Cross-Sectional Associations Between 24-hour Activity Behaviours and Motor Competence in Youth: A Compositional Data Analysis

Background The study aimed to examine the cross-sectional associations between 24-hour activity compositions and motor competence in children and adolescents, while stratifying by sex and school type, and investigate the predicted differences in motor competence when time was reallocated between activity behaviours. Methods Data were collected from 359 participants (aged 11.5±1.4 years; 49.3% boys; 96.9% White British). Seven-day 24-hour activity behaviours (sleep, sedentary time, light physical activity (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) were assessed using wrist-worn accelerometers. Motor competence outcomes were obtained using the Dragon Challenge (process, product, time, and overall scores). Linear mixed models examined associations between activity behaviour compositions and motor competence outcomes for all participants and stratified by school type (primary or secondary) and sex. Post-hoc analyses modelled the influence of reallocating fixed durations of time between activity behaviours on outcomes. Results In all participants, relative to other activity behaviours, MVPA had the strongest associations with motor competence outcomes. The stratified models displayed that MVPA had the strongest associations with outcomes in both sexes, irrespective of school type. The largest positive, and negative predicted differences occurred when MVPA replaced LPA or sleep, and when LPA or sleep replaced MVPA, respectively. Conclusions Relative to other activity behaviours, MVPA appears to have the greatest influence overall on motor competence outcomes. Reallocating time from LPA or sleep to MVPA reflected the largest positive predicted changes in motor competence outcomes. Therefore, our findings reinforce the key role of MVPA for children’s and adolescents’ motor competence.

Mediating Role of School Variables in Anticipating Blocks and ConsequencesCreativity among Rural Adolescents

Each developmental stage upholds new and its own unique competency requirements,challenges, struggles and opportunities for personal human growth. When an individual isin their early adolescence phase, his/her creativity is greatly influenced by its surroundingsand school environment is one of those crucial factors. Hence, the present study wasplanned to explore the mediating role of school environment in students’ blocks andconsequences creativity. The primary data was collected from 300 academically bright ruralyoung adolescents. Z-test and ANOVA were administered to discover the influence ofindependent variables (school environment) on the dependent variables (blocks andconsequences creativity). Results elucidated significant differences in blocks fluency,consequences originality and consequences creativity across school type, academic classand teaching method employed by the teachers. Blocks flexibility had significant differencesacross school type and academic class. Blocks originality was observed to have significantdifferences across academic class and consecutive academic record. It was revealed thatblocks creativity had significant differences across all the independent variables.Consequences fluency of the students had significant differences across school type,academic class and consecutive academic record.

Inequality of Opportunity in School Education: the Role of Territorial Factors

This study measures the impact of spatial factors on the educational achievements of Russian students. According to the theory of equal opportunities, individual achievements depend on two groups of determinants: uncontrollable circumstances and one’s own efforts. Inequality of achievements produced by inequality of effort is treated as ethically acceptable, while inequality arising from circumstances is unfair and therefore must be compensated. The research is based on the data of the International Program for the Assessment of Educational Achievements of Students (PISA), wave 2018. Multilevel regression modeling was applied. A two-level model was used, in which the first level is that of the student, while the second level is regional. The calculations showed that anywhere from 14 to 16% of the variance in Russian students’ academic achievements is attributed to interregional irregularities. We learned that controlling for socio-economic status, lack of staff and material support in the school, type of area in which the school is located, and gender of the student make it possible to slightly reduce the role of regional differences, though it still remained significant. To a certain extent the impact of regional factor can be explained by variations in the influence of family background, school characteristics and gender across regions. The estimation of regional random effects allowed for identifying both the leaders and the outsiders in terms of the availability and quality of school education. Calculations have shown that the leaders and outsiders are practically the same in regards to all three areas of literacy.

Mental health burden of high school students 1.5 years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic and containment efforts seem to be particularly challenging for adolescents. This study assessed mental health in 14- to 20-year-old high school students 1.5 years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out from 14^th September 2021 to 14^th November 2021. Well-being (WHO-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) and sleep quality (ISI) were assessed. A total of 1505 adolescents participated (77.9% girls). The cut-off for clinically relevant depressive symptoms (i.e., PHQ-9 score, ≥11) was exceeded by 61.9% girls and 38.1% boys and 49.3% girls and 28.8% boys had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms (i.e., GAD-7 score, ≥11). Clinically relevant moderate insomnia (i.e., ISI score, ≥15) was reported by 27.5% girls and 16.7% boys. The prevalence of suicidal ideation (item 9 of the PHQ-9) within the last 2 weeks was 46.8% in girls and 32.0% in boys. These data collected in autumn 2021 (at the start of the second semester of reopened schools; t2) were compared to data collected in February 2021 (one semester after almost exclusively remote schooling; t1). A matched pairs analysis according to age, gender, region, school type and migration background resulted in a total sample size of N = 2514 adolescents (70.1% females). Results showed small reduction in mental health (i.e., well-being, depressive symptoms, insomnia, suicidal ideation) in girls at t2 compared to t1, and an increase in suicidal thoughts in boys (all <i>p</i>-values <0.05). Results suggest that mental health burden in adolescents remained high 1.5 years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the need to implement timely psychological support. </p>

