Population Of Primary School Children Research Articles

Body Mass Index Trends before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Primary School Students in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia: A Retrospective Study.

Within the last decade, childhood obesity has become a serious problem, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research paper aimed to examine whether body mass index (BMI) was higher during the pandemic (2020-2022) than in the pre-pandemic period (2012/2013-2019) using trends related to sex, urban-rural area, and physical activity (PA). This study included data from physical examinations of an entire population of primary school children from Split-Dalmatia County (Croatia) over a period of 10 years. There were 103,804 students from the first, fifth, and eighth grades who participated in the analysis. During the pandemic, the BMI of all the students increased, except for eighth-grade girls. Generations of eighth graders have had significantly different BMIs throughout the past decade. We found that first graders were overweight and obese in urban areas, while in rural areas, this problem was experienced by upper grades. Girls were more overweight and obese in the first and eighth grades, but boys experienced this more in the fifth grade. Reduced PA influenced an increase in BMI in both sexes, especially in girls. During the pandemic, this situation became worse. This study could be useful to experts for the creation of new policies for Split-Dalmatia County and surrounding regions that are similar economically and culturally.

Relationship between lexical, reading and spelling skills in bilingual language minority children and their monolingual peers.

This study was conducted on a population of primary school children including bilingual language minority (BLM) children with L2-Italian and a variety of languages as L1 (e.g., Chinese, Albanian, Latin), and Italian-speaking monolingual children. The variety of languages ecologically reflects the nowadays composition of classes in the Italian school system. The aims were to investigate in both linguistic groups: (1) the developmental patterns of lexical, reading and spelling skills; (2) the pattern of predictive relations between lexical, reading and spelling skills. 159 primary school children from Grade 2 to Grade 5 participated in the study: BLM (n = 80) and monolingual (n = 79) children aged between 7 and 11 years. Each participant completed a vocabulary task (lexical skills), a text reading task (reading accuracy and reading speed) and a text dictation task (orthographic errors). ANOVA statistics showed the comparison of patterns between monolingual and BLM children in lexical, reading, and writing skills. Results show lower performances in lexical, reading and spelling skills in BLM children learning Italian as a second language compared to monolingual peers. Second, partial correlations performed separately for monolinguals and BLM with lexical ability as a control variable, illustrated that all variables correlated with each other in both groups. This result provides the option of performing hierarchical regressions. Finally, hierarchical regression analyses showed that the pattern of predictive relations between lexical, reading and spelling skills is the same across language groups, with the key role of orthographic accuracy as the pivotal process around which reading and lexical skills are built.

Prepulse Inhibition and P50 Suppression in Relation to Creativity and Attention: Dispersed Attention Beneficial to Quantitative but Not Qualitative Measures of Divergent Thinking

The current study investigated whether lower sensory and sensorimotor gating were related to higher levels of creativity and/or attentional difficulties in a natural population of primary school children (9- to 13-year-old). Gating abilities were measured with P50 suppression and prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI). The final sample included 65 participants in the P50 analyses and 37 participants in the PPI analyses. Our results showed that children with a high P50 amplitude to testing stimuli scored significantly higher on the divergent outcome measures of fluency and flexibility but not originality compared to children with a lower amplitude. No significant differences were found on any of the creativity measures when the sample was split on average PPI parameters. No significant differences in attention, as measured with a parent questionnaire, were found between children with low or high levels of sensory or sensorimotor gating. The data suggest that quantitative, but not qualitative measures of divergent thinking benefit from lower psychophysiological gating and that attentional difficulties stem from specific instead of general gating deficits. Future studies should take the effect of controlled attention into consideration.

