Gestational Age, Parent Education, and Education in Adulthood

BACKGROUND: Adults born preterm (<37 weeks) have lower educational attainment than those born term. Whether this relationship is modified by family factors such as socioeconomic background is, however, less well known. We investigated whether the relationship between gestational age and educational attainment in adulthood differed according to parents’ educational level in 4 Nordic countries. METHODS: This register-based cohort study included singletons born alive from 1987 up to 1992 in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. In each study population, we investigated effect modification by parents’ educational level (low, intermediate, high) on the association between gestational age at birth (25–44 completed weeks) and low educational attainment at 25 years (not having completed upper secondary education) using general estimation equations logistic regressions. RESULTS: A total of 4.3%, 4.0%, 4.8%, and 5.0% singletons were born preterm in the Danish (n = 331 448), Finnish (n = 220 095), Norwegian (n = 292 840), and Swedish (n = 513 975) populations, respectively. In all countries, both lower gestational age and lower parental educational level contributed additively to low educational attainment. For example, in Denmark, the relative risk of low educational attainment was 1.84 (95% confidence interval 1.44 to 2.26) in adults born at 28 to 31 weeks whose parents had high educational level and 5.25 (95% confidence interval 4.53 to 6.02) in adults born at 28 to 31 weeks whose parents had low educational level, compared with a reference group born at 39 to 41 weeks with high parental educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Although higher parental education level was associated with higher educational attainment for all gestational ages, parental education did not mitigate the educational disadvantages of shorter gestational age.

Receptive academic vocabulary knowledge and extramural English involvement – is there a correlation?

Extramural English (EE) exposure has been shown to correlate with general vocabulary knowledge. It remains uncertain, however, how academic vocabulary knowledge correlates with EE and can be explained by EE factors and demographic factors. Therefore, an academic vocabulary test, a background questionnaire, and a survey on current EE involvement were administered to 817 Swedish upper-secondary students in university-preparatory study programmes. A linear model revealed little explanation from demographic factors (age, gender, number of first languages, length of English instruction, and parental educational level) whereas EE factors (reading, listening & viewing without textual support, viewing with Swedish subtitles) accounted for 26% of the variation. Since extensive EE involvement may support the incidental learning of academic lexis, the paper suggests pre-tertiary instructional principles being guided by extramural as well as intramural incidental learning opportunities.

The Influence of Parenting Style and Parent Educational Level on Perception of HIV/AIDS Pandemic among Secondary School Students in Calabar Educatioin Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria

The study sought to determine the extent to which parenting style and parental educational level influence perception of HIV/AIDS pandemic among secondary school students in Calabar Education Zone. Ever since the discovery of HIV/AIDS, concerted efforts have been made by international bodies, agencies, the government etc., to curb the scourge of the malignant virus. This effort has made many to know the potential threat the epidemic possess to human existence. However, in spite of these efforts, many students still perceive HIV/AIDS as a mirage that does not exist. Perception of HIV/AIDS refers to the amount of knowledge about causes, mode of transmission, prevention and treatment, possessed (especially intuitive), on HIV/AIDS. The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of parenting style and educational level on perception of HIV/AIDS pandemic among secondary school students in Calabar Education Zone. The population of this study comprised of all the SS1, 2 & 3 Students and 1,200 students randomly selected as sample for this study. Data collection instrument was a facts finding questionnaire titled family variables and students perception of HIV/AIDS’ (FVSPA). The major findings were that; parenting style has significant influence on students’ perception of HIV/AIDs. Parental educational level has significant influence on students’ perception of HIV/AIDs. It was recommended that the school management in collaboration with the school guidance counsellors should frequently use forums such as PTA’s to organize trainings in order to sensitize parents on the adoption of most appropriate style of parenting for their children.

