Multilevel modelling of aircraft noise on performance tests in schools around Heathrow Airport London

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of chronic exposure to aircraft noise on children's school performance taking into account social class and school characteristics. DESIGN: This is a cross sectional study using the National Standardised Scores (SATs) in mathematics, science, and English (11 000 scores from children aged 11 years). The analyses used multilevel modelling to determine the effects of chronic aircraft noise exposure on childrens' school performance adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and school factors in 123 primary schools around Heathrow Airport. Schools were assigned aircraft noise exposure level from the 1994 Civil Aviation Authority aircraft noise contour maps. SETTING: Primary schools. PARTICIPANTS: The sample were approximately 11 000 children in year 6 (approximately 11 years old) from 123 schools in the three boroughs surrounding Heathrow Airport. MAIN RESULTS: Chronic exposure to aircraft noise was significantly related to poorer reading and mathematics performance. After adjustment for the average socioeconomic status of the school intake (measured by percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals) these associations were no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic exposure to aircraft noise is associated with school performance in reading and mathematics in a dose-response function but this association is confounded by socioeconomic factors.     

Prevalence of Malnutrition and Relationship with Scholastic Performance among Primary and Secondary School Children in Two Select Private Schools in Bangalore Rural District (India)

Background:Malnutrition is a serious problem among children in developing countries. In India; a school meal program is in place to combat malnutrition, but only in government schools. This study is an attempt to assess the prevalence of malnutrition in primary and secondary school children in private schools and to also assess the relationship between malnutrition and academic performance.Results:A total of 582 students participated in this study. Males were 54% (315) and females were 46% (267). One hundred and fifty-nine (27%) of the children had pallor, 81 (20%) had under nutrition, 38 (7%) had stunting, 197 (34%) had thinness and 5 (1%) were found to be obese. Positive relationship was found between weight for ageZscores and English as well as Maths; Height for age Z scores with English.Conclusion:Hence we conclude that the prevalence of malnutrition is high among children in private schools also; and the nutritional status of the children is strongly associated with their academic performance.     

泉州市外来务工人员子女自我意识的现状调查分析

目的:了解泉州市外来务工人员子女自我意识的状况。方法:以泉州市外来务工人员子女较多的两所学校的1 322名学生为研究对象,采用儿童自我意识量表检测。结果:外来务工人员子女躯体外貌与属性、幸福与满足因子得分小学高于初中,焦虑因子得分小学低于初中,差异有统计学意义。外来务工人员子女行为、智力与学校情况、焦虑、合群及总分几个因子得分男生均低于女生,差异有统计学意义。与本地儿童相比,外来务工人员子女女生躯体外貌与属性因子的得分较本地儿童低,初中学生躯体外貌与总分因子较本地儿童低,差异均有统计学意义。结论:泉州市外来务工人员子女的自我意识有明显的年龄和性别差异,与本地儿童比较躯体外貌和属性意识水平偏低。     

School injuries and preventive policies and programs

BACKGROUND: Injuries are a major source of morbidity and mortality throughout childhood and many occur on school premises. Differences in policies, programs and practises at the level of school boards or individual schools may account for some of the differences in injury rates among schools. METHODS: We used data from the Montreal Children's Hospital to identify children injured at school. By telephone interview, we identified the school attended and calculated injury rates per school for the study year. A questionnaire to principals identified practises and programs. The two data sets were merged and the data analyzed using cross tabulations and logistic regression. RESULTS: Nearly one third of the 310 injured children required admission or follow up. Most involved falls, boys, 10-14 year olds, and sports. The variables associated with higher rates of injuries were: school board (English), proximity to hospital, wood gym flooring, gym use during breaks, presence of a playing field, frequent checks of field surface, and the presence of an injury prevention program. Using logistic regression, after controlling for all other variables in the model, only school board and distance to hospital remained significant. CONCLUSION: These findings provide little support for the notion that school policies influence injury rates. If anything, they suggest that the reverse may be true; i.e., that injury rates help stimulate schools to take certain preventive actions. An alternative explanation is that many of the differences observed among schools simply reflect differences in the extent to which their pupils are exposed to the risk of injury because of, for example, the availability of sports facilities.     

Has the UK Clinical Aptitude Test improved medical student selection?

