Chinese Girls Research Articles

Physical Activity and Lung Function Growth in a Cohort of Chinese School Children: A Prospective Study

Backgrounds/objectivesEvidence on the association between physical activity and lung function in children is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate children’s lung function growth in relation to their physical activity level in Chinese children.MethodsA total of 1713 school children aged 9.89±0.86 years who were asthma-free at baseline were followed-up for 18 months from 2006 to 2008 in Guangzhou, China. Information on physical activity and other socio-economic status were obtained from self-administered questionnaires. Lung function tests were performed with a standard procedure.ResultsAt the baseline survey, physically active girls had significantly higher forced vital capacity (FVC) than inactive girls (1.79 l vs. 1.75 l, p<0.05). The growth rates for lung function indices were significantly higher for girls who were physically active at either or both follow-up surveys than those inactive at both surveys during the follow-up period forced expiratory flows at 25% (FEF25) difference per year (dpy) (0.20 l/s vs. 0.15 l/s), forced expiratory flows at 75% (FEF75) dpy (0.57 l/s vs. 0.45 l/s) and forced expiratory flows between 25% and 75% (FEF25-75) dpy (0.36 l/s vs. 0.28 l/s) (all p<0.05).ConclusionsPhysical activity is positively associated with lung function growth among Chinese school-aged girls. Promotion of physical activity among children is of great importance.

Severe and Differential Underestimation of Self-reported Smoking Prevalence in Chinese Adolescents

Evaluating the progress of tobacco control across the world heavily relies on smoking prevalence estimates. Those estimates are often based on surveys of self-reported cigarette smoking status. The accuracy varies among populations with different social and cultural backgrounds. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of smoking and assess the accuracy of self-report smoking status in Chinese adolescents. This population-based cross-sectional survey included 10,934 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years from 17 schools in Shanghai, China. Data on adolescents' smoking status were collected from adolescents' self-reporting and from parents' questionnaires, separately. Based on the data of two sources, the total number of smokers among the study participants was estimated using a capture-recapture method. Among 5,452 girls and 5,482 boys, the prevalence estimates of self-reported smoking were 13.6% (748) and 5.2% (284) for boys and girls, respectively. Parents only identified smaller proportions of smoking adolescents: 2.9% (160) boys and 0.6% (30) girls. Using the capture-recapture method, we estimated the prevalence of smoking as 18.3% (95% CI 16.4, 20.3) for boys and 14.2% (95% CI 7.6, 20.8) for girls. Reliance on self-reporting to identify smokers among Chinese adolescents significantly underestimates the number of smokers, particularly among Chinese girls. Self-reported smokers only represent less than half of actual smokers in girls. Our findings are important for monitoring smoking trends and evaluating tobacco control interventions among Chinese adolescents.

The British Chinese Adoption Study: orphanage care, adoption and mid‐life outcomes

While studies of ex-orphanage care show adverse effects on development, the longer-term impact on mid-life psychosocial functioning and physical health has not been established. Orphanage records provided baseline data on a sample of 100 Hong Kong Chinese girls who were subsequently adopted into the UK. A mid-life follow-up using standardised questionnaires and face-to-face interviews assessed current circumstances, life satisfaction and mental and physical health outcomes. Comparisons were made with age-matched UK-born adopted and nonadopted women. Half the group spent between 1 and 2 years in orphanages, average age at adoptive placement was 23 months and 72% participated in the follow-up. Despite this poor early start, mid-life outcomes were commensurate with the comparison groups in terms of mental and physical health measures. Serious psychiatric and social difficulties were largely absent. Although the timing and extent of exposure to orphanage care did not influence outcome, participants' reports of poorer quality adoptive family experience and a negative view of their adoption were significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes (difference in means = 0.76, 95% CI 1.33-0.19, p = .01; difference in means = 1.2, 95% CI 0.68-1.73, p = .01, respectively). Moderately depriving orphanage care did not predict enduring adverse consequences in mid-life but subsequent poor adoption experience was associated with outcome.

