Schools In Lima Research Articles

Obesity and Hypertension among School-going Adolescents in Peru.

BackgroundAdolescent obesity and hypertension are global public health issues. The burden of adolescent obesity and hypertension in Peru is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity and hypertension and their relationship among school-attending adolescents and to assess the need for health-promoting school programs in the study area.MethodsA cross-sectional school-based survey was conducted in a randomly selected sample of 952 secondary school adolescents from 11 schools in Lima or Callao, Peru, in 2014. Weight, height, and blood pressure (BP) were measured and categorized. Obesity was defined as ≥ 95th percentile in body mass index (BMI) for age and sex. Hypertension was defined as average systolic blood pressure and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥95th percentile in BP for sex, age, and height. Chi-square test and univariate logistic regressions were used at a 5% significance level to determine the relationship between BMI and BP category.ResultsThe mean age of subjects was 14.6 years; 46.4% were boys and 53.6% were girls. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.2% and 9.5% overall, 17.4% and 11.1% for boys, and 22.5% and 8.0% for girls, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was 26.7% overall, 34.8% for boys, and 19.6% for girls. In both sexes, BMI was strongly associated with BP (p < 0.01).ConclusionThe prevalence of obesity and hypertension observed in the study area is relatively high. Overweight and obesity are strongly associated with BP status among adolescents. Health-promoting school programs may reduce the burdens of obesity and hypertension among school-going adolescents.

One Laptop per Child at Home: Short-Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru

This paper presents results from a randomized controlled trial whereby approximately 1,000 OLPC XO laptops were provided for home use to children attending primary schools in Lima, Peru. The intervention increased access and use of home computers, with some substitution away from computer use outside the home. Children randomized to receive laptops scored about 0.8 standard deviations higher in a test of XO proficiency but showed lower academic effort as reported by teachers. There were no impacts on academic achievement or cognitive skills as measured by the Raven's Progressive Matrices test. Finally, there was little evidence for spillovers within schools. (JEL I21, I28, J13, O15)

Expectativas de laborar en el primer nivel de atención de salud de los estudiantes de una facultad de medicina de Lima, Perú

Introducción: La situación sanitaria del Perú requiere que más profesionales de la salud brinden atención en los establecimientos de salud del primer nivel de atención, ubicados principalmente en las zonas periféricas, rurales o más pobres del país. Objetivo: Identificar expectativas laborales y personales de los futuros profesionales de la salud que son formados en una facultad de medicina de Lima, particularmente trabajar en el primer nivel de atención de salud. Diseño: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y exploratorio. Lugar: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Participantes: Estudiantes pre internado de las Escuelas Académico Profesionales. Intervenciones: El muestreo fue por conveniencia y se incluyó a 278 estudiantes de las 5 escuelas que conforman la facultad de medicina. Se aplicó un cuestionario ad hoc donde se preguntó aspectos relativos a las expectativas laborales, económicas y visión de los estudiantes como futuros profesionales. Se calculó promedios, desviación estándar, distribución de frecuencias, los intervalos de confianza al 95% con la prueba de Poissón y chi cuadrado. Principales medidas de resultados: Expectativa de laborar en el primer nivel de atención de salud. Resultados: El 50% de los estudiantes manifestó que les gustaría desarrollarse en el área asistencial; solo 14,5% expresó su intención de trabajar en el primer nivel de atención de salud (puestos y centros de salud), 87,1% consideró que estudiar en una universidad emblemática es una fortaleza que favorece su vida profesional y 57,6% que seguirá estudios de posgrado; 58,6% de los estudiantes señaló la intención de trabajar en Lima, 21,9% en provincias y 16,2% en el extranjero. El promedio de expectativa económica mensual fue el equivalente a 1 577 nuevos soles o poco más de 2 sueldos mínimos vitales previstos para el 2012. Conclusiones: La expectativa de los futuros profesionales de la salud de laborar en establecimientos de salud del primer nivel de atención es baja.