Medical Education 2010: 44 : 1069–1076 Objectives In 2006, the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) was introduced as a new medical school admissions tool. The aim of this cohort study was to determine whether the UKCAT has made any improvements to the way medical students are selected. Methods Regression analysis was performed in order to study the ability of previous school type and gender to predict UKCAT, personal statement or interview scores in two cohorts of accepted students. The ability of admissions scores and demographic data to predict performance on knowledge and skills examinations was also studied. Results Previous school type was not a significant predictor of either interview or UKCAT scores amongst students who had been accepted onto the programme (n = 307). However, it was a significant predictor of personal statement score, with students from independent and grammar schools performing better than students from state‐maintained schools. Previous school type, personal statements and interviews were not significant predictors of knowledge examination performance. UKCAT scores were significant predictors of knowledge examination performance for all but one examination administered in the first 2 years of medical school. Admissions data explained very little about performance on skills (objective structured clinical examinations [OSCEs]) assessments. Conclusions The use of personal statements as a basis for selection results in a bias towards students from independent and grammar schools. However, no evidence was found to suggest that students accepted from these schools perform any better than students from maintained schools on Year 1 and 2 medical school examinations. Previous school type did not predict interview or UKCAT scores of accepted students. UKCAT scores are predictive of Year 1 and 2 examination performance at this medical school, whereas interview scores are not. The results of this study challenge claims made by other authors that aptitude tests do not have a place in medical school selection in the UK.     

重庆市高职院校英语教师职业倦怠调查研究

目的调查了解重庆市高职院校英语教师工作倦怠的情况及其影响因素。方法编制出《重庆市高职院校英语教师职业倦怠研究调查问卷》,对重庆市7所高职院校共计81名英语教师进行自填式问卷调查。结果高职院校英语教师的情绪衰竭和个人成就感降低得分较高。女教师的工作倦怠比男教师严重(P0.05);未婚教师在情绪衰竭上较已婚教师偏重,但差异无统计学意义;私立学校的英语教师职业倦怠明显高于公立学校的英语教师(P0.01),专业英语课教师的情绪衰竭更加严重(P0.01)。结论重庆市高职院校英语教师存在职业倦怠现象。性别、婚姻状况、学校性质、课程性质都影响到英语教师的职业倦怠。     

Nutrition Messages in Language Arts and Mathematics Textbooks Used in English Elementary Schools in Montreal

This analysis examined references to foods mentioned in elementary school textbooks used in Montreal English schools. A study of 58 language arts and mathematics textbooks used in grades one-six revealed 4,391 references to foods in words and pictures. A large proportion of the references were to sugar-rich foods. Eating with peers was depicted more frequently than eating with family, while a surprising number of children were depicted consuming their food alone in texts used in grades one-three. Results suggest that, because unintended information may influence children's nutritional habits, more attention should be directed at concomitant messages in elementary school textbooks.     

Association between Ambient Noise Exposure and School Performance of Children Living in An Urban Area: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study

Most of the studies investigating the effects of the external noise on children’s school performance have concerned pupils in schools exposed to high levels due to aircraft or freeway traffic noise. However, little is known about the consequences of the chronic ambient noise exposure at a level commonly encountered in residential urban areas. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the school performance of 8- to 9-year-old-children living in an urban environment and their chronic ambient noise exposure at home and at school. The children’s school performances on the national standardized assessment test in French and mathematics were compared with the environmental noise levels. Children’s exposure to ambient noise was calculated in front of their bedrooms (L_den) and schools (L_Aeq,day) using noise prediction modeling. Questionnaires were distributed to the families to collect potential confounding factors. Among the 746 respondent children, 586 were included in multilevel analyses. On average, the L_Aeq,day at school was 51.5 dB (SD= 4.5 dB; range = 38–58 dB) and the outdoor L_den at home was 56.4 dB (SD= 4.4 dB; range = 44–69 dB). L_Aeq,day at school was associated with impaired mathematics score (p = 0.02) or impaired French score (p = 0.01). For a + 10 dB gap, the French and mathematics scores were on average lower by about 5.5 points. L_den at home was significantly associated with impaired French performance when considered alone (p < 10⁻³) and was borderline significant when the combined home-school exposure was considered (p = 0.06). The magnitude of the observed effect on school performance may appear modest, but should be considered in light of the number of people who are potentially chronically exposed to similar environmental noise levels.     

