scholarly journals Learning to make informed health choices: Protocol for a pilot study in schools in Barcelona

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2018
Author(s):  
Laura Martínez García ◽  
Pablo Alonso-Coello ◽  
Laia Asso Ministral ◽  
Clara Ballesté-Delpierre ◽  
Carlos Canelo Aybar ◽  
...  

Introduction: The Informed Health Choices (IHC) project has developed learning resources to teach primary school children (10 to 12-year-olds) to assess treatment claims and make informed health choices. The aim of our study is to explore both the students’ and teachers’ experience when using these resources in the context of Barcelona (Spain). Methods: During the 2019-2020 school year, we will conduct a pilot study with 4 th and 5 th-year primary school students (9 to 11-year-olds) from three schools in Barcelona. The intervention in the schools will include: 1) a workshop with the teachers, and 2) lessons to the students. The data collection will include: 1) assessment of the IHC resources by the teachers before the lessons, 2) non-participatory observations during the lessons, 3) semi-structured interviews with the students after a lesson, 4) assessment of the lessons by the teachers after a lesson, 5) treatment claim assessment by the students at the end of the lessons, and 6) assessment of the IHC resources by the teachers at the end of the lessons. We will use ad hoc questionnaires and guides to register the data. We will perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data to explore understandability, desirability, suitability, usefulness, facilitators and barriers of the resources. The most relevant results will be discussed and some recommendations on how to use, how to adapt (if needed), and how to implement the IHC resources to this context will be agreed. The findings of the contextualization activities could inform the design of a cluster-randomised trial, to determine the effectiveness of the IHC resources in this context prior to scaling-up its use. Ethical considerations: The study protocol has obtained an approval exemption from the Ethics Committee of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona, Spain).

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2018
Author(s):  
Laura Martínez García ◽  
Pablo Alonso-Coello ◽  
Laia Asso Ministral ◽  
Clara Ballesté-Delpierre ◽  
Carlos Canelo Aybar ◽  
...  

Introduction: The Informed Health Choices (IHC) project has developed learning resources to teach primary school children (10 to 12-year-olds) to assess treatment claims and make informed health choices. The aim of our study is to explore both the students’ and teachers’ experience when using these resources in the context of Barcelona (Spain). Methods: During the 2019-2020 school year, we will conduct a pilot study with 4 th and 5 th-year primary school students (9 to 11-year-olds) from three schools in Barcelona. The intervention in the schools will include: 1) assessment of the IHC resources by the teachers before the lessons, 2) non-participatory observations during the lessons, 3) semi-structured interviews with the students after a lesson, 4) assessment of the lessons by the teachers after a lesson, 5) treatment claim assessment by the students at the end of the lessons, and 6) assessment of the IHC resources by the teachers at the end of the lessons. We will use ad hoc questionnaires and guides to register the data. We will perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data to explore understandability, desirability, suitability, usefulness, facilitators and barriers of the resources. The most relevant results will be discussed and some recommendations on how to use, how to adapt (if needed), and how to implement the IHC resources to this context will be agreed. The findings of the contextualization activities could inform the design of a cluster-randomised trial, to determine the effectiveness of the IHC resources in this context prior to scaling-up its use. Ethical considerations: The study protocol has obtained an approval exemption from the Ethics Committee of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona, Spain).


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2018
Author(s):  
Laura Martínez García ◽  
Pablo Alonso-Coello ◽  
Laia Asso Ministral ◽  
Clara Ballesté-Delpierre ◽  
Carlos Canelo Aybar ◽  
...  

Introduction: The Informed Health Choices (IHC) project has developed learning resources to teach primary school children (10 to 12-year-olds) to assess treatment claims and make informed health choices. The aim of our study is to explore both the students’ and teachers’ experience when using these resources in the context of Barcelona (Spain). Methods: During the 2019-2020 school year, we will conduct a pilot study with 4th and 5th-year primary school students (9 to 11-year-olds) from three schools in Barcelona. The intervention in the schools will include: 1) a workshop with the teachers, and 2) lessons to the students. The data collection will include: 1) initial assessment of the resources by the teachers, 2) non-participatory observations during the lessons, 3) semi-structured interviews with the students after a lesson, 4) assessment of the lessons by the teachers, 5) treatment claim assessment by the students, and 6) final assessment of the resources by the teachers. We will use ad hoc questionnaires and guides to register the data. We will perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data to explore understandability, desirability, suitability, usefulness, facilitators and barriers of the resources. The most relevant results will be discussed and some recommendations on how to use, how to adapt (if needed), and how to implement the IHC resources to this context will be agreed. We will publish the study results in a peer-reviewed journal and in several Internet resources (web pages, electronic bulletins, and social media), and we will present them to the different users of interest in conferences, workshops, and meetings. Ethical considerations: The study protocol has obtained an approval exemption from the Ethics Committee of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona, Spain).


