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Biomedical subjects

A Charlton

Publications and source records attributed to A Charlton.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Absence from school related to cancer and other chronic conditions.

Absence from school during the first year after starting major treatment for cancer or chronic or orthopaedic conditions was examined. Retrospective data were collected on 72 children and obtained from hospital records, school registers, and interviews with parents and teachers. Median initial absences caused by treatment were 91, 29-5, and 15 days for cancer, chronic, and orthopaedic patients respectively. The mean proportions of the remaining school time in the year occupied by absences caused by treatment and those not caused by treatment were respectively 17% and 17% for oncology patients, 8% and 12% for chronic patients, and 2% and 11% for orthopaedic patients. The only significant factor associated with the amount of absence caused by treatment was the type of illness. Increased absence not caused by treatment was associated with the amount of treatment time and the patient being a girl. The proportion of absence not caused by treatment decreased if the mother was educated beyond the age of 18. The possible reasons for and effects of excess absence are discussed.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1990

Impact of childhood cancer on return to normal schooling.

Most of the research into the psychosocial impact of treatment for cancer in children has concentrated on effects on the family rather than on the children's return to school. Thus parents and teachers were questioned about the problems experienced by 117 children who returned to school after spending time in hospital. The children comprised 51 with cancer and two groups of control children (34 with chronic diseases such as renal disease and cardiac conditions and 32 with orthopaedic conditions such as thoracic scoliosis, club foot, and injuries resulting from trauma). Children in all three groups experienced problems on returning to school, the greatest number and variety occurring in the children treated for cancer and the fewest in the children with orthopaedic conditions. The variety of physical problems was greatest and the variety of academic problems was least, with psychological and behavioural problems intermediate. Several problems seemed to be related to drug treatment. Several children missed a considerable amount of full time education. Many teachers were unsure of the academic expectations and physical capabilities of children returning to school. To facilitate a smooth return to school for a child with cancer improved liaison is needed between the hospital, school, and home during the child's absence and teachers need to be better informed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Social and personal obstacles in the fight against smoking at group and at individual level].

Is it fair to expect the individual to bear alone the responsibility of whether to smoke or not? What are the responsibilities of the community, the environment and of the groups like industry and political figures which influence him? That is the issue addressed by the author in describing (1) the factors determining an individual decision (health danger, personal threat, other disadvantages or advantages) and (2) those factors establishing within a community an environment favorable to smoking (tobacco cultivation and processing, legislation, publicity, media, etc.). In the planning of any educational programme against smoking this author stresses the need to consider above all the social factors which militate for or against smoking (family setting, friends as role models, self-image and the image of the smoker in publicity and the media) rather than the risk factors which often seem remote to the young who have more immediate concerns than imagining themselves ill from tobacco use by age forty. What instructional methods are recommended? Grade school education, which could contribute to instilling an early resistance to smoking, is far from the only or even the principal means of combatting tobacco use. Too much is made of what teachers can accomplish here. School curricula are overloaded and teachers must develop many different abilities among their students. They can still do a great deal to encourage a child to know and respect himself and to trust his instructor. Every academic programme must be incorporated within a wider community programme like those in Norway and Iceland which link legislation and education.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Absence from school related to children's and parental smoking habits.

A sample of 2885 children aged 12 and 13 who completed a questionnaire survey in school in January 1987 were given a second questionnaire on a specified date in May 1987. The smoking habits, parental smoking habits, sex, and social background of the children who were present on both dates were compared with those of the children who were absent on the second occasion. Regular smoking was significantly more common among those absent for the second questionnaire: among boys 181/877 (21%) who never smoked, 109/486 (22%) who sometimes smoked, and 21/45 (47%) who regularly smoked were absent, and among girls the figures were 157/947 (17%), 117/487 (24%), and 17/43 (40%) respectively. Thus the odds ratio for those who sometimes smoked was 1.29 and for regular smokers 3.09 against those who never smoked. Whatever the children's smoking habits, the proportion who were absent was higher when both parents or at least the mother smoked, the odds ratio being 1.39; the proportions absent were 203/1180 (17%) if neither parent or only the father smoked v 135/644 (21%) if both parents or only mother smoked for children who never smoked; 105/529 (20%) v 121/444 (27%) for those who sometimes smoked; and 10/27 (37%) v 28/61 (46%) for those who regularly smoked. Sex and social background had little effect, though there was an overall higher rate of absence among boys from industrial areas. The findings show a higher rate of minor ailments in children who smoke and in children whose mother smokes. If children are having frequent days off school for minor ailments possibly they or their parents would benefit from advice and help in stopping smoking.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1989

Predicting the onset of smoking in boys and girls.

