How school climate relates to chronic absence: A multi-level latent profile analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Eck, Kathryn; Johnson, Stacy R; Bettencourt, Amie; Johnson, Sarah Lindstrom

2017-04-01

Chronic absence is a significant problem in schools. School climate may play an important role in influencing chronic absence rates among schools, yet little research has evaluated how school climate constructs relate to chronic absence. Using multilevel latent profile analysis, we evaluated how profiles of student perceptions of school climate at both the student and school level differentiated school-level rates of chronic absence. Participants included 25,776 middle and high school students from 106 schools who completed a district administered school climate survey. Students attended schools in a large urban school district where 89% of 6th through 12th grade students were African-American and 61% were eligible for the federally subsidized school meals program. Three student-level profiles of perceptions of school climate emerged that corresponded to "positive," "moderate," and "negative" climate. Two predominant patterns regarding the distribution of these profiles within schools emerged that corresponded to the two school-level profiles of "marginal climate" and "climate challenged" schools. Students reporting "moderate" and "negative" climate in their schools were more likely to attend schools with higher chronic absence rates than students reporting that their school had "positive" climate. Likewise, "climate challenged" schools had significantly higher chronic absence rates than "marginal climate" schools. These results suggest that school climate shares an important relation with chronic absence among adolescent students attending urban schools. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An action-learning model to assist Circuit Teams to support School ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We report on the construction of a theoretical model to assist Circuit Teams to support School Management Teams of underperforming high schools towards whole-school development in which these improvement plans play a central role. We followed an action research design, employing qualitative data generation and ...

Association between Subjective School Adaptation and Life Skills in Elementary School Children with Chronic Diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Aoji, Yurina; Miyai, Nobuyuki

2016-01-01

In this study, we investigated the association between subjective school adaptation and life skills in elementary school children with chronic diseases. A cross-sectional sample of children with chronic diseases (n=76), who were being treated as pediatric outpatients and who were in the 4th to 6th grade of public elementary schools, was selected. The subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire that comprised an Adaptation Scale for School Environments on Six Spheres (ASSESS) and life skills scales for self-management and stress coping strategies. Structural equation modeling was conducted to identify the inter-relationship between subjective school adaptation and life skills. Compared with the gender- and schoolyear-matched healthy controls (n=380), a large number of children with chronic diseases had low scores on the measure of interpersonal relationship in school. From the structural equation modeling, the subscales "friend's support" and "victimized relationship" in interpersonal relationship were two of the factors closely related to subjective adaptation of learning as well as school satisfaction in the children with chronic diseases. Furthermore, the "decision-making" and "goal-setting" components of self-management skills demonstrated positive contributions to the adaptation of learning and interpersonal relationship either directly affected by the skills themselves or through the affirmative effects of stress coping strategies. These results suggest that life skills education, focusing on self-management and stress coping strategies along with support to improve interpersonal relationships, is effective in promoting subjective school adaptation and leads to increased school satisfaction in children with chronic diseases.

School Self-Concept in Adolescents With Chronic Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, Deirdre E; Gray, Laura S; Iversen, Christina N; Kim, Susan

2017-09-01

This study investigated school self-efficacy and sense of school membership (collectively "school self-concept") as potential influences on impaired school function among adolescents with chronic pain, including comparison of adolescents with primary pain to those with disease-based pain and pain-free peers. In all, 264 adolescents (12-17 years old) with primary pain conditions, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or no pain completed measures of functional disability, school functioning, pain characteristics, and school self-concept, the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for School Situations (SEQ-SS), and Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM). Both the SEQ-SS and PSSM demonstrated reliability and some validity, with the SEQ-SS more strongly supported. As a group, adolescents with primary pain conditions reported poorer school self-concept. School self-efficacy, but not school belongingness, predicted school functioning later in the school year. School self-concept, especially as assessed with the SEQ-SS, is relevant and important to assess when addressing school functioning in youth with chronic pain. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Brand Management in US Business Schools: Can Yale Learn from Harvard?

Science.gov (United States)

Heyes, Anthony G.; Liston-Heyes, Catherine

2004-01-01

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to evaluate the performance of top US business school in maintaining reputation among members of the academic and business communities. The authors generate efficiency measures and identify peers against which underperforming schools should benchmark.

It depends on your perspective : The role of self-relevance I in stereo type-based underperformance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marx, David M.; Stapel, Diederik A.

Much research has examined how stereotype threat leads to the underperformance of stereotyped targets. The underlying cause for this effect, however, remains unclear. Some,researchers argue that stereotype threat can be explained from a behavioral-priming perspective, while others claim that it

It depends on your perspective : The role of self-relevance I in stereo type-based underperformance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marx, David M.; Stapel, Diederik A.

2006-01-01

Much research has examined how stereotype threat leads to the underperformance of stereotyped targets. The underlying cause for this effect, however, remains unclear. Some,researchers argue that stereotype threat can be explained from a behavioral-priming perspective, while others claim that it

Chronic health conditions and school performance in first graders: A prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Isabell; Diefenbach, Christiane; Gräf, Christine; König, Jochem; Schmidt, Martina F; Schnick-Vollmer, Kathleen; Blettner, Maria; Urschitz, Michael S

2018-01-01

Children with chronic health conditions may perform poorer at school. Associations may be confounded by numerous social factors. We aimed to estimate the effects of a chronic health condition on overall school performance in first graders with an emphasis on rigorous adjustment for potential confounders. A population-based cohort study was performed in the area of Mainz-Bingen (Germany). In 2015 all preschoolers were approached and the presence of a chronic health condition was assessed by parental questionnaires and preschool health examination data. The identification of a chronic health condition was based on special health care needs and presence of a doctor's diagnosis out of 24 school-relevant diseases. At the end of the first school year, overall school performance was assessed by teachers and rated on a 5-item scale ranging from -10 to +10. Of 3683 children approached, 2003 were enrolled. Overall school performance was available for 1462 children (51% boys). Of these, 52% suffered from a chronic health condition. Compared to children without a chronic health condition, children with special health care needs (15%) performed worse at school (adjusted mean difference: -0.95, 95% CI: [-1.55; -0.35], P = 0.002). Children with a doctor's diagnosis but without special health care needs (37%) did not perform worse at school. The effect was further analysed considering the extent of special health care needed. Chronic health conditions affect overall school performance early in primary school. To identify academically at-risk children, a chronic health condition identification based on special health care needs may be used.

Aflatoxin exposure may contribute to chronic hepatomegaly in Kenyan school children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gong, Yun Yun; Wilson, Shona; Mwatha, Joseph K

2012-01-01

Presentation with a firm type of chronic hepatomegaly of multifactorial etiology is common among school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa.......Presentation with a firm type of chronic hepatomegaly of multifactorial etiology is common among school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa....

Chronic health conditions and school performance among children and youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Crump, Casey; Rivera, Diana; London, Rebecca; Landau, Melinda; Erlendson, Bill; Rodriguez, Eunice

2013-04-01

Chronic health conditions are common and increasing among U.S. children and youth. We examined whether chronic health conditions are associated with low school performance. This retrospective cohort study of 22,730 children and youth (grades 2-11) in San Jose, California, was conducted from 2007 through 2010. Health conditions were defined as chronic if reported in each of the first 2 years, and school performance was measured using standardized English language arts (ELA) and math assessments. Chronic health conditions were independently associated with low ELA and math performance, irrespective of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or grade level. Adjusted odds ratios for the association between any chronic health condition and low ("basic or below") performance were 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.36; P absenteeism had little effect on these results. The strongest associations were found for ADHD, autism, and seizure disorders, whereas a weak association was found for asthma before but not after adjusting for absenteeism, and no associations were found for cardiovascular disorders or diabetes. Chronic neurodevelopmental and seizure disorders, but not cardiovascular disorders or diabetes, were independently associated with low school performance among children and youth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Prevalence of Insomnia on School Principals and Superintendents in Missouri

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Regina Johnson

2017-01-01

Chronic insomnia can lead to depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, workplace absenteeism, underperformance, and high employee turnover as well as medical issues such as Alzheimer's, hypertension, myocardial infarction, obesity, and diabetes. Researchers have argued that healthful sleep is the most important factor in predicting longevity…

Class ranking of secondary schools in the North West province of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The model also provides for the construction of a step-by-step improvement plan for underperforming schools. The suggested framework was applied to 54 secondary schools in one of the four major municipal districts in the North West province of South Africa. Results are contrasted with the application of an ordinary DEA ...

Chronic Health Conditions Managed by School Nurses. Position Statement. Revised

Science.gov (United States)

Morgitan, Judith; Bushmiaer, Margo; DeSisto, Marie C.; Duff, Carolyn; Lambert, C. Patrice; Murphy, M. Kathleen; Roland, Sharon; Selser, Kendra; Wyckoff, Leah; White, Kelly

2012-01-01

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that students with chronic health conditions have access to a full-time registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as school nurse). School districts should include school nurse positions in their full-time instructional support personnel to provide health services…

Curing Student Underachievement: Clinical Practice for School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Esbrandt, Philip; Hayes, Bruce

2011-01-01

"Cure Student Underachievement" is the culmination of the authors' research, practice, and experience as principals, superintendents, graduate professors, and consultants in efforts to improve school performance and increase student achievement. Searching for the real causes of underperformance, the authors explored problem-solving strategies in…

A School Reentry Program for Chronically Ill Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Worchel-Prevatt, Frances F.; Heffer, Robert W.; Prevatt, Bruce C.; Miner, Jennifer; Young-Saleme, Tammi; Horgan, Daniel; Lopez, Molly A.; Frankel, Lawrence; Rae, William A.

1998-01-01

Describes a school reintegration program aimed at overcoming the numerous psychological, physical, environmental, and family-based deterrents to school reentry for chronically ill children. The program uses a systems approach to children's mental health with an emphasis on multiple aspects of the child's environment (i.e., family, medical…

The Hands-On Guide to School Improvement: Transform Culture, Empower Teachers, and Raise Student Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Randle-Robins, Evelyn

2016-01-01

This no-nonsense handbook from a working principal helps school leaders bring transformational change to struggling or underperforming schools. Based on the wisdom and experience gained during the author's years as a teacher and principal in Chicago public schools, the book shows you how to become a visionary leader and build a culture of respect…

An Analysis of New Small High Schools' On-Time Graduation Rates in New York City

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, Nathan

2017-01-01

Beginning in 2002, with the election of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City's Department of Education undertook an unprecedented overhaul of the largest school district in the United States. Over the next 10 years the Department of Education closed more than 25 large, underperforming high schools, and created almost 200 new, small high schools,…

Can clinicians and scientists explain and prevent unexplained underperformance syndrome in elite athletes: an interdisciplinary perspective and 2016 update

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Nathan A; Collins, Dave; Pedlar, Charles R; Rogers, John P

2015-01-01

The coach and interdisciplinary sports science and medicine team strive to continually progress the athlete's performance year on year. In structuring training programmes, coaches and scientists plan distinct periods of progressive overload coupled with recovery for anticipated performances to be delivered on fixed dates of competition in the calendar year. Peaking at major championships is a challenge, and training capacity highly individualised, with fine margins between the training dose necessary for adaptation and that which elicits maladaptation at the elite level. As such, optimising adaptation is key to effective preparation. Notably, however, many factors (eg, health, nutrition, sleep, training experience, psychosocial factors) play an essential part in moderating the processes of adaptation to exercise and environmental stressors, for example, heat, altitude; processes which can often fail or be limited. In the UK, the term unexplained underperformance syndrome (UUPS) has been adopted, in contrast to the more commonly referenced term overtraining syndrome, to describe a significant episode of underperformance with persistent fatigue, that is, maladaptation. This construct, UUPS, reflects the complexity of the syndrome, the multifactorial aetiology, and that ‘overtraining’ or an imbalance between training load and recovery may not be the primary cause for underperformance. UUPS draws on the distinction that a decline in performance represents the universal feature. In our review, we provide a practitioner-focused perspective, proposing that causative factors can be identified and UUPS explained, through an interdisciplinary approach (ie, medicine, nutrition, physiology, psychology) to sports science and medicine delivery, monitoring, and data interpretation and analysis. PMID:27900140

School Experiences of Siblings of Children with Chronic Illness: A Systematic Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Lucy L; Lum, Alistair; Wakefield, Claire E; Nandakumar, Beeshman; Fardell, Joanna E

Siblings of children with chronic illness have unique experiences that can affect their school functioning, such that they may miss ongoing periods of school, experience difficulties with schoolwork or experience changes in their peer and teacher interactions. This review provides an overview of these siblings' school experiences. Six databases (Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, Embase and The Cochrane Library) were systematically searched for studies examining the school experiences and peer relationships of siblings of children with chronic illness, as well as school-based interventions for these siblings. Studies were included if they were published in or after 2000 and were published in English. We identified 2137 articles upon initial search. From these, we identified 28 eligible studies examining the school experiences of >1470 siblings of children with chronic illness. Three key themes were identified throughout the reviewed articles. The literature described 1) the psychological impact on siblings at school; 2) decreases in school attendance and academic functioning, and; 3) changes or perceived differences in peer and teacher interactions. Siblings value teacher and peer support, and this support may contribute to better sibling school functioning. Many siblings are socially resilient, yet overlooked, members of the family who may present with psychological, academic and peer related difficulties at school following diagnosis of a brother or sister with chronic illness. Future research is needed to further delineate the sibling school experience to better facilitate the development of targeted sibling support interventions within the school environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying barriers to chronic disease reporting in Chicago Public Schools: a mixed-methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivkina, Victoria; Tapke, David E; Cardenas, Lilliana D; Harvey-Gintoft, Blair; Whyte, Stephanie A; Gupta, Ruchi S

2014-12-06

Chronic disease among school-aged children is a public health concern, particularly for asthma and food allergy. In Chicago Public Schools (CPS), rates of asthma and food allergy among students are underreported. The aim of this study was to determine the barriers to chronic disease reporting as experienced by CPS parents and school nurses. A mixed-methods approach included focus groups and key informant interviews with parents and school nurses, and a cross-sectional survey was completed by parents. Qualitative data analysis was performed and survey data were analyzed to determine the significant demographic and knowledge variables associated with successfully completing the reporting process. The three main barriers identified were 1) a lack of parental process knowledge; 2) limited communication from schools; and 3) insufficient availability of school nurses. Parents were significantly more likely to successfully complete the reporting process if they knew about special accommodations for chronic diseases, understood the need for physician verification, and/or knew the school nurse. These findings suggest that increasing parental knowledge of the reporting process will allow schools to better identify and manage their students' chronic conditions. A parent-focused intervention informed by these results has been completed.

The Effects of Two Scheduling Formats on Student Achievement in a Suburban High School Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Kenyada Morton

2013-01-01

Limited studies have been conducted on the relationship between scheduling formats and academic performance of high school students. At the target high school, students underperform on standardized tests in English language arts (ELA) and math. The purpose of this causal comparative quantitative study was to compare the means of ELA and math test…

Attitudes and Perceptions of Vocational Education in New York City: Implications for the Mayor's School Reform Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Rupert

2012-01-01

Under-performing New York City (NYC) schools precipitated Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision to advance a vocational education initiative. The initiative was to address the problem of the many city high school graduates lacking both the skills for gainful employment and the academic preparedness to pursue higher education. The mayor's initiative…

Health implications of chronic hepatosplenomegaly in Kenyan school-aged children chronically exposed to malarial infections and Schistosoma mansoni

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilson, Shona; Vennervald, Birgitte J; Kadzo, Hilda

2010-01-01

Hepatosplenomegaly among school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa is highly prevalent. Two of the more common aetiological agents of hepatosplenomegaly, namely chronic exposure to malaria and Schistosoma mansoni infection, can result in similar clinical presentation, with the liver and spleen...... being chronically enlarged and of a firm consistency. Where co-endemic, the two parasites are thought to synergistically exacerbate hepatosplenomegaly. Here, two potential health consequences, i.e. dilation of the portal vein (indicative of increased portal pressure) and stunting of growth, were...... with hepatosplenomegaly. Children who presented with hepatosplenomegaly had the lowest height-for-age Z-scores. This study shows that hepatosplenomegaly associated with chronic exposure to malaria and schistosomiasis is not a benign symptom amongst school-aged children but has potential long-term health consequences....

Association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Joosten, Koen; van der Velde, Kelly; Joosten, Pieter; Rutten, Hans; Hulst, Jessie; Dulfer, Karolijn

2016-04-01

In hospitalized children with a chronic disease, malnutrition was associated with a lower subjective health status. In outpatient children with a chronic disease attending special schools, this association has never been studied. The aim of this study was to assess the association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools. Overall, 642 children, median age 9.8 years (IQR 7.7-11.5), 60 % male, 72 % Caucasian, were included in this prospective study in nine special schools for chronically ill children in the Netherlands. Overall malnutrition was assessed as: acute malnutrition (nutritional risk-screening tool STRONGkids. Subjective health status was assessed with EQ-5D. Overall, 16 % of the children had overall malnutrition: 3 % acute and 13 % chronic malnutrition. Nurses reported 'some/severe problems' on the health status dimensions mobility (15 %), self-care (17 %), usual activities (19 %), pain/discomfort (22 %), and anxiety/depression (22 %) in chronically ill children. Their mean visual analogue scale score (VAS) was 73.0 (SD 11.1). Malnutrition, medication usage, and younger age explained 38 % of the variance of the VAS score. The presence of overall malnutrition in chronically ill children attending special schools was associated with lower subjective health status, especially in younger children and in those with chronic medication usage. Therefore, it is important to develop and use profile-screening tools to identify these children.

Impact of Particulate Matter Exposure and Surrounding "Greenness" on Chronic Absenteeism in Massachusetts Public Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

MacNaughton, Piers; Eitland, Erika; Kloog, Itai; Schwartz, Joel; Allen, Joseph

2017-02-20

Chronic absenteeism is associated with poorer academic performance and higher attrition in kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) schools. In prior research, students who were chronically absent generally had fewer employment opportunities and worse health after graduation. We examined the impact that environmental factors surrounding schools have on chronic absenteeism. We estimated the greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) and fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5 ) within 250 m and 1000 m respectively of each public school in Massachusetts during the 2012-2013 academic year using satellite-based data. We modeled chronic absenteeism rates in the same year as a function of PM 2.5 and NDVI, controlling for race and household income. Among the 1772 public schools in Massachusetts, a 0.15 increase in NDVI during the academic year was associated with a 2.6% ( p value absenteeism rates, and a 1 μg/m³ increase in PM 2.5 during the academic year was associated with a 1.58% ( p value absenteeism rates. Based on these percentage changes in chronic absenteeism, a 0.15 increase in NDVI and 1 μg/m³ increase in PM 2.5 correspond to 25,837 fewer students and 15,852 more students chronically absent each year in Massachusetts respectively. These environmental impacts on absenteeism reinforce the need to protect green spaces and reduce air pollution around schools.

Impact of Particulate Matter Exposure and Surrounding “Greenness” on Chronic Absenteeism in Massachusetts Public Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piers MacNaughton

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Chronic absenteeism is associated with poorer academic performance and higher attrition in kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12 schools. In prior research, students who were chronically absent generally had fewer employment opportunities and worse health after graduation. We examined the impact that environmental factors surrounding schools have on chronic absenteeism. We estimated the greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI and fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5 within 250 m and 1000 m respectively of each public school in Massachusetts during the 2012–2013 academic year using satellite-based data. We modeled chronic absenteeism rates in the same year as a function of PM2.5 and NDVI, controlling for race and household income. Among the 1772 public schools in Massachusetts, a 0.15 increase in NDVI during the academic year was associated with a 2.6% (p value < 0.0001 reduction in chronic absenteeism rates, and a 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 during the academic year was associated with a 1.58% (p value < 0.0001 increase in chronic absenteeism rates. Based on these percentage changes in chronic absenteeism, a 0.15 increase in NDVI and 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 correspond to 25,837 fewer students and 15,852 more students chronically absent each year in Massachusetts respectively. These environmental impacts on absenteeism reinforce the need to protect green spaces and reduce air pollution around schools.

[School choice and vocational guidance for schoolchildren with chronic diseases and other health problems].

Science.gov (United States)

Lancić, Franciska; Majski-Cesarec, Slavenka; Musil, Vera

2010-09-01

By following a child's growth, development, and health, school medicine specialist can see opportunities for career choice. Special attention is needed for schoolchildren with chronic diseases and developmental difficulties, because of limited occupation choices. Studies report 10 % to 15 % prevalence of chronic diseases among schoolchildren. Parents and children should be informed about child's limitations before career choice. It would be helpful for the students to develop interests for occupations that are not contraindicated for their condition. Physical examination gives an insight into the psycho-physical abilities of an eighth-grade primary school student for further education. During examination, counselling and vocational guidance is provided for all students with chronic diseases and other health problems. All procedures are oriented to personal abilities and preferences. The aim of this study was to analyse the reasons for vocational guidance in the Varazdin County of Croatia. It included eighth-grade students from ten primary schools from 1998/99 to 2007/08. Of 4939 students, 458 (9.3 %) with chronic diseases and health difficulties were referred to vocational guidance. Of these, 41.3 % were referred due to mental and behavioural disorders. These students were assessed and received a recommendation for at least two occupations. Forty-eight students (10.5 %) did not follow the recommendation.In a coordinated effort, school physicians, vocational guidance experts, and school and local authorities should secure enrollment of students with chronic diseases and health difficulties in secondary schools and follow their development and education to provide them the best available career opportunities.

Chronic Teacher Turnover in Urban Elementary Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kacey Guin

2004-08-01

Full Text Available This study examines the characteristics of elementary schools that experience chronic teacher turnover and the impacts of turnover on a school’s working climate and ability to effectively function. Based on evidence from staff climate surveys and case studies, it is clear that high turnover schools face significant organizational challenges. Schools with high teacher turnover rates have difficulty planning and implementing a coherent curriculum and sustaining positive working relationships among teachers. The reality of these organizational challenges is particularly alarming, given that high turnover schools are more likely to serve low-income and minority students. The negative relationship between teacher turnover and school functioning, and the fact that turbulent schools are disproportionately likely to serve lowincome and minority students have important implications for both district and school-level policies. Specifically: Teacher turnover rates are one indicator of school health, which school districts should consider when focusing on school improvements. Districts need to begin by developing the means to identify individual schools that experience high levels of teacher turnover. Current district policies in implementing professional development for teachers in low-performing schools are inefficient when teachers do not remain in the schools in which they are trained. In order for low-performing schools to improve, districts need to consider providing incentive programs so that high quality teachers apply for, and remain in, these schools. Future research is needed to address the causal link between turnover, organizational functioning and student outcomes. Additionally, there is a need for research examining district policies that may facilitate teacher turnover within a district, including how districts place and transfer teachers, as well as how teachers’ salaries are budgeted.

School choice & social stratification: how intra-district transfers shift the racial/ethnic and economic composition of schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Kristie J R; Larsen, Elisabeth S; Hausman, Charles

2015-05-01

The liberation model hypothesizes that school choice liberates students from underperforming schools by giving them the opportunity to seek academically superior schooling options outside of their neighborhoods. Subsequently, school choice is hypothesized to diminish stratification in schools. Data from one urban school district is analyzed to test these hypotheses. We specifically examine which factors influence the propensity for parents to participate in choice, and how school choice changes the racial/ethnic and economic composition of schools. We further examine how school choice influences similar changes within distinct sociogeographic areas within the district. We find that families who are zoned to more racially/ethnically and economically diverse schools in sociogeographically diverse areas are more likely to participate in school choice. We also find that intra-district choice is associated with a slight increase in social stratification throughout the district, with more substantial stratification occurring in the most demographically diverse areas and schools. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect Of Ventilation On Chronic Health Risks In Schools And Offices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parthasarathy, Srinandini [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); McKone, Thomas E. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-01-04

This study provides a risk assessment for chronic health risks from inhalation exposure to indoor air pollutants in offices and schools with a focus how ventilation impacts exposures to, and risks from, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM2.5). We estimate how much health risks could change with varying ventilation rates under two scenarios: (i) halving the measured ventilation rates and (ii) doubling the measured ventilation rates. For the hazard characterization we draw upon prior papers that identified pollutants potentially affecting health with indoor air concentrations responsive to changes in ventilation rates. For exposure assessment we determine representative concentrations of pollutants using data available in current literature and model changes in exposures with changes in ventilation rates. As a metric of disease burden, we use disability adjusted life years (DALYs) to address both cancer and non-cancer effects. We also compare exposures to guidelines published by regulatory agencies to assess chronic health risks. Chronic health risks are driven primarily by particulate matter exposure, with an estimated baseline disease burden of 150 DALYs per 100,000 people in offices and 140 DALYs per 100,000 people in schools. Study results show that PM2.5-related DALYs are not very sensitive to changes in ventilation rates. Filtration is more effective at controlling PM2.5 concentrations and health effects. Non-cancer health effects contribute only a small fraction of the overall chronic health burden of populations in offices and schools (<1 DALY per 100,000 people). Cancer health effects dominate the disease burden in schools (3 DALYs per 100,000) and offices (5 DALYs per 100,000), with formaldehyde being the primary risk driver. In spite of large uncertainties in toxicological data and dose-response modeling, our results support the finding that ventilation rate changes do not have significant impacts on estimated chronic disease

The Ecological Context of Chronic School Absenteeism in the Elementary Grades

Science.gov (United States)

Sugrue, Erin P.; Zuel, Timothy; LaLiberte, Traci

2016-01-01

Chronic school absenteeism among elementary school-age students is gaining attention from researchers and policymakers because of its relationship to long-term negative educational outcomes. Current literature on effective interventions, however, is limited in terms of the number of studies that have found even marginally effective interventions,…

Peer Attachment, Perceived Parenting Style, Self-concept, and School Adjustments in Adolescents with Chronic Illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Jeong-Ah; Lee, Sunhee

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to identify how peer attachment and parenting style differentially affect self-concept and school adjustment in adolescents with and without chronic illness. A cross-sectional study using multiple group analysis on the Korean panel data was used. A nationwide stratified multistage cluster sampling method was used and the survey was conducted in 2013 on 2,092 first-year middle school students in Korea. We used standardized instruments by the National Youth Policy Institute to measure peer attachment, parenting style, self-concept, and school adjustment. Multiple-group structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the difference of relations for peer attachment, parenting style, self-concept, and school adjustment variable between adolescents with chronic illness and those without chronic illness. The model fit of a multiple-group structural equation modeling was good. The difference of the path from negative parenting style to self-concept between the two groups was significant, and a significant between-group difference in the overall path was found. This indicated that self-concept in adolescents with chronic illness was more negatively affected by negative parenting style than in adolescents without chronic illness. Healthcare providers can promote the process of school adjustment in several ways, such as discussing this issue directly with adolescent patients, along with their parents and peers, examining how the organization and content of the treatment can be modified according to the adolescents' school life. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Contribution of brain size to IQ and educational underperformance in extremely preterm adolescents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeanie L Y Cheong

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Extremely preterm (EP survivors have smaller brains, lower IQ, and worse educational achievement than their term-born peers. The contribution of smaller brain size to the IQ and educational disadvantages of EP is unknown. This study aimed (i to compare brain volumes from multiple brain tissues and structures between EP-born (< 28 weeks and term-born (≥ 37 weeks control adolescents, (ii to explore the relationships of brain tissue volumes with IQ and basic educational skills and whether this differed by group, and (iii to explore how much total brain tissue volume explains the underperformance of EP adolescents compared with controls. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort study of 148 EP and 132 term controls born in Victoria, Australia in 1991-92. At age 18, magnetic resonance imaging-determined brain volumes of multiple tissues and structures were calculated. IQ and educational skills were measured using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI and the Wide Range Achievement Test(WRAT-4, respectively. RESULTS: Brain volumes were smaller in EP adolescents compared with controls (mean difference [95% confidence interval] of -5.9% [-8.0, -3.7%] for total brain tissue volume. The largest relative differences were noted in the thalamus and hippocampus. The EP group had lower IQs(-11.9 [-15.4, -8.5], spelling(-8.0 [-11.5, -4.6], math computation(-10.3 [-13.7, -6.9] and word reading(-5.6 [-8.8, -2.4] scores than controls; all p-values<0.001. Volumes of total brain tissue and other brain tissues and structures correlated positively with IQ and educational skills, a relationship that was similar for both the EP and controls. Total brain tissue volume explained between 20-40% of the IQ and educational outcome differences between EP and controls. CONCLUSIONS: EP adolescents had smaller brain volumes, lower IQs and poorer educational performance than controls. Brain volumes of multiple tissues and structures are related to IQ and

Association between School District Policies That Address Chronic Health Conditions of Students and Professional Development for School Nurses on Such Policies

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Jones, S. Everett; Brener, Nancy D.; Bergren, Martha Dewey

2015-01-01

Supportive school policies and well-prepared school nurses can best address the needs of students with chronic health conditions. We analyzed nationally representative data from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study to examine whether districts with policies requiring that schools provide health services to students with chronic…

Impact of Particulate Matter Exposure and Surrounding “Greenness” on Chronic Absenteeism in Massachusetts Public Schools

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MacNaughton, Piers; Eitland, Erika; Kloog, Itai; Schwartz, Joel; Allen, Joseph

2017-01-01

Chronic absenteeism is associated with poorer academic performance and higher attrition in kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) schools. In prior research, students who were chronically absent generally had fewer employment opportunities and worse health after graduation. We examined the impact that environmental factors surrounding schools have on chronic absenteeism. We estimated the greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) and fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) wit...

