Behavior Of School Children Research Articles

Eating behavior of schoolchildren in the city of São Paulo

Eating behavior of schoolchildren in the city of São Paulo

Interventions to prevent substance use and risky sexual behaviour in young people: a systematic review

To identify and assess the effectiveness of experimental studies of interventions that report on multiple risk behaviour outcomes in young people. A systematic review was performed to identify experimental studies of interventions to reduce risk behaviour in adolescents or young adults and that reported on both any substance (alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug) use and sexual risk behaviour outcomes. Two authors reviewed studies independently identified through a comprehensive search strategy and assessed the quality of included studies. The report was prepared in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. From 1129 papers, 18 experimental studies met our inclusion criteria, 13 of which were assigned a strong or moderate quality rating. The substantial heterogeneity between studies precluded the pooling of results to give summary estimates. Intervention effects were mixed, with most programmes having a significant effect on some outcomes, but not others. The most promising interventions addressed multiple domains (individual and peer, family, school and community) of risk and protective factors for risk behaviour. Programmes that addressed just one domain were generally less effective in preventing multiple risk behaviour. There is some, albeit limited, evidence that programmes to reduce multiple risk behaviours in school children can be effective, the most promising programmes being those that address multiple domains of influence on risk behaviour. Intervening in the mid-childhood school years may have an impact on later risk behaviour, but further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this approach.

Programa de prevención temprana de conductas de riesgo para la salud en preescolares y escolares. Medellín, 2009-2012: una posibilidad para la prevención temprana de las conductas de riesgo en Latinoamérica

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el impacto del programa "¡PILAS! Mejores adultos, mejores niños" diseñado por PREVIVA (Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública, Universidad de Antioquia), con el fin de prevenir conductas de riesgo en niños y niñas de 4 a 11 años de preescolares y escuelas primarias. En el presente artículo se presentaron algunos resultados de la línea de base y la descripción y implementación del programa. MÉTODOS: Se escogieron aleatoriamente 32 escuelas públicas de la zona urbana de Medellín. Se asignaron de manera aleatoria 16 a la intervención y 16 al Grupo Control. Se siguieron 862 niños en el Grupo Intervenido y 874 en el Grupo Control, escogidos aleatoriamente. RESULTADOS: Fue implementado y se está llevando a cabo la evaluación del programa de prevención temprana de la agresión y las conductas de riesgo para la salud en Medellín "¡PILAS! Mejores adultos, mejores niños". La prevalencia de agresión encubierta en el último año fue del 62%, agresión abierta del 34%, y la conducta oposicionista del 2%, según el reporte del cuidador. Los niños reportaron menor prevalencia que los cuidadores para la agresión encubierta y abierta (los 45 y 20%) y superiores para el trastorno oposicionista (el 23%). Se encontró asociación entre diversas formas de castigo y maltrato y las conductas agresivas y oposicionistas de los niños. CONCLUSIONES: Existen altas prevalencias de las conductas agresivas en los niños y de castigo mediante agresión y maltrato contra el niños, y estas formas de agresión se encuentran asociadas con las conductas agresivas de los niños, por los cuales se hace necesario continuar la evaluación de la intervención y extenderla a otras instituciones educativas, introducidos los cambios que sean aconsejables de acuerdo con los resultados de la evaluación.

Revival of the Abandoned Ancient Iranian Culture Stories and the Effects of Multimedia on Iranian Children Behavior

The socially marginalized Iranian new generation of children needs to learn about their own forgotten ancient culture and identity. There is a desperate need to look into this matter, and this study addresses the participation of institutes, media programs, parents, and government in Iran to provide better facilities for this section of society. The objective was to examine the possibilities of increasing the level of anxiety of learning based on the effect of using visual media to introduce the ancient culture among school children. Result shows that using multimedia has a powerful influence on developing a value system and behavior of school children. The result also shows that, the use of multimedia has significant role on children's social learning and valuable culture.

