Iranian Elementary School Research Articles

Parenting Styles Predict Future-Oriented Cognition in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Parenting is a crucial environmental factor in children’s social and cognitive development. This study investigated the association between parenting styles and future-oriented cognition skills in elementary school-aged children. Cross-sectional data were collected from parents of 200 Iranian elementary school aged children (6–13 years), 139 boys and 61 girls. Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Questionnaire and Children’s Future Thinking Questionnaire (CFTQ) were administered to parents. There was a significant positive association between authoritative parenting and children’s abilities in prospective memory, episodic foresight, planning, delay of gratification, and future-oriented cognition total score. In contrast, authoritarian parenting was negatively correlated with children’s abilities in planning, delay of gratification, and future-oriented cognition. Increases in authoritative parenting scores predicted better future-oriented cognition abilities in children.

Psychometric properties of the Childhood Career Development Scale among Iranian elementary school students

Psychometric properties of the Childhood Career Development Scale among Iranian elementary school students

Dietary diversities score and anthropometric characteristics in Iranian elementary school children.

Dietary diversity scoring is a good method to assess quality of individual's diet. The study aimed to investigate the association between dietary diversity and body mass index among elementary school students in the south of Tehran, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on elementary school students, age range of 7-12 years old, in 2015. Data were collected using a personal information questionnaire and three 24-h recall questionnaires. Dietary diversity score was calculated from the number of food groups in these questionnaires. A total of 536 students, 258 (48.1%) female and 278 (51.9%) male, were recruited in the study. The mean age of the students was 9.43 ± 1.73 years. Seafood consumption was more frequent and beans was lower frequent in students at higher BMI (≥95th percentile) than the other children (34% vs 25% and 71% vs 83%, respectively, p<0.05). However, the statistical analysis failed to find significant relationships between children’s body mass index (BMI) with consumption of diary, vegetable, fruits, protein, fat, and junk food intake. The association between children's BMI with seafood and beans consumption confirmed in multivariate analysis (OR= 1.50 and 0.52, respectively, p<0.05). The study finding showed that seafood and beans consumption may influence on elementary student BMI.

The Relationship between Sleep Habits and Mental Health in Iranian Elementary School Children.

ObjectivesSleep is one of the basic elements which affects the growth and development and mental health of the child. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between sleep habits and mental health in elementary school children in Nahavand/Iran.MethodsIn this correlation study, 240 children aged 6-11 years old were selected by cluster random sampling from schools of Nahavand city in Iran, 2017. Data were collected through questionnaires included demographic information, children’s sleep habits (CSHQ) and children sickness indications (CSI-4). Questionnaires were completed by one of parents as self-report. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis.ResultsBased on results, Trouble in sleeping was reported by 36% and mental health disorders by 24.5% of elementary schools children. The regression analysis showed sleep habits had significant associations with the mental health score. In other words, improper sleep habits were associated with higher scores of illness symptoms of mental health that are indicative of poor mental health.DiscussionSleep disorder is one of the problems of elementary schools children, which related to their mental health. Sleep health training for parents and trainers in schools can help to improve the mental health of children by reforming proper sleep habits.

The Effect of E-Learning on Learning and Interest in School Attendance Among Elementary School Students

The technological advances of the 21st century have impacted all spheres of life, including education. The world of books and pens is being replaced by computers at young ages. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of technology on Iranian elementary school students’ learning and interest in school attendance. The participants were 47 sixth grade students selected from two schools with and without technological support. The results of the study revealed a higher level of interest in school attendance in the group provided with technology. Consequently, this study may have beneficial pedagogical implications for learners, teachers, and curriculum developers.

Weight of Backpacks and Musculoskeletal Pain among Iranian Elementary School Students

The study aims to investigate the relationship between the weight of backpacks and musculoskeletal pain among Iranian elementary school students. In addition, this study also aims to identify the common pain areas reported among Iranian elementary school students as the result of carrying heavy backpacks. The subjects of the study consisted of 1118 females and 5474 males’ students from elementary school at all different grades. They represented 36 schools which were selected based on stratified random sampling out of all elementary schools in Quchan, Iran. Students as well as their bags and backpacks were separately weighed using a calibrated weight scale. The mean weights of students and their bags and backpacks were also calculated for each grade. Musculoskeletal questionnaire was administered to 23% of female and 9% of male students through an interview procedure to find the difference between males and females musculoskeletal pain. The results showed that the male first and third-graders carried backpacks which were respectively 9.9% and 9.0% of their body weight. While the female first and third-graders’ backpacks and second-graders’ were reported to be heavier with the backpacks weight of 10.2% and 10.4% of their body weights, respectively. It was concluded that elementary students considering their average weight, carry heavy bags to school (higher than the standard bag weight, i.e., 3-5% of body weight). In addition, the findings showed the existence of different musculoskeletal problems among female and male students. The commonest pain areas among males were neck (24.9%) and backbone (24.6%) and among females were knees (51.9%) and shoulders (34.5%).

