School Children In Europe Research Articles

Mapping the existing evidence of the effects of school food policies on health, acceptance and affordability of secondary school children in Europe: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionUnhealthy diets pose a significant public health risk among European children, contributing to the increasing prevalence of overweight and non-communicable diseases. Children spend a substantial amount of time at school...

Does the design of a soda tax matter? Evidence from school children in Europe

This paper compares the effects of two different health taxes on soda consumption and the body mass index (BMI) of school children in Europe. Hungary imposed a comprehensive tax on several unhealthy products in 2011. In contrast, France introduced a tax on sodas with sugar or artificial sweeteners, in 2012. To evaluate these taxation designs, I use a flexible semi-parametric difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The results suggest a counter-intuitive increase in soda consumption caused by the tax in Hungary. The effect of the soda tax on soda consumption in France is insignificant. The BMI is not affected by any tax.

The challenges and pitfalls of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevalence studies.

The experienced team of researchers, McCarthy, Mukerjee, Fleming, Green, Clayton-Smith, Price, Allely, and Cook describe a well-designed and thoughtful study of the Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in Greater Manchester, UK. This paper is a contribution to the field, for it represents one of a handful of active case ascertainment (ACA) studies of FASD carried out among school children in Europe. McCarthy et al. report a minimal prevalence of FASD of 1.8% and an estimated rate of 3.4% if probable cases are included.

ARE MIGRANT STUDENTS CLOSING THE GAP?

AbstractSince 2015, increased numbers of newly immigrated schoolchildren in Europe have resulted in divergent, often ad hoc measures to provide for their education. Because the basis of classroom learning is information found in written texts, the development of grade-level reading skills is of central importance. However, little is known about immigrant students’ reading skills at and following transition, and no data is available for Germany, where the study was conducted. We report the results of a longitudinal study in which migrant students’ (N= 136) reading subskills after transition into mainstream were investigated at three points over the course of 2 years and compared to cohort performance (N= 517) in grades 7 through 9. Results showed that immigrant students performed significantly below mainstream students on all measures for all data points, with little evidence that they are beginning to close the gap even after several years in mainstream.

9.N. Workshop: Vaccination in school children in Europe: when and how?

9.N. Workshop: Vaccination in school children in Europe: when and how?

9.N. Workshop: Vaccination in school children in Europe: when and how?

9.N. Workshop: Vaccination in school children in Europe: when and how?

Acute anaphylaxis: What to do in an emergency

It has been estimated that at least one quarter of school children in Europe are affected by allergies, which may affect quality of life and school performance and even put them at risk of severe allergic reactions.

Sensory taste preferences and taste sensitivity and the association of unhealthy food patterns with overweight and obesity in primary school children in Europe—a synthesis of data from the IDEFICS study

Increased preference for fat and sugar or reduced taste sensitivity may play a role in overweight and obesity development, but sensory perceptions are probably influenced already during childhood by food cultures and common dietary habits. We summarise the main findings of a large-scale epidemiological study conducted in Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Hungary and Spain. We measured the taste preferences and the taste thresholds in 1,839 children aged 6 to 9 years and investigated factors that might influence the observed preferences as well as their association with weight status. Country of residence was the strongest factor related to preferences for sweet, salty, bitter and umami. Taste preferences also differed by age. Regardless of the country of residence and other covariates, overweight and obesity were positively associated with the preference for fat-enriched crackers and sugar-sweetened apple juice. We conclude that culture and age are important determinants of taste preferences in pre-adolescent children. The cross-sectional data show that objectively measured taste preferences are associated with the weight status of primary school children across varying food cultures. We hypothesise that this association is mediated by an unfavourable food choice as a food pattern characterised by sweet and fatty foods is associated with excess weight gain in these children.

Differences in beliefs and home environments regarding energy balance behaviors according to parental education and ethnicity among schoolchildren in Europe: the ENERGY cross sectional study.

