The Effects of City-Wide Implementation of “Second Step” on Elementary School Students’ Prosocial and Aggressive Behaviors

This study examined the impact of implementing Second Step, a violence prevention program, using a comprehensive, city-wide approach. The evaluation included 741 3rd–5th graders in six schools. Student surveys, behavioral observations, and discipline referrals were used to assess aggressive-antisocial and prosocial behaviors. We found significant improvements in positive approach-coping, caring-cooperative behavior, suppression of aggression, and consideration of others, but no changes in aggressive-antisocial behaviors. Behavioral observations and disciplinary referrals showed no significant changes. The program was implemented with high fidelity and engaged a wide range of participants from the community. Editors’ Strategic Implications: Key implementation issues are presented for a cross-site, city-wide evaluation on “Second Step.” School and community officials will benefit from these lessons, as well as the authors’ recommendations for further longitudinal study with appropriate comparison groups.     

Evaluation of an Elementary School–based Educational Intervention for Reducing Arsenic Exposure in Bangladesh

Background

Chronic exposure to well water arsenic (As) remains a major rural health challenge in Bangladesh and some other developing countries. Many mitigation programs have been implemented to reduce As exposure, although evaluation studies for these efforts are rare in the literature.

Objectives

In this study we estimated associations between a school-based intervention and various outcome measures of As mitigation.

Methods

We recruited 840 children from 14 elementary schools in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Teachers from 7 schools were trained on an As education curriculum, whereas the remaining 7 schools without any training formed the control group. Surveys, knowledge tests, and well-water testing were conducted on 773 children both at baseline and postintervention follow-up. Urine samples were collected from 210 children from 4 intervention schools and the same number of children from 4 control schools. One low-As (< 10 μg/L) community well in each study village was ensured during an 18-month intervention period.

Results

After adjustment for the availability of low-As wells and other sociodemographic confounders, children receiving the intervention were five times more likely to switch from high- to low-As wells (p < 0.001). We also observed a significant decline of urinary arsenic (UAs) (p = < 0.001) (estimated β = –214.9; 95% CI: –301.1, –128.7 μg/g creatinine) among the children who were initially drinking from high-As wells (> Bangladesh standard of 50 μg/L) and significantly improved As knowledge attributable to the intervention after controlling for potential confounders.

Conclusions

These findings offer strong evidence that school-based intervention can effectively reduce As exposure in Bangladesh by motivating teachers, children, and parents.

Citation

Khan K, Ahmed E, Factor-Litvak P, Liu X, Siddique AB, Wasserman GA, Slavkovich V, Levy D, Mey JL, van Geen A, Graziano JH. 2015. Evaluation of an elementary school–based educational intervention for reducing arsenic exposure in Bangladesh. Environ Health Perspect 123:1331–1336; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409462     

The Role of Beliefs About the Importance of Social Skills in Elementary Children’s Social Behaviors and School Attitudes

Background

Positive attitudes toward school have been suggested as a meaningful indicator of school engagement among elementary children. The current study was guided by a social cognitive developmental perspective which suggests that social cognitions, including beliefs, play an important role in children’s adjustment outcomes.

Objective

The present study examined the hypothesis that children’s beliefs about the importance of social skills contribute to school attitudes through their effect on social behavior (i.e., social skills and aggression). The effect of gender was also examined as related to the mean levels of and associations among study constructs.

Methods

Participants were third through fifth-grade students (N = 342) and their teachers (N = 22) from Midwestern rural communities of the United States. Child self-reports, peer nominations, and teacher ratings were gathered.

Results

Children’s beliefs about the importance of social skills were positively associated with social skills and positive school attitudes and were negatively associated with aggression. Beliefs about the importance of social skills were indirectly related to positive school attitudes via social behaviors (i.e., social skills, aggression). Gender differences were detected in the mean levels of study constructs but not in the associations among them.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that children’s beliefs about social skills are an important aspect of social cognition that has significant implications for children’s social behavior and school adjustment. Specific ways in which the findings can inform educators and parents in supporting the development of children’s beliefs about the importance of social skills are discussed.     

Are Social Norms Campaigns Really Magic Bullets? Assessing the Effects of Students' Misperceptions on Drinking Behavior

In an attempt to curb excessive drinking on college campuses, many universities have turned to "social norms" marketing campaigns. Despite widespread acceptance among health educators, empirical results are clouded by measurement problems. This study, based on a random sample of 550 students, examined the effects of misperceptions of friends' and typical college students' drinking on one's drinking behavior. Results indicate that drinking behavior is positively related to perceptions of friends' drinking as suggested by the theory of planned behavior, which emphasizes subjective as opposed to social norms.     

