Staff–pupil SARS-CoV-2 infection pathways in schools in Wales: a population-level linked data approach

BackgroundBetter understanding of the role that children and school staff play in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to guide policy development on controlling infection while minimising disruption to children’s education and well-being.MethodsOur national e-cohort (n=464531) study used anonymised linked data for pupils, staff and associated households linked via educational settings in Wales. We estimated the odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection for staff and pupils over the period August– December 2020, dependent on measures of recent exposure to known cases linked to their educational settings.ResultsThe total number of cases in a school was not associated with a subsequent increase in the odds of testing positive (staff OR per case: 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.00; pupil OR per case: 0.98, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.02). Among pupils, the number of recent cases within the same year group was significantly associated with subsequent increased odds of testing positive (OR per case: 1.12, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.15). These effects were adjusted for a range of demographic covariates, and in particular any known cases within the same household, which had the strongest association with testing positive (staff OR: 39.86, 95% CI 35.01 to 45.38; pupil OR: 9.39, 95% CI 8.94 to 9.88).ConclusionsIn a national school cohort, the odds of staff testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were not significantly increased in the 14-day period after case detection in the school. However, pupils were found to be at increased odds, following cases appearing within their own year group, where most of their contacts occur. Strong mitigation measures over the whole of the study period may have reduced wider spread within the school environment.

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Staff-Pupil SARS-CoV-2 Infection Pathways in Schools: A Population Level Linked Data Approach

10.1101/2021.02.04.21251087 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel A Thompson ◽

Hoda Abbasizanjani ◽

Richard Fry ◽

Emily Marchant ◽

Lucy Griffiths ◽

...

Keyword(s):

School Environment ◽

Policy Development ◽

Linked Data ◽

National Level ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

School Staff ◽

List Type ◽

Educational Settings ◽

Subsequent Increase ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Background Better understanding of the role that children and school staff play in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to guide policy development on controlling infection whilst minimising disruption to children’s education and wellbeing. Methods Our national e-cohort (n=500,779) study used anonymised linked data for pupils, staff and associated households linked via educational settings. We estimated the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection for staff and pupils over the period August - December 2020, dependent on measures of recent exposure to known cases linked to their educational settings. Results The total number of cases in a school was not associated with a subsequent increase in the risk of testing positive (Staff OR per case 0.92, 95%CI 0.85, 1.00; Pupils OR per case 0.98, 95%CI 0.93, 1.02). Amongst pupils, the number of recent cases within the same year group was significantly associated with subsequent increased risk of testing positive (OR per case 1.12, 95%CI 1.08 – 1.15). These effects were adjusted for a range of demographic covariates, and in particular any known cases within the same household, which had the strongest association with testing positive (Staff OR 39.86, 95%CI 35.01, 45.38, pupil OR 9.39, 95%CI 8.94 – 9.88). Conclusions In a national school cohort, the odds of staff testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were not significantly increased in the 14-day period after case detection in the school. However, pupils were found to be at increased risk, following cases appearing within their own year group, where most of their contacts occur. Strong mitigation measures over the whole of the study period may have reduced wider spread within the school environment. What is known Evidence of the role schools play in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is limited Higher positivity rates are observed in school staff compared to pupils Lack of evidence on transmission pathways transmission into and within schools What this study adds First UK national level study of transmission between pupils and staff in a school environment during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Schools opening September-December 2020 was not associated with an increased subsequent risk of testing positive in staff Pupils were found to be at increased risk of testing positive, following cases appearing within their own year group

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Creating a Government Commitment to Well-Being

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190080495.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 133-154

Author(s):

Tim Ng

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Policy Development ◽

Population Level ◽

Well Being ◽

Sustainable Land Use ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Policy Action ◽

Economic Framework ◽

Measurement Analysis ◽

The Government

This chapter describes how the New Zealand Government in 2019 demonstrated its commitment to well-being as a public policy with the release of its Wellbeing Budget. It details how the New Zealand Treasury’s Living Standards Framework (LSF) has guided the Treasury’s policy advice to governments in New Zealand, using the Wellbeing Budget as a key example of the application of the LSF in practice. The LSF is a population-level economic framework with a multidimensional well-being outcomes focus and associated measurement, analysis, and assessment tools. It helps the government to express, analyze, and implement its well-being objectives in the form of concrete policy action. As well as government budget management, the LSF has been applied to strategic fiscal and economic policy development. Priority policy areas for funding and other interventions addressed in the Wellbeing Budget included mental health, family and sexual violence, and sustainable land use. The chapter then looks at the experience of applying LSF tools to various stages of the policy process, including examples of cross-agency collaboration and the resulting policy packages informed by the LSF.