Iron deficiency anemia and educational achievement

The present study investigates the effect of iron supplementation on measures of school performance among 78 iron-deficient anemic and 41 nonanemic children in an economically deprived rural area in Central Java, Indonesia. All the subjects were treated for ancylostomiasis before iron supplementation. They were randomly assigned to either an iron or placebo group. Hematological and behavioral measurements were obtained immediately before (T1) and after (T2) the iron and placebo treatments. Iron treatment for a 3-mo period resulted in substantive increases in mean Hgb, Hct, and transferrin saturation among the iron-deficient anemic children. Furthermore, changes in the iron status of iron-deficient anemic children were associated with significant changes in the school achievement test scores of iron-deficient anemic children. T2 evaluation of achievement test scores indicated that the difference between iron-treated anemic and nonanemic children was still statistically significant. However, when T1 scores were entered as a covariate, iron-deficient anemic subjects treated with iron obtained significantly higher delta achievement scores. Findings from the present study indicate that iron supplementation among iron-deficient anemic children benefits learning processes as measured by the school achievement test scores.     

Demographic and socio-economic associations with academic attainment (UCAS tariff scores) in applicants to medical school

BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom medical students are selected predominantly on their academic merit. Their academic achievement marks are equated via the tariff point score structure administered by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). We studied the applicant databases for 1998-2003 for one English medical school to determine the factors that predict high tariff point scores. METHODS: Complete demographic data and relative socio-economic status, educational institution attended and tariff point score was available for 8997 UK applicants aged 21 years or younger to the 5-year Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (BM BS) course at Nottingham University medical school (and partially complete data for a further 1891 applicants). The data were subjected to standard univariate and multivariate analyses and to path analysis. RESULTS: In these samples, the independent predictors of a high tariff point score were being younger and male. The effect sizes were small, although significant. Higher tariff point scores were achieved by those from households less materially disadvantaged. Ethnicity was also a predictor with white, Chinese and those of mixed ethnic origin achieving higher tariff point scores than those from other groups. Finally, the type of school attended predicted academic achievement with applicants from further education colleges, independent schools and grant-maintained schools achieving higher tariff point scores. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding the relatively homogeneous (predominantly young, white, high academic achievers) applicant pool to a single UK medical school we identified consistent significant predictors of high tariff point scores. As high tariff point scores are still the major entry criterion to UK medical schools, our findings will be of value in informing policy decisions concerning 'widening access' schemes being established at government request.     

贵州省510名苗族儿童主观生活质量及影响因素研究

目的:分析贵州省苗族小学3～6年级儿童主观生活质量现状以及相关影响因素,以促进贵州省苗族儿童身心健康发展。方法:在贵州省苗族聚居县采用《儿少主观生活质量问卷》以分层整群随机抽样的方法抽取3～6年级苗族小学生510名作为研究对象。了解苗族儿童主观生活质量并对相关影响因素进行回归分析。结果:苗族儿童主观生活质量满意度较低。总体满意度均分为(44.59±12.64)分,为不太满意水平,显著低于全国常模的一般满意度水平,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。苗族儿童认知成分分数为(49.84±12.06),高于情感成分分数(42.28±10.09),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。各维度满意度以抑郁体验分数最低,家庭生活分数最高,分数从低到高排列依次为抑郁体验、躯体情感、焦虑体验、学校生活、同伴交往、生活环境、自我认识、家庭生活。男童认知成分、情感成分和总体满意度评分均低于女童,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。单亲家庭儿童情感评分、总体主观生活质量满意度显著低于其他家庭儿童(P<0.05);父母是文盲的儿童认知成分评分、总体主观生活质量满意度低于父母是初中以上文化程度儿童的评分(P<0.05);学习成绩差的儿童情感成分和总体满意度低于成绩好的儿童(P<0.05);父母不关心的儿童认知成分、情感成分和总体满意度评分均低于父母关心的儿童(P<0.05)。不同年级儿童主观生活质量满意度比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。回归分析发现父母对儿童的关心、儿童健康状况及儿童学习成绩对主观生活质量有显著影响(P<0.05)。结论:苗族儿童主观生活质量满意度均较低,以情感成分满意度最低。男童主观生活质量满意度低于女童。儿童学习成绩越好,父母越关心儿童学习、儿童自身的健康状况越好,则主观生活满意度越高。家庭经济水平、家庭类型、父母文化程度、儿童所在年级、是否为独生子女及家庭成员关系并不明显影响儿童主观生活质量。     

DIFFERENCES IN READING ACHIEVEMENT BETWEEN SPINA BIFIDA CHILDREN ATTENDING NORMAL SCHOOLS AND THOSE ATTENDING SPECIAL SCHOOLS

Summary This paper reports the reading scores measured on Neale's Analysis of Reading Ability of a series of 55 spina bifida children, some of whom attended normal schools and the remainder attended special schools and matched controls. A multiple regression equation was used to compare observed scores with the expected scores. The children receiving a normal school education were reading up to the level expected from their intelligence test scores, but the children in special schools had significant differences between observed and expected scores. The discrepancies may be accounted for by more profound physical handicap among the special school children but teachers' expectations may also be important in influencing reading achievement.     

