Levels Of Educational Achievement Research Articles

Do we let children's teeth decay just because some people object to topping up the natural fluoride that's already in our water?

Tooth decay rates among children have been falling in most European countries since the mid-1970s, with the gap between the countries with the highest and lowest average levels narrowing. Widespread use of fluoride toothpaste, high levels of educational achievement in the Scandinavian countries, and public health approaches such as the use of fluoridated salt in Switzerland, France and Germany, have all contributed to this welcome improvement. Whilst average tooth decay rates are down, those averages mask stubbornly high decay rates in some communities and in some social groups. Many young children in the UK still suffer from severe dental caries (BASCD, 2007). No one in public health could reasonably argue that dental caries in the UK is a battle already won. It is not. Even if we take the deceptively soothing average dmft scores (decayed, missing or filled teeth), we find a fivefold difference between the best and worst dental health. The average South Staffordshire five year old has 0.6 dmf teeth (the best dental health in England), while the average Blackburn five year old has 3.2 dmf teeth (the worst in England) (BASCD, 2007).

Transition into adulthood and work — findings from Network 1000

This article draws upon data from a large scale project called 'Network 1000'. Network 1000 seeks to survey the changing needs and opinions of visually impaired adults. Data have been collected from 1007 visually impaired people across Great Britain. This analysis focuses upon a sub-sample of approximately 250 adults aged between 18 and 42 years. In all cases, the onset of these participants' visual impairment was during childhood (i.e. under 17 years of age). The analysis presents data in relation to their education and employment, and reflects upon the factors that seem to be associated with both. It appears that earlier onset of visual impairment is associated with higher levels of educational achievement. There was no clear link between the current level of visual impairment (at the time of interview) and educational achievement. In terms of employment, those with higher levels of educational qualification were more likely to be employed. Those with lower levels of qualifications were more likely to describe themselves as 'long term sick and disabled' or 'unemployed'. Employment rates amongst younger visually impaired people appeared higher for those who had childhood visual impairment than those who did not. This suggests a positive impact of education. Also, employment rates were generally much better amongst younger visually impaired people than those over 50 years old. Nevertheless, the reported employment rate of 40 per cent is still very low. Some time is also spent considering visually impaired adults with severe learning and communication difficulties and their lives following compulsory education, including possible explanations for their likely under-representation in the project sample.

Early motherhood and subsequent life outcomes

Early motherhood has been linked with a number of adverse outcomes, including mental health difficulties and barriers to completing educational qualifications and workforce participation. The present study examined the extent to which these linkages could be explained by the influence of social, family, and background factors that were associated with early motherhood. Data were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 25-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of New Zealand children. Information was obtained on: (a) the history of pregnancy and parenthood for female participants over the period 15-21 years; (b) measures of DSM-IV mental disorders and suicidal behaviour over the interval 21-25 years; (c) measures of educational achievement over the interval 21-25 years; (d) measures of welfare dependence, workforce participation, and income over the interval 21-25 years; and (e) childhood, family and related confounding factors. Early motherhood was associated with higher levels of mental health disorders, lower levels of educational achievement, higher levels of welfare dependence, lower levels of workforce participation, and lower income. Control for confounding factors reduced the associations between early motherhood and later mental health disorders to statistical non-significance. However, the associations between early motherhood and later educational achievement and economic circumstances persisted after control for potentially confounding factors. The findings suggest that early motherhood puts young women at risk for educational underachievement and poorer economic circumstances. The linkages between early motherhood and later mental health difficulties can largely be accounted for by childhood, family, and related circumstances that occurred prior to parenthood.

