Behavior Of School Children Research Articles

A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial investigating the behavioural effects of vitamin, mineral and n-3 fatty acid supplementation in typically developing adolescent schoolchildren

Nutrient deficiencies have been implicated in anti-social behaviour in schoolchildren; hence, correcting them may improve sociability. We therefore tested the effects of vitamin, mineral and n-3 supplementation on behaviour in a 12-week double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial in typically developing UK adolescents aged 13-16 years (n 196). Changes in erythrocyte n-3 and 6 fatty acids and some mineral and vitamin levels were measured and compared with behavioural changes, using Conners' teacher ratings and school disciplinary records. At baseline, the children's PUFA (n-3 and n-6), vitamin and mineral levels were low, but they improved significantly in the group treated with n-3, vitamins and minerals (P=0·0005). On the Conners disruptive behaviour scale, the group given the active supplements improved, whereas the placebo group worsened (F=5·555, d=0·35; P=0·02). The general level of disciplinary infringements was low, thus making it difficult to obtain improvements. However, throughout the school term school disciplinary infringements increased significantly (by 25 %; Bayes factor=115) in both the treated and untreated groups. However, when the subjects were split into high and low baseline infringements, the low subset increased their offences, whereas the high-misbehaviour subset appeared to improve after treatment. But it was not possible to determine whether this was merely a statistical artifact. Thus, when assessed using the validated and standardised Conners teacher tests (but less clearly when using school discipline records in a school where misbehaviour was infrequent), supplementary nutrition might have a protective effect against worsening behaviour.

Socio‐demographic characteristics and active behaviors in schoolchildren of Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico

In order to explore the association between socio‐demographic characteristics of the family and sedentary behaviors in their schoolchildren a cross‐sectional study was conducted; that included 192 children of both sexes aged 5‐12 years randomly selected from public elementary school of Arandas Jalisco during May 2010 to May 2011. There was explored the bivariate association between behaviors related to physical activity and sedentary lifestyle and socio‐demographic variables. Those associations that were significant (p <0.05), or with a tendency for significance (p <0.2) were included in a logistic regression model adjusted by sex, Body Mass Index, and income. Table1. Logistic regression of active and sedentary behaviors of children and socio‐demographic characteristics of families Variables Crude OR CI 95% p Adjusted OR CI 95% p Practice of physical activity, exercise or sport (yes vs not) Number of persons per room1 5.8 2.2‐15.1 <0.001 6.1 2.2‐17.3 0.001 Sex2 2.98 1.5‐6.0 0.002 3.0 1.4‐6.7 0.005 Transpotation to school (Active vs motorized) Income3 2.8 1.2‐6.9 0.019 3.1 1.3‐7.7 0.013 Father´s occupation4 4.7 1.03‐20.9 0.030 5.1 1.1‐23.3 0.034 Television viewing (≤2 vs >2 h/d) Family composition5 2.4 1.0‐5.5 0.046 2.7 1.1‐6.6 0.030 Outdoor playing (5‐7 vs 0‐2 times per week) Father´s job situation6 2.7 1.2‐5.9 0.016 2.9 1.1‐8.1 0.038 1<3 vs ≥3; 2Male vs Female; 3 <2 vs ≥2 per capita daily USD; 4Mason/peasant vs Others; 5Composed, extended or other vs Nuclear; 6Temporary vs Permanent. All characteristics of low socioeconomic status (lower income, low education, occupation and temporary job of fathers) were associated to active behaviors of children.

Obesity and eating behaviors in school children and adolescents -data from a cross sectional study from Bucharest, Romania.

