Disadvantaged School Children Research Articles

Effect of school feeding program on the anthropometric and haemoglobin status of school children in Sidama region, Southern Ethiopia: a prospective study.

Ethiopia recently scaled up the implementation of a school feeding program (SFP) as a targeted intervention for protecting disadvantaged school children from hunger and food insecurity. However, the contribution of the program to advancing the nutritional status of children has not been adequately explored. We assessed the effect of SFP on the anthropometric and haemoglobin status of school children in Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia. Our prospective cohort study compared the height-for-age z-score (HAZ), BMI-for-age z-score (BAZ) and haemoglobin concentration of SFP beneficiary (n 240) and non-beneficiary (n 240) children, 10-14 years of age. The children were recruited from 8 SFP implementing and 8 control schools using a multistage sampling procedure and were followed for an academic year. The SFP intervention and control schools were matched one-to-one based on agro ecological features and geographical proximity. Exposure, outcome and pertinent extraneous variables were collected through baseline and end-line surveys. Multilevel difference-in-differences (DID) analysis was used to measure the net effect on the outcomes of interest. In the multivariable DID model adjusted for potential confounders including maternal and paternal literacy, household monthly income, wealth index and household food insecurity, the SFP did not show significant effects on the haemoglobin concentration (β = 0⋅251, 95 % confidence interval (CI): -0⋅238, 0⋅739), BAZ (β = 0⋅121, 95 % CI: -0⋅163, 0⋅405) and HAZ (β = -0⋅291, 95 % CI: -0⋅640, 0⋅588) of children.

Prevalence of myopia among disadvantaged Australian schoolchildren: A 5-year cross-sectional study.

Myopia prevalence is influenced by environmental factors including heritability and social disadvantage. The current prevalence of myopia among disadvantaged school children in Australia has not been reported. Therefore, this study analyses refractive data for children from rural and outer suburban areas. The records of 4,365 children aged 6-15 visiting a city-based government-school respite care center during the years 2014/2016/2018 were analyzed for right eye non-cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (SER). The prevalence of myopia (SER≤-0.50D) was compared with historical data. The prevalence of myopia was 3.5%, 4.4% and 4.3% in 2014, 2016 and 2018, respectively. The prevalence of myopia increased with age (P<0.0001), but was not related to sex or year of testing (all P >0.05). The overall mean SER was 0.89±0.86D, 0.62±0.89D and 0.56±0.95 in 2014, 2016 and 2018, respectively. Mean SER was associated with year of testing, age (all P <0.0001) and sex (P = 0.03). Mean SER decreased slightly from 2014 to 2018 and demonstrated a significant shift towards less hyperopia with increasing age. Mean SER of females was higher than that of males and decreased faster than in males with age (P interaction = 0.03). Myopia prevalence increased with age. The mean SER decreased slightly from 2014 to 2018. Sex differences in the rate of change with age was observed. Compared with 40 years ago, the prevalence of myopia has doubled, but it remains significantly lower than in school children of a similar age living in established urban areas that are regarded as having a higher socioeconomic status.

Community-based supplementary feeding for food insecure, vulnerable and malnourished populations - an overview of systematic reviews.

Community-based supplementary feeding for food insecure, vulnerable and malnourished populations - an overview of systematic reviews.

Food environments in and around post-primary schools in Ireland: Associations with youth dietary habits

BackgroundThe food environment within and surrounding schools may influence children's diets. This study explored if the internal and external school food environments were associated with intake of specific food groups among adolescents. MethodsParticipants were a subset of 5344 post-primary school students that took part in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Four school-level variables were created: urban/rural, disadvantaged status, percentage fast food premises within one kilometer of the school and food sold in the school. Logistic regression models were used to examine school-level influences on daily food consumption controlling for individual and family food environmental factors. ResultsFor students in disadvantaged schools, the odds of having soft drinks (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.30–2.47) or chips (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.17–2.83) daily were larger and the odds of consuming fruits (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.62–0.99) or vegetables (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60–0.88) daily were smaller than for students at other schools. Girls and those from higher socioeconomic classes also had healthier eating habits. Attending a school where more than 10% of the food premises within one kilometer of the school were fast food outlets was associated with a 0.78 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.94) and a 0.79 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.93) decreased odds of daily fruit and vegetable intake, respectively. ConclusionsFast food environments around post-primary schools are associated with less fruit and vegetable intake. Children in disadvantaged schools and from lower social classes are more likely to report poorer dietary habits than children in other schools or from higher social classes, respectively. Multiple contexts influence diet, and children at an economic or social disadvantage are at most risk of poor dietary habits.

