• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.87-104
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• 2002

This study investigated developmental levels and explored play behaviors in 194 4- and 5-year-old children from low-income families attending 18 daycare centers in Seoul. The Developmental Test for Korean Kindergartners(Korea Institute Curriculum & Evaluation, 1996) was used to assess developmental levels in seven areas. Play behaviors were observed during free-play in their classrooms. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and $x^2$. Results were that the children from low-income families showed highest scores in motor skill development and the lowest scores in mathematical and scientific development. The children engaged most frequently in group-functional play, followed by onlooker behaviors, group-dramatic, and group-constructive play. Onlooker behaviors were the most frequent activity of the 4-year-olds, and the block corner was the most frequently used area during free-play.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.189-198
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the We Start center visiting intervention program on the positive changes in the developmental areas and literacy interests of young children from low-income families. The subjects were 195 young children (109 in the experimental group, M=71.7 months; 86 in the control group, M=73.3 months) living in We Start areas (Ansan, Gwangmyeong, and Suwon cities) of Gyeonggi-do. The We Start center visiting intervention programs were conducted for 30-34 weeks in each city, and pre-tests and post-tests were conducted before and after the intervention programs. The instruments used were the developmental checklist and the literacy interests test The developmental checklist consisted of 7 domains (personality & sociality; language, reading, & writing; scientific thinking; mathematical thinking; arts; social learning; and physical development). The literacy interests test consisted of 2 factors (interest in literacy and interaction during activity). The scores on the developmental checklist showed positive changes in several domains (personality & social development; language, reading, & writing ability; scientific thinking; and social learning), but not in mathematical thinking, arts, and physical development. Second, the results of the literacy interests test showed positive effects on interaction during activity and the total score. In conclusion, the We Start center visiting program for young children from low-income families is an effective early intervention program to end the intergenerational transference of poverty in Korea.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.179-198
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of parental resources and parenting stress on parenting efficacy in low-income families Furthermore, in order to verify whether parental resources function as a resilience factor, a structural model was established to assess the suitability and influence of the variables. A total of 603 parents of children and adolescents between the ages of 9-18 were selected from the data from Children and Adolescents Comprehensive Status Research (2009) by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. For the analyses, SPSS WIN 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 were utilized. The major results were as follows: First, the suitability of the model was confirmed with variables presenting a satisfying fit. Second, parental resources had a negative effect on parenting stress and a positive effect on parenting efficacy. Third, parenting stress had a negative effect on parenting efficacy. Finally, a test of the structural equation model supports the hypothesis that parental resources have a significant direct effect as well as an indirect effect through parenting stress on parenting efficacy. The implications for further studies and practice were discussed.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.371-382
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate children's emotional problems (attention problem, aggression, somatic symptom, social withdrawal, depression) and to examine the relationship between children's emotional problems with family characteristics (parent education, parent job, family income), life-styles (gaming times, TV times, sleep time). The sample was 2,140 collections of second grade children and their parents who participated in Korea Youth Panel Survey on 2011. We analyzed the data which were collected by means of questionnaires and the data were analyzed with t -test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and regression analysis with SPSS ver. 19.0. The results were summarized as follows. The level of children's emotional problem was relatively low on average. There is a significant difference in the children's emotional problems according to family characteristics and life-styles. There was a relationship between children's emotional problems (attention problem, aggression, somatic symptom, social withdrawal, depression) and life-styles (gaming times, TV times). The significant factors influencing the children's emotional problems are connected with father's education, mother's job, family income, family characteristics, gaming time and TV time of life style. It is noted that parent education level was an important factor for children's attention problem and aggression. Amongst children's life-styles, gaming time and TV time are negative factors for social withdrawal and depression.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.199-212
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• 2008

Relationships between parents' home literacy attitudes in low-income families and children's emergent literacy were studied with 107 children 4- and 5-years of age and their parents. Instruments were Kim and Kwon's (2006) questionnaire about parents' literacy attitudes, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised(Kim et al., 1995) and the Concepts About Print(CAP; Kim & Kim, 2004). Results showed that parents of younger children were positive about reading books; parents of older children were positive about reading instruction. More positive parental feelings about reading and higher frequencies of reading with the child were related to children's higher vocabulary scores. Children's CAP was positively related with amount of parents' reading instruction, home literacy resources, and number of child's books in the home.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2008

