Well-being Of Schoolchildren Research Articles

Issues in staffing and outsourcing in schools. Who’s teaching health and physical education?

The staffing and outsourcing of the marginalised curriculum area Health and Physical Education (HPE) has been an area of growing concern, alongside rising concerns for the decline of students’ health due to increased sedentary behaviour and mental health problems, yet there has been little research attention to the staffing and delivery of HPE in Australian schools. This article addresses that gap in understanding with analysis of data from a larger study examining positioning and implementation of HPE in schools. A mixed methods questionnaire was completed by 30% of government schools in New South Wales ( n = 556) providing data on staffing, delivery and outsourcing arrangements. Findings suggested that specialist HPE teachers are not in-charge of teaching HPE; and the majority (67%) of schools outsource at least some HPE, with far-reaching impacts on curriculum coverage and student exclusion from lessons evident. Findings also suggested that students experience varied methods of delivery in Physical Education (PE), and Health Education (HE) lessons. Together, these findings raise questions regarding the assurance of quality and equity, with implications for future policy and practice and the health and wellbeing of school children.

The impact of interactive touchscreen images on the well-being of schoolchildren in the context of inclusive education

The impact of interactive touchscreen images on the well-being of schoolchildren in the context of inclusive education

The use of art therapy interventions in schools to support schoolchildren in their health and well-being

The paper explains the importance of art therapy interventions implemented in the school settings to support schoolchildren’s health and well-being. The aim is a literature review as part of a dissertation at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, which deals with the possibilities for promoting well-being in schoolchildren, meeting their health and psychosocial needs in the context of their school and family environment. The Czech Republic lacks research on the direct implementation of art therapy interventions into the school environment, and the use of art therapy approaches within the Czech school context is unclear. Data for the literature search were obtained from recent Czech and international publications. We used the EDS multi-finder to search for literature sources. The document search was completed for the 2011–2023 period in Czech and English language. Search terms included School based art therapy, art therapy intervention, art therapy and schoolchildren’s mental health, and schoolchildren’s well-being. According to the results of the analysed literature, it is possible to conclude the benefits of art therapy interventions in schools as part of a holistic supportive approach of schools to their pupils and the environment in which they live. Art therapy, as a non-pharmacological medical complementary and alternative therapy, is considered as both prevention and an opportunity to address the acute need to support schoolchildren in their health and well-being. Art therapy interventions in the school setting can offer help in addressing a wide range of problems of schoolchildren, such as mental health issues, uncertainty in forming a child’s identity, overcoming communication difficulties, addictive behaviours, anxiety, depressive moods associated with acute trauma, family conflicts, truancy and school failure. Art therapy interventions in the school setting can boost feelings of safety in the school environment along with comprehensive psychological, educational, and social interventions synthesizing the needs of the child, teacher, parents and other professionals working together to support the health and well-being of schoolchildren.

Quarantweens - the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on preteen health and wellbeing in Ireland

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has been dubbed the “biggest public health crisis since the Second World War”. In Ireland, schools were closed for 141 days, dramatically altering the day to day lives of children in Ireland. This research aimed to evaluate the overall wellbeing of schoolchildren in Ireland and capture the prevalence and factors contributing to poor mental health. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed based on data from the Growing Up in Ireland COVID-19 web survey of the ’08 Infant cohort. Mental Health Inventory-5 scores were used to assess children at risk of mental health disorders. Logistic regression examined associations between various demographic and psychosocial factors and risk of mental health disorders. Results This study included 2,867 primary caregiver- child dyads. Almost 25% of 12/13-year-olds were at risk of mental health disorders (MHDs). An adjusted logistic regression model found associations between being at higher risk of MHDs and factors such as reduced physical activity levels (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10-1.66), spending less time outdoors (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.18-1.85), increased screen-time (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.09-1.67) and increased arguments with PCGs (OR 3.44, 95% CI 2.78-4.27). Having a trusted adult confidante reduced the risk of MHD (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.14-0.45). Conclusions The prevalence of 12/13-year olds at elevated risk of MHD was high, indicating an urgent need for enhancement of child and adolescent mental health services in Ireland. Physical activity, time outdoors and supportive relationships with primary caregivers were positively associated with reduced MHD risk. Key messages • Children were impacted by the COVID-19 restriction measures in a way that was disproportionate to their risk. • To reduce the risk of poor mental health outcomes for a generation of “quarantweens” we need to place children front-andcentre of our response as we recover from COVID-19.

