Child's Environment Research Articles

Social and Structural Drivers of Health and Transition to Adult Care.

Youth with chronic health conditions experience challenges during their transition to adult care. Those with marginalized identities likely experience further disparities in care as they navigate structural barriers throughout transition. This scoping review aims to identify the social and structural drivers of health (SSDOH) associated with outcomes for youth transitioning to adult care, particularly those who experience structural marginalization, including Black, Indigenous, and 2-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and others youth. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from earliest available date to May 2022. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts, followed by full-text. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Primary research studying the association between SSDOH and transition outcomes were included. SSDOH were subcategorized as social drivers, structural drivers, and demographic characteristics. Transition outcomes were classified into themes. Associations between SSDOH and outcomes were assessed according to their statistical significance and were categorized into significant (P < .05), nonsignificant (P > .05), and unclear significance. 101 studies were included, identifying 12 social drivers (childhood environment, income, education, employment, health literacy, insurance, geographic location, language, immigration, food security, psychosocial stressors, and stigma) and 5 demographic characteristics (race and ethnicity, gender, illness type, illness severity, and comorbidity). No structural drivers were studied. Gender was significantly associated with communication, quality of life, transfer satisfaction, transfer completion, and transfer timing, and race and ethnicity with appointment keeping and transfer completion. Studies were heterogeneous and a meta-analysis was not possible. Gender and race and ethnicity are associated with inequities in transition outcomes. Understanding these associations is crucial in informing transition interventions and mitigating health inequities.

Tantangan Guru dalam Meningkatkan Nilai Moral Siswa Generasi Z: Studi kasus Bullying di Sekolah Dasar

21st century humans as thinking creatures elaborate the phenomenon of technological progress as a whole by balancing the elements within it. The abilities that need to be possessed to balance knowledge with 21st century skills are life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, technology and information media skills. Generation Z is a lifestyle technology generation whose globalization has become a trend for Generation Z which has a positive impact on the progress of civilization, knowledge and so on. However, it cannot be denied that there are negative impacts in using technology, one of which is moral development. The problems caused by the use of social media are that most generation Z are less skilled at communicating in the real world. The aim of instilling moral values is to instill moral values that are starting to fade in children's environment due to the bad influences they receive so that it is hoped that children in the future will have good morals, because if left untreated from childhood it will possibly destroy the next generation. -young generations in the future. This research uses a research library (Library Study). The aim of this research is to find out what the challenges are for a teacher in improving moral values in generation Z students. A teacher must be able to change teaching styles and discover the latest concepts so that students can understand and prepare well for the future. Instilling morals in elementary schools in the right way in the teaching and learning process can be one of the main goals in the field of education in producing a quality generation in order to build moral human resources. Especially in this era of society 5.0, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication skills are very important for students because they provide preparation for generation Z in developing themselves in the future, including in cases of bullying.

Three common assumptions about inflammation, aging, and health that are probably wrong.

Chronic inflammation contributes to the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease and other degenerative diseases of aging. But does it have to? This article considers the associations among inflammation, aging, and health through the lens of human population biology and suggests that chronic inflammation is not a normal nor inevitable component of aging. It is commonly assumed that conclusions drawn from research in affluent, industrialized countries can be applied globally; that aging processes leading to morbidity and mortality begin in middle age; and that inflammation is pathological. These foundational assumptions have shifted focus away from inflammation as a beneficial response to infection or injury and toward an understanding of inflammation as chronic, dysregulated, and dangerous. Findings from community-based studies around the world-many conducted in areas with relatively high burdens of infectious disease-challenge these assumptions by documenting substantial variation in levels of inflammation and patterns of association with disease. They also indicate that nutritional, microbial, and psychosocial environments in infancy and childhood play important roles in shaping inflammatory phenotypes and their contributions to diseases of aging. A comparative, developmental, and ecological approach has the potential to generate novel insights into the regulation of inflammation and how it relates to human health over the life course.

Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale

Objective: To understand the consequences of an invalidating environment, it is essential to have a measurement tool with appropriate statistical properties. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to render the ICES (Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale) into Persian and subsequently evaluate the psychometric attributes of this translated version.&#x0D; Method: Data were collected from 1221 nonclinical participants, including 1053 females and 168 males, who were students at medical universities in Tehran, Iran. Several questionnaires, such as the ICES, CTQ (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), DTS (Distress Tolerance Scale), BIS-11 (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), Self-Compassion Questionnaire, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and EAT-26 (Eating AttitudesTest) were used in the study. The data sets were investigated through SPSS and R language to evaluate the ICES' reliability and construct validity. Additionally, Item Response Theory (IRT) was employed with the Graded Response Model (GRM) to measure the psychometric properties of each item in terms of difficulty and discrimination parameters.&#x0D; Results: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that both single-factor and two-factor models fit well for both maternal and paternal versions of the ICES. The internal consistency, as assessed by Cronbach's alpha, was high and satisfactory for both maternal (0.87) and paternal (0.87) versions. Notably, the IRT analysis revealed that item 9 performed poorly in both maternal and paternal versions. Compared to the one-factor model, the two-factor model demonstrated a superior fit. Additionally, the test-retest reliability of the ICES over two months demonstrated good reliability for both maternal and paternal versions (0.98). Divergent and convergent validity analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between childhood invalidation environment and distress tolerance (r = 0.175, P &lt; 0.01) as well as self-compassion (r = 0.142, P &lt; 0.01), which were inversely related to the ICES. Furthermore, there was a considerably positive correlation between the invalidating environment experienced during childhood and impulsivity, as evidenced by r = 0.196 and P &lt; 0.01.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study established the favorable psychometric properties of the Persian version of the ICES, indicating that this version is reliable and valid to assess the Invalidating Childhood Environment in the Iranian population. However, further investigations are warranted to reevaluate its validity and reliability.

Phenotypic Environmental Sensitivity and Mental Health During Pregnancy and Post Partum: Protocol for the Experiences of Pregnancy Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Mental health problems during pregnancy and post partum are common and associated with negative short- and long-term impacts on pregnant individuals, obstetric outcomes, and child socioemotional development. Socio-environmental factors are important predictors of perinatal mental health, but the effects of the environment on mental health are heterogeneous. The differential susceptibility theory and the environmental sensitivity framework suggest that individuals differ in their degree of sensitivity to positive and negative environments, which can be captured by individual phenotypes such as temperament and personality. While there is strong evidence for these models in childhood, few studies examined them in adults, and they were not examined in pregnancy. The primary objective of the Experiences of Pregnancy study is to explore whether childhood and current environments are associated with mental health and well-being in pregnancy and whether these effects depend on individual sensitivity phenotypes (personality). This study also aims to gather important psychosocial and health data for potential secondary data analyses and integrative data analyses. We will conduct a longitudinal cohort study. The study was not registered elsewhere, other than this protocol. Participants will be recruited through social media advertisements linking to the study website, followed by an eligibility call on Zoom (Zoom Video Communications). Participants must be aged 18 years or older, currently residing in the United States as citizens or permanent residents, and currently planning to continue the pregnancy. A minimum of 512 participants will be recruited based on power analyses for the main objectives. Since the data will also be a resource for secondary analyses, up to 1000 participants will be recruited based on the available budget. Participants will be in their first trimester of pregnancy, and they will be followed at each trimester and once post partum. Data will be obtained through self-reported questionnaires assessing demographic factors; pregnancy-related factors; delivery, labor, and birth outcomes; early infant feeding; individual personality factors; childhood and current environments; mental health and well-being; attachment; and infant temperament. A series of measures were taken to safeguard the study from web robots and fraudulent participants, as well as to reduce legal and social risks for participants following Dobbs v. Jackson. The study received ethics approval in April 2023 from the University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Institutional Review Board. Recruitment occurred from May to August 2023, with 3 follow-ups occurring over 10 months. The Experiences of Pregnancy study will extend theories of environmental sensitivity, mainly applied in children to the perinatal period. This will help better understand individual sensitivity factors associated with risk, resilience, plasticity, and receptivity to negative and positive environmental influences during pregnancy for pregnant individuals. PRR1-10.2196/49243.

Debate: How far can we modify the expression of autism by modifying the environment?

