scholarly journals Educational Intervention of Healthy Life Promotion for Children with a Migrant Background or at Socioeconomic Disadvantage in the North of Italy: Efficacy of Telematic Tools in Improving Nutritional and Physical Activity Knowledge

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3634
Author(s):  
Roberto Franceschi ◽  
Elena Fornari ◽  
Monica Ghezzi ◽  
Eleonora Buzzi ◽  
Margherita Toschi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
P Value ◽  
School Students ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Migrant Background ◽  
The North ◽  
Pediatric Clinic

The aim of the “Smuovi La Salute” (“Shake Your Health”) project was to implement an integrated and comprehensive model to prevent and treat overweight and obesity in low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority groups living in three different districts in the north of Italy. An app and a cookbook promoting transcultural nutrition and a healthy lifestyle were developed, and no-cost physical activities were organized. Healthy lifestyle teaching was implemented in 30 primary school classrooms. Learning was assessed through pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. At the Obesity Pediatric Clinic, overweight and obese children of migrant background or low SES were trained on transcultural nutrition and invited to participate in the project. Primary school students increased their knowledge about healthy nutrition and the importance of physical activity (p-value < 0.001). At the Obesity Pediatric Clinic, after 6 months, pre–post-intervention variation in their consumption of vegetables and fruit was +14% (p < 0.0001) and no variation in physical activity habits occurred (p = 0.34). In this group, the BMI z-score was not significantly decreased (−0.17 ± 0.63, p= 0.15). This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of telematic tools and targeted community approaches in improving students’ knowledge with regard to healthy lifestyle, particularly in schools in suburbs with a high density of migrants and SES families. Comprehensive and integrated approaches provided to the obese patients remain mostly ineffective.

scholarly journals Reliability and Validity of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours Scale in Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E E Öcal ◽  
M F Önsüz
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Environmental Cleaning ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviours ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background Improving healthy behaviour from childhood could be beneficial both children and families and communities. The aim of the study was to develop the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours Scale (HLBS) to determine the healthy lifestyle behaviours of primary school students. Methods This methodological study carried out in 521 primary school 4th grade students in two eco-schools in the 2019-2020 academic year. By using literature 120 questions was collected including nutrition, physical activity, hygiene, sleep, environmental cleaning, health responsibility and addiction sub-dimensions. After taking expert opinions, a scale that consists of 54 questions and scored as I agree:3, undecided:2, I disagree:1 and was created named HLBS. In order to evaluate the reliability of the scale, item total score correlation and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) analyzes and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used for construct validity. Results Of the 52.8% students were male and their age ranges from 8-11, the mean was 9.5±0.5. After the scale development study, the scale consisted of 53 items and 7 sub-dimensions. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of nutrition, physical activity, hygiene, sleep, environmental cleaning, health responsibility and addiction sub-dimensions were 0.87, 0.68, 0.85, 0.52, 0.76, 0.85 and 0.76, respectively. The variances of sub-dimensions in the scale ranged from 30.17% to 67.87%. The fit of scale and the fit index were found to be acceptable after confirmatory factor analysis. In the last form of the scale, the score that can be taken from scale range 53-159. It was accepted that by increasing of the score, healthy lifetsyles behaviours were increased. The mean score of the students was 141.39±16.21 and the median was 145.0. Conclusions HLBS was found to be a valid-reliable tool for assesing healthy lifestyle behaviours in primary school students. Key messages Health promotion is an issue that needs to be addressed from school age for developing healthy lifestyle behaviours. In the literature, HLBS seems the first scale about healthy lifestyle behaviours for children and needs to be tested in large groups of children.

scholarly journals Body Composition, Psychological, Cardiovascular, and Physical Activity Factors Related with Academic School Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8775
Author(s):  
Laura Redondo-Flórez ◽  
Domingo Jesus Ramos-Campo ◽  
Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
School Students

The aim of the present study was to analyse body composition, anxiety, cardiovascular, and physical activity factors related with academic performance of school students as well as to analyse differences, by age, in these factors. We analysed in 266 primary school students’ (8.81 ± 1.62 years, range: 5–13 years) heart rate, anthropometric variables to calculate body mass index, physical activity performance, anxiety levels and academic results by the average of marks. Students were divided in two different groups, firstly by their lower or higher academic performance, and secondly by age. Results showed a negative correlation between academic performance and age, weight, body mass index and trait anxiety variables. Additionally, significant differences were found by age, presenting older students higher scores in body mass index and lower physical activity, trait anxiety, heart rate and academic performance values than younger students. Overweight and obesity may have a great impact in academic performance in children and we pointed out the necessity to establish programs related with healthy habits which include improvements in physical activity and nutrition behaviours with the objective to enhance children’s health general status, psychological profile, cognitive and motor development, and academic performance.

