Smoking Intervention Program for Male Secondary School Students

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number cause of death worldwide. In Ghana CVD has been the leading cause of death since 2001. The prevalence of CVD risk factors among adolescents in Ghana has been increasing. This study seeks to develop, implement and evaluate the effects of a behavioral modification intervention program to reduce CVD risk factors among secondary school students in Brong Ahafo, Ghana. Methods A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted with schools as clusters over a period of six-months with pre and post intervention evaluations. Participants were public secondary school students (14–19 years) from four schools in Brong Ahafo, Ghana. Students in the intervention group were trained by the researchers whereas those of the control group received no intervention. The intervention included health education and physical activity modules. Follow-up data using same questionnaire were collected within two weeks after the intervention was completed. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed after replacing missing values using the multiple imputation method. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to assess the effects of the intervention study. Results The GLMM analyses showed the intervention was effective in attaining 0.77(p<0.001), 0.72(p<0.001), 0.47(p<0.001), 0.56(p<0.001), and 0.39(p = 0.045) higher total physical activity, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and water scores respectively for the intervention group over the control group. The intervention was also significant in reducing -0.15(p<0.001),-0.23(p<0.001),-0.50(p<0.001),-0.32(p<0.001),-0.90(p<0.001),-0.87(p<0.001),-0.38(p<0.001), -0.63(p<0.001), -1.63(p<0.001), 0.61(p<0.001), and -1.53(p = 0.005) carbohydrates, fats and oils, fried eggs, fried chicken, carbonated drinks, sugar, sweet snacks, salted fish, weight, BMI, and diastolic BP. The odds of quitting alcohol use in the intervention group were 1.06 times more than the control group. There was no significant effect on reducing smoking and systolic BP. Conclusion There is an urgent need for the intervention program to be integrated into the existing curriculum structure of secondary school schools. Implementing the intervention will allow for longer and more consistent impact on the reduction of CVD risk factors among secondary school students.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of a Summer-School Program for Highly Gifted Secondary-School Students: The German Pupils Academy

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027//1015-5759.18.3.214 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 214-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Heinz Neber ◽

Kurt A. Heller

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Summer School ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Gifted Students ◽

School Program ◽

School Students ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Regulatory Strategies ◽

Cognitive Framework

Summary The German Pupils Academy (Deutsche Schüler-Akademie) is a summer-school program for highly gifted secondary-school students. Three types of program evaluation were conducted. Input evaluation confirmed the participants as intellectually highly gifted students who are intrinsically motivated and interested to attend the courses offered at the summer school. Process evaluation focused on the courses attended by the participants as the most important component of the program. Accordingly, the instructional approaches meet the needs of highly gifted students for self-regulated and discovery oriented learning. The product or impact evaluation was based on a multivariate social-cognitive framework. The findings indicate that the program contributes to promoting motivational and cognitive prerequisites for transforming giftedness into excellent performances. To some extent, the positive effects on students' self-efficacy and self-regulatory strategies are due to qualities of the learning environments established by the courses.

Download Full-text

Ethnolinguistic Identity and Television Use in a Minority Language Setting

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000071 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 135-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jake Harwood ◽

Laszlo Vincze

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Minority Language ◽

German Language ◽

Tv Viewing ◽

School Students ◽

Ethnolinguistic Vitality ◽

Ethnolinguistic Identity ◽

Television Use

Based on the model of Reid, Giles and Abrams (2004 , Zeitschrift für Medienpsychologie, 16, 17–25), this paper describes and analyzes the relation between television use and ethnolinguistic-coping strategies among German speakers in South Tyrol, Italy. The data were collected among secondary school students (N = 415) in 2011. The results indicated that the television use of the students was dominated by the German language. A mediation analysis revealed that TV viewing contributed to the perception of ethnolinguistic vitality, the permeability of intergroup boundaries, and status stability, which in turn affected ethnolinguistic-coping strategies of mobility (moving toward the outgroup), creativity (maintaining identity without confrontation), and competition (fighting for ingroup rights and respect). Findings and theoretical implications are discussed.

Download Full-text

Smart Girls, Dumb Boys!?

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000167 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 112-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Martin Latsch ◽

Bettina Hannover

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Stereotype Threat ◽

Gender Stereotypes ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Learning Goals ◽

School Students ◽

Compensatory Strategies ◽

Media Portrayal ◽

Stereotype Lift ◽

The Media

We investigated effects of the media’s portrayal of boys as “scholastic failures” on secondary school students. The negative portrayal induced stereotype threat (boys underperformed in reading), stereotype reactance (boys displayed stronger learning goals towards mathematics but not reading), and stereotype lift (girls performed better in reading but not in mathematics). Apparently, boys were motivated to disconfirm their group’s negative depiction, however, while they could successfully apply compensatory strategies when describing their learning goals, this motivation did not enable them to perform better. Overall the media portrayal thus contributes to the maintenance of gender stereotypes, by impairing boys’ and strengthening girls’ performance in female connoted domains and by prompting boys to align their learning goals to the gender connotation of the domain.

Download Full-text