Following Green (Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2023, 28, 438) the emergence of a manifest autistic phenotype, during preschool years, represents a discontinuity from preclinical or subclinical states. We propose that this discontinuity suggests that autistic children experience superior interest for, and processing of non-social information, whereas children without autism favor social information processing. This is produced by perceptual over-functioning, still allowing self-taught non-social language learning in a substantial fraction of prototypical autistic children. A new set of rigorous intervention studies using Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT), based on the synchrony principle, brought autistic children below the ADOS diagnostic threshold (Whitehouse etal., JAMA Pediatrics, 2021, 175, e213298). We now know that adaptation of the child's social environment can produce changes in the manifestations of autism in the pre-school period and later. However, the limitation of these changes, combine with evidence of non-social learning of language suggests that clinicians should combine lateral tutorship (the parallel, unsynchronous exposure of information) with the synchrony (early dyadic communication and engagement) principle to create a new generation of strength-based interventions.

Children build their vocabularies in noisy environments: The necessity of a cross-disciplinary approach to understand word learning.

Research within the language sciences has informed our understanding of how children build vocabulary knowledge especially during early childhood and the early school years. However, to date, our understanding of word learning in children is based primarily on research in quiet laboratory settings. The everyday environments that children inhabit such as schools, homes, and day cares are typically noisy. To better understand vocabulary development, we need to understand the effects of background noise on word learning. To gain this understanding, a cross-disciplinary approach between researchers in the language and hearing sciences in partnership with parents, educators, and clinicians is ideal. Through this approach we can identify characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction that take into account the background noise present in children's learning environments. Furthermore, we can identify characteristics of children who are likely to struggle with learning words in noisy environments. For example, differences in vocabulary knowledge, verbal working memory abilities, and attention skills will likely influence children's ability to learn words in the presence of background noise. These children require effective interventions to support their vocabulary development which subsequently should support their ability to process and learn language in noisy environments. Overall, this cross-disciplinary approach will inform theories of language development and inform educational and intervention practices designed to support children's vocabulary development. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Language Psychology > Learning Psychology > Theory and Methods.

Evolution of Parent-Targeted Interventions for Pain-Predominant Disorders of Gut-Brain Interactions: Research and Clinical Practice Considerations.

Abdominal pain-related Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBIs) in children are best understood from a biopsychosocial model, including particular attention to the child's environment. Interventions have begun to increasingly target parents as important agents of change in this population. The purpose of this manuscript is to summarize the evolution of parent-targeted interventions for pediatric pain-related DGBIs and provide recommendations for application of the model to clinical practice. A topical review of literature regarding parent-targeted interventions and related factors in the treatment of pediatric pain-related DGBIs was conducted, followed by a discussion of these findings to clinical practice settings. A growing body of research has supported parent-targeted interventions in the treatment of pediatric pain-related disorders of gut-brain interactions (DGBI), although translation of these findings to practice settings is complicated by numerous factors. Strategies for obtaining physician buy-in and parental engagement are discussed, as are potential logistical considerations of multiple caregivers, child age, and billing considerations. There is a promising and growing evidence-base for parent-targeted interventions for pain-related DGBIs, which have not yet been widely adopted into clinical practice recommendations. Engaging all stake-holders and attending to the nuances of this approach are recommended to successfully apply parent-targeted interventions into clinical practice settings.

Welfare Reform and the Quality of Young Children's Home Environments

This study investigates the effects of welfare reform—a major policy shift in the United States that increased low-income mothers' employment and reliance on earnings instead of cash assistance—on the quality of the home environments mothers provide for their preschool-age children. Using empirical methods designed to identify plausibly causal effects, we estimate the effects of welfare reform on validated survey and observational measures of maternal behaviors that support children's cognitive skills and emotional adjustment and the material goods that parents purchase to stimulate their children's skill development. The results suggest that welfare reform did not affect the amount of time and material resources mothers devoted to cognitively stimulating activities with their young children. However, it significantly decreased emotional support provision scores, by approximately 0.3–0.4 standard deviations. The effects appear to be stronger for mothers with lower human capital. The findings provide evidence that welfare reform came at a cost to children in the form of lower quality parenting. They also underscore the importance of considering quality, and not just quantity, in assessing the effects of maternal work-incentive policies on parenting and children's home environments.