Participants in Phase 1 Oncology Research Trials<subtitle>Are They Vulnerable?</subtitle>

Phase 1 oncology trials involve risk and offer a relatively low prospect of benefit to participants. Some claim that participants constitute a vulnerable population requiring special protections. We undertook this study to determine whether phase 1 oncology trial participants have demographic and health status characteristics of a vulnerable population. We reviewed participant demographic and health status data from phase 1 trials sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute that began between 1991 and 2002 and from 11 previously published studies. Main outcome measures were median age, sex, race/ethnicity, performance status, previous therapy, educational achievement level, and health insurance coverage. Almost 10 000 participants in trials sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program had a median age of 57 years, 90% self-identified as white, 93% had near-normal performance status, 85% had some form of health insurance, and 92% had been previously treated for cancer; 20 000 individuals from published studies had comparable profiles. The demographic and health status characteristics of phase 1 oncology trial participants are not those of a conventional vulnerable population and suggest little reason to assume that, as a group, they have a compromised ability to understand information or to make informed and voluntary decisions.

The Boston Naming Test in Greek: Normative data and the effects of age and education on naming

Background: The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is widely used as a clinical assessment of language and cognitive deficits. It has been adapted and translated for use in other languages and cultures. Aims: This study translated and adapted the test for use in Greece. Normative data were collected on the test for healthy Greek speakers of different ages and educational backgrounds. Methods and Procedures: Participants in four different age ranges and with three levels of educational achievement were tested. They were screened for cognitive decline using a Greek version of the mini mental state examination. Outcomes and Results: Strong effects of age and education were found on naming. The former replicates previous results. Results on the latter have been less consistent and their occurrence here reflects the greater inequality in educational opportunity that has existed in Greece until comparatively recent times. Significant interactions between age, education, and gender are interpreted as reflecting changing social and gender roles in Greek society. A reordering of items reflecting their difficulty for this Greek sample is presented for clinical use. Conclusions: This study provides norms for a Greek version of the BNT. These highlight the effects of age and education on naming. Scores for many older and less‐educated participants might be taken to indicate pathology despite their lack of neurological or cognitive problems. This illustrates the need for norms that reflect local circumstances and the need to update norms as social and educational changes occur.

Openness and the International allocation of foreign direct investment

This paper develops an ordinal index to measure the openness of FDI policy regimes for individual countries. There has been a generalised increase in the index between 1990 and 2002. The most important determinants of variations in FDI flows across countries and over time are country size, the level of educational achievement, and growth. The openness index is positively associated with FDI flows, but its explanatory power is low. Liberalising approval procedures and lifting requirements that foreign companies enter into joint ventures with domestic firms encourage FDI. We conclude that the openness of the FDI regime operates as a factor enabling FDI, but that location advantages are paramount in determining the international allocation of FDI. We also turn the question around and ask what countries are more likely to impose restrictions on FDI. We find that lower levels of education and larger domestic markets are associated with greater restrictions on FDI. In addition, there is some evidence that better institutions are associated with lower FDI restrictions.

Doing Well vs. Feeling Well: Understanding Family Dynamics and the Psychological Adjustment of Chinese Immigrant Adolescents

Despite their average high levels of educational achievement, Asian American students often report poor psychological and social adjustment, suggesting an achievement/adjustment paradox. Yet, the reasons for this paradox remain unclear. Drawing on 5-year longitudinal qualitative interview data, this paper compares the family dynamics of two groups of adolescents from Chinese immigrant families: non-distressed adolescents (n = 20) who have high levels of academic achievement and high levels of psychological well-being; and distressed adolescents (n = 18) who have high levels of academic achievement but low levels of psychological well-being. Findings suggest that the two groups of families differed in parenting approaches after migration, parent–child communication, parental expectations, and parent–child relations. Implications for Asian American adolescent and youth development are discussed.

Smoking Is a Marker of Risky Behaviors Independent of Substance Abuse in Injured Drivers