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Decolonising the health and well-being of Aboriginal men in Australia

Journal of Sociology ◽

10.1177/1440783319856618 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 151-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jacob Prehn ◽

Douglas Ezzy

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

State Government ◽

Policy Development ◽

Well Being ◽

Men’S Health ◽

Men's Health ◽

Adventure Therapy ◽

Male Health ◽

And Gender ◽

Effective Models

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men have the worst health of any group in Australia. Despite this, relevant policies do not specifically explain how the issue will be improved. Existing research demonstrates the complexity of the problems facing Australian Indigenous men. The intersection of masculinity and Indigeneity, compounded by colonisation, historical policies, stigma, marginalisation, trauma, grief and loss of identity are key factors that shape these poor health outcomes. These outcomes are acknowledged in federal and some state government policies but not implemented. The article argues for a holistic and decolonised approach to Australian Aboriginal men’s health. Effective models of intervention to improve men’s health outcomes include men’s health clinics, men’s groups, Men’s Sheds, men’s health camps/bush adventure therapy, fathering groups and mentoring programs. Further research needs to be undertaken, with a greater emphasis on preventative health measures, adequate specific funding, culturally and gender appropriate responses to health, and government policy development and implementation covering Aboriginal male health.

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Understanding and responding to COVID-19 in Wales: protocol for a privacy-protecting data platform for enhanced epidemiology and evaluation of interventions

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. e043010

Author(s):

Jane Lyons ◽

Ashley Akbari ◽

Fatemeh Torabi ◽

Gareth I Davies ◽

Laura North ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Policy Development ◽

Healthcare Utilisation ◽

Population Data ◽

Population Level ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Service Utilisation ◽

Natural Experiments ◽

Spread Of Infection ◽

The Impact

IntroductionThe emergence of the novel respiratory SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent COVID-19 pandemic have required rapid assimilation of population-level data to understand and control the spread of infection in the general and vulnerable populations. Rapid analyses are needed to inform policy development and target interventions to at-risk groups to prevent serious health outcomes. We aim to provide an accessible research platform to determine demographic, socioeconomic and clinical risk factors for infection, morbidity and mortality of COVID-19, to measure the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare utilisation and long-term health, and to enable the evaluation of natural experiments of policy interventions.Methods and analysisTwo privacy-protecting population-level cohorts have been created and derived from multisourced demographic and healthcare data. The C20 cohort consists of 3.2 million people in Wales on the 1 January 2020 with follow-up until 31 May 2020. The complete cohort dataset will be updated monthly with some individual datasets available daily. The C16 cohort consists of 3 million people in Wales on the 1 January 2016 with follow-up to 31 December 2019. C16 is designed as a counterfactual cohort to provide contextual comparative population data on disease, health service utilisation and mortality. Study outcomes will: (a) characterise the epidemiology of COVID-19, (b) assess socioeconomic and demographic influences on infection and outcomes, (c) measure the impact of COVID-19 on short -term and longer-term population outcomes and (d) undertake studies on the transmission and spatial spread of infection.Ethics and disseminationThe Secure Anonymised Information Linkage-independent Information Governance Review Panel has approved this study. The study findings will be presented to policy groups, public meetings, national and international conferences, and published in peer-reviewed journals.

