A Randomized Trial of Tailoring and Motivational Interviewing to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Consumption for Cancer Prevention and Control

Background  

Healthful dietary patterns, including eating fruits and vegetables (F&V) and avoiding obesity, may decrease the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. In addition to promoting health for the general population, a cancer diagnosis may provide a “teachable moment,” facilitating the adoption of more healthful eating habits and leading to lower risk of chronic disease and better overall health.     

Prevalence and correlates of excessive daytime sleepiness in high school students in Korea

The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and its associations with sleep habits, sleep problems, and school performance in high school students in South Korea. A total of 3871 students (2703 boys and 1168 girls with a mean age of 16.8 years and 16.9 years, respectively) aged 15-18 years in the 11th grade of high school completed a questionnaire that contained items about individual sociodemographic characteristics, sleep habits, and sleep-related problems. The overall prevalence of EDS was 15.9% (14.9% for boys and 18.2% for girls). Mean reported total sleep time was similar in EDS and non-EDS (6.4 +/- 1.6 and 6.4 +/- 1.3 h/day, respectively). The increased risk of EDS was related to perceived sleep insufficiency (P < 0.001), teeth grinding > or = 4 days/week (P < 0.001), witnessed apnea > or = 1-3 days/week (P < 0.01), nightmares > or = 4 days/week (P < 0.05), low school performance (P < 0.01), and two or more insomnia symptoms (P < 0.05). Students with low school performance had a 60% excess in the odds of EDS compared to those whose school performance was high. These findings suggest that EDS is associated with multiple sleep-related factors in adolescents. Whether interventions to modify associated correlates can alter EDS warrants consideration, especially because it may also improve academic performance in high school students.     

Relationship between cognitive function and prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in adolescents

Background  

Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation.     

Behaviour problems in Chinese primary school children

Purpose  

This study aimed to determine levels of behaviour problem in primary school children, and to explore key determinants relevant to the Chinese context: being an only child, urban living, school stressors, being bullied and physical punishment.     

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescent students; a perspective from Sri Lanka

Background  

Sri Lanka recorded an extraordinary high suicide rate for adolescents aged 15 - 19 in the early 1990s (46.5/100,000). With this in perspective, the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka recommends school programmes for adolescents by mental health units of local hospitals.     

Prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among a nationwide sample of Arab high school students: association with family characteristics, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and quality of life

Objectives  

The objectives were first, to assess the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among a stratified random sample of Kuwaiti high school students and second, to explore the association of child abuse with parental characteristics, subjective quality of life (QOL), self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.     

Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of a school‐based self‐referral intervention for emotional difficulties in older adolescents: qualitative perspectives from students and school staff

Background

Adolescents with emotional difficulties need accessible, acceptable and evidence‐based mental health interventions. Self‐referral workshops (DISCOVER workshops) were offered to stressed 16‐ to 19‐year olds in 10 Inner London schools.

Method

Semistructured interviews were conducted with three groups of participants: students who attended a 1‐day workshop (n = 15); students who initially showed interest in the DISCOVER workshop programme, but decided not to take part (n = 9); and school staff who helped organise the programme in their schools (n = 10). Students were purposively sampled to ensure that those from Black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds were represented. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

The accounts generally indicate that the delivery and evaluation of this intervention is perceived as feasible and acceptable. Students, including those from BME backgrounds, described the setting as suitable and reported that the workshop helped them develop new understandings of stress and how to handle it. They expressed a preference for engaging and interactive activities, and valued a personalised approach to workshop provision. School staff felt that the workshop was in line with school values. They described some logistical barriers to providing the workshops in school settings, and expressed a desire for more information about the workshop in order to provide follow‐up support. The main reason students gave for nonparticipation was limited time.

Conclusions

Findings are discussed in relation to increasing the feasibility of implementing school‐based psychological interventions and the value of providing access to mental health support in schools.     

The effects of individual factors and school environment on mental health and prejudiced attitudes among Norwegian adolescents

Introduction  

The aim was to examine the prevalence of mental health difficulties and prejudices toward mental illness among adolescents, and to analyze possible school and school class effects on these issues.     

Frequency,stability and differentiation of self-reported school fear and truancy in a community sample

Background  

Surprisingly little is known about the frequency, stability, and correlates of school fear and truancy based on self-reported data of adolescents.     

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt dislodgement after a haircut with hair clippers in two shunted boys

Introduction  

Hair clippers are widely used to cut hair short at the occipital region for Asian school boys. A haircut as the cause of shunt dislodgement has not previously been reported.     