Sleep Patterns, Insomnia, and Well-Being Among Female High School Students: A Population-Based Study

Background and Objective The role of insomnia in the well-being of school children has not been sufficiently examined in the literature. We aimed to explore the prevalence of clinical insomnia and its relationship to the health-related quality of life among female high-school students.Methods In a cross-sectional study in 2018, 300 students from five female high-schools in the Kurdistan Region were randomly included, regardless of age and other socio-demographic characteristics. The Personal Wellbeing Index, General Health Questionnaire–12, and Insomnia Severity Index were used to measure the personal and general well-being, and insomnia of school children, respectively.Results The students were categorized into short sleepers (2.0%), normal sleepers (51.0%), and long sleepers (47.0%), and age range is 14–19 years (mean: 16.22 years). The mean value of general well-being and insomnia severity was 6.89 and 11.42, respectively. We found that 25.0% of the students had no clinically significant insomnia, 47.7% had subthreshold insomnia, 24.0% had clinically moderate insomnia, and 3.3% had clinically severe insomnia. The mean value of the personal well-being of students was 7.91 out of 10. The mean value of personal well-being was significantly lower among students with more severe insomnia. The mean values of personal well-being were 8.61 (no clinically significant insomnia), 7.87 (subthreshold insomnia), 7.49 (clinically moderate insomnia), and 6.91 (clinically severe insomnia). The worse sleep situations and smoking were the main independent controlling factors for lower personal well-being.Conclusions The study documented that female students are at risk of being clinical insomniacs, and are at risk of the development of lower well-being.

Academic Expectations and Well-Being in School Children

The current study aimed to explore health behaviour, quality of life and well-being in older children in relation to social background, parental academic socialisation and academic expectation stress, and the role of emerging constructs of self-compassion and psychological capital as potential protective factors. A survey was administered to a sample of 373 children (150 males and 223 females) aged between 11 and 15 years. Children were assessed on academic expectations stress, home and social background, parenting experience, psychological capital, self-compassion, health behaviour, well-being and quality of life. Academic expectation stress was inversely predictive of well-being and quality of life and through its impact on self-compassion and psychological capital, to health behaviour. Findings from this study would suggest that positive psychology interventions to build self-compassion and psychological capital may be efficacious in reducing the negative impact of academic expectation stress in children.

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT: SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS IN THE ERA OF DIGITALIZATION

The relevance of the spatial organization of school environment in the context of sustainability and environmental friendliness in the era of digitalization is due to the need for refl ection on the relationship between the didactics of educational practices in the era of digitalization and the spatial organization of the school corresponding to this specifi city. The purpose of the study is to review theoretical and empirical, mainly foreign studies on certain aspects of the spatial environment organization in the context of digitalization with an emphasis on psychological well-being in schoolchildren. The main results can be summed as the allocation of the same directions in the fi eld of organization of spatial environment at school, such as the mobility of school environment, adaptation to the needs of schoolchildren, orientation to free communication of subjects, fl exibility of spatial locations of the teacher, the availability of opportunities for activity and risk in the environment. As an independent aspect of the organization of the spatial environment of school in the era of digitalization. Another component of the research we analyze is the appeal to the indicators of psychological well-being, interconnected with the selected parameters of the organization of spatial environment. In the system of indicators of psychological well-being, psychological ones are distinguished as involvement, enthusiasm, attachment to the environment; socio-psychological ones include communicative competence, trust, cooperation; academic indicators are involvement, cognitive resources, academic achievement; and pro-environmental indicators include pro-ecological attitudes and focus on resource-saving technologies.

