The Cool Kids as a School-Based Universal Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Anxiety: Results of a Pilot Study

The efficacy of the Cool Kids program has been consistently demonstrated both within Australia and internationally, but limited data are available on the use of Cool Kids as a universal program. The purpose of the study is to evaluate Cool Kids as a universal program for preventing childhood anxiety in the school context. There were 73 Italian children (35 boys and 36 girls, ages 10–13 years) attending the last year of primary school and the first year of middle school who participated in an active intervention based on a school adaptation of the Cool Kids protocol. Results of t-test analyses highlighted a downward trend of anxiety symptoms, especially in total anxiety, somatic anxiety, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety and school phobia at post-treatment assessed by children. Even the score of depression symptoms, measured as a second outcome measure, decreased after the treatment. This study contributes to the evidence base for the Cool Kids program as a universal program for preventing childhood anxiety in the school context. Although these preliminary results show some promise, their replication in future research is necessary given current study limitations.

Changes in self-efficacy in Japanese school-age children with and without high autistic traits after the Universal Unified Prevention Program: a single-group pilot study

Background Research has shown the efficacy of school-based programs for mental health problems in children. However, few studies have focused on the strengths of children, such as resilience, which is essential in preventing mental health problems. Moreover, no research has investigated the effect of a universal school-based program on children with increased autistic traits in mainstream classes. We examined the changes in children's self-efficacy, social skills, and general mental health after the implementation of a newly developed universal program, the Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2), and whether similar changes occurred in children with and without higher autistic traits. Methods To assess possible changes associated with the program, questionnaires were collected from 396 children (207 boys and 189 girls) aged 9–12 years old before (T1), immediately after (T2), and three months after (T3) the implementation of the program. Results Results from a linear mixed-effects model showed a significant increase in children's self-efficacy at T2 (adjusted difference 0.49, 95% CI 0.03–0.94; p < 0.05) and T3 (0.78, 95% CI 0.32–1.23; p < 0.001). There were also significant positive changes in social skills and general mental health. Similar changes were observed in children with high autistic traits. Autistic traits at T1 did not contribute to the degree of change in self-efficacy. Conclusions Our pilot study suggests that a universal program has the potential to promote positive attitudes and mental health in both at-risk and not-at-risk children.

LESSONS OF COURSANTS OF MILITARY PENTATHOL

Military-applied sports are effective means of physical, moral and psychological training of servicemen for combat activities. A single universal program for training cadets by means of military pentathlon is not described in the special literature. The goal is to summarize the experience of building the training process in military all-around in military universities. 40 coaches of national teams in military pentathlon of 7 universities of Ukraine were surveyed. Results. Physical training of cadets by means of military pentathlon contributes to the formation of their professionalism - it improves applied skills, physical and functional readiness for combat operations. Sports result in military pentathlon to the greatest extent depends on the level of development of athletes' aerobic and speed-power endurance, as well as speed-power qualities. Most often, an obstacle course and throwing are combined in one workout. Regardless of the training period, most of the time is devoted to cross training. Conclusions. The opinions of the coaches on the key issues of building the training process differ significantly, which means that there is no single training methodology for military pentathletes in the universities of Ukraine. Research on the establishment of a scientifically grounded ratio of training volumes of military pentathletes is urgent.

Changes in Self-Efficacy in Japanese School-Age Children With and Without High Autistic Traits after the Universal Unified Prevention Program: A Single-Group Pilot Study

Background: Research has shown the efficacy of school-based programs for mental health problems in children. However, few studies have focused on the strengths of children, such as resilience, which is essential in preventing mental health problems. Moreover, no research has investigated the effect of a universal school-based program on children with increased autistic traits in mainstream classes. We examined the changes in children's self-efficacy, social skills, and general mental health after the implementation of a newly developed universal program, the Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2‐D2), and whether similar changes occurred in children with and without higher autistic traits. Methods: To assess possible changes associated with the program, questionnaires were collected from 396 children (207 boys and 189 girls) aged 9-12 years old before (T1), immediately after (T2), and three months after (T3) the implementation of the program. Results: Results from a linear mixed-effects model showed a significant increase in children's self-efficacy at T2 (adjusted difference 0.49, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.94; p < 0.05) and T3 (0.78, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.23; p < 0.001). There were also significant positive changes in social skills and general mental health. Similar changes were observed in children with high autistic traits. Autistic traits at T1 did not contribute to the degree of change in self-efficacy. Conclusions: Our pilot study suggests that a universal program has the potential to promote positive attitudes and mental health in both at-risk and not-at-risk children.

