scholarly journals The impact of a intervention program on the knowledge and behaviors of school-age children in Alabama regarding nutrition and physical activity

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel NiTa Dunlap
BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e043397
Author(s):  
Austen El-Osta ◽  
Aos Alaa ◽  
Iman Webber ◽  
Eva Riboli Sasco ◽  
Emmanouil Bagkeris ◽  
...  

ObjectiveInvestigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on feelings of loneliness and social isolation in parents of school-age children.DesignCross-sectional online survey of parents of primary and secondary school-age children.SettingCommunity setting.Participants1214 parents of school-age children in the UK.MethodsAn online survey explored the impact of lockdown on the mental health of parents with school-age children, and in particular about feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Associations between the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLATILS), the Direct Measure of Loneliness (DMOL) and the characteristics of the study participants were assessed using ordinal logistic regression models.Main outcome measuresSelf-reported measures of social isolation and loneliness using UCLATILS and DMOL.ResultsHalf of respondents felt they lacked companionship, 45% had feelings of being left out, 58% felt isolated and 46% felt lonely during the first 100 days of lockdown. The factors that were associated with higher levels of loneliness on UCLATILS were female gender, parenting a child with special needs, lack of a dedicated space for distance learning, disruption of sleep patterns and low levels of physical activity during the lockdown. Factors associated with a higher DMOL were female gender, single parenting, parenting a child with special needs, unemployment, low physical activity, lack of a dedicated study space and disruption of sleep patterns during the lockdown.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 lockdown has increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness among parents of school-age children. The sustained adoption of two modifiable health-seeking lifestyle behaviours (increased levels of physical activity and the maintenance of good sleep hygiene practices) wmay help reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness during lockdown.


Author(s):  
Alexander Lee ◽  
Qingmei Jiang ◽  
Robert Rogers ◽  
Belinda Vuong ◽  
Wen-Ching Wei ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Project Healthy Schools (PHS) is an initiative designed to promote healthy lifestyles in middle school-age children in Michigan. Following the introduction of smartphones and portable video game platforms such as the Play Station Portable more children are using these devices. This trend has led to an increase in screen time in preteens resulting in less time being spent on more active, health-promoting activities. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the increase in technology and handheld/gaming devices and the impact on student’s lifestyle behaviors participating in PHS. METHODS: Data on sedentary behaviors were collected from 4,021 middle school students by a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire is completed by all participants of PHS at baseline and after completion of the program. The questionnaire focuses on dietary habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Sedentary behavior (screen time) questions included amount of time spent watching TV, playing video games or playing on the computer. In order to determine if technology use was impacting this cohort, baseline survey results were analyzed over a 6 year period. Because the exposure to technology could be associated to socioeconomic status (SE) of the schools, we balanced the sample in SE (based on median household income) through stratified simple random sampling without replacement. Screen times were categorized into high screen time (> 120 min /day) and low screen time (≤ 120 min/day). RESULTS: The trends of different types of screen time were plotted from 2008 to 2013 (2010 data were excluded to avoid the bias caused by the extremely small sample size of this year). A consistent trend of a high percentage of TV viewers was present each year. However, the percentage of students categorized as high computer game users and high video game users increased with each year (Table 1). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant increase in both time spent playing on the computer and time spent playing video games between the years 2008 - 2013. It’s possible the introduction of smartphones and portable video games has contributed to this trend. It is essential for wellness programs such as PHS to focus on the importance of limiting the amount of time spent playing screen games while promoting increased physical activity to this age group.


2020 ◽  
pp. 026010602097557
Author(s):  
Shasha Bai ◽  
Anthony Goudie ◽  
Elisabet Børsheim ◽  
Judith L Weber

Background: We report the design, protocol and statistical analysis plan for the Arkansas Active Kids (AAK) Study. The study investigates the complex relationships between factors that contribute to metabolic health and obesity status in prepubertal school-age children in the state of Arkansas. Aim: We aim to identify modifiable behavioral and environmental factors and phenotypes related to metabolic health that are associated with obesity status that, if addressed effectively, can aid in designing effective intervention strategies to improve fitness and reduce obesity in children. Methods: We analyzed dietary and physical activity data from two national surveys (National Survey of Children’s Health and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System). We then conducted detailed surveys to collect dietary, physical activity, socio-demographic, and environmental data from a sample of 226 prepubertal Arkansas children. In the same sample of prepubertal children, we also collected extensive physiologic data to further study associations between physical activity and metabolic health. Results: All study visits included detailed measures of vital signs, energy expenditure, components of physical fitness, body composition and the collection of biological samples for determination of metabolic analytes. Conclusion: The observational, environmental and physiological results will be used to craft multivariate statistical models to identify which variables define ‘phenotype signatures’ that associate with fitness level and obesity status.