Emotional intelligence and school climate in primary school children in Spain, Norway, and Poland

Introduction: Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to manage emotions effectively. It has a clear impact on the well-being of schoolchildren. A large body of studies has shown how emotional intelligence impacts on psychological and contextual variables, but less is known about how school context may influence in emotional development during childhood. The objectives of this research were to describe the level of emotional intelligence and school climate for schoolchildren in Primary Education in three European countries, to explore the association between school climate and emotional intelligence, and analyzing the moderating role of gender and country. Method: 1104 schoolchildren participated (528 from Spain, 252 from Poland and 324 from Norway) (50.6% girls; MAge = 10.49 years; SD = 1.3). Validated self-report in the three languages were used, Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 and Modified-Delaware School Climate Survey-Student. Results: Descriptive analysis showed higher levels of emotional intelligence in Spanish schoolchildren and higher level of school climate. Girls showed higher levels of emotional repair compared to boys. Multiple multivariate regression models indicated the association between school climate and emotional intelligence . Gender and country did not moderate the relationship between school climate and emotional intelligence dimensions. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of the quality of the climate in schools in different European regions to promote the level of emotional intelligence of boys and girls in Primary Education.

The relationships between school children's wellbeing, socio-economic disadvantage and after-school activities: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundLower socioeconomic status is associated with poorer wellbeing among children. Identifying how children participate in after-school activities and how after-school activities are associated with wellbeing may inform interventions to improve wellbeing among children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This study explored whether children’s after-school activities varied by socioeconomic status and examined the associations between after-school activities and wellbeing in low socioeconomic status children.MethodsThis study analysed cross-sectional data from 61,759 school students in years 4 to 9 who completed the 2018 South Australian Wellbeing and Engagement Collection. Students reported the number of days per week they participated in 12 activities (after-school care, homework, music lessons or practice, youth organisations, sports, television, videogames, social media, reading, chores, arts and crafts, and socialising with friends) during the after-school period (3-6 pm) and their wellbeing (happiness, sadness, worry, engagement, perseverance, optimism, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction). Socioeconomic status was measured by parents' highest education level obtained from school enrolment data. Linear multilevel models were used to examine whether frequency of after-school activities varied by socioeconomic status. Multilevel ordered logit models were used to analyse the association between after-school activities and wellbeing amongst participants in the low socioeconomic status category.ResultsAfter-school activities differed according to socioeconomic status; high socioeconomic status children did more frequent sport, homework, and reading and low socioeconomic status children did more frequent screen-based activities (TV, videogames and social media). Among children from low socioeconomic status backgrounds, higher wellbeing was associated most consistently with more frequent sports participation, homework, reading and spending time with friends and less frequent videogames, social media and after-school care.ConclusionsChildren's wellbeing is positively associated with socioeconomic status. Amongst children from disadvantaged backgrounds, participating in sport, spending time with friends and getting less screen time may be protective for wellbeing. The results suggest that programming targeted at increasing sports participation and reducing screen time amongst children from low socioeconomic status backgrounds may support their wellbeing.

Cluster Analysis and Classification Model of Nutritional Anemia Associated Risk Factors Among Palestinian Schoolchildren, 2014.

Nutritional inadequacy has been a major health problem worldwide. One of the many health problems that result from it is anemia. Anemia is considered a health concern among all ages, particularly children, as it has been associated with cognitive and developmental delays. Researchers have investigated the association between nutritional deficiencies and anemia through various methods. As novel analytical methods are needed to ascertain the association and reveal indirect ones, we aimed to classify nutritional anemia using the cluster analysis approach. In this study, we included 4,762 students aged between 10 and 17 years attending public and UNRWA schools in the West Bank. Students' 24-h food recall and blood sample data were collected for nutrient intake and hemoglobin analysis. The K-means cluster analysis was used to cluster the hemoglobin levels into two groups. Vitamin B12, folate, and iron intakes were used as the indicators of nutrient intake associated with anemia and were classified as per the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) values. We applied the Classification and Regression Tree (CRT) model for studying the association between hemoglobin clusters and vitamin B12, folate, and iron intakes, sociodemographic variables, and health-related risk factors, accounting for grade and age. Results indicated that 46.4% of the students were classified into the low hemoglobin cluster, and 60.7, 72.5, and 30.3% of vitamin B12, folate, and iron intakes, respectively, were below RDA. The CRT analysis indicated that vitamin B12, iron, and folate intakes are important factors related to anemia in girls associated with age, locality, food consumption patterns, and physical activity levels, while iron and folate intakes were significant factors related to anemia in boys associated with the place of residence and the educational level of their mothers. The deployment of clustering and classification techniques for identifying the association between anemia and nutritional factors might facilitate the development of nutritional anemia prevention and intervention programs that will improve the health and wellbeing of schoolchildren.