Correction to: Effects of Dating Matters® on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Outcomes among Middle School Youth: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Prevention Science - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-020-01183-7     

When to Intervene: Elementary School,Middle School or Both? Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">keepin’ It REAL</Emphasis> on Substance Use Trajectories of Mexican Heritage Youth

This article presents the findings of a study exploring two questions: What age is most efficacious to expose Mexican heritage youth to drug abuse prevention interventions, and what dosage of the prevention intervention is needed? These issues are relevant to Mexican heritage youth—many from immigrant families—in particular ways due to the acculturation process and other contextual factors. The study utilized growth curve modeling to investigate the trajectory of recent substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants) among Mexican heritage students (N?=?1,670) participating in the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention program at different developmental periods: the elementary school (5th grade), middle school (7th grade), or both. The findings provide no evidence that intervening only in elementary school was effective in altering substance use trajectories from 5th to 8th grade, either for licit nor illicit substances. Implementing keepin’ it REAL in middle school alone altered the trajectories of use of all four substances for Mexican heritage youth. A double dose of prevention, in elementary and middle school proved to be equally as effective as intervening in 7th grade only, and only for marijuana and inhalants. The decrease in use of marijuana and inhalants among students in the 7th-grade-only or the 5th- and 7th-grade interventions occurred just after students received the curriculum intervention in 7th grade. These results are interpreted from an ecodevelopmental and culturally specific perspective and recommendations for prevention and future research are discussed.     

The Impact of 1 Year of Healthier School Food Policies on Students’ Diets During and Outside of the School Day

Background

In 2012, Massachusetts implemented both the updated national school meal standards and comprehensive competitive food/beverage standards that closely align with current national requirements for school snacks.

Effects of Dating Matters® on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Outcomes among Middle School Youth: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Prevention Science - Sexual violence (SV), including sexual harassment (SH), is a significant public health problem affecting adolescent health and well-being. This study extends prior research by...     

Exploring Social Service Providers’ Perspectives on Barriers to Social Services for Early Adjustment of Immigrant Adolescents in South Korea

Recently arrived immigrant adolescents experience difficulties in adjusting to school in South Korea. However, the existing social services do not meet their psychosocial needs. This study investigates the perspectives of social service providers about challenges in providing services for immigrant adolescents early in their adjustments. We conducted qualitative, in-depth interviews with 27 South Korean social service providers. We identified barriers to social services, categorized into three themes: (1) Initial Contact Phase; (2) Service Delivery Phase; and (3) Structural Challenges. We suggest interventions concerning work-related stress for the social service providers, family-level involvement, diversity training, and integrated and collaborative immigration services. An examination of social service providers’ challenges in working with immigrant adolescents is a necessary first step toward the development of programs and policies.     

Effects of a Metacognitive Intervention on Students’ Approaches to Learning and Self-Efficacy in a First Year Medical Course

Aim To determine the influence of metacognitive activities within the PBL tutorial environment on the development of deep learning approach, reduction in surface approach, and enhancement of individual learning self-efficacy. Method Participants were first-year medical students (N = 213). A pre-test, post-test design was implemented with intervention and control cohorts, with intervention students experiencing a program of metacognitive activities within their PBL tutorials of at least 20 weeks duration. All students completed the Medical Course Learning Questionnaire at the commencement, and again at the completion of, the study. The metacognitive intervention itself consisted of reflection on the learning in PBL coupled with peer- and self-assessment. Results Self-efficacy was significantly reduced for both control and intervention cohorts at the conclusion of the study. A significant reduction in the adoption of deep and strategic learning approach, matched by a corresponding increase in the use of surface learning, was demonstrated for both cohorts. There was a statistically significant association between high self-efficacy and deep learning approach, with older students over-represented in the group of efficacious deep learners. Conclusion Over the course of first-year medical studies, students lose self-efficacy and move away from deep-strategic learning approaches towards more surface approaches. The program of metacognitive activities failed to reverse this trend. The substantial swing towards surface learning raises questions about the perceived capacity of PBL curricula to promote deep approaches to learning in dense curricula, and reinforces the importance of personal and contextual factors, such as study habits, workload and assessment, in determining individual approaches and idiosyncratic responses to learning situations.     

Social Change and the Health of Sexual Minority Individuals: Do the Effects of Minority Stress and Community Connectedness Vary by Age Cohort?

Archives of Sexual Behavior - This study examined the extent to which social stress stemming from a stigmatized social status (i.e., minority stress) was associated with three domains of health in...     

The Pullout Program Day a Week School for Gifted Children: Effects on Social–Emotional and Academic Functioning

Background

Gifted children learn differently compared to their peers in several ways. However, their educational needs are often not met in regular schools, which may result in underachievement and social–emotional and behavioral problems. A pullout program, the “Day a Week School” (DWS), was offered to gifted children in 25 elementary schools from neighborhoods of higher and lower SES in Amsterdam.

Objective

To investigate whether DWS decreases children’s social–emotional and behavior problems and parents’ stress, and improves children’s self-concept, enjoyment at school, and academic achievement.

Methods

Gifted children (grades 3–5) were selected through a standardized identification procedure assessing “out-of-the box”, logical, and creative thinking and motivation (n = 89). Children, as well as both their parents and teachers, completed questionnaires before the start of DWS and after 2,5 months. Results were analyzed for all children and for at-risk children with higher levels of psychopathology before starting DWS.