Measuring School Functioning in Students with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review

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Tollit, Michelle; Politis, Jennifer; Knight, Sarah

2018-01-01

Background: It is often surmised that school functioning is significantly impacted in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); however, how this phenomenon manifests itself has rarely been characterized. Methods: This systematic review synthesized and critically appraised methods, constructs, and instruments used to assess school functioning in students…

Impact of Particulate Matter Exposure and Surrounding “Greenness” on Chronic Absenteeism in Massachusetts Public Schools

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MacNaughton, Piers; Eitland, Erika; Kloog, Itai; Schwartz, Joel; Allen, Joseph

2017-01-01

Chronic absenteeism is associated with poorer academic performance and higher attrition in kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) schools. In prior research, students who were chronically absent generally had fewer employment opportunities and worse health after graduation. We examined the impact that environmental factors surrounding schools have on chronic absenteeism. We estimated the greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) and fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) within 250 m and 1000 m respectively of each public school in Massachusetts during the 2012–2013 academic year using satellite-based data. We modeled chronic absenteeism rates in the same year as a function of PM2.5 and NDVI, controlling for race and household income. Among the 1772 public schools in Massachusetts, a 0.15 increase in NDVI during the academic year was associated with a 2.6% (p value absenteeism rates, and a 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 during the academic year was associated with a 1.58% (p value absenteeism rates. Based on these percentage changes in chronic absenteeism, a 0.15 increase in NDVI and 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 correspond to 25,837 fewer students and 15,852 more students chronically absent each year in Massachusetts respectively. These environmental impacts on absenteeism reinforce the need to protect green spaces and reduce air pollution around schools. PMID:28230752

Master mathematics teachers as mentors for underperforming and disadvantaged schools

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Annemarie Hattingh

2009-09-01

Full Text Available The work of teachers has a significant role both with regard to learners’ achievement and their opportunities in life. In the context of a developing country, particularly with respect to township and rural schools, it is a common occurrence that many practising teachers are un- or under qualified for the teaching of mathematics. What kind of professional development would be effective for upgrading the content knowledge and professional competence of such teachers? It is the aim of this article to give an overview of a professional development approach, called mentorship by master mathematics teachers, which had a positive effect both on teacher learning and their learners’ performance. Where mentorship usually focuses on the induction of beginning or student teachers, the Teacher Mentorship Programme (TMP in this case, had as its target experienced teachers who had been teaching mathematics for years in township schools, but without the appropriate qualifications. The mentee teachers had never previously, due to no fault of their own, been exposed to excellent teaching practices as learners, student or practising teachers. The TMP was an initiative of a university’s Faculty of Engineering, that collaborated with private engineering companies and the Department of Education with the aim of preparing more and better equipped Grade 12 leavers who enrol for studies in engineering and technology related fields. The intended outcomes of the TMP were: To improve teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogical competence and attitude towards mathematics and science. To broaden teachers’ knowledge of careers related to the mathematics, science and technology fields. To improve learners’ attitudes towards mathematics, science and related careers. To increase the number of learners who enrol for mathematics on the higher grade which is the equivalent of “core” mathematics in the new National Curriculum Statement.Why a mentorship programme

Where Sustainable School Meets the ‘Tthird Teacher’: Primary School Case Study From Barcelona, Spain

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Marta Brkovic

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Participatory evaluation of aspiring sustainable schools and their pedagogical potential has recently come into focus. A few authors have made a significant start in examining schools as both environmentally and socially sustainable environments, which might simultaneously represent the ‘third teacher’. However, discussion around this idea is new in Spain. This paper describes a participatory post-occupancy study conducted with teachers and pupils in Fort Pienc School, Barcelona, Spain. Findings reveal the pedagogical potential of the school’s spaces and fabric, characterised as ‘sustainable’, and highlight the aspects that the research participants feel are performing and underperforming. The paper concludes that if we want sustainable schools to be a strategy for renovating the educational process and for leading us towards a better tomorrow globally and locally,  new models for exploring the pedagogical potential of sustainable schools should be developed and the efforts of all relevant parties synchronised; from architects to governments, from pupils to teachers.

Family-School Strategies for Responding to the Needs of Children Experiencing Chronic Stress

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Swick, Kevin J.; Knopf, Herman; Williams, Reginald; Fields, M. Evelyn

2013-01-01

Children experience chronic stress in ways that can impair their brain functioning and overall development. This article articulates the unique needs of children experiencing chronic stress and discusses strategies that families and schools can use to support and strengthen children's development across the social, emotional, and cognitive domains.

Testing the Waters: Exploring the Teaching of Genres in a Cape Flats Primary School in South Africa

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Kerfoot, Caroline; Van Heerden, Michelle

2015-01-01

Twenty years after democracy, the legacy of apartheid and hitherto unmet challenges of resourcing and teacher development are reflected in a severely inequitable and underperforming education system. This paper focuses on second language writing in the middle years of schooling when 80% of learners face a double challenge: to move from…

Hospital-based school for children with chronic illness in Taiwan.

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Chen, Der-Fang; Tsai, Tsuen-Chiuan; Su, Yu-Tsun; Lin, Chi-Wei

2015-10-01

To provide educational support and avoid unwanted damage that may impede learning for children with chronic illness, the learning environment should be friendly and safe. There is a need to establish schools inside hospitals, however, which may be neglected in a highly efficient health care system. A study was conducted to identify hospital-based schools for sick children in Taiwan, and to explore the barriers for implementation. The data were collected by structured telephone interview and retrieval of hospital web information. The study targeted social workers and nurses in the pediatric wards of 29 hospitals, plus officials from the Education Bureau in Taiwan. The interviewers inquired about the availability of a formal educational program inside hospitals and the barriers (if any) in providing educational supports. Taiwan has only one hospital-based informal school and eight hospitals with rotating bedside teachers. Education inside hospitals occurs mostly through voluntary teaching in informal education models. Information about special educational resources has not been widely distributed to patients and health care providers. Professional personnel in Taiwan are not well aware of the needs to establish a hospital-based school. The educational needs of children with chronic illness can be easily neglected even in an industrialized country. The establishment of policy and the enrichment of professional education on advocacy are necessary to eliminate educational inequities and benefit sick children. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

“I am a Teacher”: Early Career Teachers in High Needs Schools

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Tabitha Dell'Angelo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available As many as half of the new teachers who begin each year will leave either the school or the profession of teaching within five years. In underperforming districts and in schools with low resources, the retention among teachers is even worse (Ingersoll, 2010; Ingersoll & May, 2011. This comic examines a group of early career teachers; their experiences demonstrate the challenges and opportunities that are the reality for many new teachers entering high needs schools. The major themes that were uncovered included culture, success and failures, and work satisfaction. We conclude that the use of the comic representation is important in conveying the thoughts and feelings of these teachers.

Why Citizen Science Without Usability Testing Will Underperform

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Romano, C.; Gay, P.; Owens, R.; Burlea, G.

2017-12-01

Citizen science projects must undergo usability testing and optimization if they are to meet their stated goals. This presentation will include video of usability tests conducted upon citizen science websites. Usability testing is essential to the success of online interaction, however, citizen science projects have just begun to include this critical activity. Interaction standards in citizen science lag behind those of commercial interests, and published research on this topic is limited. Since online citizen science is by definition, an exchange of information, a clear understanding of how users experience an online project is essential to informed decision-making. Usability testing provides that insight. Usability testing collects data via direct observation of a person while she interacts with a digital product, such as a citizen science website. The test participant verbalizes her thoughts while using the website or application; the moderator follows the participant and captures quantitative measurement of the participant's confidence of success as she advances through the citizen science project. Over 15 years of usability testing, we have observed that users who do not report a consistent sense of progress are likely to abandon a website after as few as three unrewarding interactions. Since citizen science is also a voluntary activity, ensuring seamless interaction for users is mandatory. Usability studies conducted on citizen science websites demonstrate that project teams frequently underestimate a user's need for context and ease of use. Without usability testing, risks to online citizen science projects include high bounce rate (users leave the website without taking any action), abandonment (of the website, tutorials, registration), misunderstanding instructions (causing disorientation and erroneous conclusions), and ultimately, underperforming projects.

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "Meeting the Challenge of Combating Chronic Absenteeism: Impact of the NYC Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Chronic Absenteeism and School Attendance and Its Implications for Other Cities"

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What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of an intervention designed to reduce rates of chronic student absenteeism in New York City public schools. The study authors reported that schools participating in the intervention experienced greater reductions in rates of student chronic absenteeism than the comparison schools. Students who attended the…

School Violent Crime and Academic Achievement in Chicago.

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Burdick-Will, Julia

2013-10-01

Educational outcomes vary dramatically across schools in the United States. Many under-performing schools, especially in Chicago, also deal with high levels of violent crime on school grounds. Exposure to this type of frequent violence may be an important factor shaping already disadvantaged students' educational experiences. However, estimating the effect of school violence on learning is difficult due to potential selection bias and the confounding of other school-level problems. Using detailed crime data from the Chicago Police Department, complete administrative records from the Chicago Public Schools, and school climate surveys conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research (2002-10), this study exploits variation in violent crime rates within schools over time to estimate its effect on academic achievement. School and neighborhood fixed-effects models show that violent crime rates have a negative effect on test scores, but not on grades. This effect is more likely related to direct reductions in learning, through cognitive stress and classroom disruptions, than changes in perceived safety, general school climate, or discipline practices.

Association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.F.M. Joosten (Koen); K. van der Velde (Kelly); P. Joosten (Pieter); H. Rutten (Hans); J.M. Hulst (Jessie); K. Dulfer (Karolijn)

2016-01-01

textabstractPurpose: In hospitalized children with a chronic disease, malnutrition was associated with a lower subjective health status. In outpatient children with a chronic disease attending special schools, this association has never been studied. The aim of this study was to assess the

Parent/Guardian Perspectives on Chronic Absenteeism and the Factors That Influence Decisions to Send Their Children to School

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Wallace, Cynthia M.

2017-01-01

An estimated 10-15% of students miss an entire month of school each year. Past research on students who are chronically absent finds that, relative to their peers who consistently attend school, chronically absent students are more likely to experience negative academic outcomes (e.g., grade retention, dropping out), to be under- and unemployed,…

Impact of chronic illness timing and persistence at school entry on child and parent outcomes: Australian longitudinal study.

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Quach, Jon; Barnett, Tony

2015-01-01

To understand the prevalence and timing of child chronic illness at school entry; associations with child learning, behavior and health-related quality of life and parent mental health at ages 6 to 7, 8 to 9, and 10 to 11 years; and cumulative health care costs. Data were drawn from the first 4 waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Children were aged 4 to 5 years at wave 1, with data collection every 2 years. Parent-reported timing of child chronic illness at school entry was categorized into 4 chronic illness groups based on changes between waves 1 and 2: none, resolving, incident and persistent. Child outcomes included: parent-reported quality of life, parent- and teacher-reported behavior, teacher-reported child learning, teacher-reported child-teacher relationship, directly assessed nonverbal and verbal cognition and parent self-reported mental health. Linear regression, adjusted for gender and socioeconomic position, was used to quantify longitudinal associations between chronic illness timing at school entry with outcomes at age 6 to 7 years, 8 to 9 years and 10 to 11 years. Of the 4983 children enrolled in the study, chronic illness data was available for 4464 children (89.6%) at both waves 1 and 2. From wave 1, 6.1% had a condition that persisted until wave 2, while 14.1% had a condition that resolved. Furthermore, 4.7% had a newly emerging condition at wave 2. Compared with the no chronic illness group, children with persistent or emerging chronic illness during school entry had the poorest outcomes (except father's mental health) at all time points, while children with resolving conditions had smaller differences. Child chronic illness at school entry is associated with poorer longitudinal child and maternal outcomes. Therefore, future research should aim to determine the risk and protective factors that contribute to the poorer child and parent outcomes experienced in this growing population. Copyright © 2015 Academic Pediatric

Comparing Academic Library Spending with Public Libraries, Public K-12 Schools, Higher Education Public Institutions, and Public Hospitals between 1998-2008

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Regazzi, John J.

2012-01-01

This study compares the overall spending trends and patterns of growth of Academic Libraries with Public Libraries, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and hospitals in the period of 1998 to 2008. Academic Libraries, while showing a growth of 13% over inflation for the period, far underperformed the growth of the other public institutions…

Under-performance of listed companies? Real earnings management and M&A: Chinese empirical evidence

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Ziqiao Zhang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether acquiring firms attempt to adopt real earnings management strategy to upward reported earnings in the period of M&A announcement and provide an explanation for the underperformance of post-M&A in share payment M&A affairs occurring in China’s capital market from 2008-2010. Design/methodology/approach: The author uses Roychowdhury’s(2006 methodology to measure the magnitude of real earnings management of acquiring firms in stock for stock M&A by exploiting financial date from 2006 to 2011. The methodology includes three models, which are cash ?ow from operations, production costs and discretionary expenditures, respectively. Findings: It was found that firms using stock as a financing medium exhibit significant negative abnormal cash flows and abnormal discretionary expenses yet abnormal production costs significantly positive during the current period of M&A. Moreover, it was also documented that acquiring firms use real activities manipulation to overstate earnings for the purpose of improving market confidence. Finally, a negative association was found between REM and under-performance of post-M&A. Research limitations/implications: To some extent, these results explain the puzzle of performance decline over the following period of post-M&A. Meanwhile, our study adds to prior literature that capital market pressures induce acquiring firms inflate reported earnings by manipulating real activities in stock-financed M&A occurring in China’s capital market. Practical implications: The author’s result imply that investors, analysts and regulators cannot ignore more undetectable opportunism behaviors underlying reported earnings than accrual-based earnings management and the impact on the performance of post-M&A when they use financial statements to evaluate acquiring firms. Social implications: Our study plays important role in making public policies. Furthermore, it is necessary to

Leading under Sanction: Principals' Perceptions of Threat Rigidity, Efficacy, and Leadership in Underperforming Schools

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Daly, Alan J.; Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Ong-Dean, Colin; Park, Vicki; Wishard-Guerra, Alison

2011-01-01

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was passed to ensure that 100 percent of students would be proficient by 2014. Progress toward that goal is measured annually and results suggest that while some schools improve, increasing numbers are identified as in need of improvement (INI) and are subject to sanctions. We examined perceived levels of threat…

Chronic Childhood Trauma, Mental Health, Academic Achievement, and School-Based Health Center Mental Health Services

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Larson, Satu; Chapman, Susan; Spetz, Joanne; Brindis, Claire D.

2017-01-01

Background: Children and adolescents exposed to chronic trauma have a greater risk for mental health disorders and school failure. Children and adolescents of minority racial/ethnic groups and those living in poverty are at greater risk of exposure to trauma and less likely to have access to mental health services. School-based health centers…

Battling Chronic Absenteeism

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Nauer, Kim

2016-01-01

While the principal of a New York elementary school (P.S. 48) took on chronic absenteeism from 2011 to 2013, a research team at the Center for New York City Affairs followed her efforts. The school drove down chronic absenteeism almost 10 percentage points. School staff routinely touched base with students, outside "success mentors"…

State Policies for Intervening in Chronically Low-Performing Schools: A 50-State Scan. REL 2016-131

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Klute, Mary M.; Welp, Laura C.; Yanoski, David C.; Mason, Katie M.; Reale, Marianne L.

2016-01-01

Recent federal initiatives such as School Improvement Grants and Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility emphasize the role of state education agencies in improving chronically low-performing schools. But state policies limit what actions state education agencies can take. As state education leaders and policymakers consider how best to…

Short-term outcomes of a back school program for chronic low back pain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hodselmans, AP; Jaegers, SM; Goeken, LN; Göeken, L.N.

Objective: To assess the short-term outcome of a back school program for patients suffering from chronic, nonspecific low back pain (LBP). Design: Quasi-experimental cohort study with a waiting list control group. Setting: Dutch rehabilitation department. Participants: Experimental group (n = 14)

Quality of Life and School Absenteeism in Children With Chronic Illness.

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Emerson, Natacha D; Distelberg, Brian; Morrell, Holly E R; Williams-Reade, Jackie; Tapanes, Daniel; Montgomery, Susanne

2016-08-01

Children and adolescents with a chronic illness (CI) tend to demonstrate diminished physical and social functioning, which contribute to school attendance issues. We investigated the role of social and physical functioning in reducing school absenteeism in children participating in Mastering Each New Direction (MEND), a family-based psychosocial intervention for youths with CI. Forty-eight children and adolescents with a CI (70.8% female, M age = 14.922, SD = 2.143) and their parent(s) completed a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure pre- and postintervention. Using multiple mediation, we examined whether parent- and child-rated physical and social HRQOL mediated the relationship between school attendance before and after MEND. Once the mediational model was not supported, we investigated whether HRQOL moderated the relationship between missed school days pre- and postintervention. Neither physical nor social functioning mediated or moderated the relationship between missed school days pre- and postintervention. Instead, higher parent-rated physical functioning directly predicted decreased number of missed school days, while lower parent-rated social and child-rated physical functioning predicted increased missed school days. Parent-perceived HRQOL may have a direct effect on health-related behaviors such as school attendance. Future research should determine whether gains in parent-rated QOL are maintained in the long term and whether these continue to impact markers of functional well-being. © The Author(s) 2015.

Combination of taping with Back School in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled clinical trial

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Andres Tana

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: 70-85% of the general population suffers from back pain. Back School programs have being effective in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Taping may be useful in reducing pain and normalizing muscle function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of taping with Back School at short- and long-term. Methods: Randomized controlled clinical trial. The experimental group used tape and made Back Scholl and the control group only made Back School. At the beginning and the end of treatment, pain was evaluated with a visual analogue scale, the flexibility determined with the Modified Finger Tip-to-Floor Test and functionality was calculated with the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire. Depression was recorded with the Depression Beck Inventory just at the beginning. Results: 220 patients were enrolled, only 42 in the experimental group and 33 in the control group completed the treatment. The variation of pain between the first and the fifth session showed no differences between groups regardless of time (p = 0.329. There were no differences between groups in functionality (p = 0.75, flexibility (p = 0.20 and depression. Conclusion: The combination of taping and Back School compared with only Back School was not more effective in reducing pain, increasing functionality and flexibility in patients with chronic low back pain. Key words: Taping; chronic low back pain; spine school; therapy exercises; flexibility; depression.

Back Schools for chronic non-specific low back pain.

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Parreira, Patrícia; Heymans, Martijn W; van Tulder, Maurits W; Esmail, Rosmin; Koes, Bart W; Poquet, Nolwenn; Lin, Chung-Wei Christine; Maher, Christopher G

2017-08-03

Many people with low back pain (LBP) become frequent users of healthcare services in their attempt to find treatments that minimise the severity of their symptoms. Back School consists of a therapeutic programme given to groups of people that includes both education and exercise. However, the content of Back School has changed over time and appears to vary widely today. This review is an update of a Cochrane review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of Back School. We split the Cochrane review into two reviews, one focusing on acute and subacute LBP, and one on chronic LBP. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the effect of Back School on pain and disability for adults with chronic non-specific LBP; we included adverse events as a secondary outcome. In trials that solely recruited workers, we also examined the effect on work status. We searched for trials in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, two other databases and two trials registers to 15 November 2016. We also searched the reference lists of eligible papers and consulted experts in the field of LBP management to identify any potentially relevant studies we may have missed. We placed no limitations on language or date of publication. We included only RCTs and quasi-RCTs evaluating pain, disability, and/or work status as outcomes. The primary outcomes for this update were pain and disability, and the secondary outcomes were work status and adverse events. Two review authors independently performed the 'Risk of bias' assessment of the included studies using the 'Risk of bias' assessment tool recommended by The Cochrane Collaboration. We summarised the results for the short-, intermediate-, and long-term follow-ups. We evaluated the overall quality of evidence using the GRADE approach. For the outcome pain, at short-term follow-up, we found very low-quality evidence that Back School is more effective than no

Self-affirmation improves problem-solving under stress.

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Creswell, J David; Dutcher, Janine M; Klein, William M P; Harris, Peter R; Levine, John M

2013-01-01

High levels of acute and chronic stress are known to impair problem-solving and creativity on a broad range of tasks. Despite this evidence, we know little about protective factors for mitigating the deleterious effects of stress on problem-solving. Building on previous research showing that self-affirmation can buffer stress, we tested whether an experimental manipulation of self-affirmation improves problem-solving performance in chronically stressed participants. Eighty undergraduates indicated their perceived chronic stress over the previous month and were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or control condition. They then completed 30 difficult remote associate problem-solving items under time pressure in front of an evaluator. Results showed that self-affirmation improved problem-solving performance in underperforming chronically stressed individuals. This research suggests a novel means for boosting problem-solving under stress and may have important implications for understanding how self-affirmation boosts academic achievement in school settings.

Peer Attachment, Perceived Parenting Style, Self-concept, and School Adjustments in Adolescents with Chronic Illness

OpenAIRE

Jeong-Ah Ahn, PhD, RN; Sunhee Lee, PhD, RN

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify how peer attachment and parenting style differentially affect self-concept and school adjustment in adolescents with and without chronic illness. Methods: A cross-sectional study using multiple group analysis on the Korean panel data was used. A nationwide stratified multistage cluster sampling method was used and the survey was conducted in 2013 on 2,092 first-year middle school students in Korea. We used standardized instruments by the N...

‘Liminal learners’ in a global city: the aspirations of young British Bangladeshi women at an east London secondary school

OpenAIRE

Vincent, Katharine

2013-01-01

Young British Bangladeshi women are often perceived as a marginalised, vulnerable group unlikely to succeed within the UK education system. Although achievement at GCSE level has improved significantly in recent years, female British Bangladeshis continue to be identified as an under-performing group at A-level and in higher education (Dale, 2002; Hussain, 2005). This article examines the educational experiences of a group of young British Bangladeshi women at one east London secondary school...

On Meeting NCLB School Improvement Mandate

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Rupert Green

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This descriptive study used nonparametric (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests to determine the efficacy of New York City (NYC small school initiative. A sample of 369 NYC high schools was tested on various performance indicators. The results: Large schools generated statistically significant higher performance scores and were more effective at preparing students for college and careers. On the New York State (NYS English language arts (ELA test, a Mann–Whitney U found statistically significant difference between scores for small school (median = 2.62, n = 213 and large school (median = 2.81, n = 58, U = 3200.00, z = −5.63, p = .001, r = −.34. On the state’s math test, a Mann–Whitney U found statistically significant difference between scores for small school (median = 2.76, n = 213 and large school (median = 3.12, n = 58, U = 3086.00, z = −5.84, p = .000, r = −.35. On NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE–assigned college and career readiness scores (CCRS, a Mann–Whitney U found statistically significant difference between CCRS for small school (median = 3.00, n = 213 and large school (median = 3.00, n = 58, U = 4705.50, z = −2.90, p = .004, r = −.018. The evidence suggests the city reconfigured large failing schools into smaller ones, resulting in the concentration of poverty (through the placement of mostly low socioeconomic status [SES] and underperforming Black and Hispanic students in those schools. Recommendations include future studies exploring the effect of mediating and moderating factors.

Developing the Potential for Sustainable Improvement in Underperforming Schools: Capacity Building in the Socio-Cultural Dimension

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Bennett, Jeffrey V.; Ylimaki, Rose M.; Dugan, Thad M.; Brunderman, Lynnette A.

2014-01-01

This mixed-method study examines Arizona principals' capacity-building skills and practices in Tier III schools aimed at developing potential for sustained improvements in student outcomes. Data sources included surveys (62 individuals) and semistructured interviews (29 individuals) of principals and staff (e.g. teachers, instructional coaches,…

Chronic Childhood Trauma, Mental Health, Academic Achievement, and School-Based Health Center Mental Health Services

OpenAIRE

Larson, S; Chapman, S; Spetz, J; Brindis, CD

2017-01-01

Children and adolescents exposed to chronic trauma have a greater risk for mental health disorders and school failure. Children and adolescents of minority racial/ethnic groups and those living in poverty are at greater risk of exposure to trauma and less likely to have access to mental health services. School-based health centers (SBHCs) may be one strategy to decrease health disparities.Empirical studies between 2003 and 2013 of US pediatric populations and of US SBHCs were included if rese...

The Role of School Health Services in Addressing the Needs of Students with Chronic Health Conditions: A Systematic Review

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Leroy, Zanie C.; Wallin, Robin; Lee, Sarah

2017-01-01

Children and adolescents in the United States spend many hours in school. Students with chronic health conditions (CHCs) may face lower academic achievement, increased disability, fewer job opportunities, and limited community interactions as they enter adulthood. School health services provide safe and effective management of CHCs, often for…

Lung functions at school age and chronic exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neuberger, M.; Kundi, M.; Wiesenberger, W. [Vienna Univ. (Austria). Dept. of Preventive Medicine

1995-12-31

Early signs of lung function impairment have been found correlated with annual concentrations of outdoor air pollutants and with passive smoking. To investigate the combined effects of both indicators of chronic exposure to air pollution pulmonary functions in all elementary and high school children of an Austrian town was examined for 5 years. (author)

Lung functions at school age and chronic exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neuberger, M; Kundi, M; Wiesenberger, W [Vienna Univ. (Austria). Dept. of Preventive Medicine

1996-12-31

Early signs of lung function impairment have been found correlated with annual concentrations of outdoor air pollutants and with passive smoking. To investigate the combined effects of both indicators of chronic exposure to air pollution pulmonary functions in all elementary and high school children of an Austrian town was examined for 5 years. (author)

The differential impacts of episodic, chronic, and cumulative physical bullying and cyberbullying: the effects of victimization on the school experiences, social support, and mental health of rural adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Smokowski, Paul R; Evans, Caroline B R; Cotter, Katie L

2014-01-01

Few studies have examined the impacts of past, current, and chronic physical bullying and cyberbullying on youth, especially in rural settings. This study augments this scant literature by exploring the school experiences, social support, and mental health outcomes for rural, middle school youth. The participants for this 2-year longitudinal study were 3,127 youth from 28 middle schools. Participants were classified as nonvictims, past victims (i.e., victimized during Year 1 but not Year 2), current victims (i.e., victimized during Year 2 but not Year 1), and chronic victims (i.e., victimized during both Year 1 and Year 2). Findings illustrated that chronic victimization resulted in the lowest levels of school satisfaction, social support, future optimism, and self-esteem. Chronic victims also reported the highest levels of school hassles, perceived discrimination, peer rejection, anxiety, depression, and externalizing behaviors. In terms of episodic victimization, current year victimization was associated with worse outcomes than past year victimization. Implications and limitations were discussed.

Self-affirmation improves problem-solving under stress.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J David Creswell

Full Text Available High levels of acute and chronic stress are known to impair problem-solving and creativity on a broad range of tasks. Despite this evidence, we know little about protective factors for mitigating the deleterious effects of stress on problem-solving. Building on previous research showing that self-affirmation can buffer stress, we tested whether an experimental manipulation of self-affirmation improves problem-solving performance in chronically stressed participants. Eighty undergraduates indicated their perceived chronic stress over the previous month and were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or control condition. They then completed 30 difficult remote associate problem-solving items under time pressure in front of an evaluator. Results showed that self-affirmation improved problem-solving performance in underperforming chronically stressed individuals. This research suggests a novel means for boosting problem-solving under stress and may have important implications for understanding how self-affirmation boosts academic achievement in school settings.

Coping in adolescents and young adults with chronic digestive disorders: impact on school and leisure activities.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calsbeek, H.; Rijken, M.; Bekkers, M.J.T.M.; Berge Henegouwen, G.P. van; Dekker, J.

2006-01-01

Coping strategies were compared across adolescents and young adults with several chronic digestive disorders and healthy peers, and across age groups. Subsequently, the impact of coping on performance in school and leisure activities was investigated. Participants were adolescents and young adults

A Model Intervention Program for Secondary School Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Gerber

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Valdosta State University and the Valdosta City Schools (Valdosta, GA partnered in 2008 to form the Valdosta Early College Academy (VECA. VECA epitomizes the early college concept of (a admitting underperforming students with multiple risk factors for dropping out of school (e.g., low socioeconomic status, minority, and first-generation high school or college and (b providing college level dual enrollment courses. VECA is very different than nearly every other early college school in the nation. Most (85% of the 200 early colleges currently operating in the United States begin with students in the 9th grade. Nearly all of the remaining early colleges begin with 7th grade; only a few are 6–12-grade schools. VECA targets two primary priorities, (a innovations that complement the implementation of higher standards and high-quality assessments and (b innovations that support college access and success. The primary purpose of this paper is to chronicle the genesis and development of VECA. This program is very successful, replete with research opportunities, and represents a model early college program. We plan to continue to grow VECA to ultimately include grades six through twelve and to research that growth and development.