Mental health burden of high school students 1.5 years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic and containment efforts seem to be particularly challenging for adolescents. This study assessed mental health in 14- to 20-year-old high school students 1.5 years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out from 14^th September 2021 to 14^th November 2021. Well-being (WHO-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) and sleep quality (ISI) were assessed. A total of 1505 adolescents participated (77.9% girls). The cut-off for clinically relevant depressive symptoms (i.e., PHQ-9 score, ≥11) was exceeded by 61.9% girls and 38.1% boys and 49.3% girls and 28.8% boys had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms (i.e., GAD-7 score, ≥11). Clinically relevant moderate insomnia (i.e., ISI score, ≥15) was reported by 27.5% girls and 16.7% boys. The prevalence of suicidal ideation (item 9 of the PHQ-9) within the last 2 weeks was 46.8% in girls and 32.0% in boys. These data collected in autumn 2021 (at the start of the second semester of reopened schools; t2) were compared to data collected in February 2021 (one semester after almost exclusively remote schooling; t1). A matched pairs analysis according to age, gender, region, school type and migration background resulted in a total sample size of N = 2514 adolescents (70.1% females). Results showed small reduction in mental health (i.e., well-being, depressive symptoms, insomnia, suicidal ideation) in girls at t2 compared to t1, and an increase in suicidal thoughts in boys (all <i>p</i>-values <0.05). Results suggest that mental health burden in adolescents remained high 1.5 years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the need to implement timely psychological support. </p>

Parental-perceived home and neighborhood environmental correlates of accelerometer-measured physical activity among school-going children in Uganda

The benefits of physical activity (PA) on children’s health and well-being are well established. However, many children do not meet the PA recommendations, increasing their risk of being overweight, obese, and non-communicable diseases. Environmental characteristics of homes and neighborhoods may constrain a child’s ability to engage in PA, but evidence is needed to inform country-specific interventions in understudied low-income countries. This study assessed the associations between parental-perceived home and neighbourhood, built environment characteristics, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among children in Kampala city, Uganda. In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 256 children (55.5% girls) aged between 10 and 12 years and their parents. Children’s MVPA was measured using waist-worn ActiGraph accelerometers. The environments were assessed using a valid self-reported parent survey. Linear regression models with standard errors (clusters) were used to analyze the relationship between environmental variables and children’s MVPA. Sex-specific relationships were assessed using sex-stratified models. Play equipment at home (β = -2.37, p <0.001; unexpected direction), residential density (β = 2.70, p<0.05), and crime safety (β = -5.29, p <0.05; unexpected direction) were associated with children’s MVPA. The sex-specific analyses revealed more inconsistent patterns of results with a higher perception of land use mix associated with less MVPA in girls (irrespective of school type attended), and higher perceptions of sidewalk infrastructure (β = -12.01, p <0.05) and walking and cycling infrastructure (β = -14.72, p <0.05) associated with less MVPA in girls attending public schools only. A better perception of crime safety was associated with less MVPA among boys and girls attending private schools (β = -3.80, p <0.05). Few environmental characteristics were related to children’s MVPA in Uganda, and findings were largely inconsistent, especially among girls. Future studies are needed to understand the ecological determinants of health-related PA behaviors among children in Uganda.

Black Medical Students’ Sense of Belonging, Residency Self-Efficacy, and Residency Goal Stability at Historically Black vs Predominantly White Medical Schools: A Prospective Study

