School Absence Among Children with Chronic Illness

This paper reports school attendance for 336 chronically ill, Medicaid-eligible children living in rural areas of northern Florida. Demographic data were obtained by a questionnaire administered in a home interview. Attendance data were collected directly from the schools. The mean number of days absent the previous year was 16.9; the mean percentage of days absent was 9.4%. Regression analysis indicated that lower education level of parents and the child's inability to participate in physical activities were significant in predicting days missed from school. No individual diagnostic category was predictive of school absence. Thus, the chronicity of an illness and its impact on the child may be a more significant influence on school attendance than the actual diagnosis of the illness.     

School Injury Among Ottawa-Area Children: A Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND:  Injuries are the leading cause of death among Canadian children and are responsible for a substantial proportion of hospitalizations and emergency department visits. This investigation sought to identify the factors associated with the likelihood of sustaining an injury at school among Ottawa-area children.
METHODS:  Children presenting to Ottawa-area hospitals and urgent care clinics from January to December 2002 (n = 24,074) were included for analysis. The frequency of school injuries by sex, age group, type of injury, and hospitalization was analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with sustaining an injury at school. The school activities most associated with injury and the most frequent types of school injuries were assessed.
RESULTS:  A total of 4287 Ottawa-area children were injured at school in 2002, representing 18% of all injuries. Children aged 5-9 years and 10-14 years were more likely to have school injuries than older children (aged 15-19 years) (OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 2.77-3.40 and OR = 3.10, 95% CI = 2.83-3.37, respectively). The most frequently encountered school injuries were fractures (n = 1132) and musculoskeletal injury (n = 907). The most frequent mechanisms of school injuries were "playing" (n = 1004) and "informal sports" (n = 1503).
CONCLUSIONS:  Many children get hurt at school, particularly during informal recreation activities. Environmental modification and increased supervision are strategies that may reduce school injuries.     

Reasoning Abilities and Potential Correlates Among Jordanian School Children

Objectives To investigate factors related to reasoning skills in 434 school children aged 5–9 years. Methods The Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised was used to assess reasoning skills. Demographic, work and family income data, information on child’s daily behavior and school academic achievement were provided by the participating children’s parents. Results Reasoning scores increased by 4.56 points with increasing subject’s age, 1.71 points with increasing level of father’s occupation, 1.86 points with each increase in the subject’s GPA, 1.13 points with consumption of breakfast at home and 1.81 points when child slept more hours. Having a father who smoked and living in a rural area decreased scores in reasoning. Conclusions for Practice Screening of reasoning and associated factors is essential for a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the child’s abilities and limitations. Understanding the child’s reasoning abilities is critical for establishing intervention goals and planning therapeutic activities.     

An Epidemic of Group A, Type 4 Streptococcal Carriers Among School Children and Their Desk Location at School

During a follow-up study of pharyngeal carrier of beta-hemolytic streptococci among school children in three classes (ages 8–9) in Sapporo City, an epidemic of group A, T4 streptococcal carrier was observed. The epidemic started in February 1978 in class II (35 pupils) and spread to class I (36 pupils) in May. Class III developed only three carriers during the course. Information on the desk location of those children at school and those on some host factors or on several environmental factors were collected. Monthly sociometric tests were performed on those pupils and corresponding sociograms were constructed. New T4 carrier rate by month was calculated for class I and class II by pupil's desk location (adjacent vs. remote) or by degree of pupil's friendship (best friends vs. others, based on the sociogram).
More new carriers were detected from susceptibles adjacent to previous carriers than from those remote to them. There was no significant difference with carrier rate between best friends and others. The T4 carriers did not significantly differ from the remaining noncarriers in terms of status with host or environmental factors examined.     

2003-2006年幼儿园儿童微量营养素摄入情况分析

目的对幼儿园2003—2006年的儿童营养状况进行膳食调查,分析49622名儿童微量营养素的摄入情况及近4年来的变化趋势,以指导幼儿园的膳食管理。方法采用称重法对广州市越秀区78家幼儿园进行5天的膳食调查,用中山大学公共卫生学院编制的儿童保健——营养分析软件进行营养素计算,以2000年修订的"中国居民膳食营养素参考摄入量Chinese DRI)"进行分析评价。结果摄入量不足80%DRI的微量营养素从高到低依次为钙(88.5%)、铜(73.0%)、锌(51.4%)、硫胺素B1(44.6%)、视黄醇(13.5%)、维生素C(11.8%)、硒(9.1%)、核黄素B2(4.1%)、维生素E(3.4%)、铁(3.0%)、尼克酸(2.1%);虽然钙的人均每日摄入量2003—2006年逐年增加(P<0.05),但钙摄入量不足50%DRI的仍高达36.5%;公办幼儿园在钙、锌、视黄醇、硫胺素B1、维生素C的摄入量明显高于民办幼儿园(P<0.05)。结论钙是幼儿园儿童膳食结构中缺乏最明显的营养素,应适当使用强化食品加以改善;加强对民办幼儿园膳食的管理,制定幼儿每日的均衡膳食,增加钙、锌、视黄醇、硫胺素B1、维生素C的摄入。     

Measurement of Self-Efficacy for Diet-Related Behaviors Among Elementary School Children

ABSTRACT: Health promotion interventions intended to improve dietary behavior frequently incorporate self-efficacy as a construct to enhance behavior change. This paper presents results from a study to establish psychometric properties of a scale to measure children's self-efficacy for selecting healthful food. As part of a series of pilot studies to develop instrumentation for the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), data were collected on third and fourth grade students (n = 1,127). Data analyses were conducted to estimate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factorial validity, and criterion related validity. Results revealed acceptable estimates of internal consistency for the dietary self-efficacy scale (coefficient alpha = .84). Self-efficacy was strong associated with the children's usual food choices, accounting for about 34% of variance (Multiple R = .58). Findings support using such an instrument for evaluating intervention programs addressing nutrition behavior and for studies to determine the association of self-efficacy to dietary behavior or related constructs.     

