School Health Blog

Poor Hygiene & Bullying

5/26/2018

Researchers have identified a number of apparent reasons for bullying among young people, including race, culture, sexual orientation and many others. An article in Volume 88 of Children and Youth Services Review adds another, poor hygiene, thereby confirming that bullying is "a structurally produced social problem". This study examined the association between hygiene and bullying victimization among a representative sample of 4997 students in Pakistan from the Global School Health Survey. "Results indicate that after accounting for demographic and confounding factors, students with good hygiene were less likely to experience bullying victimization when compared to students with poor hygiene. This is because, we theorize, poor hygiene elicits disgust for two reasons: the fear of infectious diseases and class differences." The study also found that "Boys were more likely to report bullying victimization than girls" and "Students with close friendships were more likely to report bullying victimization. .Read more..
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Rough & Tumble Play: Good at Home, Bad at School?

5/26/2018

A study reported in the May 2018 issue of Journal of Child and Family Studies describes parents’ views of Father–Child Rough-and-Tumble Play (RTP). "Parent-child play directly influences child development. One aspect of parent-child play that is gaining interest is a form of physical play, ‘rough-and-tumble play’ (RTP), or roughhousing. RTP is most often played by fathers and has been shown to have positive benefits for children.Three conceptual themes characterized parents’ perspectives on RTP: Strength Challenge describes the physicality and inter-personal challenge of the game; Dynamic Bonding describes how parents view RTP as fostering close father-child relationships, confidence and a playful state of mind; the final theme, Context and Caveats, integrates the contended and contingent aspects of RTP perceived to influence the short and long-term effects of this play". Noting that RTP is seen as a good thing in the home, it would be interesting and important to see if this form of play is still allowed in today's schools. Other studies are showing that boys are increasingly alienated by the social environment in schools and are dropping out or not continuing into post-secondary education. As we push RTP out of school playgrounds, do we push boys along with it?
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Implementing multilevel prevention program in intersectorial strategy

5/26/2018

An article in Volume 88 of the Children and Youth Services Review examines the multi-level implementation of the Triple P Parenting Program. "The use of so-called “multilevel” strategies to prevent child maltreatment and behavior and emotional problems in children is increasingly being promoted by experts in the early childhood education and intervention field. However, few studies have explored the processes involved in implementing these strategies. The present study contributes to addressing gaps in the implementation science literature by documenting the implementation process of a multilevel prevention program by an intersectoral partnership as perceived by staff managers and practitioners. Findings support in some ways the conceptualization of the implementation model used while also helping to refine that model by suggesting certain dynamics that might interact with the model. The Highlights include: (1) Community implementation of multilevel programs are more complex than theoretical models suggest. (2) Implementation process is characterized by key transition periods between phases. (3) Implementation trajectory is non-linear and marked by recurring cyclical dynamics. (4) Ecological approach based on systems analysis can help capture this iterative and adaptive process." Read more...
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World Health Assembly delegates agree new five-year strategic plan

5/26/2018

"World Health Assembly delegates today agreed an ambitious new strategic plan for the next five years. The Organization’s 13th General Programme of Work (GPW) is designed to help the world achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – with a particular focus on SDG3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages by 2030. It sets three targets: to ensure that by 2023, 1 billion more people benefit from universal health coverage; 1 billion more people are better protected from health emergencies; and 1 billion more people enjoy better health and wellbeing. WHO estimates that achieving this “triple billion” target could save 29 million lives.Speaking to the Health Assembly, Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates that the new strategic plan was ambitious because "it must be". Delegates noted that the Organization will need to make a number of strategic shifts in order to achieve these targets, notably to step up its public health leadership; focus on impact in countries; and ensure that people can access authoritative and strategic information on matters that affect people’s health." Topics such as climate change, adolescent health, conflict zones such as Palestine and NCD's include references to schools. Read more...
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Global Partnership for Education Renews Interest in Health & Education

5/26/2018

An article in the The Lancet (Child & Adolescent Health) emphasizes the importance of health and education in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as reflects the renewed interest in school health promotion and development from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The article asks if a joint task force to achieve Goal #3 (health) and Goal #4 (Education) is warranted. Other related GPE activities reflecting this renewed interest include a series of webinars on the school-health connection. Read more..
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School-based Influenza Vaccinations Reach More Children

