As the year draws to a close, we are filled with gratitude and would like to thank every child, parent, teacher, and friend who has supported the KIT project for years. Upon the arrival of the new year 2024, we hope to continue accompanying children and record every step of their growth. This new edition covers several interesting topics, including a brief overview of the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), various KIT findings related to young children's self-care skills, a special feature on Prof. Shu-Hua Tang from the Department of Education, NTNU, and a book review of "Froggy Gets Dressed." This storybook, written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz, tells the story of a young frog who gets ready to go out to play in the snow but keeps forgetting to put on essential winter clothes.
Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)
The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) was established by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, a research institution under the Ministry of Health and Care Services of Norway. MoBa began recruiting pregnant women in 1998. By 2015, more than 114,000 children and adolescents, over 95,000 mothers, and over 75,000 fathers had participated in the project, making it one of the largest health studies in the world. Also, MoBa has established a large biobank containing biological samples such as blood, urine, umbilical cord blood, baby teeth, etc. The main purpose of the study is to identify the causes of diseases and confirm early signs of diseases that can lead to disease prevention and treatment.
MoBa gathers various kinds of physiological data (e.g., ultrasound, blood samples from parents, urine samples) from the female participants starting from the 17th week of their pregnancy. Since the study relies on questionnaires, pregnant women, fathers, and subsequently the mother and child will provide responses in the questionnaire. Additionally, MoBa obtains umbilical cord blood from newborns and conducts surveys on parents as their child grows. At the age of 7, baby teeth and information on the mother’s asthma, allergies, and diet are obtained. At the age of 8, the child is prompted to self-report his/her mental health and developmental status. When the child reaches 13, i.e., adolescence, mental health data are gathered again, and dietary habits are assessed at the age of 14.
By 2015, over 300 medical or scientific articles using MoBa data had been published, covering a wide range of research topics including maternal and perinatal health, reproduction, mental health of children and adolescents, childhood and health promotion, environmental pollutants, diet and nutrition, mental illness, language and learning, diseases (e.g., diabetes, asthma allergies, celiac disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases), social inequalities in health, ADHD research, autism research, sleep disorders, overweight and obesity, COVID-19 pandemic, cerebral palsy, dental health, air pollution, alcohol intake, and more. One of the most significant findings is that mothers who consume sufficient folic acid during the four weeks before conception and the first eight weeks of pregnancy can effectively prevent language learning difficulties and autism in their children.
To learn more about MoBa, please go to https://www.fhi.no/en/ch/studies/moba
Highlight of KIT Findings
When do children begin to feed themselves with a spoon?
Mastering self-care skills is an essential part of childhood development. Feeding themselves with a spoon seems to be something very easy, but it actually is challenging. Using a spoon is not just a physical movement; it is a complex skill that involves hand coordination and finger dexterity.
The acquisition of this skill brings significant benefits to children. Firstly, it enhances their hand-eye coordination and increases finger dexterity. This positively influences other fine motor activities in the future, such as writing and engaging in various crafts. Secondly, feeding oneself with a spoon fosters food recognition skills, stimulating interest in dietary diversity. It serves as a form of enlightenment, encouraging children to actively explore different foods and expand their palate. The process of learning the skill is enjoyable. Children can experience a sense of achievement with each successful use of the spoon, which is crucial for building confidence and independence. After mastering the use of a spoon, children can actively participate in family meals, and meanwhile the parent-child relationship is strengthened and their social skills are enhanced.
Our survey results show that among one-year-old children, approximately 74.7% are still unable to feed themselves with a spoon, while 20.9% are beginners. Among one-and-a-half-year-old children, 9.8% are still unable to grasp this skill, and 35% are beginners. By the age of two, children progress rapidly. Only 9.6% of them are completely unable or have just begun to use a spoon, with 27.9% being moderately proficient, and 62.4% being proficient at this task. The situation slightly changes by the age of three, which is the time before children attend kindergarten. It shows that 0.2% of the children are still unable to perform the skill of using a spoon, while 1.7% are beginners, 14.7% are moderately proficient, and 83.4% are proficient at this task. As age increases, four-year-old children are already proficient at spoon-feeding, reaching 91.6%; at the age of five, 97.2% of children can comfortably use a spoon for eating; and by the age of six, 97.9% of children are very proficient at this task.
These results reflect the challenges and achievements children experience during the process of learning to feed themselves with a spoon. Through the development of this skill, children not only enhance their self-care abilities but also cultivate confidence and independence as they navigate through obstacles. This study offers parents a deeper understanding while sharing the joys and wonders of children's growth, witnessing their journey from exploration to mastery.
About Prof. Shu-Hua Tang
Prof. Shu-Hua Tang holds the position of Professor at the Department of Education, NTNU. She specializes in adolescent affective teaching, educational psychology, and reading instruction, with a primary research focus on understanding the relationship between hope and cognitive learning. When Prof. Tang was conducting the research projects sponsored by the National Science Council, she not only designed affective teaching courses for secondary school students but also collaborated with secondary school teachers to develop diversified elective courses.
Prof. Tang is a newly joined Co-Principal Investigator of KIT's Phase IV research project, responsible for developing tools to assess the quality of school environments and the learning experiences of junior high and senior high school students. KIT will greatly benefit from Prof. Tang’s expertise because the assessment she creates can provide researchers with valuable information to understand how to help adolescents face challenges such as academic competition and peer acceptance.
Book Review
"Froggy Gets Dressed" written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz is a delightful children's book that follows the adventures of Froggy as he gets ready for a snowy day outside. The story begins with Froggy waking up and realizing it's snowing. Excited to play outside, he eagerly starts getting dressed, but he keeps forgetting various pieces of winter clothing. Each time he forgets something, he has to hop back inside to get it, much to the amusement of his family. Finally, the fully dressed Froggy heads outside for some fun in the snow with his friends. Its English version is available at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140544577), and readers can find its Chinese version at Books.com.tw (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010845875). Click https://youtu.be/qqRXCOiT36U to listen.