Background: The U.S. physician workforce is not representative of the general population, in terms of ethnoracial diversity. Efforts to increase diversity in medical school have long been underway, but have continued to fall short. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been instrumental to the formation of Black physicians at the pre-medical and medical school levels. We sought to identify differences in Black medical students’ experiences at HBCUs vs predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of second-year Black medical students at HBCUs and PWIs. Our sample included 379 Black students attending either HBCU or PWI medical schools. The majority were women (64.9%), ranging from 20 to 43 years of age (M=25.62, SD=3.19). Students were surveyed at three time-points over one academic year. Students completed measures of belonging, perceived competitiveness for residency, and residency specialty goals during each wave.Outcomes were reported sense of belonging, confidence in matching in a top-10 residency program and specialty of interest. We utilized generalized linear methods to determine associations between school type and outcomes, adjusting for age and sex. Results: HBCU students reported a higher sense of belonging and perceived residency competitiveness than PWI students. The institutional difference in sense of belonging increases overtime: sense of belonging increased at HBCUs but decreased at PWIs overtime. HBCU students reported a significantly lower change in residency goals than their PWI counterparts. Lastly, HBCU students were more likely to report an interest in primary care specialties compared to their PWI counterparts.Conclusion: Black medical students who attend HBCUs report a greater sense of belonging than their Black colleagues at PWIs with a gap that widens overtime, and remain more confident in their scholastic capabilities. These findings have implications for PWIs’ efforts towards creating inclusive learning environments for Black medical students.

Job Satisfaction of High School Teachers in Trichy District

Objectives: In the current investigation, look at the degree of occupation fulfillment of secondary teachers and to contemplate the huge contrast in the work fulfillment of secondary teachers. Methods: The examiners have received, overview technique for research. The sample consists of 600 high school teachers working in high schools are selected by stratified random sampling technique. Research Tool: The investigators used the research instrument namely Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) constructed and validated by Vasudevan, R., and Babu, R., (2017). Internal validity was found 0.84, reliable is found to be 0.71. To test the hypothesis formulated the data were analyzed using the SPSS 11.5. Findings: The finding shows that greater part of the high school teachers show average job satisfaction, it also has no significance for job satisfaction high school teacher’s, (i) Sex, (ii) School locality, (iii) Residence, (iv) Medium of instruction, (v) Teaching Experience, (vi) Age limit, (vii) Management type and (viii) School type in their job satisfaction. Novelty/Application: Teachers currently working in high school contributing to job satisfaction and it enhance the quality of teaching and developing good students in classroom and in future.

Brain network coupling associated with cognitive performance varies as a function of a child’s environment in the ABCD study

Prior research indicates that lower resting-state functional coupling between two brain networks, lateral frontoparietal network (LFPN) and default mode network (DMN), relates to cognitive test performance, for children and adults. However, most of the research that led to this conclusion has been conducted with non-representative samples of individuals from higher-income backgrounds, and so further studies including participants from a broader range of socioeconomic backgrounds are required. Here, in a pre-registered study, we analyzed resting-state fMRI from 6839 children ages 9–10 years from the ABCD dataset. For children from households defined as being above poverty (family of 4 with income > $25,000, or family of 5+ with income > $35,000), we replicated prior findings; that is, we found that better performance on cognitive tests correlated with weaker LFPN-DMN coupling. For children from households defined as being in poverty, the direction of association was reversed, on average: better performance was instead directionally related to stronger LFPN-DMN connectivity, though there was considerable variability. Among children in households below poverty, the direction of this association was predicted in part by features of their environments, such as school type and parent-reported neighborhood safety. These results highlight the importance of including representative samples in studies of child cognitive development.

Effect of school-based educational water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention on student’s knowledge in a resource-limited setting

Background Globally, diarrhea is one of the major causes of under-5 mortality. India accounts for the highest number of childhood deaths from diarrhea globally. Therefore, facilitating the implementation of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)-related interventions in schools and communities is crucial. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of a school-based educational WASH intervention in improving students’ knowledge on prevention and management of diarrhea in Ujjain district, India. Methods The present pre–post intervention study with a two-stage (schools and classrooms) cluster sampling was conducted on 1,781 students studying in grades: 8th–12th; age: 14–19 years) in schools located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. The intervention comprised an educational training session using a WASH training module. The means of pre- and post-intervention scores were compared using repeated measure analysis of variance. A multivariate quantile regression model was used to test the correlation between the change in score after intervention and the independent variables. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The proportions of students possessing knowledge on the treatment of diarrhea, use of zinc tablets during an episode of diarrhea, and the symptoms and signs of severe pediatric diarrhea were 28%, 27%, and 27%, respectively, before intervention. These proportions increased (P<0.001) after the educational intervention to 72%, 73%, and 74%, respectively. The mean post-intervention knowledge score (34.13) was higher than the mean pre-intervention score (15.17) (F = 16513.36, P< 0.001). Age was associated with the knowledge score at the 25th and higher quantile (q). Gender exhibited a greater effect at q10th. School location was positively associated at q25th and higher. School type was strongly associated at low quantiles (q10th and q25th). School medium exhibited a greater association at low quantiles (≤q25th). Conclusion WASH- and diarrhea-related knowledge among higher secondary school students increased after the educational intervention. Further research is required to evaluate the sociodemographic characteristics associated with change in the knowledge score to better evaluate school-based educational WASH interventions and improve the management and prevention of diarrhea.