A cognitive definition of computational thinking in primary education

There is increasing effort to integrate Computational Thinking (CT) curricula across all education levels. Therefore, research on CT assessment has lately progressed towards developing and validating reliable CT assessment tools, which are crucial for evaluating students' potential learning progress and thus the effectiveness of suggested curricular programs. Several CT assessment tools were developed for elementary, high-school, and university students over the last years. Moreover, associations between CT scores and other cognitive abilities were unraveled. However, studies on the topic in primary school level are scarce. Like the general concept of intelligence, CT remains broadly defined as the ability to combine algorithmic operations to form complex solutions in order to solve problems effectively, utilizing concepts of computer science with or without the use of computers. In this study, we aimed at specifying a cognitive definition of CT, focusing on the under-investigated population of primary school children. Since validated assessment tools for this age group were not available, we adapted a validated CT test, which was initially designed for middle school students. In our study participated 192 third and fourth graders. The analyses revealed promising results on the reliability of the adapted CT assessment for primary school students. Moreover, findings indicated CT's positive associations with i. complex numerical abilities, ii. verbal reasoning abilities, and iii. non-verbal visuospatial abilities. Our results indicate similarities but also differences in associations of CT with other cognitive abilities in primary school children compared to other age groups. In summary: i. numerical abilities seem to associate with CT at the primary school level, whereas this seems not the case later on in education, ii. verbal abilities seem to associate with CT both along primary and secondary education levels, and iii. non-verbal reasoning abilities seem to associate with CT from primary education level to the university level and beyond. These differences imply that several basic cognitive abilities support CT abilities and CT development differentially across ages.

Influence of childhood overweight and obesity on foot and lower limb pain in a population of primary school children

IntroductionIn childhood, juvenile obesity affects the functional characteristics of the lower limb, predisposing children to pain, discomfort and musculoskeletal comorbidities. This cross-sectional descriptive study analyses the relationship between childhood overweight/obesity and foot/lower limb pain in a population of primary school children.Material and methodsThe study population consisted of 150 children aged 9–12 years recruited at a primary school in Malaga (Spain). None had pathologic feet. Anthropometric and demographic data were compiled by questionnaire and by personal interview. Among other variables, the foot posture index was calculated and knee alignment was measured. In the statistical analysis, the dependent variables considered were foot and lower limb pain, and the predictor variables were age, sex, body mass index, sports activity, foot posture index and knee alignment. A descriptive analysis of these variables was performed, together with an association analysis (using the 2 test) and a multivariate analysis (using binary logistic regression).ResultsIn the study sample, 47.3% were girls, 15.3% were overweight and 12.7% obese. The overall prevalence of foot pain was 10.7% and that of lower limb pain, 27.3%. Of the study variables analyzed, the only ones significantly related to both foot pain and lower limb pain were overweight and obesity.ConclusionsOverweight and obesity are the main factors related to pain in the feet and lower limbs in primary school children.

Prevalence and Predictors of Pediculosis Capitis among Female Primary School Children in Kuantan, Pahang

Introduction: Pediculosis capitis has been a worldwide concern among the vulnerable population of primary school children due to the physical, economical and psychological consequences that it brings to both the children and their caretakers. It is observed that there were only limited studies conducted in Malaysia and no previous study was done in Kuantan despite the health concern that it bears. Since both local and worldwide studies show that Pediculosis capitis is more prevalent among female as compared to male school children, thus, this study aims to investigate the prevalence and predictors of Pediculosis capitis among female primary school children in Kuantan. Materials and method: An analytical crosssectional study using cluster random sampling was carried out in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. A self-administered validated questionnaire was used to collect the data among female primary school children from standard one to six. Hair and scalp examination was performed to identify presence of Pediculosis capitis infestation. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for potential confounding and determine the predictors Results: 10 schools participated in the study with total number of 636 female students as respondents. The overall prevalence of Pediculosis capitis among female primary school children was 17.6% (n=112). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Indian (OR=5.634, 95% CI= 3.157-10.055), history of contact with infested person (OR=2.822, 95% CI=1.6193.691) and those who had number of family members more than four (OR=0.065, 95% CI=0.008-0.550) were predictors for Pediculosis capitis Conclusion: The prevalence of Pediculosis capitis among female primary school children in Kuantan, Pahang is endemic (17.6%) and predictors are Indian, history of contact with infested person and having family members of more than 4. Hence, there is a need for health intervention to reduce the burden of Pediculosis capitis infestation.

Time-to-Boundary Function to Study the Development of Upright Stance Control in Children.

