武汉市中等职业院校学生吸烟行为与家庭和同伴因素的关系

目的 了解家庭因素和同伴因素对武汉市中等职业院校学生吸烟行为的影响,为制定吸烟行为的预防干预策略提供依据。方法 采用立意抽样方法,从武汉市中等职业学校中抽取三所学校,对其中一、二年级的学生全部进行调查。结果 共2 354人接受问卷调查,武汉市中等职业院校学生尝试吸烟率为23.8%,现在吸烟率为18.6%,不同年龄和性别吸烟率差异有统计学意义（均有P<0.05）;单因素分析发现,平均月花费、父母监管、家庭冲突、亲近关系、家族中吸烟比例、朋友中吸烟比例、朋友对你吸烟态度等对吸烟行为均有影响（均有P<0.05）;多因素Logistic回归分析显示,吸烟行为与性别、年龄、平均学习成绩、平均月花费、父母监管、亲近关系、朋友中吸烟比例有关（均有P<0.05）。结论 中等职业院校学生控烟工作需要加强,提高父母监管技能,强化亲近关系和控制同伴影响有助于减少中等职业院校学生的吸烟行为。     

School‐Related Parental Involvement and Adolescent Academic Achievement: The Role of Community Poverty

Although most current studies have established the importance of school‐related parental involvement to adolescents' academic achievement, they are limited in that they do not address macrolevel community influences on such an association. This may be due in part to the lack of community‐level data or the use of inappropriate statistical strategies that cannot account for the influence of factors at the community level. To address this limitation, in this study, the authors examined the influence of community poverty on the association between school‐related parental involvement and adolescents' academic achievement. Using a large, nationally representative sample, results from a multilevel model suggested that, compared to adolescents living in more affluent communities, the positive effect of school‐related parental involvement on adolescents' academic achievement was significantly weaker for adolescents living in poor communities. Such findings suggested the importance of community poverty in influencing the effectiveness of school‐related parental involvement on adolescents' academic achievement.     

After-school care arrangements and maternal employment: A study of the effects on third and fourth grade children

A comparison was made of third and fourth grade children receiving three different types of after-school care in an Australian inner-city setting: Children in parental care whose mother was not in paid employment; children in parental care whose mother was in paid employment; and children attending an after-school care center for at least two hours two days weekly. No differences were found between the three groups on measures of self-esteem, anxiety, social status, life skills competence or academic achievement. These findings suggest that, at least for this age group and in this setting, there is no deleterious effect of after-school center care as compared with parental care. This study was carried out in collaboration with a research group of Master of Arts students at the University of Sydney. Each of these students made a substantial contribution to the design, data collection and data analysis phases of the study. They are: Pamela Costantini, Angela Fernandez-Villaverde, Natasha Gregory, Sally Hume, Elly Mason, Penelope Mayson, Elizabeth Makris, Rita Shackel and Luisa Simonelli. The enthusiasm and patience of the participating schools, children and their parents were greatly appreciated.     

Parental history of moderate to severe infantile malnutrition is associated with cognitive deficits in their adult offspring

Objectives: We compared the IQ and academic achievement of the young adult offspring of parents malnourished in infancy and those of a healthy control group in order to test the hypothesis that the offspring of previously malnourished individuals would show IQ and academic deficits that could be related to reduced parental socioeconomic status.

Methods: We conducted a group comparison study based on a community sample in Barbados (Barbados Nutrition Study). Participants were adult children ≥16 years of age whose parents had been malnourished during the first year of life (n?=?64; Mean age 19.3 years; 42% male) or whose parents were healthy community controls (n?=?50; Mean age 19.7 years; 48% male). The primary outcome was estimated IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence); a secondary outcome was academic achievement (Wide Range Achievement Test – Third Edition). Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED with and without adjusting for parental socioeconomic status (Hollingshead Index of Social Position).

Results: IQ was reduced in the offspring of previously malnourished parents relative to the offspring of controls (9.8 point deficit; P?Discussion: The deleterious impact of infant malnutrition on cognitive function may be transmitted to the next generation; however, this intergenerational effect does not appear to be explained by the reduced socioeconomic status or IQ of the parent generation.     

Contemporary Chinese parents’ socialization priorities for preschoolers: a mixed methods study

This mixed methods study focused on the socialization goals for preschool-aged children among parents from three small-sized cities located in northeastern China. A total of 154 parents with preschool-aged children completed questionnaires measuring parental socialization goals for children's social-emotional competence and academic achievement. Quantitative results showed that parents generally placed more importance on children's social-emotional skills than academic skills. Ten mothers were selected from the sample and participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview to help understand reasons for parents’ prioritization of social-emotional well-being over academic performance. Four themes emerged, including parents’ concerns about children's psychological well-being under excessive academic pressure, their desires to ‘protect’ children's childhood, their awareness of children's individual differences in intelligence and talent in learning, and their belief that good grades did not guarantee future success in life. Our findings highlight the importance of using mixed methods to deepen understanding of contemporary Chinese parents’ child-rearing ideologies.     

