Browsing by Author "Pereira, Sandra"
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- Associations and determinants of mother-infant quality of interactions in portuguese dyads from AzoresPublication . Soares, Helia; Fuertes, Marina; Pereira, Sandra; Barberi, Maria do CéuBowlby and many other developmental and family theorists stressed that early socialization is a bi-directional, reciprocal, relationship- based process between infant and caregiver (e.g., Brazelton, Koslowski, & Main, 1974; Bronfenbrenner, & Morris, 1998; Harrist, & Waugh, 2002; Bronfenbrenner, 2005). These first relational experiences affect infant development and maternal sensitivity during the first year of life, remaining the best single predictor of infant secure attachment across studies, despite the relatively small effect sizes (e.g., Wolff and van IJzendoorn, 1997). Therefore, we select a rural Portuguese community in Terceira (Azores Island) to investigate the association between mother-infant quality of interaction and infant development, and to identify the determinants of mother- infant quality of interaction. The sample included 86 healthy infants (each of 46 girls, 48 first born) and their mothers. At 11 months, infant development was assessed with Schedule of Growing Skills II (SGS II). To assess mother-infant quality of interaction, the dyads were observed in free play at 12 months using the Crittenden CARE-Index. Maternal sensitivity and infant cooperative behavior were correlated with SGS II global scores and sub-scales (except for Locomotor and Self-care Social). Infant interactive behavior, gestational age and milk feeding predicted maternal sensitivity. Infant cooperative behavior was determined by their number of siblings and mother interactive behavior. This study novelty remains in the fact that parents’ choice to feed their infant with bottle milk (cow´s milk) against medical advice predicted maternal sensitivity. This research presents individual, social and cultural explanations for mother-infant quality of interaction and suggest that early intervention practices may rely on systemic approaches and professionals should attempt to understand families’ traditions and their specific culture.
- It takes a village to promote children's nutrition & food education: 'eat well, grow happy' pilot case studyPublication . Andrade, Vanessa; Pereira, Sandra; Nunes, TatianaAccording to the latest data from the COSI Portugal study (Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative), one in three children is overweight, a figure that increased by 2.2 percent in 2022. Despite political initiatives, 12 to 14% of children between the ages of 5 and 18 have high blood pressure, due, among other things, to an unbalanced diet, according to the Portuguese Society of Hypertension. Food and health are inseparable pillars, requiring effective communication to achieve positive outcomes. Health Communication involves strategies to inform and influence decisions to promote health (Maibach & Parrott, 2021). Besides, food education and information are essential for community projects (Graça et al., 2014), and the cultural, social, economic, ethical, and psychological context reinforces the interdisciplinary nature of Health Communication (Kreps & Thornton, 2020). Food literacy initiatives empower the community to make informed decisions, exercising freedom in a democracy. From a theoretical perspective, Public Communication should also be highlighted as a process that mediates political bodies and citizens (Hänska, 2019), and as the sharing of publicly useful information, for which public institutions are responsible. Public Communication is key to changing behavior, and influencing collective choices, as values, interests, or attitudes (Zémur, 2008 apud Bessières, 2009; Hänska, 2019). Using the case study methodology (Yin, 2014), this article aims to present a food education project, integrating different areas of knowledge (nutrition, education, and communication) and educational spaces (school and community), highlighting individual and group empowerment with effective communication strategies. "Eat Well, Grow Happy" is promoted by the Viseu-Dão-Lafões Intermunicipal Community and focuses on food literacy and education for preschool and elementary school students. This pilot project involved 13 schools, 279 children, 14 teachers, and 13 classes in 78 educational activities. There were 6 webinars, 12 educational scripts exploring 6 local foods, and 13 school initiatives.
- On verbal agreement variation in European Portuguese: syntactic conditions for the 3SG/3PL alternationPublication . Cardoso, Adriana; Carrilho, Ernestina; Pereira, SandraIn this paper we scrutinize a case of concord variation in European Portuguese (EP) concerning third plural vs. third singular verbal agreement in the co-presence of an overt plural argument, which in the standard variety agrees with the in! ected verb. " e paper is focused on the linguistic factors that correlate with singular concord in this context. Going beyond previous proposals that emphasize the correlation between agreement variation and particular morphological and phonological factors, it is shown that the incidence of non-standard singulars in EP may be straightforwardly explained within a syntactic account. " e empirical basis for this investigation is CORDIAL-SIN, a dialect corpus of EP (600,000 words). " e evidence from this corpus leads us to discuss and reconsider the role that di# erent linguistic factors play in the manifestation of non-standard singulars. It is shown that this case of third singular agreement occurs in the investigated EP varieties in correlation with particular syntactic conditions, mainly in unaccusative-like con- $ gurations. Furthermore, it is suggested that this kind of agreement variation may be ultimately ascribed to lexical variation concerning the availability and feature speci$ cation of (null) expletives.
- Parents attending to nurse visits and birth age contribute to infant development: A study about the determinants of infant developmentPublication . Soares, Helia; Barbieri-Figueiredo, Maria; Pereira, Sandra; Silva, Manuela; Fuertes, MarinaLife experiences and parenting play an important role in infant development. To prevent developmental risks and support parents in their educational role, it is important to identify the determinants of infant development. In this study, we investigate the association between child, maternal, family and social variables, and infant development, as well as we investigate the determinants of infant development. A sample of 86 healthy infants and their mothers participated in this study. At 11-months, infant development was assessed with Schedule of Growing Skills II (SGSII). To assess mother-infant quality of interaction, the dyads were observed in free play at 12-months using CARE-Index. Maternal sensitivity and infant cooperative behavior were correlated with SGSII global scores and sub-scales. Infant development was associated with maternal years of education, number of siblings, birth weight or risks in pregnancy. Number of nurse visits attended by parents during the infant first year and birth age were determinants of infant development.