BackgroundEpidemiological data on obesity prevalence are scarce in Romanian population. Consequently, the aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity and unhealthy behaviors among school children and adolescents from Bucharest, Romania.MethodsCross-sectional study, 866 participants (53.2% girls, 46.8% boys, age range 6–18 years), selected by systematic sampling with probability-proportionate-to-size from all Bucharest’s schools.Measurements: height, weight and a questionnaire to collect information about life style and eating behavior. Nutritional status was established based on World Health Organization recommendations (WHO), International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), Center for Diseases Control (USA-CDC) cut off values and local standards, respective.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight (including obese) and obesity alone based on different standards, was 31.6% and 11.4% (WHO), 24.6% and 6.2% respectively (IOTF), 25.2% and 10% (USA-CDC), 22.3% and 12.5% (local standards). When using local standards (weight only based), the obese subjects proportion among overweight children raised questions regarding the appropriateness of these standards. Overweight (including obese) prevalence was significantly higher among the boys versus girls: 36.2% vs. 27.6%, ( OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.12-2.03; p value = 0.006) and among the 6–10.9 years vs. 11–17.9 age group, (40.7% vs 26.6%). Almost all the participants (95%) reported at list one unhealthy eating behavior but no significant relationship was found with overweight or obesity only.ConclusionsThis first epidemiological study of obesity prevalence in school children and adolescents showed that 11.4% of Bucharest’s children and adolescents were obese by WHO classification, 6.1% by IOTF cut off values and 10% by CDC classification. Younger children and the boys were more affected no matter which standard we used. In spite of unsignificant relationship to the adiposity status, our data showed a high prevalence of unhealthy eating behaviors reported by the participants. Particular aspects of the overweight versus obesity prevalence, after applying local standards, suggests that international recognized algorithms should be used for constant epidemiological evaluation instead of establishing local criteria.

Elementary School Children's Behavior towards the Inclusion of Peers with Disabilities, in Mainstream Physical Education Classes

The aim of this study was twofold: to investigate a) possible differences between boys and girls and b) within groups’ differences in regards to their general and modified behavior towards the involvement of schoolmates with disabilities, in their mainstream physical education classes. Participantswere 168 primary grade school children; 76 boys and 92 girls, between 10 to 12 years of age (M=11.15, SD=.70), who completed the Greek version of the Children's’ Attitudes towards Inclusion in Physical Education-Revised questionnaire(CAIPE-R). Results indicated only within groups differences; both boys and girls showed higher (more positive) modified behavior on collaborating with a school-mate with disabilityin the physical education lesson.

Procesos psicológicos básicos incluidos en publicaciones científicas sobre comportamiento alimentario en niños: revisión sistemática

The increase in non-transmissible chronic diseases associated with nutritional status and hence inadequate dietary habits, have been established as the main cause for this study and analysis of eating behavior of schoolchildren, these behaviors shows the basic psychological processes as the simplest way to understand the behavior. This paper therefore aims to recognize which of the basic psychological processes are present in the analysis of eating behavior in school children between 5 and 12 years in the scientific literature of the past 11 years, for which we conducted a systematic review of articles in four databases, which had studied or analyzed the eating behavior of schoolchildren. Finally, this research clearly explains that studying eating behavior indirectly evaluates the basic psychological processes of memory and perception, which are the most frequent psychological processes in eating behavior or schoolchildren.

The Role of Professional Primary School Services (Pedagogue, Psychologist) in the Process of Inclusion (with Special Aspect of Hyperactive Children)

Restlessness, inattention, excessive activity of children are characteristics that are increasingly noticed in the behavior of school children. What is important for the teacher, and for professional school services, is their awareness and knowledge of the category which these symptoms belong to. In practice, there are often cases where these symptoms may occur among children who are restless, with behavioral problems, but these symptoms may also occur among children with hyperactive behavior. Their clear delineation and placement in the appropriate category of children are the first steps in the identification of children with hyperactive behavior, which is a requirement for a timely and appropriate treatment of these children. Hence the role of professional services in the school is of invaluable importance and therefore their education and training to work with these children are essential.We conducted a research in the primary schools in Stip in order to see how much knowledge about the hyperactive child symptoms and their treatment our professional school services have. Thereby through the interview with pedagogues and psychologists we wanted to get the data on: their capability for recognition of hyperactive children, their information about the same issue and their skills and abilities to deal with them.