Effectiveness of child-friendly spaces on the personal well-being of school children: a double-blind, non-randomised control trial

Effectiveness of child-friendly spaces on the personal well-being of school children: a double-blind, non-randomised control trial

Well-being in e-school and the quality of life of youth in a pandemic

The aim of the research was to diagnose the well-being of schoolchildren in the conditions of online learning in relation to the subjectively perceived quality of life in a pandemic. The psychometrically verified My well-being in e-school questionnaire and the Polish version of the KIDSCREEN 10 questionnaire were used. The research was conducted via the Internet (Google Forms) ensuring the anonymity of participants. The results were obtained from 360 students of 7th and 8th grades of primary schools and 1st grade of secondary schools of the Lubelskie Voivodeship. The results of the research indicate the deterioration of the well-being of young people in the conditions of online learning in the field of psychophysical health (overload of prolonged sitting in front of the computer, pain in the eyes, head and spine). The well-being of youth in e-school significantly correlates with the quality of life related to health. The quality-of-life index of the examined youth is significantly lower compared to the results of the normalizing sample for the Polish population, taking into account the age and gender criteria. These results may indicate the deterioration of the psychophysical condition of youth caused by the pandemic. Due to the possible long-term effects of online learning, social isolation and limited possibilities of self-fulfilment, other problems related to the prolonged state of the epidemic, further in-depth (also qualitative) research on the health, well-being and quality of life of schoolchildren is indicated.

Dietary diversity among households living in Kilombero district, in Morogoro region, South-Eastern Tanzania

Adequate nutrition is essential for good health and active life. However, diets in most low and middle-income households lack diversity, especially in settings where people eat predominantly starchy foods. In this study, we assessed the associations between socio-economic status and household dietary diversity in families living in South-eastern Tanzania. A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to 925 parents of school children in four wards in South-eastern Tanzania, as part of a trial; assessing the effects of physical activity and micronutrient supplementation on overall growth, health and well-being of school children. The dietary intake was assessed by 24-h dietary recall and dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated. Socio-economic status was derived from a weighted score using principal component analysis (PCA). Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate the association between dietary diversity and socio-economic status. This baseline data assessment was completed in July and August 2019. Cereals, oils and fats were the most consumed food groups, legumes were the most common source of protein and fish was the most common animal protein. More than three quarters of the households had medium dietary diversity (MDD). Higher household education and large farm size were the only factors significantly associated with having high dietary diversity. A majority of the households in South-eastern Tanzania have medium dietary diversity, comprised of cereal, fats and oils and proteins. Having high dietary diversity was associated with higher education and large farm sizes. Improving community members’ knowledge and awareness of nutritional benefits could improve the dietary diversity at household level. • Majority of respondents had primary school education and do farming as their main income generating activity. • Cereals and oils and fats were the most consumed food groups. • More than three quarters of the households had medium dietary diversity. • Household dietary diversity influenced by some factors like education and farm size.

Mediation of Problematic Use in the Relationship Between Types of Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being in Schoolchildren.