Association of caries experience and dental plaque with sociodemographic characteristics in elementary school-aged children: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundDental caries among Iranian elementary school children aged 6–12 years continue to rise. To estimate treatment needs and guide health initiatives, current epidemiologic data are required. Such data are currently unavailable for dental health. The purpose of this study was to assess caries experience, dental plaque, and associated factors in elementary school-aged children from Iran.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 988 elementary school children aged 7–12 years were selected by multistage cluster sampling. Dental caries was studied using the WHO criteria, dental plaque was examined according to O’Leary index. Data on parental education and occupation, living district, dental pain within the past year, and tooth brushing habits under parental supervision were collected through interviews based on questionnaire. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and logistic and linear regression.ResultsThe mean (SD) age of the elementary school children was 9.64 (1.73) years. The highest dmft was seen in elementary school children aged 7–8 years 6.53 (4.37) and the highest DMFT and dental plaque was in 12 year olds recorded as 1.17 (1.77) and 51.97 (25.86), respectively. The proportion of decayed teeth in 7 years old elementary school based on dmft index was 80.36%, moreover, the proportion in 12 years old elementary school was 40.17% based on the DMFT index. Age, gender, and dental pain within the past year were significantly associated with DMFT and dmft. The odds of developing dental caries (DMFT) was 1.70 times higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.001) and 1.72 times higher in the students that reported dental pain frequently than in those who did not (p = 0.005). The chance of developing dental caries (dmft) was 0.47 times lower in girls than boys (p < 0.001). Age was significantly correlated with dental plaque such that Plaque Index increased by 2.44 times per one year increase in age (p < 0.001).ConclusionResults indicated that dental caries experience and plaque formation among elementary school children in Hamadan were high and they were influenced by their sociodemographic factors. The associations found can be used as a helpful guide for planning accurate preventive programs for elementary school children in this region.

The First Report on the Frequency of Asymptomatic Proteinuria in Iranian School-aged Children.

Background:Proteinuria is a well-known indicator of renal dysfunction. In this study, we evaluated the frequency of proteinuria in a sample of healthy Iranian elementary school students using both dipsticks and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) methods.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study was performed on 478 school students aged 7–9 years who were selected by multistage random cluster sampling from Isfahan city, Iran. A clean midstream first-morning urine sample was obtained from each subject. Urine samples were examined by dipstick method, and accordingly, they were reported as negative; trace; 1+; 2+; 3+; and 4+. UACR was determined in samples with positive dipstick proteinuria (defined as trace or greater).Results:This study included 478 students (42.8% boys), with mean age of 7.0 ± 0.4 years. Positive dipstick was detected in 124 (25.9%) cases. The frequency of positive dipstick proteinuria was significantly higher in the girls than boys (29.6% vs. 20.9%, respectively; P = 0.04). In cases with a positive dipstick, 10 (2.1%) cases had UACR 30–300 mg/g. The frequency of UACR of 30–300 mg/g was 1.4% and 2.5% in boys and girls, respectively. There was no significant difference in the frequency of UACR 30–300 mg/g in terms of gender (P = 0.4). None of the subjects had UACR above 300 mg/g.Conclusion:While the frequency of asymptomatic proteinuria varies widely across different studies, we found a higher rate of proteinuria in Iranian children. Cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to justify large screening program for detecting asymptomatic proteinuria, as a cardinal manifestation of kidney disease, in Iranian children.

Teachers as Leaders: The Impact of Adler-Dreikurs Classroom Management Techniques on Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Environment and on Academic Achievement

In response to growing interest in universal school-based interventions, we taught Adlerian-Dreikursian classroom management techniques to teachers and investigated how these techniques impacted both the students’ perception of the classroom environment and the students’ grades. A quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups was employed. The sample consisted of 30 Iranian elementary school female teachers and 745 students (407 girls, 338 boys) aged 7 to 12 years. The 30 teachers were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The teachers in the experimental group received Adlerian-Dreikursian classroom management training in 10 two-hour sessions. Students were assessed using the My Classroom Scale (Burnett, 2002). Analyses revealed that students’ perceptions of “satisfaction with the classroom environment” and “relationships with teacher,” as well as their academic achievements, were enhanced in the experimental group for all grade levels. We show that Adlerian-Dreikursian classroom methods can improve classroom effectiveness by increasing students’ satisfaction and academic achievement.

Caesarean delivery is associated with childhood general obesity but not abdominal obesity in Iranian elementary school children.

This study examined the association between Caesarean delivery and general and abdominal obesity among children. In a cross-sectional study, 635 children aged from 6 to 12 years of age (476 girls and 159 boys) were randomly selected from Isfahan elementary schools. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured. General obesity and abdominal obesity were defined based on World Health Organization growth charts and Iranian national cut-off points, respectively. Parents were asked about delivery type and other factors potentially related to childhood obesity using a self-administered questionnaire. The association between delivery type and obesity was examined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. The overall prevalence of general and central obesity was 17.6% and 17.1%, respectively, and Caesarean delivery was significantly associated with general obesity after controlling for potential confounders (OR: 2.46; 95% CI: 1.30-4.63, p = 0.005). We observed a significant association between Caesarean delivery and abdominal obesity in crude analyses (OR: 1.66; 1.02-2.69, p = 0.04), but this disappeared after adjusting for covariates (OR: 1.96; 0.82-4.69, p = 0.13). Our results suggest that Caesarean delivery is adversely associated with general childhood obesity, but not abdominal obesity. This provides support for recommending vaginal births, unless contraindicated. Further research in large populations is required to confirm these findings.