Efficacy of a School-Based Universal Program for Bullying Prevention: Considering the Extended Effects Associated with Achievement of the Direct Purposes of the Program

We have developed a group of universal prevention programs for children’s health and adjustment. The programs are characterized by new theories such as the somatic-marker hypothesis and enjoyable methods that utilize animated stories and games. This study adopted one of the programs, a universal program for bullying prevention in third-grade students, and evaluated its efficacy. Participants were third-grade students in two public elementary schools in Japan. Homeroom classes in the schools were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The final intervention group included 99 children (58 boys, 41 girls) and the final control group included 96 children (45 boys, 51 girls). The program was implemented weekly in one regular 45-minute class over eight weeks for all homeroom class members. Participants completed two questionnaires both before and after the program. Similar assessment periods were used for the control group. The questionnaires assessed the main purposes of the program (to enhance the understanding of bullying, to cultivate empathetic feelings for bullying victims, and to cultivate behavioral capabilities that stop bullying), and measured the adaptive status of children in homeroom class and at school. Results indicated that all of the main program purposes were achieved in the intervention group compared to the control group. Moreover, the level of the children’s adjustment in homeroom class and at school significantly increased with the program, except for motivation for learning, which did not change. The necessity of future research that examines the sustainability of the efficacy of the program with randomized controlled trials is discussed, along with the study limitations.

Population-based estimates of the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination in Australia

ABSTRACTObjectivesAustralia’s Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) is one of only a handful of national immunisation registers world-wide. We have, for the first time, linked the ACIR to other health datasets to measure the real-world impact of Australia’s immunisation program. In this study, we aimed to assess the population-based effectiveness of the 3-dose infant pneumococcal vaccination program (due at 2, 4, and 6 months) against invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the 7 vaccine specific serotypes. The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has been available since 2001 and a funded universal program started in 2005 (with a switch to 13-valent PCV in 2011). ApproachVaccination records from ACIR, death records, and invasive pneumococcal disease notifications for 2001-2013 were individually linked for 1.37 million children born in 2001-2012 in two Australian states (Western Australia and New South Wales). A Cox proportional hazards model (adjusting for sex, Indigenous status and year of birth) was used to estimate the hazard ratio for invasive pneumococcal disease in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated children less than 2 years old. The per cent of disease prevented by vaccination, or vaccine effectiveness, was calculated as (1-adjusted hazard ratio) x 100%. ResultsFrom 2005, vaccination coverage with dose 3 of the pneumococcal vaccine was steady at ~91% in eligible cohorts. Between 2001 and 2013, there were 468 notifications of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the 7 vaccine specific serotypes during 2.66 million person years of observation; only 39 (8.3%) of these cases occurred after the universal program was implemented. Vaccine effectiveness against invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the 7 vaccine specific serotypes for 1, 2 and 3 doses of the pneumococcal vaccine was 68% (95%CI: 44-89%), 93% (81-97%), and 92% (95%CI: 86-93%), respectively. ConclusionThis is the first study to link Australia’s national immunisation register and measure population-based vaccine effectiveness. The study provides robust evidence of the effectiveness of at least 2 doses of pneumococcal vaccine against vaccine serotype specific infection using a 3 dose infant schedule.

CALCULATION OF TRACTION AND ENERGY CHARACTERISTICS OF METRO WITH DIFFERENT ELECTRIC TRACTION SYSTEMS BY PROGRAM «MATHCAD»

The article presents the development of a universal program traction and energy calculations for Metro with different electric traction systems