School sociodemographic characteristics and obesity in schoolchildren: does the obesity definition matter?

BackgroundExisting evidence on the role of sociodemographic variables as risk factors for overweight and obesity in school-aged children is inconsistent. Furthermore, findings seem to be influenced by the obesity definition applied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate if school sociodemographic indicators were associated with weight status in Irish primary schoolchildren and whether this association was sensitive to different obesity classification systems.MethodsA nationally representative cross-sectional sample of 7542 Irish children (53.9% girls), mean age 10.4 (±1.2SD) years, participating in the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative in the 2010, 2012/2013 or 2015/2016 waves were included. Height, weight and waist circumference were objectively measured. Five definitions of obesity were employed using different approaches for either body mass index (BMI) or abdominal obesity. Associations between overweight and obesity and sociodemographic variables were investigated using adjusted multilevel logistic regression analyses.ResultsChildren attending disadvantaged schools were more likely to be overweight and obese than their peers attending non-disadvantaged schools, regardless of the obesity classification system used. Associations remained significant for the BMI-based obesity definitions when the sample was stratified by sex and age group, except for boys aged 8–10.5 years. Only boys aged ≥10.5 years in disadvantaged schools had higher odds of abdominal obesity (UK 1990 waist circumference growth charts: OR = 1.56, 95%CI = 1.09–2.24; waist-to-height ratio: OR = 1.78, 95%CI = 1.14–2.79) than those in non-disadvantaged schools. No associations were observed for school urbanisation level.ConclusionsSchool socioeconomic status was a strong determinant of overweight and obesity in Irish schoolchildren, and these associations were age- and sex-dependent. School location was not associated with overweight or obesity. There remains a need to intervene with school-aged children in disadvantaged schools, specifically among those approaching adolescence, to prevent a trajectory of obesity into adult life.

How should we respond to the continuing failure of compensatory education?

All education systems, to a greater or lesser extent, are marked by educational inequalities. Nearly all education systems, again to a greater or lesser extent, have put in place a variety of ‘compensatory’ strategies to help reduce these educational inequalities. These strategies have gone through different phases and enjoyed different degrees of support, but have generally been as much a part of the education system as the inequalities they are designed to address. This paper explores the continuing reinvention and failure of compensatory education strategies. It looks, in particular, at the emergence and limits of recent moves to implement a ‘politics of recognition’ for schools in disadvantaged areas. It argues that children in disadvantaged schools need a ‘politics of redistribution’, but that the mechanisms of distribution and the nature of what it is that is to be redistributed are problematic. Drawing on theory and empirical research, the paper concludes by arguing that, until we have a clearer idea of what it is that we are compensating, compensatory education policies will be doomed to fail.

An analysis of the first implementation and impact of the World Health Organisation’s health promoting school model within disadvantaged city schools in Ireland

While knowledge about the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) healthy schools model has been developed in recent years, process implementation and outcomes for school children have not improved in line with these advances. This deficit has become known as the ‘implementation gap’ and refers to the difference between the evidence of what works in theory and what is delivered in practice. The aim of this research was to evaluate the first implementation and impact of the WHO model among urban disadvantaged school children in Ireland from 2008 to 2012. A concurrent mixed methods study design was used. A process evaluation-mapped implementation and a three-year cohort study measured the impact. Data comprised of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and documentary analysis. Instruments included the Kidscreen-27 and the Child Depression Inventory (CDI). Over 600 children in five intervention and two comparison schools were recruited. The process evaluation revealed that top-down decision making based on the communities rather than each individual school’s needs and a lack of understanding of the concept of the whole school approach inhibited implementation. No significant differences were found between intervention and comparison of schools over three years post implementation. The successful implementation within an urban disadvantaged region requires not an analysis of the regional needs but a development of the individual school needs and sufficient lead-in time to ensure that each school is ready in terms of its understanding. Furthermore, healthy schools coordinators roles need to be clarified as facilitators of development and change rather than as unsustainable providers of health activities.

Parental Involvement in the Teaching and Learning of Their Children in Disadvantaged Schools

Parental involvement in the teaching and learning of their children seem to be a neglected research area especially in South Africa’s previously disadvantaged schools. Parental involvement as envis...