How do ADHD children perceive their cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of anger expression in school setting?

Background  

Anger is an ignored research area in children and young adolescents with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the school setting. This study compares school anger dimensions in children and young adolescents with ADHD and a control group.     

Motility of the left colon in children and adolescents with functional constpation; a retrospective comparison between solid‐state and water‐perfused colonic manometry

Background

Using water‐perfused (WP) high‐resolution manometry, we recently demonstrated that children with functional constipation (FC) lacked the postprandial increase in distal colonic cyclic motor patterns that was observed in healthy adults. Our aim was to determine if similar results could be detected using a solid‐state (SS) manometry catheter.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 19 children with FC (median age 11.1 years, 58% male) who underwent colonic manometry with a SS catheter (36 sensors, 3 cm apart). Data were compared with previously published data using a WP catheter (36 sensors, 1.5 cm apart) recorded from 18 children with FC (median age 15 years; 28% male).

Key Results

The cyclic motor patterns recorded by the SS catheter did not differ from those previously recorded by the WP catheter. There was no detected increase in this activity in response to the meal in either group. Long‐single motor patterns were recorded in most patients (n = 16, 84%) with the SS catheter. The number of these events did not differ from the WP recordings. In the SS data, HAPCs were observed in 4 children prior to the meal, in 5 after the meal. This did not differ significantly from the WP data.

Conclusions & Inferences

These data recorded by SS manometry did not differ from WP manometry data. Regardless of the catheter used, both studies revealed an abnormal colonic response to a meal, indicating a pathology which is not related to the catheter used to record these data.     

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among Nigerian primary school children Prevalence and co-morbid conditions

Objective  

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD and co-morbid conditions in a sample of primary school children aged 7–12 years in Nigeria.     

Is the Neighbourhood Environment Associated with Sedentary Behaviour Outside of School Hours Among Children?

Background  

Little is known about neighbourhood environments and children’s sedentary behaviour outside school hours.     

Hydrocephalus in toddlers: the place of shunts in sub-Sahara African countries

Purpose  

This study describes the epidemiological patterns of hydrocephalus in toddlers in our setting in order to determine the proportion of those who could benefit from endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV).     

Mediators Affecting Girls’ Levels of Physical Activity Outside of School: Findings from the Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls

Background  

Providing after school activities is a community level approach for reducing the decline in physical activity of girls as they reach early adolescence.     

Patterns of Motivation and Ongoing Exercise Activity in Cardiac Rehabilitation Settings: A 24-Month Exploration from the TEACH Study

Background  

Few studies have explored exercise and motivational patterns of cardiac rehabilitation patients in the long term.     

Analysis of positron emission tomography hypometabolic patterns and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia syndromes

Aims

To estimate the proportions of specific hypometabolic patterns and their association with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with cognitive impairment (CI).

Methods

This multicenter study with 1037 consecutive patients was conducted from December 2012 to December 2019. ¹⁸F-FDG PET and clinical/demographic information, NPS assessments were recorded and analyzed to explore the associations between hypometabolic patterns and clinical features by correlation analysis and multivariable logistic regression models.

Results

Patients with clinical Alzheimer's disease (AD, 81.6%, 605/741) and dementia with Lewy bodies (67.9%, 19/28) mostly had AD-pattern hypometabolism, and 76/137 (55.5%) of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration showed frontal and anterior temporal pattern (FT-P) hypometabolism. Besides corticobasal degeneration, patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (36/58), semantic dementia (7/10), progressive non-fluent aphasia (6/9), frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (3/5), and progressive supranuclear palsy (21/37) also mostly showed FT-P hypometabolism. The proportion of FT-P hypometabolism was associated with the presence of hallucinations (R = 0.171, p = 0.04), anxiety (R = 0.182, p = 0.03), and appetite and eating abnormalities (R = 0.200, p = 0.01) in AD.

Conclusion

Specific hypometabolic patterns in FDG-PET are associated with NPS and beneficial for the early identification and management of NPS in patients with CI.     

Oscillatory vagal maneuvers produce ventricular entrainment in patients with atrial fibrillation

Background  

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained dysrhythmia and appears to be an independent predictor of sudden cardiac death. The irregular ventricular rhythm contains both linear and non-linear patterns; however, it remains unclear whether vagally mediated effects are present within these patterns.     

Prevalence,symptom patterns and comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care in Qatar

Aim  

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in a Qatari population who attend the primary health care settings and examine their symptom patterns and comorbidity.