Author(s):  
Allen Nsangi ◽  
Daniel Semakula ◽  
Andrew David Oxman ◽  
Astrid Austvoll- Dalghren ◽  
Matt Oxman ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction We evaluated an intervention designed to teach 10 to 12-year-old primary school children to assess claims about the effects of treatments (any action intended to maintain or improve health). We report here on outcomes measured one year after the intervention. Methods In this cluster-randomised trial, we included primary schools in the central region of Uganda that taught year-five children (aged 10 to 12 years). We randomly allocated a representative sample of eligible schools to either an intervention or control group. Intervention schools received the Informed Health Choices primary school resources (textbooks, exercise books, and a teachers’ guide). The primary outcome, measured at the end of the school term and again after one year, was the mean score on a test with two multiple-choice questions for each of the 12 concepts and the proportion of children with passing scores. Results We assessed 2960 schools for eligibility; 2029 were eligible, and a random sample of 170 were invited to recruitment meetings. After recruitment meetings, 120 eligible schools consented and were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=60, 76 teachers and 6383 children) or control group (n=60, 67 teachers and 4430 children). After one year, the mean score in the multiple-choice test for the intervention schools was 68.7% compared to 53.0% for the control schools (adjusted mean difference 16.7%, 95% CI 13.9 to 19.5; p<0·00001). In the intervention schools, 3160 (80.1%) of 3943 children that completed the test after one year achieved a predetermined passing score (≥13 of 24 correct answers) compared with 1464 (51.5%) of 2844 children in the control schools (adjusted difference 39.5%, 95% CI 29.9 to 47.5). Conclusion Use of the learning-resources led to a large improvement in the ability of children to assess claims, which was sustained for at least one year.


Author(s):  
Allen Nsangi ◽  
Daniel Semakula ◽  
Andrew David Oxman ◽  
Astrid Austvoll- Dalghren ◽  
Matt Oxman ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction We evaluated an intervention designed to teach 10 to 12-year-old primary school children to assess claims about the effects of treatments (any action intended to maintain or improve health). We report here on outcomes measured one year after the intervention. Methods In this cluster-randomised trial, we included primary schools in the central region of Uganda that taught year-five children (aged 10 to 12 years). We randomly allocated a representative sample of eligible schools to either an intervention or control group. Intervention schools received the Informed Health Choices primary school resources (textbooks, exercise books, and a teachers’ guide). The primary outcome, measured at the end of the school term and again after one year, was the mean score on a test with two multiple-choice questions for each of the 12 concepts and the proportion of children with passing scores. Results We assessed 2960 schools for eligibility; 2029 were eligible, and a random sample of 170 were invited to recruitment meetings. After recruitment meetings, 120 eligible schools consented and were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=60, 76 teachers and 6383 children) or control group (n=60, 67 teachers and 4430 children). After one year, the mean score in the multiple-choice test for the intervention schools was 68.7% compared to 53.0% for the control schools (adjusted mean difference 16.7%, 95% CI 13.9 to 19.5; p<0·00001). In the intervention schools, 3160 (80.1%) of 3943 children that completed the test after one year achieved a predetermined passing score (≥13 of 24 correct answers) compared with 1464 (51.5%) of 2844 children in the control schools (adjusted difference 39.5%, 95% CI 29.9 to 47.5). Conclusion Use of the learning-resources led to a large improvement in the ability of children to assess claims, which was sustained for at least one year.


2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1086-1092
Author(s):  
Heorhiі M. Danylenko ◽  
Leonid V. Podrigalo ◽  
Olena H. Avdiievska ◽  
Iryna V. Redka ◽  
Oksana Ya. Mykhalchuk