Predicting adolescent and young adult outcomes from emotional support and cognitive stimulation offered by preschool-age home and early care and education settings.

Children's early environmental experiences are often considered highly influential for later life development. Yet, environmental contexts, such as the home and early care and education (ECE) setting, and multiple aspects of each setting, are not typically examined concurrently. In this study, we examined associations between cognitive stimulation and emotional support in the home and ECE setting during the preschool years (36-54 months) with adolescent (age 15; n = 708; 52% female) and adult (age 26; n = 584; 54% female) outcomes using data from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a study conducted at 10 sites across the United States. Cognitive stimulation in the home was significantly related to increased academic achievement at age 15 and educational attainment at age 26. Home emotional support was related to decreased behavior problems and increased social skills at age 15. No significant associations were found between either emotional support or cognitive stimulation in ECE and children's later development. These findings provide further support that the child's home environment during early childhood plays a substantial role in development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Kesulitan Belajar Akademik dalam Proses Pembelajaran

Learning difficulties are an important problem in the world of education that requires deep understanding. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of understanding and identifying learning difficulties. Learning difficulties refer to the difficulties a person experiences in understanding and processing information taught in a formal educational environment. This article presents various aspects related to this phenomenon, including its causative factors, identifying marks, and their impact on the development of each individual. The causes of learning difficulties include internal factors and external factors. Some signs that can be used to identify learning difficulties include difficulty reading, writing, arithmetic. It is important for educators, parents, and health professionals to recognize these signs early so that appropriate interventions can be provided. This article also discusses the impact of learning difficulties, namely inhibition of children's growth and development, disruption of children's interaction and environment. In addition, various identification and intervention strategies that can help those with learning difficulties are presented, such as psychological assessments, special education support, and adaptive learning approaches. This article provides a solid foundation to encourage greater understanding and interest in these educational issues.

Associations between combined urban and lifestyle factors and respiratory health in European children

IntroductionPrevious studies identified some environmental and lifestyle factors independently associated with children respiratory health, but few focused on exposure mixture effects. This study aimed at identifying, in pregnancy and in childhood, combined urban and lifestyle environment profiles associated with respiratory health in children. MethodsThis study is based on the European Human Early-Life Exposome (HELIX) project, combining six birth cohorts. Associations between profiles of pregnancy (38 exposures) and childhood (84 exposures) urban and lifestyle factors, identified by clustering analysis, and respiratory health were estimated by regression models adjusted for confounders. ResultsAmong the 1033 included children (mean ± standard-deviation (SD) age: 8.2 ± 1.6 years old, 47% girls) the mean ± SD forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were 99 ± 13% and 101 ± 14%, respectively, and 12%, 12% and 24% reported ever-asthma, wheezing and rhinitis, respectively. Four profiles of pregnancy exposures and four profiles of childhood exposures were identified. Compared to the reference childhood exposure profile (low exposures), two exposure profiles were associated with lower levels of FEV1. One profile was characterized by few natural spaces in the surroundings and high exposure to the built environment and road traffic. The second profile was characterized by high exposure to meteorological factors and low levels of all other exposures and was also associated with an increased risk of ever-asthma and wheezing. A pregnancy exposure profile characterized by high exposure levels to all risk factors, but a healthy maternal lifestyle, was associated with a lower risk of wheezing and rhinitis in children, compared to the reference pregnancy profile (low exposures). ConclusionThis comprehensive approach revealed pregnancy and childhood profiles of urban and lifestyle exposures associated with lung function and/or respiratory conditions in children. Our findings highlight the need to pursue the study of combined exposures to improve prevention strategies for multifactorial diseases such as asthma.