Sex‐dependent associations of genetic variants identified by GWAS with indices of adiposity and obesity risk in a Chinese children population

Recent genome-wide association studies have identified a few single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are associated with body mass index (BMI)/obesity. This study aimed to examine the identified associations among a population of Chinese children. Five SNPs (SEC16B rs10913469, SH2B1 rs4788102, PCSK1rs6235, KCTD15 rs29941, BAT2 rs2844479) were genotyped for a group of Chinese children (N=2849, age range 6-18years). A total of 1230 obese cases and 1619 controls with normal weight were identified based on the Chinese age- and sex-specific BMI references. Of five studied variants, only two (SEC16B rs10913469, SH2B1 rs4788102) were nominally associated with indices of adiposity and obesity risk in girls and only SEC16B rs10913469 in children at puberty (p<0·05), while no statistical associations was found for three other variants (PCSK1rs6235, KCTD15 rs29941, BAT2 rs2844479). After false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment for multiple testing, none were statistically significant. Further analysis indicated that the genetic risk score (GRS) was associated with BMI, waist circumference and risk of obesity (defined by BMI) in girls, even after FDR adjustment for multiple testing. However, there was no statistical association of GRS with indices of adiposity and risk of obesity in children at puberty after multiple comparison correction. This study confirmed the synthetic effect of SNPs on the indices of adiposity and risk of obesity in Chinese girls, but failed to replicate the effect of five separate variants. We also did not found cumulative effect of SNPs in children at puberty.

Habituation and Cardiovascular Responses to the Gamercize Stepper in Hong Kong Chinese Girls.

Contingent active videogame systems have been shown to result in increases in physical activity and decreases in sedentary behavior. The feasibility of using contingent active gaming systems (e.g., the videogame freezes when physical exertion ceases) as an activity alternative and whether these systems will elicit activity of moderate to vigorous intensity is unknown. We aimed to determine whether Hong Kong Chinese girls (8.5±0.3 years old) would (1) easily habituate to stepping and playing videogames and (2) whether stepping and videogaming would result in cardiovascular responses beneficial to health. Basic anthropometric measures as well as peak oxygen uptake (VO2) were assessed on the first of two laboratory visits. The girls were also given playing instructions for three XBbox 360 (Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan) games: "The Bee Movie," "Surfs Up," and "Kung Fu Panda." On the second laboratory visit, the girls completed a habituation protocol and a 15-minute play session on the Gamercize(®) (Databridge Services Ltd., Southampton, United Kingdom) Stepper™, during which cardiovascular effort was assessed using heart rate monitoring. Direct observation of the girls showed that four girls needed 90 seconds and 12 of the girls only required 60 seconds to habituate to the Gamercize Stepper. There was no significant difference (t15=-1.944, P>0.05) between the heart rate at 55 percent of peak VO2 (144±9 beats/minute) and heart rate during Gamercize stepping (139±13 beats/minute), indicating that mean heart rates in both conditions were similar. Further analysis showed that 25 percent of the girls stepped and played videogames at a heart rate equivalent to moderate intensity. Although the girls easily habituated to the Gamercize Stepper, a majority of the girls did not step and videogame at moderate intensity levels, which are associated with body composition changes. Further investigations are warranted to determine mediators responsible for increasing physical activity levels to meet current recommendations.

Portrait of Appalachian Chinese Girls in Their Grandmother’s Garden

Portrait of Appalachian Chinese Girls in Their Grandmother’s Garden

Comparison of Chinese and white Bolton standards at age 13

To create a combined male-female Chinese Bolton standard for age 13 and to compare it to the combined Bolton standard for white 13 year olds. Thirty-two Chinese and 32 white subjects (16 adolescent boys and 16 adolescent girls aged 13 years in each ethnic group) who fulfilled the selection criteria used to create the original Bolton standards were enrolled. Their cephalograms were traced and then averaged two at a time following the Bolton method. In addition to creating the template from the 32 subjects in each group, 43 linear and angular variables were measured and compared between the two ethnic groups and between the two sexes in each ethnic group using independent t-tests. A P value of .05 was used to assign statistical significance. The male-female combined templates for 13 year olds were also compared superimposing either in the Bolton relation or by soft tissue. No sexual dimorphism was found in the white subjects, whereas the Chinese girls had decreased upper face height (Na-ANS), more protrusive incisors (SNA-U1), and shorter cranial base (Ba-Na) and posterior cranial base (S-Ba) compared with the Chinese boys. In terms of ethnic comparison, the Chinese subjects presented shorter sagittal facial dimensions, a clockwise rotated mandible with a more acute gonial angle, and a convex facial profile with a less prominent nose and chin. However, overall vertical dimensions were similar. A 13-year-old combined male-female Chinese Bolton standard was created that demonstrated visually and with metric comparisons that Chinese and white clinically normal subjects have different craniofacial characteristics. These differences should be taken into consideration when an individualized orthodontic treatment plan is developed.

Correlates of physical activity and screen-based behaviors in Chinese children

To investigate individual, behavioral, social and environmental correlates of physical activity (PA) and screen-based behaviors ([SBBs] TV viewing, electronic games playing and Internet use) in Chinese boys and girls in Hong Kong. Cross-sectional study. PA and SBBs were self-reported among 303 children. Individual, behavioral, social and environmental correlates were reported by children and parents. Children's height and weight were measured and population density of residence districts was divided into tertiles. Hierarchical multivariable regression analyses were conducted to determine the contributions of correlates in explaining PA and SBBs. Participation in school sport teams and self-efficacy was positively associated with PA in boys. Girls who reported participation in school sport teams, who perceived more peer support, had a more supportive home PA environment, and spent more time doing homework were more physically active. Family support for PA was negatively and homework was positively, associated with boys' SBBs. Body mass index and parent role modeling of TV was positively associated with TV viewing, whilst more sedentary opportunities in the home were associated with higher Internet use/e-games playing among girls. Sex differences existed among the individual, behavioral, social and home environmental factors related to PA and SBBs. Interventions should consider multiple and sex-specific factors for promoting an active lifestyle and reducing sedentary time among Chinese children.

How Chinese adolescent girls perceive gender roles: a psychographic study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to replicate a psychographic segmentation of adolescent girls in Hong Kong. It attempts to see if the segmentation of Hong Kong girls according to the perceptions of gender roles and ideal female images can be generalized to girls in Mainland China. Design/methodology/approach – A convenience sample of 331 Shanghai female secondary school students aged 12 to 20 were asked to answer questions about gender roles, ideal female images, and their liking of international and Chinese brands. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis were conducted. Findings – Four segments of adolescent girls were identified and profiled. They were conformists, aggressive pursuers, image protectors, and single-handers. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from a non-probabilistic sample of girls from Shanghai, which may not be representative of girls in other Mainland Chinese cities or elsewhere in greater China. Practical implications – Different marketing communication strategies can be adopted to make global and Chinese national brands more appealing to the different clusters. Originality/value – This has been the first study to cluster adolescent girls in Mainland China based on gender role perceptions.

Wilms' tumor suppressor gene mutations in girls with sporadic isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome

Mutations in the Wilms' tumor suppressor gene (WT1) can lead to syndromic forms of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) such as Denys-Drash or Frasier syndrome and can cause isolated SRNS. A mutation within WT1 is a frequent cause of sporadic isolated SRNS in girls. In a worldwide cohort of girls, the rate of occurrence was 10.8%. Previous reports have indicated that in Chinese girls, the detection rate of WT1 mutations is 16.7% for early onset isolated nephrotic syndrome. The detection rate of WT1 mutations in Chinese girls with sporadic isolated SRNS is unknown. We examined WT1 mutations in 14 Chinese girls with sporadic isolated SRNS using polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing and studied a control group of 38 boys with sporadic isolated SRNS. We identified a WT1 mutation in 1 of 14 (7.1% detection rate) Chinese girls with sporadic isolated SRNS. No mutations occurred in WT1 in the remaining 13 girls or the control group. Our investigation supports the necessity of genetic examination for mutations in WT1 in girls with sporadic isolated SRNS.

Experiences in Sport, Physical Activity, and Physical Education Among Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu Asian Adolescent Girls

Multicultural scholarship in sport and exercise psychology should help us understand and apply cultural competencies for all to be physically active. In the present study, two Asian countries, Japan and Singapore, were chosen. The participation rate for physical activities among adolescent girls tends to be lower than that of boys in both countries. Thus, the purpose of the project was to gain knowledge and understanding about sociocultural factors that may explain adolescent girls' perceptions and behaviors toward sport, physical activity, and physical education (PE). A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with focus groups was used to understand meanings of physical activity among Buddhist Japanese, and Hindu Indians and Christian Chinese from Singapore. Each focus group consisted of four or five girls and female researchers. Based on the analysis, we created four themes which were "cultural identities," "Asian girls and sport/physical activities," "PE experiences," "motivation for future involvement." The Buddhist Japanese, Hindu Indian, and Christian Chinese participants each reported unique physical activity experiences, and all the participants were aware of how Asian culture may affect being physically active. Experiences of PE classes were similar but perceptions of their PE attire were different for Christian Chinese and Hindu Indian adolescent girls. Based on the results, the importance of nurturing cultural competencies and ways to encourage girls to be physically active throughout life were discussed.

Chinese American adolescents: perceived parenting styles and adolescents' psychosocial health

Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing minority groups in the USA, and Chinese constitute the largest group. Evidence suggests that Asian American adolescents experience higher levels of depressive symptoms than their same-gender white counterparts. Quantitative findings suggest associations between parenting factors and Chinese American adolescents' mental health. A qualitative understanding regarding Chinese American adolescents' perceived parenting styles and its relationship with adolescents' psychosocial health is warranted. To gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese American adolescents' perceived parenting styles and how parenting styles might influence adolescents' psychosocial health. In this qualitative study, we recruited 15 Chinese American adolescents aged 12-17 years in a southwest metropolitan area. We conducted two focus group interviews. Participants also filled out a brief questionnaire that included their socio-demographic information, immigration history and level of acculturation. Participants reported perceiving that parents had high expectations about academic performance and moral values. They also perceived stricter family rules regarding choices of friends compared with their non-Asian peers. Parents tended to be more protective of girls than of boys. Both Chinese American boys and girls reported poor or ineffective communication with their parents, which contributed to increased conflict between parents and adolescents and emotional distress of the adolescents. The findings provide evidence for nurses to develop linguistically and culturally tailored resources (e.g. parent support groups, programs aimed to improving parent-child communication) or connect these families with existing resources to enhance parenting skills and consequently reduce emotional distress of their adolescent children.

Segmentation of Chinese adolescent girls using gender roles and ideal female images

PurposeThis study aims to investigate dimensions related to the gender role and identity perceptions of adolescent girls in Hong Kong. It also aims to develop a typology based on the dimensions and to examine its ability to predict brand relationship variables.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of 355 Hong Kong female secondary school students aged 12 to 19 were asked to answer questions about gender roles and identities, ideal female images, and liking of global brands. A segmentation approach was employed to classify the respondents.FindingsFour distinct clusters of adolescent girls were identified and profiled. They were Middle of the roaders, Achievers, Conservatives, and Inactives.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the unique characteristics of the clusters and the similarities and differences among them can enhance the targeting of marketing communication to adolescent girls, including the selection of celebrity presenters and visual images.Originality/valueThis was the first study to segment Chinese adolescent girls using gender roles and ideal female images.

A single-nucleotide polymorphism rs708567 in the IL-17RC gene is associated with a susceptibility to and the curve severity of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in a Chinese Han population: a case-control study

BackgroundAlthough the pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) remains controversial, genetic factors are thought to play key roles in the development of AIS. In a recent genome-wide association study, a polymorphism in the interleukin-17 receptor C (IL-17RC) gene was reported to be associated with the susceptibility to AIS, implicating IL-17RC as a novel predisposing gene for AIS. However, as this association has not been replicated in other populations, its global applicability remains unclear.MethodsA total of 529 Chinese girls with AIS and 512 healthy age-matched controls were recruited in this case–control study from June 2007 to December 2009. Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis was performed to detect the genotype of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs708567 in the IL-17RC gene. Case–control and case-only studies were performed to determine the association between the IL-17RC gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to and curve severity of AIS.ResultsThe GG genotype and G allele frequencies were significantly higher in the AIS patients than in the controls (χ2 test: P = 0.023 and 0.028, respectively). The risk for the GG genotype is 1.550-fold (95% CI: 1.062 - 2.261) higher than the AG genotype, and the risk for the G allele is 1.507-fold (95% CI: 1.046 - 2.172) higher than the A allele. Additionally, a subgroup of skeletally mature AIS patients (n = 241) who carried the GG genotype showed a significantly higher mean maximum Cobb angle than those carrying the AG genotype (36.01 ± 13.12° vs. 28.92 ± 7.43°, P = 0.007).ConclusionsThis study confirms the significant association between the IL-17RC gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to and curve severity of AIS in a Chinese Han population, suggesting that the IL-17RC gene is an AIS-predisposing gene in Chinese Han population.