The role of family factors and school achievement in the progression of adolescents to regular smoking

This study examines whether parental smoking and single parenting were related to adolescents' school achievement and anti-smoking parental practices as well as how these factors predicted later smoking. The sample comprised 1163 Finnish students in Grades 7 through 9. Results show that at the beginning of the seventh grade, parental smoking and single parenting were related to adolescents' lower levels of school achievement. Moreover, parental smoking had moderate association with lack of house smoking rules. At the beginning of the ninth grade, these associations were strengthened and lack of house smoking rules as well as loosened perceived parental punishment for smoking was related to both parental smoking and single parenting. The likelihood of ninth grade regular smoking was greater among adolescents whose parents smoked, who had no smoking rules in their homes and had substandard school achievement. These results suggest that smoking parents and single parents had similar anti-smoking regulations for their children at the baseline but once children became older smoking parents were not able to maintain these rules as successfully as non-smoking parents and families with two parents. Motivating parents to uphold these anti-smoking regulations offers a prospective intervention opportunity.     

School Climate,Academic Achievement and Educational Aspirations in Roma Minority and Bulgarian Majority Adolescents

Background

School climate can promote students’ academic achievement and high educational aspirations. School climate refers to the quality and character of school life, norms, values, social interactions and organizational processes within a school.

Objective

We examined for the present sample whether (a) school climate relates to academic achievement and educational aspirations and (b) such relations vary for Roma minority compared to their majority peers.

Method

Participants in this cross-sectional study were 356 adolescents aged 11–19 years old (159 Roma, 197 Bulgarian majority), 332 mothers (149 Roma, 183 majority), 231 fathers (104 Roma, 127 majority) and 221 majority teachers who completed self-report surveys to address the study goals. Adolescents provided data on educational aspirations and academic achievement, parents on their children’s educational aspirations and teachers reported on school climate. We employed linear mixed models to explore associations of school climate, academic achievement and educational aspirations among Roma and Bulgarian majority youth.

Results

There were negative associations between teacher-reported school climate and students’ academic achievement, as well as adolescent and parental educational aspirations for Roma adolescents only. Roma adolescents and parents reported lower academic achievement and educational aspirations than their majority counterparts.

Conclusions

This study supports the relevance of school climate in relation to academic achievement and aspirations of disadvantaged minority students. Interventions should pay close attention to perceptions and attitudes in a school to successfully promote positive outcomes among students.

     

Types and Aspects of Front-of-Package Labeling Preferred by Parents: Insights for Policy Making in China

The WHO recommends front-of-package labeling (FOPL) to help parents make healthier food choices for their children. But which type of FOPL resonates with parents in China? We performed a cross-sectional study to investigate parental preferences for five widely used formats of FOPL. A multi-stage cluster sampling method was applied to selected parents of students in primary and secondary schools in six provinces and municipalities from July 2020 to March 2021. A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect demographic information, parents’ preferences for five FOPL in three dimensions, perceptions of the importance of nutrients labeled on FOPL, and prepackaged foods that need FOPL most. Chi-square tests were used to examine the characteristics among five groups. The results showed that multiple traffic lights (MTL) was preferred by parents, followed by warning labels. Parents thought the most needed nutrients to label were sugar, salt, and total fat. The top three prepackaged foods to label were “baked food”, “milk and dairy products” and “sugar-sweetened beverages”. Our findings indicate that nutrient-specific FOPL formats with interpretive aids were preferred by Chinese parents. These new findings can help inform the planning and implementation of FOPL in China and help Chinese parents make healthier food choices.     