Subjective well-being is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions, and global judgments of life satisfaction. This research investigates how schoolchildren’s subjective well-being is affected by the different types of technology use, in personal contexts, and, concurrently, whether these effects are different when the use of technology is problematic. The central hypotheses are as follows: (1) the use of the Internet affects the subjective well-being of schoolchildren negatively only when this use is problematic and (2) the effect on subjective well-being is different according to the type of Internet use. To respond to the objectives of the research, a survey was applied to 15-year-old adolescents (2,579 cases), distributed in 330 public schools, beneficiaries of a government program for the delivery of personal computers and Internet for a year. The different uses of the Internet were measured using frequency scales by type of activity (social, recreational, and educational). Problematic use scale measured the perception of negative consequences of the intensity of Internet use on a daily basis. Subjective well-being was measured by the Personal Well-Being Index-School Children (PWI-SC). Subsequently, for analytical purposes, three simple mediation models were created, whose dependent variable was PWI-SC, while its independent variables were Internet use scales differentiated by purpose (social, recreational, and educational) and problematic use as a mediating variable, as well as attributes of the subjects and their social environment, which were incorporated as control variables. The main results show that only if Internet use is expressed as problematic does it negatively affect subjective well-being. On the contrary, when the use of the Internet is not problematic, the effect is positive and even greater than the simple effect (without mediation) between these two variables. This finding is relevant, since it allows us to provide evidence that suggests that, when studying the effect that the intensity of the Internet, firstly, one must consider the mediating effect exerted by the network’s problematic use and, secondly, that not all types of use have the same impact. Therefore, it is useful to enrich the discussion on subjective well-being and social integration of schoolchildren in the digital age.

Спосіб валідизації методики оцінки якості життя, що пов’язана зі здоров’ям школярів

Introduction. The study was conducted to validate the developed by the team of authors «Methods for assessing the quality of life related to health in middle school children». Methods. As a starting point, a Ukrainian-language adapted version of the questionnaire «List of children’s symptoms» was used, which is used to identify psychosocial dysfunction of children in children’s (Y-PSC) and parental (PSC) versions. According to the results of a parallel survey of 228 middle school students (103 boys and 125 girls), statistical data processing was performed using cluster analysis K-means, discriminant, canonical analysis and reliability analysis (Alpha Cronbach) by the licensed statistical software package IBM SPSS Statistics 22. Results. Processing by the data clustering method according to the Y-PSC and PSC questionnaire showed the best distribution into 3 clusters (the value of the F-test is 1% less than the maximum, but the standard error of the method is reduced by 32% from the maximum), which was confirmed by the discriminant analysis (total accuracy 96,4%) and canonical analysis (p < 0,15). In the pro-posed method of determining the quality of life associated with health, the division into 3 clusters met the requirement of statistical significance at the level of p < 0,05, and its total accuracy is 98,7%. Both methods proved to be reliable and accurate in terms of internal consistency, as evidenced by Cronbach’s alpha evaluation. Thus, with the high degree of clustering based on the survey, according to the original and proposed methods, the method of assessing the quality of life associated with health in middle school children has statistical significance at the level of p < 0,05 and can be used in group and population-based studies to determine the physical, mental and social well-being of schoolchildren based on self-assessment. Key words: Quality of life related to health; Middle school age; Schoolchildren; Psychosocial dysfunction; Validation.

Joy in Movement: Traditional Sporting Games and Emotional Experience in Elementary Physical Education.