Children’s selection of fruit and vegetables in a ‘dream versus healthy’ lunch-box survey

Background: Internationally, it is well established that the behaviour, performance, and achievement of schoolchildren is directly linked to the nutritional status of overall diet – including the contents of their school lunch-boxes. In a previous survey study by the lead authors, primary school children’s food consumption behaviour was investigated. Results indicated that most children’s lunch-boxes contained an over-representation of ‘undesirable’ food groups and an under-representation of fruit and vegetables. This follow-up study examined children’s awareness of healthy food choices and investigated what food groups children would choose if given free choice when constructing a lunch-box. Methods: The data was obtained by surveying 1,184 primary school children from eight different urban primary schools in the Manawatu Region of New Zealand. Food items included in this survey represented the 40 most common foods from the previous study. A series of accompanying food charts were used in combination with the checklists. From these lists the children were asked to construct a hypothetical ideal ‘dream’ lunch-box and a ‘healthy’ lunch-box. Results: Results indicated a significant difference between the fruit and vegetable content between lunch-boxes, demonstrating that children understood fruit and vegetables are healthy – but that they did not necessarily translate this knowledge into action. Conclusion: The influences on children’s choices in fruit and vegetables are as complex as the barriers to them eating. This study offers unique insight into the knowledge and behaviours of schoolchildren when selecting and consuming fruit and vegetables – especially given a degree of autonomy and choice.

Aggressive behavior, bullying, snoring, and sleepiness in schoolchildren

To assess whether urban schoolchildren with aggressive behavior are more likely than peers to have symptoms suggestive of sleep-disordered breathing. Cross-sectional survey of sleep and behavior in schoolchildren. Validated screening assessments for conduct problems (Connor's rating scale), bullying behavior, and sleep-disordered breathing (pediatric sleep questionnaire) were completed by parents. Teachers completed Connor's teacher rating scale. Among 341 subjects (51% female), 110 (32%) were rated by a parent or teacher as having a conduct problem (T-score ⩾65) and 78 (23%) had symptoms suggestive of sleep-disordered breathing. Children with conduct problems, bullying, or discipline referrals, in comparison to non-aggressive peers, more often had symptoms suggestive of sleep-disordered breathing (each p<0.05). Children with vs. without conduct problems were more likely to snore habitually (p<0.5). However, a sleepiness subscale alone, and not a snoring subscale, predicted conduct problems after accounting for age, gender, a measure of socioeconomic status, and stimulant use. Urban schoolchildren with aggressive behaviors may have symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing with disproportionate frequency. Sleepiness may impair emotional regulation necessary to control aggression.

Food habits and physical activity patterns among Kuwaiti male and female adolescents

Kuwait is ranked as the number eight fattest country in the world by WHO with obesity in adolescent girls 46.8% and in boys 15%. No data on of the dietary habits and life style patterns of Kuwaiti adolescents exist. The objectives of the current study were to a) compare food habits and physical activity of adolescent boys and girls and b) investigate socioeconomic factors affecting their life style patterns. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted using a modified international Health Behavior in School Children (HBSC) questionnaire. 625 children (309 boys and 316 girls) of grades 9 and 10 from 12 public schools completed the questionnaire assessing family, dietary and physical activity status. Data was analyzed by SPSS. The consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole wheat bread and milk was low for both genders, girls reported lower consumption than boys (p&lt;0.001). Chocolate and other sweet consumption was high for both genders, girls reported higher intake (p&lt;0.001). Chocolate was consumed 58% and 44% more than once a day by girls vs. boys, respectively. Both genders watched TV 4 to 6 hours daily; girls were physically more inactive than boys (p&lt;0.01). Both parents' occupational status was positively associated with hours of TV and computer use (p&lt;0.05) but not with physical activity (p&lt;0.05). In conclusion, Kuwaiti adolescents are adopting unhealthy dietary and physical activity patterns that lead to overweight and obesity.

Correlation between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sugar consumption, quality of diet, and dietary behavior in school children

This study investigated the correlation between consumption of sugar intake by fifth grade students in primary schools and development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 107 students participated, and eight boys and one girl (8.4% of the total) categorized as high risk for ADHD according to diagnostic criteria. There were significant differences in the occupations and drinking habits of the respondents' fathers between the normal group and risk group. In a comparison of students' nutrition intake status with daily nutrition intake standards for Koreans, students consumed twice as much protein as the recommended level, whereas their calcium intake was only 60% of the recommended DRI (dietary reference intake). Regarding intake volume of vitamin C, the normal group posted 143.9% of the recommended DRI, whereas the risk group showed only 65.5% of the recommended DRI. In terms of simple sugar intake from snacks, students in the normal group consumed 58.4 g while the risk group consumed 50.2 g. These levels constituted 12.5% of their total daily volume of sugar intake from snacks, which is higher than the 10% standard recommended by the WHO. In conclusion, children who consumed less sugar from fruit snacks or whose vitamin C intake was less than RI was at increased risks for ADHD (P < 0.05). However, no significant association was observed between total volume of simple sugar intake from snacks and ADHD development.