The relationship between childhood emotional abuse and borderline personality disorder: the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation among Lebanese adults

ObjectiveThe present study investigates the mediating effect of difficulties in emotion regulation in the association between childhood emotional abuse and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) among Lebanese adults.MethodThis cross-sectional study, involving 411 participants, was conducted between March and August 2022. Lebanese individuals from all governorates of the country were recruited using the Snowball Sampling technique. Three self-report scales were utilized to complete this research; the ‘Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale—Brief Version (DERS-16)’ which evaluates the difficulties in emotion regulation of individuals, the ‘Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form (CTQ-SF)’ which grants a subjective evaluation of the general childhood environment of the participants, as well as the ‘Borderline Personality Questionnaire (BPQ)’ which measures Borderline Personality Disorder traits, that demonstrate significant convergence with the disorder.ResultsThe results indicate that DERS-16 played an indirect effect role between childhood emotional abuse scores and Borderline Personality Disorder. Higher emotional abuse scores were significantly associated with higher DERS-16 scores, which in turn was significantly associated with higher BPQ scores. Moreover, childhood emotional abuse was directly associated with higher BPQ scores.ConclusionThis work suggests that, among the different forms of childhood abuse, emotional abuse may have a role in the development of Borderline Personality Disorder. Training on emotion regulation strategies would potentially benefit individuals in preventing BPD development and facilitating therapeutic processes.

The Acquisition of Black Language by Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers: A Community-Based Sociolinguistic Approach to Language Assessment.

The purpose of this case series was to demonstrate a community-based sociolinguistic approach to language sample analysis (LSA) for the evaluation of Spanish-English bilingual preschoolers acquiring Black language (BL). As part of a comprehensive bilingual speech-language evaluation, we examined sociolinguistic variables in the context of the children's English language samples. Specific emphasis is placed on sociolinguistic information to account for all language(s) and dialect(s) in each child's environment, BL feature patterns, and appropriate scoring procedures for characterizing language use. This case series includes four monolingual English-speaking and four bilingual Spanish-English-speaking 4-year-olds in a linguistically diverse preschool program. Play samples were collected from each child and coded for morphosyntactic features across three categories: BL, Spanish-Influenced English, and shared. Measures derived from the language samples include percent grammatical utterances, mean length of utterance in words, and number of different words. The children's language is characterized within a community-based sociolinguistic approach that combines three culturally responsive methods for assessment found in the speech-language pathology literature in addition to a novel sociolinguistic questionnaire. We explain how conducting LSA using a community-based sociolinguistic approach yields diagnostically relevant information that is pertinent to conducting a comprehensive and accurate evaluation of preschoolers in linguistically diverse settings without the use of standardized assessments. A community-based sociolinguistic approach to LSA is a useful procedure for mitigating misdiagnosis in preschoolers reared in linguistically diverse environments.

The Socio-Educational Role of Toy Design on Gender Identity

Childhood is a crucial stage in individuals’ development, and toys play a fundamental role in forming bonds, preparing for future challenges, and developing gender identity. Awareness of transgender identity typically emerges around the age of 8, although there may be earlier signs. Parents and educators need tools that enable them to effectively address these situations to promote healthy child development and foster acceptance of diversity in childhood environments. In this context, it is necessary to investigate the impact of toys on childhood and the design characteristics that should be considered in addressing gender identity development. This work approaches a mixed methodology. On one hand, a typological study was conducted on a wide sample of toys, and on the other hand, a questionnaire pilot study focused on inclusive toy design and its impact on transgender childhood was carried out, targeting parents, children, and transgender individuals. The results indicate that there are key characteristics in toy design, such as body representation, chromatic variety, and mixed gameplay mechanics, that can contribute to improving integration and the development of transgender childhood. Furthermore, the need to further explore the relationship between gender identity and toy design is confirmed, as it is demonstrated that toys are essential tools in children’s development.

Does early adversity predict aggression among Chinese male violent juvenile offenders? The mediating role of life history strategy and the moderating role of meaning in life

BackgroundAdolescent aggression has long been of interest to researchers. However, few studies have examined the influencing factors and mechanisms of aggression among violent juvenile offenders. This study tests a moderated mediation model with Chinese male violent juvenile offenders as subjects. Specifically, it explores the relationship between early adversity and aggression, as well as the mechanisms of life history strategy and meaning in life in this relationship.MethodsA total of 537 Chinese male violent juvenile offenders completed the Childhood Environment Scale, the Life History Strategy Short Form Scale, the Aggression Questionnaire, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. After controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), the current cross-sectional study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine a moderated mediation model.ResultsThe results showed that life history strategy mediated the relationship between early adversity and aggression, and early adversity affected individuals’ aggression by accelerating their life history strategies. The results also showed that meaning in life moderated the relationship between early adversity and life history strategy. For individuals with high meaning in life scores, the negative predictive effect of early adversity on life history strategy was stronger than that for individuals with low meaning in life scores.ConclusionThe results of this study can advance the understanding of how early adversity affects aggression among violent juvenile offenders and provide theoretical support for prison staff to develop educational strategies and subsequent interventions.

