TODDLERS' NATURE, NURTURE AND THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH SMART PHONES AND TABLETS

Children who are twenty-four months or less may be self-regulating when it comes to their engagement with digital devices because of their naturally short attention span. From a six-month observation of two children with parents who hold opposing views to early technology exposure (nurturing practices), in their digital and non-digital engagements, the researcher reveals that concerns about exposure of children below 18 months to digital devices needs to be given some more consideration in research. This observation was born out of an interest to find out plausible reasons for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation that children below 18 months be prevented from exposure to all forms of screen media apart from participating in video calls (AAP, 2016). The study employed the qualitative research methods of observation and interviews since the aim of the study was to make meaning of AAP’s recommendation from a natural and real-life environment in a microsystem where technology was readily available to these toddlers. Data from the study revealed that children at this age are naturally interested in exploring their environments regardless of nature, nurture and technology. They always longed-for opportunities to go out, engage in activities and interact with people or just admire nature and marvel at their ability to identify objects and materials in their environment. Parents’ perspective on digital exposure was revealed as a moderating factor in the toddlers’ use of technology. Though, temperament and attention span seemed to play noticeable roles in their level of interaction with people and objects involving digital or non-digital engagements. Alad loved to watch children’s programs on smart phones. Ghan on the other hand was always quick to grab the phones or iPads and go for the nearest garbage bins with a wide grin on his face. This action by the Ghan could be interpreted to mean that he wanted to eliminate all distractions, and have you focus on him while he engaged in non-digital play. A form of digital play that he favored was dancing while music played from the digital devices. Though he did not like this activity to be prolonged.  Article visualizations

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ INTERACTION PROCESSES IN RELATION TO THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AT ONE UNIVERSITY IN NORTHERN CHINA

This was a qualitative case study, which sought to describe international students’ interaction processes in relation to their learning experiences at one university in China. The semi structured interview was used to collect data from international Master students followed by observation on one of the learning activities. The social constructivism theory guided data collection and analysis. It was found that there were differences with regard to how students interacted with instructors and fellow students in terms of means of communication, frequency of interactions as well as feedback. In addition, participants attached intellectual development roles to their interaction with instructors, and social wellbeing roles to peer interaction. On the other hand, cultural background and language barrier influenced their interaction processes at the university.  Article visualizations

Social Support and Health: A Theoretical Formulation Derived from King's Conceptual Framework

This article describes the development and initial empirical testing of a theoretical formulation of social support, family, health, and child health derived from Imogene King's conceptual framework for nursing. A correlational design was used to test the formulation with 103 families who have children with diabetes mellitus. Three hypotheses were sup ported : parents' social support had a direct and positive effect on family health, parents' social support and child's social support were positively related, and illness factors had a direct and negative effect on child health. Both the supported and unsupported hypotheses are discussed in terms of the present substantive knowledge base and evidence of validity for King's framework. Direction for further theory development and research are identified.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68995/2/10.1177_089431848900200309.pd

Impact of comorbid conditions on asthmatic adults and children

Comorbid conditions (comorbidities) can complicate the diagnosis and management of asthma. In different age groups, comorbid conditions can present varying challenges, including diagnostic confusion due to mimicking asthma symptoms, exacerbation of asthma symptoms, therapy for comorbid conditions affecting asthma or therapy for asthma affecting these conditions. This review aims to summarise some common comorbid conditions with asthma, such as rhinitis, vocal cord dysfunction, gastro-oesophageal reflux, psychiatric disorders, obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea, and discuss their prevalence, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, highlighting any differences in how they impact children and adults. Overall, there is a lack of data on the impact of treating comorbid conditions on asthma outcomes and further studies are needed to guide age-appropriate asthma management in the presence of these conditions.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.A.K. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Behring, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Griffols, Teva, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Paladdin, Pfizer, Purdue, Sanofi and Trudel, outside the submitted work. D.M.G.H. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Chiesi and Pfizer and grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, outside the submitted work. S.J.S. reports fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Propeller Health, Regeneron and Sanofi, outside the submitted work all paid to the University of Colorado School of Medicinepublished version, accepted version, submitted versio