Association between child road safety behaviour and prevention activities

IntroductionLithuanias child road traffic injury rates are still among the highest in the European Region. The aim of study is to establish association of child road safety behaviour with prevention...

Evidence-based development of school-based and family-involved prevention of overweight across Europe: The ENERGY-project's design and conceptual framework

BackgroundThere is an urgent need for more carefully developed public health measures in order to curb the obesity epidemic among youth. The overall aim of the "EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth" (ENERGY)-project is the development and formative evaluation of a theory-informed and evidence-based multi-component school-based and family-involved intervention program ready to be implemented and evaluated for effectiveness across Europe. This program aims at promoting the adoption or continuation of health behaviors that contribute to a healthy energy balance among school-aged children. Earlier studies have indicated that school and family environments are key determinants of energy-balance behaviors in schoolchildren. Schools are an important setting for health promotion in this age group, but school-based interventions mostly fail to target and involve the family environment.MethodsLed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from eleven European countries and supported by a team of Australian experts, the ENERGY-project is informed by the Environmental Research Framework for Weight gain Prevention, and comprises a comprehensive epidemiological analysis including 1) systematic reviews of the literature, 2) secondary analyses of existing data, 3) focus group research, and 4) a cross European school-based survey.Results and discussionThe theoretical framework and the epidemiological analysis will subsequently inform stepwise intervention development targeting the most relevant energy balance-related behaviors and their personal, family-environmental and school-environmental determinants applying the Intervention Mapping protocol. The intervention scheme will undergo formative and pilot evaluation in five countries. The results of ENERGY will be disseminated among key stakeholders including researchers, policy makers and the general population.ConclusionsThe ENERGY-project is an international, multidisciplinary effort to develop and test an evidence-based and theory-informed intervention program for obesity prevention among school-aged children.

Experiences of Sexual Harassment Among Elementary School Students in Taiwan: Implications for School Nurses

Sexual harassment is a significant issue in the lives of students. Understanding how young adolescents feel about sexual harassment and their coping strategies is a central element to guide school nursing interventions promoting sexual health. This study explored the sexual harassment experiences of young adolescents in Taiwan. A qualitative research design was employed using focus groups to collect data from 47 elementary students, 10 and 12 years of age. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: "experiences of physical harassment," "experiences of verbal harassment," and "coping with harassment." The potential for school nurses to influence students' behavior, improve sexual health instruction, and create a healthy school environment is significant. School nurses should participate in sexual health education classes actively to advance the sexual health behaviors of school children.

Reprodutibilidade do questionário dia típico de atividade física e alimentação DOI:10.5007/1980-0037.2010v12n1p21

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of the Physical Activity and Food Consumption (PAFC) questionnaire in schoolchildren from a private school in Natal-RN, Brazil. A total of 101 children, 57 boys and 44 girls (mean age: 9.4 years, SD: 1.03, range: 7.3 to 11.6) in the second to fourth grade of elementary school were recruited. An expanded version of the PAFC questionnaire was applied at the school by a single researcher, with an average of 15 days between test and retest. The coefficient of relative agreement, intraclass correlation coefficient, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, kappa index of agreement, PABAK, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to determine reliability. In general, relatively consistent measures between the two questionnaire sessions were found for items related to attitude towards exercise (0.41), means of transportation used to travel to and from school (0.79), and the remaining 11 physical activities (0.69). An intraclass correlation of 0.87 as obtained for the overall physical activity index. Twenty-seven of the 42 items presented moderate to good agreement (mean kappa index: 0.51). The PAFC questionnaire showed moderate to good reliability for most of its items and seems to be a suitable instrument for the evaluation of physical activity and food intake behavior in schoolchildren. Moreover, the questionnaire might be used as an alternative for the classification of more and less active individuals as well as for the identification of healthy and inadequate dietary patterns.

Attitudes, social support and environmental perceptions as predictors of active commuting behaviour in school children

Background:Environmental perceptions appear to play a role in determining behaviour in children, although their influence on active commuting remains unclear. This study examines whether attitudes, social support and environmental perceptions...