1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Lincoln ◽  
Mark Onslow ◽  
Vicki Reed

This research was designed to provide a socially valid evaluation of the posttreatment speech of children who received an operant treatment for early stuttering (The Lidcombe Program). Part A compared the posttreatment percent syllables stuttered (%SS) for preschool and school-age children with nonstuttering control children matched for age and sex. This study found that both groups attracted similar measures of %SS. Part B compared the number of "stuttering" versus "not stuttering" judgments made by experienced clinicians and unsophisticated listeners on the same speech samples. Control children were identified as "stuttering" significantly more than the treated children. The clinician listeners identified significantly more control samples and posttreatment samples as stuttering than the unsophisticated listeners. The implications of these results are discussed. It is concluded that The Lidcombe Program resulted in socially valid modifications in the participant's speech.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 33-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kurowska

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to solve the puzzle of the disproportionately lower employment rate of mothers of toddlers with relation to the employment rate of mothers of preschool and school-age children in Estonia. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on the Most Similar System Design and compares Estonia with Lithuania. The applied methods include inferential statistics and microsimulation techniques, employing the OECD Benefits and Wages Calculator, the OECD Family Support Calculator and EUROMOD – the European tax-benefit microsimulation model. Findings The comparison revealed that the overwhelming majority of the crucial aspects of socio-cultural, economic and institutional conditions were more favourable for maternal employment in Estonia than in Lithuania. This explains the higher maternal employment rates both for mothers of pre-schoolers and school-age children in Estonia. However, one particular element of the institutional context targeted to the mothers of toddlers – the unconditional parental benefit – had an entirely opposite character. This particular feature of the parental leave scheme was the only factor that could explain why the employment rate of mothers of toddlers is disproportionately lower than the employment rate of mothers of older children in Estonia and much lower than the employment of mothers of toddlers in Lithuania. Originality/value This study complements previous research by providing evidence on the relative importance of universal parental benefit schemes in the context of other country-specific conditions for maternal employment, including the availability of institutional childcare. Furthermore, the results presented show that childcare regime typologies, at least those that characterise Eastern European countries, should be more sensitive to children’s age.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-95
Author(s):  
Dorota Kochman ◽  
◽  
Aneta Studzińska ◽  

Introduction. Faulty posture is define as the syndrome of bad posture that we characterize as minimal, individual anomalies upon proper poise which are potentially curable with professional passive and active exercises. An im-portant function at develop posture anomalies has factors which induce to take improper silhouette. To the above factors mainly belong: bad posture while relaxation, wrong place to study or hefting overloaded packs. Aim. Depiction of common problem among children at school age which is exposure of faulty posture and specification of factors which produce faulty posture. Material and methods. In the thesis was used method of evaluation and diag-nostic survey method. With the object of execution the questionnaire surveys applied an anonymous and authorial questionnaire at the same time. A hundred of children at 11-14 age entered the survey. Based on data, computed BMI rate and the anthropometric parameters were evaluated according to centile grid. Results. A hundred of children entered the research (49% boys, 51% girls). 24% of children had diagnose of faulty posture namely 16 girls and 8 boys. Fallen arches was detected at 11 children, it is about 46% of people with bad posture, whereas none of children had knees valgus (0%). 38% of children who are active less than hour per day were diagnosed with faulty posture, whereas group of people with 1-2 hours daily physical activity had only 16,1% of chil-dren with faulty posture. On the other hand with students who spare over two hours on activity daily were not any fault. 87,5% of respondents with wrong BMI rate level suffer from bad posture. Children (66%), who do not respect right rules of carrying pack have diagnosed faulty posture. Conclusion. Every fourth child at research group has bad posture. The com-mon type of faulty posture is fallen arches, but the rarest is knee valgus. Low level of physical activity and wrong way of carrying pack significantly contrib-ute to develop faulty posture among school age children. Furthermore inade-quate result of BMI also has negative impact on body posture of child.


Retos ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
Borja Del Pozo-Cruz ◽  
Jesús Del Pozo-Cruz ◽  
Francisco Javier González Limones ◽  
Rosa María Alfonso Rosa

Objetivo. En este estudió se pretendió un objetivo doble; 1) Constatar las diferencias entre niños asmáticos con sobrepeso y normopeso en cuanto a CVRS y cantidad de actividad física y sedentarismo y 2) Determinar la relación existente entre cantidad de actividad física, sedentarismo e IMC y su influencia en la CVRS de esta población en Sevilla. Método. Se usó un diseño de cohorte que incluyó a 69 niños en edad escolar con asma persistente controlado. Las medidas incluidas en el estudio fueron: el cuestionario PAQL(S), para evaluar la CVRS de los niños y el cuestionario IPAQ-A, para evaluar la cantidad de actividad física y sedentarismo de los niños. También se calculó el IMC y se determinó si el participante estaba en normopeso o sobrepeso. Resultados. Los niños con sobrepeso obtuvieron peores valores en CVRS e IPAQ-A que sus pares con normopeso. Además se observaron correlaciones positivas entre el IMC y la cantidad de sedentarismo y negativas entre el IMC y también entre éste y el valor en las escalas de valoración de la CVRS. Conclusión. El IMC afecta negativamente a la CVRS a los niños asmáticos en edad escolar. Palabras clave: niños asmáticos, enfermedad crónica, hábitos de vida, ejercicio físico.Abstract: Objective. The aim of this study was: 1) To determine the differences between normal-weight asthmatic children and overweight asthmatic children in terms of HRQoL and amount of physical activity and sedentary and 2) To determine the relationship between amount of physical activity, sedentary and BMI and their influence on the HRQoL of this population in Seville. Method. We used a cohort design study that included 69 school-age children with controlled persistent asthma. The measures included in the study were: the questionnaire PAQL (S), to assess the HRQoL of children and the IPAQ-A questionnaire to assess the amount of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle of children. BMI was also calculated and determined if the participant was of normal-weight or overweight. Results. Overweight children scored worse on HRQoL and IPAQ-A values   than their peers with normal-weight. Positive correlations were also observed between BMI and the amount of sedentary lifestyle. Negative correlations were observed between BMI and the amount of physical activity and also negative correlations were observed between BMI and HRQoL. Conclusion. BMI negatively affect HRQoL in school- age asthmatic children. Key words: asthmatic children, chronic disease, lifestyles, physical exercise.


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