The problem of the high prevalence of smoking among girls and young women is of great concern. In an attempt to identify the factors which influence girls and boys respectively to attempt smoking, the study examines social background, advertising and brand awareness, knowledge, teaching and personal beliefs in conjunction as predictors of smoking. In this study which involved the administration of identical pre- and post-test questionnaires to a sample of boys and girls aged 12 and 13 years, nine variables expressed by never-smokers at pre-test stage were assessed as predictors of immediate future smoking. The two tests were administered 4 months apart to 1125 boys and 1213 girls in northern England. The nine variables included were parental smoking, best friends' smoking, perceived positive values of smoking, perceived negative values of smoking, correct health knowledge, cigarette-brand awareness, having a favourite cigarette advertisement, having a cigarette-brand sponsored sport in four top favourites on television. One group received teaching about smoking between the pre- and post-tests and this was also included as a variable. For boys, no variable investigated had any consistently statistically significant correlation with the uptake of smoking. The most important predictor of smoking for boys, having a best friend who smoked, was significant on application of the chi 2 test (P 0.037), although it was non-significant when included singly in a logistic regression model (0.094); the discrepancy was probably due to the small number of best friends known to smoke. For girls, four variables were found to be significant predictors of smoking when included singly in a logistic regression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Children's return to school after treatment for solid tumours.

Great advances have been made in recent years in the treatment of children's cancers. Consequently, increasing numbers are now returning to school. The pilot study described in this paper looks at the problems experienced by some of these children, their teachers and parents, and some of the solutions which have been found, with a view to eventually taking some action to help the situation. The results are based on detailed studies of 16 children who had all been off treatment for two or more years and had therefore returned to school on a normal full-time basis. Parents and teachers were interviewed. The preparation for the return to school, reintegration problems including general physical, academic, psychological and behavioural ones, schoolmates' reactions, siblings' reactions, and the teachers, and parents, suggestions for how these might be alleviated are considered. Five important factors emerged especially clearly: Children whose treatment absence was right at the start of their schooling had particularly severe problems in integrating into school. Children at secondary schools had special anxieties about their school-work, especially Mathematics, which leads to consideration of the whole problem of teaching during absence from school. Some children are having severe problems in obtaining efficient prostheses. Whilst classmates were usually welcoming or unconcerned, much teasing was experienced from children in other classes, particularly in secondary schools. Whilst attention is focused on the sick child, siblings are developing severe problems of their own which need special attention. Most teachers and parents would have welcomed advice on or help with these problems and it is hoped that, when a larger scale study has clarified the finer points, some systems for helping will be devised.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1984

Children's coughs related to parental smoking.

A survey of the smoking habits, attitudes, and background of over 15 000 8-19 year olds in northern England in December 1982 showed a positive correlation between parental smoking and the reporting of frequent coughs by children who had never smoked. This was especially pronounced in the youngest children. Thirty five per cent of boys under 11 who had never smoked and whose parents did not smoke reported frequent coughs; with one parent smoking this increased to 42%, and when both parents smoked the proportion was 48%. Girls under 11 showed the same pattern, with 32%, 40%, and 52% respectively reporting frequent coughs. Fewer older children in general reported frequent coughs. Mothers' smoking had more influence on children's coughs than had fathers' smoking. Social area type had no significant effect. No significant effect of passive smoking was observed when the children themselves were smokers. These results are clear evidence of a definite link between smoking in the home and coughs in young children, which not only may present immediate problems but may also be a cause of illness in the future.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Children's opinions about smoking.

A survey of the smoking habits and opinions of over 15,000 children aged 8-19 years, in full or part-time education, was carried out in northern England in December 1982. Highly significant differences were observed between the opinions of smokers and non-smokers on the reasons for and against smoking. There were dramatic variations with age: the youngest children, smokers and non-smokers, tended to support the visual aspects of smoking, while the older ones were largely in favour of the supposed psychological and physiological benefits to smokers themselves. Non-smokers showed less variation with age than smokers did. Compared with earlier surveys, the main changes were the increase in admission of the health risks and loss of the ;tough' image for the older children. In antismoking education it is important to know what beliefs children of different ages hold in order to make the message relevant to them. It is also important to counteract the forces that may be creating their concepts about smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Young people's knowledge of the cervical smear test.

A sample of three hundred and forty-eight 16 and 17-year-old students (120 boys and 228 girls) on a range of vocational courses were asked a number of questions about the cervical smear test in October 1980. 10% of the boys and 27% of the girls selected "smear" as a word they would associate with cancer, but only 3.3% of the boys and 9.2% of the girls mentioned the cervical smear test as a preventive measure. Approximately a quarter of the students considered cervical cancer to be usually curable with early treatment, and the majority considered it to be rarely curable with late treatment. 38% of the boys and 64% of the girls had heard of the cervical smear test and the doctor, clinic, family planning clinic and hospital were suggested as places where the smear is available. 9% of the girls said they had had a smear test. These results were used as a baseline for the designing of suitable teaching material.

Adolescent↗