Mutability of Muscle Fiber Types

No abstract available for this article.     

Socioeconomic factors and heavy drinking over the course of the week among job seekers with at-risk alcohol use

This article investigates the influence of socioeconomic factors on heavy drinking over the course of the week. As part of a randomized controlled trial, 1,282 job seekers with at-risk alcohol use were systematically recruited at 3 job agencies and reported number of drinks consumed on each day in the past week. Latent growth curve models were calculated to represent variations of alcohol use. School education and duration of lifetime unemployment were tested as predictors; sociodemographic variables were integrated as covariates. A weekly pattern was confirmed in the total sample: constant low alcohol use on working days, escalation on Friday, and a further increase on weekends. Significant associations between longer duration of lifetime unemployment and higher initial alcohol use on Sundays (p < .001) and less increase on Fridays (p = .001) disappeared after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Longer duration of lifetime unemployment does not appear to affect alcohol use trajectories over the course of the week.     

西藏墨脱县城中小学生的弱视患病率调查

目的：调查我国西藏自治区林芝市墨脱县城区中小学生的弱视患病率及其影响因素。方法：横断面调查研究。在2017年5月对墨脱县城区小学初中的全体学生共833名开展视力普查及基本的眼科检查，包括视力及屈光、眼前段、眼底、眼位等检查，对确诊为弱视的学生进行问卷调查并分析发病原因。应用Fisher's精确检验、卡方检验比较不同性别的弱视患病率差异；用Logistic回归分析年龄、性别对弱视患病率的影响。结果：墨脱县城区小学和初中共833名学生参与调查，其中弱视患者为22例（31眼），患病率为2.6%。弱视的发病原因包括屈光参差10例，占45%；屈光不正6例，占27%；斜视3例，占14%；形觉剥夺2例，占9%；其他1例，占5%。性别、年龄不是弱视患病率的影响因素。结论：墨脱城区中小学生弱视患病率较全国水平偏高。屈光参差及屈光不正是引起弱视的主要原因。     

The role of system alignment in care and education of children from birth to grade 3

The emerging concept of system alignment refers to how different systems in care and education of young children can be integrated to work together as a whole system that is more effective, efficient, and equitable to produce excellent outcomes in children. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the existing literature on system alignment in terms of the definition and operationalisation of this concept. The focus is on various models (frameworks) that guide the effort of system alignment as well as factors (strategies) that influence the effectiveness of system alignment. In review of these critical issues, the authors attempted to establish a comprehensive mechanism for system alignment as well as a classification of macro-level and micro-level factors that facilitate system alignment.     

Evaluation of Accommodative Insufficiency with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether asthenopic symptoms in schoolchildren diagnosed with accommodative insufficiency (AI) and graded with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) could be correlated with the degree of accommodative deficiency in these children, and to investigate if VAS grading of the asthenopic symptoms could be used as an instrument to indicate the level of improvement of AI. Methods: Forty-nine children (mean age 10.2 years ± 2.7) diagnosed with AI graded their degree of asthenopia on the VAS before and after a 12-week treatment period wearing individually dispensed reading glasses. Results: The improvement in accommodation after treatment was statistically significant (p < 0.001) and 83.7% of the children obtained normal accommodative amplitude in relation to age. The reduction in asthenopic symptoms as graded with the VAS was also statistically significant (p < 0.001) after treatment and 89.9% of the children obtained a normal VAS score. However, no correlation between the degree of accommodative deficiency and the VAS grading could be found, neither before nor after treatment. Discussion: Based on these results we conclude that the visual analogue scale (VAS) cannot be used as an instrument to indicate the degree of accommodative deficiency nor can it be used to indicate the level of improvement during the course of treatment. However, the VAS can be used as an instrument to verify and document whether or not asthenopic symptoms are present, and therefore also to indicate when symptoms have been relieved.     

Longitudinal Study of Relations Between School Achievement and Smoking Behavior Among Secondary School Students in Finland: Results of the ESFA Study

The aim of this study was to explore a longitudinal bi-directional relationship between school achievement and smoking behavior. The sample consists of 2,188 Finnish students in grades 7–9. Data were collected at three separate occasions between the years 1998 and 2000. Three hypothesized conceptual models were developed and tested using path analyses by structural equation modeling (SEM). Students that performed poorly at school smoked weekly six times more than those who achieved the highest school grade point averages at the age of 15. Using SEM, the findings suggest that not only does deterioration of school achievement contribute to progression in smoking uptake continuum but also vice versa progression in smoking uptake continuum to deterioration of school achievement over time (CFI = .997). There were no moderating effects of gender or treatment condition in the proposed models. Both deterioration of school achievement and progression in smoking uptake continuum predicted changes in other behavior during the first two years in secondary school in Finland.     

How Are Babies Fed? A Pilot Study Exploring Primary School Children’s Perceptions of Infant Feeding

Abstract: Background: Breastfeeding is the optimal feeding method for human infants. In the United Kingdom some women do not initiate breastfeeding, and many commence formula milk feeding after a brief period of breastfeeding. Infant feeding perceptions may develop early in life, and this research aimed to explore infant feeding awareness among primary school children as a first step toward informing appropriate health education interventions. Method: Fifty‐six children aged 5/6, 7/8, and 10/11 years were recruited from three schools in southern England. Children were shown a series of drawings, and were read a story about a hungry newborn baby. A creative method, “draw, write and tell,” was developed for this research. Children were asked to finish the story, showing how they thought the baby might be fed. They were given the opportunity to verbally interpret their work. A constant comparison method was used to analyze the data. Results: Children were aware of formula milk, breastfeeding, and solid foods. Formula milk feeding was referred to more frequently than breastfeeding. Some children combined feeding methods. Children appeared to have gained their awareness in various settings. Conclusions: Children have a range of perceptions around infant feeding. They appear receptive to new ideas on the subject while of primary school age. An opportunity for education in primary schools arises to present breastfeeding to children as a normal way to feed a baby, but it is vital that education is evidence based and any interventions are evaluated. (BIRTH 38:4 December 2011)     

Environmental Interventions to Enhance Student Adjustment: Implications for Prevention

School settings, often the sites for the prevention of adverse outcomes or the promotion of adjustment, are usually not the actual targets of such interventions. However, some interventions focus on modifying the school or classroom environments themselves. This review examines such approaches, and considers how school regularities that might undermine student adjustment are addressed. The environmental interventions are clustered in terms of focus: on student–student interactions, on teacher and peer influences, and on organizational function and structure. Reasons for the paucity of environmental change efforts and the inherent difficulties are discussed, and recommendations for creating ways to undertake future environmental interventions in schools are offered.