Substance abuse prevention among Greek emerging adults: Evaluation of a psycho-educational counselling intervention

The present study investigated the effect of a preventive substance abuse counselling intervention on Greek emerging adults (18-28 years old). It‘s main purpose was to examine changes in emerging adults’ views, knowledge about substances and their group skills after their participation in the intervention; it also examined their perceptions about the group climate created as well as their evaluation of the intervention. The interactive intervention, lasting 30 hours, consisted of topics such as: emerging adulthood, addiction, causes and consequences of substance abuse, prevention and some training on personal and social skills related to substance abuse. Pre and post intervention measurements explored these changes in a sample of 75 University students (38 in the intervention and 37 in the control group). Students in the intervention group reported high levels in the scale of engagement and lower levels in the scales of conflict and avoidance. Their evaluation of the intervention programme overall was very positive. Additionally, results showed that emerging adults’ views about substances changed positively after the intervention. In terms of how much they learned about substances, the results revealed a significantly important change after the intervention, whereas at the same time, members’ group skills improved. It is concluded that such interventions have an impact on emerging adults’ views and knowledge about substances, a fact which reinforces the need for research-based interventions.

Download Full-text

Revisit the Effectiveness of Educational Kinesiology on Stress and Anxiety Amelioration in Kindergarteners With Special Needs Using Biological Measures

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.773659 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Alan Pui-Lun Tai ◽

Way Kwok-Wai Lau

Keyword(s):

Special Needs ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Small Samples ◽

Control Group ◽

Intervention Programme ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Brain Functioning ◽

Educational Kinesiology ◽

Quasi Experimental

Background: Educational kinesiology is a popular intervention that aims to improve brain functioning via physical movements. Yet, it lacks supporting scientific evidence and is regarded as pseudoscience. Given the popularity of educational kinesiology in school settings, it is important to revisit its effectiveness through scientific research. Previous studies that evaluated the effectiveness of educational kinesiology relied mainly on subjective measures, in which subjective bias is inevitable. Cortisol and oxytocin levels in saliva have been reported to be reliable stress and anxiety markers that provide unbiased objective data. This study explores the effect of educational kinesiology on the changes in salivary cortisol and oxytocin levels in kindergarteners with special needs.Methods: A quasi-experimental design was adopted in this study. Thirty-seven kindergarteners (3.5–6.5 years old) who were either diagnosed with one type of special needs or referred by school principals due to the requirement of special supports at school were assigned to either the intervention group, which received 1-h educational kinesiology intervention weekly for a total of 10 weeks, or the wait-list control group. Saliva samples were collected at baseline and after the completion of intervention programme for the measurement of cortisol and oxytocin levels. Scores of Parent-rated Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS-TC) were also collected at pre- and post-intervention. Because of the small samples, non-parametric tests such as Mann-Whitney U test, Quade test, and Fisher's exact tests were used in this study where appropriate.Results: After controlled for the effect at baseline, gender and types of special needs, the changes in oxytocin levels were significantly higher in the intervention group compared with control [F(1, 35) = 4.747, p = 0.036, eta2 = 0.119], whereas no significant between-group difference in changes of cortisol levels was observed [F(1, 35) = 0.306, p = 0.584, eta2 = 0.009]. Results from PAS-TC showed significant improvement in anxiety levels after the intervention in the intervention group (p = 0.048, ϕ = 0.344, p = 0.037).Conclusions: Our findings suggest a plausible anti-anxiety effect of educational kinesiology in kindergarteners with special needs by elevating the oxytocin levels. Future studies are warranted to further confirm our findings with a larger sample.

Download Full-text

Effect of Smartphone App’s Intervention on Consumers’ Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Perception of Food Poisoning Prevention When Dining Out at Selected Rural Areas in Terengganu

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph181910294 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (19) ◽

pp. 10294

Author(s):

Nur Afifah Mursyida Zaujan ◽

Asma’ Ali ◽

Malina Osman ◽

Hui Yee Chee ◽

Nur Raihana Ithnin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Food Poisoning ◽

Mobile App ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Rank Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Intervention Programme ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Poisoning Prevention