The aim: Study of psychophysiological features of children depending on gender in the dynamics of the school year and the action of parents on preventive measures among primary school children Materials and methods: The study of biological adaptation of primary school students was conducted in two stages among second-graders (children 7-8 years) in the dynamics of the week and year. A total of 46 children (24 girls and 22 boys). The psychophysiological part of the study included electroencephalography (EEG) recording to assess the individual characteristics of the nervous system and determine mental performance. The next step was to determine mental performance, which is one of the important criteria for the health of schoolchildren, which characterizes the relationship between the functional state of the child’s body and learning load. The analysis of mental capacity was conducted at school with the permission of parents during the first school week and the last school week. Results: Based on the recorded EEG, the average values of the peak frequencies in each lead in the five ranges were calculated. When comparing the average values of indicators recorded in the modes of quiet wakefulness and mental load (mental account) at the beginning of the year, using a nonparametric criterion of signs revealed significant (p <0,05) differences between peak frequencies in the ranges β1 and β2 . The average peak frequency in the β1 range at rest (14.3 ± 0.5 Hz) is higher than during mental stress (13.8 ± 0.4 Hz). autonomy of regulation (p <0.01) in girls at the end of the school year is characterized by higher values. Analysis of data on the mental capacity of first-graders showed that the dynamics of the week among boys the number of traced signs increased from (120.5 ± 2.6) to (122.3 ± 4.8) signs, (p> 0.05) by the end of the week , and had the largest number of signs on Wednesday (127.4 ± 4.2) but had no significant difference Conclusions: Preventive measures such as sleep and rest, walks in the fresh air aimed at promoting health can be the same for both girls and boys, but more attention and control over the implementation of these measures should be paid to boys.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e030787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Nsangi ◽  
Daniel Semakula ◽  
Claire Glenton ◽  
Simon Lewin ◽  
Andrew D Oxman ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe developed the informed health choices (IHC) primary school resources to teach children how to assess the trustworthiness of claims about the effects of treatments. We evaluated these resources in a randomised trial in Uganda. This paper describes the process evaluation that we conducted alongside this trial.ObjectivesTo identify factors affecting the implementation, impact and scaling up of the intervention; and potential adverse and beneficial effects of the intervention.MethodsAll 85 teachers in the 60 schools in the intervention arm of the trial completed a questionnaire after each lesson and at the end of the term. We conducted structured classroom observations at all 60 schools. For interviews and focus groups, we purposively selected six schools. We interviewed district education officers, teachers, head teachers, children and their parents. We used a framework analysis approach to analyse the data.ResultsMost of the participants liked the IHC resources and felt that the content was important. This motivated the teachers and contributed to positive attitudes. Although some teachers started out lacking confidence, many found that the children’s enthusiasm for the lessons made them more confident. Nearly everyone interviewed thought that the children learnt something important and many thought that it improved their decision-making. The main barrier to scaling up use of the IHC resources that participants identified was the need to incorporate the lessons into the national curriculum.ConclusionThe mostly positive findings reflect the trial results, which showed large effects on the children’s and the teachers’ critical appraisal skills. The main limitations of this evaluation are that the investigators were responsible for both developing and evaluating the intervention.


PLoS Medicine ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e1001700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Priest ◽  
Joanne E. McKenzie ◽  
Rick Audas ◽  
Marion Poore ◽  
Cheryl Brunton ◽  
...  

Trials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Nsangi ◽  
Daniel Semakula ◽  
Andrew D. Oxman ◽  
Astrid Austvoll-Dahlgren ◽  
Matt Oxman ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction We evaluated an intervention designed to teach 10- to 12-year-old primary school children to assess claims about the effects of treatments (any action intended to maintain or improve health). We report outcomes measured 1 year after the intervention. Methods In this cluster-randomised trial, we included primary schools in the central region of Uganda that taught year 5 children (aged 10 to 12 years). We randomly allocated a representative sample of eligible schools to either an intervention or control group. Intervention schools received the Informed Health Choices primary school resources (textbooks, exercise books and a teachers’ guide). The primary outcomes, measured at the end of the school term and again after 1 year, were the mean score on a test with two multiple-choice questions for each of the 12 concepts and the proportion of children with passing scores. Results We assessed 2960 schools for eligibility; 2029 were eligible, and a random sample of 170 were invited to recruitment meetings. After recruitment meetings, 120 eligible schools consented and were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 60 schools; 76 teachers and 6383 children) or the control group (n = 60 schools; 67 teachers and 4430 children). After 1 year, the mean score in the multiple-choice test for the intervention schools was 68.7% compared with 53.0% for the control schools (adjusted mean difference 16.7%; 95% CI, 13.9 to 19.5; P < 0.00001). In the intervention schools, 3160 (80.1%) of 3943 children who completed the test after 1 year achieved a predetermined passing score (≥ 13 of 24 correct answers) compared with 1464 (51.5%) of 2844 children in the control schools (adjusted difference, 39.5%; 95% CI, 29.9 to 47.5). Conclusion Use of the learning resources led to a large improvement in the ability of children to assess claims, which was sustained for at least 1 year. Trial registration Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (www.pactr.org), PACTR201606001679337. Registered on 13 June 2016.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarah Gerritsen

<p>This research utilises a questionnaire, completed by 115 primary school principals in the Wellington region, to explore the link between poverty and food insecurity among children. Principals recorded the number of children estimated to be regularly hungry at school for the month of May 2004, and the number of children who regularly came to school without having eaten breakfast and who regularly had no lunch during that month. Principals also provided information on how their school responds to hungry children and gave their opinions on whether schools were responsible for solving food insecurity issues among children. Principals' responses were analysed within a critical realist sociological perspective. This research confirms that a small but significant number of primary school children in the Wellington region experience serious food insecurity, and that food insecurity is strongly correlated with poverty. Two-thirds of children estimated to be regularly hungry are from schools in low socio-economic areas (Decile 1 to 4 schools), and nearly three quarters of children that regularly do not have lunch come from these schools. Ten percent of children in Decile 1 and 2 schools were estimated by their principal to be regularly hungry throughout the school day during May 2004. The responses of schools to hungry children were in most instances inadequate and often ad-hoc, showing little consideration of the outcomes for children. However, the small number of schools in the Wellington region who have developed detailed policy and procedures to respond to hungry children appear to be successful in limiting stigmatisation of children and their families. This thesis argues that responses to food insecure children must consider the causes of food insecurity, and in order to prevent stigmatisation, should be founded on the principle of social justice rather than charity.</p>


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