Activity Behaviors in Schoolchildren and Subsequent 5-yr Change in Blood Pressure

This study aimed to establish whether time spent in sport-related physical activities and sedentary behaviors (e.g., TV viewing, videogame usage, and homework) was prospectively associated with change in blood pressure (BP) for 5 yr. Eight hundred and twenty-one students age 6 yr at baseline (397 girls and 424 boys) were examined from 2003-2004 to 2009-2011. Children completed detailed activity questionnaires. BP was measured using a standardized protocol. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, parental education, parental history of hypertension, baseline height, BP, body mass index (BMI), baseline time spent in corresponding activity behavior, and change in BMI, each hour per day spent in total screen time was associated with a 0.69 and 0.59 mm Hg increase in diastolic BP (P = 0.01) and mean arterial BP (P = 0.01), respectively. In boys, each hour per day spent in TV viewing was associated with a concurrent 1.42-mm Hg increase in diastolic BP (P = 0.04) during the 5 yr. Children engaging in low sport-related physical activities at baseline but who engaged in high levels of physical activity (≥ 60 min · d(-1)) at follow-up (n = 154) compared with those engaging in low sport-related physical activities at both examinations (n = 305) demonstrated significantly lower mean arterial BP, 7.26 versus 9.61 mm Hg (P = 0.04). Time spent in physical activity and screen time could influence BP measures during childhood.

Association of Family Structure and its Environment with Aggressive Behaviour of Children (6-8years) in a Rural Community

Objectives: To determine the association of family structure and family environment with aggressive behavior of children (6-8years) in a rural community of Gadap town, Karachi, Pakistan Subjects and Methods: This is a questionnaire based cross sectional survey to determine the association of family structure and environment with aggressive behavior of children (6-8years). Aggressive behaviour is defined as sudden, explosive outbursts of anger and has been reported as a clinical problem in approximately 23% -40% of children in some communities. The information was collected by interviewing parents regarding their family structure, family environment and aggressive behavior of children in school and at home. This quantitative assessment was made on a validated Performa. The data was analyzed on SPSS windows version 16. Results: Total numbers of respondents were 384. The impact of aggressive behavior in children were anger 32.8%, violence 36.5%, lack of tolerance for minor disputes 32.3%, respectively. The reliability statistics table had the actual value for Cronbach’s alpha at 89.1%. The association of aggressive behavior in children has been rooted in the family size in 34.4%, family type 27.6%, family environment 23.7% and intimate partner violence in 30.2%. Conclusion: One third of school children had aggressive behaviour directly related to family size and family environment in a rural area. The significant major risk factors were age, family size 34.4%, family type 27.6%, family environment 23.7% and intimate partner violence in 30.2%.

Association of Family Structure and its Environment with Aggressive Behaviour of Children (6-8years) in a Rural Community

Objectives: To determine the association of family structure and family environment with aggressive behavior of children (6-8years) in a rural community of Gadap town, Karachi, Pakistan Subjects and Methods: This is a questionnaire based cross sectional survey to determine the association of family structure and environment with aggressive behavior of children (6-8years). Aggressive behaviour is defined as sudden, explosive outbursts of anger and has been reported as a clinical problem in approximately 23% -40% of children in some communities. The information was collected by interviewing parents regarding their family structure, family environment and aggressive behavior of children in school and at home. This quantitative assessment was made on a validated Performa. The data was analyzed on SPSS windows version 16. Results: Total numbers of respondents were 384. The impact of aggressive behavior in children were anger 32.8%, violence 36.5%, lack of tolerance for minor disputes 32.3%, respectively. The reliability statistics table had the actual value for Cronbach’s alpha at 89.1%. The association of aggressive behavior in children has been rooted in the family size in 34.4%, family type 27.6%, family environment 23.7% and intimate partner violence in 30.2%. Conclusion: One third of school children had aggressive behaviour directly related to family size and family environment in a rural area. The significant major risk factors were age, family size 34.4%, family type 27.6%, family environment 23.7% and intimate partner violence in 30.2%.

