Abstract P211: Response to a School-based Health Intervention in High- and Low-income Communities

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Rogers ◽  
Nicole Corriveau ◽  
Alexander Lee ◽  
Alexandra Pew ◽  
Wen-Ching Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Family Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Based

Introduction: Childhood obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk and is a major health issue in the United States. Previous studies show higher rates of obesity in low socioeconomic status (SES) communities. The efficacy of school-based interventions in these communities is not as well documented. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that low SES would be less healthy at baseline and show greater improvement than high SES. Methods: Project Healthy Schools (PHS) is a school-based intervention targeted at middle-school students in lower Michigan. We studied body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), lipid profiles, resting and recovery heart rate (HR), and behavioral characteristics in 3147 middle-school students. Students were stratified into 2 groups: high SES and low SES. Ann Arbor (median family income=$53,377) students were included in the high SES cohort (n=1840) while Ypsilanti ($33,699) and Detroit ($27,862) were considered low SES (n=1307). Chi-square, Wilcoxon, and t-tests were conducted to compare baseline and baseline-to-follow-up data. Median household income was based on US Census Bureau data. Results: At baseline, those students in the low SES cohort performed significantly worse than the students in the high SES cohort in nearly every category, most notably: BMI, systolic and diastolic BP, resting and recovery HR, fried food consumption, exercise, and screen time. Upon follow-up, post-intervention examination, low SES improved recovery HR, screen time, fried meat and snacks, and sugary beverages significantly more than high SES. High SES improved fruit, BP, and total cholesterol significantly more than low SES. Conclusions: The PHS intervention was more efficacious in a number of categories in higher-risk, low SES communities. This suggests a need for the implementation of similar school-based programs in low SES areas.

scholarly journals Effect of Vocabulary Test Preparation on Low-Income Black Middle School Students’ Reading Scores

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Mitchell ◽  
Nicolae Nistor ◽  
Beate Baltes ◽  
Michelle Brown
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Test Preparation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
School Students ◽  
Intact Group ◽  
Test Taking ◽  
Underperforming Students

Black middle school students in the United States continue to perform poorly on standardized reading achievement tests in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups. The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of a vocabulary-focused test preparation program for Black middle school students. The theoretical framework consisted of Thorndike’s concept of test-wiseness, a test-taking capacity. Teachers at the research site were trained on Larry Bell’s 12 Powerful Words strategy that aims to make students test-wise, that is, to familiarize them with key vocabulary terms related to tests. An intact-group comparison was conducted, involving a total of N = 679 Black students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 with 370 girls and 309 boys. An analysis of covariance showed significant effects for Grade 6, marginally significant effects for Grade 7, and nonsignificant effects for Grade 8. These findings suggest that the 12 Powerful Words are effective and that their effect decreases with students’ age. As a practical consequence, instructional leaders will be able to make more informed decisions regarding test preparation and potentially reduce the number of underperforming students in classrooms.

scholarly journals Behavior Change Following Pain Neuroscience Education in Middle Schools: A Public Health Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4505
Author(s):  
Adriaan Louw ◽  
Regina Landrus ◽  
Jessie Podolak ◽  
Patricia Benz ◽  
Jen DeLorenzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Pain Medication ◽  
School Students ◽  
Experienced Pain ◽  
Neuroscience Education ◽  
Initial Intervention ◽  
Pain Knowledge

Chronic pain and the opioid epidemic need early, upstream interventions to aim at meaningful downstream behavioral changes. A recent pain neuroscience education (PNE) program was developed and tested for middle-school students to increase pain knowledge and promote healthier beliefs regarding pain. In this study, 668 seventh-grade middle-school students either received a PNE lecture (n = 220); usual curriculum school pain education (UC) (n = 198) or PNE followed by two booster (PNEBoost) sessions (n = 250). Prior to, immediately after and at six-month follow-up, pain knowledge and fear of physical activity was measured. Six months after the initial intervention school, physical education, recess and sports attendance/participation as well as healthcare choices for pain (doctor visits, rehabilitation visits and pain medication use) were measured. Students receiving PNEBoost used 30.6% less pain medication in the last 6 months compared to UC (p = 0.024). PNEBoost was superior to PNE for rehabilitation visits in students experiencing pain (p = 0.01) and UC for attending school in students who have experienced pain > 3 months (p = 0.004). In conclusion, PNEBoost yielded more positive behavioral results in middle school children at six-month follow-up than PNE and UC, including significant reduction in pain medication use.

scholarly journals A Middle School Program to Prevent E-Cigarette Use: A Pilot Study of “CATCH My Breath”

2020 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven H. Kelder ◽  
Dale S. Mantey ◽  
Duncan Van Dusen ◽  
Kathleen Case ◽  
Alexandra Haas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Middle Schools ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Level ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional

Objectives: From 2017 to 2018, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use increased 78% among high school students and 48% among middle school students in the United States. However, few e-cigarette prevention interventions have been evaluated. We determined the feasibility and initial effectiveness of “CATCH My Breath,” an e-cigarette prevention program, among a sample of middle schools in central Texas. Methods: Twelve middle schools in Texas (6 intervention schools and 6 control schools) participated in the CATCH My Breath pilot program during 2016-2017. CATCH My Breath is rooted in social cognitive theory, consists of 4 interactive in-class modules, and is collaboratively administered via classroom and physical education teachers, student–peer leaders, and social messaging (eg, school posters). We collected 3 waves of data: baseline (January 2017), 4-month follow-up (May 2017), and 16-month follow-up (May 2018). Using school as the unit of analysis, we tested a repeated cross-sectional, condition-by-time interaction on e-cigarette ever use, psychosocial determinants of use, and other tobacco use behaviors. Analyses controlled for school-level sociodemographic characteristics (eg, sex, race/ethnicity, and percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch). Results: From baseline to 16-month follow-up, increases in ever e-cigarette use prevalence were significantly lower among intervention schools (2.8%-4.9%) than among control schools (2.7%-8.9%), controlling for covariates ( P = .01). Intervention schools also had significantly greater improvements in e-cigarette knowledge (β = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21-1.21; P = .008) and perceived positive outcomes (β = –0.12; 95% CI, –0.23 to –0.02; P = .02) than control schools, controlling for covariates from baseline to 16-month follow-up. Conclusion: Ever e-cigarette use was lower among middle schools that implemented the CATCH My Breath program than among those that did not. Replication of findings among a larger sample of schools, using a group-randomized, longitudinal study design and a longer follow-up period, is needed.

The Nature of School-Based Prevention Experiences for Middle School Students

1993 ◽  
Vol 24 (sup1) ◽  
pp. S-15-S-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Hill ◽  
Douglas Piper ◽  
Monica King
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Based

scholarly journals Witnessing Cyberbullying and Internalizing Symptoms among Middle School Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana M. Doumas ◽  
Aida Midgett
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Bullying ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cyberbullying Victimization ◽  
The Impact

Cyberbullying is a significant problem among school-aged youth. Cyberbullying peaks in middle school with 33% of middle school students reporting cyberbullying victimization and more than 50% reporting witnessing cyberbullying as bystanders. Although the association between cyberbullying victimization and internalizing symptoms is well documented, there is limited research examining the impact of witnessing cyberbullying on bystanders. To assess differences in internalizing symptoms between cyberbullying bystanders and non-bystanders, a school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among middle school students (6th–8th grade) in the United States (N = 130; 57.4% female; 42.6% male). Questionnaire data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of co-variance (MANCOVA) with three outcome variables (depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms) and the between-subject factor bystander status (bystander, non-bystander). We controlled for witnessing school bullying to examine the unique effect of witnessing cyberbullying on internalizing symptoms. Results of the MANCOVA indicated a significant effect for cyberbullying bystander status (p < 0.04). Post hoc analyses demonstrated that bystanders reported significantly higher levels of depression (p < 0.05), anxiety (p < 0.02), and somatic symptoms (p < 0.01) than non-bystanders. Findings suggest that programs to support students who witness cyberbullying are needed to reduce the mental health risks associated with being a cyberbullying bystander.

Nutrition intake and physical activity in a middle school in New York City

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisol Gonzalez ◽  
Ronald Feinstein ◽  
Carina Iezzi ◽  
Martin Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Middle School ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
York City ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Great Variability ◽  
School Students ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Purpose: The threat of childhood obesity has never been greater. Behavior changes implemented during childhood and adolescence are believed to be the most successful means of thwarting the progression of this epidemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a public health campaign that promotes awareness of clinical guidelines for nutrition and physical activity. The campaign is based on a concept developed by the Maine Center for Public Health referred to as “5-2-1-0 Healthy”. The simple clear message of this concept outlines steps families can take to help prevent and treat childhood obesity. The purpose of the present study is to determine the current level of compliance and health education needs of a middle school population related to the “5-2-1-0” concept. Methods: A modified version of the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was distributed to students at a private, nonsectarian, middle school in New York City. The school is located in the borough of Manhattan, but includes youngsters from all five boroughs of the city. The questions were grouped and analyzed according to “5-2-1-0” categories. Surveys were scored, and the association between targeted questionnaire items and demographic variables (i.e., sex and grade) was examined. Results: All 140 students completed the survey, and there was great variability in their responses to both the nutrition and physical activity questions. Of all students, 65% reported eating one cup or more of fruit daily, and 38% reported eating one cup or more of vegetables daily. There was no statistically significant difference reported in consumption of fruits or vegetables by gender or grade. Over 60% of students indicated <2 h of DVD/video or computer/video game time per day, while 10% indicated more than 3 h per day for each. A significant difference existed in the screen time reported between grades (more screen time by the older students) and a statistically significant difference also existed in the amount of physical activity reported by gender and grade (more physical activity by males and younger students). There was no difference in the reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by gender or grade. Conclusion: In a cohort of middle school students in New York City, there was great variability in compliance with the principles represented by the “5-2-1-0” concept. Changes in health behaviors were noted as students went from 6th to 7th to 8th grade, with physical activity decreasing and screen time increasing. Consequently, health curriculum topics for middle school students should focus on physical activity and screen time, while continuing to emphasize the need for proper nutrition.

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