Healthy Schools

Science.gov (United States)

... Nutrition Facts School Meals Smart Snacks Celebrations & Rewards Food and Beverage Marketing Water Access Healthy Eating Learning Opportunities Staff ... Services Acute & Emergency Care Care Coordination Chronic Disease Management Family Engagement Chronic ... Allergies Oral Health Local School Wellness Policy Whole ...

Sport-2-Stay-Fit study: Health effects of after-school sport participation in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Zwinkels, Maremka; Verschuren, Olaf; Lankhorst, Kristel; van der Ende-Kastelijn, Karin; de Groot, Janke; Backx, Frank; Visser-Meily, Anne; Takken, Tim

2015-01-01

Children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability have lower fitness levels compared to their non-disabled peers. Low physical fitness is associated with reduced physical activity, increased cardiovascular diseases, and lower levels of both cognitive and psychosocial functioning. Moreover, children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability participate less in both recreational and competitive sports. A variety of intervention studies have shown positive, but only temporary, effects of training programs. Next to issues related to the chronic condition itself, various personal and environmental factors play a key role in determining the extent to which they participate in sports or physical activities. Due to these barriers, sport participation in the immediate after-school hours seems to be a feasible solution to get these children and adolescents physical active structurally. To investigate if an after school sport program can sustain the positive effects of an intervention, a standardized interval training will be given to improve physical fitness levels. High-intensity Interval Training (HIT) is superior to moderate-intensity continuous training in improving physical fitness in patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, the Sport-2-Stay-Fit study will investigate whether after school sport participation can increase the sustainability of a HIT program in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability. The Sport-2-Stay-Fit study is a clinical controlled trial. A total of 74 children and adolescents in the age of 6-19 years with a chronic disease or physical disability will be included. This could be either a cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorder. Both children and adolescents who are ambulatory or propelling a manual wheelchair will be included. All participants will follow a HIT program of eight weeks to improve their physical fitness level. Thereafter, the

Aggressive and chronic periodontitis in a population of Moroccan school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kissa, Jamila; Chemlali, Sihame; El Houari, Bouchra; Amine, Khadija; Khlil, Nadia; Mikou, Salwa; Nadifi, Sellama; Albandar, Jasim M

2016-11-01

This study assessed the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and demographics of chronic and aggressive periodontitis in a representative sample drawn from a subpopulation in Morocco. Eight hundred and thirty students representative of 12+ years old attending schools in the Province of Benslimane, Morocco were selected by a multi-phased, probability sampling. Their age was 12-25 years (mean: 16.1 years) and comprised of 50% males and 50% females. Chronic and aggressive periodontitis were determined clinically. A total of 31% and 10.1% of the subjects had ≥4 mm and ≥6 mm attachment loss, respectively; 4.9% had aggressive periodontitis, and 6.4% had chronic periodontitis. Subjects with chronic periodontitis typically had 4-5 mm attachment loss affecting a few molars or premolars. Subjects with aggressive periodontitis had ≥5 mm attachment loss affecting multiple teeth, and 68% and 73% of these subjects had ≥6 mm attachment loss affecting maxillary and mandibular molars respectively. Attachment loss and periodontitis were significantly more prevalent in the 19-25 years group, than the 12-18 years age group. There were no significant differences in disease prevalence by gender or ethnic groups (Arab versus Berber). This young Moroccan population is at high risk of destructive periodontal disease, and further studies are indicated to investigate the biological and environmental factors that may contribute to the increased risk of disease in this population. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Connect-Text: Leveraging Text-Message Communication to Mitigate Chronic Absenteeism and Improve Parental Engagement in the Earliest Years of Schooling

Science.gov (United States)

Smythe-Leistico, Kenneth; Page, Lindsay C.

2018-01-01

Poor school attendance in the early grades is predictive of poor subsequent educational outcomes. We report on a pilot intervention aiming to reduce chronic absenteeism in kindergarten. We designed and implemented a two-way, text-based parent-school communication system to encourage daily attendance, provide parents with personalized feedback on…

WWC Review of the Report "Meeting the Challenge of Combating Chronic Absenteeism: Impact of the NYC Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Chronic Absenteeism and School Attendance and Its Implications for Other Cities." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

Science.gov (United States)

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The 2013 study, "Meeting the Challenge of Combating Chronic Absenteeism: Impact of the NYC Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Chronic Absenteeism and School Attendance and Its Implications for Other Cities", examined the impact of the strategies developed by an interagency task force in New York City to combat chronic absenteeism in…

Ethnic and social disparities in different types of examinations in undergraduate pre-clinical training.

Science.gov (United States)

Stegers-Jager, K M; Brommet, F N; Themmen, A P N

2016-12-01

Medical schools are increasingly faced with a more diverse student population. Generally, ethnic minority students are reported to underperform compared with those from the ethnic majority. However, there are inconsistencies in findings in different types of examinations. Additionally, little is known about the performance of first-generation university students and about performance differences across ethnic minority groups. This study aimed to investigate underperformance across ethnic minority groups and by first-generation university students in different types of written tests and clinical skills examinations during pre-clinical training. A longitudinal prospective cohort study of progress on a 3-year Dutch Bachelor of Medicine course was conducted. Participants included 2432 students who entered the course over a consecutive 6-year period (2008-2013). Compared with Dutch students, the three non-Western ethnic minority groups (Turkish/Moroccan/African, Surinamese/Antillean and Asian) underperformed in the clinical problem solving tests, the language test and the OSCEs. Findings on the theoretical end-of-block tests and writing skills tests, and results for Western minority students were less consistent. Age, gender, pre-university grade point average and additional socio-demographic variables (including first-generation university student, first language, and medical doctor parent) could explain the ethnicity-related differences in theoretical examinations, but not in language, clinical and writing skills examinations. First-generation university students only underperformed in the language test. Apparently, underperformance differs both across ethnic subgroups and between different types of written and clinical examinations. Medical schools should ensure their assessment strategies create a level playing field for all students and explore reasons for underperformance in the clinical and writing skills examinations.

First-generation Students’ Underperformance at University: The Impact of the Function of Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mickaël eJury

2015-05-01

Full Text Available According to recent research, university not only has the role to educate and train students, it also has the role to select the best students. We argue that this function of selection disadvantages first-generation students, in comparison with continuing-generation students. Thus, the mere activation of the function of selection should be sufficient to produce achievement differences between first-generation and continuing-generation students in a novel academic task. Furthermore, we propose that when the function of selection is salient, first-generation students would be more vigilant to a cue that may confirm their inferiority, which should explain their underperformance. In the present experiment, participants were asked to complete an arithmetic modular task under two conditions, which either made the function of selection salient or reduced its importance. Participants’ vigilance to a threatening cue (i.e., their performance relative to others was measured through an eye-tracking technique. The results confirmed that first-generation students performed more poorly compared to continuing-generation students only when the function of selection was salient while no differences appeared in the no-selection condition. Regarding vigilance, the results did not confirm our hypothesis; thus, mediation path could not be tested. However, results indicated that at a high level of initial performance, first-generation students looked more often at the threatening cue. In others words, these students seemed more concerned about whether they were performing more poorly than others compared to their continuing-generation counterparts. Some methodological issues are discussed, notably regarding the measure of vigilance.

Missing School Matters

Science.gov (United States)

Balfanz, Robert

2016-01-01

Results of a survey conducted by the Office for Civil Rights show that 6 million public school students (13%) are not attending school regularly. Chronic absenteeism--defined as missing more than 10% of school for any reason--has been negatively linked to many key academic outcomes. Evidence shows that students who exit chronic absentee status can…

The Association of Health-Related Fitness and Chronic Absenteeism Status in New York City Middle School Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Agostino, Emily M; Day, Sophia E; Konty, Kevin J; Larkin, Michael; Saha, Subir; Wyka, Katarzyna

2018-03-23

Extensive research demonstrates the benefits of fitness on children's health and academic performance. Although decreases in health-related fitness may increase school absenteeism, multiple years of prospective, child-level data are needed to examine whether fitness changes predict subsequent chronic absenteeism status. Six cohorts of New York City public school students were followed from grades 5-8 (2006/2007-2012/2013; N = 349,381). A longitudinal 3-level logistic generalized linear mixed model with random intercepts was used to test the association of individual children's changes in fitness and 1-year lagged chronic absenteeism. The odds of chronic absenteeism increased 27% [odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.25-1.30], 15% (OR 95% CI, 1.13-1.18), 9% (OR 95% CI, 1.07-1.11), and 1% (OR 95% CI, 0.98-1.04), for students who had a >20% decrease, 10%-20% decrease, 20% fitness increase. These findings contribute important longitudinal evidence to a cross-sectional literature, demonstrating reductions in youth fitness may increase absenteeism. Given only 25% of youth aged 12-15 years achieve the recommended daily 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity, future work should examine the potential for youth fitness interventions to reduce absenteeism and foster positive attitudes toward lifelong physical activity.

The use of mobile technologies for mathematical engagement in informal learning environments

OpenAIRE

2014-01-01

M.Ed. (Ict in Education) South African learners are underperforming in Mathematics. Annual National Assessments for grade 9 and grade 12 results in Mathematics are shocking according to the Ministry of Education. This study investigates informal learning as an alternative method of addressing underperformance in Mathematics in South African schools. Informal learning with the use of mobile technology enhances engagement in Mathematics learning. The participants of this study had access to ...

Affect School for chronic benign pain patients showed improved alexithymia assessments with TAS-20

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thulesius Hans O

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Alexithymia is a disturbance associated with psychosomatic disorders, pain syndromes, and a variety of psychiatric disorders. The Affect School (AS based on Tomkins Affect Theory is a therapy focusing on innate affects and their physiological expressions, feelings, emotions and scripts. In this pilot study we tried the AS-intervention method in patients with chronic benign pain. Methods The AS-intervention, with 8 weekly group sessions and 10 individual sessions, was offered to 59 patients with chronic non-malignant pain at a pain rehabilitation clinic in Sweden 2004-2005. Pre and post intervention assessments were done with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20, the Visual Analogue Scale for pain assessment (VAS-pain, the European Quality of Life health barometer (EQoL and the Stress and Crisis Inventory-93 (SCI-93. After the group sessions we used Bergdahl's Questionnaire for assessing changes in interpersonal relations, general well-being and evaluation of AS. Results The AS intervention was completed by 54 out of 59 (92% patients. Significant reductions in total TAS-20 post-test scores (p = 0.0006 as well as TAS-20 DIF and DDF factors (Difficulties Identifying Feelings, and Difficulties Describing Feelings were seen (p = 0.0001, and p = 0.0008 while the EOT factor (Externally Oriented Thinking did not change. Improvements of HAD-depression scores (p = 0.04, EQoL (p = 0.02 and self-assessed changes in relations to others (p Conclusions This pilot study involving 59 patients with chronic benign pain indicates that the alexithymia DIF and DDF, as well as depression, social relations and quality of life may be improved by the Affect School therapeutic intervention.

Causes of extreme fatigue in underperforming athletes - a synthesis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Furthermore, it has recently been demonstrated that exogenous administration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) increases the sensation of fatigue during exercise. In light of current cytokine and chronic fatigue syndrome research, this article reviews and updates the cytokine theories that attempt to explain the aetiology of the ...

Managing Food Allergies at School: School Nurses

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-20

This podcast highlights the leadership role of school nurses in the management of food allergies in schools. It also identifies CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/20/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/20/2015.

Back schools for the treatment of chronic low back pain: possibility of benefit but no convincing evidence after 47 years of research-systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Straube, Sebastian; Harden, Markus; Schröder, Heiko; Arendacka, Barbora; Fan, Xiangning; Moore, R Andrew; Friede, Tim

2016-10-01

Back schools are interventions that comprise exercise and education components. We aimed to systematically review the randomized controlled trial evidence on back schools for the treatment of chronic low back pain. By searching MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central as well as bibliographies, we identified 31 studies for inclusion in our systematic review and 5 of these for inclusion in meta-analyses. Meta-analyses for pain scores and functional outcomes revealed statistical superiority of back schools vs no intervention for some comparisons but not others. No meta-analysis was feasible for the comparison of back schools vs other active treatments. Adverse events were poorly reported so that no reliable conclusions regarding the safety of back schools can be drawn, although some limited reassurance in this regard may be derived from the fact that few adverse events and no serious adverse events were reported in the back school groups in the studies that did report on safety. Overall, the evidence base for the use of back schools to treat chronic low back pain is weak; in nearly a half-century since back schools were first trialled, no unequivocal evidence of benefit has emerged.

Back schools for the treatment of chronic low back pain: possibility of benefit but no convincing evidence after 47 years of research—systematic review and meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Straube, Sebastian; Harden, Markus; Schröder, Heiko; Arendacka, Barbora; Fan, Xiangning; Moore, R. Andrew; Friede, Tim

2016-01-01

Abstract Back schools are interventions that comprise exercise and education components. We aimed to systematically review the randomized controlled trial evidence on back schools for the treatment of chronic low back pain. By searching MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central as well as bibliographies, we identified 31 studies for inclusion in our systematic review and 5 of these for inclusion in meta-analyses. Meta-analyses for pain scores and functional outcomes revealed statistical superiority of back schools vs no intervention for some comparisons but not others. No meta-analysis was feasible for the comparison of back schools vs other active treatments. Adverse events were poorly reported so that no reliable conclusions regarding the safety of back schools can be drawn, although some limited reassurance in this regard may be derived from the fact that few adverse events and no serious adverse events were reported in the back school groups in the studies that did report on safety. Overall, the evidence base for the use of back schools to treat chronic low back pain is weak; in nearly a half-century since back schools were first trialled, no unequivocal evidence of benefit has emerged. PMID:27257858

Managing Food Allergies at School: School Nutrition Professionals

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-13

This podcast highlights the role of school nutrition professionals in the management of food allergies in schools. It also identifies CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/13/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/13/2015.

Showing up Matters: Newark Chronic Absenteeism in the Early Years

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Peter; Rice, Cynthia

2016-01-01

Based on a 180-day school year, any student who misses 18 days or more per year--or about two days per month--is considered chronically absent. An alarming 4,328 Newark students in grades kindergarten through 3rd grade were chronically absent during the 2013-14 school year. When young students miss too much school, they will likely struggle…

Underperformance of Planning for Peri-Urban Rural Sustainable Development: The Case of Mentougou District in Beijing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Lin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available As the basic cell of social structures and spatial units, rural settlement is now experiencing profound changes through the rapid urbanization process underway in China, particularly in peri-urban areas which serve as the main platform and battlefield for urban–rural integration in China’s latest round of new urbanization. Therefore, how to achieve better planning for rural settlement in peri-urban areas is becoming a pressing and paramount research agenda. This paper attempts to explore the possible reasons for the underperformance of planning practice for rural settlement in peri-urban areas of China by taking the Mentougou district of Beijing as a case study. Following a quick and comprehensive review of planning in Mentougou district, a systematic and critical evaluation is then conducted accordingly. It shows that the plans generally play a positive role in development orientation and implementation. Yet, there is still a lot of room for improvement, particularly in the following aspects: (1 lack of initiative and innovation at the local level; (2 lack of long-term vision and consistent implementation; (3 lack of rationale-oriented approach; (4 lack of scientific and in-depth research; (5 lack of multi-stakeholder participation. As a way forward, this paper thus proposes a revised planning scheme for local practice, including classification of typologies and the customized planning design for each typology. At last, this paper calls for more in-depth scientific research on some key topics in the planning field, domestically and internationally.

Improving low-performing high schools: searching for evidence of promise.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischman, Steve; Heppen, Jessica

2009-01-01

Noting that many of the nation's high schools are beset with major problems, such as low student reading and math achievement, high dropout rates, and an inadequate supply of effective teachers, Steve Fleischman and Jessica Heppen survey a range of strategies that educators have used to improve low-performing high schools. The authors begin by showing how the standards-based school reform movement, together with the No Child Left Behind Act requirement that underperforming schools adopt reforms supported by scientifically based research, spurred policy makers, educators, and researchers to create and implement a variety of approaches to attain improvement. Fleischman and Heppen then review a number of widely adopted reform models that aim to change "business as usual" in low-performing high schools. The models include comprehensive school reform programs, dual enrollment and early college high schools, smaller learning communities, specialty (for example, career) academies, charter high schools, and education management organizations. In practice, say the authors, many of these improvement efforts overlap, defying neat distinctions. Often, reforms are combined to reinforce one another. The authors explain the theories that drive the reforms, review evidence of their reforms' effectiveness to date, and suggest what it will take to make them work well. Although the reforms are promising, the authors say, few as yet have solid evidence of systematic or sustained success. In concluding, Fleischman and Heppen emphasize that the reasons for a high school's poor performance are so complex that no one reform model or approach, no matter how powerful, can turn around low-performing schools. They also stress the need for educators to implement each reform program with fidelity to its requirements and to support it for the time required for success. Looking to the future, the authors suggest steps that decision makers, researchers, and sponsors of research can take to promote

Managing Food Allergies at School: School Mental Health Professionals

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-20

This podcast highlights the role of school mental health professionals in the management of food allergies in schools. It also identifies CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/20/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/20/2015.

Managing Food Allergies at School: School Administrators

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-15

This podcast highlights the importance of ensuring that comprehensive school plans are in place to manage food allergies. It also identifies some key actions school administrators can take to support students with food allergies, and highlights CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/15/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/15/2015.

Managing Food Allergies at School: School Superintendents

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-13

This podcast highlights the importance of ensuring that comprehensive school district plans are in place to manage food allergies. It also identifies some key actions school superintendents can take to support students with food allergies, and highlights CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/13/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/20/2015.

Chronic Absenteeism in Tennessee's Early Grades

Science.gov (United States)

Attridge, Jonathon

2016-01-01

Although the average daily attendance rate for Tennessee students is 95 percent, almost 45,000, or 10 percent, of Tennessee K-3 students missed at least a month's worth of school days during the 2014-15 school year. These "chronically absent" students present a particular problem for schools that are charged with developing foundational…

Improved interoceptive awareness in chronic low back pain: a comparison of Back school versus Feldenkrais method.

Science.gov (United States)

Paolucci, Teresa; Zangrando, Federico; Iosa, Marco; De Angelis, Simona; Marzoli, Caterina; Piccinini, Giulia; Saraceni, Vincenzo Maria

2017-05-01

To determine the efficacy of the Feldenkrais method for relieving pain in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and the improvement of interoceptive awareness. This study was designed as a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Fifty-three patients with a diagnosis of CLBP for at least 3 months were randomly allocated to the Feldenkrais (mean age 61.21 ± 11.53 years) or Back School group (mean age 60.70 ± 11.72 years). Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), disability was evaluated with the Waddel Disability Index, quality of life was measured with the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), and mind-body interactions were studied using the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Questionnaire (MAIA). Data were collected at baseline, at the end of treatment, and at the 3-month follow-up. The two groups were matched at baseline for all the computed parameters. At the end of treatment (Tend), there were no significant differences between groups regarding chronic pain reduction (p = 0.290); VAS and MAIA-N sub scores correlated at Tend (R = 0.296, p = 0.037). By the Friedman analysis, both groups experienced significant changes in pain (p Back School in CLBP. Implications for rehabilitation The Feldenkrais method is a mind-body therapy that is based on awareness through movement lessons, which are verbally guided explorations of movement that are conducted by a physiotherapist who is experienced and trained in this method. It aims to increase self-awareness, expand a person's repertoire of movements, and to promote increased functioning in contexts in which the entire body cooperates in the execution of movements. Interoceptive awareness, which improves with rehabilitation, has a complex function in the perception of chronic pain and should be investigated further in future research. The efficacy of the Feldenkrais method is comparable with that of BS for nonspecific chronic

Short- and Long-Term Effects of CBT-I in Groups for School-Age Children Suffering From Chronic Insomnia: The KiSS-Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlarb, Angelika A; Bihlmaier, Isabel; Velten-Schurian, Kerstin; Poets, Christian F; Hautzinger, Martin

2018-01-01

This intervention study evaluates the short- and long-term effects of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in groups for school-age children and their parents, named the KiSS-program. CBT-I was implemented in three sessions for children and three sessions for parents. All in all, 112 children with chronic childhood insomnia were randomly assigned to a wait-list (WL) control or treatment condition. According to subjective measures as well as objective wrist actigraphy, children in the CBT-I condition reported greater improvements in sleep behavior immediately after the treatment compared to the WL group. Improvements in sleep behavior after CBT-I persisted over the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up assessments. The present study is the first randomized controlled trial that provides evidence for the long-term effectiveness of CBT-I in treating school-age children with chronic insomnia.

Chronic Absenteeism: A Key Indicator of Student Success. Policy Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Rafa, Alyssa

2017-01-01

Research shows that chronic absenteeism can affect academic performance in later grades and is a key early warning sign that a student is more likely to drop out of high school. Several states enacted legislation to address this issue, and many states are currently discussing the utility of chronic absenteeism as an indicator of school quality or…

Managing Food Allergies at School: School Transportation Staff

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-20

This podcast highlights the role of bus drivers and transportation staff in the management of food allergies in schools. It also identifies CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/20/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/20/2015.

An explorative study of school performance and antipsychotic medication.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Schans, J; Vardar, S; Çiçek, R; Bos, H J; Hoekstra, P J; de Vries, T W; Hak, E

2016-09-21

Antipsychotic therapy can reduce severe symptoms of psychiatric disorders, however, data on school performance among children on such treatment are lacking. The objective was to explore school performance among children using antipsychotic drugs at the end of primary education. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the University Groningen pharmacy database linked to academic achievement scores at the end of primary school (Dutch Cito-test) obtained from Statistics Netherlands. Mean Cito-test scores and standard deviations were obtained for children on antipsychotic therapy and reference children, and statistically compared using analyses of covariance. In addition, differences in subgroups as boys versus girls, ethnicity, household income, and late starters (start date within 12 months of the Cito-test) versus early starters (start date > 12 months before the Cito-test) were tested. In all, data from 7994 children could be linked to Cito-test scores. At the time of the Cito-test, 45 (0.6 %) were on treatment with antipsychotics. Children using antipsychotics scored on average 3.6 points lower than the reference peer group (534.5 ± 9.5). Scores were different across gender and levels of household income (p starters were significantly higher than starters within 12 months (533.7 ± 1.7 vs. 524.1 ± 2.6). This first exploration showed that children on antipsychotic treatment have lower school performance compared to the reference peer group at the end of primary school. This was most noticeable for girls, but early starters were less affected than later starters. Due to the observational cross-sectional nature of this study, no causality can be inferred, but the results indicate that school performance should be closely monitored and causes of underperformance despite treatment warrants more research.

Support network of adolescents with chronic disease: adolescents' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyngäs, Helvi

2004-12-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the support network of adolescents with a chronic disease from their own perspective. Data were collected by interviewing adolescents with asthma, epilepsy, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). The sample consisted of 40 adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years. Interview data were examined using content analysis. Six main categories were established to describe the support network of adolescents with a chronic disease: parents, peers, school, health care providers, technology and pets. Peers were divided into two groups: fellow sufferers and peers without a chronic disease. At school, teachers, school nurses and classmates were part of the support network. Health care providers included nurses, physicians and physiotherapists. Technology was also part of the support network and included four techniques that may be used to communicate: computers, mobile telephones, television and videos. The results provided a useful insight into the social network of adolescents with chronic disease and serve to raise awareness of the problems and opinions experienced by adolescents with this condition.

Ethnic and social disparities in different types of examinations in undergraduate pre-clinical training

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.M. Stegers-Jager (Karen); F.N. Brommet; A.P.N. Themmen (Axel)

2016-01-01

textabstractMedical schools are increasingly faced with a more diverse student population. Generally, ethnic minority students are reported to underperform compared with those from the ethnic majority. However, there are inconsistencies in findings in different types of examinations. Additionally,

Overlooking the Descent: Operational Definition, Identification, and Description of School Decline

Science.gov (United States)

Hochbein, Craig

2011-01-01

Educators, researchers, politicians, and the media have committed considerable time, attention, and effort to chronically low-performing schools. Although many have chided the schools for their unacceptable performance or designed strategies to improve them, few have sought to understand how these schools became chronically low-performing in the…

Using Data and the Human Touch: Evaluating the NYC Inter-Agency Campaign to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism

Science.gov (United States)

Balfanz, Robert; Byrnes, Vaughan

2018-01-01

Following a 2008 report that documented the extent of chronic absenteeism in New York City's schools, the city organized an interagency task force to develop and implement a citywide effort to reduce chronic absenteeism. Given the size of the city school system and the scope of chronic absenteeism, the effort became the nation's most comprehensive…

School Health Services

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2017-09-13

School health services reduce absenteeism and improve academic achievement according to research. If you have school-aged children, you’ll want to listen to this podcast to learn more about healthy school environments and the link between health and academic achievement.  Created: 9/13/2017 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 9/13/2017.

The Prevalence of Mathematical Anxiety in a Business School: A Comparative Study across Subject Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Howard

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Mathematical anxiety is a phenomenon linked to poor attainment in mathematics and restricted development of mathematical skills among those who are afflicted by it. Unfortunately most undergraduate courses in business related areas require the further study of mathematics to enable effective business decision making and students who suffer from mathematical anxiety are placed at risk of underperformance or failure in such quantitative modules. This paper summarizes the results of a survey (n = 330 of students joining a university business school with a view to ascertaining the degree of mathematical anxiety exhibited by incoming students. Results of the survey show no significant differences in anxiety attributable to age or gender but significant differences attributable to level of study and subject area. Implications of the findings for a redesigned teaching approach are discussed drawing on suggestions from the literature surrounding mathematical anxiety.

The child with arthritis in the school setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, C H; Zanga, J; Passo, M; Walker, D

1986-10-01

The school experience is a crucial one for the child with arthritis. In school, these children face obstacles common to all chronically ill children and certain problems unique to a child with arthritis. The school environment for these children has changed drastically in the last two decades with the new civil rights legislation on the state and federal levels. Today there is a better chance of a child with arthritis having a relatively problem-free school experience than ever before. The pediatrician can be a source of information, advice, support, and help with any school problems that the child and parent cannot solve. Most minor problems, such as medication at school, physical education problems, an extra set of books, and extra time between classes, may be solved by an informal telephone call or a letter. More severe problems, such as prolonged and frequent absences, multiple modifications of the school environment, and contesting of school placement, may require the use of more formal channels, including the IEP process and parent advocacy groups. When chronic problems exist in the school system, the pediatrician may choose to work for needed changes that improve the school situation of these and other chronically ill children. The pediatrician also may serve as a valued adviser and educator to the school system in the difficult task of educating these special children.

School Attendance, Absenteeism, and Student Success. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Oregon Department of Education, 2015

2015-01-01

Oregon Department of Education staff spoke with principals from five Oregon schools that had low rates of chronic absenteeism compared to schools with similar demographics during the 2014-15 school year: Echo Shaw Elementary School, Free Orchards Elementary School, Dayton Junior High School, Valor Middle School, and North Marion High School. Each…

Child Labour and Basic Education in Latin America and the Caribbean

OpenAIRE

James R. Himes; Vicky Colbert de Arboleda; Emilio Garcia Mendez

1994-01-01

The high primary school enrolment rates in Latin America and the Caribbean mask poor performance in terms of the quality, relevance and cost-effectiveness of formal schooling in the region. What happens to the millions of children who repeat school years, underperform in their first years of schooling and eventually drop out? The vast majority are working children of one sort or another, but their work is likely to lead nowhere in terms of expanded opportunities or eventually to a decent stan...

Vignettes of scholars: A case study of black male students at a STEM early college high school

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Tempestt Richardson

Ensuring students graduate high school ready to enter college or the workforce has become a prime focus within secondary education. High school graduates are often ill-prepared for college-level work and often have to register for remedial courses before they can take standard college level courses (Southern Regional Education Board, 2010). Serving as both a solution to this concern and an alternative to traditional high schools, early college high schools were created to focus on increasing the number of students graduating from high school and enrolling in college. Early college high schools seek to serve students who have traditionally underperformed in school and those who are underrepresented in higher education including students of color, first-generation college students, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and English language learners (Barnett, Bucceri, Hindo, Kim, 2013; "Overview & FAQS," 2013). In efforts to learn more about how early colleges are meeting the needs of students, this dissertation examines the experiences, identity construction, and perceptions of Black male students at a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) based early college high school. Using a qualitative case study design, participants were eight Black male upperclassmen enrolled in a STEM early college high school, located on the campus of a four-year university. Data was collected through focus groups and individual interviews and data was analyzed thematically. Findings suggest students in this study have largely positive experiences at their early college high school. Despite some challenges, the early college high school environment helps facilitate scholar identities, and the STEM focus of the school helps students learn more about their strengths and weaknesses. The implications of the research, recommendations for educational stakeholders, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Parental Involvement of Mothers with Chronic Illness and Children's Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yung-Chi; Fish, Marian C.

