Εμπειρίες και βιώματα μητέρας παιδιού με σύνδρομο Down: μια μελέτη περίπτωσης

Parents of children with Down syndrome face many challenges and have various needs related to their children’s difficulties. The purpose of this qualitative study is to detect the experiences of a mother of a female child with Down syndrome. More specifically, through semi-structured interviews, the study aims to explore the feelings of the mother, her involvement in the child’s life, as well as her relationships with the familial and social context. The results showed that the mother is significantly involved in her child’s life and faces various difficulties (e.g. acceptance of the child and her intensive care) on a daily basis, which she copes with supported by the intra-family network. By understanding the experiences of the specific mother, as the latter are examined in the present qualitative study, important issues emerge, related to diagnosis and early intervention, school integration of a child with Down syndrome, the role of family members in her education and therapy, as well as concerns regarding her future.

Changes in the nutritional content of children's lunches after the Food Dudes healthy eating programme

Previous research into the effectiveness of healthy eating programmes has shown increases in healthful eating behaviour in primary schools; however, data collection methods have not been sufficiently sensitive to detect micronutrient changes. The present study extends the literature by measuring individual children's intake of macro- and micronutrients at lunchtime, before and after a programme targeting children's consumption of fruit and vegetables, to identify evidence-based health benefits of programme participation. Baseline data were collected over 4 d at lunchtime in two primary schools. The Food Dudes programme was then implemented in the intervention school. Follow-up data were collected over 4 d in each school 2 months after baseline. We employed a validated and sensitive photographic method to estimate individual children's (N 112) consumption of fruit, vegetables, and their intake of calories, macro- and selected micronutrients. Significant changes were observed in the intervention school but not in the control school: Children's consumption of fruit, vegetables, vitamin C and E intake increased, while their total energy consumption, fat, saturated fat, and sodium intake decreased. The present results show that the Food Dudes programme produced a positive nutritional change, with implications for its application as a healthy eating and obesity prevention intervention. These optimistic conclusions should be tested by further research to establish the longevity of the positive effects presented here.

The Potential of Ultraviolet Radiation Meters in Secondary Schools as a Sun Protection Intervention Mechanism for Adolescents

The aim of this pilot study was to assess whether the installation of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) meters in secondary schools has the potential to improve adolescents’ sun protection-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours and reduce their exposure to UVR during school hours. Data were collected from students at two schools via online pre- and post-intervention surveys, measurement of sunscreen usage, polysulfone UVR exposure badges, and photographs of the schoolyards to assess hat and shade use. Several operational issues limited the quantity and quality of data that could be collected, and findings were mixed. While there were no significant changes in either self-reported or observed sun protection behaviours, there were significant improvements in UVR knowledge among students at the intervention school, and reactions to the meter were highly favourable. Students reported consulting the meter regularly and using it to make decisions about their sun protection behaviours. Overall, the study results offer some support for the use of UVR meters in areas frequented by adolescents and provide insights into the process issues that are likely to need to be addressed when attempting to trial sun protection interventions in schools.

Pilot Evaluation of Setu, a School-Based Violence Prevention Program Among Indian Adolescents

A quasi-experimental study was conducted in the eighth grade of two public schools located in Central Delhi. Two classes (95 participants) in the intervention school and three classes (108 participants) in the comparison school participated. The brief intervention was implemented across four 2-hour sessions for 1 month in the intervention school. Self-reported violence behavior (bullying, fighting, and victimization) was measured at baseline, posttest, and a 6-month follow-up in both schools. Students and teachers also provided feedback regarding feasibility and acceptability. The difference-in-difference analyses indicated nonphysical aggression, physical aggression, and victimization were significantly lower in the intervention group vis-à-vis comparison group at the 6-month follow-up, but not at baseline or immediate posttest, suggesting sleeper effects. Qualitative feedback indicated that the intervention was acceptable to students and suggested that implementation quality was a key to program effectiveness. These findings suggest that the intervention may curtail the increase in violent behavior in early adolescence.

Healthy for Life Pilot Study: A Multicomponent School and Home Based Physical Activity Intervention for Disadvantaged Children

The study aimed to develop and evaluate a multicomponent school and home based physical activity (PA) intervention in children in grades 3–7 (aged 8–13 years) and determine the psychological variables that influence PA; 10 × 1 h school-based training sessions, a home-based activity program and 4 × 1 h lifestyle workshops for parents. PA was assessed at an intervention and nearby control school using accelerometers and self-report at 3-time points: baseline, post intervention and 10-week follow-up. Self-efficacy, self-management strategies, enjoyment, perceived barriers to PA, outcome-expectancy and social support were evaluated. The study showed 73% of the children with complete data sets at the intervention school (n = 27) did not increase device measured moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) in the after-school period (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) or over the whole day or during school break time immediately following the intervention or at follow-up, as compared to 70% of children with complete data sets at the control school (n = 35; p > 0.05 for all). Overall, 59% of boys attained more than double the recommended 120 min of MVPA each day compared to 42% of girls (p = 0.013). At the baseline, children’s self-reported PA in the intervention school positively correlated with: outcome expectancy (R = 0.240, p = 0.015), enjoyment (R = 0.339, p < 0.001), self-efficacy (R = 0.399, p < 0.001), self-management (R = 0.617, p < 0.001), social support at home (R = 0.406, p < 0.001), and social support at school (R = 0.407, p < 0.001). Similar relationships were observed after the intervention and at follow-up. Focus groups with the children, parents and interviews with teachers identified areas for improvement of the intervention. In conclusion, while the multifaceted approach to improve PA was ineffective over the time span of the study, important predictors of PA in this sample of disadvantaged children were identified.