Developing a Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics for Primary School Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-438
Author(s):  
Jacobus G. Maree ◽  
Martha S. Van Der Walt ◽  
Suria M. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Mathematics Anxiety ◽  
Missing Values ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Factors Analysis ◽  
Study Orientation ◽  
Study Participants

The Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics (Primary) is being developed as a diagnostic measure for South African teachers and counsellors to help primary school students improve their orientation towards the study of mathematics. In this study, participants were primary school students in the North-West Province of South Africa. During the standardisation in 2007, 1,013 students (538 boys: M age = 12.61; SD =1.53; 555 girls: M age= 11.98; SD =1.35; 10 missing values) were assessed. Factor analysis yielded three factors. Analysis also showed satisfactory reliability coefficients and item-factor correlations. Step-wise linear regression indicated that three factors (Mathematics anxiety, Study attitude in mathematics, and Study habits in mathematics) contributed significantly ( R2 = .194) to predicting achievement in mathematics as measured by the Basic Mathematics Questionnaire (Primary).

scholarly journals Association Between Dietary Consumption, Anthropometric Measures And Body Composition Of Rural And Urban Ghanaian Adults; A Comparative Cross Sectional Study.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong ◽  
Reginald Adjetey Annan ◽  
Charles Apprey ◽  
Linda Nana Esi Aduku ◽  
Catherina Elizabeth Swart
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
P Value ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Anthropometric Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dietary Consumption ◽  
Rural And Urban

Abstract Background: Overweight and obesity have become threats to public health in all regions across the globe. Policies to regulate the food environment and promote healthy food consumption can reduce the prevalence obesity but in Ghana there is not enough data to elicit a policy response. This study assessed the association between dietary consumption, anthropometric measures, body composition and physical activity among rural and urban Ghanaian adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 565 Ghanaian adults. Structured questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic information. Dietary consumption was assessed using household food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour recall. Height, weight, BMI, waist circumference and body composition of all participants were also measured. The World Health Organization’s Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to assess physical activity levels. Mann Whitney U test was used to analyze differences in anthropometric measurements, body composition and dietary consumption among rural and urban participants. Principal component analysis was used to analyze household food frequency data and nutrient analysis template was used to analyze 24-hour recall. Chi-square was used to measure differences in obesity prevalence by community and gender. Multinomial logistic regression was used to model the risk factors associated with obesity. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity using BMI were 29.9 and 22.9 respectively. The use of waist circumference measurement resulted in the highest overall obesity prevalence of 41.5%. Prevalence of obesity was higher among females compared to males across all measures with the exception of visceral fat that showed no significant difference. Four different patterns were derived from principal component analysis. Among urban participants, component 3 (staple pattern) showed a significant negative correlation with visceral fat (r -0.186, p-value 0.013) and BMI (r -0.163, p-value 0.029). Multinomial logistic regression showed that males (AOR 19.715, CI 9.723-39.978, p-value < 0.001) had higher odds of being of normal weight compared to females. Conclusion: Prevalence of overweight and obesity continue to rise in Ghana, especially among females. Public education and screening as well as interventions that regulate the food environment and make affordable and available healthy food options are needed to control the rise in obesity prevalence.

scholarly journals Use of Action Songs and Total Physical Response to Promote the Development of Listening Skills among Year 4, Low Enrolment-Tamil Vernacular Primary School Students in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uthaya Kumar, S. ◽  
Sandaran, S. C.
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
School Type ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
School Students ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Listening Skill ◽  
Physical Response ◽  
English Language Teachers