Results

Analyses on the total group showed small positive effects on children’s self-reported self-concept dimensions, scholastic competence and behavioral conduct, as well as on fathers’ reported child prosocial behavior. In the at-risk group, children reported medium positive effects on scholastic competence and behavioral conduct, and on sleep problems and worry, and small improvements on enjoyment at school. Parents of at-risk children reported decreased child’s somatic complaints and decreased social–emotional and behavioral problems. Finally, teachers reported higher academic achievement and medium positive effects on inattention-hyperactivity in the at-risk group.

Conclusions

Day a Week School appears to be a promising pullout program for gifted children, particularly for children at-risk for psychopathology.     

Mechanistic and “Natural” Body Metaphors and Their Effects on Attitudes to Hormonal Contraception

A small, self-selected convenience sample of male and female contraceptive users in the United Kingdom (n = 34) were interviewed between 2006 and 2008 concerning their feelings about the body and their contraceptive attitudes and experiences. The interviewees were a sub-sample of respondents (n = 188) who completed a paper-based questionnaire on similar topics, who were recruited through a poster placed in a family planning clinic, web-based advertisements on workplace and university websites, and through direct approaches to social groups. The bodily metaphors used when discussing contraception were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analytical approach facilitated by Atlas.ti software. The dominant bodily metaphor was mechanistic (i.e.,“body as machine”). A subordinate but influential bodily metaphor was the “natural” body, which had connotations of connection to nature and a quasi-sacred bodily order. Interviewees drew upon this “natural” metaphorical image in the context of discussing their anxieties about hormonal contraception. Drawing upon a “natural,” non-mechanistic body image in the context of contraceptive decision-making contributed to reluctance to use a hormonal form of contraception. This research suggests that clinicians could improve communication and advice about contraception by recognizing that some users may draw upon non-mechanistic body imagery.     

Correction to: Middle School Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Teen Dating Violence Prevention Model on Physical Violence,Bullying, and Cyberbullying: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Prevention Science - The article “Middle School Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Teen Dating Violence Prevention Model on Physical Violence, Bullying, and Cyberbullying: a...     

Impact of the National School Lunch Program on Fruit and Vegetable Selection in Northeastern Elementary Schoolchildren, 2012–2013

Increasing children''s fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is an important goal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture''s (USDA''s) National School Lunch Program. Since 2012, the USDA''s requirement that children select FVs at lunch as part of the reimbursable school meal has been met with concern and evidence of food waste. We compared elementary schoolchildren''s FV selection, consumption, and waste before (10 school visits, 498 tray observations) and after (11 school visits, 944 tray observations) implementation of this requirement using validated dietary assessment measures. More children selected FVs in higher amounts when FVs were required compared with when they were optional (0.69 cups vs. 0.89 cups, p<0.001); however, consumption decreased slightly (0.51 cups vs. 0.45 cups, p=0.01) and waste increased (0.25 cups vs. 0.39 cups, p<0.001) when FVs were required compared with when they were optional. More exposure to FVs in schools through programmatic efforts and in the home environment may help familiarize children with FV offerings and encourage consumption.The majority of U.S. children do not consume recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables (FVs).¹ Increasing children''s consumption of FVs is an important goal of the National School Lunch Program, which feeds nearly 31 million children each school day.² As of the 2012 school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires schoolchildren to select either a fruit or a vegetable with a reimbursable meal.³ Implementation of this requirement raised concerns among school nutrition professionals surrounding operational challenges, FV waste, and increased costs.⁴ Two years later, school districts and states reported increased waste by students.^5,6 In a recent survey completed by 240 school nutrition directors, more than 80% subjectively reported an increase in the amount of FVs (especially vegetables) wasted by students.⁶ However, a limited number of studies exist that used rigorous, validated dietary assessment methods to measure schoolchildren''s FV selection, consumption, and waste.^7,8 Such studies are critical to inform and evaluate interventions aimed at increasing children''s FV consumption. We aimed to compare schoolchildren''s FV selection, consumption, and waste using validated dietary assessment methods when FVs were optional compared with when they were required with school lunch by the USDA.     

Differences in the Influence of Family Background and Social Activities on Smoking of Minority and White High School Seniors, 1976–2004

This population-based study of high school seniors examines differences in the influence of several important determinants of smoking among white, African-American, Hispanic, and other teens. With national survey data for each year from 1976 to 2004, logistic regression is used to test for differences across race and ethnic groups (averaged over all years) in the effects on daily smoking of background factors such as living arrangements and parents’ education and social activities such as academic performance and religiosity. The results show similarity in effects across racial categories, but some determinants have weaker or reversed effects for African-American and Hispanic youth than for white youth. For example, high parents’ education increases smoking among Hispanic youth, has little influence among African Americans, and decreases smoking among whites. These results suggest that smoking patterns of minority teens differ in some ways from those of white teens.