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The health of children and their parents living in poverty in Twente : The effects of the intervention "Healthy Children in Low-income Families" on the six dimensions of positive health

Grevinga, L. (2019) The health of children and their parents living in poverty in Twente : The effects of the intervention "Healthy Children in Low-income Families" on the six dimensions of positive health.

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Abstract:Poverty and health are closely related. Poverty has a negative impact on the health of individuals, especially on children. Since May 2018, the Academic Collaborative Centre Youth Twente has piloted an intervention called “Healthy Children in Low-income Families”. The intervention is focussed on families in Twente living on or below the minimum income threshold. This master thesis is part of a larger study of the Academic Collaborative Centre Youth Twente and is focussed on the effects of poverty on the health of children and their parents living in Twente. The effects of the intervention on the health of the parents and children were determined via the six dimensions of positive health. The parents participated in the intervention, not the children. Methods: The study is designed according to a mixed-method design. First, quantitative data was collected via two questionnaires. The questionnaire contained eight validated measures of which six were used within this study; EMPO, MHC-SF, the CBS health survey-overall health, Kiddy-KINDL, Kid-& Kiddo-KINDL and the SDQ. The independent sample T-Test and the paired sample T-Test were performed. Second, qualitative data was collected via semi-structured interviews with five participants out of the intervention group about two dimensions: social and societal participation and meaningfulness. Results: At baseline, no significant differences were found between the parents in the intervention and control group. Eight weeks after baseline, a significant difference was found between the parents in the intervention group (1.32) and control group (1.49) (daily functioning). No significant differences were found between baseline and eight weeks afterwards among the parents in the intervention group. In the control group there was a significant difference found for daily functioning. At baseline, the parents had a better score (1.32) compared to the score eight weeks afterwards (1.50). Furthermore, at baseline, there was a significant difference found for mental well-being between the children in the intervention (12.67) and control group (10.12) for the SDQ. Eight weeks after baseline, a significant difference was found between the children in the intervention (67.14) and the children in the control group (73.91) for bodily functions. Moreover, significant differences were shown between the children in the intervention (70.89) and the control group (80.17) for emotional well-being (mental well-being). There was also a significant difference found between the children in the intervention (12.19) and the control group (9.87) for the SDQ (mental well-being). Furthermore, a significant difference was found between the outcomes of physical well-being at baseline (72.88) and eight weeks afterwards (67.44) among the children in the intervention group (bodily functions). Also, the children scored at baseline (74.73) significantly better for emotional well-being compared to the score eight weeks after baseline (70.89) (mental well-being). The semi-structured interviews showed that four of five parents had experienced positive changes for social and societal participation. Positive changes for meaningfulness were found as well. Moreover, the parents have answered questions about the experiences of the children on the social and societal participation and meaningfulness. Parents reported no changes in both dimensions for their children. Parents mentioned that the intervention did not bring their children anything, since no child was directly involved in the intervention. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the intervention had the most effects for the parents, by the reason that they had participated in the intervention instead of the children. The intervention had the most effect on the social and social participation compared to meaningfulness, which have changed less compared to the situation after the intervention. Recommended is to include children in the study to have more impact on the health of children.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:TNW: Science and Technology
Subject:50 technical science in general
Programme:Health Sciences MSc (66851)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/79376
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