Total Physical Response (TPR) is built around the coordination of speech and actions. Action songs promote dance or acts while singing. In this study, we look at action songs as part of TPR to investigate its effectiveness in enhancing students’ listening skills to develop their mastery of the English Language. Seven Year 4 students from a Low Enrolment (SKM) Tamil Vernacular Primary school type (SJKT) were selected as the participants of a within-group experimental design. Upon completing a pre-test on listening skill, students were given six treatment lessons, whereby one hour per lesson was allocated. The treatment was conducted once a week, for every listening lesson. The data was collected while and after the pupils were taught through a series of lessons or interventions that incorporated songs and TPR to complete a variety of listening tasks. The finding shows that even though action songs and TPR are not commonly used among English Language teachers, teachers should implement the method especially for students from Low Enrolment Vernacular Primary School Type as the students in this study showed a significant increase in their post intervention scores of the listening test. The findings also discusses SJKT English Language teachers perceptions on the use of songs and TPR and suggests that there is still a lack of understanding among the teachers on the potential benefits of action songs and TPR for their particular students who have high levels of anxiety and inhibitions to learning English. 

scholarly journals Young people's lifestyle and frequency of physical activity – an original study

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-60
Author(s):  
Barbara Janota ◽  
Elżbieta Szczepańska ◽  
Karolina Janion
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
High Rate ◽  
P Value ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Unhealthy Lifestyle ◽  
School Students ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Group 1

Abstract Introduction A healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating, frequent physical activity, abstention from recreational substances, appropriate amounts of sleep and restricted amounts of television and computer time have a positive impact on the development and health of adolescents. The aim of the study was to assess selected aspects of adolescent lifestyle with a focus on rates of physical activity. Materials and methods The study material included a questionnaire completed by 304 secondary school students. The answers were analysed with respect to the physical activity of the respondents and then grouped accordingly: group 1 consisted of respondents with a low rate of physical activity, group 2 with a moderate rate of physical activity and group 3 with a high rate of physical activity. Differences in the the percentages of healthy behaviour the groups engaged in was assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA on ranks test. Post hoc, a 2-way test with Bonferroni correction was performed. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses. Results The recommended number of 4–5 meals a day is consumed mostly by individuals from group 2 (52.94%) and to the least extent by those in group 1 (47.17%). The recommended daily consumption of fruit is mostly reported by respondents from group 3 (39.34%) and the least, by those from group 1 (26.42%). Subjects from group 2 are least likely to drink alcohol, which is harmful for one's health (26.47%); this group also includes the largest number of individuals who do not smoke cigarettes (69.12%). The most favorable behaviour with regards to sleep is displayed by subjects from group 3, in which 10.38% of participants slept for the recommended 8–10 h a day. Conclusions The majority of adolescents, regardless of the frequency of physical activity they undertook, had an unhealthy lifestyle. The most favourable lifestyle was led by subjects who performed physical activity between once a week and a few times a month.

Curricular Physical Activity and Academic Performance

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy J. Shephard
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Psychomotor Development ◽  
Release Time ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Impact

Advocates of quality daily physical education for prepubescent children frequently encounter the argument that such initiatives will harm academic progress. The impact of daily physical education upon the academic performance of primary school students is thus reviewed with particular reference to studies conducted in Vanves (France), Australia, and Trois Rivières (Québec). When a substantial proportion of curricular time (14–26%) is allocated to physical activity, learning seems to proceed more rapidly per unit of classroom time, so that academic performance matches, and may even exceed, that of control students. Children receiving additional physical education show an acceleration of their psychomotor development, and this could provide a mechanism for accelerated learning of academic skills. Other potential mechanisms include increased cerebral blood flow, greater arousal, changes in hormone levels, enhanced nutrient intake, changes in body build, and increased self esteem. Academic teachers may also favor the enhanced physical education program, creating “halo” effects, and the resulting release time may enhance their academic teaching. Irrespective of mechanisms, the implication for public policy is that daily required physical education can be introduced when a child enters primary school without compromising academic development. Given the importance of establishing positive health habits from an early age, school boards should be encouraged to follow a policy of required daily physical activity in primary schools. Evidence of specific benefit in students with learning disabilities remains less convincing.

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