Diabetes technologies for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are highly dependent on coverage and reimbursement: results from a worldwide survey

IntroductionTo study healthcare professionals’ (HCP) perceptions on decision making to start insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems in pediatric type 1 diabetes.Research design and methodsAn electronic survey supported by the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) was disseminated through a weblink structured as follows: (1) HCP’s sociodemographic and work profile; (2) perceptions about indications and contraindications for insulin pumps and (3) for CGM systems; and (4) decision making on six case scenarios.Results247 responses from 49 countries were analyzed. Seventy per cent of respondents were members of ISPAD. Most of participants were women over 40 years old, who practice as pediatric endocrinologists for more than 10 years at university/academic centers and follow more than 500 people with type 1 diabetes. Although insulin pumps and CGMs are widely available and highly recommended among respondents, their uptake is influenced by access to healthcare coverage/insurance. Personal preference and cost of therapy were identified as the main reasons for turning down diabetes technologies. Parental educational level, language comprehension and income were the most relevant socioeconomic factors that would influence HCPs to recommend diabetes technologies, while gender, religious affiliation and race/ethnicity or citizenship were the least relevant.ConclusionsResponders seem to be markedly supportive of starting people on diabetes technologies. However, coverage/insurance for devices holds the biggest impact on the extent of their recommendations.

Suicidality and Its Associated Factors Among Students in Rural China During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Left-Behind and Non-Left-Behind Children

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide. The harmful impact of COVID-19 is beyond just physical health concern. The unprecedented public health crisis has also taken its toll on the mental health of adolescents. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts and investigate the similarities and differences in the influential factors for suicidal ideation and attempts among left-behind children (LBC) and non-left-behind children (NLBC) in rural China during the COVID-19 pandemic.Method: A total of 761 rural Chinese students, of whom 468 were left behind, completed the cross-sectional questionnaires including demographic data, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire, seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts. Chi-square test, independent-sample t-test, and logistic regression were performed in the statistical analysis.Results: Overall, 36.4 and 10.4% of rural Chinese students reported suicidal ideation (37.8% for LBC vs. 34.1% for NLBC) and attempts (11.3% for LBC vs. 8.9% for NLBC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among LBC, parental educational level (adjusted odds ratio, Adj. OR = 1.60), maladaptive strategies (Adj. OR = 1.04), anxious symptoms (Adj. OR = 2.61), and depressive symptoms (Adj. OR = 3.85) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation, while age (Adj. OR = 0.56), maladaptive strategies (Adj. OR = 1.08), symptoms of anxiety (Adj. OR = 3.85), and symptoms of depression (Adj. OR = 2.68) were significantly related to suicidal attempts during the COVID-19 outbreak. Among NLBC, gender (Adj. OR = 2.20), parental educational level (Adj. OR = 1.77), perceived family economic status (Adj. OR = 0.39), anxious symptoms (Adj. OR = 2.38), and depressive symptoms (Adj. OR = 2.77) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation, whereas only anxious symptom (Adj. OR = 5.85) was significantly related to suicidal attempts.Conclusion: Suicidal ideation and attempts are prevalent among students in rural China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our findings also revealed the shared and unique factors for suicidal ideation and attempts among LBC and NLBC during the COVID-19 epidemic. With regard to the differences between LBC and NLBC, the use of maladaptive strategies and age might be vital factors for suicide prevention measures directed specifically toward LBC, whereas interventions sensitive to gender and perceived social economic status should be specifically designed for NLBC amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of parents' education on variation in hospital admissions for children: a population-based cohort study

ObjectivesTo assess the impact of parental educational level on hospital admissions for children, and to evaluate whether differences in parents' educational level can explain geographic variation in admission rates.DesignNational cohort study.SettingThe 18 hospital referral areas for children in Norway.ParticipantsAll Norwegian children aged 1–16 years in the period 2008–2016 and their parents.Main outcome measuresAge- and gender-adjusted admission rates and probability of admission.ResultsOf 1 538 189 children, 156 087 (10.2%) had at least one admission in the study period. There was a nearly twofold (1.9) variation in admission rates between the hospital referral areas (3113 per 100 000 children, 95% CI: 3056 to 3169 vs 1627, 95% CI: 1599 to 1654). Area level variances in multilevel analysis did not change after adjusting for parental level of education. Children of parents with low level of education (maternal level of education, low vs high) had the highest admission rates (2016: 2587, 95% CI: 2512 to 2662 vs 1810, 95% CI: 1770 to 1849), the highest probability of being admitted (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.20), the highest number of admissions (incidence rate ratio: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.10) and admissions with lower cost (−0.5%, 95% CI: −1.2% to 0.3%).ConclusionsSubstantial geographic variation in hospital admission rates for children was found, but was not explained by parental educational level. Children of parents with low educational level had the highest admission probability, and the highest number of admissions, but the lowest cost of admissions. Our results suggest that the variation between the educational groups is not due to differences in medical needs, and may be characterised as unwarranted. However, the manner in which health professionals communicate and interact with parents with different educational levels might play an important role.

Socioeconomic status and global physical self-concept of adolescents: a multilevel structural equation modeling approach

The global physical self-concept (GPSC) is a central part of one’s self-definition in adolescence and plays an important role in adolescents’ physical and psychological health. Socioeconomic status (SES) can be assumed to have an impact on GPSC, but this relationship has received little attention thus far. We investigated, therefore, the direct and indirect relationships between SES factors, such as parental educational level, occupational status, and family income, and adolescents’ GPSC. A sample of 966 adolescents from 47 9th-grade classes was examined. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used for the analyses. The results revealed an indirect positive effect of parental educational level on adolescents’ global physical self-concept. The effect was completely mediated by parental occupational status, parental sport participation, adolescents’ social resources, and adolescents’ physical exercise and sport activity. The tested model explained 28% of the variance in adolescents’ global physical self-concept. Implications for the development of suitable interventions to improve the global physical self-concept of adolescents are derived.

Exploring the Effects of Problematic Internet Use on Adolescent Sleep: A Systematic Review

Adolescent suse internet via several devices to gather information or communicate. Sleep, as a key factor of adolescents’ development, contributes to their physical and mental health. Over the past decades insufficient sleep among adolescents has been wide spread, and one of its attributing factors is the increased availability of technology. This review aims to investigate the body of evidence regarding the impact of problematic internet use on adolescent sleep. Extensive search of databases was performed according to PRISMA guidelines for studies published within the last decade, regarding subjects aged 10–19. The final step of the search yielded 12 original studies. The quality of extracted data was evaluated with the AXIS tool, in order to estimate the risk of bias. All studies showed a negative correlation between adolescent sleep and problematic internet use. It was found to affect sleep quality and quantity and provoke insomnia symptoms. Interestingly, adolescent’s sex, parental educational level, type of family and use for leisure or academic reasons appeared as affecting factors of the problematic internet use-sleep relationship. Problematic internet use has several effects on adolescents’ sleep. Results of relevant studies should be embedded in educational interventions addressed to adolescents as well as parents, to eliminate the negative outcomes of problematic internet use on sleep and adolescence’s health in general.

Are associations between home environment and preschool children’s sedentary time influenced by parental educational level in a cross-sectional survey?

Background Childhood obesity is a major public health concern, especially in low socioeconomic groups. Sedentary time (SED) is an important predictor of obesity. To be able to diminish SED it is important to find modifiable predictors of sedentary behavior. The home environment associated with children’s SED may vary by parental socioeconomic status. This study aims to clarify the association between parental educational level (PEL) and the home environment of 3–6-year-old children, and to examine how home environment associates with children’s SED, and whether PEL modifies these associations. Methods A cross-sectional Increased health and wellbeing in preschools (DAGIS) study was conducted in 2015–2016 in Finland. The parents (n = 809) filled in questionnaires assessing PEL, and the home physical and social environment related to children’s SED. Children’s SED was measured with accelerometers, which the children (n = 745) wore for 1 week. Results High PEL was associated with a home environment restraining sedentary behaviour compared with low PEL. Stricter descriptive norms about screen time, considering it important to limit the child’s screen time, and satisfaction about the child’s screen time associated with children’s lower SED. The association with parental psychological control and SED was influenced by PEL. In the PEL stratified analyses, however, the associations between psychological control and SED did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Future interventions aiming to decrease SED should pay attention to relevant factors in children’s sedentary behaviour home environment. It is important to acknowledge the possible PEL differences in these factors.

Use of Big Data to Determine the Effect of Parental Educational Level on the Quality of College Students’ Employment

the quality of College Students’ employment is important because it involves human capital and social capital. The human capital and social capital of college students directly affects their quality of employment but the root is the parents’ human capital. Empirical analysis shows that the effect of the father’s educational level on the monthly wage of College Students’ children is significant at a level of 5% and the direction is positive. The effect of the mother’s educational level on the monthly wage of College Students’ is also significant at a level of 5%, with a positive direction and the effect coefficient is greater than that for the father. Therefore, the equalization of educational opportunities is related to the life of one generation and to the growth of several generations. On-the-job education and lifelong education also play an important role in improving the quality of life for the offspring.