Motivational Interviewing for Parent-child Health Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: Motivational interviewing (MI) is a patient-centered approach focusing on building intrinsic motivation for change. This paper presents a meta-analysis of parent-involved MI to improve pediatric health behavior and health outcomes. Methods: Study inclusion criteria: (1) examined modifiable pediatric health behaviors (\u3c 18 years old); (2) used MI or motivational enhancement; (3) conducted a randomized controlled trial with a comparison group (non-MI control or active treatment group); (4) conducted the intervention with only a parent or both a parent and child; and (5) were written in English. Twenty-five studies (with 5,130 participants) were included and independently rated. Weighted mean effect sizes, using random-effects assumptions, were calculated. Results: Relative to comparison groups, MI was associated with significant improvements in health behaviors (e.g., oral health, diet, physical activity, reduced screen time, smoking cessation, reduced second hand smoke) and reduction in body mass index. Results suggest that MI may also outperform comparison groups in terms of dental caries, but more studies are needed. MI interventions were more successful at improving diets for Caucasians and when the intervention included more MI components. Conclusions: Our findings provide support for providing motivational interviewing to parents and children to improve pediatric health behaviors

Motivating Parents of Kids with Asthma to Quit Smoking: The Effect of the Teachable Moment and Increasing Intervention Intensity Using a Longitudinal Randomized Trial Design

Aims—We tested two aims: 1) The Teachable Moment (TM): whether second hand smoke exposure (SHSe) feedback motivates cessation in parents of children with asthma vs. parents of healthy children (HC) and 2) whether greater intervention intensity (Enhanced-PAM) produces greater cessation than a previously tested intervention (Precaution Adoption Model; PAM). Design and interventions—Aim 1: Two home visits (asthma education or child wellness), and cessation induction using Motivational Interviewing and SHSe feedback. Aim 2: Post home-visits, parents with asthmatic children were randomized to PAM (n=171; 6 asthma education calls) or Enhanced-PAM (n=170; 6 asthma education/smoking cessation calls + repeat SHSe feedback). Setting—Rhode Island USA. Participants—Parents of asthmatic (n=341) or healthy (n=219) children who did not have to want to quit smoking to enroll. Measurements—were given at baseline, 2, 4, 6 and 12 months. Abstinence was bioverified. Outcomes were 7-day and 30-day ppa, and SHSe (primary) and asthma morbidity (secondary). Findings—Aim 1: The TM was supported: parents of asthmatic children were more than twice as likely to achieve 30-day (OR=2.60, 95% CI = 1.22–5.54) and 7-day ppa (OR=2.26, 95% CI=1.13– 4.51) at 2 months (primary endpoint) and have non-detectable levels of SHSe than HCs. Greater treatment intensity yielded stronger TM effects (OR=3.60; 95% CI= 1.72–7.55). Aim 2: Enhanced-PAM was more likely to achieve 30-day ppa at the primary endpoint, 4-months (OR=2.12, 95% CI 1.09–4.12) and improved asthma outcomes vs. PAM. Conclusions—Smoking cessation interventions (Motivational Interviewing + biomarker feedback) appear to motivate smoking cessation more strongly among parents of asthmatic children than among parents of healthy children. Increased intervention intensity yields greater smoking cessation among parents of asthmatic children and better asthma outcomes

Thermodynamic fingerprints of non-Markovianity in a system of coupled superconducting qubits

The exploitation and characterization of memory effects arising from the interaction between system and environment is a key prerequisite for quantum reservoir engineering beyond the standard Markovian limit. In this paper we investigate a prototype of non-Markovian dynamics experimentally implementable with superconducting qubits. We rigorously quantify non-Markovianity highlighting the effects of the environmental temperature on the Markovian to non-Markovian crossover. We investigate how memory effects influence, and specifically suppress, the ability to perform work on the driven qubit. We show that the average work performed on the qubit can be used as a diagnostic tool to detect the presence or absence of memory effects.Comment: 9 page

CHEMICAL ARTS AND RELIGION IN ANTIQUITY. AN INTRODUCTION

Introduction to the special issue dedicated to chemical arts and religion in Antiquit

Ion-Exchanged Waveguides in Glass Doped with PbS Quantum Dots

The lowest-loss (≤1 dB/cm) ion-exchanged waveguides in glass doped with PbS quantum dots are presented. Near-field mode profile and refractive index profile using the refracted near-field technique were measured for these waveguides. We demonstrate that the optical properties of this glass unchanged during the ion-exchange process

Witnessing entanglement in hybrid systems

We extend the definition of entanglement witnesses based on structure factors to the case in which the position of the scatterers is quantized. This allows us to study entanglement detection in hybrid systems. We provide several examples that show how these extra degrees of freedom affect the detection of entanglement by directly contributing to the measurement statistics. We specialize the proposed witness operators for a chain of trapped ions. Within this framework, we show how the collective vibronic state of the chain can act as an undesired quantum environment and how ions quantum motion can affect the entanglement detection. Finally, we investigate some specific cases where the method proposed leads to detection of hybrid entanglement.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in children and adolescents: Neglected and emerging issues.

Pediatric non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis is characterized by endobronchial suppuration, airway neutrophilic inflammation and poor mucus clearance and is associated with persistent productive cough due to recurrent airway infections. Most recommendations are based on expert opinion or extrapolated from CF practice. The present narrative review aims to address some issues on the management of children or adolescents with non CF-bronchiectasis that still require attention, and analyze what available literature offers to reply to open questions. We focused on the potential offered by technological advances on lung disease assessment through novel chest imaging techniques and new or old pulmonary function tests. We also summarized the main novelties in the disease prevention and treatment. Finally, a novel diagnostic algorithm is proposed, that might help physicians in the daily clinical decision-making process. Future directions for research on pediatric non-CF bronchiectasis should include larger study populations and longer prospective clinical trials, as well as new clinical and laboratory endpoints to determine the underlying mechanisms of lung disease progression and support the role of new and existing treatments

Energy balance of five fodder cropping systems in the irrigated lowlands of Northern Italy

Extensification has recently become an important option in Western European agriculture, driven both by economic considerations (product surpluses together with the fact that developed countries cropping systems have been heavily relying on fossil energy) and growing public concern on the possible adverse effects of intensive farming on the environment and human health. The adoption of rational fodder crop rotations, with the rediscovery of the beneficial effect of the meadow, is viewed as a possible mean to reduce the impact of farming systems in the lowlands of northern Italy, characterised by highly intensive cropping and animal husbandry. For this reason our study examines the effects of crop rotation on the energy balance during 1985-2007 period in a long-term crop rotation trial in Northern Italy comparing five fodder crop systems, different in the degree of crop intensification and for the presence or absence of the meadow: a 1-year continuous cereal double cropping (R1); a 3-year rotation (R3); a 6-year rotation (R6); a permanent meadow (PM); and a continuous grain maize cropping (CM). Each rotation was subjected to two input treatments, defined as high (mostly used in lowlands of northern Italy) and low (input reduction of ca. 30%) respectively, in terms of nutrient levels, herbicide doses, and soil tillage methods. The crop rotations exerted a marked influence on the energy balance. The most efficient rotations in terms of net energy production energy efficiency have been characterized by reduced length and presence of maize and catch-crops