2013-01-01

This study examined how maternal chronic illnesses may affect children's academic achievement through parental involvement. A total of 189 mothers diagnosed with chronic illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, asthma, myelodysplasic syndrome, and fibromyalgia, and with a child in middle school or high…

School Nurses: An Investment in Student Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Maughan, Erin D.

2018-01-01

School nurses help students with the prevention and management of chronic physical and mental health issues, but not all schools have a full-time registered nurse on their staff. The author argues that investing in school nursing has benefits that extend beyond the school and into the community.

Development of the Parent Responses to School Functioning Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Barber Garcia, Brittany N; Gray, Laura S; Simons, Laura E; Logan, Deirdre E

2017-10-01

Parents play an important role in supporting school functioning in youth with chronic pain, but no validated tools exists to assess parental responses to child and adolescent pain behaviors in the school context. Such a tool would be useful in identifying targets of change to reduce pain-related school impairment. The goal of this study was to develop and preliminarily validate the Parent Responses to School Functioning Questionnaire (PRSF), a parent self-report measure of this construct. After initial expert review and pilot testing, the measure was administered to 418 parents of children (ages 6-17 years) seen for initial multidisciplinary chronic pain clinic evaluation. The final 16-item PRSF showed evidence of good internal consistency (α = .82) and 2-week test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .87). Criterion validity was demonstrated by significant correlations with school absence rates and overall school functioning, and construct validity was demonstrated by correlations with general parental responses to pain. Three subscales emerged capturing parents' personal distress, parents' level of distrust of the school, and parents' expectations and behaviors related to their child's management of challenging school situations. These results provide preliminary support for the PRSF as a psychometrically sound tool to assess parents' responses to child pain in the school setting. The 16-item PRSF measures parental responses to their child's chronic pain in the school context. The clinically useful measure can inform interventions aimed reducing functional disability in children with chronic pain by enhancing parents' ability to respond adaptively to child pain behaviors. Copyright © 2017 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Forced Use Treatment of Chronic Hemiparesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Gordon Millichap

2002-07-01

Full Text Available Twelve children (age 1 to 8 years with chronic (>1 year hemiparesis were treated by forced use, or constraint-induced, movement therapy at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.

School Choice, Student Mobility, and School Quality: Evidence from Post-Katrina New Orleans

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh, Richard O.; Duque, Matthew; McEachin, Andrew

2016-01-01

In recent decades, school choice policies predicated on student mobility have gained prominence as urban districts address chronically low-performing schools. However, scholars have highlighted equity concerns related to choice policies. The case of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans provides an opportunity to examine student mobility patterns in…

Blatant Stereotype Threat and Women's Math Performance: Self-Handicapping as a Strategic Means To Cope with Obtrusive Negative Performance Expectations.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Johannes

2002-01-01

Examined the impact of increased salience of negative stereotypic expectations on math performance among high school students. Results indicated that female students in the condition of heightened salience of negative stereotypic expectations underperformed in comparison to their control group counterparts. The effect of blatant stereotype threat…

Underperformance of African protected area networks and the case for new conservation models: insights from Zambia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsey, Peter A; Nyirenda, Vincent R; Barnes, Jonathan I; Becker, Matthew S; McRobb, Rachel; Tambling, Craig J; Taylor, W Andrew; Watson, Frederick G; t'Sas-Rolfes, Michael

2014-01-01

Many African protected areas (PAs) are not functioning effectively. We reviewed the performance of Zambia's PA network and provide insights into how their effectiveness might be improved. Zambia's PAs are under-performing in ecological, economic and social terms. Reasons include: a) rapidly expanding human populations, poverty and open-access systems in Game Management Areas (GMAs) resulting in widespread bushmeat poaching and habitat encroachment; b) underfunding of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) resulting in inadequate law enforcement; c) reliance of ZAWA on extracting revenues from GMAs to cover operational costs which has prevented proper devolution of user-rights over wildlife to communities; d) on-going marginalization of communities from legal benefits from wildlife; e) under-development of the photo-tourism industry with the effect that earnings are limited to a fraction of the PA network; f) unfavourable terms and corruption which discourage good practice and adequate investment by hunting operators in GMAs; g) blurred responsibilities regarding anti-poaching in GMAs resulting in under-investment by all stakeholders. The combined effect of these challenges has been a major reduction in wildlife densities in most PAs and the loss of habitat in GMAs. Wildlife fares better in areas with investment from the private and/or NGO sector and where human settlement is absent. There is a need for: elevated government funding for ZAWA; greater international donor investment in protected area management; a shift in the role of ZAWA such that they focus primarily on national parks while facilitating the development of wildlife-based land uses by other stakeholders elsewhere; and new models for the functioning of GMAs based on joint-ventures between communities and the private and/or NGO sector. Such joint-ventures should provide defined communities with ownership of land, user-rights over wildlife and aim to attract long-term private/donor investment. These

Underperformance of African protected area networks and the case for new conservation models: insights from Zambia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter A Lindsey

Full Text Available Many African protected areas (PAs are not functioning effectively. We reviewed the performance of Zambia's PA network and provide insights into how their effectiveness might be improved. Zambia's PAs are under-performing in ecological, economic and social terms. Reasons include: a rapidly expanding human populations, poverty and open-access systems in Game Management Areas (GMAs resulting in widespread bushmeat poaching and habitat encroachment; b underfunding of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA resulting in inadequate law enforcement; c reliance of ZAWA on extracting revenues from GMAs to cover operational costs which has prevented proper devolution of user-rights over wildlife to communities; d on-going marginalization of communities from legal benefits from wildlife; e under-development of the photo-tourism industry with the effect that earnings are limited to a fraction of the PA network; f unfavourable terms and corruption which discourage good practice and adequate investment by hunting operators in GMAs; g blurred responsibilities regarding anti-poaching in GMAs resulting in under-investment by all stakeholders. The combined effect of these challenges has been a major reduction in wildlife densities in most PAs and the loss of habitat in GMAs. Wildlife fares better in areas with investment from the private and/or NGO sector and where human settlement is absent. There is a need for: elevated government funding for ZAWA; greater international donor investment in protected area management; a shift in the role of ZAWA such that they focus primarily on national parks while facilitating the development of wildlife-based land uses by other stakeholders elsewhere; and new models for the functioning of GMAs based on joint-ventures between communities and the private and/or NGO sector. Such joint-ventures should provide defined communities with ownership of land, user-rights over wildlife and aim to attract long-term private/donor investment

An evaluation of a positive youth development program for adolescents with chronic illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Maslow, Gary; Adams, Cathleen; Willis, Matthew; Neukirch, Jodie; Herts, Kate; Froehlich, Wendy; Calleson, Diane; Rickerby, Michelle

2013-02-01

Youth with chronic illness often struggle transitioning to adulthood and adult medical care. This article examines the outcomes of a group mentoring program called The Adolescent Leadership Council (TALC) that brings together high school participants and college mentors, all with chronic illness. TALC uses a positive youth development (PYD) approach, emphasizing strong relationships between youth and adults in an environment where youth can learn important life skills and take a leadership role. A pre-/postprogram participant survey was conducted for high school participants using a loneliness scale and a transition readiness survey. An alumni survey was conducted with all high school and college mentor graduates to assess educational-, vocational-, and health care-related outcomes. Program records review and the alumni survey indicated that TALC was consistent with the PYD program model. Twenty high school students participated in the pre-/postprogram outcomes evaluation, which demonstrated a decrease in loneliness from 46 to 38.5 (p < .001) and an increase in health care self-advocacy from 3.8 to 4.2 (p < .001). Thirty-four alumni participated in the alumni survey. All high school and college mentor alumni had graduated from high school and college, respectively, and all were either currently in school or working. The majority of alumni were seeing adult providers for medical care. The TALC program applies the principles of PYD to support positive educational, vocational, and health care outcomes for youth with chronic illness. Program development using the PYD perspective is an important new approach for supporting adult development of youth with chronic illness. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Examining the Relationship between Congruency of Perceived Principal Leadership Style and Leadership Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Iwuanyanwu-Biemkpa, Catherine Chinedum

2017-01-01

Despite the constant interest in the theory and practice of leadership as it relates to leadership styles and leadership effectiveness, ongoing debate continues regarding the importance of leadership style and its effectiveness in the administration of underperforming schools. The problem addressed by this study was, despite frequent changes of…

Asthenia in Children with Chronic Viral Hepatitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.S. Lembryk

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In the article results of own researches concerning peculiarities of the course of asthenic syndrome in school-aged children with chronic hepatitis B, C and mixed forms are provided. It is established that chronic hepatitis C as well as a mixed hepatitis are accompanied by more evident symptoms of deadaptation and somatogenic asthenia than hepatitis B in which psychogenic manifestations prevailed. The degree of endogenous intoxication was also higher at hepatitis C.

Chronic stress and illness in children: the role of allostatic load.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston-Brooks, C H; Lewis, M A; Evans, G W; Whalen, C K

1998-01-01

Recent studies of stress have highlighted the contributions of chronic psychological and environmental stressors to health and well-being. Children may be especially vulnerable to the negative effects of chronic stressors. Allostasis, the body's ability to adapt and adjust to environmental demands, has been proposed as an explanatory mechanism for the stress-health link, yet empirical evidence is minimal. This study tested the proposition that allostasis may be an underlying physiological mechanism linking chronic stress to poor health outcomes in school-aged children. Specifically, we examined whether allostasis would mediate or moderate the link between chronic stress and health. To test the hypothesis that allostasis contributes to the relation between chronic stress and poor health, we examined household density as a chronic environmental stressor, cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) as a marker of allostatic load, and number of school absences due to illness as the health outcome in a sample of 81 boys. Structural equation modeling indicated that the mediating model fit the data well, accounting for 17% of the variance in days ill. Results provide the first evidence that CVR may mediate the relation between household density and medical illness in children. More generally, these findings support the role of allostasis as an underlying mechanism in the link between chronic stress and health.

Illuminating the "Boy Problem" from Children's and Teachers' Perspectives: A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Paula Louise; Jones, Louise

2016-01-01

The apparent educational underperformance of boys has received phenomenal attention worldwide for many years. In the UK, it has led to various government reports and policies aimed at raising boys' achievement. This small-scale qualitative-interpretive pilot study, undertaken in one urban primary school in North Wales, reports the findings from…

Social Capital and the Role of Trust in Aspirations for Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Carol

2014-01-01

This paper considers the role of social capital in the aspirations for higher education of a group of socially disadvantaged girls. Drawing on data from a longitudinal, ethnographic case study of an underperforming secondary school, the paper considers current conceptualisations of social capital and its role in educational ambitions. The paper…

Administrator Perceptions of the Achievement Gap between African American Students and Other Subpopulations

Science.gov (United States)

Royle, Jonathan

2013-01-01

The consistent underperformance of African American students casts a disparaging shadow on the success of American public schools. Research was necessary to understand the reason for such a difference in scores. Parents, teachers, and administrators must understand the reason for the gap in order to determine the strategies and support systems…

The Effects of School Turnaround in Tennessee's Achievement School District and Innovation Zones

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmer, Ron; Henry, Gary T.; Kho, Adam

2017-01-01

In recent years, the federal government has invested billions of dollars to reform chronically low-performing schools. To fulfill their federal Race to the Top grant agreement, Tennessee implemented three turnaround strategies that adhered to the federal restart and transformation models: (a) placed schools under the auspices of the Achievement…

A Conceptual Review of the Demands of chronic care and the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

1University of Zambia, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education Development ... University of Zambia ... becoming a growing health challenge in developing ... training of the nurses in chronic care nursing can ... the Corbin and Strauss Chronic Illness Trajectory ... their own with help from teachers both in the.

"Headache Tools to Stay in School": Assessment, Development, and Implementation of an Educational Guide for School Nurses

Science.gov (United States)

Lazdowsky, Lori; Rabner, Jonathan; Caruso, Alessandra; Kaczynski, Karen; Gottlieb, Sarah; Mahoney, Elyse; LeBel, Alyssa

2016-01-01

Background: Headache is the most common type of pain reported in the pediatric population, and chronic headache is an increasingly prevalent and debilitating pain condition in children and adolescents. With large numbers of students experiencing acute headaches and more students with chronic headache reentering typical school settings, greater…

Minority Student Academic Performance under the Uniform Admission Law: Evidence from the University of Texas at Austin

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Sunny X.; Tienda, Marta

2010-01-01

The University of Texas at Austin administrative data between 1990 and 2003 are used to evaluate claims that students granted automatic admission based on top 10% class rank underperform academically relative to lower ranked students who graduate from highly competitive high schools. Compared with White students ranked at or below the third…

Helping Nevada School Children Become Sun Smart

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2017-11-28

This podcast features Christine Thompson, Community Programs Manager at the Nevada Cancer Coalition, and author of a recent study detailing a school-based program to help Nevada school children establish healthy sun safety habits and decrease UV exposure. Christine answers questions about her research and what impact her what impact the program had on children’s skin health.  Created: 11/28/2017 by Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 11/28/2017.

Cost-effectiveness of a school-based health promotion program in Canada: A life-course modeling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekwaru, John Paul; Ohinmaa, Arto; Tran, Bach Xuan; Setayeshgar, Solmaz; Johnson, Jeffrey A; Veugelers, Paul J

2017-01-01

The Alberta Project Promoting active Living and healthy Eating in Schools (APPLE Schools) has been recognized as a "best practice" in preventing childhood obesity. To inform decision making on the economic implications of APPLE Schools and to justify investment, we evaluated the project's cost-effectiveness following a life-course approach. We developed a state transition model for the lifetime progression of body weight status comparing elementary school students attending APPLE Schools and control schools. This model quantified the lifetime impact of APPLE Schools in terms of prevention of excess body weight, chronic disease and improved quality-adjusted life years (QALY), from a school system's cost perspective. Both costs and health outcomes were discounted to their present value using 3% discount rate. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER) of APPLE schools was CA$33,421 per QALY gained, and CA$1,555, CA$1,709 and CA$14,218 per prevented person years of excess weight, obesity and chronic disease, respectively. These estimates show that APPLE Schools is cost effective at a threshold of ICER Schools was cost effective more than 64% of the time per QALY gained, when using a threshold of ICERSchool-based health promotion, such as APPLE Schools is a cost-effective intervention for obesity prevention and reduction of chronic disease risk over the lifetime. Expanding the coverage and allocating resources towards school-based programs like the APPLE Schools program, is likely to reduce the public health burden of obesity and chronic diseases.

Marginal Returns: Re-Thinking Mobility and Educational Benefit in Contexts of Chronic Poverty

Science.gov (United States)

Maddox, Bryan

2010-01-01

As a result of chronic poverty many people in South Asia experience poor quality schooling, interrupted schooling, or no schooling at all. People affected by poverty face multiple constraints on wellbeing, which typically include informal employment, low wages and poor health. In such contexts the benefits and, more specifically, the…

Doctor, Do You Make (School) House Calls?

Science.gov (United States)

Ekstrand, Richard E.

1982-01-01

Raises several questions concerning the provision of emergency and routine medical treatment during school hours for health-impaired children whose conditions are chronic and severe. Examples of standards to be met when school personnel respond to impaired children's health needs are offered. (RH)

The Voices behind the Numbers: Understanding the Experiences of Homeless Students

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Erica; Shields, Carolyn M.

2014-01-01

In a given year, approximately 1.6 million children in the United States experience homelessness, and research shows that their living conditions generally place these children at risk for educational underperformance and failure at school (Hall, 2007; Love, 2009). Although lack of education or low levels of education on the part of a head of…

Does contact by a family nurse practitioner decrease early school absence?

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, Jill; Price, Marva; Kotch, Jonathan; Willis, Stephanie; Fisher, Michael; Silva, Susan

2012-02-01

Chronic early school absence (preschool through third grade) is associated with school failure. The presence of school nurses may lead to fewer absences, and nurse practitioners in school-based health centers (SBHCs) can facilitate a healthier population resulting in improved attendance. Efforts to get students back to school are unexplored in nursing literature. This article describes a nursing intervention to decrease early school absence in two elementary schools K-3 (N = 449) and a Head Start program (N = 130). The Head Start Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) contacted families of chronically and excessively absent students by telephone, clinic visit at school, or home visit. The aggregate percentage attendance was evaluated by grades (preschool to third grade), schools (Head Start, Elementary Schools 1 and 2), and grades and schools and compared with publicly available school district aggregate data. There were statistically significant increases in attendance from Year 1 to Year 2 at p < .05 at the elementary level but not at the Head Start level. Student demographics, types of contacts, absence reasons (including sick child), and medical diagnoses are described.

Young adult outcomes of children growing up with chronic illness: an analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Maslow, Gary R; Haydon, Abigail A; Ford, Carol Ann; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker

2011-03-01

To examine young adult outcomes in a nationally representative US cohort of young adults growing up with a chronic illness. Secondary analysis of nationally representative data from wave III (in 2001) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. United States. The analytic sample comprised 13 236 young adults aged 18 to 28 years at wave III. Self-report of a chronic physical illness (asthma, cancer, diabetes mellitus, or epilepsy) in adolescence. Respondents with asthma or nonasthmatic chronic illness (cancer, diabetes mellitus, or epilepsy) were compared with individuals without these conditions. Self-report of high school graduation, ever having employment, currently having employment, living with a parent/guardian, and ever receiving public assistance. Three percent of young adults had nonasthmatic chronic illness (cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy), and 16.0% had asthma. Most young adults with chronic illness graduated high school (81.3%) and currently had employment (60.4%). However, compared with healthy young adults, those with nonasthmatic chronic illness were significantly less likely to graduate high school, ever have had employment, or currently have employment and were more likely to receive public assistance. Compared with young adults with asthma, those with nonasthmatic chronic illness again had significantly worse young adult outcomes on all measures. Most young adults growing up with a chronic illness graduate high school and have employment. However, these young adults are significantly less likely than their healthy peers to achieve these important educational and vocational milestones.

Symptomatology and etiology of chronic pediatric rhinosinusitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ilhan, Adem Emre; Karaman, Murat; Tekin, Arman

2012-01-01

This study aims to define symptoms and etiology and determine how to prevent chronic rhinosinusitis in children. Between February 2003 and February 2005, 50 pediatric patients (25 girls and 25 boys; mean age 8.22 years; range 4 to 14 years) with chronic rhinosinusitis were included in the study. The patients were questioned about anterior/posterior nasal dripping, night cough, headache, nausea, vomiting and nasal obstruction for symptomatology; about school condition, smoking behavior of parents and history of asthma for etiology. Hemogram, serum biochemistry, allergy test, nasal smear, chest and lateral neck radiography and sweat test were performed. Symptomatologic examination revealed that 48% had anterior nasal dripping, 62% with postnasal dripping, 70% with headache and 90% with nasal obstruction. Evaluation of etiological factors revealed that 68% were going to school, 48% of the parents had the history of smoking, 42% with allergy test-positivity and 60% with adenoid vegetation. Our study results indicated that environmental factors are important as etiological factors in rhinosinusitis. For prevention, we recommend restriction of close relationship at school, not to smoke at home and vaccination in each year with influenza and S. pneumonia vaccine.

Paediatric chronic illness and educational failure: the role of emotional and behavioural problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Layte, Richard; McCrory, Cathal

2013-08-01

Chronic illness in childhood is associated with worse educational outcomes. The association is usually explained via lowered cognitive development, decreased readiness to learn and school absence. However, this paper examines whether worse psychological adjustment may also play a role. We use data from the Growing Up in Ireland study, a cohort study, which collected data on 8,568 nine-year-old children through the Irish national school system using a two-stage sampling method. Maximum likelihood path analytic models are used to assess the direct effect of child chronic illness on reading and maths test scores and the mediating role of emotional and behavioural problems. In unadjusted analyses, children with a mental and behavioural condition scored 14.5 % points less on reading tests and 16.9 % points less on maths tests than their healthy peers. Children with non-mental and behavioural conditions scored 3 % points less on both tests, a significant difference. Mental and behavioural (OR, 9.58) and other chronic conditions (OR, 1.61) were significantly more likely to have 'high' levels of difficulties on the SDQ. Path analysis models showed that the association between chronic illness and educational test scores was completely mediated by emotional and behavioural problems controlling for school absence and bullying by peers. Child and adolescent chronic illness can have significant effects on educational development and a long-lasting impact on future life-chances. The psychological adjustment of the child is important in mediating the effect of chronic illness on educational outcomes. Interventions should target this developmental pathway.

Creating an Asthma-Friendly School

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2007-11-08

This podcast features real-life success stories of students with asthma who, thanks to their schools' implementation of asthma-friendly policies and programs, now have their asthma under control.  Created: 11/8/2007 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH).   Date Released: 5/20/2008.

Social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of secondary school students with low academic and language performance: perspectives from students, teachers, and parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Joffe, Victoria L; Black, Emma

2012-10-01

Adolescence is a time of transition when young people with language difficulties are at increased risk of experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). Most studies of social, emotional, and behavioral functioning (SEBF) in individuals with language difficulties focus on children with a clinical diagnosis of language impairment. This study explores SEBF in a nonclinical group of 12-year-old students with low educational and language performance from their own perspectives and those of their parents and teachers. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire ( Goodman, 1997) was given to 352 mainstream secondary school students who were underperforming academically and had poor language performance. Two hundred and twenty-five of their parents and 230 of their teachers also completed the questionnaire. Students with low educational attainment and poor language showed significantly greater SEBD than a normative sample as reported by themselves, their parents, and their teachers. Significant differences were found across informants, with students identifying more overall difficulties than parents or teachers. Secondary school students with low academic and language performance are more vulnerable to experiencing SEBD compared to typically developing peers. The extent of their difficulties varied depending on the informant, emphasizing the importance of gaining views from multiple perspectives.

Research Concerns, Cautions and Considerations on Black Males in a "Post-Racial" Society

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Tyrone C.; Flennaugh, Terry

2011-01-01

Black males continue to be one of the most academically marginalized groups of students in US schools, and undoubtedly the role of race and racism has largely influenced these experiences. The paradox of the underperformance of Black males has been the election of President Obama in 2008. The Obama election has led some to question whether or not…

Cost-effectiveness of a school-based health promotion program in Canada: A life-course modeling approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Paul Ekwaru

Full Text Available The Alberta Project Promoting active Living and healthy Eating in Schools (APPLE Schools has been recognized as a "best practice" in preventing childhood obesity. To inform decision making on the economic implications of APPLE Schools and to justify investment, we evaluated the project's cost-effectiveness following a life-course approach.We developed a state transition model for the lifetime progression of body weight status comparing elementary school students attending APPLE Schools and control schools. This model quantified the lifetime impact of APPLE Schools in terms of prevention of excess body weight, chronic disease and improved quality-adjusted life years (QALY, from a school system's cost perspective. Both costs and health outcomes were discounted to their present value using 3% discount rate.The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER of APPLE schools was CA$33,421 per QALY gained, and CA$1,555, CA$1,709 and CA$14,218 per prevented person years of excess weight, obesity and chronic disease, respectively. These estimates show that APPLE Schools is cost effective at a threshold of ICER < CA$50,000. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, APPLE Schools was cost effective more than 64% of the time per QALY gained, when using a threshold of ICERSchool-based health promotion, such as APPLE Schools is a cost-effective intervention for obesity prevention and reduction of chronic disease risk over the lifetime. Expanding the coverage and allocating resources towards school-based programs like the APPLE Schools program, is likely to reduce the public health burden of obesity and chronic diseases.

Bacterial Dynamics of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media in Makurdi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AOM) and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and their antibiotic susceptibility ... Screening of children < 5 years for CSOM at clinics, primary schools, nurseries and children rehabilitation centres should be considered and antibiotic ...

Visiting Again? Subjective Well-Being of Children in Elementary School and Repeated Visits to School Health Nurses

Science.gov (United States)

Leaver, Cynthia A.

2014-01-01

Background: Children with vague complaints are without chronic illness, and who repeatedly visit the school nurse may be at risk for limited academic success. This study compares student reports of subjective well-being between children who do and do not repeatedly visit the school nurse with vague complaints. Methods: Children in grades 4 through…

Self-Reported Acute and Chronic Voice Disorders in Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi-Barbosa, Luiza Augusta Rosa; Barbosa, Mirna Rossi; Morais, Renata Martins; de Sousa, Kamilla Ferreira; Silveira, Marise Fagundes; Gama, Ana Cristina Côrtes; Caldeira, Antônio Prates

2016-11-01

The present study aimed to identify factors associated with self-reported acute and chronic voice disorders among municipal elementary school teachers in the city of Montes Claros, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The dependent variable, self-reported dysphonia, was determined via a single question, "Have you noticed changes in your voice quality?" and if so, a follow-up question queried the duration of this change, acute or chronic. The independent variables were dichotomized and divided into five categories: sociodemographic and economic data; lifestyle; organizational and environmental data; health-disease processes; and voice. Analyses of associated factors were performed via a hierarchical multiple logistic regression model. The present study included 226 teachers, of whom 38.9% reported no voice disorders, 35.4% reported an acute disorder, and 25.7% reported a chronic disorder. Excessive voice use daily, consuming more than one alcoholic drink per time, and seeking medical treatment because of voice disorders were associated factors for acute and chronic voice disorders. Consuming up to three glasses of water per day was associated with acute voice disorders. Among teachers who reported chronic voice disorders, teaching for over 15 years and the perception of disturbing or unbearable noise outside the school were both associated factors. Identification of organizational, environmental, and predisposing risk factors for voice disorders is critical, and furthermore, a vocal health promotion program may address these issues. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Statewide Look at Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism in Elementary Schools in Oregon. Chronic Absenteeism in Oregon Elementary Schools. Part 1 of 4. September 2016. Research Brief Series

Science.gov (United States)

Oregon Department of Education, 2016

2016-01-01

This brief highlights the importance of using a measure like chronic absenteeism, rather than average daily attendance, in order to identify concerning patterns in elementary attendance rates. The chronic absenteeism measurement is better able to shine a light on the number of individual students struggling with attendance. Subsequent briefs in…

Patient-Centered Medical Home in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ortiz G

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Gabriel Ortiz1, Len Fromer21Pediatric Pulmonary Services, El Paso, TX; 2Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is a progressive and debilitating but preventable and treatable disease characterized by cough, phlegm, dyspnea, and fixed or incompletely reversible airway obstruction. Most patients with COPD rely on primary care practices for COPD management. Unfortunately, only about 55% of US outpatients with COPD receive all guideline-recommended care. Proactive and consistent primary care for COPD, as for many other chronic diseases, can reduce hospitalizations. Optimal chronic disease management requires focusing on maintenance rather than merely acute rescue. The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH, which implements the chronic care model, is a promising framework for primary care transformation. This review presents core PCMH concepts and proposes multidisciplinary team-based PCMH care strategies for COPD.Keywords: Patient-Centered Medical Home, chronic care model, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, patient education, physician assistants, nurse practitioners

School environmental conditions and links to academic performance and absenteeism in urban, mid-Atlantic public schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Berman, J D; McCormack, M C; Koehler, K A; Connolly, F; Clemons-Erby, D; Davis, M F; Gummerson, C; Leaf, P J; Jones, T D; Curriero, F C

2018-05-02

School facility conditions, environment, and perceptions of safety and learning have been investigated for their impact on child development. However, it is important to consider how the environment separately influences academic performance and attendance after controlling for school and community factors. Using results from the Maryland School Assessment, we considered outcomes of school-level proficiency in reading and math plus attendance and chronic absences, defined as missing 20 or more days, for grades 3-5 and 6-8 at 158 urban schools. Characteristics of the environment included school facility conditions, density of nearby roads, and an index industrial air pollution. Perceptions of school safety, learning, and institutional environment were acquired from a School Climate Survey. Also considered were neighborhood factors at the community statistical area, including demographics, crime, and poverty based on school location. Poisson regression adjusted for over-dispersion was used to model academic achievement and multiple linear models were used for attendance. Each 10-unit change in facility condition index, denoting worse quality buildings, was associated with a decrease in reading (1.0% (95% CI: 0.1-1.9%) and math scores (0.21% (95% CI: 0.20-0.40), while chronic absences increased by 0.75% (95% CI: 0.30-1.39). Each log increase the EPA's Risk Screening Environmental Indicator (RSEI) value for industrial hazards, resulted in a marginally significant trend of increasing absenteeism (p < 0.06), but no association was observed with academic achievement. All results were robust to school-level measures of racial composition, free and reduced meals eligibility, and community poverty and crime. These findings provide empirical evidence for the importance of the community and school environment, including building conditions and neighborhood toxic substance risk, on academic achievement and attendance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Academic and social integration of international and local students at five business schools, a cross-institutional comparison

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rienties, Bart; Grohnert, Therese; Kommers, Piet; Niemantsverdriet, Susan; Nijhuis, Jan; van den Bossche, Piet; Gijselaers, Wim. H.; Miller, Richard G.