We examined dietary habits, food intakes, health status, and school and community life of meal skipping children, and investigated factors predicting meal skipping of children. A sample was composed of 944 children in low-income families who were provided with public meal service. The sample was obtained from the Survey of Meal Service for Poor Children conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2007. Meal skipping was significantly associated with a lower nutrition and health status, and poor school performance of children, as hypothesized. The school age of child, family structure, region, job of caretaker, concern about diet, and the child's visit to welfare center significantly predicted frequency of meal skipping. We suggested a few implications for community practice to reduce meal skipping of children.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.44
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• pp.146-177
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• 2001

One of the difficulties of female-headed families face is economic hardship. Low-income single mothers work long hours, become isolated and feel burdened for dual roles. And many of them don't have relatives to share parenting roles. As a result, children of low-income female-headed families are easy to be neglected and left to form a delinquency-prone group in neighborhood. Traditionally, it has been viewed that children in female-headed families have problems due to the loss of father role. However, study indicates that these children can adjust well if the relationship between mothers and children is consistent and adequate. An Intervention program for low-income female-headed elementary children was developed and delivered in two community social welfare centers. The purpose of the program is to raise self-esteem. Two goals were 1) management of daily living habits and 2) improvement of family relations. Social workers maintained contact with mothers to talk about children's behaviors and to prompt hugging and touching. In addition, workers helped children to form good relationships with peers and school teachers. Children were satisfied with the program. Their family relations were improved statistically significantly after the program(wilcoxon signed rant test z=-2.934 p<.05). However, their self esteem were not improved significantly (wilcoxon signed test z=-1.173 p>.05). Qualitative analysis of each children were also discussed. The implications of the study are the followings: Intervention programs need to be delivered separately for low-grade and high grade elementary children because they have different developmental needs. The program also need to include education on sex and marriage as well as aggression reduction. Society needs to provide more support to single mothers for their personal and parenting needs.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.45 no.8
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• pp.61-75
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• 2007

This study investigated preschoolers' emotional knowledge, emotional reactions and parents' emotinal reactions to children's negative emotions according to their family income and sex. Subjects were 99 five-year-olds(46 low-income preschoolers, 53 middle-income preschoolers) recruited from three day-care centers and a kindergarten in Seoul and their parents. Each child was individually interviewed with pictorial tasks and parents reported on their own reactions by questionnaires. Results showed that low-income preschoolers were lower than middle-income preschoolers in emotional knowledge. Low-income preschoolers showed higher level of perceptions of the peer's anger in emotional reactions than middle-income preschoolers. Low-income mothers also were more likely than middle income mothers to show punitive reaction in parents' emotional reactions.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.613-622
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate infants' development, parenting characteristics, and the infants' daily routines by monthly family income, and examine variables related to infants' development. The 2010 data of the panel study on Koreans were used. The sample for this analysis was 1,802 children aged 21-23 months and their parents. The data were analyzed with ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis with SPSS version 18.0. The results were as follows: First, the development of infants differed by the family income. Infants' communication and problem solving skills in families with an income at the 25th percentile or below was lower than those above the 25th percentile. Second, parenting characteristics differed by family income. In the lower income group, the mother's parenting stress was highest, but the father's parenting time on weekends was lowest. Third, the most frequent activity of infants differed by family income. Playing with friends or caregivers was lowest, but watching TV and videos was highest in the lower income family group. Fourth, there was a relation among infants' development (communication and fine motor skills) and parenting characteristics (mother's parenting style, stress, and father's parenting time on weekends), and the infants' daily routines (playing with friends or caregivers). Fine motor development was affected by playing with a caregiver.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1185-1200
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In the United States, one in every 5 children is obese with greater likelihood in low-income households. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have accelerated disparities in child obesity risk factors, such as poor dietary intake and increased sedentary behaviors, among low-income families because of financial difficulties, social isolation and other struggles. This study reveals insights into nutrition and health challenges among low-income families of young children in West Texas to better understand needs and develop interventions. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In-depth individual interviews were performed via Zoom among 11 families of children under the age of 3. A semi-structured interview guide was developed to explore 3 areas: changes in (1) dietary intake and (2) sedentary behaviors and (3) families' preferences regarding a parent nutrition education program. Each interview was audiorecorded, transcribed, and coded using MaxQDA software. RESULTS: Eating together as a family become challenging because of irregular work schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most parents stated that their children's dietary habits shifted with an increased consumption of processed foods. Many parents are unable to afford healthful foods and have utilized food and nutrition assistance programs to help feed their families. All families reported that their children's screen time substantially increased compared to the pre-pandemic times. Moreover, the majority of parents did not associate child screen time with an obesity risk, so this area could be of particular interest for future interventions. Meal preparation ideas, remote modality, and early timing were identified as key intervention strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Online nutrition interventions that emphasize the guidelines for child screen time and regular meal routines will be effective and promising tools to reach low-income parents for early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention.