Parental Education Status Research Articles

Assertiveness and Academic Achievement Motivation of Adolescent Students in Selected Secondary Schools of Harari Peoples Regional State, Ethiopia

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between assertiveness and academic achievement motivation of adolescent students in selected secondary schools of Harari Peoples Regional State among a sample of 332 (145 males and 187 females). Data were collected through the twenty-four-item of academic achievement motivation (AAM) inventory with four-point rating scale that was adapted from previous versions and scales for assessing Assertive Behaviour a thirty-item instrument with six-point rating scale ranging from (+3, very characteristic of me to -3, very uncharacteristic of me) that was adapted from previous research. Data were analyzed employing a blend of both descriptive and inferential statistical methods that successively conducted to examine the level of assertive behavior employing one-sample mean test and combined effects of independent variables on dependent variable (academic achievement motivation) were made employing regression analysis. Findings indicated that; Harari peoples regional state adolescent student’s participated in present study were scored low on the assertiveness; male adolescents were found to be better in their levels of assertiveness than their female adolescent counterparts. With pertaining to the relationship between assertiveness and academic achievement motivation was concerned, there was a statistically significant positive relationship between them. Additionally, it was found that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between parental educational status and assertiveness. Unlike assertiveness and parental educational status, sex appeared to be a less important factor in explaining adolescents’ academic achievement motivation. Attempts were made to explain findings within the existing ecological and socio-cultural practices of the study area. Recommendations were also suggested as to how to properly address the gaps noted in this research.

Study on Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge and Practice Regarding Prevention of Urinary Tract Infection among Adolescent Girls at Selected Schools in Udaipur (Rajasthan)

Background: Urinary tract infection is one of the most common types of infection, accounting 25% of all infection. UTIs are much more common in women than in men. Urinary tract infection during adolescence is related to many factors like low water intake, infrequent voiding and poor menstrual and sexual hygiene. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of planned teaching programmed on knowledge and practices regarding prevention of UTI Material and Method: A true-experimental design is undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness planned teaching programme on knowledge and practice regarding prevention of UTI. The study consisted of 100 adolescent girls, 50 in each experimental and control group who were selected with two stage cluster sampling technique. The structured knowledge questionnaire and structured practices questionnaire were used to collect data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Findings: The findings reveal that majority of adolescent girls (49%) belonged to the age group of 15-16 years and were Hindu (50%). The mean pre-test knowledge score was in experimental group 12.04±3.29 and control group11.38±3.28 respectively while the mean pre-test practice score was in experimental group 12.94±2.85 and control group11.82±2.48 respectively. The level of knowledge and practice regarding prevention of UTI of subjects who were exposed to PTP was significantly better than that of the control group at 0.05 level of significance. However, there is positive correlation between pretest knowledge and practice scores of adolescent girls in both groups. Pretest level of knowledge of adolescent girls and place of residence whereas, practice and educational status of parents was significantly associated. Conclusion: The results of the study concluded that the knowledge and practice of adolescent girls could be improved by providing PTP.

Quality of Life Is Influenced by Body Weight, Education, and Family Income in Adolescents with Chronic Diseases.

Objective To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adolescents diagnosed with different chronic conditions and to identify demographic, socioeconomic, and health-status outcomes associated with the impairment in HRQoL. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Methods We evaluated 276 adolescents (50.7% male) aged 14 ± 2 years that were assisted by healthcare public service and diagnosed with cancer (CA), type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1), overweight (OW), asthma (AS), and no chronic health condition—control group (CG). Adolescents and parent-proxy completed age-appropriate self-report and/or parent-proxy report on generic HRQoL measures using PedsQL™. Results Adolescents with CA had lower overall HRQoL as well as poorer scores in all dimensions than either healthy participants or other chronic disease sufferers. HRQoL scores reported by parent-proxy were similar to those reported by adolescents across all chronic diseases. CG members reported better scores in all dimensions. Maternal education, family income, and marital status of parents were correlated with HRQoL scores in all dimensions. The risk of having an affected HRQoL score was higher in adolescents with CA than in adolescents with other chronic diseases. Conclusions The likelihood of cancer affecting HRQoL was higher when compared to other chronic diseases, and the OW group had a worse overall score compared to CG. Adolescents with CA, AS, and OW reported worse school dimensions when compared to healthy adolescents. The education of adolescents and their parent-proxy, body weight, and family income influence the dimensions of HRQoL in adolescents with chronic diseases.