Between the foreign and the local: French midwifery, traditional practitioners, and vernacular medical knowledge about childbirth in Lima, Peru.

This article examines the politics of midwifery and the persecution of untitled female assistants in childbirth in early republican Peru. A close reading of late colonial publications and the works of Benita Paulina Cadeau Fessel, a French obstetriz director of a midwifery school in Lima, demonstrates both trans-Atlantic and local influences in the campaign against untitled midwives. Cadeau Fessel's efforts to promote midwifery built upon debates among writers in Peru's enlightened press, who vilified untrained midwives' and wet nurses' vernacular medical knowledge and associated them with Lima's underclass. One cannot understand the transfer of French knowledge about professional midwifery to Peru without reference to the social, political, and cultural context.

What are the television viewing and eating habits of children in Peru?

While there is already consensus in the scientific community about the deleterious effects of TV exposure, especially through TV advertisements, on children's beliefs, preferences, and food intake, the link between TV and children's eating behaviors is under-studied in Peru, a country experiencing a steady economic growth in recent years and currently with a status of upper-middle-income country. Following research about the effects of media exposure on childhood obesity, we report on a qualitative study of TV viewing and the eating habits of children attending elementary schools in Lima, the capital. Data from eight focus groups with 38 boys and girls between 6 and 11 years old, eight focus groups with 36 female caretakers, and in-depth interviews with two fathers provided consistent information about children's eating habits and media viewing patterns. After dual coding the entire corpus of qualitative data, we found that children watch a great deal of TV during the school season: children watch as early as when they wake up in the morning, then during lunchtime (after returning from school), and then again after completing their homework from 5 pm to 9 pm or 10 pm. Survey data from the parents showed that, on average, children watch about 5 hours of TV on weekdays and more during a weekend-day. This large amount of exposure is concerning, especially because the focus groups revealed that children (1) recall a number of TV advertisements involving food items, (2) request food items seen on TV, and (3) are able to buy food for themselves, which usually involves chocolate, candy, or potato chips. Boys and girls reported different favorite TV shows, suggesting differences in exposure to TV content related to food. In addition, some families reported drinking sodas frequently, underlining a behavior that should be discouraged by public health officials.

Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Medical Students of a Medical School in Lima, Peru

Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Medical Students of a Medical School in Lima, Peru

Titulación por tesis en escuelas de medicina de Lima, 2011: características, motivaciones y percepciones

We surveyed physicians who obtained their medical degree with a thesis in 2011 from the seven medical schools in Lima to know the characteristics of the degree by thesis process, as well as participants’ motivations and perceptions of that process. We included 98 students who did a thesis (87% of total); 99% conducted observational thesis, 30% did so in groups of three. The main motivation was that it was good for their curriculum vitae (94%). At the university where the thesis is compulsory, the process began with the choice of topic and adviser. Perceived “greatest” and “least” difficulty in the process was the completion of administrative procedures (53%) and selection of their advisor (11%), respectively. Administrative timeliness and processes should be reviewed so as not to impede the completion of thesis, since the new University Act requires the completion of a thesis to graduate.

Proceso léxico, sintáctico y semántico del lenguaje y rendimiento ortográfico en estudiantes de 5° y 6° grado de primaria: enfoque neuropsicológico cognitivo

El estudio exploró, desde la perspectiva neuropsicológica cognitiva, el desempeño ortográfico de niños y niñas de 5° y 6° de primaria, entre 10 y 11 años, asistentes a colegios públicos y privados de Lima. El tipo de investigación fue descriptivo, con diseño no experimentaltranseccional-descriptivo, utilizándose como instrumento, la Prueba de Rendimiento Ortográfico (PRO), niveles 1-2, que tiene un 0.90 de fiabilidad y validez estructural que fluctúa entre 0.523 (procesamiento semántico) y 0.902 (procesamiento léxico). Se encontró, de manera global, que varones y mujeres no evidenciaron diferencias significativas en el desempeño ortográfico, aunque las niñas alcanzaron un desempeño significativamente mejor en las pruebas de signos de puntuación y signos de exclamación e interrogación; mientras que los varones mostraron un desempeño significativamente mejor en la prueba de signos de acentuación. Por otro lado, los alumnos de sexto grado, con respecto a los de quinto grado, solo mostraron diferencias significativas en la prueba de signos de puntuación, ocurriendo lo contrario en la prueba de dictado de homófonos.