Objective. Smoking has been linked to disease and injury. The purpose of this study is to investigate the smoking habits of motor vehicular driver trauma center patients and their association with previous injury history and risky behaviors. Methods. The studied population included 323 motor vehicular driver injury patients (123 smokers and 200 non-smokers) interviewed as part of a larger study of psychoactive substance use disorders at an adult Level I trauma center. Patients with head injuries, hospital stays of less than two days, and diminished cognition were excluded. Interviews included demographics (age, gender, race, marital status), socioeconomic status (SES; income, education, employment), risky behaviors (seatbelt non-use, drinking and driving, riding with drunk driver, binge drinking), and trauma history information (vehicular, assault, and other injuries). Substance abuse (alcohol and drug dependence) was evaluated in depth using DSM III-R criteria. Smokers and non-smokers were compared in relation to control and dependent variables using student's t test and chi-square (α = 0.05). Outcome variables included previous trauma history and risky behaviors. Multiple logistic regression models using step-down selection methods (α = 0.05) were constructed with risky behaviors and trauma history as dependent variables including demographics, SES and substance as independent variables. Results. Smokers represented 38 percent of the 323 patients studied. Smokers (n = 123) were younger (34 vs. 43 years), more likely to be male (72 percent vs. 50 percent), not married (72 percent vs. 56 percent), and had higher rates of alcohol (29 percent vs. 9 percent) and drug dependence (14 percent vs. 3 percent) than non-smokers (n = 200). Educational achievement (20 percent vs. 15 percent less than high school) and income level (24 percent vs. 23 percent with less than $15,000 of yearly income) were not different between smokers and non-smokers. Smokers were more likely than non-smokers to have a history of prior vehicular trauma (48 percent vs. 26 percent), assault (25 percent vs. 9 percent), or other injury (50 percent vs 37 percent). The following injury-prone behaviors were also more common among the smokers than non-smokers: seatbelt non-use (49 percent vs. 29 percent), drinking and driving (38 percent vs. 15 percent), riding with drunk driver (38 percent vs. 13 percent), and binge drinking (68 percent vs. 26 percent). In multiple logistic regression models adjusting for demographics, SES, and substance abuse, smoking revealed significantly higher odds ratios (OR) for the following dependent variables: seatbelt non-use (OR = 2.9), riding with drunk driver (OR = 2.2), binge drinking (OR = 2.4), previous vehicular (OR = 2.0), and assault injuries (OR = 2.5). Smoking did not reach significance for drinking and driving and other (non-vehicular and non-assault) injury. Conclusion. Smoking is independently associated with risky behaviors and repeated history of vehicular or assault injury within the vehicular trauma population.

Socio‐economic background, parental involvement and teacher perceptions of these in relation to pupil achievement

Parental involvement and teacher perceptions of parental involvement in the education of children were studied in relation to level of parental education and pupil achievement. A questionnaire was administered to 218 parents and 60 teachers. Correlational analyses and paired‐sample analyses showed teacher perceptions to be weakly related to parental reports of their own involvement and to operate at a different level. Regression analyses and analyses of variance showed teacher perceptions of parental involvement to affect pupil achievement more strongly than parental reports. The results suggest that teacher perceptions of parents may be stereotyped and that such stereotypes can clearly affect academic results.

Abortion Among Young Women and Subsequent Life Outcomes

Young women frequently cite concerns about the effects of unplanned pregnancies on future life course outcomes, including education, employment and relationships, as reasons for seeking abortion. There is relatively little evidence as to whether abortion leads to improved life course outcomes for young women who choose this option. Data from 492 women participating in a 25-year longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort were used in regression models that examined the relationship between pregnancy and abortion history prior to age 21 and selected social and economic outcomes at ages 21-25. Compared with young women who became pregnant before age 21 but did not seek an abortion, young women who had an abortion had significantly better outcomes on six out of 10 measures spanning education, income, welfare dependence and domestic violence. Adjustment for confounding factors indicated that most of these differences were explained by family, social and educational characteristics that were present prior to pregnancy. Nonetheless, even after adjustment for confounding factors, young women who had abortions had higher levels of subsequent educational achievement than those who became pregnant but did not have abortions. Abortion may mitigate some effects of early unplanned pregnancy. However, further study of its potential risks and benefits is needed so that women can make fully informed decisions as to whether to terminate unintended pregnancies.