初中生青春发动时相对学习适应的影响

目的 探讨初中生青春发动时相对学习适应的影响,为预防和干预初中生学习适应问题提供参考.方法 2019年4-6月,采用分层整群抽样方法,从河南省周口市和项城市的3所初级中学抽取1 677名学生,使用《青春发育量表中译版》和《学习适应量表》进行问卷调查.结果 女生在学习任务、学习态度和学习成绩3个维度的得分高于男生,差异均...     

The effect of health surveillance and health education on primary school children

The study of the effect of health surveillance and health education on primary school children was done in grades 3-6 of three primary schools in Cholburi province, eastern region of Thailand. They were randomly assigned as control school, Experiment 1 (health surveillance) school, and Experiment 2 (health surveillance and health education) school. Test scores of health knowledge increased with the grades of the school children. The mean differences between preliminary (pre-test) and subsequent test (post-test) scores of health knowledge in the Experiment 2 school and the control school were significant (P < 0·01). Test scores for health practice concerning personal cleanliness of the Experiment 1 school and grades 5 and 6 of the Experiment 2 school were significantly different (P < 0·01) and their mean differences were also significant when compared with the control school. The pre-test correlation coefficients of health knowledge and health practice scores in every grade of all schools showed no definite correlation. The common disease problems in these three primary schools were pediculosis (25·1%), pyoderma (20·8%), tines versicolor (8·8%) and enlarged tonsils (5·5%).     

Multivitamin/Mineral Supplementation Does Not Affect Standardized Assessment of Academic Performance in Elementary School Children

Limited research suggests that micronutrient supplementation may have a positive effect on the academic performance and behavior of school-aged children. To determine the effect of multivitamin/mineral supplementation on academic performance, students in grades three through six (approximate age range=8 to 12 years old) were recruited from 37 parochial schools in northern New Jersey to participate in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted during the 2004-2005 academic school year. Participants were randomized to receive either a standard children's multivitamin/mineral supplement (MVM) or a placebo. MVM or placebo was administered in school only during lunch or snack period by a teacher or study personnel who were blinded to group assignment. The main outcome measured was change in scores on Terra Nova, a standardized achievement test administered by the State of New Jersey, at the beginning of March 2005 compared to March 2004. Compared with placebo, participants receiving MVM supplements showed no statistically significant improvement for Terra Nova National Percentile total scores by treatment assignment or for any of the subject area scores using repeated measures analysis of variance. No significant improvements were observed in secondary end points: number of days absent from school, tardiness, or grade point average. In conclusion, the in-school daily consumption of an MVM supplement by third- through sixth-grade inner-city children did not lead to improved school performance based upon standardized testing, grade point average, and absenteeism.     

The efficacy of asthma case management in an urban school district in reducing school absences and hospitalizations for asthma

Abstract: Pediatric asthma rates are reaching epidemic proportions, adversely affecting children's quality of life, educational potential, and health care costs, especially those in the inner city. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based asthma case management (CM) approach with medically underserved inner-city children attending Memphis City schools. Fourteen elementary schools with high rates of asthma-related hospital utilization were grouped according to school size, percentage of children with asthma enrolled, and percentage of children eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Schools were randomized to either a nurse CM intervention or a usual care (UC) condition. The CM group included 115 students; 128 students were in the UC group. A longitudinal design was used to follow students' progress. Students were primarily African-American children diagnosed with asthma. In CM schools, nurse case managers conducted weekly group sessions incorporating the Open Airways curriculum, followed up on students' school absences, and coordinated students' asthma care with families, school personnel, and medical providers. In UC schools, students received routine school nursing services. CM students had fewer school absences than their counterparts in UC schools (mean 4.38 vs 8.18 days, respectively) and experienced significantly fewer emergency department visits (p < .0001) and fewer hospital days (p < .05) than UC students. No such differences existed before program initiation. Replication and follow-up in year 2 showed continued significant improvements. School-based nurse CM can achieve significant improvements in school attendance and medical utilization. (J Sch Health. 2006;76(6):320-324)     

