PurposeThe primary purpose of this study was to examine the quality of sponsored and unsponsored asthma websites using the Brief DISCERN instrument and to evaluate whether the Health On the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) logo was present, thereby indicating that the site met the criteria. The Internet is an important source of health information for patients and their families. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the quality of sponsored and unsupported asthma websites. A secondary aim was to determine the readability and reading ease of the materials for each website along with the grade level.MethodsWe queried seven Internet search engines using the keyword “asthma.” The websites were evaluated using the six-item Brief DISCERN instrument and by ascertaining whether the HONcode quality label was present. The websites were also evaluated for readability employing Flesch-Kincaid grade level and Flesch reading ease tools using Microsoft Office Word 2013 software.ResultsA total of 22 unique websites were included in the study. Approximately 68% of the websites reviewed had a Brief DISCERN cutoff score of ≥16. The overall Brief DISCERN scores ranged from 6 to 30, and the mean score was 17.32 (SD =6.71). The Flesch-Kincaid grade level scores ranged from 2.9 to 15.4, and the average reading grade score was 9.49 (SD =2.7). The Flesch reading ease scores ranged from 17 to 82.7, with a mean reading ease score of 53.57 (SD =15.03). Sites with a HONcode quality label had significantly higher Brief DISCERN scores than those without one (t=2.3795; df=20; p=0.02).ConclusionBrief DISCERN scores revealed that there is quality asthma information for children and their families available on the Internet. The grade level ranged between 2.9 and 15.4 among the websites. However, the mean grade level scores were 9.3–9.89, which is high for the average consumer. Access to accurate information via the Internet, with appropriate readability, may enable pediatric asthma patients and their caregivers to better control and manage asthma.

Racially and ethnically diverse young children who live with socioeconomic adversity are at high risk for sleep deficiency, but few behavioral sleep interventions (BSIs) are tailored to their needs. To support the future development of a feasible, acceptable, and culturally relevant sleep intervention, we conducted a community‐engaged, mixed‐methods study with 40 low‐income, racially, and ethnically diverse parents to describe sleep characteristics, sleep habits, and parental sleep knowledge of their 6–36‐month‐old children and to examine the associations between children's sleep characteristics and sleep habits. This report presents quantitative data from this mixed‐methods study. We measured objective (actigraphy) and parent‐reported sleep (Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire) characteristics, sleep habits at bedtime, sleep onset, and during night awakenings, parental sleep knowledge, psychological function (Brief Symptom Inventory), and parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index). Children had low sleep duration (537.2 ± 54.7 nighttime and 111.2 ± 29.8 nap minutes), late bedtimes (22:36 ± 1.5 hr), and high bedtime variability (mean squared successive difference = 3.68 ± 4.31 hr) based on actigraphy. Parental knowledge about sleep recommendations was limited. Sleep habits before bedtime, at sleep onset, and during night awakenings were varied. Sixty‐five percent of parents reported co‐sleeping. Feeding near bedtime or during the night was associated with later bedtimes, more fragmented sleep, and increased bedtime variability. These findings suggest the need for BSIs to support earlier bedtimes and improve sleep duration and continuity by addressing modifiable behaviors. Tailored BSIs that consider socioecological influences on the development of sleep habits are needed.

No abstract

No abstract

The literature examining the relationship between occupational therapy academic course work and fieldwork performance was reviewed. Responding to a recent suggestion calling for a reexamination of this relationship with a sample of significantly larger size, we initiated the present study. The results are similar to earlier studies, with little or no correlation found in most analyses. Further investigation of the results provides strong evidence supporting the conclusion that correlation analysis is inappropriate for this investigation; thus, it would be incorrect to assume that there is little or no relationship between occupational therapy academic course work and fieldwork performance. Suggestions of ways to study the relationship between course work and fieldwork are presented.