Do pregnant women in Greece make informed choices about antenatal screening for Down's syndrome? A questionnaire survey

Objective to investigate the knowledge and attitudes towards Down's syndrome screening among pregnant women presenting for prenatal screening in Greece, in order to explore whether Greek women are able to make informed choices. Design survey using self-administered questionnaires. Setting public hospital in Athens, Greece. Participants 135 pregnant women with a gestational age of between 11 and 20 weeks, just before antenatal screening for Down's syndrome. Findings a total of 96% of women had a positive attitude towards screening and 45% had a good level of knowledge concerning the screening process for Down's syndrome. A standard measure of informed choice was used, which was validated for use in Greek. We found that 44% of women made an informed choice and 56% of women made an uninformed choice. This was because of the low percentage of women with a good level of knowledge. It was also found that knowledge and attitudes were not associated and seemed to be independent of each other. A higher level of informed choice was associated with a higher level of educational achievement and income, time of decision-making and the satisfaction with the decision. Conclusions health professionals should ensure that all women receive appropriate and intelligible information about antenatal screening for Down's syndrome. This information should be suited to women's learning ability in order to increase their knowledge before undergoing screening. Health professionals should educate and increase women's knowledge, and also give women a chance to explore their attitudes and discuss the issues involved. Implications for practice on the basis of the current measure of informed choice , we found that knowledge is a weak determinant of uptake of screening. However, the measure focuses on knowledge regarding the screening process, rather than on the condition itself. In addition, informed choice is a far broader concept than the issues covered by the measurement tool. Therefore, it could be concluded that attempts to increase attitude–behaviour consistency (i.e. to increase uptake for women with positive attitudes towards screening and to decrease uptake for women with negative attitudes) could be more successful in increasing informed choice in screening for Down's syndrome in Greece.

The Relationship of Maternal Characteristics and Perceptions of Children to Children's Emotional and Behavioral Problems

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationships among maternal depressive symptoms, parenting stress, perceptions of children, and ratings of children's behavioral problems. Forty-six mothers (mean age = 31.07 years) provided ratings of these variables. Mothers were diverse in their cultural backgrounds and marital status but had a high level of educational achievement on average. Regression analyses supported the hypothesis that mothers' negative perceptions of their children mediate the relationship between maternal characteristics and maternal ratings of children's behavioral problems. Further, mothers' positive perceptions served as a moderator in the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and maternal ratings of children's externalizing behavioral problems. The results of this study suggest that mothers' perceptions, rather than their characteristics, are related directly to ratings of children's behavioral problems, Given these findings, interventions should target mothers' perceptions of their children in addition to mothers' psychological symptoms and children's emotional and behavioral problems.

Prenatal influences on brain dopamine and their relevance to the rising incidence of autism

The incidence of autism has risen 10-fold since the early 1980s, with most of this rise not explainable by changing diagnostic criteria. The rise in autism is paradoxical in that autism is considered to be one of the most genetically determined of the major neurodevelopmental disorders and should accordingly either be stable or even declining. Because a variety of epigenetic influences, particularly those occurring during the prenatal period, can override or masquerade as genetic influences, these should be considered as prime contributors to the recent increase of autism. Prenatal influences on dopamine activity are especially well-documented, including the effects of maternal psychosocial stress, maternal fever, maternal genetic and hormonal status, use of certain medications, urban birth, and fetal hypoxia. All of these factors have been implicated in the genesis of autism, which is characterized by a "hyperdopaminergic" state based on evidence from monkey and human behavioral studies, pharmacological studies in humans, and a left-hemispheric predominance of both dopamine and autistic-like symptoms. Chronically high maternal levels of dopamine caused by the pressures of increasingly urbanized societies and by changing maternal demographics such as increased workforce participation, educational achievement level, and age at first birth, may be especially significant epigenetic contributors to the recent autism rise.