An exploration of the importance of piloting and access as action research

In this article we illustrate how the piloting process has influenced two widely different studies within the educational sciences. These studies differ in design but have as a common denominator that they used piloting methods in their preparatory process. They are also similar in the intention of the main researchers of conducting research with a critical edge. In the first case study described, our solidarity lies with the disadvantaged school children of South Africa. In the second case study, our solidarity lies with a group of teachers who through an action research project wanted to question a school policy that they do not feel benefits all school children in the Norwegian lower secondary school. The two cases are presented separately and explore the change in conceptual and methodological emphasis in the research procedure. We emphasize how important the piloting and access processes are in order to learn from them and reduce mistakes in the main research design. We argue that both piloting and gaining access can be seen as a form of action research, in that the intention is to learn and to change future action; that is, the purpose is to find out how to conduct a project more effectively. A reflective piloting phase is likely to increase the validity of the research results and can in itself be viewed as action research. Through the piloting phase, learning that may prove invaluable for the later research process is likely to take place. As piloting can be of great value for research results, it should also be given much greater attention in the research literature in general. While the best case scenarios are overrepresented in the research literature, the learning from and of flaws and imperfections that are discovered in the piloting stages of research is equally important for the research community as well as for the actual participants in the researching process. Yet this is under utilized and often left under‐reported.

Context matters in programme implementation

PurposeThis paper seeks to report on the evaluation of Zippy's Friends, an international emotional wellbeing programme, for primary school children in disadvantaged schools in Ireland. The paper aims to present case studies of the profile and ethos of two specific schools participating in the programme, their links with the local community, the degree of parental involvement and the factors that influence programme implementation in the local context.Design/methodology/approachWithin the framework of the overall evaluation study, which employs a randomised controlled design, two schools self‐selected to participate in case studies. Employing interviews and group discussions, the case study method was used to explore the views of teachers, pupils, parents and key informants from the wider community on the delivery of the programme within the context of a whole school approach.FindingsThe findings from two contrasting schools are presented, a large urban school with a multi‐cultural profile in an area of multiple disadvantage, and a smaller, almost monocultural, rural school on the border region with Northern Ireland. The findings reveal largely positive attitudes on the benefits of the programme and support for a whole school approach. The data indicate contrasting levels of parental involvement in the two schools and highlight the importance of socio‐ economic and cultural influences in the local communities and the challenges these present for effective implementation.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper explores the specific contextual factors in two schools and may, therefore, lack generalisability. However, this effort to focus on the specific local context is useful within the framework of the overall randomised control trial evaluation study.Practical implicationsThe reality of implementing an emotional wellbeing programme in disadvantaged school settings and effectively engaging teachers, parents and the wider community, is explored through the use of case study methods.Originality/valueThe paper explores the real‐life context of two schools participating in the Zippy's Friends programme and provides an insight into the contextual factors impacting on programme implementation in disadvantaged school settings.

Reductions in Child Obesity Among Disadvantaged School Children With Community Involvement: The Travis County CATCH Trial

The objective of this study was to compare the impact of two intervention approaches on the prevalence of child overweight and obesity: (i) Coordinated Approach To Child Health BasicPlus (CATCH BP), in which schools were provided evidence-based coordinated school health program training, materials, and facilitator support visits, and (ii) CATCH BP and Community (BPC), in which BP schools received additional promotion of community partnerships with the aim of integrating community members and organizations into schools, local decision making and action, and best practices workshops. Schools (n = 97) in four central Texas districts were recruited to participate in the 4-year project. Of the low-income schools (n = 58), 15 schools were selected to receive the BPC intervention and matched with 15 schools in the BP condition. A serial cross-sectional design was used, in which 4th grade student BMI, physical activity, and diet were assessed in the 30 schools in spring 2007 and 2008. Measurements in spring 2007 included 1,107 students, with 53% female; 61% Hispanic, and 14% African American; and mean age of 9.9 years. Adjusted prevalence of overweight/obesity (>or=85th percentile) was 42.0 and 47.4% in spring 2007 for the BP and BPC students, respectively. From spring 2007 to spring 2008, the percent of students classified as overweight/obese decreased by 1.3 percentage points (P = 0.33) in BP schools, compared to a decrease of 8.3 percentage points (P < 0.005) in students from BPC schools; the difference between conditions was significant (P = 0.05). CATCH BPC students also reported more positive trends in related behaviors. Implementation of a community-enhanced school program can be effective in reducing the prevalence of child overweight in low-income student populations.

