansen
Aim: To conduct a survey of the attitude towards treatment of extremely preterm infants by comparing the attitude towards life-saving treatment between a group of parents of extremely preterm children and parents in the general population. The importance the two groups of respondents assigned to parental preferences was also investigated. Methods: A Danish national cohort of children born from 1994 to 1995 with a birthweight below 1000 g or a gestational age below 28 wk were assessed in a 5-y follow-up study including a reference group of children born at term. The parents of the children were given a sequence of case vignettes presenting different clinical situations, which formed part of a questionnaire. Results: More than 80% of 222 possible index respondents and 76 possible reference respondents fulfilled the vignettes. Both groups of respondents were positive towards life-saving treatment of extremely preterm infants. The recommendations given by both groups were significantly influenced by the hypothetical child's risk of having a serious handicap and the parents'preferences. The results suggest that parents of extremely preterm children do not have a more conservative attitude towards life-saving treatment of extremely preterm infants than parents in the general population, and also support the view that parents'preferences should influence treatment decisions; although many believe that these should not be decisive. Conclusion: Compared to the general population, parents of children born extremely preterm did not express a more conservative attitude towards life-saving treatment of extremely preterm infants. [source]