Awareness Towards Intervention for Individuals With Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is sub-average intellectual functioning with impaired adaptive functioning. The limitations in their adaptive skill hampers the ability to cope with stressful life events. There are many issues which require attention while dealing with them like parental level, peer groups, schools, presence of comorbid conditions, etc. Interventions at right stage under efficient supervision can lead to healthy and smooth functioning of cases with ID and with good outcomes. Difficulties like lack of human resources, quality training of clinical psychologists in India, scarcity of effective clinical guidelines, conflicts among the team approach, acceptance in the family and society requires attention in current scenario. There are many things that can be offered but what we need is their acceptance in our society and awareness towards Intervention. This chapter aims at acknowledging these issues to create awareness amongst the responsible caregivers. Timely recognition of treatable causes of intellectual disability can be very rewarding and prevent a lifelong disability.

Students’ age and parental level of education influence COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy

Widespread vaccination in pursuit of herd immunity has been recognized as the most promising approach to ending the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). The vaccination of children and adolescents has been extensively debated and the first COVID-19 vaccine is now approved in European countries for children aged > 12 years of age. Our study investigates vaccination hesitancy in a cohort of German secondary school students. We assessed 903 students between age 9 and 20 in the period between 17 May 2021 and 30 June 2021. 68.3% (n = 617) reported intention to undergo COVID-19 vaccination, while 7% (n = 62) did not want to receive the vaccine and 15% (n = 135) were not yet certain. Age and parental level of education influenced COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Children under the age of 16 as well as students whose parents had lower education levels showed significantly higher vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: Identifying subsets with higher vaccination hesitancy is important for targeting public information campaigns in support of immunization. What is Known:• The willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination among adults in Europe is about 70%, but data for children and adolescents is lacking.• The lack of immunization in younger cohorts represents a significant barrier to achieving herd immunity, and also leaves children and adolescents vulnerable to acute and long-term morbidity from natural COVID-19 infections. What is New:• Intention-to-vaccinate among children and adolescents is high (~ 70%); conversely, vaccination hesitancy is low.• Age and parental level of education influenced COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among children and adolescents.

Associations of Sleep Duration and Screen Time with Incidence of Overweight in European Children: The IDEFICS/I.Family Cohort

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Over the past decades, children have been increasingly using screen devices, while at the same time their sleep duration has decreased. Both behaviors have been associated with excess weight, and it is possible they act as mutually reinforcing behaviors for weight gain. The aim of the study was to explore independent, prospective associations of screen time and sleep duration with incident overweight in a sample of European children. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Data from 4,285 children of the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort who were followed up from 2009/2010 to 2013/2014 were analyzed. Hours per day of screen time and of sleep duration were reported by parents at baseline. Logistic regression analyses were carried out in separate and mutually adjusted models controlled for sex, age, European country region, parental level of education, and baseline BMI <i>z</i>-scores. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Among normal weight children at baseline (<i>N</i> = 3,734), separate models suggest that every hour increase in screen time and every hour decrease in sleep duration were associated with higher odds of the child becoming overweight or obese at follow-up (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02–1.32 and OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05–1.43, respectively). In the mutually adjusted model, both associations were attenuated slightly ( screen time OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.99–1.28; sleep duration OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.03–1.40), being consistently somewhat stronger for sleep duration. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Both screen time and sleep duration increased the incidence of overweight or obesity by 13–20%. Interventions that include an emphasis on adequate sleep and minimal screen time are needed to establish their causal role in the prevention of overweight and obesity among European children.

Spatial data analysis of malnutrition among children under-five years in Ethiopia

Background Childhood malnutrition is a major cause of child mortality under the age of 5 in the sub-Saharan Africa region. This study sought to identify the risk factors and spatial distribution of the composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF). Methods Secondary data from 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2016 Ethiopian Health and Demographic Survey (EDHS) were used. The generalized geo-additive mixed model was adopted via the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) with a binomial family and logit link function. Results The CIAF status of children was found to be positively associated with the male gender, the potency of contracting a disease, and multiple births. However, it was negatively associated with family wealth quartiles, parental level of education, place of residence, unemployment status of mothers, improved sanitation, media exposure, and survey years. Moreover, the study revealed significant spatial variations on the level of CIAF among administrative zones. Conclusions The generalized geo-additive mixed-effects model results identified gender of the child, presence of comorbidity, size of child at birth, dietary diversity, birth type, place of residence, age of the child, parental level of education, wealth index, sanitation facilities, and media exposure as main drivers of CIAF. The results would help decision-makers to develop and carry out target-oriented programs.