Background:The development of postural control across the primary school time horizon is a complex process, which entails biomechanics modifications, the maturation of cognitive ability and sensorimotor organization, and the emergence of anticipatory behaviour. Postural stability in upright stance has been thus object of a multiplicity of studies to better characterize postural control in this age span, with a variety of methodological approaches. The analysis of the Time-to-Boundary function (TtB), which specifies the spatiotemporal proximity of the Centre of Pressure (CoP) to the stability boundaries in the regulation of posture in upright stance, is among the techniques used to better characterize postural stability in adults, but, as of now, it has not yet been introduced in developmental studies. The aim of this study was thus to apply this technique to evaluate the development of postural control in a sample population of primary school children.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, upright stance trials under eyes open and eyes closed were administered to 107 healthy children, divided into three age groups (41 for Seven Years' Group, Y7; 38 for Nine Years' Group, Y9; 28 for Eleven Years' Group, Y11). CoP data were recorded to calculate the Time-to-Boundary function (TtB), from which four spatio-temporal parameters were extracted: the mean value and the standard deviation of TtB minima (Mmin, Stdmin), and the mean value and the standard deviation of the temporal distance between two successive minima (Mdist, Stddist).Results:With eyes closed, Mmin and Stdmin significantly decreased and Mdist and Stddist increased for the Y7 group, at Y9 Mmin significantly decreased and Stddist increased, while no effect of vision resulted for Y11. Regarding age groups, Mmin was significantly higher for Y9 than Y7, and Stdmin for Y9 was higher than both Y7 and Y11; Mdist and Stddist resulted higher for Y11 than for Y9.Conclusion:From the combined results from the spatio-temporal TtB parameters, it is suggested that, at 9 years, children look more efficient in terms of exploring their limits of stability than at 7, and at 11 the observed TtB behaviour hints at the possibility that, at that age, they have almost completed the maturation of postural control in upright stance, also in terms of integration of the spatio-temporal information.

The secular trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population of primary school children from Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Abstract Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children has increased dramatically in recent decades. The survey examined overweight and obesity in the population of boys and girls from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, aged seven through fourteen from 1991 to 2011. Methods: An annually repeated cross-sectional study of data from the national SLOFIT monitoring system was used. The body mass index cut-off points of the International Obesity Task Force were used to identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Multinomial logistic regression was used for modelling the probability of overweight and obesity as a function of time (year of measurement), sex and age of subjects. Results: In 1991-2011 period, the odds for overweight and obesity among primary school children (n = 376,719) increased every year by 1.7% (95% CI: 1.6-1.9) and 3.7% (3.4-4%) respectively. Boys have 1.17 (95% CI: 1.15-1.20) times higher odds of becoming overweight and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.35-1.44) times higher odds of becoming obese than girls. In comparison to the reference group (age of 14), the highest odds for overweight were found at the ages of nine and ten (1.39; 95% CI: 1.34-1.44), while for the obesity the highest odds were at the age of eight (2.01; 95% CI: 1.86-2.16). Conclusion: From 1991 to 2011, overweight and obesity clearly became more prevalent in children from Ljubljana. This trend has been more obvious among boys than girls. In comparison to 14-year-old boys and girls, the highest odds for excessive weight were found below the age of 10.

The relative roles played by structural and pragmatic language skills in relation to behaviour in a population of primary school children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds

Considerable evidence supports the association between language learning difficulties and behaviour in young children and this is likely to be particularly true of children raised in social disadvantage. Less is known about the way that different aspects of language, specifically pragmatics, interact with behaviour. This study examines the extent to which pragmatic language skills mediate the relationship between structural language skills and parent report of behaviour. It was carried out with 138 community ascertained monolingual English speaking primary school children raised in an area of marked social disadvantage. We found that pragmatic skills substantially mediate the relationship between language and behaviour in this group of children. Further analyses suggest that the mediational relationship holds for hyperactivity, peer related problems and overall impact score but not for emotional problems, conduct problems or pro-social behaviour. Pragmatic language skills underpin the relationship between language and behaviour in low SES (socio-economic status) children. This is specifically true for children exhibited signs of hyperactivity, peer problems and the perceived impact that these may have on the classroom teacher, parents and other children. These findings need to be replicated in both comparable and different populations but, if the relationship holds, it is likely to have considerable implications for the development of valid and effective interventions in this area. Furthermore they may lead to a more differentiated approach to behavioural difficulties.

OP81 Not Eating Breakfast is Associated with increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk Markers in a Multiethnic Population of Children: the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE)

BackgroundPrevention of type 2 diabetes and one of its precursor obesity are important public health priorities both in adults and in children. In adults, not eating breakfast regularly has been...