The Effects of Parent Management Training, Problem-solving Skills Training and the Eclectic Training on Conduct Disorder in Iranian Elementary School Students

The present study investigated the effects of parent management training, problem-solving skills training and theeclectic training on symptoms of conduct disorder in Isfahan elementary school students during the educationalyear 2010-2011. The sample included 40 male pupils (ages 10 to 11) randomly selected assigned to experimentaland control groups. Four groups were formed (each group consisted of 10 students), namely parent managementtraining, problem-solving skills training, eclectic training and a control group. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL,Achenbach, 1991) and clinical interview were used as research instruments. Three methods were used asintervention (parent management training, problem-solving skills training and the eclectic training).The resultsof the analysis of covariance ANCOVA with repeated measure indicated a significant difference between parentmanagement training, eclectic training and the control group, however no significant difference was observedbetween problem solving skills training group and the other groups. Scheffe post-hoc test was also used whichindicated that parent management training and eclectic training intervention decreased the conduct disordersymptoms in comparison with the control group. Also, the results indicated that eclectic training was moreeffective than parent management training.

Prevalence of Asthma in Elementary School Age Children in Iran- A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis Study

Asthma is a common chronic disease of childhood which causes considerable morbidity. Asthma affects 1 in 13 school-age children and is a leading cause of office and emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and school absenteeism. Estimating the prevalence of asthma in the community is important in assessing the impact of asthma at the level of population. Since the pooled prevalence of asthma in Iranian elementary school age children (6-12 years old) was not identified, we decide to conduct a meta-analysis study to estimate the prevalence of asthma in elementary school age children in Iran. In order to gather the data, we searched a number of international electronic sources such as Pub Med, Embase, science direct, and ISI for English articles, and Iranian National Knowledge Infrastructure (scientific information) sources such as Iranmedx, Iran-doc, and SID for Persian articles from February 1995 to January 2010 to access the data. We used the words childhood, asthma, prevalence, and Iranian for searching relevant papers and used a data extraction form for the extracted data. The outcome in this Meta analysis study was response to the question, "Ever had asthma", based on the ISSAC program questionnaire. Eleven relevant articles were included for the Meta analysis. The pooled prevalence for girls, boys, and the two genders was obtained as 3.2% (CI; 2.5 to 3.9%), 4.3% (CI; 3.5 to 5.1%) and 3.9% (CI; 3.2 to 4.7%), respectively. The pooled prevalence of asthma in Iranian elementary school age children is low in comparison to the other reports.

Gender Differences in Citizenship Behavior Among the Iranian Elementary School Students

The purpose of present research was to determine the degree of citizenship skills among elementary school students. This applied research used descriptive survey. Statistical population consisted all 5th grade elementary school students in district No. 8 of Tehran (N=5500). Sample population based on Morgan Table was n=770 for male and female together, selected through classified random sampling. Instrumentation for collecting data was a researcher designed questionnaire that measured four categories of citizenship skills, creative thinking, namely social skills, cognitive skill and democratic value skills. The questionnaire contained 50 items with two level scales. Validity of the instrument was determined by the literature and reviewed by experts and the reliability was measured by use of Alph Crohbach, alpha=0.81. Data collected was analyzed by use of descriptive statistics, central tendency measure such as mean and standard deviation, as well as inferential statistics by use of one-tale test, and Variance. The results revealed that there was a meaningful difference between the degree of citizenship skills of male and female students. Male elementary students in the study showed to have a higher degree of citizenship skills. All together, both male and female students, however, showed to be in a desirable situation in terms of the skills required at this age of schooling. The study recommends a more detailed inspection of curricula regarding the competencies required to be a good citizen among female students.

Self-perception of competence by Iranian children.

The purpose of this study was to study the responses of Iranian elementary school children to the Perceived Competence Scale for Children. The items were translated with minor changes in wording to make them more comprehensible to Iranian children. The scale was administered to 199 children ages 9 to 11 in Grades 4 to 5 in four elementary schools from two socioeconomically different districts in Shiraz. Analysis showed satisfactory internal reliability. Intercorrelations among 28 items were factor analyzed using principal component analysis followed by both varimax and oblimin rotations. Three factors emerged with both rotations: Cognitive Competence, Social Competence, and Physical Competence. Sex differences were not significant for factor scores except that girls rated themselves as significantly more socially competent than boys did.

Conservation of quality attained by Iranian elementary school children.

808 Iranian elementary school children (aged 6.00 to 12.11 yr.) were tested for development of quantity conservation by boys and girls. Outcomes corroborated the Piaget description of the sequential development of the conservation of mass, weight, and volume. Boys obtained higher scores than girls.