Visible Results, Invisible Factors: Impact of Socio-economic Factors on Improving English Language Achievement in Sri Lankan Schools

This paper presents the findings of a study that investigated the nexus between the parental level of education and the level of the English language achievement at the Ordinary Level (O/Level) Examination. Determining how socio-economic factors affect the achievement level of English, exploring what socio-economic factors affect the achievement of the English language, and identifying the primary socio-economic factors were the objectives. A non-experimental cross-sectional research design was used in conducting the study. The sample consisted of 291 volunteer participants from six schools in the western province. We administered a research-team designed Likert scale type questionnaire to gather the data. The instrument was pilot-tested with 74 participants. In a statistical approach to data analysis, a regression analysis was run in SPSS (version 26). Findings showed that the English language proficiency of the participants increased by 0.691 for each education level of the father, and it was increased by 0.789 for each education level of the mother. Equitable teaching of the English language, availing more time and classwork to improve the achievement levels of the English language, and using quality inputs to give more support to the students who receive lower grades were suggested as part of recommendations.

Is there a social gradient in how youth with mental disorder perform academically? Findings from a Swedish longitudinal register-based study

Background It is well established that academic achievement and other school-related outcomes are associated with mental health status in children and youths. However, few studies have examined the influence of socioeconomic background on the relationship between poor childhood/adolescent mental health and school performance. From an equity perspective, it is important to explore how school-related outcomes are affected for young people with mental disorder and if these outcomes differ depending on gender and socioeconomic background. This study aimed to investigate social gradients in the prospective association between childhood/adolescent mental disorder and academic achievement. Methods This register based study used data from the Umeå SIMSAM Lab of linked Swedish registers on all children born between 1990 and 1994 and their parents (N = 642 558). The outcome was school grades achieved upon compulsory school graduation (age 15/16). Mental disorder was indicated by number of hospitalisations due to ICD classified mental disorders and prescription of psychoanaleptic drugs. Indicators of socioeconomic position were parental level of education and family income in four categories respectively. Parental history of mental disorder was controlled for. Linear regressions, including interaction analyses, were performed. Results Mental disorder in childhood/adolescence was related to lower grades, particularly in boys. The drop in academic achievement among youth with mental disorder was more pronounced among girls in mid SEP categories than among their less and more advantaged peers. A less clear interaction pattern was identified in boys. Conclusions Based on theory and existing research we expected a typical social gradient in the strength of the association between mental disorder and academic achievement. However, we identified a U-shaped social gradient among girls. Analyses of the links between mental health and academic outcomes need to take both gender and social position into account. More research is needed to investigate these patterns further.

French and Chinese Third Language Learners’ Communication Apprehension in a Nigerian University: Influence of Prior Knowledge and Their Demographic Profiles

Our study examined the influence of third language learners’ prior knowledge and socio-demographic variables on their communication apprehension. Two hundred and twenty-six third language learners (French n=136 and Chinese n= 90) participated in the study. Data obtained were subjected to point-biserial, multiple regression and t-test statistics. We found that participants’ prior knowledge of their target languages has significant main effects on their communication apprehension. Significant mean differences occurred in the level of communication apprehension as a result of participants’ gender, language of specialization and level of parental education. Regression analysis showed that the joint contribution of prior knowledge, parental level of education, language of specialization and gender on third language learners’ communication apprehension was significant; contributing 13.4% to explain the variances in response. Language of specialization and prior knowledge made significant individual contributions to students’ communication apprehension with language of specialization being the most individual contributor to the variances in students’ responses. Our study has implications for curriculum planners given that if third language curricula are designed to link what is learnt in the university to what is learnt at the primary and secondary schools, learners will find the target language familiar, which may help them overcome the feelings of communication apprehension. Received: 4 May 2021 / Accepted: 12 July 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021