The factor structure of ADHD in a general population of primary school children

To examine whether a bifactor model with a general ADHD factor and domain specific factors of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity was supported in a large general population sample of children. We also explored the utility of forming subscales based on the domain-specific factors. Child mental health questionnaires were completed by both teachers and parents of all children in grades 2-4 in Bergen, Norway. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the ADHD items of a modified version of the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Questionnaire-IV (SNAP-IV) for 6,237 children. The bifactor model showed very good model fit with a strong general ADHD factor and specific factors for impulsivity and inattention. The subfactors, especially hyperactivity, generated from the SNAP-IV ADHD items conveyed little unique variance in the model. The findings in this general population sample with a strong general ADHD factor in the bifactor model supports the view on ADHD as a unitary concept with specific domain factors for inattention and impulsivity, but not for hyperactivity. The bifactor model questions the utility of constructing ADHD subscales by the use of a simple sum score when using the SNAP-IV.

Macular Measurements Using Optical Coherence Tomography in Healthy Chinese School Age Children

To evaluate macular thickness/volume in a Chinese population of primary school children using optical coherence tomography (OCT), and assess its association with age, sex, spherical equivalent refraction (SE), body mass index (BMI), and intraocular pressure (IOP). Healthy Chinese children (n = 806) from six randomly selected primary schools in Chongming County, Shanghai, China, were enrolled. Comprehensive standardized ophthalmic examinations included visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, IOP, and fast macular scans using Stratus OCT. Mean values for the nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) areas, foveal minimum thickness, and macular volume were calculated. OCT data from right eyes with high-quality scans were evaluated in 720 children (89.3% of total participants; 46.5% boys). Macular thickness and volume were normally distributed. The mean foveal minimum thickness was 140.0 ± 12.3 μm. There were significant differences between the boys and the girls in mean foveal volume (P = 0.023) and sectoral macular thickness in all the quadrants of the inner ring (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001) and temporal outer quadrant (P = 0.009). SE refraction correlated positively with inner and outer macular thickness and total macular volume (P < 0.001) and negatively with central macular volume (P = 0.012). BMI correlated significantly only with outer macular thickness (r = 0.074, P = 0.048). No age- and IOP-related differences were found in the macular parameters. OCT demonstrated that macular thickness/volume was normally distributed in this sample of Chinese children, with variations in sex and SE. The variables in macular thickness/volume should be considered when diagnosing and monitoring school-aged children with diseases that affect the macula.

The relationship between school day sleep duration and body mass index in Norwegian children (aged 10–12)

To examine the relationship between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) in Norwegian children (aged 10-12). Children and parents of a population of primary school children (N=9 430) were invited to complete a questionnaire containing questions about usual bedtimes, wake-up times, self and parent evaluations of pubertal maturation, parental education and economic status, and parent-reported height and weight of the child. Sixty per cent of parents and children participated. BMI was available for 4 158 children, 44% of the original sample. A U-shaped relationship was found between sleep duration and age- and gender-adjusted BMI. Shorter and longer sleep durations were significantly related to high BMI. The percentage of obesity and overweight was higher in the shortest sleep duration group compared with intermediate sleep durations. Crude logistic regression analyses showed a significant association between early pubertal maturation and both obesity and overweight. Socio-economic status was significantly related to overweight. Short sleep duration showed a significant association with obesity but not with overweight. In an adjusted logistic regression model, short sleep duration was still significantly associated with obesity when controlling for physical maturation and socio-economic status. High BMI was associated with short and long self and parent-reported duration of sleep. The percentage of obesity/overweight was higher in the shortest sleep duration group than for intermediate sleep durations. Short sleep duration was significantly associated with obesity but not with overweight. Adjusting for physical maturation and socio-economic status, short sleep duration still showed a significant association with obesity.

The assessment of hearing organ of school children in Upper Silesia region

Because at present no estimated data is available concerning the frequency of hearing loss in the population of primary school children in Silesia, it has been assumed useful to carry out a research programme. An important advantage of this study is the assessment of hearing in children from Upper Silesian region, a top ranking region in Europe in industrialisation and environmental pollution. In the selected population of primary school children in the province of Silesia, hearing loss occurred in 6% of the examined pupils; in schools located in urban areas it was higher than in schools from rural areas. In the group of children aged 6–10 years conductive hearing loss occurred significantly more frequently, than main cause of that hearing loss was Eustachian tube dysfunction. The obtained results testify about the society being hardly aware of the problems related to hearing loss, which stresses the necessity of conducting screening examinations of hearing organ in children at school age, as well as improving the health care and prevention in that respect.