Coronary heart disease: pandemic in a true sense.

Cardiovascular diseases are caused because of abnormalities in the heart and blood vessels. Recent trends reveal that the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) has gradually decreased in many developed countries, but the situation remains quite challenging in developing nations that account for more than 60% of the global burden. Multiple socio-demographic, personal, physician related and healthcare delivery system related factors have been identified which act in variable combinations to either influence the incidence of CHD or affect the short/long-term outcome of the disease. Of all CHD cases who succumb within 28 days of onset of symptoms, almost 67% fail to reach even a hospital. This clearly signifies the importance of primary prevention and early recognition of the warning signs in averting cause-specific mortality. The main priority is to develop cost-effective equitable health care innovations in CHD prevention and to monitor the trend of CHD so that evidence-based interventions can be formulated. To conclude, inculcating health-promoting behaviors in school children and the general population by means of community-based health screening and education interventions could avert many more deaths attributed to CHDs.

Clustering of unhealthy food around German schools and its influence on dietary behavior in school children: a pilot study

BackgroundThe availability of fast foods, sweets, and other snacks in the living environment of children is assumed to contribute to an obesogenic environment. In particular, it is hypothesized that food retailers are spatially clustered around schools and that a higher availability of unhealthy foods leads to its higher consumption in children. Studies that support these relationships have primarily been conducted in the U.S. or Australia, but rarely in European communities. We used data of FFQ and 24-HDR of the IDEFICS study, as well as geographical data from one German study region to investigate (1) the clustering of food outlets around schools and (2) the influence of junk food availability on the food intake in school children.MethodsWe geocoded food outlets offering junk food (e.g. supermarkets, kiosks, and fast food restaurants). Spatial cluster analysis of food retailers around child-serving institutions was conducted using an inhomogeneous K-function to calculate global 95% confidence envelopes. Furthermore, a food retail index was implemented considering the kernel density of junk food supplies per service area, adjusted for residential density. We linked the food retail index to FFQ and 24-HDR data of 384 6- to 9-year-old school children in the study region and investigated the impact of the index on food intake, using multilevel regression models adjusted for sex, age, BMI, parent’s education and income, as well as adjusting for over- and underreporting of food intake.ResultsComparing the 95% confidence envelopes to the observed K-function, we showed that food stores and fast food restaurants do not significantly cluster around schools. Apart from this result, the food retail index showed no effect on BMI (β=0.01,p=0.11) or food intake variables assessed by FFQ and 24-HDR.ConclusionIn the built environment of the German study region, clustering of food retailers does not depend on the location of schools. Additionally, the results suggest that the consumption of junk food in young children is not influenced by spatial availability of unhealthy food. However, investigations should be replicated in other European communities to increase environmental variability.

Changes in Primary School Children's Behaviour, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Environments Related to Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Rigorous evaluation of large-scale community-based obesity interventions can provide important guidance to policy and decision makers. The eat well be active (ewba) Community Programs, a five-year multilevel, multistrategy community-based obesity intervention targeting children in a range of settings, was delivered in two communities. A comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation using a quasiexperimental design with nonmatched comparison communities was undertaken. This paper describes the changes in primary school children's attitudes, behaviours, knowledge, and environments associated with healthy eating and physical activity, based on data from six questionnaires completed pre- and postintervention by students, parents, and school representatives. As self-reported by students in years from five to seven there were few significant improvements over time in healthy eating and physical activity behaviours, attitudes, knowledge, and perceived environments, and there were few changes in the home environment (parent report). Overall there were considerably more improvements in intervention compared with comparison schools affecting all environmental areas, namely, policy, physical, financial, and sociocultural, in addition to improvements in teacher skill and knowledge. These improvements in children's learning environments are important and likely to be sustainable as they reflect a change of school culture. More sensitive evaluation tools may detect behaviour changes.

