Caregiver Perspective on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Psychosocial and Behavioral Health of Children with ASD in the United States: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were particularly vulnerable to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study we conducted an anonymous caregiver survey to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial and behavioral health of children with ASD. Data from 700 responses identified several significant factors predicting greater difficulties for the child including pre-existing behavioral challenges (OR = 5.179; 95% CI: 2.696, 9.951), disrupted sleep (OR = 2.618; 95% CI 1.341, 5.112), and a diagnosis of depression (OR = 3.425; 95% CI: 1.1621, 4.116). Greater difficulties for caregivers in managing their child’s behaviors were associated with sleep disturbances (OR = 1.926; 95% CI: 1.170, 3.170), self-injurious behavior (OR = 3.587; 95% CI: 1.767, 7.281), and managing the child’s school activities (OR = 3.107; 95% CI: 1.732, 5.257) and free time (OR = 3.758; 95% CI: 2.217, 6.369). However, being under the care of a neuropsychiatrist was associated with less difficulty in managing the child’s behaviors (OR = 2.516; 95% CI: −1.046, −5.382). Finally, the presence of comorbidities (OR = 2.599; 95% CI: 1.053, 4.067) and a greater difficulty in managing the child’s school activities (OR = 2.531; 95% CI: 1.655, 3.868) and free time (OR = 1.651; 95% CI: 1.101, 2.478) were associated with an increased likelihood of caregiver desire for their child to return to in-person school in the fall. The COVID-19 pandemic had a wide-ranging impact on the behaviors of children with ASD and challenges for their caregivers

Influence of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of added sugars consumption on periodontal status in low-income women

Abstract Background Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by interactions between bacterial infection and host response. Nutrition education plays an important role in preventing oral health diseases and related problems. The present research will assess oral hygiene practices, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to added sugars, within the context of periodontal disease in low-income women. Methods A pre-validated Dental Nutrition Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors questionnaire was distributed among 220 low-income women. Periodontal disease was measured using clinical attachment loss and probing pocket depth. One-way ANOVA, linear, and multivariate logistic regression were utilized for analysis. Results Linear regression analysis exhibited significant positive associations of knowledge with attitude (r = 0.190, P = 0.000), and behavior (r = 0.298, P = 0.000), as well as attitude with behavior (r = 0.542, P = 0.000) of the low-income women. Women who scored higher on knowledge subscale were less likely to be in stage 2 [OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.008–0.582, P = 0.002] and 3 [OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.009–0.916, P = 0.021], as compared to the lower stage. Those who scored higher on the attitude and behavior subscales were less likely to be in stage 2 [OR = 0.191, 95% CI: 0.066-.0559, P = 0.003 vs OR = 0.501, 95% CI: 0.172–1.461, P = 0.046] and 3 [OR = 0.178, 95% CI: 0.051–0.620, P = 0.007 vs OR = 0.215, 95% CI: 0.062–0.744, P = 0.015] than in stage 1. Conclusions Significant limited dental nutrition attitude, belief, and behavior regarding periodontal disease were observed. Health care professionals and dentists should provide nutrition counseling about periodontal disease during health care delivery visits