BackgroundTo explore differences in personal and home environmental factors that are regarded as determinants of energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) according to parental education and ethnic background among 10–12 year old schoolchildren across Europe.MethodsA school-based survey among 10–12 year olds was conducted in eight countries across Europe. A range of personal and home environment variables relevant for soft drink consumption, daily breakfast, sport participation and TV time was assessed by means of child report. Personal factors included attitude, health beliefs, and preference/liking. Home environment factors included parental subjective norm, modeling, support, practices and home availability. Children were classified based on parental education (i.e., low vs. high) and ethnic background (i.e., native vs. non-native). Data from 6018 children originating from 83 schools were included in the analyses.ResultsMultilevel logistic regression analyses showed that the majority of the factors tested –and especially home environment variables- were more favorable among children from higher educated parents and from native ethnicity. None of the personal and home environment factors was found to be more favorable among children from lower educated parents or non-native ethnicity.ConclusionsThe present study indicates that schoolchildren from lower educated and non-native parents across Europe have EBRB-related beliefs and are exposed to home environments that are less favorable for engagement in healthy EBRBs.

National implementation of CPR training programmes for school children in Europe

Purpose of the study: Survival after sudden cardiac arrest depends on a well-functioning chain of survival. The first link of this chain: ‘Early Access’ indicates the importance of calling the emergency number bringing professional help to the scene. A previous study found that in general EU respondents were unfamiliar with 112 as an EU-wide emergency number, with just over a 26% correctly identifying 112 as the number to call anywhere in the EU in case of an emergency. Materials andmethods:A total of 2300 school students of three schools in the province of Limburg participated in a CPR training program. To assess, among others, whether students were familiar with the Europe-wide used emergency number they completed a questionnaire before start of the CPR-training. Results: A total of 2185 students completed the questionnaire (mean age 14.9, male: 50.4%). Of those 1776 (81.3%) students correctly mentioned the emergency number 112. The number was unknown to 383 students. An incorrect number was given by 26 students of whom 8 students mentioned 911. Correct answers for the different grades were 1 year: 81%, 2nd year 84%, 3rd year 82%, 4th year 79% and 5th year 81% (p= .064). Educational level and gender showed no difference. Of themiddle educational level students 82% and from the higher level students 81% gave the correct number (p= .168) Percentages for male students were 79% and female students 83% (p= .096) respectively. Conclusions: Knowledge of the European Emergency Number among students in secondary schools in this study is well above the rates previously measured in the Euro barometer and without differences between age, gender and school level. However there is room for improvement, indicating that CPR training for secondary school students should include teaching of the Europe wide used emergency number.

What are school children in Europe being taught about hygiene and antibiotic use?

e-Bug is a pan-European antibiotic and hygiene teaching resource that aims to reinforce awareness in school children of microbes, prudent antibiotic use, hygiene and the transmission of infection. Prior to the production of the resource, it was essential to examine the educational structure across each partner country and assess what school children were being taught on these topics. A questionnaire was devised for distribution to each European partner (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain), exploring their educational structure and examining educational resources or campaigns currently available. From the data collected it was evident that the majority of European schools have structured hand hygiene practices in place from a young age. The curricula in all countries cover the topic of human health and hygiene, but limited information is provided on antibiotics and their prudent use. School educational resources that link to the national curriculum and implement National Advice to the Public campaigns in the classroom are limited. The Microbes en question mobile health education campaign in France is an example of a successful children's education campaign and an innovative programme. Evaluation of the impact of school education on attitude and change of behaviour is also limited throughout many European countries. Not enough is currently being done across Europe to educate school children on the importance of appropriate antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance. The data from this research were used to develop e-Bug, a European Union-funded antibiotic and hygiene teaching resource.

EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth (ENERGY) project: Design and methodology of the ENERGY cross-sectional survey.

BackgroundObesity treatment is by large ineffective long term, and more emphasis on the prevention of excessive weight gain in childhood and adolescence is warranted. To inform energy balance related behaviour (EBRB) change interventions, insight in the potential personal, family and school environmental correlates of these behaviours is needed. Studies on such multilevel correlates of EBRB among schoolchildren in Europe are lacking. The ENERGY survey aims to (1) provide up-to-date prevalence rates of measured overweight, obesity, self-reported engagement in EBRBs, and objective accelerometer-based assessment of physical activity and sedentary behaviour and blood-sample biomarkers of metabolic function in countries in different regions of Europe, (2) to identify personal, family and school environmental correlates of these EBRBs. This paper describes the design, methodology and protocol of the survey.Method/DesignA school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2010 in seven different European countries; Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain. The survey included measurements of anthropometrics, child, parent and school-staff questionnaires, and school observations to measure and assess outcomes (i.e. height, weight, and waist circumference), EBRBs and potential personal, family and school environmental correlates of these behaviours including the social-cultural, physical, political, and economic environmental factors. In addition, a selection of countries conducted accelerometer measurements to objectively assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and collected blood samples to assess several biomarkers of metabolic function.DiscussionThe ENERGY survey is a comprehensive cross-sectional study measuring anthropometrics and biomarkers as well as assessing a range of EBRBs and their potential correlates at the personal, family and school level, among 10-12 year old children in seven European countries. This study will result in a unique dataset, enabling cross country comparisons in overweight, obesity, risk behaviours for these conditions as well as the correlates of engagement in these risk behaviours.