School-based educational intervention to improve children’s oral health-related behaviors in rural Bangladesh

Children in rural Bangladesh have limited access to oral health services. As a pilot project, a one-day one-time oral health educational intervention was conducted at a primary school in Tangail district in Bangladesh. This study assessed the effect of this educational intervention on the children’s oral behaviors using controlled pre- and post-intervention design. Fifty-two students at the intervention school and 37 students at a control school agreed to participate in this study. A baseline survey was conducted for children at both schools using a standardized semi-structured questionnaire. Children at the intervention school received face-to-face dental exercises and a group seminar. Six months after the intervention, a follow-up survey was conducted at both schools to compare changes in children’s oral behaviors at the two schools. The increase in the percentage of intervention-school participants who reported brushing their teeth two or more times per day between the baseline and follow-up surveys was 7.6 times greater than that in the control group (95% CI= 1.7–35.1; p<0.009). The increase in the percentage of intervention-school participants who reported brushing their teeth before bed between the two surveys was 7.3 times greater than that in the control group (95% CI=1.6–34.0; p<0.001). The findings suggest the importance of skill-based intervention, in collaboration with dentists, school teachers, parents, and community health educators. Future studies on the effectiveness of school-based educational interventions should consider longer-term sustainable behavioral changes in children’s oral health.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.7(2) 2017: 27-33

Effects of an Empowerment-Based Health-Promotion School Intervention on Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among Adolescents in a Multicultural Area

Physical activity (PA) decreases with age, and interventions are needed to promote PA during adolescence, especially, among those in low-socioeconomic status (SES) areas. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a two-year, empowerment-based health-promotion school intervention had any effects on changes in (a) moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), (b) sedentary time (SED), (c) exercise training (ET) frequency, and (d) ET duration, among adolescents. Participants (aged 12–13 years at baseline) from one intervention school and two control schools, were recruited from a multicultural area of Sweden, characterized by low-SES. During the course of the two-year intervention, a total of 135 participants (43% boys) were included in the study. The intervention was developed and implemented as a result of cooperation and shared decision-making among the researchers and the participants. MVPA and SED were measured with accelerometers, and ET frequency and duration was self-reported at the beginning of the seventh, eighth, and ninth grade, respectively. There were no significant effects of the two-year, empowerment-based health-promotion school intervention on changes in the accelerometer-measured MVPA and SED, or the self-reported ET frequency and duration, among the adolescents. Overall, the intervention was unsuccessful at promoting PA and reducing SED. Several possible explanations for the intervention’s lack of effects are discussed.

A interdisciplinaridade como estratégia na prevenção da hipertensão arterial sistêmica em crianças: uma revisão sistemática

Resumo Foram avaliadas, sistematicamente, pesquisas que desenvolveram ações interdisciplinares em escolas, visando modificar os níveis de pressão arterial ou o consumo de sal e/ou sódio por crianças. Foram incluídos estudos disponíveis nas bases de dados PubMed, ScienceDirect e Lilacs, associando-se as palavras-chave: intervention study, nutrition intervention, school children, school health, blood pressure, sodium e salt. A busca incluiu artigos em português, inglês e espanhol dos últimos 15 anos que tiveram como participantes crianças pré-escolares ou escolares. Com relação à mudança nos níveis de pressão arterial, foram identificados sete trabalhos com resultados positivos e significativos e seis que não apresentaram alteração. Quanto à modificação na ingestão de alimentos com alto teor de sal e/ou sódio, quatro trabalhos apresentaram resultados positivos e significativos e um sem sucesso. Concluiu-se que as intervenções que utilizam educação nutricional combinadas com atividade física predominam na literatura. Sendo que estas ações demonstraramse mais efetivas quando realizadas por um período longo de tempo.

Effect of interventions to improve adolescents’ nutrition knowledge in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve adolescents’ nutrition knowledge and to examine the effect of interventions component to improve adolescents’ nutrition knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – The study design was multi-factorial with repeated measures, at two points in time, of dependent samples from three schools, which were randomly selected from 15 middle schools in Miyun County, Beijing, and then randomly assigned to control school or intervention school. The instrument for baseline survey was a 14-item and for follow-up survey was a 26-item, self-administered, structured questionnaire, designed in Chinese. Findings – Students’ nutrition knowledge improved significantly in intervention schools after intervention compared with controls. The extent to which students felt that peer support activities were helpful and that what they learned in class about nutrition was helpful, was related to their resultant level of nutrition knowledge. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge there have been no previous studies which explore the effect of specific intervention components on levels of nutrition knowledge among adolescents.