Outside the Paint: When Basketball Ruled at the Chinese Playground (review)

Reviewed by: Outside the Paint: When Basketball Ruled at the Chinese Playground Jason C. Chang (bio) Outside the Paint: When Basketball Ruled at the Chinese Playground, by Kathleen S. Yep. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2009. xiv + 199 pp. $27 cloth. ISBN 978-1-59213-942-2 Long before the summer of 2010, when Jeremy Lin became the first Chinese American of full East Asian ancestry to sign a contract with the National Basketball Association (NBA), Chinese played professional basketball in the United States, barnstorming across the country as members of the Hong Wah Kues, playing with the likes of the famed Harlem Globetrotters. This is just one of several little-known stories Kathleen S. Yep has excavated in her eminently readable and tidy book, Outside the Paint: When Basketball Ruled at the Chinese Playground. The book argues that during the interwar years working class Chinese American boys and girls in San Francisco's segregated Chinatown found freedom and space for creative expression on the basketball court, especially Chinatown's famed "Chinese Playground." Despite—or perhaps because of—their lack of access to resources (like uniforms) and their often smaller physical build (especially relative to their white opponents), these Chinese youths developed innovative ways of playing basketball that were not only ahead of their time but led them to multiple local and regional championships. For William Woo Wong (the subject of chapter 4), it even paved the way for play in New York's famed Madison Square Garden. Yep's larger argument is that in the face of racial oppression and enforced segregation, many of San Francisco's Chinese American youth were able to use sports to forge solidarities with their neighbors and find racial, gender, and class empowerment through excellence in the game of basketball. She subscribes to a theoretical approach to the sociology of sport that is cognizant of sports' dynamic social influence but eschews the more rigidly ideological approach to the field that casts sports as wholly reproductive of social inequality. Yep is centrally concerned with "highlight[ing] how sports are used to strengthen and, at the same time, challenge inequalities" (9). [End Page 233] Although Yep is a sociologist, her work "document[s] a hidden cultural history" through the use of a five chapter historical narrative that focuses on the various ways in which working class Chinese American boys and girls in San Francisco's Chinatown used basketball to "carve out space for themselves within the context of poverty, patriarchy, and racial segregation" (2, 3). Yep has chosen to focus on basketball both out of a personal love for the game, and because she believes "it reveals—more than any other sport—analytical nuances about socioeconomic class" (11). While I applaud the possibilities that might inhere in such a claim, I believe they are not thoroughly fleshed out in the book. The arguments Yep makes about resistance and social mobility afforded by success in basketball within a segregated racial and patriarchal community appear as though they would apply just as well to boxing and baseball, among other sports. I would like to have been persuaded by her argument about basketball's exceptionalism, but such a claim requires a more comparative approach, which the book does not offer. Yep's work straddles several disciplines, particularly sociology, ethnic studies, and history, and consequently she has put together an impressive methodology and unique set of primary sources to make her argument. In addition to conducting thirty-four interviews with people who participated in the vibrant basketball culture of San Francisco's Chinatown in the interwar years, Yep relies on publications in both the mainstream and ethnic press, government documents, personal papers, and various basketball ephemera dating to the time of her study—including many vivid broadsides reproduced in the book. Yep is clearly an assiduous researcher, and the book's footnotes thorough, but some historians may find the amount of evidence used to make larger claims a little thin. For instance, chapter 3, "The Mei Wahs Knew How to Use Their Elbows and Push," is unconvincing in its suggestion that there existed a causal relation between the Mei Wahs' working class background and their scrappy style of play. It is...