Mortality and Cardiac and Vascular Outcomes in Extremely Obese Women

Obesity, typically measured as body mass index of 30 or higher, has 3 subclasses: obesity 1 (30-34.9); obesity 2 (35-39.9); and extreme obesity (> or =40). Extreme obesity is increasing particularly rapidly in the United States, yet its health risks are not well characterized. To determine how cardiovascular and mortality risks differ across clinical weight categories in women, with a focus on extreme obesity. We examined incident mortality and cardiovascular outcomes by weight status in 90,185 women recruited from 40 US centers for the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study and followed up for an average of 7.0 years (October 1, 1993 to August 31, 2004). Incidence of mortality, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Extreme obesity prevalence differed with race/ethnicity, from 1% among Asian and Pacific Islanders to 10% among black women. All-cause mortality rates per 10,000 person-years were 68.39 (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.26-71.68) for normal body mass index, 71.16 (95% CI, 67.68-74.82) for overweight, 84.47 (95% CI, 78.90-90.42) for obesity 1, 102.85 (95% CI, 92.90-113.86) for obesity 2, and 116.85 (95% CI, 103.36-132.11) for extreme obesity. Analyses adjusted for age, smoking, educational achievement, US region, and physical activity levels showed that weight-related risk for all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, and coronary heart disease incidence did not differ by race/ethnicity. Adjusted analyses among white and black participants showed positive trends in all-cause mortality and coronary heart disease incidence with increasing weight category. Much of the obesity-related mortality and coronary heart disease risk was mediated by diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. In white women, weight-related all-cause mortality risk was modified by age, with obesity conferring less risk among older women. Considering obesity as a body mass index of 30 or higher may lead to misinterpretation of individual and population risks. Escalating extreme obesity may exacerbate health effects and costs of the obesity epidemic.

Sustaining community forestry in the Kassena - Nankana district of Ghana: problems and prospects

The paper examines factors accounting for sustainable community forestry projects in the Kassena-Nankana District of Ghana. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, transect walks and observation techniques were used to collect data. The paper demonstrates that existing local organizational structures that support forestry projects, community members' participation in project decision-making, external support and protection of the forests from bush fires contribute to sustainability. The paper shows that in the Kassena-Nankana District: • Community participation in decision-making for forestry projects is low at 27%. • There exists local organizational structure in all the sampled communities. • There exists a high incidence of bushfires on community forestry projects. • There exists external support for community forestry projects in the district. Hence, it concludes that: • The practice of tree planting (community forestry) is gaining ground rapidly in the district, but the culture of caring for planted trees is still poor. • The district has high potential in sustaining community forestry projects. • Socio-economic constraints emanate from their low level of formal educational achievement that limits their access to information and zeal to mobilize external resources to support the projects. Ghana Journal of Development Studies Vol. 2(2) 2005: 77-90

Effects of Cultural and Social Structural Factors on the Achievement of White and Chinese American Students at School Transition Points

Chinese Americans' high levels of educational achievement have earned them attention as a “model minority” to be emulated by underachieving and underrepresented minority groups. However, the model minority analogy does not adequately explain how this achievement is realized, nor how such information can be used to help other groups close the achievement gap. The ability of both White and Chinese American students to weather school transitions and to remain on track for high achievement and attainment can be explained by both social structural and cultural factors. When the effects of social structural factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, family composition, and parent education level are controlled, the relative importance of cultural factors such as parental expectations and involvement becomes clear.

Interest of adolescents in genetic testing for nicotine addiction susceptibility

Objectives. Genetic tests for nicotine addiction susceptibility may someday offer preventive medicine specialists new tools to reduce smoking among adolescents. This paper examines adolescents' interest in, and reasons behind interest in, such testing and correlates of interest. Methods. The sample included 211 healthy patients (ages 13–21) recruited from Georgetown University Medical Center's adolescent medicine clinic. Subjects completed a one-time behavioral survey immediately prior to or following a general medical check-up during calendar years 2001–2005. A 4-point self-report survey item served as the dependent variable. Results. Sixty-two percent of adolescents were interested in genetic testing. Among the 72% of adolescents who provided a reason for their interest, 35% would find the information interesting for general or nonspecific reasons, 30% would find it personally useful, 8% noted it would be irrelevant, and 13% stated it would be unimportant; school performance and interest in cancer susceptibility testing were associated with interest in nicotine addiction susceptibility testing (adjusted r 2 = 21%; P < 0.0001). Conclusions. Adolescent primary care patients will likely be receptive to comprehensive tobacco control programs incorporating genetic testing. Higher levels of educational achievement and greater interest in DNA-based preventive medicine may characterize those most interested. Offering testing will be contingent upon the development of safe and effective genetic tests.