Effects of drinking water with high iodine concentration on the intelligence of children in Tianjin, China

This study aimed to investigate the effects of drinking water with high concentrations of iodine on the intelligence of children in Tianjin, China. It was a population-based health survey utilizing a random cluster sampling design conducted in June 2005. Participants were recruited from the total population of primary school children attending years 1-4 with ages ranging from 8 to 10 years. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was assessed using the combined Raven's test, second edition. Linear regression analyses were applied to test for any association between water iodine concentration and IQ. A total of 1229 students were recruited with a mean IQ of 105.8 (95% CI: 104.2-107.3). Water analyses indicated iodine concentrations were high in one rural region and exceedingly high in another with median values of 137.5 and 234.7 microg/l, respectively. There was a significant association between residing in the very high water iodine region and a reduction of IQ by an average of about nine points (P = 0.022), after adjusting for the potential confounding factors. Exposure to high iodine concentrations in drinking water has detrimental effects on the intelligence of children.

Double disadvantage: the influence of ethnicity over socioeconomic position on childhood overweight and obesity: findings from an inner urban population of primary school children

To examine the relationship between overweight/obesity in children, socioeconomic status and ethnicity/cultural background. Cross-sectional survey of children aged 4-13 years. A total of 23 primary (elementary) schools in an inner urban municipality of Melbourne, Australia. Participants. A total of 2685 children aged 4-13 years and their parents. Ethnicity/cultural background - maternal region of birth; socioeconomic position (SEP) indicators - maternal and paternal educational attainment, family employment status, possession of a healthcare card, ability to buy food, indicator of disadvantage (Socioeconomic Index for Areas, SEIFA) score for school; parental weight status. Main outcome measure. Prevalence of overweight/obesity. Prevalence of overweight/obesity approached 1 in 3 (31%) in this sample. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was greater for children of both North Africa and Middle Eastern background and children of Southern, South Eastern and Eastern European background compared with children of Australian background. This difference remained after adjusting for age, sex, height, clustering by school, SEP indicators and parental weight status; odds ratio, OR=1.57 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.12-2.19) and 1.88 (95%CI 1.24-2.85), respectively. There is a clear independent effect of ethnicity above and beyond the effect of socioeconomic status on overweight and obesity in children. Further research is required to explore the mediators of this gradient.

Chronic physical illness and mental health in children. Results from a large‐scale population study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in detecting emotional and behavioural problems among children with chronic illness (CI). Parents and teachers of a population of primary school children in Norway (n = 9430) completed a questionnaire including the SDQ, and a question about chronic illness. A total of 74% (n = 7007) of the parents participated. A sub-sample (n = 1040) was given a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation according to the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA). According to parent reports, 537 (8%) children had a CI. The SDQ revealed an increased risk of emotional and behavioural problems in children with CI as compared with non-CI peers, both among boys (OR = 2.10 CI 95% 1.56-2.83) and girls (OR = 2.11 CI 95% 1.49-2.99). Children with CI also showed an increased risk of psychiatric disorder as assessed by the DAWBA (OR = 1.70 CI 95% 1.04-2.85). Both the sensitivity and specificity of the SDQ in predicting a psychiatric diagnosis were high, even when only information from parents was included. Children with CI in the general population are at increased risk of behavioural and emotional problems and psychiatric disorders. Given its high sensitivity and specificity the SDQ might work well as a screening instrument for behaviour/emotional problems and psychiatric disorder in children with CI.

A community based questionnaire study on the association between symptoms suggestive of otitis media with effusion, rhinitis and asthma in primary school children

