The World Social Situation: Development Challenges at the Outset of a New Century

World social development has arrived at a critical turning point. Economically advanced nations have made significant progress toward meeting the basic needs of their populations; however, the majority of developing countries have not. Problems of rapid population growth, failing economies, famine, environmental devastation, majority-minority group conflicts, increasing militarization, among others, are pushing many developing nations toward the brink of social chaos. This paper focuses on worldwide development trends for the 40-year period 1970-2009. Particular attention is given to the disparities in development that exist between the world’s “rich” and “poor” countries as well as the global forces that sustain these disparities. The paper also discusses more recent positive trends occurring within the world’s “socially least developed countries” (SLDCs), especially those located in Africa and Asia, in reducing poverty and in promoting improved quality of life for increasing numbers of their populations

MABC-2 i klinisk praksis med undersøkelse av for tidlig fødte barn. Rammer - innhold og relasjoner. En kvalitativ intervjuundersøkelse av foreldres erfaringer

M ABC-2 (Movement Assessment Battery for Children) er en standardisert test som brukes ved treårskontroll i henhold til Faglige retningslinjer for oppfølging av for tidlig fødte barn. Hensikten med denne studien er å få innsikt i foreldres erfaringer ved undersøkelse av deres for tidlig fødte barn i 3 årsalder. Problemstillingen det søkes svar på er: Hvordan erfarer og vurderer foreldre til for tidlig fødte barn gjennomføringen og resultatene av M ABC-2 ved undersøkelse av eget barns bevegelsesutvikling ved 3 års kontroll? Det ble foretatt et kvalitativt forskningsintervju med 4 forskjellige foreldre. Studien viser at foreldrene ble overrasket når undersøkelsen var en standardisert test. De ønsket at tidligere bevegelsesproblemer skulle fokuseres gjennom observasjon av spontanbevegelse fra en fagperson som hadde kjent barnet over tid. Foreldrene opplevde barna som lite engasjerte i testsituasjonen, og ferdigheter barna gjorde til vanlig kom ikke fram under testingen. Dette blir forstått som utslag av testens stramme rammer og struktur kombinert med de spesielle vanskene et for tidlig født barn har. Det ble gitt kort informasjon før undersøkelsen og begrenset formidling av resultatene etterpå. Det ble etterlyst mer kommunikasjon rundt innhold og resultater.Det stilles spørsmål om testens anvendelighet overfor for tidlig fødte barn i 3årsalder

Maternal alcohol and drug use during pregnancy affects the motor behaviour and general movements of infants aged 3–4 months

Background Exposure of alcohol and/or other addictive drugs in pregnancy is a documented risk factor for later neurological impairment. Aims The aim of the study was to determine whether infants suffering from prenatal exposure to addictive drugs and alcohol develop an abnormal motor behaviour at three to four months of age. Study design Controlled cohort study of infants exposed to alcohol and/or other addictive drugs in pregnancy who were recruited from a hospital follow-up programme. The control group consisted of healthy, unexposed infants. Subjects The study group of 108 infants exposed to alcohol and/or addictive drugs in pregnancy were enrolled based on referrals from primary health care. The control group included 106 infants who had not been exposed to the aforementioned substances. Outcome measures We assessed the general movements (Prechtl’s General-Movement-Assessment, GMA), the motor repertoire (Assessment-of-Motor-Repertoire, AMR), and the Alberta-Infant Motor-Scale (AIMS) in all infants at three to four months of age. Results None of the infants in either group had absent fidgety movements (FMs). In the study group 5(5%) had exaggerated FMs and 5(5%) had sporadic FMs; and 68(63%) infants in the study group displayed an abnormal movement character, compared to 23(22%) in the control group (p<0.001). On the AIMS, 46(44%) infants in the study group scored below the 10th percentile, compared to 2(3%) controls (p< 0.001). Conclusion The study describes an abnormal movement character of infants exposed to alcohol and/or addictive drugs in pregnancy when their motor repertoire was assessed at three to four months of age. The AIMS also showed negative effects on their motor behaviour