2011-01-01

An increasing number of students choose to study at a university in a foreign country. A common belief among educators is that international students are insufficiently academically adjusted. Recent research has found a mixed picture on whether international students underperform in academic

Policy Perspective: School Turnaround in England. Utilizing the Private Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Corbett, Julie

2014-01-01

This paper, written by strategic partner of the Center on School Turnaround (CST), Julie Corbett, provides research and examples on England's approach to turning around its lowest performing schools. The English education system utilizes private vendors to support chronically low-performing schools and districts. The introduction is followed by…

Chronic stress affects immunologic but not cardiovascular responsiveness to acute psychological stress in humans

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benschop, R. J.; Brosschot, J. F.; Godaert, G. L.; de Smet, M. B.; Geenen, R.; Olff, M.; Heijnen, C. J.; Ballieux, R. E.

1994-01-01

This study deals with the effect of chronic stress on physiological responsiveness to an acute psychological stressor in male high school teachers. Chronic stress was operationalized as the self-reported number of everyday problems. Twenty-seven subjects reporting extremely low or high numbers of

Tourette Syndrome and the School Nurse. Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Ort, Sharon I.; And Others

Information on Tourette Syndrome (TS), as well as transient and chronic tic disorders, is provided in this pamphlet for the school nurse, who can support and educate the child, family, and other school personnel. Information is included on genetic factors and behaviors that may be connected to TS: obsessive-compulsive symptoms, hyperactivity,…

Differences in the Policies, Programs, and Practices (PPPs) and Combination of PPPs across Turnaround, Moderately Improving, and Not Improving Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Rebecca; Huberman, Mette

2012-01-01

The TALPS study aims to build on the existing research base to develop promising methodologies to identify chronically low-performing and turnaround schools, as well as to identify promising strategies for turning around chronically low-performing schools. By looking specifically at schools identified as turnaround, in comparison to nonturnaround…

Climate change and schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sheffield, Perry E.; Uijttewaal, Simone A.M.; Stewart, James; Galvez, Maida P.

2017-01-01

The changing climate is creating additional challenges in maintaining a healthy school environment in the United States (US) where over 50 million people, mostly children, spend approximately a third of their waking hours. Chronic low prioritization of funds and resources to support environmental

Key Issues in Empirically Identifying Chronically Low-Performing and Turnaround Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Michael

2012-01-01

One of the US Department of Education's key priorities is turning around the nation's persistently low-achieving schools, yet exactly how to identify low-performing schools is a task left to state policy makers, and a myriad of definitions have been utilized. In addition, exactly how to recognize when a school begins to turn around is not well…

Predictors of health-related quality of life in children with chronic heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemitz, Mandy; Gunst, Diana C M; Hövels-Gürich, Hedwig H; Hofbeck, Michael; Kaulitz, Renate; Galm, Christoph; Berger, Felix; Nagdyman, Nicole; Stiller, Brigitte; Borth-Bruhns, Thomas; Konzag, Ines; Balmer, Christian; Goldbeck, Lutz

2017-10-01

Chronic paediatric heart disease is often associated with residual symptoms, persisting functional restrictions, and late sequelae for psychosocial development. It is, therefore, increasingly important to evaluate the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic heart disease. The aim of this study was to determine medical and socio-demographic variables affecting health-related quality of life in school-aged children and adolescents with chronic heart disease. Patients and methods The Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory was administered to 375 children and adolescents and 386 parental caregivers. Medical information was obtained from the charts. The socio-demographic information was provided by the patients and caregivers. Greater disease severity, low school attendance, current cardiac medication, current parental employment, uncertain or limited prognosis, history of connection to a heart-lung machine, number of nights spent in a hospital, and need for treatment in a paediatric aftercare clinic independently contributed to lower health-related quality of life (self-report: R2=0.41; proxy-report: R2=0.46). High correlations between self-reports and parent-proxy reports indicated concordance regarding the evaluation of a child's health-related quality of life. Beyond medical treatment, integration into school is important to increase health-related quality of life in children and adolescents surviving with chronic heart disease. Regular screening of health-related quality of life is recommended to identify patients with special needs.

Stakeholder Knowledge Levels of Coordinated School Health Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Minor, Lisa Crouch

2012-01-01

Acute and chronic health conditions may be important factors impacting absenteeism and student achievement in schools. Coordinated school health programs can support students who have these conditions. Although such programs have had documented success, implementation can be costly and time consuming. The local problem addressed in this project…

A cross-sectional survey on the inclusion of tobacco prevention/cessation, nutrition/ diet, and exercise physiology/fitness education in medical school curricula.

Science.gov (United States)

Torabi, Mohammad R; Tao, Ran; Jay, Stephen J; Olcott, Courtney

2011-05-01

Chronic diseases are currently the major cause of death and disability worldwide. Addressing the main causes of chronic diseases from a preventive perspective is imperative for half ing a continual increase in premature deaths. Physicians occupy a unique position to assist individuals with chronic disease prevention. Hence, medical school is an opportunity to prepare physicians for preventive interventions with patients at risk for developing chronic diseases. This study asserts that education on chronic disease prevention that targets tobacco cessation/prevention, nutrition/ diet, and exercise physiology/fitness is a key aspect of medical school curricula. However, many US medical schools do not include all 3 components in their curricula. This study investigates the extent to which medical school curricula include the above 3 areas. Two methods were utilized for the study: (1) a cross-sectional survey was given to the associate dean of academic affairs of 129 US medical schools and (2) relevant data were retrieved from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Findings support the notion that medical schools are in need of increased curricula covering tobacco prevention/cessation, nutrition/diet, and exercise physiology/fitness. Results indicate that exercise physiology/fitness was the area receiving the least attention in medical schools. Ultimately, this study's purpose was to provide a basis for determining whether inclusion of these 3 subjects in medical school curricula has any significant effect on training future doctors to meet the needs of growing numbers of individuals with chronic disease.

Diabetes Management at School: Application of the Healthy Learner Model

Science.gov (United States)

Bobo, Nichole; Kaup, Tara; McCarty, Patricia; Carlson, Jessie Parker

2011-01-01

Every child with diabetes deserves a school nurse with the capacity to effectively manage the disease at school. The school nurse needs knowledge and skills to confidently provide care and communicate with health care providers and families. The Healthy Learner Model for Chronic Condition Management provided a framework to eliminate the disjointed…

Chronically Low-Performing Schools and Turnaround: Evidence from Three States

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Michael; Choi, Kilchan

2012-01-01

The criteria for determining the student outcomes that define a school as having "turned around" are not well defined, and the definition of turnaround performance varies across studies. Although current policy initiatives offer guidelines for identifying CLP schools, there is no standard definition or methodology in common usage. This…

Student Expectations of Peer and Teacher Reactions to Students With Chronic Pain: Implications for Improving Pain-related Functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Castarlenas, Elena; Vega, Rocío de la; Tomé-Pires, Catarina; Solé, Ester; Racine, Mélanie; Jensen, Mark P; Miró, Jordi

2015-11-01

Social interactions can influence the experience and impact of chronic pain. Children and adolescents expectations of how others respond to them could therefore influence their adjustment to pain. This study examined how children and adolescents expected their peers and teachers would react to classmates with chronic pain. 211 school children participated in this study. We presented each participant 1 of 4 vignettes that described a boy or a girl who did or did not have chronic pain. Participants were then asked to describe how they think other children and their teachers would react to the child depicted in the vignette with respect to solicitous, discouraging, and coping responses. Discouraging responses from peers and teachers were viewed as being relatively unlikely. However, both coping and solicitous responses-the latter being a response known to be linked to increased pain and disability in children and adults-were viewed by the participating children as being relatively likely. Moreover, the expected likelihood of solicitous responses from teachers was thought to be even more probable for children and adolescents with chronic pain than for those without chronic pain. The results of this study have important practical implications, given the well-known importance of significant other's responses to chronic pain problems. Further research is needed to understand how social interactions at school may influence functioning of children with chronic pain and their development. This information could provide an important empirical basis for determining how best to manage individuals with chronic pain problems in the school setting.

Views of primary and secondary school teachers of childhood ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Epilepsy and asthma are 2 common chronic medical conditions that are seen in school-age children. Both are characterized by paroxysmal attacks that require prolonged medication and regular clinic attendance. Since teacher's attitudes and perception of chronic condi t ions affect s s tudent ' s academic performance and ...

Barriers to Asthma Management for School Nurses: An Integrative Review

Science.gov (United States)

Hanley Nadeau, Ellen; Toronto, Coleen E.

2016-01-01

Childhood asthma is a growing health concern. Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood and a leading cause of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and school absenteeism. School nurses play a valuable role in asthma management. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine barriers to asthma management for school nurses in…

Managing Food Allergies at School: Teachers and Paraeducators

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-01-20

This podcast highlights the role of teachers and paraeducators in the management of food allergies in schools. It also identifies CDC food allergy resources for schools.  Created: 1/20/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 1/20/2015.

Ecological System Influences in the Treatment of Pediatric Chronic Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deirdre E Logan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Family, school and the peer network each shape the chronic pain experience of the individual child, and each of these contexts also represents a domain of functioning often impaired by chronic pain. The goal of the present article is to summarize what is known about these bidirectional influences between children with pain and the social systems that surround them. Case reports that illustrate these complex, transactional forces and their ultimate impact on the child’s pain-related functioning are included. A case involving siblings participating in an intensive interdisciplinary program for functional restoration and pain rehabilitation highlights how parents change through this treatment approach and how this change is vital to the child’s outcomes. Another case involving a child undergoing intensive interdisciplinary treatment illustrates how school avoidance can be treated in the context of pain rehabilitation, resulting in successful return to the regular school environment. Finally, an acceptance and commitment therapy-focused group intervention for children with sickle cell disease and their parents demonstrates the benefits of peer contact as an element of the therapeutic intervention.

There's a New Alphabet in Town: ESSA and Its Implications for Students, Schools, and School Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackborow, Mary; Clark, Elizabeth; Combe, Laurie; Morgitan, Judith; Tupe, Anna

2018-03-01

The 2015 passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides state education agencies with more local control over educational planning, requires development of state accountability plans, and provides opportunities for advocacy surrounding school nursing-sensitive indicators of student success. Federal Title I, II, and IV funds are available for state and local education agency utilization in meeting educational needs of impoverished students and for development of high-quality instructional and support personnel. As Specialized Instructional Support Personnel, school nurses can utilize ESSA Title funding to positively impact chronic absenteeism, school climate, and school nurse staffing. ESSA can be a resource for funding school health services and professional education. This article will assist school nurses in better understanding ESSA and how funding is allocated to states and local education agencies.

Implementation of a Walking School Bus: Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Alberta S.; Sussman, Andrew L.; Negrete, Sylvia; Patterson, Nissa; Mittleman, Rachel; Hough, Richard

2009-01-01

Background: Obesity is rapidly becoming the most common chronic medical condition affecting children. To address this crisis, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, elementary school partnered with University of New Mexico researchers and conducted a Walking School Bus (WSB). The purpose of this article is to examine the feasibility of implementing a WSB.…

Students with Chronic Health Conditions: The Role of The School Nurse. Position Statement

Science.gov (United States)

Combe, Laurie G.; Mattern, Cheryl; Fleming, Laurie; Killingsworth, Suzie

2017-01-01

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that to optimize student health, safety, and learning, a professional registered school nurse (hereinafter referred to as school nurse) be present all day, every day. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Council on School Health (2016) highlights the important role school nurses…

Awareness of autism amongst primary school teachers in Yenagoa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract. Background: Autism is a chronic neuro-developmental disorder and teachers of pupils with autism require a basic understanding of the disorder. Objective: To determine the awareness of autism amongst primary school teachers and to find out pupils with symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Primary schools ...

Are U.S. Schools Filling the Gap With Programs that Promote Weight Stigma?

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2017-12-21

In this edition of PCD Sound Bites, author Erica Kenney, ScD, answers questions about her study, which looked at how frequently U.S. schools used evidence-based obesity prevention programs and how often schools implement programs that may unintentionally worsen weight stigma among students.  Created: 12/21/2017 by Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 12/21/2017.

A Twenty-year Survey of Pathologic Reports of Two Common Types of Chronic Periapical Lesions in Shiraz Dental School

Science.gov (United States)

Safi, Laaya; Adl, Alireza; Azar, Mohammad Reza; Akbary, Raheleh

2008-01-01

Background and aims Accurate differential diagnosis between radicular cysts and periapical granulomas cannot be made from radiographs alone. Histological prevalence studies, therefore, assume special importance and may aid the clinician in making judgments regarding therapy. The incidence of radicular cysts has ranged with wide discrepancies in data. The purpose of this study was to evaluate recorded pathologic reports of two common types of chronic periapical lesion in Shiraz Dental School. Materials and methods In this study, biopsy reports of 227 specimens of chronic periapical lesions were reviewed. The following information was extracted from each report: patient’s gender, age, tooth associated with the lesion and the pathological diagnosis. Probable significant differences in the occurrence of lesions between different ages and genders were analyzed using chi-square test. Results 15.9% of the lesions were granulomas, and 84.1% were cysts. A slight difference in the occurrence of the lesions was found between males and females with no statistical significance (P > 0.005). The highest incidence of both lesions was in the third decade of life. No significant differences were found in age distribution of the lesions. The most common location for two lesions was the maxillary anterior teeth. Conclusion Histological differentiation between cysts and granulomas is not always accurate and serial sectioning of excisional biopsies is more valuable than randomized sectioning of curetted biopsies. PMID:23289061

Hospital-based school for children with chronic illness in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Der-Fang Chen

2015-10-01

Conclusion: The educational needs of children with chronic illness can be easily neglected even in an industrialized country. The establishment of policy and the enrichment of professional education on advocacy are necessary to eliminate educational inequities and benefit sick children.

Making Health Easier: Healthy Schools in Philadelphia, PA PSA (:60)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2013-06-07

A middle school student is making healthy changes in his life, like eating less junk food, thanks to healthy changes at his school.  Created: 6/7/2013 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 6/7/2013.

Effects of school-based deworming on hemoglobin level, growth development and school performance of primary school children in North Sumatera

Science.gov (United States)

Pasaribu, A. P.; Angellee, J.; Pasaribu, S.

2018-03-01

Worm infestation is mainly caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infecting one-third of the world’s population, where the most affected are primary school children. This chronic, long-lasting infection can affect the growth aspects in children. A school-based deworming is one of the treatments recommended by WHO to counterattack worm infection in primary school children. To evaluate the effect of school-based deworming on the hemoglobin level, growth and school performance of primary school children, an open randomized clinical trial was conducted on 165 targeted populations in SukaKaro village, North Sumatra; 156 of which were then chosen based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The samples’ feces- sampling, hemoglobin level, and growth chart data were recorded on the first day of study before any treatment was given. They were then divided into two groups; the first group of 80 samples did not receive any treatment, while the second group of 76 samples received 400mg of albendazole as part of a school-based deworming program. The samples were being followed up after sixth months of study. In conclusion, albendazole is able to improve the hemoglobin level, growth development, and school performance of the samples, although there were no significant differences between the two groups.

Nutrition Knowledge and Training Needs in the School Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Anna Marie

2013-01-01

The nutrition environment in schools can influence the risk for childhood overweight and obesity, which in turn can have life-long implications for risk of chronic disease. This dissertation aimed to examine the nutrition environment in primary public schools in California with regards to the amount of nutrition education provided in the…

Association of School-Based Physical Activity Opportunities, Socioeconomic Status, and Third-Grade Reading

Science.gov (United States)

Kern, Ben D.; Graber, Kim C.; Shen, Sa; Hillman, Charles H.; McLoughlin, Gabriella

2018-01-01

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is the most accurate predictor of academic performance in US schools. Third-grade reading is highly predictive of high school graduation. Chronic physical activity (PA) is shown to improve cognition and academic performance. We hypothesized that school-based PA opportunities (recess and physical education)…

Making Health Easier: Healthy Schools in Minnesota PSA (:60)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2013-06-05

To bring healthier meals to students at the Dover-Eyota elementary school in Minnesota, school officials and parents started a partnership with local farmers. The farm-to-school program has brought better food, like watermelon and corn on the cob, to the children while building ties within the community.  Created: 6/5/2013 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 6/5/2013.

Enabling Pupils to Conceive Part-Whole Relations of Numbers and Develop Number Sense: Year One of Primary Schools in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Sinnakaudan, Santi; Kuldas, Seffetullah; Hashim, Shahabuddin; Ghazali, Munirah

2016-01-01

This review examines reasons for Malaysian pupils' underperformance in solving mathematics problems that demand numerical estimation and mental computation. Their underdeveloped number sense appears to be the major reason. According to the Ministry of Education, the national mathematics curriculum is unlikely to account for this underachievement.…

Snapshot of SIG: A Look at Four States' Approaches to School Turnaround

Science.gov (United States)

Quillin, Jessica

2012-01-01

Thousands of schools across the country are chronically low performing, and they operate within districts and states that are struggling to help them improve. The School Improvement Grants (SIG) program is designed to channel federal funds to states and districts facing the task of turning around struggling schools. SIG, a part of the Elementary…

Prevalence and associated risk factors of chronic bronchitis in First Nations people

OpenAIRE

Pahwa, Punam; Karunanayake, Chandima P.; Rennie, Donna C.; Lawson, Joshua A.; Ramsden, Vivian R.; McMullin, Kathleen; Gardipy, P. Jenny; MacDonald, Judy; Abonyi, Sylvia; Episkenew, Jo-Ann; Dosman, James A.

2017-01-01

Background Inadequate housing, low family income, household smoking, personal smoking status, and poor schooling are some of the conditions that have been significantly associated with the prevalence and incidence of chronic bronchitis. The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of chronic bronchitis (CB) and associated risk factors among First Nations people. Methods An interviewer-administered survey was conducted as part of the First Nations Lung Health Project in 2012 an...

Roles of the State Asthma Program in Implementing Multicomponent, School-Based Asthma Interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Hester, Laura L.; Wilce, Maureen A.; Gill, Sarah A.; Disler, Sheri L.; Collins, Pamela; Crawford, Gregory

2013-01-01

Background: Asthma is a leading chronic childhood disease in the United States and a major contributor to school absenteeism. Evidence suggests that multicomponent, school-based asthma interventions are a strategic way to address asthma among school-aged children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages the 36 health…

Effectiveness of Back School program versus hydrotherapy in elderly patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Costantino, Cosimo; Romiti, Davide

2014-06-24

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major cause of disability, for which clinical practice guidelines suggest exercise programs, such as Back School program (stretching and selective muscle reinforcement techniques) and Hydrotherapy technique, as an effective treatment to reduce pain intensity and disability. We enrolled 56 elderly individuals, affected by non-specific CLBP, whose pain had worsened in the last three months, which were randomly allocated to Back School (group A) or to Hydrotherapy program (group B). Each group underwent two one-hour-treatment sessions per week, over a 12-week period. Each patient was evaluated using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) V2.0 at the beginning (T0), at the end of treatment (T1) and at the 3-month follow-up (T2). At T1 and T2 we observed a highly significant statistical difference in the values measured  in both groups: at T1 in group A RMDQ improvement of 3.26±1.02 (p<0.001) and SF-36 of 13.30±1.44 (p<0.001); in group B RMDQ improvement of 4.96±0.71 (p<0.001) and SF-36 of 14.19±1.98 (p<0.001). We have also evaluated the difference in effectiveness of the two programs and no significant statistical differences were found between the two groups. Back School program and Hydrotherapy could be valid treatment options in the rehabilitation of non-specific CLBP in elderly people. Both therapies proved to be effective and can be used in association with other rehabilitation programs. We believe that Back School program should be favored for its simplicity and the small number of resources required. 

Perceptions of school nurses and principals towards nurse role in providing school health services in Qatar.

Science.gov (United States)

A L-Dahnaim, Layla; Said, Hana; Salama, Rasha; Bella, Hassan; Malo, Denise

2013-04-01

The school nurse plays a crucial role in the provision of comprehensive health services to students. This role encompasses both health and educational goals. The perception of the school nurse's role and its relation to health promotion is fundamental to the development of school nursing. This study aimed to determine the perception of school nurses and principals toward the role of school nurses in providing school health services in Qatar. A cross-sectional study was carried out among all school nurses (n=159) and principals (n=159) of governmental schools in Qatar. The participants were assessed for their perception toward the role of the school nurse in the school using 19-Likert-type scaled items Questionnaire. The response rates were 100% for nurses and 94% for principals. The most commonly perceived roles of the school nurse by both nurses and principals were 'following up of chronically ill students', 'providing first aid', and 'referral of students with health problems', whereas most of the roles that were not perceived as school nurse roles were related to student academic achievements. School nurses and principals agreed on the clinical/medical aspects of nurses' role within schools, but disagreed on nurses' involvement in issues related to the school performance of students. The study recommends raising awareness of school principals on the school nursing role, especially in issues related to the school performance of students.

Successful School Turnarounds: Seven Steps for District Leaders. Issue Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Kowal, Julie; Hassel, Emily Ayscue; Hassel, Bryan C.

2009-01-01

President Obama and Secretary Duncan have called upon states, districts, and education leaders to change the lives of millions of children by dramatically improving the nation's 5,000 lowest performing schools. These chronically failing schools will require intensive intervention to turn around performance that has fallen short of expectations for…

Making Health Easier: Healthy Schools in Chicago, IL PSA (:60)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2013-05-21

To help Chicago schools increase access to healthy food, Health Educator April Lillstrom utilized community partnerships to provide school gardens, salad bars, and nutrition education to students.  Created: 5/21/2013 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 5/21/2013.

Pediatric chronic pancreatitis is associated with genetic risk factors and substantial disease burden.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarzenberg, Sarah Jane; Bellin, Melena; Husain, Sohail Z; Ahuja, Monika; Barth, Bradley; Davis, Heather; Durie, Peter R; Fishman, Douglas S; Freedman, Steven D; Gariepy, Cheryl E; Giefer, Matthew J; Gonska, Tanja; Heyman, Melvin B; Himes, Ryan; Kumar, Soma; Morinville, Veronique D; Lowe, Mark E; Nuehring, Neil E; Ooi, Chee Y; Pohl, John F; Troendle, David; Werlin, Steven L; Wilschanski, Michael; Yen, Elizabeth; Uc, Aliye

2015-04-01

To determine the clinical presentation, diagnostic variables, risk factors, and disease burden in children with chronic pancreatitis. We performed a cross-sectional study of data from the International Study Group of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In Search for a Cure, a registry of children with acute recurrent pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. Between-group differences were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Among 170 subjects in the registry, 76 (45%) had chronic pancreatitis; 57% were female, 80% were white; median age at diagnosis was 9.9 years. Pancreatitis-predisposing genetic mutations were identified in 51 (67%) and obstructive risk factors in 25 (33%). Toxic/metabolic and autoimmune factors were uncommon. Imaging demonstrated ductal abnormalities and pancreatic atrophy more commonly than calcifications. Fifty-nine (77%) reported abdominal pain within the past year; pain was reported as constant and receiving narcotics in 28%. Children with chronic pancreatitis reported a median of 3 emergency department visits and 2 hospitalizations in the last year. Forty-seven subjects (70%) missed 1 day of school in the past month as the result of chronic pancreatitis; 26 (34%) missed 3 or more days. Children reporting constant pain were more likely to miss school (P = .002), visit the emergency department (P = .01), and experience hospitalizations (P = .03) compared with children with episodic pain. Thirty-three children (43%) underwent therapeutic endoscopic retrograde pancreatography; one or more pancreatic surgeries were performed in 30 (39%). Chronic pancreatitis occurs at a young age with distinct clinical features. Genetic and obstructive risk factors are common, and disease burden is substantial. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Health and school outcomes during children's transition into adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Forrest, Christopher B; Bevans, Katherine B; Riley, Anne W; Crespo, Richard; Louis, Thomas A

2013-02-01

Normative biopsychosocial stressors that occur during entry into adolescence can affect school performance.As a set of resources for adapting to life's challenges, good health may buffer a child from these potentially harmful stressors. This study examined the associations between health (measured as well-being, functioning, symptoms, and chronic conditions) and school outcomes among children aged 9-13 years in 4th-8th grades. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 1,479 children from 34 schools followed from 2006 to 2008. Survey data were obtained from children and their parents, and school records were abstracted. Measures of child self-reported health were dichotomized to indicate presence of a health asset. Outcomes included attendance, grade point average, state achievement test scores, and child-reported school engagement and teacher connectedness. Both the transition into middle school and puberty had independent negative influences on school outcomes. Chronic health conditions that affected children's functional status were associated with poorer academic achievement. The number of health assets that a child possessed was positively associated with school outcomes. Low levels of negative stress experiences and high physical comfort had positive effects on teacher connectedness, school engagement, and academic achievement, whereas bullying and bully victimization negatively affected these outcomes. Children with high life satisfaction were more connected with teachers, more engaged in schoolwork, and earned higher grades than those who were less satisfied. As children enter adolescence, good health may buffer them from the potentially negative effects of school and pubertal transitions on academic success. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stereotypes as stumbling-blocks: how coping with stereotype threat affects life outcomes for people with physical disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverman, Arielle M; Cohen, Geoffrey L

2014-10-01

Stereotype threat, the concern about being judged in light of negative stereotypes, causes underperformance in evaluative situations. However, less is known about how coping with stereotypes can aggravate underperformance over time. We propose a model in which ongoing stereotype threat experiences threaten a person's sense of self-integrity, which in turn prompts defensive avoidance of stereotype-relevant situations, impeding growth, achievement, and well-being. We test this model in an important but understudied population: the physically disabled. In Study 1, blind adults reporting higher levels of stereotype threat reported lower self-integrity and well-being and were more likely to be unemployed and to report avoiding stereotype-threatening situations. In Study 2's field experiment, blind students in a compensatory skill-training program made more progress if they had completed a values-affirmation, an exercise that bolsters self-integrity. The findings suggest that stereotype threat poses a chronic threat to self-integrity and undermines life outcomes for people with disabilities. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Identifying the Determinants of Chronic Absenteeism: A Bioecological Systems Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Gottfried, Michael A.; Gee, Kevin A.

2017-01-01

Background/Context: Chronic school absenteeism is a pervasive problem across the US; in early education, it is most rampant in kindergarten and its consequences are particularly detrimental, often leading to poorer academic, behavioral and developmental outcomes later in life. Though prior empirical research has identified a broad range of…

Primary Headaches and School Performance-Is There a Connection?

Science.gov (United States)

Genizi, J; Guidetti, V; Arruda, M A

2017-07-01

Headache is a common complaint among children and adolescents. School functioning is one of the most important life domains impacted by chronic pain in children. This review discusses the epidemiological and pathophysiological connections between headaches and school functioning including a suggested clinical approach. The connection between recurrent and chronic headache and learning disabilities might be psychosocial (fear of failure) or anatomical (malfunctioning of the frontal and prefrontal areas). Only few population-based and clinical studies were done and good studies are still needed in order to understand the complex relationship better. However, relating to our patients' learning and school performance, history is crucial when a child with primary headaches is evaluated. Learning disabilities seem to have a high prevalence among children with primary headache syndromes especially migraine. The connection between the two is complex and might be either part of a common brain pathophysiology and/or a consequence of poor quality of life.

Perceptions about interpersonal relationships and school environment among middle school students with asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhee, Hyekyun; McQuillan, Brenda; Chen, Ding-Geng; Atis, Shannska

2017-11-01

To examine interpersonal relationships involving peers and teachers and perceptions about school environment among middle school students with asthma in comparison to their healthy counterparts. The study also assesses asthma prevalence in a large sample of middle school students representing different geographic locations. Cross-sectional data were collected from 1059 middle school students in grades 6-8 enrolled in schools in a northeastern region of the United States. Students reported their chronic health conditions including asthma and completed questionnaires measuring perceptions about their relationships with peers and teachers as well as school environment. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were used to compare students with asthma and their healthy counterparts in the study variables. Asthma was reported by 16.5% of the sample (n = 169). The rate was higher among minority students (23%) than their white counterparts (15%). Greater proportion of urban students (28%) reported asthma than rural (18%) and suburban (14%) students. Students with asthma reported significantly poorer relationships with peers (B = -1.74, p asthma prevalence was substantially higher than the national average of adolescent asthma, particularly those residing in the urban area. Poor perceptions of interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers among students with asthma may indicate compromised quality of life. Suboptimal interpersonal relationships and school environment need to be identified and adequately addressed, given their implications for asthma management at the school setting among middle school students.