贵阳市中学生健康素养现况及影响因素分析

目的 了解贵阳市中学生健康素养现况及其影响因素。方法 采用多阶段分层整群抽样方法,根据"2014年中国居民健康素养问卷"编制的问卷,2015年5月对3 295名中学生进行问卷调查,采用SPSS 20.0软件对资料进行统计分析。结果 贵阳市中学生具备健康素养的比例为5.5%,三个方面中健康素养水平最高的是基本技能30.0%,最低的是基本健康知识和理念4.6%;6类健康问题中素养水平最高的是安全与急救47.8%,最低为慢性病防治10.4%;单因素χ²分析显示,不同地区、本地户籍、独生子女、学校是否开设健康教育课、父母文化程度、学习成绩自评和不同年级中学生具备健康素养水平的差异均有统计学意义（P<0.01）;多因素logistic回归分析显示,不同地区、父亲文化程度、学习成绩自评、学校是否开设健康教育课和不同年级是中学生健康素养水平的主要影响因素。结论 贵阳市中学生健康素养水平总体偏低,与父亲文化程度、学习成绩、年级和学校开设健康教育课等因素有关。     

社会心理因素对初中生学习成绩的影响

目的了解初中学生学习成绩与社会心理因素之间的关系,为提高中学生学习成绩和开展心理健康教育提供依据。方法采用分层整群随机抽样方法,选择杭州市6所中学在校学生进行问卷调查。结果性别、父母受教育程度及经济状况、心理压力等不同状态的学生学习成绩均有显著差异。结论中学生学习成绩与社会心理卫生状况有密切关系,家庭和学校应给予足够的关注。     

山东省某农村小学生情感忽视的调查研究

目的 研究农村小学生情感忽视的发生率及其影响因素,为制定预防儿童情感忽视措施提供参考。方法 2014年对山东省某农村地区5所学校一至六年级的989名小学生家长进行匿名自填式问卷调查,了解儿童情感忽视的发生情况,并采用Logistic回归方程分析家长对子女情感忽视的影响因素。结果 被调查家长对儿童情感忽视的总发生率为56.9%,男、女儿童情感忽视率分别为54.8%和 59.3%,差异无统计学意义(χ²=2.020,P=0.155)。多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示,高年级(OR=1.912)、儿童学习成绩差(OR=1.852)、非独生子女(OR=1.445)、家长学历低(OR=1.527)、家庭经济状况差(OR=1.576)、父母社会支持程度一般/较少(OR=2.161)是儿童情感忽视的危险因素。结论 所调查农村地区的儿童情感忽视发生率较高,应重视农村地区家长对儿童的情感忽视问题,开展预防儿童情感忽视的父母教育活动,提高父母的育儿技能。     

The Effect of School‐Specific Parenting Processes on Academic Achievement in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

There is inconsistency in the current literature regarding the association between dimensions of parenting processes and academic achievement for adolescents. Further, few studies have extended such an association into young adulthood. In this study, we examined the effect of three dimensions of parenting processes, including school‐specific involvement, general parental support, and parental expectations, on academic achievement in adolescence and in young adulthood. Using a large, nationally representative, and longitudinal sample, we found that results from regression analyses suggested that all three dimensions of parenting processes had a significant effect on adolescents' academic success. In particular, school‐specific involvement had a stronger effect than general parental support and parental expectations. Further, parenting processes were indirectly associated with academic achievement later in young adulthood, partially through academic achievement in adolescence. Implications of the findings are also discussed.     

The relationships between problem characteristics,achievement-related behaviors,and academic achievement in problem-based learning

This study investigated the influence of five problem characteristics on students’ achievement-related classroom behaviors and academic achievement. Data from 5,949 polytechnic students in PBL curricula across 170 courses were analyzed by means of path analysis. The five problem characteristics were: (1) problem clarity, (2) problem familiarity, (3) the extent to which the problem stimulated group discussion, (4) self-study, and (5) identification of learning goals. The results showed that problem clarity led to more group discussion, identification of learning goals, and self-study than problem familiarity. On the other hand, problem familiarity had a stronger and direct impact on academic achievement.     

Familias Unidas: The Efficacy of an Intervention to Promote Parental Investment in Hispanic Immigrant Families

This paper reports a test of the efficacy of Familias Unidas, a Hispanic-specific, ecologically focused, parent-centered preventive intervention, in promoting protection against and reducing risk for adolescent behavior problems. Specifically, the intervention was designed to foster parental investment, reduce adolescent behavior problems, and promote adolescent school bonding/academic achievement, all protective factors against drug abuse and delinquency. One-hundred sixty seven Hispanic families of 6th and 7th grade students from three South Florida public schools were stratified by grade within school and randomly assigned to intervention and no-intervention control conditions. Results indicated that Familias Unidas was efficacious in increasing parental investment and decreasing adolescent behavior problems, but that it did not significantly impact adolescent school bonding/academic achievement. Summer-vacation rates of adolescent behavior problems were six times higher in the control condition than in the intervention condition. Furthermore, change in parental investment during the intervention was predictive of subsequent levels of adolescent behavior problems. The findings suggest that Familias Unidas is efficacious in promoting protection and reducing risk for adolescent problem behaviors in poor immigrant Hispanic families.     