Cyberbullying en escolares de educación secundaria de Lima Metropolitana

La violencia entre iguales (bullying) adquiere nuevas expresiones debido al impacto de las tecnologías de información y comunicación (TICs) en la generación actual, éstas nuevas expresiones identifican al cyberbullying como una práctica intimidatoria utilizada por los adolescentes con sus iguales. El objetivo de la presente investigación es conocer la prevalencia del cyberbullying, establecer las diferencias de género, grado escolar y rendimiento académico autopercibido desde la posición de agresor o víctima, así como las modalidades más utilizadas por los escolares para intimidar a sus iguales, la muestra estuvo conformada por 1,703 estudiantes de tercero a quinto grado de secundaria de centros educativos públicos de Lima metropolitana, para la colecta de datos se utilizó el “Cuestionario Cyberbullying” (Ortega, Calmaestra y Mora Merchán, 2007) adaptado por el equipo de investigación; los resultados muestran que la prevalencia del ciberbullying es mayor por internet que por celular, desde la perspectiva de género las mujeres son más victimizadas que los hombres tanto por celular como por internet; pero agreden por igual, existen diferencias significativas desde la posición de agresor y víctima en función del rendimiento académico autopercibido no así en función del grado escolar; en las diferentes modalidades de ciberbullying por internet y celular las mujeres son más victimizadas que los varones, los alumnos con rendimiento académico autopercibido regular son más intimidados y en cuanto al grado escolar solo se encuentran diferencias en los alumnos de 4º y 5º grado en algunas modalidades utilizadas por celular e internet.

Determinantes del sobrepeso y la obesidad en niños en edad escolar en Perú

Obesity in children at school age is an increasing problem in Peru. It concentrates in urban areas, mainly in Lima where one out of three children is overweight. An initial study in 80 schools in Lima showed that the lack of physical activity would have a greater impact on overweight and obesity in school children than the amount of food intake. More detailed studies are required. In spite of the limited information available regarding its determining factors, it is necessary to implement culturally-sensitive measures to fight this problem as part of the current nutritional policies, and prevent the problem from spreading, making sure the sustainability of the health system is not affected.

Oral impacts on daily performances and recent use of dental services in schoolchildren.

To explore whether oral impacts on daily performances are related to recent use of dental services among children and whether oral impacts on specific daily performances are more strongly related to recent use of dental services. Data from a cross-sectional survey, including 805 11-12-year-old children attending four randomly selected schools in Lima (Peru), were used. The child version of the oral impacts on daily performances (Child-OIDP) was used to assess prevalence, intensity, and extent of oral impacts. Use of dental services was assessed by self-reports of last dental visit and reason for the visit. Associations of the prevalence, intensity, and extent of oral impacts with use of dental services were tested in logistic regression models. Children with oral impacts were 1.99 (95% CI: 1.17-3.37) times more likely to have used dental services recently than their counterparts. The intensity and extent of oral impacts were linearly associated with children's use of dental services. Difficulties in eating were the only type of oral impacts on daily performances associated with use of dental services, independent of children's demographic characteristics, and impacts on other performances. Oral impacts on daily performances were related to recent use of dental services among these schoolchildren.