How to Know when Dramatic Change Is on Track: Leading Indicators of School Turnarounds

Science.gov (United States)

Kowal, Julie; Ableidinger, Joe

2011-01-01

In recent years, national policymakers have placed new emphasis on "school turnarounds" as a strategy for rapid, dramatic improvement in chronically failing schools, calling on education leaders to turn around performance in the 5,000 lowest-achieving schools nationwide. This goal may seem daunting, given the dismal success rates of…

Psychopathology in a Swedish Population of School Children with Tic Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Khalifa, Najah; Von Knorring, Anne-Liis

2006-01-01

Objective: To examine patterns of psychiatric comorbid disorders and associated problems in a school population of children with tic disorders. Method: From a total population of 4,479 children, 25 with Tourette's disorder (TD), 34 with chronic motor tics (CMT), 24 with chronic vocal tics (CVT), and 214 with transient tics (TT) during the past…

A multi-method exploratory study of stress, coping, and substance use among high school youth in private schools

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard, Noelle R.; Gwadz, Marya V.; Ritchie, Amanda; Linick, Jessica L.; Cleland, Charles M.; Elliott, Luther; Grethel, Michele

2015-01-01

There is growing awareness that students’ experiences of stress may impede academic success, compromise mental health, and promote substance use. We examined these factors in an under-studied population, private/independent high school students, using a multi-method (qualitative and quantitative), iterative data collection and analytic process. We first conducted qualitative interviews with faculty and staff at a number of highly competitive private schools, followed by an anonymous quantitative survey with 128 11th grade students from two of these settings. We then conducted a qualitative exploration of the quantitative results with a subset of students. Next, a set of Expert Panel members participated in qualitative interviews to reflect on and interpret study findings. Overall, we found students experienced high levels of chronic stress, particularly in relation to academic performance and the college admissions process. While students described a range of effective, adaptive coping strategies, they also commonly internalized these serious pressures and turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with chronic stress, although not typically at problematic levels. We discuss study implications for both schools and families derived from the Expert Panel. PMID:26257685

The educational background and qualifications of UK medical students from ethnic minorities

OpenAIRE

Dacre Jane; Woolf Katherine; McManus IC

2008-01-01

Abstract Background UK medical students and doctors from ethnic minorities underperform in undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Although it is assumed that white (W) and non-white (NW) students enter medical school with similar qualifications, neither the qualifications of NW students, nor their educational background have been looked at in detail. This study uses two large-scale databases to examine the educational attainment of W and NW students. Methods Attainment at GCSE and A lev...

The educational background and qualifications of UK medical students from ethnic minorities

OpenAIRE

McManus, I. C.; Woolf, K.; Dacre, J.

2008-01-01

Background: UK medical students and doctors from ethnic minorities underperform in undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Although it is assumed that white (W) and non-white (NW) students enter medical school with similar qualifications, neither the qualifications of NW students, nor their educational background have been looked at in detail. This study uses two large-scale databases to examine the educational attainment of W and NW students.Methods: Attainment at GCSE and A level, and ...

Bacteriology of chronic discharging ears in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

the most common reason for out-patient antibiotic therapy in children."2 There also is great concern with regards to the social burden and indirect cost due to time lost from school work.3 Knowledge of which micro organisms are the most common pathogens in acute otitis media (AOM) and/0r chronic suppurative otitis media ...

Legal Guidance on When Schools Can Remove Students for Exhibiting Dangerous Behaviors through Injunctive Relief

Science.gov (United States)

Counts, Jennifer; Katsiyannis, Antonis; Beard, Jenna

2018-01-01

Violence in schools remains a complex and challenging issue. In this article, we examine schools' responsibilities in placement and the provision of services for students who have chronically exhibited dangerous behaviors. Multiple court cases have provided schools guidance in evaluating when student removal through injunctive relief for dangerous…

Promoting Physical Activity in Elementary Schools: Needs Assessment and a Pilot Study of Brain Breaks

Science.gov (United States)

Perera, Thushanthi; Frei, Simone; Frei, Balz; Bobe, Gerd

2015-01-01

A sedentary life style contributes to many chronic diseases and poor educational performance. Since elementary school-aged children spend most wakeful hours in school, classroom teachers are essential for providing physical activity (PA) breaks during school. As first objective, we assessed current PA levels for Oregon public elementary schools…

Pediatric Psychology: Applications to the Schools Needs of Children with Health Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Joseph D.; Flanagan, William K.

1986-01-01

A review of pediatric psychology considers interventions by school personnel to promote the school adjustment of children with serious medical illness. Psychosocial and educational impacts of cancer, spina bifida, enuresis, and encopresis are discussed; and suggestions for managing children with chronic health disorders, serious illness, and…

Depressive Symptomatology in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Renal Insufficiency Undergoing Chronic Dialysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edith G. Hernandez

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a descriptive study, using the Birleson Scale to determine the frequency of depressive symptomatology in children and adolescents with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI undergoing hemodialysis (HD and chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD. There were 67 patients (40 female and 27 male with a mean age of 14.76±2.71 years, duration of illness ≥3 months, 43 (64.18% patients with CPD and 24 (35.82% undergoing HD. The frequency of high occurrence, low occurrence, and absence of depressive symptomatology was 10.45% (=7, 43.28% (=29, and 46.27% (=31, respectively; all of the seven (100% patients with high occurrence of depressive symptomatology were female (=0.04, and none of these (0% had a friend to confide in (=0.03. Depressive symptomatology in patients with CPD was associated with a lower weekly / compared to those without depressive symptomatology (2.15±0.68 versus 2.52±0.65; =0.01. There was no association with patient age, caregiver, time and dialysis type, anemia, bone disease, nutritional or financial status, origin, schooling, or employment.

Depressive symptoms and perceived chronic stress predict test anxiety in nursing students

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Christoph Augner

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this study is to identify predictors of test anxiety in nursing students. Design: Cross sectional pilot study. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 112 students of an Austrian nursing school (mean age = 21.42, SD = 5.21. Test anxiety (measured by the standardized PAF Test Anxiety Questionnaire, perceived chronic stress, depressive symptoms, pathological eating and further psychological and health parameters were measured. Results: We found highly significant correlations between test anxiety and working hours (0.25, depression score (0.52, emotional stability (-0.31, and perceived chronic stress (0.65 (p < 0.01, for all. Regression analysis revealed chronic stress and emotional instability as best predictors for test anxiety. Furthermore, path analysis revealed that past negative academic performance outcomes contribute to test anxiety via depressive symptoms and perceived chronic stress. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms and perceived chronic stress are strongly related to test anxiety. Therefore therapy and training methods that address depressive symptoms and perceived chronic stress, and thereby aim to modify appraisal of potential stressful situations, may be successful in addressing test anxiety.

Stressors of School-age Children With Allergic Diseases: A Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Iio, Misa; Hamaguchi, Mana; Nagata, Mayumi; Yoshida, Koichi

2018-05-08

Most studies of stress in children with chronic diseases have been geared toward parents and caregivers have not considered allergic diseases together. This study aimed to identify the stressors associated with allergic diseases in Japanese school-age children. Stressors associated with allergic diseases of 11 school-age children (seven boys and four girls; age range: 9-12 years) were investigated using semi-structured interviews. In the qualitative thematic analysis of stressors about allergic diseases, two themes: allergic disease-specific stressors and common stressors in chronic diseases, and 12 categories were identified. A thematic map was applied to four domains of stressor: physiological factors, psychological factors, social factors, and environmental factors. The results showed that school-age children with allergic diseases have a variety of stressors. Future studies should aim to develop an allergic disease-specific stress management program with school-age children. In children with allergic diseases, not only is stress management in daily life important, but also stress management for disease-specific matters to control the symptoms and maintain mental health. Stress management should be supported for school-age children with allergic diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Management of chronic daily headache in children and adolescents].

Science.gov (United States)

Cuvellier, J-C

2009-01-01

Chronic daily headache (CDH) affects 2 to 4% of adolescent females and 0,8 to 2% of adolescent males. CDH is diagnosed when headaches occur more than 4 hours a day, for greater than or equal to 15 headache days per month, over a period of 3 consecutive months, without an underlying pathology. It is manifested by severe intermittent headaches, that are migraine-like, as well as a chronic baseline headache. Silberstein and Lipton divided patients into four diagnostic categories: transformed migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily-persistent headache, and hemicrania continua. The second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders did not comprise any CDH category as such, but provided criteria for all four types of CDH: chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily-persistent headache, and hemicrania continua. Evaluation of CDH needs to include a complete history and physical examination to identify any possibility of the headache representing secondary headaches. Children and adolescents with CDH frequently have sleep disturbance, pain at other sites, dizziness, medication-overuse headache and a psychiatric comorbidity (anxiety and mood disorders). CDH frequently results in school absence. CDH management plan is dictated by CDH subtype, the presence or absence of medication overuse, functional disability and presence of attacks of full-migraine superimposed. Reassuring, explaining, and educating the patient and family, starting prophylactic therapy and limiting aborting medications are the mainstay of treatment. It includes pharmacologic (acute and prophylactic therapy) and nonpharmacologic measures (biobehavioral management, biofeedback-assisted relaxation therapy, and psychologic or psychiatric intervention). Part of the teaching process must incorporate life-style changes, such as regulation of sleep and eating habits, regular exercise, avoidance of identified triggering factors and stress management. Emphasis must be

The Prevalence of Mathematical Anxiety in a Business School: A Comparative Study Across Subject Areas

OpenAIRE

Howard, A; Warwick, J

2016-01-01

Mathematical anxiety is a phenomenon linked to poor attainment in mathematics and restricted development of mathematical skills among those who are afflicted by it. Unfortunately most undergraduate courses in business related areas require the further study of mathematics to enable effective business decision making and students who suffer from mathematical anxiety are placed at risk of underperformance or failure in such quantitative modules. This paper summarizes the results of ...

The school experience of children with arthritis. Coping in the 1990s and transition into adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, C H; Fife, R Z; Rabinovich, C E

1995-10-01

To the arthritic child and his or her family, the pediatrician is a valuable resource. When school problems first occur in elementary school, the pediatrician can try to solve them with an informal contact with the school teacher, nurse, counselor, or principal. If that effort is unsuccessful, the pediatrician can then suggest that the family go to the school and request the Individual Education Plan (IEP). Although this mechanism is hardly a panacea and local school district variability exists, this process provides an opportunity for the parent and school personnel to sit down and discuss how the child's problems and illness impact school performance. Furthermore, the IEP attempts to adapt the school environment specifically for that child. The current mechanism of modification of a child's education is the result of a long, evolutionary societal and educational process. Educators now recognize that children with disabilities and chronic illnesses are entitled to an appropriate public education with a special focus on how illness can interfere with that education. Whatever congressional changes are likely in the 1990s, many of these civil rights advances for the disabled or chronically ill child should survive. The transition of the adolescent with a chronic illness, such as arthritis, into adulthood has received little attention. This is an area where a compassionate and supportive pediatrician may help prevent adolescent problems rather than simply reacting to them. A gradual, incremental transition program in the pediatric office and clinic may increase the chances that more of these special adolescents will become productive, contributing adults.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Public Health Nurse-Delivered Asthma Program to Elementary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Cicutto, Lisa; To, Teresa; Murphy, Suzanne

2013-01-01

Background: Childhood asthma is a serious and common chronic disease that requires the attention of nurses and other school personnel. Schools are often the first setting that children take the lead in managing their asthma. Often, children are ill prepared for this role. Our study evaluated a school-based, multifaceted asthma program that…

Barriers to Asthma Management for School Nurses: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanley Nadeau, Ellen; Toronto, Coleen E

2016-04-01

Childhood asthma is a growing health concern. Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood and a leading cause of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and school absenteeism. School nurses play a valuable role in asthma management. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine barriers to asthma management for school nurses in the school setting. Findings revealed multiple barriers school nurses encounter in managing asthma. Six themes emerged that included lack of resources and support, insufficient time, communication challenges, limited knowledge, and lack of awareness of school nurses' expertise. Students, parents, primary care physicians, school administration, staff, and school nurses themselves all play a role in constructing barriers to asthma management. There is a need for school nurses and school nurse leaders to focus efforts to develop strategies to overcome barriers to ensure evidence-based, best practice management of asthma in the school setting. © The Author(s) 2015.

Defining, Delivering, and Documenting the Outcomes of Case Management by School Nurses

Science.gov (United States)

Engelke, Martha Keehner; Guttu, Martha; Warren, Michelle B.

2009-01-01

Case management is a component of school nurse practice that provides an opportunity to demonstrate the contribution that school nurses make to the health and academic success of children, particularly children with chronic health conditions. However, case management programs vary in their mission and scope, leading to confusion about what it…

Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study

OpenAIRE

Herrera, Ronald; Berger, Ursula; Genuneit, Jon; Gerlich, Jessica; Nowak, Dennis; Schlotz, Wolff; Vogelberg, Christian; Mutius, Erika von; Weinmayr, Gudrun; Windstetter, Doris; Weigl, Matthias; Radon, Katja

2017-01-01

We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany) was followed from age 16–18 (2002–2003) to age 20–23 (2007–2009) (n = 1688). Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, soc...

Trend of the risk and protective factors of chronic diseases in adolescents, National Adolescent School-based Health Survey (PeNSE 2009 e 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah Carvalho Malta

2014-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of major risk and protection factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in school-aged children in Brazilian capitals surveyed in the National Adolescent School-based Health Survey in its two editions, 2009 and 2012. METHODS: The frequencies, with Confidence Interval of 95%, of the following demographic variables were compared: food intake, body image, physical activity, smoking, alcohol and other drugs. Prevalence was compared in the two editions of the survey. RESULTS: The proportion of students who attend two physical education classes a week was maintained at 49% between 2009 and 2012, increasing in public schools from 50.6% (95%CI 49.8 - 51.4 to 52.5% (95%CI 49.2 - 55.7, and decreasing in private schools. There was no change in the proportion of students who watch two hours or more of television daily, about 80%. As for body image, there was no change between the two editions, and about 60% considered themselves being of normal weight. There was a reduction in the percentage of adolescents who experienced cigarettes, from 24.2% (95%CI 23.6 - 24.8 to 22.3% (95%CI 21.4 - 23.2, and the prevalence of smoking was maintained at about 6% (there was no statistical difference between 2009 and 2012. The consumption of beans, fruits, sweets and soft drinks also decreased. Frequency of drug experimentation was of 8.7% (95%CI 8.3 - 9.1 in 2009, and 9.6% (95%CI 9.0 - 10.3 in 2012, with no difference between confidence intervals, and the frequency of alcohol experimentation was maintained at about 70%; the percentage of use in the past 30 days was also maintained at around 27%. CONCLUSION: In the Brazilian capitals, the vast majority of prevalence of risk factors were kept stable in the two editions of the National Survey of School. These data generate evidence to guide the implementation of public policies to minimize the exposure of adolescents to risk factors.

Monitoring offshore wind farm power performance with SCADA data and an advanced wake model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Mittelmeier

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Wind farm underperformance can lead to significant losses in revenues. The efficient detection of wind turbines operating below their expected power output and immediate corrections help maximize asset value. The method, presented in this paper, estimates the environmental conditions from turbine states and uses pre-calculated lookup tables from a numeric wake model to predict the expected power output. Deviations between the expected and the measured power output ratio between two turbines are an indication of underperformance. The confidence of detected underperformance is estimated by a detailed analysis of the uncertainties of the method. Power normalization with reference turbines and averaging several measures performed by devices of the same type can reduce uncertainties for estimating the expected power. A demonstration of the method's ability to detect underperformance in the form of degradation and curtailment is given. An underperformance of 8 % could be detected in a triple-wake condition.

Prevalence of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM and Associated Hearing Impairment Among School-aged Children in Yemen

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Salem Muftah

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM is one of the leading causes of preventable disabling hearing impairment (DHI in developing countries. Early detection and management complements advances made in other survival programs, improves work capacity, and enhances learning opportunities for school children. We aimed to determine the prevalence of CSOM and associated DHI among school children aged six to 16 years in Socotra Island, Yemen. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional community-based survey, from 20 April 2011 to 20 June 2011. The study procedures involved completing a questionnaire, an otoscopic ear examination, an audiometric test of hearing, and tuning fork tests for the type of DHI. Results: A total of 686 children were interviewed and examined for CSOM and associated DHI of CSOM cases. The prevalence of CSOM was 7.4%, (95% CI 5.5–9.4. CSOM status was significantly associated with DHI (p=0.001, but no significant associations were found between demographic characteristics and CSOM status. Logistic regression identified four significant independent contributing factors: history of ear discharge in the last 12 months (odds ratio (OR 7.8, 95% CI 3.9–15.6; swimming in local pools (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.4–25.4; recurrent respiratory tract infection more than three times per year (OR 5.3, 95% CI 2.5–11.0; and overcrowding with more than three families per house (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.7–11.5. . Conclusion: The burden of CSOM in the children studied indicates a high level of DHI in these communities within Yemen. A history of ear discharge, swimming in local pools, recurrent respiratory infections, and overcrowded housing were the strongest predictors for CSOM. There is a need for better ear care and screening programs for early detection and management of this disease.

Gender differences in business success of German start-up firms

OpenAIRE

Gottschalk, Sandra; Niefert, Michaela

2011-01-01

Many studies found that women-owned firms underperform when comparing performance indicators at an aggregate level. The performance gap might be attributed to gender differences in personal and firm characteristics affecting performance. However, previous studies were not able to entirely explain female underperformance in this way. There are two theoretical perspectives on the causes of female underperformance. Liberal feminist theory suggests that women lack access to relevant resources lik...

Youth Responses to School Shootings: A Reviw

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Travers, Áine

2018-01-01

PURPOSE OF REVIEW:This paper aims to synthesize research relating to youth responses to school shootings between 2014 and 2017. The main questions it addresses are how such events impact young people psychologically, and what risk or protective factors may contribute to different trajectories...... of recovery? RECENT FINDINGS:Recent research suggests that most young people exposed to school shootings demonstrate resilience, exhibiting no long-term dysfunction. However, a minority will experience severe and chronic symptoms. The likelihood of experiencing clinically significant reactions is influenced...

Management of chronic daily headache in children and adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Mack, Kenneth J; Gladstein, Jack

2008-01-01

Chronic daily headache (CDH) occurs in 1-2% of children and adolescents. It can evolve from either episodic tension-type headache or episodic migraine, or can appear with no previous headache history. As with other primary headache disorders, treatment is based on the level of disability. There are children and adolescents who cope well, but there are others who are markedly disabled by their chronic headaches. As in adults, children and adolescents with CDH are at risk for medication overuse. CDH is a diagnosis of exclusion, based on a thorough history, normal physical examination, and negative neuroimaging findings. Along with the chronic headaches, children with this condition may have co-morbid sleep problems, autonomic dysfunction, anxiety, and/or depression. Principles of treatment include identifying migrainous components, stopping medication overuse, stressing normalcy, using rational pharmacotherapy, and addressing co-morbid conditions. Successful outcomes often involve identifying an appropriate headache preventative, reintegration into school, and family participation in resetting realistic expectations.

A Study to Find Out the Full Immunization Coverage of 12 to 23-month old Children and Areas of Under-Performance using LQAS Technique in a Rural Area of Tripura.

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Anjan; Baidya, Subrata; Datta, Srabani; Mog, Chanda; Das, Shampa

2017-02-01

It is very important to analyze the factors which acts as obstacle in achieving 100% immunization among children. Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) is one of the effective method to assess such barriers. To assess the full immunization coverage among 12 to 23-month old children of rural field practice area under Department of Community Medicine, Agartala Government Medical College and identify the factors for failure of full immunization. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2013 to October 2014 on children aged 12 to 23 months old of area under Mohanpur Community health centre. Using LQAS technique 330 samples were selected with multi-stage sampling, each sub-centre being one lot and two calculated to be the decision value. Data was collected using pre-designed pre-tested questionnaire during home visit and verifying immunization card and analysed by computer software SPSS version 21.0. The full immunization coverage among 12 to 23 months old children of Mohanpur area was found as 91.67%. Out of all the 22 sub-centres, 36.36% was found under performing as per pre-fixed criteria and the main reasons for failure of full immunization in those areas are unawareness of need of subsequent doses of vaccines and illness of the children. LQAS is an effective method to identify areas of under-performance even though overall full immunization coverage is high.

Chronic pain and quality of life in schizophrenic patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jouce Gabriela de Almeida

2013-03-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence and characteristics of chronic pain in schizophrenic patients and to compare the quality of life in patients with and without chronic pain. METHODS: Crossover design with a probablistic sample of 205 adult schizophrenic outpatients (80% paranoid schizophrenia. Socio-demographic, psychiatric disorder, pain and quality of life (WHOQOL- brief data were collected between June and September 2008. RESULTS: Mean age was 37 years, 65% were men, and the mean time spent in school was 9 years; 87% were single, 65% lived with parents and 25% had a job. Among patients with chronic pain, 70% did not receive treatment for pain. Regarding quality of life, patients with pain had more physical disabilities compared to those without pain (p < .001. There were no differences in other domains. Comparisons between patients with and without pain did not show any differences in how much they felt their mental health problems disabled them. Conclusion: Chronic pain was common in schizophrenic patients (similar to the general population of a similar age and decreased their quality of life. It is necessary to pay more attention to this co-morbidity.

‘One day I will pick up a snake, wanting to read it’: Becoming a successful reader in a rural environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline van der Mescht

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Children learning to read and write in rural areas in Southern Africa perform poorly compared to children in urban schools. The poor results of rural schools in national assessments of reading literacy are explained by the deficits of rural areas: poverty, under-resourced schools and under-qualified teachers. Children in rural areas are frequently not exposed to home literacy practices, which prepare them for formal literacy learning at school. Whilst acknowledging the impact of rural poverty on children’s performance, this article explores a role-playing game amongst pre-school and school-going children of rural villages that enabled some children to become successful learners. Focusing on affect, I analyse the way in which the game motivated these children and suggest some of the benefits that promoting this practice may have for teaching and learning in rural areas. The continued underperformance of children in rural schools makes a compelling case for investigating ways of promoting learning and reading in rural homes.

[Predictive value of Ages & Stages Questionnaires for cognitive performance at early years of schooling].

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Schonhaut B, Luisa; Pérez R, Marcela; Castilla F, Ana María; Castro M, Sonia; Salinas A, Patricia; Armijo R, Iván

2016-10-13

The Ages and Stages questionnaires (ASQ) has been recently validated in our country for developmental screening. The objective of this study is evaluate the validity of ASQ to predict low cognitive performance in the early years of schooling. Diagnostic test studies conducted on a sample of children of medium-high socioeconomic level were evaluated using ASQ at least once at 8, 18 and/or 30 months old, and later, between 6 and 9 years old, reevaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-third edition (WISC-III). Each ASQ evaluation was recorded independently. WISC-III was standardized, considering underperformance when the total score were under -1 standard deviation RESULTS: 123 children, corresponding to 174 ASQ assessments (42 of them were 8 months old, 55 were 18 months and 77 were 30 months of age) were included. An area under the ROC curve of 80.7% was obtained, showing higher values at 8 months (98.0%) compared to 18 and 30 months old (78.1 and 79.3%, respectively). Considering different ASQ scoring criteria, a low sensitivity (27.8 to 50.0%), but a high specificity (78.8 to 96.2%) were obtained; the positive predictive value ranged between 21 and 46%, while the negative value was 92.0-93.2%. ASQ has low sensitivity but excellent specificity to predict a low cognitive performance during the first years of schooling, being a good alternative to monitor psychomotor development in children who attend the private sector healthcare in our country. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A center for self-management of chronic illnesses in diverse groups.

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Inouye, Jillian; Boland, Mary G; Nigg, Claudio R; Sullivan, Kathleen; Leake, Anne; Mark, Debra; Albright, Cheryl L

2011-01-01

Prevention and successful treatment of chronic disease require a scientific understanding of the impacts and interactions of ethnicity, culture, and illness on self-management interventions. This article presents one approach to developing effective methods to address the needs of ethnic minorities living with chronic illnesses. Described is the University of Hawaii Center for Ohana Self-Management of Chronic Illnesses (COSMCI) located in the School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (Award Number P20NR010671). The interdisciplinary center focuses on family and community self-management interventions in ethnically diverse populations with chronic illnesses. Areas discussed are: 1) the operational structure for creating an environment conducive to interdisciplinary ohana self-management chronic illness research in ethnically diverse populations; and 2) the development of sustainable interdisciplinary, biobehavioral research capacity. The COSMCI uses a social cognitive theory framework to guide the application of established self-management interventions to Asian and Pacific Island populations (API) through three conceptually linked research projects on HIV infection, type 2 diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COSMI addresses the feasibility of sharing of lessons learned among the approaches taken. The interdisciplinary nature of COSMCI increases the potential success of the intervention efforts. Hawaii Medical Journal Copyright 2010.

Graduates of different UK medical schools show substantial differences in performance on MRCP(UK Part 1, Part 2 and PACES examinations

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Mollon Jennifer

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The UK General Medical Council has emphasized the lack of evidence on whether graduates from different UK medical schools perform differently in their clinical careers. Here we assess the performance of UK graduates who have taken MRCP(UK Part 1 and Part 2, which are multiple-choice assessments, and PACES, an assessment using real and simulated patients of clinical examination skills and communication skills, and we explore the reasons for the differences between medical schools. Method We perform a retrospective analysis of the performance of 5827 doctors graduating in UK medical schools taking the Part 1, Part 2 or PACES for the first time between 2003/2 and 2005/3, and 22453 candidates taking Part 1 from 1989/1 to 2005/3. Results Graduates of UK medical schools performed differently in the MRCP(UK examination between 2003/2 and 2005/3. Part 1 and 2 performance of Oxford, Cambridge and Newcastle-upon-Tyne graduates was significantly better than average, and the performance of Liverpool, Dundee, Belfast and Aberdeen graduates was significantly worse than average. In the PACES (clinical examination, Oxford graduates performed significantly above average, and Dundee, Liverpool and London graduates significantly below average. About 60% of medical school variance was explained by differences in pre-admission qualifications, although the remaining variance was still significant, with graduates from Leicester, Oxford, Birmingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London overperforming at Part 1, and graduates from Southampton, Dundee, Aberdeen, Liverpool and Belfast underperforming relative to pre-admission qualifications. The ranking of schools at Part 1 in 2003/2 to 2005/3 correlated 0.723, 0.654, 0.618 and 0.493 with performance in 1999–2001, 1996–1998, 1993–1995 and 1989–1992, respectively. Conclusion Candidates from different UK medical schools perform differently in all three parts of the MRCP(UK examination, with the

Parent and Teacher Perceptions of the Impact of School Nurse Interventions on Children's Self-Management of Diabetes

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Peery, Annette I.; Engelke, Martha Keehner; Swanson, Melvin S.

2012-01-01

Diabetes is a common chronic illness among school-age children. The school nurse collaborates with the student, parents, and teachers to help the child manage their diabetes effectively. Very little is known about the relationship between school nurse interventions and parent/teacher perceptions of the child's self-management. We examined this…

Why sleep matters: differences in daytime functioning between adolescents with low and high chronic sleep reduction and short and long sleep durations

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Dewald-Kaufmann, J.F.; Oort, F.J.; Bögels, S.M.; Meijer, A.M.

2013-01-01

Sleep problems are prevalent in adolescents and can severely impair their daytime functioning. This study aims to investigate differences in daytime functioning (e.g., depressive symptoms, attention problems, school functioning, and school performance) between adolescents with high and low chronic

Enhancing the Safe and Effective Management of Chronic Pain in Accountable Care Organization Primary Care Practices in Kentucky.

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Wubu, Selam; Hall, Laura Lee; Straub, Paula; Bair, Matthew J; Marsteller, Jill A; Hsu, Yea-Jen; Schneider, Doron; Hood, Gregory A

Chronic pain is a prevalent chronic condition with significant burden and economic impact in the United States. Chronic pain is particularly abundant in primary care, with an estimated 52% of chronic pain patients obtaining care from primary care physicians (PCPs). However, PCPs often lack adequate training and have limited time and resources to effectively manage chronic pain. Chronic pain management is complex in nature because of high co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders and other medical comorbidities in patients. This article describes a quality improvement initiative conducted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), in collaboration with the Kentucky ACP Chapter, and the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to enhance chronic pain management in 8 primary care practices participating in Accountable Care Organizations in Kentucky, with a goal of enhancing the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with chronic pain.

Exploring the school attendance of children with epilepsy

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Karina Piccin Zanni

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The childhood epilepsy is a chronic disease that can have an impact in various spheres of life of the child, including academic performance and school attendance. This study aimed to describe and compare the school attendance of children with epilepsy who attend mainstream and special schools. Participants were 56 children aged between 7 and 14 years who attended regular or special schools located in two Brazilian cities of medium size. To collect the information we used two instruments: Data sheet of identification and characterization of the child and Data sheet to record the attendance school. The results showed that children in special schools had higher rates of absenteeism compared to students in regular schools. Additionally, we observed that these children use more drugs and have implications on health more severe than children in regular schools. Thus, it is the childhood epilepsy as a disease complex that brings substantial effects on various areas of children’s lives by reinforcing the need for studies that might expand the knowledge to and the experiences associated with the education of these children.

Resilience among caregivers of children with chronic conditions: a concept analysis

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Lin FY

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Fang-Yi Lin, Jiin-Ru Rong, Tzu-Ying Lee Department of Nursing, School of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Abstract: The purpose of this concept analysis is to uncover the essential elements involved in caregivers' resilience in the context of caring for children with chronic conditions. Walker and Avant's methodology guided the analysis. The study includes a literature review of conceptual definitions of caregiver resilience in caring for children with chronic conditions. The defining attributes and correlates of caregiver resilience are reviewed. Concept analysis findings in a review of the nursing and health-related literature show that caregiver resilience in the context of caring for chronically ill children can be defined within four main dimensions, ie, disposition patterns, situational patterns, relational patterns, and cultural patterns. Empiric measurements of the impact of caregiver resilience applied to caregivers with children with chronic conditions are also reported in the analysis. The findings of this concept analysis could help nurses and health care providers to apply the concept of caregiver resilience in allied health care and be applied to further studies. Keywords: caregiver resilience, children, chronic conditions, concept analysis

Academic Performance of School Children With Epilepsy | Ibekwe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease encountered among school children in Nigeria. Studies in developed countries show conflicting reports on it\\'s effect on academic performance. There is also a dearth of information on the academic performance of Nigerian children with epilepsy.