Taste preferences, liking and other factors related to fruit and vegetable intakes among schoolchildren: results from observational studies

The present paper explores the relative importance of liking and taste preferences as correlates of fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes among schoolchildren in Europe. The paper first provides an overview of potential determinants of food choice among children and subsequently summarizes the results of two recent observational studies on determinants of FV intakes among school-aged children. It is proposed that taste preferences and liking are important for children's food choices as part of a broader spectrum of nutrition behaviour determinants. Taste preferences and liking are important for motivation to eat certain foods, but social-cultural and physical environmental factors that determine availability and accessibility of foods, as well as nutrition knowledge and abilities should also be considered. Study 1 shows that children with a positive liking for FV have a greater likelihood to eat fruits (odds ratio (OR) = 1.97) or vegetables (OR = 1.60) every day, while ability and opportunity related factors such as knowledge, self-efficacy, parental influences and accessibility of FV were also associated with likelihood of daily intakes (ORs between 1.16 and 2.75). These results were consistent across different countries in Europe. Study 2 shows that taste preferences were the strongest mediator of gender differences in FV intakes among children; the fact that girls eat more could for a large extend be explained by there stronger taste preferences.

Children Attending Addiction Treatment Services in Dublin, 1990–1999

In Europe, adolescent substance misuse increased during the 1990s. Ireland has among the highest rates of substance misuse among schoolchildren in Europe. We sought to describe the socio-demographic and drug misuse profile of children presenting to addiction treatment services in Dublin during the 1990s. Of the 9,874 individuals who sought addiction treatment, 1,953 (20%) were aged less than 18 years. There was a sharp increase in the number of children after 1993. The main drug of abuse was an opiate in 48% of cases. Compared to adults, the children were more likely to be female and less likely to inject. As the decade progressed the proportion of girls increased, injecting was reported more frequently and there was a dramatic rise in heroin misuse. Child heroin users were more likely to be female and to be homeless compared to their adult counterparts. This study highlights the need for a dedicated service for child drug users in Dublin.

Thyroid volume and urinary iodine in European schoolchildren: standardization of values for assessment of iodine deficiency.

Up to 1992, most European countries used to be moderately to severely iodine deficient. The present study aimed at evaluating possible changes in the status of iodine nutrition in 12 European countries during the past few years. Thyroid volume was measured by ultrasonography in 7599 schoolchildren aged 7-15 years in one to fifteen sites in The Netherlands. Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary and Romania. The concentrations of urinary iodine were measured in 5709 of them. A mobile unit (ThyroMobil van) equipped with a sonographic device and facilities for the collection of urine samples visited all sites in the 12 countries. All ultrasounds and all urinary iodine assays were performed by the same investigators. The status of iodine nutrition in schoolchildren has markedly improved in many European countries and is presently normal in The Netherlands, France and Slovakia. It remains unchanged in other countries such as Belgium. There is an inverse relationship between urinary iodine and thyroid volume in schoolchildren in Europe. Goiter occurs as soon as the urinary iodine is below a critical threshold of 10 micrograms/dl. Its prevalence is up to 10 to 40% in some remote European areas. This work produced updated recommendations for the normal volume of the thyroid measured by ultrasonography as a function of age, sex and body surface area in iodine-replete schoolchildren in Europe. This study proposes a method for a standardized evaluation of iodine nutrition on a continental basis, which could be used in other continents.

Positive Tuberculin Reactions Among American Elementary School Children in Europe

Positive Tuberculin Reactions Among American Elementary School Children in Europe