Enhanced thinking skills and the association between executive function and antisocial behaviour in children and adult offenders: scope for intervention?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) programme, prepared for the Joint Prison Probation Service Accreditation Panel, might reduce antisocial behaviour if delivered to school‐aged children.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents two studies. In the first, adult offenders' executive function was measured before and after undertaking the ETS course, using a self report form. Change in behaviour following the course was assessed using behaviour checklists completed by prison staff. In the second study, schoolchildren's executive function was measured using a self report form and their behaviour was also assessed using a comparable behaviour checklist.FindingsThe results showed an association between antisocial behaviour and poor executive function in both offenders and schoolchildren. Offenders displayed less antisocial behaviour following the ETS course. Executive function and antisocial behaviour measured before the ETS course predicted reduction in antisocial behaviour following the course.Research limitations/implicationsThe studies do not establish a causal role for the ETS programme in reducing antisocial behaviour, and it was not possible to investigate the effect of the programme in schoolchildren. However, the results indicate that further research may be fruitful.Practical implicationsThe possibility that an adapted ETS programme might lead to a reduction in antisocial behaviour in schoolchildren should be investigated. Behavior checklists and measures of executive function should guide the selection of individuals joining the ETS programme.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that the ETS programme might be effective outside a criminal justice setting, as an early intervention with schoolchildren aimed at preventing later offending.

Social Skills and Behavior of School Children In Dharwad District

Social Skills and Behavior of School Children In Dharwad District

School violence in the context of political violence

School violence is a widely spread phenomenon. All researchers of school violence agree that this is a socio-cultural phenomenon which is affected by numerous factors, including the presence of political violence in a society. The paper discusses the influence of political violence, still present in different regions of the world nowadays, on exhibiting violent behaviour in school children. Browsing through relevant literature on the subject one comes to the conclusion that this is a problem that has not been sufficiently explored. The available empirical data can generally be classified into two groups: the findings that confirm the hypothesis that political violence influences an increase in school violence and the findings that not only call into question this hypothesis but point out quite the contrary - under certain conditions (e.g. if the school takes over a protective role, i.e. the role of the mediator of external influences), political violence can contribute to the decrease in school violence. The explanation of the inconsistencies in the obtained findings can be found in the complexity of the studied phenomena and the differences in their conceptualization (and hence both operationalization and measuring), then in the absence of research studies conducted properly in terms of methodology, and especially in limitations during the process of merging the findings obtained in individual studies. The issue of the extent to which school violence is conditioned by out-of-school influences, such as political violence, has indisputable social significance and deserves to be the subject of future research and an extensive scientific analysis.

Magnitude, types and sex differentials of aggressive behaviour among school children in a rural area of West Bengal

Background:Aggression affects academic learning and emotional development, can damage school climate and if not controlled early and may precipitate extreme violence in the future.Objectives:(1) To determine the magnitude and types of aggressive behavior in school children. (2) To identify the influence of age and sex on aggressive behavior.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in Anandanagar High School, Singur village, West Bengal. Participants were 161 boys and 177 girls of classes VII to IX. The students were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire indicating the types of aggressive behavior by them in the previous month and to assess themselves with reference to statements indicating verbal/physical aggression.Results:Overall, 66.5% of the children were physically aggressive in the previous month: Boys 75.8%, girls 58.2% (P = 0.001); 56.8% were verbally aggressive: Boys 55.2%, girls 61% (P = 0.97). Verbal indirect passive aggression was more common among girls (55.3%) than among boys (22.3%) (P = 0.000 [1.17E-09]). Boys were more liable to physical aggression, viz. 60.2% of the boys would hit on provocation compared with only 9% of the girls (P = 0.000 [6.6E-23]). Regarding attributes indicating verbal aggression, girls were more argumentative (63.8%) than boys (55.2%) (P = 0.134) and disagreeing (41.8%) compared with boys (33.5%) (P = 0.145). With increasing age/class, physical direct active aggression decreased while physical indirect passive and verbal indirect passive aggression increased. No classes had been taken on anger control/management by school the authorities.Conclusions:Aggressive behavior was common both among boys and girls. Life skills education/counseling/classroom management strategies are recommended.