留守生活对小学生社会支持的影响分析

目的 探索小学留守儿童生活现状及对其社会支持特点,为制定相应的教育和心理辅导策略提供依据.方法 采用修订社会支持评定量表(SSRS)和自编小学留守儿童生活状况调查表,对206名小学留守儿童进行调查.结果 小学留守儿童的各项社会支持(SSRS)得分在与父母联系频率、与邻里成人关系、同伴关系、家庭教育方式各方面体现出了一定的显著差异.(1)行动化支持显著地影响小学留守儿童SSRS得分;(2)与父母联系频率对小学留守儿童的社会支持影响最全面且力度最大,与成人、同伴关系不间层面、不同程度地影响小学留守儿童SSRS得分;(3)严格和基本不管两种极端家庭教育方式提高小学留守儿童的社会支持感受水平.结论 留守生活对小学生的社会支持及生活质量存在影响.应对小学留守儿童加以行动指导和支持.     

Children, Families and Nursery Provision

With reference to the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner (1979), this paper examines the relationship between families and nursery provision at four levels of analysis as well as making some observations about longitudinal developments in the relationship. The study describes the features of families using the nurseries and illustrates how integrated nursery provision was supporting vulnerable families to cope better with their children which, in part, stemmed from the different perceptions that parents held of traditional and integrated provision. The nurseries had a stabilising effect on the families involved, parents reporting emotional and interpersonal gains for themselves and their children.     

岳阳市学龄儿童行为问题现况调查

目的了解岳阳市学龄儿童行为问题现况，为进一步研究其影响因素及干预技术提供依据。方法运用“Rutter儿童行为量表”，对岳阳市城区、湖区、丘陵、山区4836名6～13岁在校学龄儿童行为问题进行调查。结果岳阳市学龄儿童行为问题现患率9．19％，其中男生11、76％，女生6．59％，男：女=1．7：1（P〈0．01）；湖区、丘陵、山区儿童行为问题差异小显著（P〉0．05），但高于城区儿童，农村：城区=2.84：1（P〈0．01）；儿童行为问题现患率随年龄增大而升高，6～10岁儿童现患率为7．33％，11～13岁儿童现患率达12.94％（P〈0．01）；学龄儿童各类行为问题构成存在差异（P〈0、01），“A行为”〉“N行为”〉“M行为”，男生“A行为”〉“M行为”〉“N行为”，女生则为“N行为”〉“M行为”〉“A行为”（P〈0．01）。城区与农村儿童行为问题构成差异不显著（P〉0.05）。结论岳阳市学龄儿童行为问题现患率为9.19％；儿童行为问题整体上男生多于女生，农村高于城区；“A行为”〉“N行为”〉“M行为”，男生以“A行为”，女生以“N行为”为主要构成；行为问题随年龄增大而升高，11～13岁儿章多于6～10岁儿童。     

Nutritional Intervention to Improve the Quality of Lunchboxes Among Mexican School Children

In Mexico, the type of foods included in the lunchboxes of school children are unhealthy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an intervention program to improve the quality of the foods in the lunchboxes. Two schools were randomly selected as the intervention group (IG) and two more as the control group (CG). The evaluation was performed by comparing a food list from 3 days before and 6 months after the intervention. The components of the intervention included: exposure to posters inside and outside the classrooms and the distribution of pamphlets to parents, the pamphlets provided recipes and information about healthy foods. A lunchbox was considered adequate (AL) if it had less than 276 cal, fruits or vegetables, and an item prepared at home; a healthy lunchbox (HL) consisted of fruits or vegetables, water, and it did not have unhealthy foods. At the beginning of the study there were no significant differences in the compliance of AL and HL in both groups. By the end of the study, 19 % of the children in the IG and 10 % of the children in the CG met the criteria of a HL (p = 0.002). The results of this study demonstrate that a simple, 6 month intervention targeting parents improved the quality of the foods in the lunchboxes of second and sixth graders.     

Systematic Review of Physical Education-Based Physical Activity Interventions Among Elementary School Children

Physical education (PE)-based interventions are a popular method to target children’s physical activity (PA) and fitness; however, little is known about their effectiveness or what factors lead to successful interventions. This paper: (1) systematically reviews studies examining PE interventions designed to impact PA, fitness, and/or body composition; and (2) makes recommendations for new research directions based upon these findings. Our systematic review was limited to experimental and quasi-experimental studies conducted in elementary schools. We conducted literature searches using predetermined keywords in 3 databases, identified a total of 4964 potentially relevant studies, and screened their abstracts and full texts for eligibility. This resulted in 12 relevant studies. We used criteria established by Downs and Black (1998) to assess each study’s methodological quality. PE interventions consistently showed increases in moderate-to-vigorous PA or vigorous PA during PE class but were less consistent in impacting leisure-time PA. PE interventions affected body composition differentially, depending on the assessment used (i.e., body mass index or skinfold thickness). Half of the studies assessing fitness did not show a significant impact; however, those that did were designed to influence fitness outcomes. Few studies assessed psychosocial determinants regarding PA, and no study demonstrated significant impacts on constructs other than knowledge. Interventions often contained multiple components (e.g., diet, family) implemented alongside PE interventions. Identifying effective intervention components was difficult due to lack of process evaluation. We identify the need for future research to use more objective and accurate PA measurements and adiposity, incorporate measurement of psychological constructs, expand interventions’ theoretical basis, and include strong process evaluation.