Parental perceptions of children's agency: Parental warmth,school achievement and adjustment

The present study examined Swedish mothers’ and fathers’ warmth towards their children in relation to their children's agency. It also examined the longitudinal relation between agency and children's externalising, internalising, and school achievement. Swedish children's mothers and fathers (N?=?93) were interviewed at three time points (when children were 8, 9, and 10 years old) about their warmth towards their children, children's agency, and children's externalising and internalising behaviours and school achievement. Parental warmth at Time 1 was significantly correlated with child agency at Time 2, which was significantly correlated with child externalising and internalising behaviours and academic achievement at Time 3. There were no differences between girls and boys. Results from this study indicate that Swedish parents’ warmth is directly related to subsequent perceptions of children's agency, which in turn are related to subsequently lower child externalising and internalising problems and higher academic achievement. These findings held in the context of a three-year longitudinal study and for both boys and girls, suggesting the importance of child agency in the link between parental warmth and children's adjustment.     

The role of family configuration, income, and gender in the academic achievement of young self-care children

Two hundred and thirty nine self-care children from grades three to five were selected from eight different sites to investigate the effects of family configuration, income, and gender on academic achievement as measured by the Reading, Language, and Math subscales of the California Achievement Test. The data indicated that girls scored higher than boys on reading in grade 4 but this gender difference disappeared with increased schooling. Family income was not found a statistically significant factor in explaining differences in achievement. Family configuration did not affect achievement of the third graders, but children of single parents scored lower on the Reading and Language subscales in the fourth grade. In the 5th grade, boys of two-parent families outperformed boys of single parents on all three subscales. The fifth-grade girls showed no difference in achievement as a result of family configuration. Stress in the family and inadequate attention to academic matters were considered possible reasons of poor achievement among children of single parents. The need for affordable quality programs for after-school care has been emphasized.     

Perceived parental control processes in Chinese adolescents: implications for positive youth development programs in Hong Kong

Chinese secondary school students (N=3,017) were asked to respond to instruments measuring their subjective evaluation of parental behavioral control (including indicators of knowledge, expectation, monitoring, discipline and satisfaction), parental psychological control, and psychological well-being (hopelessness, mastery, life satisfaction and self-esteem). Results showed that while a significant proportion of Chinese parents did not exercise behavioral control over the peer domain of their children, some parents were high in their psychological control. Relative to the peer domain, parents generally exerted more behavioral control in the academic domain of their children. Roughly one-fourth of the respondents indicated that they were home alone or stayed with their friends without adult supervision after school. Use of after school time was associated with parental control processes and psychological well-being. The implications of the present findings on the design of the positive youth development program supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust are discussed.     

Family Composition,Parental Involvement and Young Children's Academic Achievement

This study examined whether first‐, second‐, and third‐grade students’ achievement in language and mathematics was affected by factors from both the family context, including family size, number of adult caregivers, and parents’ educational level, and the type of school related activities practised by parents. Participants in the study were 333 students (grades 1‐3) whose parents had completed and returned a questionnaire designed to measure parents’ attitude toward school and the extent of their involvement in school related activities. Academic achievement was related to measures of family composition (family size, number of adult caregivers, and parents’ educational level). After controlling for race and gender, parents’ educational level was associated with the students’ scores on achievement tests. Furthermore, students whose parents engaged in learning activities at home were more likely to obtain higher achievement (language) scores. The study lends support to current practices commonly found in early childhood programs for involving parents in their children's schooling.     

Parenting practices and tobacco use in middle school students in low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND: Parenting practices have been shown to have a strong influence on adolescent tobacco use in high‐income countries. This study examined whether parenting practices also were associated with tobacco use by middle school students (approximately ages 13‐15) in low‐ and middle‐income countries. METHODS: A secondary analysis was performed on data from 106,041 middle school students in 27 countries who participated in the Global School‐Based Health Survey conducted between 2003 and 2007. RESULTS: In nearly all countries, boys and older students were significantly more likely to use tobacco than girls and younger students. In most countries, students who reported a high level of parental understanding or a high level of parental awareness of their children's activities were significantly less likely to use tobacco than other students. The children of parents who used tobacco were significantly more likely to use tobacco than children of non‐users. After adjustment for age, sex, and parental tobacco use, the associations between parental understanding and awareness were statistically significant in 16 and 24 countries, respectively, of the 26 countries with parental tobacco use data. CONCLUSION: This multivariate analysis shows that positive parenting practices are significantly associated with decreased tobacco use among adolescents in low‐ and middle‐income countries, which matches previous findings from high‐income countries. Educating parents on the importance of their parenting practices may be an effective component of school‐based programs aimed at reducing adolescent tobacco use.