(1) Background: Lack of food safety awareness and preventive behaviour when dining out increases the risk of food poisoning. Furthermore, food poisoning cases among rural communities have been rising in recent years. However, the health-related mobile application is a promising tool in improving food poisoning prevention knowledge, attitude, practice, and perception (KAP2) among consumers. Therefore, the current study developed a novel smartphone app, MyWarung©, and determined its efficacy in increasing awareness, attitude, practice, and perception of food poisoning and its prevention when dining out, especially among rural consumers. (2) Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-and post-intervention study with a control and intervention group were performed on 100 consumers in Terengganu. (3) Results: The intervention’s inter-group outcomes were analysed using the Mann–Whitney test, while the within-group effects were ascertained using the Wilcoxon sign rank test via the SPSS software. It was found that the control group had higher median scores in knowledge (30.0, IQR 7.0), attitude (46.0, IQR 5.0), and practice (34.0, IQR 3.0) than the intervention group before intervention. After the intervention programme, the intervention group showed significant improvement in food poisoning knowledge (p = 0.000), attitude (p = 0.001), and practice (p = 0.000). However, the intervention group’s perceived barriers (p = 0.129) and susceptibility (p = 0.069) and the control group’s perceived barriers (p = 0.422) did not show any significant improvement. (4) Conclusion: The findings indicated that the MyWarung© mobile app usage enhanced the food poisoning knowledge, preventive attitude, and practice among consumers when dining out.

Download Full-text

Enhancing language and print-concept skills by using interactive storybook reading in kindergarten

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy ◽

10.1177/1468798417694482 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 545-569 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Einat Nevo ◽

Vered Vaknin-Nusbaum

Keyword(s):

Emergent Literacy ◽

Test Performance ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Kindergarten Children ◽

Control Group ◽

Storybook Reading ◽

Intervention Programme ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Print Concepts ◽

Motivation To Read

The effectiveness of a short interactive storybook-reading intervention programme delivered by a kindergarten teacher to develop language and print-concept skills was examined in 30 Hebrew-speaking kindergarten children exhibiting different levels of emergent literacy skills. Post-intervention, the intervention group showed a clear advantage over a control group on most measures, including vocabulary, morphology, phonological awareness and print concepts. Pre-test motivation to read was predictive of post-test performance in these same language and print-concept skills. The study suggests that a short intervention programme, using stories and embedded activities, can enhance language and print concepts in kindergarten children; and that motivation to read is equally important in the development of their language and literacy abilities.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of a Web-Based Randomized Controlled Trial Educational Intervention Based on Media Literacy on Preventing Substance Abuse Among College Students, Applying the Integrated Social Marketing Approach: A Study Protocol

10.21203/rs.3.rs-654246/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hanieh Jormand ◽

Saeed Bashirian ◽

Majid Barati ◽

Forouzan Rezapur-Shahkolai ◽

Mohammad Babamiri

Keyword(s):

Substance Abuse ◽

Social Marketing ◽

Media Literacy ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Substance Abuse Prevention ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Abuse Prevention ◽

Web Based ◽

Marketing Approach

Abstract Background:Substance abuse is the actual psychosocial harm, especially in young people confronted with content marketing in nowadays media environment, a risk factor for experiencing substance abuse. Based on the literature review, education designed based on the cognitive-behavioral model and planning models, such as using a social marketing framework, is the most effective method to prevent addictive substance abuse. Also, Media literacy related to substance abuse and the prototype willingness model is considered a new integrated approach to present the intervention measures' desired results.Methods:The present study evaluates an intervention program based on media literacy on substance abuse prevention among students using an integrated social marketing approach. This study aims to complete the SMART model's sixth and seventh stages, implementing intervention and evaluation. Participants will be students of Hamadan University, Iran. Randomization will occur at the university and school levels, and gather data will appear at two-time (i.e., pre-test and three months follow-up). Intervention group Students will obtain both substance abuse prevention education and substance abuse media literacy (SAML) educations between pre-test and three months post-test. Students in the delayed-intervention will be given this education after study accomplishment; this group will receive their regular courses except for substance abuse prevention and media literacy titles during education intervention. The outcome variables are intentions and substance abuse behavior based on prototype willingness and substance abuse media literacy.Discussion:Evaluation of Substance abuse prevention and substance abuse media literacy education must be careful to ensure that they effectively enable people, especially in youth in the new media ecology and unique 'Infomedia' ecosystems, in the current digital society. The SAML education plan's evaluation has the first web-based education program in universities. No prior research has psychometrically considered SAML in students in the SMART model's sixth and seventh stages. Trial registration: IRCT20200914048719N1

Download Full-text