To evaluate the association between symptoms suggestive of otitis media with effusion (OME), rhinitis and asthma in an unselected population of primary school children and investigate whether our previous observation of such an association in a secondary care setting was valid in the community. A specifically designed questionnaire was administered to 332 new entrant primary school children across 11 state and independent primary schools in the East Berkshire district between March and June 1996. It had six sections, to ascertain symptoms suggestive of OME, rhinitis, asthma, other atopic features, treatment for any of these, and a possible family history of atopy. Within the first three sections, each question was scored and weighted depending on the importance of each in establishing the possible diagnoses, with three scoring bands: '0' indicating the absence; '1-5' the possibility and '> or =6' a strong likelihood that the above conditions were present. The outcome measures were the number of children with or without symptoms suggestive of OME, rhinitis, asthma, and the correlation of these symptom scores with each other and OME with eczema, other atopic manifestations, family history of atopy and educational system. Thirty two point eight percent, thirty six point six percent and twenty four percent had symptoms suggestive of OME, rhinitis and asthma, respectively with scores of either 1-5 or > or =6. There was a highly significant correlation between otological (OME) and nasal scores (p=0.00000), particularly obstructive nasal symptoms (p=0.00000) and > or =6 upper respiratory tract infections/year (p=0.00000); otological and chest scores suggestive of asthma (p=0.00001), and a family history of asthma (p=0.00178). No association was found between scores for OME and eczema, urticaria, food or drug allergies. No differences were noted between the sexes or educational systems. The highly significant association between the symptom scores suggestive of OME and rhinitis in this unselected population, indicates the importance of enquiring about nasal symptoms in children with chronic OME, as appropriate treatment of rhinitis may improve the child's quality of life, reduce health care utilisation and possibly reduce the need for OME surgery.

Wyniki badań przesiewowych słuchu u wybranej populacji dzieci szkół podstawowych na Śląsku

The aim of this study was analysis of results of audiologic evaluation in the group of 191 children with hearing loss. Children were selected from the group of 8885 pupils of primary schools in Silesia by screening test "Słysze" in 2002. Universal Screening Program of Hearing in Children and Teenage "Słysze" was created and introduced in to the clinic practice by Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Warsaw in 1999. The screening program consists of: pure tone examination and speech audiometry in noise. Children with hearing loss detected by this test in 2002 were followed laryngological and audiological examination. Special attention was paid on articulation disturbances, communicational and educational problems in children with hearing loss. The authors focused also attention on "discreet signs of hearing deficiency" (not reacting to commands, turning up a TV-set, loud speech). The validation of screening test "Słysze" was also conducted. In the selected population of primary schoolchildren in Silesia hypoacusis occurred in 6% of examined children, in "city" schools the percentage proved to be higher than in "village" schools. In the group aged 6 to 10 the conductive hearing loss occurred considerable more frequently. Eustachian tube dysfunctions in children with conductive hearing loss occurred more frequently in the group of the younger ones. Older than 10 years old in most cases proved to have perceptive-type of hearing loss. The hearing loss hinders a child's psycho-intellectual development, it is important to detect it as early as possible. The evaluations showed that despite frequent occurrence of "discreet symptoms of hypoacusis", only 17.8% of parents suspected hearing loss in their own child. According to the frequency of parents' signals of "discreet symptoms of hypoacusis" it was found that the fact of turning up TV sound was the most powerful sign indicating the probability of hearing loss (45.5%). The most common risk factors of hearing loss in schoolchildren were also estimated. A characteristic, homogenous group of 34 children (17.8%) was the group with MSHL minimal sensorineral hearing loss of high frequencies (6-8 kHz). Results obtained give evidence of low level of awareness in the society concerning the problem of hypoacusis, which confirms the necessity to screening of hearing in schoolchildren and improving of health care in this respect. Diagnosing hypoacusis in case of children is an interdisciplinary problem, requiring cooperation of medical circles but also teachers, speech therapists and parents.

School Performance and Social-Emotional Behavior of Primary School Children Before and After a Disaster

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the cognitive and social-emotional consequences in a general population of primary school children affected by the firework disaster in Enschede, The Netherlands, on May 13, 2000. The explosions caused tremendous damage in the surrounding neighborhood. Twenty-two people immediately died and >1000 were injured. This retrospective study assessed school performance and social-emotional behavior before and up to 3 years after the disaster. Objectively measured school test results in spelling and arithmetic/mathematics and multi-informant social-emotional behavioral assessments were compared between exposed and nonexposed primary school children. Multivariate logistic-regression was used to assess the relationship between exposure and cognitive and social emotional functioning. On school performances, the children exposed to the disaster performed over a period of 3 years after the disaster as good as or better than classmates, controls, and a national reference population. Shortly after the disaster, exposed children even seemed to have better school test results than nonexposed children. Two to 3 years after the disaster, a significant effect of disaster exposure was found on social-emotional behavior. Problematic behavior was reported by teachers, parents, and the school doctor. This study demonstrates a limited influence of disaster exposure on school performance in primary school children. This study also shows that teachers and youth health care practitioners especially should be aware of children starting school several years after a disaster. Although very young at the time of a disaster (1-4 years of age), they may experience disaster-related problems.