The Effectiveness of a School-Based Mindfulness Training as a Program to Prevent Stress in Elementary School Children

Studies on the effects of mindfulness interventions on mental health and behavioral problems in children show promising results, but are primarily conducted with selected samples of children. The few studies investigating school-based interventions used self-selected samples, provided training outside of the classroom, and did not report longer-term effects. The immediate and longer-term effects of a class-based mindfulness intervention for elementary school children were investigated as a primary prevention program (MindfulKids) to reduce stress and stress-related mental health and behavioral problems. Children (8–12 years) from three elementary schools participated. Classes were randomized to an immediate-intervention group (N = 95) or a waitlist-control group (N = 104), which received the intervention after a waitlist period. Twelve 30-min sessions were delivered in 6 weeks. At baseline, pretest, posttest, and follow-up, variables indicative of stress and metal well-being were assessed with children, variables indicative of mental health problems were assessed with parents, and teachers reported on class climate. Multilevel analysis revealed that there were no significant changes from baseline to pretest. Some primary prevention effects on stress and well-being were found directly after training and some became more apparent at follow-up. Effects on mental health problems also became apparent at follow-up. MindfulKids seems to have a primary preventive effect on stress, well-being, and behavior in schoolchildren, as reported by children and parents. Exploratory analysis revealed that children who ruminate more are affected differently by the intervention than children who ruminate less. It is concluded that mindfulness training can be incorporated in elementary schools at the class level, letting all children benefit from the intervention.

Impact of Sleep Extension and Restriction on Children’s Emotional Lability and Impulsivity

To examine the impact of moderate sleep extension and restriction on child behavior in school. We conducted a randomized parallel group study to determine the impact of an experimental sleep extension (addition of 1 hour of sleep relative to baseline habitual sleep duration on weekdays) and experimental sleep restriction (elimination of 1 hour of sleep relative to baseline habitual sleep duration on weekdays) on child behavior in school. The primary outcome measures were scores on the Conners' Global Index Scale, as determined by teachers blinded to sleep status of the participants. A sample of 34 typically developing children aged 7 to 11 years with no reported sleep problems and no behavioral, medical, or academic issues participated in the study. Our main findings were that (1) a cumulative extension of sleep duration of 27.36 minutes was associated with detectable improvement in Conners' Global Index-derived emotional lability and restless-impulsive behavior scores of children in school and a significant reduction in reported daytime sleepiness; and (2) a cumulative restriction of sleep of 54.04 minutes was associated with detectable deterioration on such measures. A modest extension in sleep duration was associated with significant improvement in alertness and emotional regulation, whereas a modest sleep restriction had opposite effects.

Impact of Sleep Extension and Restriction on Children's Emotional Lability and Impulsivity

OBJECTIVE:. To examine the impact of moderate sleep extension and restriction on child behavior in school.METHODS:. We conducted a randomized parallel group study to determine the impact of an experimental sleep extension (addition of 1 hour of sleep relative to baseline habitual sleep duration on weekdays) and experimental sleep restriction (elimination of 1 hour of sleep relative to baseline habitual sleep duration on weekdays) on child behavior in school. The primary outcome measures were scores on the Conners’ Global Index Scale, as determined by teachers blinded to sleep status of the participants. A sample of 34 typically developing children aged 7 to 11 years with no reported sleep problems and no behavioral, medical, or academic issues participated in the study.RESULTS:. Our main findings were that (1) a cumulative extension of sleep duration of 27.36 minutes was associated with detectable improvement in Conners’ Global Index–derived emotional lability and restless-impulsive behavior scores of children in school and a significant reduction in reported daytime sleepiness; and (2) a cumulative restriction of sleep of 54.04 minutes was associated with detectable deterioration on such measures.CONCLUSIONS:. A modest extension in sleep duration was associated with significant improvement in alertness and emotional regulation, whereas a modest sleep restriction had opposite effects.

The effect of asthma on behavior in school children by socioeconomic status

The effect of asthma on behavior in school children by socioeconomic status