Quando a convivência com a violência aproxima a criança do comportamento depressivo

The present study investigates the relation between withdrawn/depressive behavior of schoolchildren and presence/absence of violence experienced at home, at school and in the community. This descriptive cross-sectional study is based on data from a sample of 479 schoolchildren between 6-13 years of age, attending the first grade in the public elementary schools of a city of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2005. The multi-stage cluster sampling strategy involved three selection stages with 50% proportion, 98% confidence level and relative error of 5%. Socio-demographic variables of the child and the family, the withdrawal/depression sub-scale (CBCL), Conflict Tactics Scale and school and community violence scale are investigated. Multivariate Correspondence Analysis indicates that the different violence victimizations tend to be closer to clinical and borderline withdrawn/depressive behavior. Programs and public policies must address the life circumstances of the child, with focus on interventions in mental health problems, violence and victimization in order to interrupt the cycle of re-victimization through violence and its consequences.

Determination and study to same parameters of humor styles of kindergarten and elementary school teachers

Education is a totalitarian process in which education and teaching are experienced in each other. A healthy implementation of this phenomenon can be varied depending on different factors. Such factors as environment in which education is happening, teacher-schoolboy relations, schoolchild's behavior, attendance, habituations etc directly or indirectly affect education.This study intending to research determination and study of humor styles of Kindergarten and elementary school teachers from the point of same parameters is a specimen of a descriptive scanning.The working group of the study makes up the total 102 each teacher, 51 of which is elementary school teacher and 51 of which is Kindergarten teacher, serving in the elementary schools pertaining to the province Sakarya in the school year of 2007-2008. To determine the data of the study and independent parameters (branch, age, seniority, residential unit), Personal Data Questionnaire prepared by the researchers and Humor Styles Scale of Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen Grey and Weir (2003) to determine humor styles. The analysis of the data gathered by means of data collection has been implemented in the computer using SPSS 16 packet program.It has been determined that the elementary school teachers (participating humor 46,5 %, self-participating humor 43,7 %) have been using more positive humor than the Kindergarten teachers (participating humor 43,1 %, self-developing humor 43,3 %). The teachers use the participating humor much more in the age group of 26-30 and their humor styles show a significant variation at the level of p < 0,05 as per their seniority. It has been found out that those teachers of the participant teachers, who live in the province, has been using the self-developing humor style of the humor styles than those teachers living in counties and villages.

The development and evaluation of a novel computer program to assess previous-day dietary and physical activity behaviours in school children: The Synchronised Nutrition and Activity ProgramTM(SNAPTM)

Self-report recall questionnaires used to measure physical activity and dietary intake in children can be labour intensive and monotonous and tend to focus on either dietary intake or physical activity. The web-based software, Synchronised Nutrition and Activity Program (SNAP), was developed to produce a novel, simple, quick and engaging method of assessing energy balance-related behaviours at a population level, combining principles from new and existing 24 h recall methodologies, set within a user-friendly interface. Dietary intake was measured using counts for twenty-one food groups and physical activity levels were measured in min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). A combination of the mean difference between methods, type II regression and non-parametric limits of agreement techniques were used to examine the accuracy and precision of SNAP. Method comparison analyses demonstrated a good agreement for both dietary intake and physical activity behaviours. For dietary variables, accuracy of SNAP (mean difference) was within +/- 1 count for the majority of food groups. The proportion of the sample with between-method agreement within +/- 1 count ranged from 0.40 to 0.99. For min of MVPA, there was no substantial fixed or proportional bias, and a mean difference between methods (SNAP - accelerometry) of -9 min. SNAP provides a quick, accurate, low-burden, cost-effective and engaging method of assessing energy balance behaviours at a population level. Tools such as SNAP, which exploit the popularity, privacy and engagement of the computer interface, and linkages with other datasets, could make a substantial contribution to future public health monitoring and research.