Diabetes management at school: application of the healthy learner model.

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Bobo, Nichole; Kaup, Tara; McCarty, Patricia; Carlson, Jessie Parker

2011-06-01

Every child with diabetes deserves a school nurse with the capacity to effectively manage the disease at school. The school nurse needs knowledge and skills to confidently provide care and communicate with health care providers and families. The Healthy Learner Model for Chronic Condition Management provided a framework to eliminate the disjointed approach to diabetes management at school, replacing it with a consistent, evidence-based approach. A diabetes resource nurse was a key component, providing support for the school nurse and collaboration between the school, community, family, and health care providers. Funded by a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) chose five sites from across the country to implement this program-a project titled Managing and Preventing Diabetes and Weight Gain (MAP). This article describes the experience of two sites.

Chronic pancreatitis

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Chronic pancreatitis - chronic; Pancreatitis - chronic - discharge; Pancreatic insufficiency - chronic; Acute pancreatitis - chronic ... abuse over many years. Repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis can lead to chronic pancreatitis. Genetics may be ...

Helicobacter Pylori: Prevalence and relationship with abdominal pain in school children in makkah city, western Saudi Arabia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telmesani, Abdulwahab MA

2009-01-01

The published data on Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) prevalence and its relationship with abdominal pain in Saudi Arabia is scarce. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of H. pylori and its relationship with chronic recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) among school students in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. Three hundred and fourteen school students, 103 at the intermediate level (grades 7-9) aged 12-15 years and 211 at the secondary level (grades 10-12) aged 15-18 years were tested for H. pylori. Urea breath test (UBT) was used for this purpose. Children with chronic RAP were identified as per the Apley criteria. Overall, the UBT was positive in 86/314 (27.4%) students. It was positive in 45/103 (43.7%) intermediate school students and 41/211 (19.4%) secondary students. Out of the 55 students with chronic RAP, 40 (73%) were positive for H. pylori . Further, 62.9% and 82.1% were positive among the intermediate and secondary school students with RAP, respectively. The overall and specific odds ratios of RAP were 12.35 [95% confidence interval (C.I.) 6.30-24.22] and 10.40 (95% C.I. 1.75-11.73) for the intermediate school students and 22.69 (95% C.I. 7.99-64.44) for the secondary school students. The prevalence of H. pylori among the school children in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, is relatively low compared with developing countries. The prevalence was found to be higher among the younger age group. Further, there was a significant relation between H. pylori infection and RAP among the school students. (author)

Sleep, School Performance, and a School-Based Intervention among School-Aged Children: A Sleep Series Study in China

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Li, Shenghui; Arguelles, Lester; Jiang, Fan; Chen, Wenjuan; Jin, Xingming; Yan, Chonghuai; Tian, Ying; Hong, Xiumei; Qian, Ceng; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Xiaobin; Shen, Xiaoming

2013-01-01

Background Sufficient sleep during childhood is essential to ensure a transition into a healthy adulthood. However, chronic sleep loss continues to increase worldwide. In this context, it is imperative to make sleep a high-priority and take action to promote sleep health among children. The present series of studies aimed to shed light on sleep patterns, on the longitudinal association of sleep with school performance, and on practical intervention strategy for Chinese school-aged children. Methods and Findings A serial sleep researches, including a national cross-sectional survey, a prospective cohort study, and a school-based sleep intervention, were conducted in China from November 2005 through December 2009. The national cross-sectional survey was conducted in 8 cities and a random sample of 20,778 children aged 9.0±1.61 years participated in the survey. The five-year prospective cohort study included 612 children aged 6.8±0.31 years. The comparative cross-sectional study (baseline: n = 525, aged 10.80±0.41; post-intervention follow-up: n = 553, aged 10.81±0.33) was undertaken in 6 primary schools in Shanghai. A battery of parent and teacher reported questionnaires were used to collect information on children’s sleep behaviors, school performance, and sociodemographic characteristics. The mean sleep duration was 9.35±0.77 hours. The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was 64.4% (sometimes: 37.50%; frequently: 26.94%). Daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with impaired attention, learning motivation, and particularly, academic achievement. By contrast, short sleep duration only related to impaired academic achievement. After delaying school start time 30 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively, sleep duration correspondingly increased by 15.6 minutes and 22.8 minutes, respectively. Moreover, intervention significantly improved the sleep duration and daytime sleepiness. Conclusions Insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness commonly existed and

Sleep, school performance, and a school-based intervention among school-aged children: a sleep series study in China.

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Li, Shenghui; Arguelles, Lester; Jiang, Fan; Chen, Wenjuan; Jin, Xingming; Yan, Chonghuai; Tian, Ying; Hong, Xiumei; Qian, Ceng; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Xiaobin; Shen, Xiaoming

2013-01-01

Sufficient sleep during childhood is essential to ensure a transition into a healthy adulthood. However, chronic sleep loss continues to increase worldwide. In this context, it is imperative to make sleep a high-priority and take action to promote sleep health among children. The present series of studies aimed to shed light on sleep patterns, on the longitudinal association of sleep with school performance, and on practical intervention strategy for Chinese school-aged children. A serial sleep researches, including a national cross-sectional survey, a prospective cohort study, and a school-based sleep intervention, were conducted in China from November 2005 through December 2009. The national cross-sectional survey was conducted in 8 cities and a random sample of 20,778 children aged 9.0±1.61 years participated in the survey. The five-year prospective cohort study included 612 children aged 6.8±0.31 years. The comparative cross-sectional study (baseline: n = 525, aged 10.80±0.41; post-intervention follow-up: n = 553, aged 10.81±0.33) was undertaken in 6 primary schools in Shanghai. A battery of parent and teacher reported questionnaires were used to collect information on children's sleep behaviors, school performance, and sociodemographic characteristics. The mean sleep duration was 9.35±0.77 hours. The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was 64.4% (sometimes: 37.50%; frequently: 26.94%). Daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with impaired attention, learning motivation, and particularly, academic achievement. By contrast, short sleep duration only related to impaired academic achievement. After delaying school start time 30 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively, sleep duration correspondingly increased by 15.6 minutes and 22.8 minutes, respectively. Moreover, intervention significantly improved the sleep duration and daytime sleepiness. Insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness commonly existed and positively associated with the impairment of

Sleep, school performance, and a school-based intervention among school-aged children: a sleep series study in China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shenghui Li

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Sufficient sleep during childhood is essential to ensure a transition into a healthy adulthood. However, chronic sleep loss continues to increase worldwide. In this context, it is imperative to make sleep a high-priority and take action to promote sleep health among children. The present series of studies aimed to shed light on sleep patterns, on the longitudinal association of sleep with school performance, and on practical intervention strategy for Chinese school-aged children. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A serial sleep researches, including a national cross-sectional survey, a prospective cohort study, and a school-based sleep intervention, were conducted in China from November 2005 through December 2009. The national cross-sectional survey was conducted in 8 cities and a random sample of 20,778 children aged 9.0±1.61 years participated in the survey. The five-year prospective cohort study included 612 children aged 6.8±0.31 years. The comparative cross-sectional study (baseline: n = 525, aged 10.80±0.41; post-intervention follow-up: n = 553, aged 10.81±0.33 was undertaken in 6 primary schools in Shanghai. A battery of parent and teacher reported questionnaires were used to collect information on children's sleep behaviors, school performance, and sociodemographic characteristics. The mean sleep duration was 9.35±0.77 hours. The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was 64.4% (sometimes: 37.50%; frequently: 26.94%. Daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with impaired attention, learning motivation, and particularly, academic achievement. By contrast, short sleep duration only related to impaired academic achievement. After delaying school start time 30 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively, sleep duration correspondingly increased by 15.6 minutes and 22.8 minutes, respectively. Moreover, intervention significantly improved the sleep duration and daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Case Decisions: Health-Related Service Considerations for School Psychologists

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Schmitt, Ara J.; Wodrich, David L.; Lazar, Susan

2010-01-01

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic illness that can impact learning and often requires medical management in the school setting. School psychologists must therefore be knowledgeable of special service eligibility criteria associated with T1DM, the health-related services often required of such students, and what health-related services…

A NATIONAL POLICY ON ASTHMA MANAGEMENT FOR SCHOOLS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

MELLIS, CM; BOWES, G; HENRY, RL; MITCHELL, CA; PHELAN, PD; SHAH, S; SHAROTA, L; STAUGAS, R; SLY, PD; YOUNG, L

Since asthma is the most common chronic illness in childhood, many of the problems associated with this condition will impact on the child's education. Because of widespread concerns regarding the management of asthma in schools, a subcommittee of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand,

School start times for adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes insufficient sleep in adolescents as an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety, as well as the academic success, of our nation's middle and high school students. Although a number of factors, including biological changes in sleep associated with puberty, lifestyle choices, and academic demands, negatively affect middle and high school students' ability to obtain sufficient sleep, the evidence strongly implicates earlier school start times (ie, before 8:30 am) as a key modifiable contributor to insufficient sleep, as well as circadian rhythm disruption, in this population. Furthermore, a substantial body of research has now demonstrated that delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss and has a wide range of potential benefits to students with regard to physical and mental health, safety, and academic achievement. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports the efforts of school districts to optimize sleep in students and urges high schools and middle schools to aim for start times that allow students the opportunity to achieve optimal levels of sleep (8.5-9.5 hours) and to improve physical (eg, reduced obesity risk) and mental (eg, lower rates of depression) health, safety (eg, drowsy driving crashes), academic performance, and quality of life. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sialendoscopy-assisted treatment for chronic obstructive parotitis related to Sjogren syndrome.

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Guo, Yong-Feng; Sun, Ning-Ning; Wu, Chuan-Bin; Xue, Lei; Zhou, Qing

2017-03-01

Chronic obstructive parotitis related to Sjogren syndrome is not uncommon, but it is rarely reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to describe our experience in the treatment of chronic obstructive parotitis related to Sjogren syndrome. Seventeen cases of chronic obstructive parotitis related to Sjogren syndrome treated with sialendoscopy from June 2014 to June 2015 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, China Medical University, were retrospectively reviewed. The cohort underwent ultrasonography, salivary gland scintigraphy, and sialography before sialendoscopy. All patients were asked to complete a visual analogue scale (VAS) evaluation before and 6 months after surgery. A paired t test was conducted, and P parotid glands) successfully underwent interventional sialendoscopy under local anesthesia. The mean preoperative VAS score was 6, and the mean VAS score 6 months after sialendoscopy was significantly lower at 4.5 (P < .05). Interventional sialendoscopy plays a significant role in the treatment of chronic obstructive parotitis related to Sjogren syndrome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association between TNF-α (– 308 G → A Gene Polymorphism and Chronic

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Hamidreza Mahmoudzadeh-Sagheb

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by environmental and genetic factors. It leads to destruction of tooth supporting tissues and may cause tooth loss. Cytokine TNF-α plays a role in the development of inflammatory lesions and 3Tdevelopment3T5T and 5Tprogression of the chronic periodontitis disease. Some polymorphisms of this gene are accompanied with change in expression level. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between TNF-α -308 G>A (rs1800629 polymorphism and chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 100 patients with chronic periodontitis and 100 normal subjects, referring to the clinic of Zahedan Dental School, were evaluated. Venous blood samples of participants were taken. DNA was extracted using salting-out technique and gene polymorphism was studied at this position using specific primers by T-ARMS PCR method. To investigate the frequency of genotypes and alleles in both groups, χ2 test was employed and pA polymorphism and chronic periodontitis in this population4T.4T

Obsessive-compulsive disorder; chronic versus non-chronic symptoms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, H.A.; van Oppen, P.C.; van Megen, H.J.; Eikelenboom, M.; van Balkom, A.J.L.M.

2014-01-01

Objective Understanding chronicity in OCD is hampered by contradictory findings arising from dissimilar definitions of chronic OCD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the magnitude of chronicity in OCD and to examine if chronic OCD is critically different from non-chronic OCD, using a

Tanezumab: a selective humanized mAb for chronic lower back pain

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Webb MP

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Michael P Webb,1 Erik M Helander,2 Bethany L Menard,2 Richard D Urman,3 Alan D Kaye2 1Department of Anesthesiology, North Shore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand; 2Department of Anesthesiology, LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Chronic lower back pain is a significant disease that affects nearly 20% of the worldwide population. Along with hindering patients’ quality of life, chronic lower back pain is considered to be the second most common cause of disability among Americans. Treating chronic lower back pain is often a challenge for providers, especially in light of our current opioid epidemic. With this epidemic and an increased aging population, there is an imminent need for development of new pharmacologic therapeutic options, which are not only effective but also pose minimal adverse effects to the patient. With these considerations, a novel therapeutic agent called tanezumab has been developed and studied. Tanezumab is a humanized monoclonal immunoglobulin G2 antibody that works by inhibiting the binding of NGF to its receptors. NGF is involved in the function of sensory neurons and fibers involved in nociceptive transduction. It is commonly seen in excess in inflammatory joint conditions and in chronic pain patients. Nociceptors are dependent on NGF for growth and ongoing function. The inhibition of NGF binding to its receptors is a mechanism by which pain pathways can be interrupted. In this article, a number of recent randomized controlled trials are examined relating to the efficacy and safety of tanezumab in the treatment of chronic lower back pain. Although tanezumab was shown to be an effective pain modulator in major trials, several adverse effects were seen among different doses of the medication, one of which led to a clinical hold placed by the US Food and Drug

Identification of desired outcomes for school nursing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Selekman, Janice; Guilday, Patricia

2003-12-01

The Scope and Standards of Professional School Nursing Practice states that school nurses should evaluate the quality and effectiveness of their practice. School nurses have not yet identified and adopted outcomes by which this effectiveness can be measured. This study used focus groups during a national meeting of school nurse leaders to identify the desired outcomes that could be used to measure the efficacy of school nursing practice. Ten desired outcome themes were identified with numerous specific indicators as possible ways to measure the desired outcome in each theme. The student-, school-, and nurse-focused outcome themes were as follows: (a) increased student seat time, (b) receipt of first aid and acute care measures, (c) receipt of competent health-related interventions or skills, (d) meeting of the comprehensive needs of children with chronic conditions, (e) enhanced school health via wellness promotion and disease prevention measures, (f) referrals, (g) safe environment, (h) enhanced school health via community outreach, (i) cost-effective school nurse services, and (j) student, parent, and staff satisfaction. The school nurse participants were supportive of having potential outcomes identified and unanimously endorsed the findings at the conclusion of the study. They have provided a comprehensive framework from which evaluation tools can be developed to measure the efficacy of school nursing.

Melatonin for chronic sleep onset insomnia in children: A Randomized placebo-controlled study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits, M.G.; Nagtegaal, J.E.; Heijden, J.A.M. van der; Coenen, A.M.L.; Kerkhof, G.A.

2001-01-01

To establish the efficacy of melatonin treatment in childhood sleep onset insomnia, 40 elementary school children, 6 to 12 years of age, who suffered more than 1 year from chronic sleep onset insomnia, were studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The children were randomly assigned to

Chronic Functional Constipation and Encopresis in Children in Relationship with the Psychosocial Environment.

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Olaru, Claudia; Diaconescu, Smaranda; Trandafir, Laura; Gimiga, Nicoleta; Olaru, Radian A; Stefanescu, Gabriela; Ciubotariu, Gabriela; Burlea, Marin; Iorga, Magdalena

2016-01-01

Functional constipation is an issue for both the patient and his/her family, affecting the patient's psychoemotional balance, social relations, and their harmonious integration in the school environment. We aimed to highlight the connection between chronic constipation and encopresis and the patient's psychosocial and family-related situation. Material and Method . 57 patients with ages spanning from 6 to 15 were assessed within the pediatric gastroenterology ward. Sociodemographic, medical, and psychological data was recorded. The collected data was processed using the SPSS 20 software. Results . The study group consisted of 57 children diagnosed with encopresis (43 boys (75.44%) and 14 girls (24.56%)), M = 10.82 years. It was determined that most of the children came from urban families with a poor socioeducational status. We identified a level of studies of 11.23 ± 5.56 years in mothers, while fathers had an average number of 9.35 ± 4.53 years of study. We also found a complex relationship between encopretic episodes and school performances ( F = 7.968, p = 0.001, 95% Cl). Children with encopresis were found to have more anxiety/depression symptoms, greater social problems, more disruptive behavior, and poorer school performance. Conclusions . The study highlights the importance of the family environment and socioeconomic factors in manifestations of chronic constipation and encopresis.

Emergency and disaster preparedness for chronically ill patients: a review of recommendations

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Tomio J

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Jun Tomio,1 Hajime Sato2 1Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Health Policy and Technology Assessment, National Institute of Public Health, Wako, Japan Abstract: Recent disasters, especially those in developed countries, have highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness measures for chronic diseases. A number of surviving patients experienced the exacerbation of a chronic illness, such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, due to disaster-related stress, interruption of care, or both; for some patients, these exacerbations resulted in death. Here, we review reports from recent disasters in developed countries and summarize the recommendations for disaster preparedness of chronically ill patients. A considerable number of recommendations based on the lessons learned from recent disasters have been developed, and they provide practical and essential steps to prevent treatment interruption during and after a disaster. To improve preparedness efforts, we suggest that health care providers should be aware of the following three suggestions: 1 recommendations should be evidence-based; 2 recommendations should contain consistent messages; and 3 recommendations should be feasible. Keywords: disaster, chronic illness, preparedness

Review article Homebound instruction for students with chronic illness: reducing risk outside of the box

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Steven R. Shaw

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Students with chronic illness are at risk for a host of academic and social problems. The risk is exacerbated when students are unable to attend school short term or long term due to medical problems. Educators may be able to reduce academic and social risk for students with chronic illness through effective homebound instruction. However, there remain many barriers to effective homebowund instruction. Effective interdisciplinary and community coordination, development of policies, teacher support, inclusion of families, and use of technology can be combined to overcome these barriers and create effective homebound programs and policies. The result is reduced risk for the large and vulnerable population of students with chronic illness.

Executive Functioning in Pediatric Chronic Pain: Do Deficits Exist?

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Karen E; Harbeck-Weber, Cynthia; Zaccariello, Michael J; Kimondo, Jacqueline N; Harrison, Tracy E; Bruce, Barbara K

2018-01-01

Despite ample research documenting deficits in executive functioning for adults with chronic pain, the literature on pediatric patients with chronic pain is limited and provides mixed results. The current study sought to further investigate the nature of executive dysfunction in this population and also examine the relationships between pain intensity, duration, and catastrophizing with sustained attention, working memory, and self- and parent-report of executive functioning. Pediatric pain clinic and rehabilitation program. Forty adolescents with chronic pain and their parents participated in this study. Participants completed neuropsychological measures and standardized self-report questionnaires during a 45- to 60-minute testing session. Fifty percent of this sample of adolescents with chronic pain demonstrated significant difficulties on at least one measure, with nine participants indicating difficulties on multiple measures. Pain significantly increased during the testing session. Pain variables of intensity, duration, and catastrophizing are related to sustained attention and working memory. This study adds support to previous findings suggesting subclinical struggles with executive functioning for adolescents with chronic pain. One-half of the sample indicated difficulties in either sustained attention and/or working memory. Future studies that would more thoroughly examine more complex executive functioning skills in this population would be helpful to further guide multidisciplinary treatment of these patients, particularly regarding whether or not school accommodations are warranted. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Using Chronic Absence in a Multi-Metric Accountability System. Policy Memo 16-1

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Hough, Heather

2016-01-01

With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, California must integrate additional measures of student and school performance into the state-wide accountability system. To support the conversation as policymakers consider if/how to include chronic absenteeism data in the state's accountability system, PACE has conducted an…

Toward Culturally Sustaining Leadership: Innovation beyond ‘School Improvement’ Promoting Equity in Diverse Contexts

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Lorri J. Santamaría

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Whilst school principals and educational leaders are increasingly constrained by standardized assessment results and student achievement, persistent achievement gaps continue to separate poor and historically underserved students from their wealthier mainstream peers in the United States (US and similar countries. Unprecedented levels of cultural, linguistic, ethnic, racial, and gender school diversity underscore these phenomena. As a result, leadership for ‘school improvement’ has become the norm and as evidenced by chronic academic disparities, ineffective. This review article considers culturally sustaining leadership as an innovative practice to promote and advance equity in schools.

NASN membership survey: Developing and providing leadership to advance the school nursing practice.

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Monsalve, Lina

2010-07-01

The NASN membership is fairly consistent. The majority of NASN members are female; NASN members share a common interest in the specialty of school nursing. The majority of members are involved in one of the following areas: school nurse services, school nurse administration or supervision, and regional or state nurse consultant within the educational system. School nursing practice varies among survey participants; there are school nurses who have spent as little as one year specifically practicing school nursing and those who have spent as much as 36 years or more. Eighty-three percent (83%) of NASN members are employed by public school districts, salaries among members vary between $19,000 or less per year and $129,999 or more per year. NASN members serve students in different geographical areas; school nurses may care for students in urban, suburban, rural, reservations, and overseas (DOD, military) areas. Nonetheless, some school nurses may care for students in more than one geographical area. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of NASN members provide school nursing services to students in elementary school. Student-to-school nurse ratios vary among members; in some areas school nurses may care for 125 students or fewer to as many as 5,100 students or more. NASN members spend most of their time caring for episodic minor illness and injury (headache, pain, hay fever, pm medication, etc.), acute injury and illness, health screenings (vision, hearing, body mass index), and chronic health (case management, care plans, emergency plans, and 504). In addition, there is a consensus on the resources that would most allow school nurses to deliver safer care to their students to include assistance with administrative tasks, lowering student-to-school nurse ratios, and funding for projects. NASN members place a high priority in continuing education programs, especially in topics pertaining to direct student services, such as mental health, chronic health care, and acute illness

The association between chronic bullying victimization with weight status and body self-image: a cross-national study in 39 countries.

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Lian, Qiguo; Su, Qiru; Li, Ruili; Elgar, Frank J; Liu, Zhihao; Zheng, Dongpeng

2018-01-01

Childhood obesity and school bullying are pervasive public health issues and known to co-occur in adolescents. However, the association between underweight or thinness and chronic bullying victimization is unclear. The current study examined whether chronic bullying victimization is associated with weight status and body self-image. A school-based, cross-sectional study in 39 North American and European countries and regions was conducted. A total of 213,595 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years were surveyed in 2009/10. Chronic bullying victimization was identified using the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Weight status was determined using self-reported height and weight and the body mass index (BMI), and body self-image was based on perceived weight. We tested associations between underweight and bullying victimization using three-level logistic regression models. Of the 213,595 adolescents investigated, 11.28% adolescents reported chronic bullying victimization, 14.80% were classified as overweight/obese according to age- and sex-specific BMI criteria, 12.97% were underweight, and 28.36% considered themselves a little bit fat or too fat, 14.57% were too thin. Bullying victimization was less common in older adolescent boys and girls. Weight status was associated with chronic bullying victimization (adjusted OR underweight = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05-1.16, p = 0.002; adjusted OR overweight = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.32-1.49, p self-image also related to chronic bullying victimization (adjusted OR too thin = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.36-1.49, p self-rated overweight are associated with chronic bullying victimization. Both overweight and underweight children are at risk of being chronically bullied.

High School Students’ Use of Sunscreen and Tanning Beds

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2014-08-20

This podcast is an interview with Corey Basch, EdD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University. Dr. Basch discusses her study on high school students’ use of sunscreen and tanning beds between 2001 and 2011.  Created: 8/20/2014 by Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 8/20/2014.

Validation of the PROMIS® measures of self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions.

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Gruber-Baldini, Ann L; Velozo, Craig; Romero, Sergio; Shulman, Lisa M

2017-07-01

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System ® (PROMIS ® ) was designed to develop, validate, and standardize item banks to measure key domains of physical, mental, and social health in chronic conditions. This paper reports the calibration and validation testing of the PROMIS Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Conditions measures. PROMIS Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Conditions item banks comprise five domains, Self-Efficacy for Managing: Daily Activities, Symptoms, Medications and Treatments, Emotions, and Social Interactions. Banks were calibrated in 1087 subjects from two data sources: 837 patients with chronic neurologic conditions (epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, Parkinson disease, and stroke) and 250 subjects from an online Internet sample of adults with general chronic conditions. Scores were compared with one legacy scale: Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item scale (SEMCD6) and five PROMIS short forms: Global Health (Physical and Mental), Physical Function, Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety. The sample was 57% female, mean age = 53.8 (SD = 14.7), 76% white, 21% African American, 6% Hispanic, and 76% with greater than high school education. Full-item banks were created for each domain. All measures had good internal consistency and correlated well with SEMCD6 (r  = 0.56-0.75). Significant correlations were seen between the Self-Efficacy measures and other PROMIS short forms (r  > 0.38). The newly developed PROMIS Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Conditions measures include five domains of self-efficacy that were calibrated across diverse chronic conditions and show good internal consistency and cross-sectional validity.

Using Group Counseling to Improve the Attendance of Elementary School Students with High Rates of Absenteeism: An Action Research Study

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Webb-Landman, Eleanor

2012-01-01

The foundations of academic and social learning are laid in the early years of school, and attendance is critical to school success. However, research suggests that chronic absenteeism is a significant problem at the elementary school level (Chang & Romero, 2008; Romero & Lee, 2007). This paper presents the results of an action research…

Development of a profile scoring system for assessing the psychosocial situation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain

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Nikaido T

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Takuya Nikaido,1 Shingo Fukuma,2,3 Takafumi Wakita,4 Miho Sekiguchi,1 Shoji Yabuki,1 Yoshihiro Onishi,5 Shunichi Fukuhara,2,3 Shin-ichi Konno1 On behalf of the profile scoring system for multilateral assessment of social factors in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain study group 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, 2Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto, 3Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CIRC2LE, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, 4Department of Sociology, Kansai University, Osaka, 5Institute for Health Outcomes and Process Evaluation Research (iHope International, Kyoto, Japan Abstract: Chronic pain is a manifestation of interactions among physical, psychological, and social conditions, but the latter two, that is, the nonphysical correlates of chronic pain, are only rarely measured. This study aimed to develop a profile scoring system for assessing the psychosocial situation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. An expert panel chose social and psychological domains considered to be relevant to patients with chronic pain and wrote questions asking about each of those domains. The questionnaire was completed by 252 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Factor analysis was used to select questionnaire items for each domain. Associations and interactions of pain severity and each domain score with pain-related quality of life (PRQOL were examined using linear regression models. Five domains were chosen: work, family, sleep, mental health, and PRQOL. Then, a total of 17 questions were created for the work, family, and sleep domains. Using the likelihood-ratio test, we found significant interactions with PRQOL in four pairs: severity–family, severity–mental, family–sleep, and work–mental. The association between pain severity and PRQOL was

Chronic periodontitis, inflammatory cytokines, and interrelationship with other chronic diseases.

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Cardoso, Elsa Maria; Reis, Cátia; Manzanares-Céspedes, Maria Cristina

2018-01-01

Periodontal diseases, such as chronic periodontitis, share common inflammatory risk factors with other systemic and chronic inflammatory disorders. Mucosal tissues, such as oral epithelia, are exposed to environmental stressors, such as tobacco and oral bacteria, that might be involved in promoting a systemic inflammatory state. Conversely, chronic disorders can also affect oral health. This review will summarize recent evidence for the interrelationship between chronic periodontitis and other prevalent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. The association with pregnancy is also included due to possible obstetric complications. We will focus on inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6, because they have been shown to be increased in patients with chronic periodontitis, in patients with chronic systemic diseases, and in patients with both chronic periodontitis and other chronic diseases. Therefore, an imbalance towards a proinflammatory immune response could underline a bidirectional link between chronic periodontitis and other chronic diseases. Finally, we highlight that a close coordination between dental and other health professionals could promote oral health and prevent or ameliorate other chronic diseases.

Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study.

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Herrera, Ronald; Berger, Ursula; Genuneit, Jon; Gerlich, Jessica; Nowak, Dennis; Schlotz, Wolff; Vogelberg, Christian; von Mutius, Erika; Weinmayr, Gudrun; Windstetter, Doris; Weigl, Matthias; Radon, Katja

2017-10-31

We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany) was followed from age 16-18 (2002-2003) to age 20-23 (2007-2009) ( n = 1688). Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, socio-demographics, stress outside the workplace, and job history were additionally considered. At follow-up, 52% of the population were university students. Work overload increased statistically significantly from first to second follow-up, while work discontent remained constant at the population level. Students, compared to employees, reported a larger increase in work overload (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.07, 1.67), while work discontent did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, work overload increases when young adults transition from school to university/job life, with university students experiencing the largest increase.