Adopted Chinese Girls’ Character Strengths from Preschool to School Age: A Longitudinal Exploratory Study

In an effort to understand human strength and resilience and promote positive individual traits across the lifespan, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) called for the study of strengths and virtues. Brainstorming among leading positive psychologists, analyzing themes from a multitude of sources on positive character and virtues, and empirical investigations were subsequently carried out to create a framework known as the Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues. This served as a new common vocabulary for discussing good character (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). According to Peterson and Seligman (2004), the VIA includes 24 character strengths categorized under six more broadly defined virtues, which were considered core characteristics that have been valued by moral philosophers and religious thinkers.The character strengths are positive individual traits, psychological processes or mechanisms that are the distinguishable routes to displaying one or another of the (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; p. 13). Character strengths and virtues as proposed by the VIA serve to scientifically identify aspects of one's good Individuals will have different combinations of specific character strengths and virtues that make up the overall profile of their character. A number of studies have since established that these 24 universal character strengths manifest themselves across different cultures (e.g., Biswas-Diener, 2006; Dahlsgaard, Peterson, & Seligman, 2005; Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2006). However, most research involved adult samples (e.g., Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2004; Shiman, Otake, Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2006), with fewer studies focusing on the character strengths of youth (e.g., Park & Peterson, 2006a), and even less on young children (Park & Peterson, 2006b). Understanding the early development of character strength and factors that influence its development may have implications for fostering resilience, especially among children who might be at-risk for suboptimal development due to unfavorable earlier experiences (e.g., orphanage care). The current study explored the change and continuity of character strengths and virtues among girls who were adopted from China by families in the U.S. or Canada. These girls had previously lived in Chinese orphanages for a period of time. We applied the VIA framework to help identify the adopted Chinese girls' character strengths and virtues development from preschool to school age. Our exploratory inquiry aimed to address three questions:* What character strengths do parents report about their adopted Chinese children when their children are at preschool-age and early school-age?* To what extent do adopted Chinese children's character strengths change from preschool-age to early school-age?* What is the relationship between parent, child, and/or family variables and the adopted Chinese children's character strengths at preschool age and early school age?Character Strengths in ChildrenThe development of Values in Action (VIA) Classification has led to the identification of children's character strengths. For instance, Park and Peterson (2006b) found that for children 3-9 years of age, the top 5 character strengths were Love, Creativity, Humor, Curiosity and Kindness. They also reported that for 10-17 year olds, the top 5 character strengths were Love, Creativity, Teamwork, Gratitude, and Humor (e.g., Park & Peterson, 2006a). For children under 10 years of age, researchers have usually relied on parent reports to obtain data on the children's character strengths. As can been seen from the two studies described above, there are both differences and similarities in character strength between children in the two age groups. This might reflect both change and continuity that are typical in childhood development (Rutter & Rutter, 1993). To gain a better understanding of developmental differences and similarities over time, however, Park and Peterson (2006a; 2006b) called for studies to closely examine the development of character strengths longitudinally as a means of addressing the limitations of extant cross-sectional results. …

Translation and validation of the Chinese-Cantonese version of the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale

BackgroundEffective self-care is important in the management of dysmenorrhea. Yet measures of adolescents’ capabilities or self-care agency to exercise self-care to cope with dysmenorrhea are limited in the Chinese population. ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to translate the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale (ESCAS) from English into Chinese-Cantonese, and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the Chinese adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea. MethodsThis study consisted of three phases. In phase 1, the ESCAS was translated into Chinese-Cantonese using Brislin's (1986) translation and back-translation method, the semantic equivalence and content validity were assessed. In phase 2, a cross-over design was used to assess the translation adequacy of the Chinese-Cantonese version. In phase 3, the psychometric properties of the Chinese-Cantonese version were tested with a convenience sample of 477 adolescent girls recruited from three secondary schools. The reliability was assessed by internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis. ResultsThe semantic equivalence and content validity index of the Chinese-Cantonese version of ESCAS was satisfactory. Results also indicated that the Chinese-Cantonese version had a high level of equivalence with the original English version and demonstrated a high internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Exploratory factor analysis revealed the presence of four factors supporting the conceptual dimension of the original instrument. ConclusionThe current study provides initial psychometric properties of the Chinese-Cantonese version of the ESCAS and supports it as a reliable and valid instrument to measure self-care agency in adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea. It provides health care professionals with a useful tool to assess the extent to which adolescent girls take action towards their problem of dysmenorrhea.