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Exploring a Culture of Health in the Auto Industry

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073924 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3924

Author(s):

Wendy M. Purcell ◽

Brian S. Feldman ◽

Molly Finn ◽

John D. Spengler

Keyword(s):

Auto Industry ◽

Population Level ◽

Well Being ◽

System Level ◽

Senior Executives ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Health Model ◽

Business In Society ◽

Corporate Actions ◽

Societal Expectations

The Culture of Health framework includes four pillars of societal health and well-being influenced by business, namely: consumers; employees and workers in the supply chain; the community, and the environment. The Auto industry was an ideal crucible in which to explore the interface of public health with business given the confluence of the different domains in this sector. The substantial benefits of mobility, especially for the under-resourced, sit alongside negative impacts from emissions, accidents, products and services. Through interviews with 65 senior executives from seven major automakers, corporate actions reflecting health as a strategic agenda were mapped to the Culture of Health model. While most of the companies did not use the language of health explicitly in their strategy, key examples were present across all four pillars. Given the future of mobility relies on the interface of human experience with technology, it is a population-level challenge demanding system-level changes. Ostensibly, a framework for sustainability, the Culture of Health model could help the Auto industry navigate the disruption caused by the global megatrends and changing societal expectations of business in society and transition successfully to a new mobility economy.

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The relationship of self-reported and device-based measures of physical activity and health-related quality of life in adolescents

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-021-01682-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kathrin Wunsch ◽

Claudio R. Nigg ◽

Susanne Weyland ◽

Darko Jekauc ◽

Claudia Niessner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Physical Activity ◽

School Environment ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) has beneficial effects on health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is a protective factor of illness and mortality. The purpose of this examination was to investigate if self-reported and device-based measures of PA were related to HRQoL in adolescents. Methods Participants (N = 1565; 54.3% female; Mage = 14.37 years, SDage = 1.99) were recruited from 167 sample points across Germany. Adolescents self-reported their PA, supplemented by a 1-week examination of device-based PA using accelerometry. Additionally, they completed the multidimensional KIDSCREEN-27 to assess HRQoL. Results Results showed that self-reported PA was correlated with overall HRQoL, Physical Well-Being, Psychological Well-Being, Social Support & Peers, and School Environment, whereas device-based PA was only correlated with Physical as well as Psychological Well-Being. Further, self-reported PA significantly predicted all facets of HRQoL except for Autonomy and Parent Relations, whereas device-based PA solely heightened the amount of explained variance in the Physical Well-Being subscale. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the importance of self-reported PA as it is related to almost all facets of HRQoL. Both measures of PA are not congruent in their relationship with HRQoL and thus implications have to be carefully considered. Future studies should investigate the direct effect of PA on HRQoL and health in a longitudinal approach to account for the causality of effects.

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Are you listening? Echoing the voices of looked after children about their transition to secondary school

Adoption & Fostering ◽

10.1177/0308575921989826 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 37-55

Author(s):

Yvonne J Francis ◽

Laura Rowland ◽

Sarah Humrich ◽

Sally Taylor

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

School Environment ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Connections ◽

Research Approach ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Vulnerable Children ◽

Looked After Children ◽

Action Research Approach ◽

Childhood Event

Transition to secondary school is a significant childhood event, especially for the most vulnerable children. Many looked after children experience multiple episodes of instability, loss and change which can affect this move. Research shows that school belonging promotes acceptance, inclusion and respect, and impacts positively on school transfer and participation. Asking children for their views on matters that affect them can ease the process and increase their belonging and well-being. This article seeks to echo the voices of 36 children aged 10 to 12 who participated in a therapeutic primary to secondary transition initiative for looked after children. Informed by a participatory action research approach, its focus was to facilitate the child’s voice. Child-friendly, multi-method techniques and activities were used to elicit their views about the transition. Social connections, relationships, feeling safe and belonging within the school environment emerged as key themes. Children specifically highlighted the importance of friendships as a mechanism for supporting their belonging during this time. They also voiced the need for their social connections and belonging to be promoted. This unique intervention provides a framework for facilitating the voices of looked after children and underlines the need for practitioners to listen and understand moves from primary to secondary schools from the child’s perspective.

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Nursing Profession’s Contribution to Person- and People-Centered Primary Health Care

The International Journal of Person Centered Medicine ◽

10.5750/ijpcm.v5i4.552 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 197-203

Author(s):

Yukiko Kusano ◽

Erica Ehrhardt

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Policy Development ◽

Workforce Planning ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Integration Of Care ◽