Oral microbiota of children in a school-based dental clinic

Objectives Dental caries disproportionately affects disadvantaged subjects. This study hypothesized that there were greater caries extent and higher levels of caries-associated and anaerobic subgingival bacterial species in oral samples of Hispanic and immigrant children compared with non-Hispanic and US born children. Methods Children from a school-based dental clinic serving a community with a large Hispanic component were examined, and the extent of caries was recorded. Microbial samples were taken from teeth and the tongues of children. Samples were analyzed using DNA probes to 18 oral bacterial species. Results Seventy five children were examined. Extent of caries increased with child age in immigrant, but not in US born or Hispanic children. There were no differences in the microbiota based on ethnicity or whether the child was born in US or not. There was a higher species detection frequency from teeth than tongue samples. Levels of Streptococcus mutans and other Streptococcus spp increased with caries extent. Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia and Selenomonas spp were detected at low levels in these children. Conclusions We conclude that, while there was a high rate of dental caries in disadvantaged school children, there were no differences in the caries-associated microbiota, including S. mutans, based on ethnicity or immigration status. Furthermore, while anaerobic subgingival, periodontal pathogens were also detected in children, there was no difference in species detection based on ethnicity or immigration status. Increased levels of streptococci, including S. mutans, however, were detected with high caries levels. This suggested that while it is beneficial to target preventive and treatment programs to disadvantaged populations, there is likely no additional benefit to focus on subgroups within a population already at high risk for dental disease.

Same language subtitling: a butterfly for literacy?

Same language subtitling (SLS) refers to the idea of subtitling motion media programmes (television and film) in the ‘same’ language as the audio. This simplest of additions in existing television programmes, especially film songs and music videos, can make a quantum contribution to the improvement of reading skills of over 325 million neo-literate people in India. Song videos are watched with great passion all over India, in every state and major language. Earlier work on SLS reported that it was found to enhance the entertainment value of televised songs for both literate and neo-literate viewers. This paper discusses a controlled experiment to ‘measure’ the impact of SLS on the reading skills of disadvantaged school children. The results confirm that SLS of film songs leads to reading skill improvement, thus reaffirming the enormous potential of this simple and economical approach for mass literacy skill development in India.

The Self-Concept of Disadvantaged Children: An Exploratory Study in Middle Childhood

Summary Using a free report technique, Gordon's content analysis scheme, and McCandless and Trotter's components of self, the self-concept of children in disadvantaged schools was explored. Twenty-three categories of self-description were found with a high degree of consistency across a random sample of 2,100 children aged 6–11.5 years. Comparison with a nondisad-vantaged group (n = 364) suggests that, while disadvantaged children have a more externalised, concrete, less differentiated and less future-oriented view of self, they do not have a totally negative view of self. They certainly see themselves less positively in the functioning aspects of self in respect to school achievement and skills, but in many areas they reflect a moderately positive self-regard. Intercoder and test-retest reliability suggest the method is a reliable one.

Factors related to third grade achievement: Self-perception, classroom composition, sex, and race

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between self-perception and academic achievement among third grade black and white disadvantaged school children. Race, sex, IQ, self-perception, and student's perceptions of their teacher's perceptions were examined as sources of variance in academic achievement. Data from one-hundred-sixteen students were analyzed by means of stepwise multiple regression. Results suggest that self-perceptions account for more variance in academic achievement for students who are of the same sex and race as the teacher than for those who are not. Self-perceptions of black students in all black classrooms account for more variance in respect to achievement than do self-perceptions of black students in integrated classrooms.

Children's Literature in Israel

Children's Literature in Israel Dr. Adir Cohen Click for larger view View full resolution All Pictures © Gerald McDermott Children's literature is one of the most neglected subjects in Israel. To date not one institute exists in Israel, which has undertaken to research this subject, to investigate and relate more deeply to the psychological, aesthetic, social, educational and teaching aspects of the subject or to take an interest in cultivating the teaching of it. Because of the large immigration to Israel from diverse countries of origin and because there exists an extremely large population of disadvantaged school children, the problems of encouraging our children to read fluently have increased and have become more complex Scales that were appropriate to the reading behaviour of children of the first settlers do not apply to the new culture and so, the need arises to review and clarify these questions, taking into account the considerable social changes that have taken place in Israel in the thirty years of the country's existence. It seems that the time has come to renew the effort to advance and cultivate children's literature in Israel, to intensify research and improve teaching in this field. The Centre for Children's Literature at the University of Haifa seeks to respond to the important needs of research and teaching in children's literature. Its aim includes: [End Page 5] advancement of research in the fields of children's literature; cultivation and improvement of teaching in this field; development of a new approach to children' s literature; cultivation and improvement of children's reading; increased involvement of writers, artists, editors of children's and teachers' newspapers in children's literary education, modelling their artistic sense, whilst being aware of the children's psychological needs and their interests in reading ; and improvement of the children's literature published in Israel. [End Page 10] Dr. Adir Cohen School of Education University of Haifa Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31 999 Israel Copyright © 1979 ChLA Newsletter