A multidimensional measure of social origin: theoretical perspectives, operationalization and empirical application in the field of educational inequality research

This article describes the theoretical reasons and empirical operationalization of a multidimensional social origin measure. It is assumed that different parental resources are linked to social inequality through distinct mechanisms. This social origin variable can be used for the analysis of status inconsistencies as well as cumulating and compensating effects of social origin resources on inequality of opportunity. The proposed measure is easy to operationalize and to apply in cross-sectional, longitudinal or cross-national research. A great methodological advantage of the proposed origin measure is that it avoids the problem of multicollinearity that is prevalent in analyses that include various parental resources as separate covariates into a statistical model. To illustrate this social origin measure, we apply it to the field of educational inequality research and use data from the National Educational Panel Study in Germany. However, the approach can be easily generalized to other sociological or economic studies where social inequality is of interest (such as labor market, demographic, political, migration or ethnic research). The illustrative example combines the information of three family resources (parental education, parental class and parental status), but it can be extended to include further family resources such as income or wealth measures.

Prospective association between childhood abuse experiences and depressive symptoms in adolescence

Objective: To evaluate the prospective association between childhood abuse experiences and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Methods: Students in grade 3 and 4 from three primary schools were selected, with informed consent, through convenience cluster sampling in Bengbu, Anhui province in May 2013. The students' body height, weight were assessed. Childhood abuse experiences including emotional, physical or sexual abuses, as well as depressive symptoms were reported by children themselves. Data on parental educational background and household economic status were collected through parent questionnaire. A follow up was conducted 4 years later after baseline survey. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by using Children's Depression Inventory at baseline survey, and by using Mood and Feeling Questionnaire at follow-up. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between childhood abuse experiences and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Results: A total of 1 172 students were included in baseline survey, and a follow-up was conducted for 87.1% of them (n=1 021). Among 1 126 students with complete information on childhood abuse experiences at baseline survey, the reported rates of physical, emotional and sexual abuses were 12.8% (144/1 126), 11.1% (125/1 126) and 10.9% (123/1 126), respectively. The prevalence of depressive symptoms at baseline survey and follow-up was 7.0% (82/1 172) and 12.3% (126/1 021), respectively. After adjusted for baseline depressive symptoms, age at follow-up, sex, the only-child in family, household economic status, divorce of parents and BMI, childhood emotional and physical abuse experiences were significant risk factors for depressive symptoms in mid-adolescence, with the ORs were 1.86 (95%CI: 1.03-3.36, P=0.039) and 2.37 (95%CI: 1.39-4.03, P=0.001), respectively. Conclusion: Childhood physical and emotional abuse might increase the risk of depressive symptoms in adolescence.

Academic Achievement and Drug Abuse Risk Assessed Using Instrumental Variable Analysis and Co-relative Designs

Low academic achievement (AA) in childhood and adolescence is associated with increased substance use. Empirical evidence, using longitudinal epidemiologic data, may provide support for interventions to improve AA as a means to reduce risk of drug abuse (DA). To clarify the nature of the association between adolescent AA and risk of DA by using instrumental variable and co-relative analysis designs. This study, assessing nationwide data from individuals born in Sweden between 1971 and 1982, used instrumental variable and co-relative analyses of the association between AA and DA. The instrument was month of birth. Co-relative analyses were conducted in pairs of cousins (263 222 pairs), full siblings (154 295), and monozygotic twins (1623) discordant for AA, with raw results fitted to a genetic model. The AA-DA association was modeled using Cox regression. Data analysis was conducted from October 2017 to January 2018. Academic achievement assessed at 16 years of age (for instrumental variable analyses), and estimated discordance in AA in pairs of monozygotic twins (for co-relative analyses). Drug abuse registration in national medical, criminal, or pharmacy registries. This instrumental variable analysis included 934 462 participants (478 341 males and 456 121 females) with a mean (SD) age of 34.7 (4.3) years at a mean follow-up of 19 years. Earlier month of birth was associated with a linear effect on AA, with the regression coefficient per month equaling -0.0225 SDs (95% CI, -0.0231 to -0.0219). Controlling for AA, month of birth had no association with risk of DA (hazard ratio [HR], 1.000; 95% CI, 0.997-1.004). Lower AA had a significant association with risk of subsequent DA registration (HR per SD, 2.33; 95% CI, 2.30-2.35). Instrumental variable analysis produced a substantial but modestly attenuated association (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.75-2.33). Controlling for modest associations between month of birth and parental educational status and DA risk reduced the association to a HR of 1.92 (95% CI, 1.67-2.22). The genetic model applied to the results of co-relative analyses fitted the observed data well and estimated the AA-DA association in monozygotic twins discordant for AA to equal a HR of 1.79 (95% CI, 1.64-1.92). Two different methodological approaches with divergent assumptions both produced results consistent with the hypothesis that the significant association observed between AA at 16 years of age and risk of DA into middle adulthood may be causal. These results provide empirical support for efforts to improve AA as a means to reduce risk of DA.

What is causing high polio vaccine dropout among Pakistani children?

Although the antipolio drive is undertaken across Pakistan, there are still children who have not received any oral polio vaccine or are unable to complete recommended doses of polio vaccine. This study aims at empirically analyzing the associated factors with the no oral polio vaccination (OPV) and OPV dropout groups of children in Pakistan. This is a cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from the three waves of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey of children aged between 12 and 23 months (1990-1991: n=1214; 2006-2007: n=1522; 2012-2013: n=2074). Children who received no OPV and those who drop out of polio vaccination (OPV1-OPV3) were considered as outcome variables. The bivariate relationship of outcome variable with each socio-economic, demographic, and spatial variable is estimated with a P-value of <0.01. For both no OPV and OPV dropout children, we used logistic regression analysis separately. The percentage of children aged 12-23 months who dropped out of OPV1-OPV3 vaccination was about 76% in the year 1990-1991; 21% in 2006-2007, and 17.5% in 2012-2013 at the national level. Among all indicators, provinces, rural versus urban residence, the mother's age at marriage, the child's birth place (home versus hospital), parental education, and household wealth status are significant predictors of no OPV and/or OPV dropout in Pakistan. Among provinces, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and Sindh are the lagging provinces. Improving the socio-economic status of women helps decrease the chance of polio dropout and thus improves service delivery and program implementation.

Primary school achievement and socioeconomic attainment in individuals affected by parental cancer in childhood or adolescence: a Danish nationwide register-based study

BackgroundChildren who experience parental cancer are at increased risk of developing emotional, social, cognitive and behavioural problems. Our aim was to investigate how experience of parental cancer in childhood or...

Parental education, gender preferences and child nutritional status in Peru

ABSTRACTThis paper examines whether the distribution of bargaining power between parents affects nutritional indicators in the early stages of a child’s life, giving evidence that the allocation of household resources varies by the gender of the child and the parents. After accounting for the potential endogeneity of the indicator of power distribution within the household, related to assortative mating in the marriage market, this paper shows that maternal power is more positively associated with girls’ nutrition than boys’. Among households located in rural areas, resource allocation between girls and boys seems to differ. Similarly, some evidence of competition for household resources affecting girls’ nutrition is found.

Diet as a moderator in the association of sedentary behaviors with inflammatory biomarkers among adolescents in the HELENA study.

To assess if a healthy diet might attenuate the positive sedentary-inflammation relation, whereas an unhealthy diet may increase the effect of sedentary behaviors on inflammatory biomarkers. In 618 adolescents (13-17years) of the European HELENA study, data were available on body composition, a set of inflammation markers, and food intake assessed by a self-administered computerized 24h dietary recall for 2days. A 9-point Mediterranean diet score and an antioxidant-rich diet z-score were used as dietary indices and tested as moderators. A set of low-grade inflammatory characteristics was used as outcome: several cytokines in an inflammatory ratio (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, TGFβ-1), C-reactive protein, three cell-adhesion molecules (sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, sE-selectin), three cardiovascular risk markers (GGT, ALT, homocysteine) and three immune cell types (white blood cells, lymphocytes, CD3). Sedentary behaviors were self-reported and analyzed as total screen time. Multiple linear regression analyses tested moderation by diet in the sedentary behaviors-inflammation association adjusted for age, sex, country, adiposity (sum of six skinfolds), parental education, and socio-economic status. Both diet scores, Mediterranean and antioxidant-rich diet, were significant protective moderators in the effect of sedentary behaviors on alanine-transaminase enzyme (P = 0.014; P = 0.027), and on the pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine ratio (P = 0.001; P = 0.004), but not on other inflammatory parameters. A higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet or an antioxidant-rich diet may attenuate the onset of oxidative stress signs associated by sedentary behaviors, whereas a poor diet seems to increase inflammation.

Inequality in risk of cerebral palsy by parental educational status–A population-based cohort study with sibling analysis

Introduction Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of physical disability in children, affecting about 2 per 1000 live-born. In a registry-based study in Norway and Denmark using a cohort design, we found that the risk of having a child with CP decreases with higher parental education. This inverse association may reflect a causal effect of higher education on risk of CP in the child through lifestyle factors and health behaviors. However, the observed association could also be due to confounding from unobserved family-level factors including genetic factors or childhood socioeconomic status of the parents. By using a sibling case-control design comparing the association within pairs of full siblings discordant on CP status it is possible to hold constant some of the unobserved factors that are shared between siblings. By comparing results from a cohort design with results from a sibling case-control design, we aim to investigate whether such familial confounding influences the association between parental education and the risk of CP in the child. Methods The full study cohort includes 1275,819 children who survived the first year of life, registered in the Danish Medical Birth Registry (MBR) during 1981–2007. The sibling case-control cohort includes 2891 full-sibling pairs discordant on CP status. Information on parents’ highest attained education in the year before delivery was retrieved from Statistics Denmark, while CP status originated from the Danish Cerebral Palsy Registry. The association between parental educational attainment and risk of CP in the child will be estimated using logistic regression with cluster robust standard error in the full cohort and a conditional logistic regression model in the sibling case-control cohort, adjusting for year of delivery and parental age. Results Preliminary analyses show that the risk of CP in the child decreases with increasing maternal education both in the cohort analyses and in the sibling case-control analyses. Compared to mothers with only primary or lower secondary education, mothers with higher education had lower odds of having a child with CP (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66–0.82 in the cohort analysis and aOR 0.54, 95% CI 0.29–0.99 in the sibling case-control analysis). A similar association was found for fathers (aOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.63–0.80 in cohort analyses and aOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.33–1.74 in sibling-case control analyses). Additional adjustment for parity had practical no impact on the results. Conclusions Our results may indicate that the observed inverse association between parental education and risk of CP in the child is not entirely attributable to factors unobserved family-level factors shared between siblings. There is a wide range of possible underlying causal mechanisms, at least some of which seem potentially preventable and should be further explored.

Study on parental perception and approach regarding community acquired pneumonia in preschool children from Romania

Introduction. Community acquired pneumonia is a common disease that accounts for 16% of all deaths in children aged 5 years or younger. The purpose of the study was to identify potential modifiable factors in relation with parental perception of pneumonia management in children. Outlining such factors would allow development of approaches in order to reduce pneumonia-associated morbidity. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 25th and 27th August 2016. It consisted in distributing a Google Form to parents of children aged between 4 months and 5 years via online social platforms. The questionnaire was structured in 5 sections with 26 questions. Data collection and statistical analysis were done using Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet. Results. 1083 parental answers were received and analyzed. Regarding vaccinal status we received following data: 973 (89.8%) children were vaccinated according to Romanian Ministry of Health Schedule and 90 children are incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated. 378 children were never breastfed or exclusively breastfed for less than 4 months. 32% (352) were complementary fed before the age of 4 months and 19% (201) after 6 months. 46.91% (508) of children had experienced in the past Acute Respiratory Tract Infections and 42.41% (215) of them were admitted. The most frequent two symptoms that would cause parents to generate an unscheduled ED visit were fever [in 47.83% (518)] and cough [in 19.58% (212)]. 38.87% (421) of respondents gave their child medication without physician’s advice and 61.3% (358) used analgesics and antipyretics. Pneumonia has been recognized as a serious illness, potentially life threatening, by 69.07% (748) of parents. Discussion. There is evidence of correlation between morbidity and mortality in childhood pneumonia and parental educational and socio-economic status. Aim of our study was to explore other factors that impact parental perception, in this era of significant changes in social behavior and communication. Conclusion. The decrease in the vaccine coverage rate in Romania (89% in this group selected by patients with access to Social Media) led to a decrease below the threshold for maintaining herd immunity. Romanian parents responding to this questionnaire achieved a good score in symptom recognition and severity assessment of pneumonia. A large number of respondents surveyed in a short time is an indicator of parental desire to be informed and involved in decision-making. This recent change in parental behavior in our country could generate alternatives to existing educational strategies. Developing medical information platforms for Social Media, translated in local language, could impact parental perception and child pneumonia morbidity in our country.

Early Childhood Education and Later Educational Attainment and Socioeconomic Wellbeing Outcomes to Age 30

This paper examines the associations between attendance at early childhood education (ECE) and longer-term academic attainment and socioeconomic wellbeing in a New Zealand birth cohort studied to age 30. Nearly 95% of the cohort had attended ECE by age 5. After adjustment for family background and child characteristics, results showed statistically significant trends for increasing duration of ECE attendance to be associated with: greater attainment of high school and university qualifications and higher adult socioeconomic wellbeing (income, employment, occupational status); effect size estimates were small to moderate. No evidence was found for differential effects of ECE attendance across subgroups defined by child: ethnicity, gender, parental education or socioeconomic status. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The role of social determinants of health in the risk and prevention of group A streptococcal infection, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: A systematic review.

BackgroundRheumatic heart disease (RHD) poses a major disease burden among disadvantaged populations globally. It results from acute rheumatic fever (ARF), a complication of Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection. These conditions are acknowledged as diseases of poverty, however the role of specific social and environmental factors in GAS infection and progression to ARF/RHD is not well understood. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the association between social determinants of health and GAS infection, ARF and RHD, and the effect of interventions targeting these.MethodologyWe conducted a systematic literature review using PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase. Observational and experimental studies that measured: crowding, dwelling characteristics, education, employment, income, nutrition, or socioeconomic status and the relationship with GAS infection, ARF or RHD were included. Findings for each factor were assessed against the Bradford Hill criteria for evidence of causation. Study quality was assessed using a standardised tool.Principle findings1,164 publications were identified. 90 met inclusion criteria, comprising 91 individual studies. 49 (50.5%) were poor quality in relation to the specific study question. The proportion of studies reporting significant associations between socioeconomic determinants and risk of GAS infection was 57.1%, and with ARF/RHD was 50%. Crowding was the most assessed factor (14 studies with GAS infection, 36 studies with ARF/RHD) followed by socioeconomic status (6 and 36 respectively). The majority of studies assessing crowding, dwelling characteristics, education and employment status of parents or cases, and nutrition, reported a positive association with risk of GAS infection, ARF or RHD. Crowding and socioeconomic status satisfactorily met the criteria of a causal association. There was substantial heterogeneity across all key study aspects.ConclusionThe extensive literature examining the role of social determinants in GAS infection, ARF and RHD risk lacks quality. Most were observational, not interventional. Crowding as a cause of GAS infection and ARF/RHD presents a practical target for prevention actions.

Utilization of Physical Therapy Services During Transition for Young People With Cerebral Palsy: A Call for Improved Care Into Adulthood.

Many young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) face limited participation in activities, including employment and independent living. Physical therapy during the transition period can help to support participation through promotion of self-care, ambulation, and functional mobility. Thus, ensuring appropriate access to physical therapy services for young people who can benefit from them before, during, and after transition is imperative. The objective of this study was to identify factors contributing to the utilization of physical therapy services for youth with CP both during and after secondary school. The design was a deidentified secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2). Multivariate regression models were run to examine demographic and disability characteristics influencing utilization of physical therapy services for youth with CP both during and after secondary school. The total weighted population sample included 35,290 young people with CP. When all youth were in secondary school, 59.4% of the youth utilized physical therapy services; however, once all youth were out of school, only 33.7% of them were reported to have utilized physical therapy since leaving secondary school. For young people with difficulties accessing general disability support services, demographic characteristics, including sex, race, income, and parent education status, influenced use of physical therapy services in addition to disability characteristics. This population sample included only young people in special education with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and may not generalize to young people with CP in general education settings. Frequency of physical therapy services decreases drastically once young adults with CP leave secondary school. Future work should examine this trend in more depth to identify therapy intervention strategies to optimize participation in young adult life for persons with CP.

ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN AT TWO SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTERS (SBHCS): A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Abstract BACKGROUND The number of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in Canada has been on the rise over the past three decades. Evidence suggests that children with ADHD dealing with risk factors, such as poverty and prolonged wait-times are more likely to have poorer outcomes due to challenges in accessing healthcare services. Schools are ideal for the early identification of children with ADHD, as they are often the setting in which attention and behavioural issues come to light. School-Based Health Centres (SBHCs) are embedded within the school system and are an ideal entry point for children with ADHD into the healthcare system. OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence of ADHD and as well as demographic characteristics and time to assessment of children at two inner-city SBHCs in Toronto. DESIGN/METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed on 869 children from November 2010- March 2016 from two SBHCs. Frequency measures were used to determine the proportion of children that received a new diagnosis of ADHD. Within this population, the patient’s age, gender, ethnicity, parental income, home arrangement, parental education and newcomer status were described. Diagnostic wait-times within the SBHC were calculated using two specific data points – a child’s first clinic visit data and the clinic date they saw a general paediatrician, who would provide the ADHD diagnosis. RESULTS Of the 869 children, 9.6% of children received a new diagnosis of ADHD. The mean age of diagnosis was 7.6 years and 80% of the children were male. 74.6% of children’s families identified them as an ethnicity other than white. 60.2% of the patients’ household income was &lt;$30,000/year. 44.5% of the families were composed of single-parent households. 52.8% of the patients’ mothers and 47.6% of fathers had completed a high school level of education or less. 34% of the children were not born in Canada, and of those, 57% had been in the country for only 0–3 years. The average wait time for a child to see a general paediatrician for a developmental assessment from initial visit date was 62.3 days. CONCLUSION The prevalence of ADHD at 2 SBHCs was higher than that reported in the general population. A number of barriers to health care access were identified in this cohort of children including low income, single parent homes and newcomer status. SBHCs serve as an accessible health care model that can provide timely diagnosis and management to vulnerable children with ADHD which may improve outcomes.

State of deaf children in West Bengal, India: What can be done to improve outcome

ObjectivePrelingual deafness in children demands urgent action as best outcome is dependent on earliest possible diagnosis and intervention. Objective of this study was to determine age of suspicion, diagnosis, intervention, and outcome in a representative group of deaf children in West Bengal, India, and suggest ways of improving these parameters. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, ages of suspicion, diagnosis, intervention and outcome of 303 randomly selected deaf children were elicited from a cohort of 1316 children with deafness identified in an earlier study. ResultsMedian ages of suspicion, diagnosis and amplification were 18, 72 and 84 months respectively. Age of suspicion was significantly related to parental education (p < 0.05); age of diagnosis to parental education and socio-economic status (p < 0.001) and children's geographic location (p < 0.01). Following diagnosis, 86% of children received hearing aids but only 6% used their aids consistently; 86% were non-verbal, 12% could communicate with a mixture of speech and gesture and only 2% with speech alone. ConclusionCurrent situation of deaf children in West Bengal, and evidence indicates, in much of India, is insupportable. However, widely diverse socio-economic conditions and scarcity of public health infrastructure preclude one solution of the problem for the whole country. In absence of the ideal universal newborn hearing screening, rigorously monitored and costed pilot programs of different models of early detection and intervention using newborn hearing screening, targeted screening and trial of calibrated noisemakers by primary care workers should be tried to see which works best where, so that successful programs can be scaled up over time.