Primary Health ◽

Strategic Role

Background: Equity and access to primary health care (PHC) services, particularly nursing services, are key to improving the health and well-being of all people. Nurses, as the largest group of healthcare professionals delivering services wherever people are, have a unique opportunity to put people at the centre of care, making services more effective, efficient and equitable.Objectives: To assess contributions of nurses to person and people-centered PHC. Methods: Analysis of nursing contributions under each of the four sets of the PHC reforms set by the World Health Organization.Results: Evidence and examples of nursing contributions are found in all of the four PHC reform areas. These include: expanding access;addressing problems through prevention; coordination and integration of care; and supporting the development of appropriate, effective and healthy public policies; and linking field-based innovations and policy development to inform evidence-based policy decision making.Conclusions:Nurses have significant contributions in each of the four PHC reform areas. The focus of nursing care on people-centeredness, continuity of care, comprehensiveness and integration of services, which are fundamental to holistic care, is an essential contribution of nurses to people-centered PHC. Nurses’ contributions can be optimised through positive practice environments, appropriate workforce planning and implementation andadequate education and quality control though strong regulatory principles and frameworks. People-centered approaches need to be considered both in health and non-health sectors as part of people-centered society. A strategic role of nurses as partners in services planning and decision-making is one of the key elements to achieve people-centered PHC.

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Quality of Life in Chilean Transgender Children and Adolescents

Hormone Research in Paediatrics ◽

10.1159/000520606 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carolina Mendoza ◽

Helena Poggi ◽

Mónica Flores ◽

Cristóbal Morales ◽

Alejandro Martínez-Aguayo

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

School Environment ◽

Social Acceptance ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Well Being

Introduction: Transgender (TG) children and adolescents experience problems in school as well as with family and social relationships that can adversely affect their physical and psychosocial health and impair their quality of life (QOL). This study aims to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in TG children. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study comparing HRQoL in gender nonconforming (Trans) and gender conforming (CIS) children and adolescents using the Spanish version of KIDSCREEN-52 in 120 Chilean Trans and CIS children (aged 8–18 years) and their parents. All scores were standardized according to the KIDSCREEN manual. Results: Among the 100 questionnaires answered, 38 corresponded to children and adolescents aged 8.4–18 years. Twenty-one of them were TG (71% trans males) and 17 were CIS (76% females). Sixty-two parents answered the questionnaires: 33 from families of TG children (PTrans) and 29 from families of CIS children (PCis). Trans children had lower HRQOL scores in all domains compared to CIS children. The lowest-scoring domains for TG children were “Moods and Emotions”, “Psychological Well-Being” and “Social Acceptance”, and the highest-scoring domain was “School Environment”. The PTrans group had significantly higher scores than the Trans group for 3 of the 10 domains: “Psychological Well-Being”, “Moods and Emotions”, and “Parent Relations and Home Life”. Conclusion: Our results revealed that TG children and adolescents have lower QOL than their CIS counterparts, especially regarding items related to mental health. Furthermore, their parents may underestimate their well-being, confirming the vulnerability of the TG population. This finding underlies the need to perform early assessments of QOL for early detection and intervention in aspects that could deteriorate their quality of life.

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School-Related Stressors and the Intensity of Perceived Stress Experienced by Adolescents in Poland

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182211791 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 11791

Author(s):

Maria Kaczmarek ◽

Sylwia Trambacz-Oleszak

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Relationships ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

School Environment ◽

Weight Status ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Well Being ◽

Parental Relationships ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Stratified Sample ◽

High Level

Higher stress reactivity during adolescence is a vulnerability marker of exposure to various environmental stressors. This study aimed to investigate the association between a high level of perceived stress experienced by adolescents and stressful stimuli induced from school environment, peer, and parental relationships. The data used were from a cross-sectional, observational study conducted in a stratified sample of 1846 adolescents (13–18 years) in the Wielkopolska province, Poland. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The association of a high level of perceived stress with school-induced exposures was determined using multivariate logistic regression after adjusting for gender, age, height and weight status and interpersonal relationships (STATISTICA 13.1). It was found that girls were over three times more likely than boys to experience a high level of perceived stress. Moreover, girls appeared to be more vulnerable than boys to school-related stressors and weight status, while boys to stressors that can arise from interpersonal relationships. School environment was the only predictor factor of high perceived stress level with a large effect size in both boys (OR = 4.45; 95% CI: 3.11–6.36) and girls (OR = 6.22; 95% CI: 4.18–7.59). Given the findings of the present study, preventive programs are critical to mitigate the effect of stress from school on adolescents’ health and well-being.

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