Home Computers and Child Outcomes: Short-Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru

This paper presents results from a randomized control trial in which approximately 1,000 OLPC XO laptops were provided for home use to children attending primary schools in Lima, Peru. The intervention increased access and use of home computers, with some substitution away from computer use outside the home. Beneficiaries were more likely to complete domestic chores but less likely to read books. Treatment children scored almost one standard deviation higher in a test of XO proficiency, though there were no effects on objective and self-reported skills for using a Windows-based PC and Internet. There were positive impacts on the Raven's Progressive Matrices test among children who did not have a home computer before the intervention, but no significant effects for the sample as a whole. Finally, there was little evidence for spillovers within schools, although close friends and classmates of laptop recipients did exhibit higher proficiency with the XO computer.

Ansiedad ante exámenes y estrategias de aprendizaje en estudiantes de secundaria de Lima Metropolitana

This study sought to determine the relationship between test anxiety and learning strategies among students of 4th and 5th grade of secondary of public schools in Lima. The sample was obtained by an intentional method, evaluating 469 students, 45.6% males and 54.4% females, belonging to four public schools of Lima. It was used the questionnaire of Anxiety and performance - CAR and the Learning Strategies Scale - ACRA. The test anxiety (punctuations in all three dimensions: concern, emotionality and facilitation) and learning strategies (punctuations in four dimensions: acquisition, coding, support and recovery of information processing) had low correlations and in some cases negative, all of which are significant.

Determinantes del sobrepeso y la obesidad en niños en edad escolar en Perú

Obesity in children at school age is an increasing problem in Peru. It concentrates in urban areas, mainly in Lima where one out of three children is overweight. An initial study in 80 schools in Lima showed that the lack of physical activity would have a greater impact on overweight and obesity in school children than the amount of food intake. More detailed studies are required. In spite of the limited information available regarding its determining factors, it is necessary to implement culturally-sensitive measures to fight this problem as part of the current nutritional policies, and prevent the problem from spreading, making sure the sustainability of the health system is not affected.

Socio-cultural variation in reading comprehension development among fifth graders in Peru

In this study, the socio-cultural variation in reading comprehension development was examined in 331 fifth graders from schools in Lima, Peru. Reading comprehension was measured using an adaptation of the PIRLS Reading Literacy test. The fifth graders’ reading comprehension results, measured over the course of fifth grade, were related to the development of word decoding, vocabulary, and motivation for reading. Children’s development in these domains was related to their gender, intellectual maturity, home literacy climate, and socio-economic status. Structural Equation Modelling showed that the development of reading comprehension was influenced by the children’s ability to decode words, their vocabulary, and reading motivation. Furthermore, gender and intellectual maturity as well as children’s home literacy climate and socio-economic status appeared to substantially predict reading comprehension development, directly or indirectly. More than half of the variance in reading comprehension by the end of the fifth grade could be explained based on these predictor variables.

CONFLICTED ATTITUDES TOWARD HERITAGE

During their more than 100-year-long presence in Peru, Japanese descendants (Nikkei) have been linguistically integrated into Peruvian society. The portion of the population that speaks Japanese in daily life has been decreasing dramatically, and the majority of younger Nikkei typically grow up speaking mainly Spanish, mixed with a specific Japanese lexicon that has been transmitted intergenerationally within families. To prevent the complete loss of ancestral language and cultural traits, private all-day elementary and secondary schools, founded and run by the Nikkei, have been offering additional Japanese language educational programs. Drawing from an ethnographic study at one such Nikkei-sponsored secondary school in Lima, this article portrays the students’ inconsistent and ambiguous attitudes toward learning Japanese as their heritage. More specifically, the article focuses on returnee students from Japan, a recently emerged diaspora group of youngsters who have spent time in Japan as emigrants and then returned to resettle in Peru. The article examines the returnees’ negotiations with the language teachers regarding what is considered to be “proper” or “standard” Japanese. Classroom observations and interviews with both teachers and students demonstrate how contested the “heritage” of heritage language education is—defined as it is through social, economic, and political positions and interests of participants in the educational process. The study also shows how the institutionalized heritage language education at school sometimes results in encouraging the students to “dis-inherit” what they have learned outside school: this may relate to their family's social status in their ancestral country.