How Ready Are Young Adults to Participate in Community Service? An Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change

Purpose: Engaging in community service, or unpaid work intended to help people in a community, is generally associated with greater overall well-being. However, the process of beginning and maintaining community service engagement has been sparsely examined. The current study applied the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change to understanding community service readiness among young adults. Design: Cross-sectional design using an online survey. Setting: Participants were undergraduate students recruited at a mid-sized Northeastern US university in Spring 2018. Sample: Participants ( N = 314) had a mean age of 20.36 years ( SD = 3.69), were primarily White (78%), female (72%), and from moderately high socioeconomic backgrounds (as measured by parental level of education). Measures: Socio-demographics including age, gender, race-ethnicity, and parental level of education; readiness, pros, cons, and self-efficacy for community service; civic engagement behavior; well-being. Analysis: Participants were classified into very low ( n = 62), low ( n = 59), moderate ( n = 92), high ( n = 46), and very high ( n = 55) readiness for community service groupings. A MANOVA was conducted to assess relationships between groupings and community service TTM constructs, civic engagement, and well-being. Results: There were significant differences between readiness groupings on all main outcome variables, F(20, 1012) = 10.34, p < .001; Wilks’ Λ = 0.54, η2 = .14. Post-hoc Games-Howell tests showed that those exhibiting higher levels of readiness reported fewer cons, greater pros, higher self-efficacy, more overall civic engagement, and greater well-being compared to lower readiness individuals. Conclusion: Consistent with previous TTM applications, self-efficacy and the importance of pros increased across readiness groupings while the importance of cons decreased. Study findings may be used to inform readiness-tailored interventional work for increasing community service. This area of study would benefit from longitudinal research examining community service readiness beyond the college environment.

Systematic review of the correlates of outdoor play and time among children aged 3-12 years

Background Due to the myriad of benefits of children’s outdoor play and time, there is increasing concern over its decline. This systematic review synthesized evidence on the correlates of outdoor play and outdoor time among children aged 3-12 years. Methods A total of 12 electronic databases in five different languages (Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese) were searched between October 28, 2019 and July 27, 2020. Covidence software was used for screening and Microsoft Excel with a predesigned coding form was used for data extraction. Evidence was synthesized and correlates were categorized using the socioecological model framework. Results Based on 107 studies representing 188,498 participants and 422 childcare centers from 29 countries, 85 studies examined potential correlates of outdoor play while 23 studies examined that of outdoor time (one examined both). The duration of outdoor play and outdoor time ranged between 60 and 165 min/d and 42-240 min/d, respectively. Out of 287 (outdoor play) and 61 (outdoor time) potential correlates examined, 111 correlates for outdoor play and 33 correlates for outdoor time were identified as significant correlates. Thirty-three variables were identified as key/common correlates of outdoor play/time, including eight correlates at the individual level (e.g., sex/gender, race/ethnicity, physical activity), 10 correlates at the parental level (e.g., parental attitude/support/behavior, parenting practice), nine at the microsystem level (e.g., proximal home/social environment such as residence type, peer influence), three at the macrosystem/community level (e.g., availability of space children can play), and three at the physical ecology/pressure for macrosystem change level (e.g., seasonality, rurality). No key correlates were found at the institutional level. Conclusions Individual, parental, and proximal physical (home) and social environments appear to play a role in children’s outdoor play and time. Ecological factors (i.e., seasonality, rurality) also appear to be related to outdoor play/time. Evidence was either inconsistent or lacking at institutional and macrosystem/community levels. Standardizing terminology and measures of outdoor play/time is warranted. Future work should investigate the interactions and processes of multiple variables across different levels of socioecological modelling to better understand the mechanisms through which outdoor play/time opportunities can be optimized for children while paying special attention to varying conditions in which children are born, live, and play.