Association of postnatal exposure to mixture of bisphenol A, Di-n-butyl phthalate and Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate with Children's IQ at 5 Years of age: Mothers and Children's environmental health (MOCEH) study

Early childhood is important for neurodevelopment, and exposure to endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in this period may cause neurodevelopmental disorders and delays. The present study examined the association between exposure to mixtures of BPA and three metabolites of phthalates in early childhood and IQ at 5 years of age. The Mother and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study is a prospective birth cohort study conducted in Korea with 1751 pregnant women enrolled from 2006 to 2010. After excluding those without relevant data, 47 children were included in the final analysis. We measured children's urinary concentrations of metabolites of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (Bisphenol A, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate and mono-(2-ethyl-5-butyl) phthalate) at ages of 24 and 36 months. We evaluated the children's IQ with the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Test at the age of 5 years. After adjusting for potential confounders, a multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the associations between individual endocrine-disrupting chemicals and the IQ of the children. Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression and quantile-based g-computation were used to assess the association between IQ at age 5 and exposure to mixtures of BPA and phthalates. In the single-chemical analyses, mono-(2-ethyl-5-butyl) phthalate exposure at 36 months was adversely associated with children's IQ (β = −4.93, 95% confidence interval (CI): -9.22, −0.64). In the WQS regression and quantile-based g-computation analyses, exposure to the mixture of BPA and phthalates was associated with lower IQ [β = −9.13 (P-value = 0.05) and β = −9.18 (P-value = 0.05), respectively]. The largest contributor to the overall association was exposure to mono-(2-ethyl-5-butyl) phthalate at 36 months. In the present study, postnatal exposure to mixtures of BPA and three metabolites of phthalates was associated with decreased IQ of children at age 5.

Systematic review of multiliteracies skills, multimodal tools to facilitate learning in early childhood classroom

This systematic review of literature investigates the use of multimodal tools and acquisition of multiliteracies skills to facilitate effective learning in early childhood educational settings. The review covered a total of 15 relevant articles obtained from databases such as ERIC, Education Full Text, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Having analyzed and synthesized the current evidence, the review provides a significant and valuable insight into the use and acquisition of multiliteracies skills and tools to facilitate learning in early childhood settings. The sole purpose of this review is to add to the body of existing literature in multiliteracies. The study also provides answer to the only research question of the review which was what are the most effective ways to implement multiliteracies and multimodal techniques in the classroom and how early childhood education can benefit from the systematic application of multiliteracies and multimodal learning. The result of the review revealed that, teachers are facing greater challenges than ever in choosing and designing a pedagogy that can engage students in meaningful literacy practices due to the changing literacy needs in the multimedia environment, the changing lifeworld’s of the learners, and the changing dimensions of school literacies. Therefore, the review recommended that policymakers must work to incorporate all multimodal tools and technology into the curriculum, especially for early childhood education. Also, schools and learning centers should provide limitless opportunities in early childhood classrooms and environment to assist, direct, and motivate students to learn.

Social determinants of alcohol-related traumatic injury in young adults: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionLimited research examines alcohol-related injury in the context of social determinants of health (SDoH) to guide effective intervention and prevention programmes. SDoH are non-medical factors that impact health such as...

Deteriorating Semen Quality: The Role of the Environment.

Since the end of the last century, several reports have suggested that semen quality is declining, especially in Western countries. Furthermore, cross-sectional studies using similar protocols have suggested regional differences in semen quality of young and fertile men. Reasons for these regional differences and local adverse trends in semen quality are unknown, but environmental factors are suspected to have a role. Besides adulthood environmental exposures, those occurring during testicular development may also affect semen quality. Longitudinal follow-up studies and mixture risk analyses are needed to study the effect of fetal, childhood, and adult life environment on semen quality.