Abstract

This article develops insights and generates new lines of inquiry into young children’s digital lives in China and Australia. It brings to dialogue findings from a national study of young children's digital media use in urban settings in China with findings from studies in Australia. This is not presented as a direct comparison, but rather as an opportunity to shed light on children’s digital lives in two countries and to account for the impact of context in relatively different social and cultural circumstances. The article outlines findings from a study of 1,171 preschool-aged children (3 to 7-year-olds) in six provinces in China, including the frequency of their use of television, early education digital devices, computers, tablet computers and smartphones, music players, e-readers and games consoles. It also focuses on various activities such as watching cartoons, using educational apps, playing games and participating in video chat. Methods included a multistage sampling process, random selection of kindergartens, a weighted sampling process, the generation of descriptive data and the use of linear regression analysis, and a chi-square test. The study demonstrates the significance of a range of factors that influence the amount of time spent with digital media. The contrast with Australian studies produces new insights and generates new research questions.

Abstract

Parasitic diseases affect millions of people worldwide, most commonly in children, are closely linked to poverty and other socio-economic factors. The study aimed to establish the relationship between intestinal parasites, and epidemiological and nutritional status in preschool educational institutions of the municipality Coropo, Aragua, Venezuela. We evaluated 145 children and their feces were analyzed using the techniques of physiological saline, Lugol, Kato, Faust, Baermann and Graham. Nutritional assessment was performed using clinical evaluation and anthropometric indicators, with the cut offs, excess: > p90; Normal: between p10 and p90; deficit: 0.05). However, they observed a statistically significant association (p <0.05), washing hands before eating and after using the bathroom and the presence of intestinal parasites. We obtained a high percentage of normal in anthropometric indicators: Weight for the Age 80%, Size for Age 66.9%, Cephalic Circumference for the Age 71.72% and Brachial Circumference for the Age 82.76%, these can be influenced by the existence of a dining room where the children who study there have breakfast and lunch.. We conclude that despite the high rate of intestinal parasitic infections found, it did not affect the nutritional status of children tested