Through games a motivating learning climate is provided, generating mainly positive emotions among the students by the very nature of the game. However, while the early stages are the most important for emotional well-being development, research about scientific knowledge of emotional physical education in children is still scarce. The aims of this study were to analyze the intensity of emotions (positive or negative) produced when players took part in games of different social structure, with or without competition (winner or loser), with or without sport experience and to examine the explanations given by the participants for these emotional experiences. Participants (N = 152) were recruited from two Spanish elementary school. We applied Student’s t-test and one-factor ANOVA. Students’ subjective comments were classified through content analysis in macro-categories and we used the Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID, implemented in SPSSTM Answer Tree® 13.0). The application of a mixed-methods approach identified statistically significant differences in four variables: (a) the type of emotion, (b) motor domain, (c) type of outcome (winning, losing, and non-competitive), and (d) sport experience. The intensity of positive emotions was higher (M = 3.71, SD = 0.893) than negative emotions (M = 1.18, SD = 0.253, p < 0.001). Furthermore, negative emotions were felt with different intensities (F3 = 3.82, p = 0.011, ES = 0.071), depending on the motor action domain. Comments referring to negative emotions were more frequent in individual games. Winning was associated significantly (p < 0.05) with the highest intensity ratings of positive emotions, whereas losing produced the highest values for negative emotions. The intensity ratings for positive or negative emotions not were different between non-competitive games and competitive games. The sport experience relativizes the mean of emotional intensity, both positive and negative. The present study brings the value of considering games as a key role to promote a physical education addressed to the education of social-emotional well-being in schoolchildren, as the basis of academic training. Furthermore, the results could benefit teachers as well as coaches have scientific input to organize teaching content, generating the desired motor behaviors together with positive experiences.

Assessing the Impact of Public-Private Funded Midday Meal Programs on the Educational Attainment and Well-being of School Children in Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract&#x0D; The provision of meals at schools is considered to have the potential to enhance human dignity and facilitate equitable access to students from low socio-economic backgrounds, low social status (including Caste) and poor households. Using students and teachers from public schools in Utter Pradesh also known to be India’s most populous and poorest state as it’s as its unit of analysis, the paper examines the impact on International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) led Midday Meal (MDM) School Feeding program in India on educational access, performance, participation, and wellbeing. The study sought to evaluate the implementation of the midday meal (MDM) program led by an INGO in Lucknow, Utter Pradesh, and India to ascertain if the strategic program implementation protocols also ensure social inclusion and held address various forms of discrimination commonly reported in the literature. The study revealed that students were satisfied with most of the implementation of the program, serving and food satisfaction indicators. Nevertheless, we argue that the implantation process could benefit from a more integrated inter-agency coordination so as to address concerns regarding at-risk children and improve sanitation and health facilities that are not directly associated with the MDM program. The study concludes that INGOs led MDM programs could serve as a model for inclusive and non-discriminatory school feeding system where all children, irrespective of their social, economic, religious and family backgrounds will equally benefit with dignity. Such an approach, we argue, could also enhance social equity, youth development and the attainment of the SDG targets in India.

Social and socio-psychological peculiarities of adolescent aggression in modern Russian society: regional aspect

Urgent problems of adolescent aggression as an integral part of deviant behavior, which often manifests itselfprecisely in the adolescent complex "transitional" period of human development, which is very often accompanied by various negative manifestations of personality disharmony (including aggressiveness), requiring constant detailed and deep attention and analysis, since there is a danger that the aggression of adolescents can go into adulthood, turn from a social pathology into a social norm, have been considered. Based on a comprehensive theoretical analysis and consideration of the results of empirical research aimed at studying the social and socio-psychological aspects of adolescent aggression, the well-reasoned patterns of the structure of adolescent aggression of schoolchildren of the Perm Territory, the prevailing forms of their aggression have been highlighted and described. Factors influencing the overall the level of aggression and on the types of aggression, as well as the influence of aggression on the assessment of life success and well-being in schoolchildren, have been identified and analysed.

Problems Of Distance Education During The Pandemic COVID 2019 Through The Eyes Of Schoolchildren (Results Of A Questionnaire Survey)

The article presents the results of a questionnaire survey of schoolchildren about learning problems during the new type of COVID 2019 coronavirus pandemic. The author analyzes issues related to the well-being of schoolchildren, their psychological state, relationships with people around them, and motivation to study. In conclusion, the author notes the need to organize distance learning, taking into account

Artificial Intelligence In Oncology

The article presents the results of a questionnaire survey of schoolchildren about learning problems during the new type of COVID 2019 coronavirus pandemic. The author analyzes issues related to the well-being of schoolchildren, their psychological state, relationships with people around them, and motivation to study. In conclusion, the author notes the need to organize distance learning, taking into account the physiological characteristics of children, compliance with the work and rest regime.