Guest editorial

Citation

Gavrielides, T. (2022), "Guest editorial", International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 213-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-07-2022-209

Children, young people and their international human right to healthcare

Welcome to a new Special Issue of the International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare (IJHRH). In 2017, we were honoured to publish a Special Issue on youth matters with Guest Editors Lee Hudson AND Deborah Christie. This was launched at the House of Commons [1] and was one of our most successful publications. Therefore, a new issue focusing on youth matters was long overdue, and that is why I am pleased to edit 15:3 bringing together under one roof a truly international and original research on the topic.

Starting with “Sleep habits among overweight and obese school-aged children and the right to health”, it presents an observational cross-sectional case–control study conducted on 100 children aged 6–12 years, selected randomly from the OPC of the Pediatric Hospital, Ain-Shams University. Among many other timely findings, the study found that 72% with bedtime resistance compared to only 14% among the control subjects, 68% of children experienced a delay with sleep onset compared to 14% among controls, 68% experienced sleep duration abnormalities compared to 12% in the control group, 60% of children stated they needed their parents while going to sleep, compared to 12% among controls, 64% of cases suffered from walking during the night compared to 12% among controls, 64% of cases had a Parasomnia compared to 12% among controls. The study showed a strong association between excessive weight and increased risk of sleep. It is hoped that this research will enhance the adoption of a child-centred approach inspired by the rights to health and play, and the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The second paper “Body image perception as predictor of positive and negative self-concept scale for young adults (BIPS)” reminds us of how important body image is especially in the eyes of young people and how it impacts on their physical and mental health. Perception is indeed a complex cognitive process that involves several different dimensions. According to the authors, body image perception is also a continuous and constantly evolving process. They argue that the development of self-concept depends largely on positive or negative perception of body image in today’s time. The paper develops a much-needed instrument that measures beliefs and attitudes of people involved in the perception of body image, defined as the perception that a person has of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result into a positive or negative self-concept. Our journal hopes that this tool will enable researchers to identify the positive and negative feelings and attitudes of male and females towards their body image and towards the development of healthy self-concept. Moreover, it can be used by clinical psychologists and medical health professionals to help assess and treat their patients

“Association of child survival with birth size and mother’s BMI: a human right approach” assesses the risk of child mortality associated with size of child at birth and mother’s anaemia level in northern India. The paper is based on 2015–2016 data extracted from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). According to the authors, there were a total of 2,835 deaths out of 41,412 births in the past five years preceding the survey period. Children of very small size at birth were significantly two and half times more likely to die than children of average size at birth. The estimated adjusted hazard ratio indicated that the children of severely anaemic mothers were significantly 1.5 times more likely to die compared to children of not anaemic mothers. Size of child at birth, mother’s anaemia level, mother’s age at time of her first birth, wealth index and mother’s education were significantly associated with the under-five mortality in northern India.

Moving onto “Psychometric development and validation of ostracism experience scale (OES): across sample of young adults from Pakistan”, it brings new evidence to remind us that ostracism can lead to serious psychological distress and health issues in young people. At a critical point in time for youth in Pakistan and internationally, this study aimed to develop a scale that measures ostracism efficiently in the hope that it can help address the phenomenon in the research country and internationally. The scale developed can be used in several settings helping professionals to identify whether a young person is being ostracized. According to the findings, the scale’s most important implication is in the colleges and universities where young adults are found and face this problem daily.

The fifth paper “Predicting physical and verbal aggression perpetration among teenage boys: an application of the theory of planned behaviour” aims to evaluate the ability of the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict physical and verbal aggression. The paper is based on the results of demographic questionnaires with 462 teenagers. Path analysis revealed that the variables of the TPB predicted 61% and 32% of variance of intention and physical aggression behaviour, respectively, while these variables could describe 43% and 22% of the variance of intention and verbal aggression behaviour, respectively. The authors conclude that emphasis on social and psychological education about subjective norms, peer groups and self-control can help reduce aggression.

“Development and psychometric properties of fear of rejection scale (FRS): measuring social and interpersonal rejection among young adults in Pakistan” argues that there is yet no reliable measure to assess prevalence of fear of rejection due to interpersonal relationships and social factors. Therefore, the authors attempt to establish psychometric properties of a scale that measures the fear of rejection. Data was gathered from focus groups and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the data collected by administering FRS. A two-factor structure, which includes interpersonal relationships and social factors, was obtained as a result of EFA.

Finally, “A systematic review and meta-analysis of screening and diagnostic accuracy for hearing loss among under-five children in South-Asian region” aims to combine evidence from randomized, controlled trials to assess the accuracy of hearing-screening procedures and relative diagnostic tests concomitant with partial/permanent hearing loss among neonatal and under-five children. Analyses were carried out by using fixed/random effects models for calculating the summary estimates on hearing screening and test procedure. A total of 1,656 articles were reviewed as a part of the study. The results of this review can be used for implementation of a new-born hearing screening, diagnostic accuracy and understanding the risk indicators for HL among under-five children in the South-Asian region. The evidence can also be helpful for strategic directions for improved hearing screening and reduction of hearing disability. By understanding the underlying dynamics of hearing-screening procedures, hearing impairments can be identified at an early stage and required treatment can be provided to the children.

I hope that you find this Issue useful in your practice and research. Your feedback is always welcome; you can submit your views via our website as well as your work for peer review and publication at www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijhrh?id=IJHRH#author-guidelines. We review papers on an ongoing basis and have a target of returning them to the author within 5–8 weeks of receipt. Warm wishes from everyone at the IJHRH and stay safe!

Note

1. https://twitter.com/EmeraldGlobal/status/918381944920002560