Individual Characteristics and the Multiple Contexts of Adolescent Bullying: An Ecological Perspective

This paper uses an ecological perspective to explore the risk factors associated with bullying behaviors among a representative sample of adolescents aged 11-14 (n = 9816; X = 12.88; s = .9814). Data derived from the Health Behavior in School Children: WHO Cross-National Survey were used to model the relationship between bullying and media effects, peer and family support systems, self-efficacy, and school environment. Overall, the results of this study suggest that bullying increases among children who watch television frequently, lack teacher support, have themselves been bullied, attend schools with unfavorable environments, have emotional support from their peers, and have teachers and parents who do not place high expectations on their school performance. In addition, we found an inverse relationship between being Asian or African American, feeling left out of school activities and bullying. Our results lend support to the contention that bullying arises out of deficits in social climate, but that social support systems mediate bullying behavior irrespective of the student's racial/ethnic characteristics, parental income levels or media influences. Because the number of friends and the ability to talk to these friends increases the likelihood of bullying, we suggest that bullying is not simply an individual response to a particular environment but is a peer-group behavior. We conclude that limiting television viewing hours, improving student's abilities to access family support systems and improving school atmospheres are potentially useful interventions to limit bullying behavior.

The influence of a glucose containing drink on the behavior of children in school

The influence of a glucose containing drink on the behavior of children in school was examined in a double-blind placebo controlled cross-over trial. A child maybe particularly susceptible to the provision of blood glucose, as in childhood the brain uses relatively more glucose than when adult. After drinking a glucose containing drink, children aged 9–11 years were found to have better memories and spent more time on task when working in class, although the ability to sustain attention was not influenced.

Longitudinal Study of Prenatal and Postnatal Lead Exposure and Early Cognitive Development in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia: A Preliminary Results of Cord Blood Lead Levels

Extensive data shows a direct link between low-level lead exposure during early development and deficits in neurobehavioral-cognitive performance evident late in childhood through adolescence. Our previous studies confirmed the transfer of lead from the mother to the fetus as well as the effect of low lead exposure on neuropsychological behavior in school children. Such results led us to design a longitudinal survey to evaluate the effect of prenatal and/or postnatal lead exposure on early cognitive development among selected group of children from birth to 2 years of age. During the first stage of this study (between March and July 2004), we measured lead levels in 653 umbilical cord blood samples taken from healthy Saudi mothers delivering at King Khalid Hospital, Al-Kharj. This gave a good opportunity to look at the prevalence of increased blood lead levels in umbilical cord blood and to identify risk factors for prenatal lead exposure. The mean cord lead levels were 2.21 +/- 1.691 microg/dl in the range of 0.284-17.276 microg/dl. Only 1.23% of the newborns had blood lead levels >10 microg/dl, the Center for Disease Control level of concern. To investigate risk factors affecting cord blood lead levels, only subjects with lead levels above the 75th percentile (2.475 microg/dl) were selected in the multiple regression models. We observed that cord blood lead levels were significantly influenced by maternal age, the location of residence and intake of prenatal supplements. Controlling for newborn's head circumferences confounders, it was found that cord blood lead levels were significantly and negatively associated with newborn's head circumference (beta = -0.158, p = 0.036). The negative association was seen between intake of prenatal supplements and cord blood lead levels emphasizing the role of prenatal supplementations during pregnancy. The significant reductions in newborns, head circumferences due to lead exposure may have serious implications for their future performance and achievement. This study reveals that even at low prenatal lead exposure, all possible measures to inspect lead sources in our environment and reduce lead exposure should be taken.

School bullying and its association with health and lifestyle among schoolchildren

The purpose of the study was to assess the association of bullying and being bullied with indicators of subjective health and problem behaviors among schoolchildren aged 11-15 years. The data of the anonymous survey of 5645 filth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade students (aged 11, 13, and 15 years, respectively), conducted in the spring of 2002, were analyzed. The students completed the World Health Organization's Health Behavior in School-aged Children questionnaire that included self-report of involvement in bullying and being bullied by others as well as subjective health and well-being estimates, health complains (headache, stomachache, back pain, anxiety, etc.), and problem behaviors (smoking, alcohol and drug use, suicidal ideation). The response rate was 95%. More than half (52.3%) of students were involved in bullying process at least two times per month: 17.9% were involved as bullies ("victims"), 18.3% were bullied ("aggressors"), and 16.1% bullied others and were bullied themselves. A significant association between experiencing bullying and adverse health outcomes was found. Perpetrating bullying increased the odds of smoking, alcohol and drug use. Perpetrating and/or experiencing bullying increased the risk of high suicidal ideation that had cumulative effect. The established associations varied between genders and groups of students defined as "victims," "aggressors," and "victims/aggressors." In Lithuania, school bullying is extremely prevalent and is associated with health disorders, poorer well-being, and problem behavior of schoolchildren. Urgent antibullying efforts, including both research and preventive measures, are needed in order to deal with this social phenomenon.