Comparison of Sagittal Spinopelvic Alignment in Chinese Adolescents With and Without Idiopathic Thoracic Scoliosis

A retrospective radiographical study investigated the sagittal alignment in healthy Chinese girls and Chinese girls with idiopathic thoracic scoliosis (T-AIS). To evaluate the sagittal alignment of the pelvis and spine in Chinese girls with idiopathic scoliosis and healthy girls and to assess whether the pelvic morphology differed between white and Chinese girls with AIS. It has been shown that patients with AIS have an abnormal spinopelvic balance and pelvic morphology. Race is a determinant factor of sagittal spinal alignment and serves as a reminder when planning surgical reconstruction for spinal deformity. Until now, there have been no studies documenting the sagittal lumbosacral spine morphology in Chinese girls with T-AIS. In this study, 95 patients with T-AIS and 33 healthy age-matched adolescents were recruited consecutively. Sagittal spinal and pelvic parameters were measured from the standing lateral radiograph, including thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), upper arc of LL, lower arc of LL, pelvic incidence (PI), sacrum slope (SS), and pelvic tilt (PT). Analysis of variance was used in the comparison of each dependent variable between patients with AIS and healthy adolescents. The relations between all parameters were determined via Pearson correlation coefficient (r). For all the sagittal parameters, only the TK and the upper arc of the LL showed significant differences between girls with AIS and healthy girls. The LL, lower arc of the LL, and 3 pelvic parameters were similar for both groups. The TK was found to be strongly correlated with LL and the upper arc of the LL in both groups. However, the TK was not related to the lower arc of the LL, nor were the 3 pelvic parameters in either group. In addition, LL was found to be associated with PI and SS in both groups. The lower arc of the LL was also correlated with PI for both groups. The PI was related to PT and SS in both groups; however, no correlation was found between PT and SS. In this study, the TK (15.7°), SS (35.1°), and PI (44.2°) were found to be significantly lower in Chinese patients with T-AIS than the values reported in the AIS cohort. In our study, the Chinese girls with T-AIS had similar PI, PT, and SS values when compared with the age-matched healthy girls. There were significant differences in pelvic morphology between Chinese and white girls with AIS. These results suggest that race may influence an individual's spinopelvic morphology. Although we have shown that the TK could affect LL through the upper arc of the LL directly, the evaluation of the thoracolumbar morphology of T-AIS before surgery is important for surgical planning.

Adopted Chinese girls come of age: Feelings about adoption, ethnic identity, academic functioning, and global self-esteem

Abstract Developmentally salient constructs (e.g., adoption, ethnicity and competence) play important roles in trans-racial adoptees' self-esteem during adolescence. Understanding how adoptees' feelings about adoption, ethnic socialization and academic functioning are related to their self-esteem may help foster resilience in this population. The current study included 234 adopted Chinese youth (95.7% female; Mean age: 13.6 years), 97.4% of whom were raised in families where one or both parents were White. The adoptees' feelings about adoption was assessed with the Adoption Dynamics Questionnaire (ADQ), their ethnic socialization was assessed with the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and the Ethnic Marginality subscale from the Belongingness and Ethnic Identity scale, their academic functioning was assessed with the Academic Functioning subscale adapted from the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), and finally their global self-esteem was assessed with the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale (RSE). Simple correlations showed that scores of all scales were significantly correlated with global self-esteem score. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed that the ethnic labels that the adoptees used to describe their ethnicity did not differentiate their global self-esteem scores. Regression analyses revealed that positive affect towards adoption, ethnic identity affirmation, ethnic marginality, academic functioning, and an interaction between positive affect towards adoption and ethnic marginality significantly predicted global self-esteem ( R 2 = 36.45%).

Self-care management of menstrual pain among Chinese adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate the self-care management for menstrual pain among Chinese adolescent girls. 531 girls reported menstrual pain in their past 3 cycles were asked to recall the pain severity and their self-care behaviors by rating the Visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhic Self-Care Scale (ADSCS). Any pharmacological self-management was recorded using an open-ended question. The ADSCS was developed in Taiwan based upon Orem's self-care deficit theory. It consists of 40 items rated on a 1-6 Likert scale that measure six aspects of self-care behavior with higher values indicating a higher level of self-care behavior being practiced.