Short stature: increased in children with severe learning disability

Introduction   'Health for all children' recommends that children should be screened for growth disorders at school entry with a 0.4th centile 'cut-off'. Following the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in four children attending local special schools, our aim was to compare the height distribution of children attending special schools with mainstream schools.
Methods   Children at two local special schools were measured using a Leicester height measurer and values converted to standard deviation scores (SDS). Children were categorized according to whether there were known factors that could affect height. The data were compared with those collected from local mainstream schools.
Results   In total, 242 children were registered at the two special schools and 192 children were measured. The mean height SDS of children in mainstream school ( n  = 2301) was similar to national standards at −0.09 (SD 1.02). The mean height SDS distribution of the 192 children in special schools (age range 3.2–18.4 years; median age 11.3 years) was −0.73; 95%CI −0.9 to −0.5. In those with no established diagnosis to explain altered growth ( n  = 120) this was −0.613; 95%CI −0.8 to −0.4. Both pre-pubertal ( n  = 37) and pubertal ( n  = 83) children were short and eight (6.7%) had a height less than the 0.4th centile.
Conclusions   Children attending special school with severe or profound learning disability were shorter than those attending mainstream school. This is still the case following the exclusion of children with a known cause for abnormal growth. This underlines the importance of each child being assessed by professionals with a refined knowledge of normal and abnormal growth.     

初中教育阶段流动儿童心理健康影响因素队列研究

目的  分析初中教育阶段流动儿童心理健康的总体状况、变动趋势以及影响因素。 方法  各期资料均来源于中国教育追踪调查。2013-2014学年基线调查采用分层次、多阶段、与规模成比例的概率抽样方法,全国初中教育阶段10 279名七年级学生进入调查队列,2014-2015学年一期追访到9 449人,选取其中1 645名流动儿童作为分析对象。基于调查问卷中的学生自报心理健康量表,采用t检验方法和多元线性回归模型开展流动儿童心理健康的单因素分析和多因素分析。 结果  1 645名初中教育阶段流动儿童的基线心理健康总体得分为(8.33±3.31)分,比非流动儿童得分(8.03±3.17)高,随时间推移到追踪期升高至(8.60±3.79)分,43.3%的被调查者更高频地出现消极心理状态。性别、认知水平、居住方式、兄弟姐妹数量以及学校排名等对心理健康总体得分产生的影响差异具有统计学意义(均有P < 0.05)。 结论  流动儿童心理健康状况相对于非流动儿童更加脆弱,且有持续恶化趋势。流动儿童中的女性、认知能力较弱者、不与父母双方同住者、非独生子女以及所在学校排名中等及以上者心理健康状况偏差。     

学龄期矮身材儿童及家长的心理状况分析

目的 通过分析身材矮小儿童及其父母的心理状况,为进一步进行心理干预提供依据。方法 2017年1-6月采用Piers-Harris儿童自我意识量表、艾森克个性问卷、Spence儿童焦虑量表、儿童生存质量测定量表体系评估50例学龄期身材矮小儿童和正常儿童的心理状况,采用SAS焦虑自评量表对父母进行心理状况调查。结果 身材矮小学龄期儿童的行为、智力与学校情况、躯体外貌、合群的自我意识分量表得分及生存质量低于正常对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);焦虑量表提示身材矮小儿童恐慌障碍得分高于正常对照组,而正常对照组躯体伤害恐惧、强迫冲动障碍得分高于身材矮小儿童,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);且身材矮小的学龄期儿童较正常儿童更倾向于内向个性。两组父母焦虑量表评分差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05)。结论 学龄期矮身材儿童存在一定的心理问题。除了药物治疗,还需要根据儿童的心理状况给予早期心理支持。     

Clarifying changes in student empathy throughout medical school: a scoping review

Despite the increasing awareness of the relevance of empathy in patient care, some findings suggest that medical schools may be contributing to the deterioration of students’ empathy. Therefore, it is important to clarify the magnitude and direction of changes in empathy during medical school. We employed a scoping review to elucidate trends in students’ empathy changes/differences throughout medical school and examine potential bias associated with research design. The literature published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French from 2009 to 2016 was searched. Two-hundred and nine potentially relevant citations were identified. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. Effect sizes of empathy scores variations were calculated to assess the practical significance of results. Our results demonstrate that scoped studies differed considerably in their design, measures used, sample sizes and results. Most studies (12 out of 20 studies) reported either positive or non-statistically significant changes/differences in empathy regardless of the measure used. The predominant trend in cross-sectional studies (ten out of 13 studies) was of significantly higher empathy scores in later years or of similar empathy scores across years, while most longitudinal studies presented either mixed-results or empathy declines. There was not a generalized international trend in changes in students’ empathy throughout medical school. Although statistically significant changes/differences were detected in 13 out of 20 studies, the calculated effect sizes were small in all but two studies, suggesting little practical significance. At the present moment, the literature does not offer clear conclusions relative to changes in student empathy throughout medical school.