Associations between grades and physical activity and food choices

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Snelling ◽  
Sarah Irvine Belson ◽  
Jonathan Beard ◽  
Kathleen Young
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
School District ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between television viewing time, physical activity level, food consumption patterns, and academic performance of adolescents in a large urban school district in the USA where health disparities are prevalent, particularly among minority residents. Design/methodology/approach – The 2010 Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used to analyze the relationship between academic grades and physical activity patterns and food consumption in a large urban school district serving over 77,000 students. Findings – Results indicated that students who self-reported grades of As and Bs had higher levels of physical activity and less screen time compared to students who reported grades of Ds and Fs. Further, as grades decreased the consumption of soda and fast food increased. Originality/value – Higher grades track significantly with improved physical activity and lower intake of soda and fast food. These findings provide additional support for the role of regular physical activity and its positive effect on academic performance.

School leaders' preferences for teacher applicant characteristics in a large urban school district

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Kyle Ingle ◽  
Namok Choi ◽  
Marco A. Munoz
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference

PurposeWe surveyed educational leaders in a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States, examining: (1) the factor structure of scores from a new measure of administrators' preferred teacher applicant characteristics, and (2) the relationships between administrator demographics and their preferences.Design/methodology/approachWe implemented a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design using the Preferred Teacher Applicant Characteristics Survey (PTACS). We undertook descriptive and exploratory factor analyses in order to examine dimensions and underlying patterns among the 31 survey items. The retained factors served as the dependent variables in our multiple regression analyses.FindingsWe identified a four-factor structure: (1) personal, (2) professional, (3) student outcomes, and (4) demographics. Our analyses suggest that there was not meaningful variability in administrators' preferred characteristics of applicants across racial and gender variables, but revealed a significant difference between principals and assistant principals for applicant demographics.Research limitations/implicationsOur findings are limited in their generalizability to the respondents from a single urban district who completed our survey in spring 2018. Although we cannot establish causation, the significant difference between principals and assistant principals for demographics may result from principals feeling greater pressure from district targets to hire diverse staff than their assistant principal counterparts. It is important to note that preferences for teacher applicant characteristics are different from actual hiring decisions and the availability of preferred characteristics.Originality/valueOur study is the first large-scale use of the instrument in a large US urban school district, a context, which poses significant challenges to the education of youth as well as the hiring and retention of educators.

Food consumption values and the influence of physical activity

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Marini Thomé ◽  
Giselle Cappellesso ◽  
Guilherme Mata Pinho
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Epistemic Values ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumption Values ◽  
Functional Value ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis article aims to explore the influence of values concerning food consumption and the effect of physical activity habit moderation on these.Design/methodology/approachThe consumption value theory was used as a base, and a survey with 292 participants was analysed by means of factor analysis and structural equation modelling.FindingsThe findings are presented at three levels. The first is the clustering of food consumption habits in different dimensions: healthy, unhealthy and hybrid. The second is the relationship between values and food consumption. In detail: (1) emotional value is the only significant measurement for the consumption of the three food dimensions; (2) social value is a significant measurement for healthy food consumption; (3) conditional value is significant for the consumption of hybrid and unhealthy foods; (4) epistemic value has significance in the consumption of hybrid foods; (5) functional value is denied for all dimensions. The third concerns the relationship between value perceptions and food consumption moderated by physical activity in: (1) social value of healthy foods; (2) functional value of hybrid foods; and (3) emotional and epistemic values of unhealthy foods.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the literature on consumption values and raises new insights into value and habits regarding food consumption, such as physical activity involved in the consumption context.

Professional learning for secondary teachers of English learners in an urban school district: examining systems of support

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Weddle ◽  
Mariko Yoshisato ◽  
Megan Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Secondary Teachers ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
English Learners ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Systems Of Support

PurposeAlthough schools across the United States are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse, many teachers remain underprepared to work with students classified as English learners (ELs), especially at the secondary level. Acknowledging the importance of developing systems of support for teachers of ELs, this paper examines the district- and school-level factors shaping secondary teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning in one large urban school district.Design/methodology/approachTo examine teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning, the authors draw on 49 in-depth interviews with district leaders and staff from nine secondary schools. Data analysis was guided by a structure, culture and agency theoretical framework.FindingsFindings revealed that decreased structural support, in terms of both fiscal and human resources, constrained teachers' access to EL-related professional learning. Further, the district culture was characterized by limited understanding of ELs' backgrounds and assets. While some school leaders exercised agency to bolster EL-focused professional learning for teachers, such supports were rare.Practical implicationsFindings help to contextualize secondary teachers' feelings of unpreparedness to serve ELs, illuminating several factors that district and school leaders should attend to in order to bolster the development of professional capital for teachers of ELs at the secondary level.Originality/valueWhile prior research outlines the importance of designing systems of support for EL-focused professional learning, this study highlights specific structural and cultural factors shaping such systems.

Public School Voice Clinics, Part I

1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Sandra Q. Miller ◽  
Charles L. Madison
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School District ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Local School District ◽  
Local School ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Voice Problem

The purpose of this article is to show how one urban school district dealt with a perceived need to improve its effectiveness in diagnosing and treating voice disorders. The local school district established semiannual voice clinics. Students aged 5-18 were referred, screened, and selected for the clinics if they appeared to have a chronic voice problem. The specific procedures used in setting up the voice clinics and the subsequent changes made over a 10-year period are presented.

scholarly journals The risk of venous thromboembolism and physical activity level, especially high level: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Danin-Mankowitz ◽  
A. Ugarph-Morawski ◽  
F. Braunschweig ◽  
P. Wändell
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
The Third ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractVenous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common cause of cardiovascular disease. Connection between high level of physical activity (PA) and the onset of VTE is unknown. We searched the literature on the possible association between PA level, especially high levels, and the risk of VTE. A systematic review was carried out to identify relevant articles on the relation between PA level and VTE. The initial search was conducted together with the Karolinska Institutet University Library in February 2018, with follow-up searches after that. In total, 4383 records were found and then screened for exclusion of duplicates and articles outside the area of interest. In total, 16 articles with data on 3 or more levels of PA were included. Of these, 12 were cohort and 4 were case-control studies. Totally 13 studies aimed at investigating VTE cases primarily, while three studies had other primary outcomes. Of the 16 studies, five found a U-shaped association between PA level and VTE risk, although non-significant in three of them. Two articles described an association between a more intense physical activity and a higher risk of VTE, which was significant in one. Nine studies found associations between increasing PA levels and a decreasing VTE risk. Available literature provides diverging results as to the association between high levels of PA and the risk of venous thromboembolism, but with several studies showing an association. Further research is warranted to clarify the relationship between high level PA and VTE.

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