Neke sociodemografske varijable i školsko samopoimanje mladih

A group of 243 adolescents were investigated in order to establish the general and specific school self-evaluation. The following socio-demographic facts were collected: sex, permanent residence, educational status of parents and the professional direction in schooling. Correlation of the socio-demographic variable and the obtainted measures of school self-evolution gave coefficients that inicated a weak tie between the variables.

Nutrition Knowledge and Attitude Change of Students Studying in State and Private Secondary Schools

The aim of this study is to analyse the changes in nutrition knowledge and attitudes of secondary school students depending on certain socio-demographic factors. The universe of the study is composed of 521 students, including 142 female and 379 male students studying in the secondary school and the sampling group in Konya province private and state central secondary education schools. The "Nutrition Knowledge and Attitude Scale", developed by Ertürk (2010), was used for nutrition attitude and knowledge and personal information form to acquire socio-demographic information. Descriptive statistics of the data were made, variance and homogeneity were tested, independent sample t test was used for binary comparisons, One Way Anowa was utilized for multiple comparisons, and Tukey test was benefitted to determine difference sources. Nutrition knowledge of students in state schools was found to be lower than that of students in private schools and this gap was identified to be statistically significant (P &lt;0.05). Nutritional knowledge and attitudes of female students were determined to be higher than males’ and this difference was found to be statistically significant (P &lt;0.05). Nutritional knowledge and attitudes of students who received elective nutrition classes were found to be higher than those who did not have nutrition classes and this change was again found to be statistically significant (P &lt;0.05). The number of siblings and education status of parents were found to be statistically significant variants (P &lt;0.05). As a result, the high level of nutrition knowledge and attitudes of female students compared to male students, the status and role of cultural transfer and social structure featured on male and female can be seen as the reason for that matter. It can be said that taking a nutrition class has a positive influence on nutrition knowledge and attitude, and that private school students have more nutrition knowledge yet similar nutrition attitudes with those in state schools.

The Relation between the Awareness Level of Writing Strategies and Writing Self-Efficacy

Although language is a communicational system which is based on two fundamental language skills; internal and external, it is one of the external/productive language skills together with speaking that requires a certain civilization level for a society. Writing is a tool that transfers every kind of message, dialogue, emotion, desire to stones, tablets, papyrus and finally on paper through symbols that are the result of reaching a certain level of civilization. While writing strategies enable a type of cognitive monitoring mechanism to operate; writing self-efficacy meets the need of belief regarding managing, achieving before deeds regarding performance. The purpose of this research is to determine the relation between the awareness level of writing strategies and writing self-efficacy of the secondary school students. The population of the research consists of secondary school students and the sample consists of 671 students from 5, 6, 7 and 8th grade students of four secondary schools, which were chosen from every educational region in the city of Aksaray in Turkey through simple random sampling method. Within the analysis of the data independent group t test was used in terms of gender variable; and variance analysis was used in terms of grade, parental education status, and duration for reading books, watching television, and the use of internet. In order to determine the relation between the two variables Pearson correlation coefficient and for the determination of the predicting level between these two variables, simple linear regression analysis were used. As a result of the study it was seen that both the writing strategies awareness level and the self-efficacy of the female students were higher; as the grade increases, as the parental education status decreases, as the duration for daily book reading decreases and the time for watching television increases the writing strategies awareness levels of the students and their writing self-efficacies decrease. However the time for internet use did not reflect in a negative way. In addition in the research it was determined that writing strategies awareness level is a significant predictor of writing self-efficacy.