Perceptions of adolescents students on the consumption of drugs: a case study in Lima, Peru

The consumption of drugs has increased worldwide and has become a public health problem, affecting particularly adolescents. This study aimed to identify the opinions of adolescent students on the use of drugs and drug users, in a school in Lima, Peru. It is a descriptive and cross-sectional study with a questionnaire self-applied to 386 students. Data collected comprised students' personal data, their perception on the risk of drugs consumption, motivations, information on preventive interventions, drugs availability, opinion regarding drug users and their family, and social acceptance. Male gender was predominant. Most of the participants were unfavorable regarding risk perception and consumption motives, though, they were favorable towards information. We have a relevant role in explaining behaviors and also in implementing appropriate and efficient preventive and treatment programs.

Factors Associated with Alcohol Consumption in Schoolgirls in a School in Lima, Peru

Researchers conducted a descriptive study using a convenience sample to determine rates of and risk factors for alcohol consumption among 470 girls enrolled in a girls-only high school in a high-risk district of Lima, Peru. A survey was distributed to the students and returned after parental consent and student assents were obtained. Results analyzed by chi square and logistic regression indicated that 5.96% of the students drank alcoholic beverages. Risk factors for drinking were self-described aggressiveness (6.6 times more likely to drink), unhappiness with behavior or family life (3.4 and 4.1), and attending parties (3.7). Protective factors that contributed to a 66–67% less likelihood of drinking were self-descriptions of being kind and responsible. Directions for future research and development of prevention programs are discussed.

“Buen o buena docente” desde la perspectiva de estudiantes que han egresado de educación secundaria

The “good teacher” is a person who has transcendentally marked and influenced the personal and academic students’ life, and his/her image remains in the students’ school memory as a prolonged and highly positive souvenir. Therefore, to know what are their main traits and why they had an impact in such a way on their students is worth to be analyzed in order to be a contribution to the study of teaching in basic education. In this perspective, the main objective of this empirical research is to analyze the characteristics of the “good teacher” from the perception of students graduated from public and private secondary schools in Lima, Peru. The results of this qualitative research, based on semi-structured interviews to eight graduated students, showed some characteristics of the relationship between the “good teacher” and the students: high engagement with the students, positive perception and motivation to them, and affective quality of the teacher-student interaction. In addition, the data revealed other characteristics of the “good teacher” and his/her profession such as passion for teaching, command of knowledge, and organization of the class. The study concludes that the recognition of at least one good teacher by graduated students reveals the heterogeneity in kinds of teachers; this heterogeneity demands to overcome negative generalizations and that the teacher’s image is a collective construction in several graduation years. One implication of this study to the educational policy and research areas is to pay more attention to former students and this in order to improve our understanding on the schooling experience and the relationship between teachers and students.

Opportunities to Learn and Achievement in Mathematics in a Sample of Sixth Grade Students in Lima, Peru

In recent years, the mathematics achievement of Peruvian students has been evaluated in three national and two international studies. The results in all cases suggest very poor learning. A similar situation is found in many developing countries. In this study, we analyzed the opportunities to learn (OTL) mathematics of sixth grade students from 22 public schools in Lima, Peru. OTL were defined in this study as curriculum coverage, cognitive demand of the tasks posed to the students, percent of mathematical exercises that were correct and quality of feedback. These variables were coded in the workbooks and notebooks of the students, which were gathered at the end of the school year (at the same time, the mathematics achievement test was administered). The results show that: (a) regarding OTL, less than half of the exercises available in the workbooks were solved, teachers overemphasize some topics of the national curriculum ({i.e.} related to Number and Number Sense), they pose tasks that are at very low levels of cognitive demand, and it is common to find mistakes in the students' answers to problems that have no feedback (or even worse, the feedback is wrong); (b) students in relatively poorer, multigrade classrooms have less OTL; (c) OTL, as defined earlier, is positively associated with achievement.