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Published on: April 22, 2015
Participation in Daily Activities of Children with Atopic Diseases and Its Relation to Their Sensory Modulation
Batya Engel-Yeger1, Aharon Kessel2
1Occupational Therapy Department, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
Insights
Children with atopic diseases, like asthma and eczema, show less interest in daily activities and may have sensory modulation difficulties. These challenges can impact their overall wellbeing and development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Allergy and Immunology
Background:
- Child participation in daily activities is vital for health and development, serving as a key intervention outcome.
- Atopic diseases significantly impact children's lives, yet their effect on participation remains under-researched.
- Limited knowledge exists regarding how atopic conditions influence a child's engagement in everyday activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare activity participation preferences between children with atopic diseases and healthy peers.
- To identify sensory modulation difficulties (SMD) within different atopic disease groups.
- To investigate the relationship between SMD and activity preferences in children with atopic conditions.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional correlative study involving 253 children aged 4-11 years.
- Participants included children with Asthma, atopic dermatitis (AD), Rhinitis, and healthy controls.
- Data collection utilized the Preference for Activities of Children (PAC) and the Short Sensory Profile (SSP).
Main Results:
- Children with atopic diseases exhibited lower overall activity preferences compared to healthy controls, favoring solitary, quiet activities.
- Children with atopic dermatitis showed the highest activity preference, while boys with asthma had the lowest.
- Sensory modulation difficulties were more common in children with atopic diseases and were linked to reduced activity participation.
Conclusions:
- Atopic diseases can potentially limit children's engagement in daily life activities.
- Clinicians should assess participation levels in children with atopic diseases and consider comorbidities like SMD.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for enhancing intervention effectiveness and promoting child development and wellbeing.
Abstract:
(1) Background: Participation in daily activities is critical for a child's health, development and wellbeing and is considered a main outcome measure of intervention efficiency. Atopic diseases affect children's daily life and routines but the knowledge about impacts on participation is limited. (2) Objectives: a. to profile the preference to participate in daily activities of children with atopic diseases as compared to healthy controls; b. to profile sensory modulation difficulties (SMD) in each atopic group; c. to examine whether SMD correlate with activity preference. (3) Methods: This cross-section and correlative study included 253 children aged 4-11: 37 with Asthma, 37 with atopic dermatitis (AD), and 31 with Rhinitis. The controls were 148 healthy children. All children completed the Preference for Activities of Children (PAC) while their parents completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Short Sensory Profile (SSP). (4) Results: Children with atopic diseases showed significantly lower preference to participate in activities than healthy controls and preferred quiet activities that can be performed alone. Within the atopic groups, children with AD, and specifically girls, had the highest activity preference while boys with Asthma had the lowest preference. SMD was significantly more prevalent in children with atopic diseases and correlated with their reduced preference to participate in activities. (5) Conclusions: Atopic diseases may restrict children's participation. Clinicians should evaluate participation of children with atopic diseases and examine whether comorbidities as SMD affect participation. Understanding the implications on children's daily life may improve intervention efficiency and elevate development and wellbeing.
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