5/19/2018

An article in Issue #20, 2018 of Vaccine joins several others in reporting that school-based vaccination programs are able to reach more more children at lower cost. " Influenza vaccination rates among children are low and novel strategies are needed to raise coverage. We measured the impact of school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) on coverage, examined whether SLIV substitutes for practice-based influenza vaccination (“substitution”), and estimated whether a second year of experience with SLIV increases its impact. 42 schools (38,078 children) participated over 2 years. Overall vaccination rates were 5 and 7 percentage points higher among SLIV- school children versus control-school children in suburban (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.25–1.49 in Years 1–2 SLIV vs. Year 1 control schools) and urban schools (aOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.10–1.36), respectively, adjusting for prior year’s vaccination and other covariates." Read more...
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Knowledge as a Threshold but not only factor in behaviour

5/19/2018

A study of Ebola knowledge, perceived risk, community and cultural factors reported in Issue #3, 2018 of International Health helps us to understand how knowledge may be a threshold condition for adopting preventive behaviours. However, the study also notes how other factors such as perceived risk, community norms and religious beliefs also affect those behaviours. Using data collected from 800 respondents in 40 randomly selected communities in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, this study employed hierarchical linear modelling. "Respondents with greater knowledge about Ebola were more likely to engage in Ebola-preventive behaviours. Compared with Christians, Muslims were significantly less likely to engage in Ebola-preventive behaviours.Communities expressing worry about a potential Ebola outbreak were more likely to engage in Ebola-preventive behaviours. In addition, there were significant changes in risk perception from the time the disease had peaked in neighbouring countries to the time data were collected. Most importantly, respondents who perceived themselves to have a high risk of contracting Ebola at the time of the survey were significantly less likely to engage in Ebola-preventive behaviours." Read more...
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Motor Skills Correlated with Physical Activity

5/19/2018

An article in Issue #2, 2018 of Pediatric Exercise Science reports that "there was a significant correlation between Motor Skills MS performance and Physical Activity PA (r = .14–.17, P < .05). The article reflects a renewed interest in fundamental movement skills (FMS) as a critical element in decisions made to participate in physical activity. The interest in FMS was set aside somewhat as attention was focused on the amount of physical activity that can be accrued during the school day. This article suggests that this correlation between movement skills and physical activity is mediated by the body weight (BMI) of pre-school children. This shift of BMI to a mediator rather than an outcome needs further study. Read more....
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Data Analysis Underlines Need for Food Literacy (Cooking Skills)

5/19/2018

Another article in the May 2018 issue of Journal of Nutrition Education & Behavior underlines the value of a food literacy approach to healthy eating. Health Literacy, including Food Literacy is defined as the basic knowledge, skills and beliefs needed as a prerequisite for sustainable behaviour change over the life course. An analysis of data from the Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults longitudinal study was done. "Participants reported on adequacy of cooking skills in 2002–2003 (age 18–23 years) and subsequently reported on nutrition-related outcomes in 2015–2016 (age 30–35 years) (n = 1,158). Separate regression models were used to examine associations between cooking skills at age 18–23 years and each subsequent outcome. One fourth of participants described their cooking skills as very adequate at 18–23 years, with no statistically significant differences by sociodemographic characteristics. Reports of very adequate cooking skills at age 18–23 years predicted better nutrition-related outcomes 10 years later, such as more frequent preparation of meals including vegetables (P < .001) and less frequent fast food consumption (P < .001)." This article is also important in regard to the realistic expectations of outputs from schools. The expectation is that schools can increase cooking skills for their students but is up to those students to choose to use those skills. This is much the same way that schools are expected to teach basic reading skills but are not held accountable for life long reading habits. Read more....
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Multi-Intervention Approaches Re-Emerge in Promoting Healthy Nutrition

5/19/2018

Two articles in the Journal of Nutrition Education & Behaviour mark the re-emergence of multi-intervention approaches to promoting healthy eating and nutrition. frameworks to guide the development of such multi-intervention programs in schools have existed for many years but the renewed interest is welcome. As is often the case, the terminology is re-invented but the meaning and value remains much the same. One article describes a "Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approach" for nutrition education. (go to: https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(18)30108-8/fulltext). The second article is a statement from the US position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, School Nutrition Association, and Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. They recommend "specific strategies in the following key areas: food and nutrition services available throughout the school campus; nutrition initiatives such as farm to school and school gardens; wellness policies; nutrition education and promotion; food and beverage marketing at school; and consideration of roles and responsibilities." Read more...
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