GA2LEN – The Global Allergy and Asthma European Network

The European Community's Network on Allergies and Asthma was launched officially on 12 February 2004 in the presence of the European Commissioner Phillipe Bousquin. The current round of European Union funding for research includes two major new types of funding vehicle: integrated projects and networks of excellence. GA2LEN represents one of the first networks of excellence to be put into play by the European Commission, and Commissioner Bousquin was careful to point out that as well as addressing a major public health problem in Europe, the new network should serve as a standard bearer for this new form of European funding and research co-operation. So, what lies beyond the political rhetoric? Why do we need a European Network at this time and what does it hope to achieve during the 5 years of its life? Everyone agrees that allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and eczema have all increased over the last 30–40 years [1]. The European country with the highest prevalence of allergic disease is the UK where up to 32% of 13–14-year-olds report symptoms of asthma. While the prevalence rates vary between different European countries, the general upward trend is universal, making this a concern for all Europeans. Despite recent evidence that there has been a levelling off of the rate of asthma and related conditions in the UK [2], there remain worries that the prevalence rates could start to rise again in the UK and of course other countries have no wish to emulate the rates of asthma and allergic disease that are seen in the UK. Asthma is a major factor in children losing days from school, with potential consequences for their level of educational achievement while in adults asthma is an important cause of absence from the workplace. Besides the personal inconvenience, this represents a significant loss of productivity, and some estimates are as high as 9 billion working days lost because of asthma each year in the European Union. Asthma has direct medical costs in the form of medication and hospital care, with about 5% of the European medication budget currently being spent on caring for asthma. AR and eczema may not cause so many admissions to hospital as asthma but they also consume considerable amounts of healthcare resources in the form of medication.

Social functioning and personality of subjects at familial risk for affective disorder

Background Particular patterns of personality (e.g., neuroticism, obsessionality) and difficulties in various social roles have been found to be associated with unipolar depression. Interpersonal and instrumental difficulties of depressives can be understood either as a risk factor, or as a consequence caused by the disorder itself. Concerning patients with bipolar disorder, there is some evidence that their premorbid level of occupational and educational achievement is often superior when compared to the premorbid functioning of patients with unipolar depression. Methods Personality features and the level of social functioning of 114 high-risk subjects (healthy first-degree relatives of patients suffering from an affective disorder) have been investigated using self- and expert-ratings. Sixty-three subjects without a personal and family history of psychiatric disorder served as the reference group. Results Relatives of melancholic depressives described themselves as more neurotic than controls but proved to be inconspicuous regarding their role functioning. Relatives of bipolar I patients were more strongly oriented toward social norms, and their instrumental role functioning was superior to that of controls. Neuroticism was strongly associated with depressive symptoms. Limitation The statistical power of our data is sufficient to detect medium effect sizes but is insufficient for identifying small group differences. Conclusion Whether these discriminating personality features and other variables (not characterising the high-risk group (HRG) as a whole) act as true vulnerability factor have to be clarified by a follow-up investigation.

Measuring knowledge of child development: Differences between parents according to gender, generation and education

A sample of 2,330 parents were surveyed regarding their knowledge of child development in the first three years of life, using a simple, easy to read questionnaire. Items tapped knowledge that would contribute to an authoritative parenting style, which combines warmth and firmness, and is associated with the most favourable child development outcomes. The sample included mothers and fathers of dependant children living at home, as well as grandmothers and grandfathers. While the majority of parents demonstrated good, basic knowledge of child development, there were also relative differences between parent groups, such that knowledge increased consistently with parents' level of educational achievement, and was greater in mothers than fathers. There were also generational differences, with grandfathers being less knowledgeable than present day fathers, and grandmothers less knowledgeable than present day mothers. The questionnaire has potential value for practitioners, as the survey results provide data from a large Australian sample which could support the use of the instrument with at-risk groups, or in parent intervention programs.