Social isolation in women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.

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Mellado, Bruna H; Falcone, Ananda C M; Poli-Neto, Omero B; Rosa E Silva, Julio C; Nogueira, Antonio A; Candido-Dos-Reis, Francisco J

2016-05-01

To evaluate the perceptions of women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain regarding their social ties. A qualitative study was undertaken of women with chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis. Focus groups discussions among four to six participants were performed until saturation at the Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Ribeirão Preto, southwest Brazil, between February 2013 and January 2014. Transcripts were analyzed according to the grounded theory approach and the emerging categories were coded using the WebQDA platform. Six focus group discussions took place, with a total of 29 patients. Social isolation was the main emerging theme. Social isolation was associated with a lack of understanding about endometriosis symptoms and with resignation in face of recurrent pain episodes. Avoiding partner intimacy and isolation from family and friends were components of social isolation. Women with endometriosis develop progressive social isolation after the onset of chronic pelvic pain. This finding is important for the multidisciplinary management of the disease. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association between ambient noise exposure and school performance of children living in an urban area: a cross-sectional population-based study.

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Pujol, Sophie; Levain, Jean-Pierre; Houot, Hélène; Petit, Rémy; Berthillier, Marc; Defrance, Jérôme; Lardies, Joseph; Masselot, Cyril; Mauny, Frédéric

2014-04-01

Most of the studies investigating the effects of the external noise on children's school performance have concerned pupils in schools exposed to high levels due to aircraft or freeway traffic noise. However, little is known about the consequences of the chronic ambient noise exposure at a level commonly encountered in residential urban areas. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the school performance of 8- to 9-year-old-children living in an urban environment and their chronic ambient noise exposure at home and at school. The children's school performances on the national standardized assessment test in French and mathematics were compared with the environmental noise levels. Children's exposure to ambient noise was calculated in front of their bedrooms (Lden) and schools (LAeq,day) using noise prediction modeling. Questionnaires were distributed to the families to collect potential confounding factors. Among the 746 respondent children, 586 were included in multilevel analyses. On average, the LAeq,day at school was 51.5 dB (SD= 4.5 dB; range = 38-58 dB) and the outdoor Lden at home was 56.4 dB (SD= 4.4 dB; range = 44-69 dB). LAeq,day at school was associated with impaired mathematics score (p = 0.02) or impaired French score (p = 0.01). For a + 10 dB gap, the French and mathematics scores were on average lower by about 5.5 points. Lden at home was significantly associated with impaired French performance when considered alone (p school exposure was considered (p = 0.06). The magnitude of the observed effect on school performance may appear modest, but should be considered in light of the number of people who are potentially chronically exposed to similar environmental noise levels.

Association of Tourette Syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorders With Objective Indicators of Educational Attainment: A Population-Based Sibling Comparison Study.

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Pérez-Vigil, Ana; Fernández de la Cruz, Lorena; Brander, Gustaf; Isomura, Kayoko; Jangmo, Andreas; Kuja-Halkola, Ralf; Hesselmark, Eva; D'Onofrio, Brian M; Larsson, Henrik; Mataix-Cols, David

2018-05-29

The influence of Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders on academic performance has not been objectively quantified. To investigate the association of Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders with objectively measured educational outcomes, adjusting for measured covariates and unmeasured factors shared between siblings and taking common psychiatric comorbidities into account. A population-based birth cohort consisting of all individuals born in Sweden from 1976 to 1998 was followed up until December 2013. Individuals with organic brain disorders, mental retardation, and 2 foreign-born parents were excluded. We further identified families with at least 2 singleton full siblings and families with siblings discordant for Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders. Previously validated International Classification of Diseases diagnoses of Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders in the Swedish National Patient Register. Eligibility to access upper secondary school after compulsory education, finishing upper secondary school, starting a university degree, and finishing a university degree. Of the 2 115 554 individuals in the cohort, 3590 had registered a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome or a chronic tic disorder in specialist care (of whom 2822 [78.6%] were male; median [interquartile] age at first diagnosis, 14.0 [11-18] years). Of 726 198 families with at least 2 singleton full siblings, 2697 included siblings discordant for these disorders. Compared with unexposed individuals, people with Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders were significantly less likely to pass all core and additional courses at the end of compulsory school (odds ratios ranging from 0.23 [95% CI, 0.20-0.26] for the handcraft textile/wood course to 0.36 [95% CI, 0.31-0.41] for the English language course) and to access a vocational program (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.31; 95% CI, 0.28-0.34) or academic program (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.39-0.47) in upper secondary education. Individuals with

Chronic Functional Constipation and Encopresis in Children in Relationship with the Psychosocial Environment

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Claudia Olaru

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Functional constipation is an issue for both the patient and his/her family, affecting the patient’s psychoemotional balance, social relations, and their harmonious integration in the school environment. We aimed to highlight the connection between chronic constipation and encopresis and the patient’s psychosocial and family-related situation. Material and Method. 57 patients with ages spanning from 6 to 15 were assessed within the pediatric gastroenterology ward. Sociodemographic, medical, and psychological data was recorded. The collected data was processed using the SPSS 20 software. Results. The study group consisted of 57 children diagnosed with encopresis (43 boys (75.44% and 14 girls (24.56%, M=10.82 years. It was determined that most of the children came from urban families with a poor socioeducational status. We identified a level of studies of 11.23±5.56 years in mothers, while fathers had an average number of 9.35±4.53 years of study. We also found a complex relationship between encopretic episodes and school performances (F=7.968, p=0.001, 95% Cl. Children with encopresis were found to have more anxiety/depression symptoms, greater social problems, more disruptive behavior, and poorer school performance. Conclusions. The study highlights the importance of the family environment and socioeconomic factors in manifestations of chronic constipation and encopresis.

Approach to the Underperforming Athlete.

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Solomon, Mary L; Weiss Kelly, Amanda K

2016-03-01

Children and adolescents who participate in intense sports training may face physical and psychologic stresses. The pediatric health care provider can play an important role in monitoring an athlete's preparation by obtaining a proper sports history, assessing sleep hygiene, discussing nutrition and hydration guidelines, and evaluating physiologic causes of fatigue. Educating parents and athletes on the potential risks of high-intensity training, inadequate rest and sleep, and a poor diet may improve the athlete's performance and prevent symptoms of overtraining syndrome. Infectious mononucleosis must also be considered a cause of fatigue among adolescents. The signs and symptoms of overtraining and burnout are discussed in this article. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Assessment of Family Functionality Among the Elderly With Chronic Illness

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Claudia Balula Chaves

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The family APGAR scale was developed by Smilkstein, Ashworth, and Montano (1982. The satisfaction assessment of the elderly with chronic illness regarding family is essential. This study aims to describe the socio-demographic and clinical profile of elderly people with chronic illness and correlate with perceived family support. This is a cross-sectional, analytical study of 294 elderly people (51.4% female, patients at the Health Centre in the district of Viseu - Portugal, diagnosed with chronic illness (77.9% cardiovascular; Mean age was 72.22 ± 6.13, 70.7% were married and 52% had 4 years of schooling; Data was gathered using a questionnaire and the Family APGAR (Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection and Resolve. In relation to family functionality, 18.7% perceive families as highly functional, 26.9% mildly dysfunctional and 54.4% severely dysfunction. There is a statistically significant relationship between the family APGAR and the presence of chronic illness (p < 0.001. We found no statistical significance between the family APGAR and gender (p = 0.26, age (p = 0.26, marital status (p = 0.32 and educational level (p = 0.28. Economic, political and social changes in our society has an impact on the family and the support they provide which is manifested among vulnerable groups, as is the case of an elderly person with chronic illness. Thus, we propose specialised psychological support for this age group which is more vulnerable and without the needed support from within the family.

Reimbursement for school nursing health care services: position statement.

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Lowe, Janet; Cagginello, Joan; Compton, Linda

2014-09-01

Children come to school with a variety of health conditions, varying from moderate health issues to multiple, severe chronic health illnesses that have a profound and direct impact on their ability to learn. The registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as school nurse) provides medically necessary services in the school setting to improve health outcomes and promote academic achievement. The nursing services provided are reimbursable services in other health care settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and home care settings. The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) believes that school nursing services that are reimbursable nursing services in other health care systems should also be reimbursable services in the school setting, while maintaining the same high quality care delivery standards. Traditionally, local and state tax revenues targeted to fund education programs have paid for school nursing health services. School nurses are in a strategic position to advocate for improving clinical processes to better fit with community health care providers and to align reimbursements with proposed changes. Restructuring reimbursement programs will enable health care funding streams to assist in paying for school nursing services delivered to students in the school setting. Developing new innovative health financing opportunities will help to increase access, improve quality, and reduce costs. The goal is to promote a comprehensive and cost-effective health care delivery model that integrates schools, families, providers, and communities.

Comparison of Nutritional Status Among, Flood Affected and Unaffected School Aged Children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohsin, S.N.; Aasim, M.; Ghous, R.; Fatima, M.

2017-01-01

Background: Natural disasters like floods affect large human populations by not only displacing them temporarily but also poses nutritional issues to women and children. Objectives: To determine the long term effects of floods, on the nutritional status of school going children in Pakistan. Study design, settings and duration: A cross sectional study which was conducted in public schools of district Nowshera which is a large district of province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan from February 2012 to March 2014. Subjects and Methods: A total of 353 children aged 6-14 years were enrolled. There were 190 children from flood affected areas and 163 controls from unaffected areas. Using height, weight, age and gender, malnutrition indicators like acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition and underweight were calculated to evaluate effect of flood on these children after 20 months of the calamity. Weight for age (WAZ) was used to measure underweight, height for age (HAZ) to measure stunted growth, and weight for height (WHZ) to measure wasting or acute malnutrition. The malnutrition indicators which were positively associated with floods were further evaluated for associated factors. Results The frequency of acute malnutrition or wasting (WHZ) among flood affected children was 23.7 percent as compared to 16.5 percent among unaffected children while the frequency of underweight (WAZ) in flood affected areas was 42.1 percent as against 36.8 percent in unaffected areas (both were not significant). The frequency of chronic malnutrition or stunting (AZ) was 35.8 percent in affected and 27.6 percent in unaffected children (p< 0.041) and was the only positively associated indicator with exposure to floods. Factors associated with chronic malnutrition were age of the child, maternal education, history of fever, administration of de-worming medication and diarrhea. Conclusion: Floods had a long term effect on nutritional status of school aged children as shown by chronic malnutrition

Students with Pediatric Cancer: A Prescription for School Success

Science.gov (United States)

Hay, Genevieve H.; Nabors, Martha L.; Sullivan, Alexandra; Zygmund, Allyson

2015-01-01

Due to medical advances, many students with acute chronic illnesses, like pediatric cancer, are able to attend school. The professional literature reflects the need for reform of educational strategies for children facing cancer treatment and who will be absent for extended periods of time. In order to promote successful educational services and…

Students' perceived thermal comfort. Due to the ventilation system in schools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeiler, W. [Kropman Installatietechniek, Rijswijk (Netherlands); Boxem, G. [Building Services, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2009-01-15

Good indoor air quality (IAQ) in classrooms supports children's learning ability. Poor IAQ in schools influences the performance and attendance of students, primarily through health effects from indoor pollutants. Also the thermal environment in schools is of a growing concern. Already in I996 a nationwide, on-line web-based survey was held in the United States. Most responses were directly on-line, with a few obtained by phone. There were 239 total respondents (0.25 % response rate) from 46 states. There was at least one response from each of those 46 states. Temperature was by far the greatest comfort complaint in regular classrooms, with 50.5 % of respondents indicating many or chronic problems. For 22.5 % of the respondents temperature was by far the greatest cause of chronic complaints, followed by IAQ, humidity and odors.

Chronic Pain in Children: A Look at the Referral Process to a Pediatric Pain Clinic

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Giovanni Cucchiaro

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We reviewed the referral pattern of children with chronic pain to a specialized pediatric pain clinic. Data were obtained from referring physicians and medical records and during an interview with patients and their parents by physicians and a psychologist. We analyzed the following: referral diagnosis, demographics, duration of symptoms, number of physicians previously consulted, school attendance, sports activities, presence of psychological disorders, final team diagnosis, and outcomes. Children had been experiencing pain for 34±55 months. Patients had consulted on average 3 physicians in addition to their pediatrician. 32% of the patients had missed at least 10 days of school in a calendar year, and 47% had stopped playing sports. 15% had an operation because of pain that had been unsuccessful. The most common missed diagnosis was anxiety (25% and depression (13%. 69% of the patients were back to school and/or playing sports within 4 months from our initial consultation. 32% of the patients did not make any progress during the follow-up period. The most common reasons for failure to improve were no compliance with the recommended treatments and poorly controlled major mood disorder. The time to refer children with chronic pain for specialized care could be extremely long causing significant social and psychological consequence.

Character Development Pilot Evaluation of Two Programs for Youth with Chronic Illness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary Maslow

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This article describes the pilot evaluation of two Positive Youth Development (PYD programs for youth with child onset chronic illness (COCI, reporting how the programs influenced participants’ character development. College students with COCI led high school students with COCI through activities pertaining to different aspects of growing up with a chronic illness. Participants completed the Positive Youth Development Inventory-Short Form (PYDI-S, which measures seven domains of youth perceptions of the contribution to their development from the program. Participants reported that both programs helped them the most with personal standards, which corresponds well to character development on the full version of the Positive Youth Development Inventory (PYDI. They also had high scores on prosocial behavior and future orientation, both important domains for character development. We discuss the idea that interventions promoting character development for youth with COCI are critical for promoting a positive narrative for chronically-ill youth, their parents, and society.

Chronic Pancreatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stram, Michelle; Liu, Shu; Singhi, Aatur D

2016-12-01

Chronic pancreatitis is a debilitating condition often associated with severe abdominal pain and exocrine and endocrine dysfunction. The underlying cause is multifactorial and involves complex interaction of environmental, genetic, and/or other risk factors. The pathology is dependent on the underlying pathogenesis of the disease. This review describes the clinical, gross, and microscopic findings of the main subtypes of chronic pancreatitis: alcoholic chronic pancreatitis, obstructive chronic pancreatitis, paraduodenal ("groove") pancreatitis, pancreatic divisum, autoimmune pancreatitis, and genetic factors associated with chronic pancreatitis. As pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma may be confused with chronic pancreatitis, the main distinguishing features between these 2 diseases are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Added Sugar Consumption and Chronic Oral Disease Burden among Adolescents in Brazil.

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Carmo, C D S; Ribeiro, M R C; Teixeira, J X P; Alves, C M C; Franco, M M; França, A K T C; Benatti, B B; Cunha-Cruz, J; Ribeiro, C C C

2018-05-01

Chronic oral diseases are rarely studied together, especially with an emphasis on their common risk factors. This study examined the association of added sugar consumption on "chronic oral disease burden" among adolescents, with consideration of obesity and systemic inflammation pathways through structural equation modeling. A cross-sectional study was conducted of a complex random sample of adolescent students enrolled at public schools in São Luís, Brazil ( n = 405). The outcome was chronic oral disease burden, a latent variable based on the presence of probing depth ≥4 mm, bleeding on probing, caries, and clinical consequences of untreated caries. The following hypotheses were tested: 1) caries and periodontal diseases among adolescents are correlated with each other; 2) added sugar consumption and obesity are associated with chronic oral disease burden; and 3) chronic oral disease burden is linked to systemic inflammation. Models were adjusted for socioeconomic status, added sugar consumption, oral hygiene behaviors, obesity, and serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6). All estimators of the latent variable chronic oral disease burden involved factor loadings ≥0.5 and P values disease burden values. Obesity was associated with high IL-6 levels (SC = 0.232, P = 0.001). Visible plaque index was correlated with chronic oral disease burden (SC = 0.381, P periodontal diseases are associated with each other and with added sugar consumption, obesity, and systemic inflammation reinforces the guidance of the World Health Organization that any approach intended to prevent noncommunicable diseases should be directed toward common risk factors.

Stem cells and chronic wound healing: state of the art

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leavitt T

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Tripp Leavitt, Michael S Hu, Clement D Marshall, Leandra A Barnes, Michael T Longaker, H Peter Lorenz Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Abstract: Currently available treatments for chronic wounds are inadequate. A clearly effective therapy does not exist, and treatment is often supportive. This is largely because the cellular and molecular processes underlying failure of wound repair are still poorly understood. With an increase in comorbidities, such as diabetes and vascular disease, as well as an aging population, the incidence of these intractable wounds is expected to rise. As such, chronic wounds, which are already costly, are rapidly growing as a tremendous burden to the health-care system. Stem cells have garnered much interest as a therapy for chronic wounds due to their inherent ability to differentiate into multiple lineages and promote regeneration. Herein, we discuss the types of stem cells used for chronic wound therapy, as well as the proposed means by which they do so. In particular, we highlight mesenchymal stem cells (including adipose-derived stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. We include the results of recent in vitro and in vivo studies in both animal models and human clinical trials. Finally, we discuss the current studies to improve stem cell therapies and the limitations of stem cell-based therapeutics. Stem cells promise improved therapies for healing chronic wounds, but further studies that are well-designed with standardized protocols are necessary for fruition. Keywords: stem cells, chronic wounds, cell therapy, wound healing

Physical Activity Behavior Patterns during School Leisure Time in Children

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Chad Smith

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Optimizing physical activity (PA in children is paramount to attenuate the incidence of chronic disease and to improve social and cognitive health. Limited research exists examining the observed PA patterns during school leisure times in children from the U.S. The purpose of this study was to examine the observed PA patterns of children during three school leisure times: before school, during lunch, and after school. The SOPLAY instrument was used to observe PA during the three leisure times across six weeks at four elementary schools in the U.S. Observer PA counts were stratified by sex, PA intensity (sedentary, walking, and very active, and leisure time. Multi-level models were employed to examine the effect of leisure time and PA intensity on observer PA counts, adjusting for day and school-level clustering. Lunch displayed the greatest number of counts for sedentary, walking, and very active PA intensities (p 0.05. After school displayed the fewest counts for walking and very active PA in both sexes (p < 0.05. An emphasis should be placed on increasing walking and very active PA intensities before school and during lunch in girls and after school in both sexes. Keywords: after school, before school, lunch, SOPLAY, systematic observation

Chronic Stereotype Threat Is Associated With Mathematical Achievement on Representative Sample of Secondary Schoolgirls: The Role of Gender Identification, Working Memory, and Intellectual Helplessness.

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Bedyńska, Sylwia; Krejtz, Izabela; Sedek, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

Stereotype threat affects performance in many different groups across many different domains. Despite a large body of experimental research on situational stereotype threat, little attention has been paid to the consequences of repeated experience of stereotype threat. Using structural equation modeling on data from a representative sample of girls from secondary schools, the current research examined the relations of chronic stereotype threat with mathematical achievement, and effectiveness of working memory functions. Moving beyond past theory, this study examined a new mechanism by which chronic stereotype threat decreases school achievement - namely intellectual helplessness. We assumed that repeated experience of stereotype threat works as intellectual helplessness training. After the phase of cognitive mobilization, cognitive exhaustion appears, because the individual has no gain from intense cognitive effort. Corroborating previous research on acute stereotype threat, we demonstrated that chronic stereotype threat is negatively associated with mathematical achievement. Additionally, it was also associated with lower effectiveness of working memory functions, which seems to show depletion of working memory as an effect of chronic stereotype threat. The results also demonstrated that both mediational paths from chronic stereotype threat to mathematical achievement: through working memory depletion and through intellectual helplessness were significant but only for girls that were highly identified with their gender group. In sum, we extended a well-established model of acute stereotype threat to its chronic version and suggested a new mechanism of chronic stereotype threat, which involves intellectual helplessness. Implications for stereotype threat theory and educational practice are discussed.

Cognitive Fatigue Influences Students’ Performance on Standardized Tests

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sievertsen, Hans Henrik; Gino, Francesca; Piovesan, Marco

2016-01-01

We identify one potential source of bias that influences children’s performance on standardized tests and that is predictable based on psychological theory: the time at which students take the test. Using test data for all children attending Danish public schools between school years 2009....../10 and 2012/13, we find that, for every hour later in the day, test scores decrease by 0.9% of an SD. In addition, a 20- to 30-minute break improves average test scores. Time of day affects students’ test performance because, over the course of a regular day, students’ mental resources get taxed. Thus......, as the day wears on, students become increasingly fatigued and consequently more likely to underperform on a standardized test....

Implementation of a School Nurse-led Intervention for Children With Severe Obesity in New York City Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Krista; Jia, Haomiao; Wang, Y Claire; Smaldone, Arlene

The Healthy Options and Physical Activity Program (HOP) is a school nurse-led intervention for children with severe obesity. HOP was developed by experts at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and implemented in New York City schools beginning in 2012. The purpose of this study was to evaluate HOP implementation with the goal of informing HOP refinement and potential future HOP dissemination. This study entailed a retrospective analysis of secondary data. Analytic methods included descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon rank sum and Chi square tests, and multivariate logistic regression. During the 2012-2013 school year, 20,518 children were eligible for HOP. Of these, 1054 (5.1%) were enrolled in the program. On average, enrolled children attended one HOP session during the school year. Parent participation was low (3.2% of HOP sessions). Low nurse workload, low school poverty, higher grade level, higher BMI percentile, and chronic illness diagnosis were associated with student enrollment in HOP. As currently delivered, HOP is not likely to be efficacious. Lessons learned from this evaluation are applicable to future nurse-led obesity interventions. Prior to implementing a school nurse-led obesity intervention, nursing workload and available support must be carefully considered. Interventions should be designed to facilitate (and possibly require) parent involvement. Nurses who deliver obesity interventions may require additional training in obesity treatment. With attention to these lessons learned, evidence-based school nurse-led obesity interventions can be developed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Connecting Attendance and Academic Outcomes. Chronic Absenteeism in Oregon Elementary Schools. Part 2 of 4. September 2016. Research Brief Series

Science.gov (United States)

Oregon Department of Education, 2016

2016-01-01

This report highlights several trends in Oregon that show the correlation between chronic absenteeism and various academic outcomes. Oregon student patterns follow the national trend in that students with better attendance have better outcomes. Fifth-grade chronic absenteeism is a moderately strong predictor of chronic absenteeism in subsequent…

Chronic Physical Illness and Mental Health in Children. Results from a Large-Scale Population Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hysing, Mari; Elgen, Irene; Gillberg, Christopher; Lie, Stein Atle; Lundervold, Astri J.

2007-01-01

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in detecting emotional and behavioural problems among children with chronic illness (CI). Methods: Parents and teachers of a population of primary school children in Norway (n = 9430) completed a…

The fascial system and exercise intolerance in patients with chronic heart failure: hypothesis of osteopathic treatment

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Bordoni B

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Bruno Bordoni,1–3 F Marelli2,3 1Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Department of Cardiology, IRCCS Santa Maria Nascente, Milan, Italy; 2School CRESO, Osteopathic Centre for Research and Studies, Falconara Marittima, AN, Italy; 3School CRESO, Osteopathic Centre for Research and Studies, Castellanza, VA, Italy Abstract: Chronic heart failure is a progressive, debilitating disease, resulting in a decline in the quality of life of the patient and incurring very high social economic costs. Chronic heart failure is defined as the inability of the heart to meet the demands of oxygen from the peripheral area. It is a multi-aspect complex disease which impacts negatively on all of the body systems. Presently, there are no texts in the modern literature that associate the symptoms of exercise intolerance of the patient with a dysfunction of the fascial system. In the first part of this article, we will discuss the significance of the disease, its causes, and epidemiology. The second part will explain the pathological adaptations of the myofascial system. The last section will outline a possible osteopathic treatment for patients with heart failure in order to encourage research and improve the general curative approach for the patient. Keywords: manual therapy, fatigue, chronic heart failure, osteopathic

Timing of examinations affects school performance differently in early and late chronotypes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Vinne, Vincent; Zerbini, Giulia; Siersema, Anne; Pieper, Amy; Merrow, Martha; Hut, Roelof A.; Roenneberg, Till; Kantermann, Thomas

Circadian clocks of adolescents typically run lateincluding sleep timesyet adolescents generally are expected at school early in the morning. Due to this mismatch between internal (circadian) and external (social) times, adolescents suffer from chronic sleep deficiency, which, in turn, affects

Test Scores, Class Rank and College Performance: Lessons for Broadening Access and Promoting Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Sunny X; Tienda, Marta

2012-04-01

Using administrative data for five Texas universities that differ in selectivity, this study evaluates the relative influence of two key indicators for college success-high school class rank and standardized tests. Empirical results show that class rank is the superior predictor of college performance and that test score advantages do not insulate lower ranked students from academic underperformance. Using the UT-Austin campus as a test case, we conduct a simulation to evaluate the consequences of capping students admitted automatically using both achievement metrics. We find that using class rank to cap the number of students eligible for automatic admission would have roughly uniform impacts across high schools, but imposing a minimum test score threshold on all students would have highly unequal consequences by greatly reduce the admission eligibility of the highest performing students who attend poor high schools while not jeopardizing admissibility of students who attend affluent high schools. We discuss the implications of the Texas admissions experiment for higher education in Europe.

Lifestyle intervention as a treatment for obesity in school-age-children in Celaya, Guanajuato: An experimental study

OpenAIRE

Nicolas Padilla-Raygoza; Rosalina Diaz-Guerrero; Ma. Laura Ruiz-Paloalto

2013-01-01

Introduction: Obesity is a risk factor in chronic diseases, and its frequency among children in Mexico is increasing. Objective: To determine the effect of lifestyle intervention as a treatment for obesity in school-age-children from Celaya, Mexico.Methodology: For this experimental study, four schools were randomly selected. Children and parents participated voluntarily and signed consent forms. Two schools were chosen as the experimental group and the other two formed the control group. Age...

[Chronic otitis mediaChronic Otitis Media].

Science.gov (United States)

Kohles, N; Schulz, T; Eßer, D

2015-11-01

There are 2 different kinds of chronic otitis media: Otitis media chronica mesotympanalis and otitis media chronica epitympanalis (cholesteatoma). The incidence of chronic otitis media as reported in literature differs in a wide range. The incidence rates vary between 0.45 and 46%. Both, otitis media chronica mesotympanalis and cholesteatoma, lead to eardrum perforation due to lengthy and recurring inflammations. Furthermore, chronic otitis media is characterized by frequently recurring otorrhea and conductive hearing loss. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Excessive visceral fat accumulation in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Furutate R

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Ryuko Furutate1, Takeo Ishii1,2, Ritsuko Wakabayashi1, Takashi Motegi1,2, Kouichi Yamada1,2, Akihiko Gemma2, Kozui Kida1,21Respiratory Care Clinic, Nippon Medical School, Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Oncology, Nippon Medical School, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, JapanBackground: Previous studies have suggested links between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, cardiovascular disease, and abdominal obesity. Although abdominal visceral fat is thought to be associated with cardiovascular risk factors, the degree of visceral fat accumulation in patients with COPD has not been directly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the abdominal visceral fat accumulation and the association between visceral fat and the severity and changes in emphysema in COPD patients.Methods: We performed clinical and laboratory tests, including pulmonary function, dyspnea score, and the six-minute walking test in COPD patients (n = 101 and control, which included subjects with a smoking history but without airflow obstruction (n = 62. We used computed tomography to evaluate the abdominal visceral fat area (VFA, subcutaneous fat area (SFA, and the extent of emphysema.Results: The COPD group had a larger VFA than the control group. The prevalence of non-obese subjects with an increased VFA was greater in the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Stages III and IV than in the other stages of COPD. The extent of emphysema was inversely correlated with waist circumference and SFA. However, VFA did not decrease with the severity of emphysema. VFA was positively correlated with the degree of dyspnea.Conclusion: COPD patients have excessive visceral fat, which is retained in patients with more advanced stages of COPD or severe emphysema despite the absence of obesity.Keywords: abdominal obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema

Tapentadol extended-release for treatment of chronic pain: a review

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Vadivelu N

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Nalini Vadivelu1, Alexander Timchenko1, Yili Huang2, Raymond Sinatra11Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; 2Internal Medicine, North Shore-LIJ Plainview Hospital, Plainview, NY, USAAbstract: Tapentadol is a centrally acting analgesic with a dual mechanism of action of mu receptor agonism and norepinephrine reuptake inhibition. Tapentadol immediate-release is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the management of moderate-to-severe acute pain. It was developed to decrease the intolerability issue associated with opioids. Tapentadol extended-release has a 12-hour duration of effect, and has recently been evaluated for pain in patients with chronic osteoarthritis, low back pain, and pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Tapentadol extended-release was found to provide safe and highly effective analgesia for the treatment of chronic pain conditions, including moderate-to-severe chronic osteoarthritis pain and low back pain. Initial trials demonstrating efficacy in neuropathic pain suggest that tapentadol has comparable analgesic effectiveness and better gastrointestinal tolerability than opioid comparators, and demonstrates effectiveness in settings of inflammatory, somatic, and neuropathic pain. Gastrointestinal intolerance and central nervous system effects were the major adverse events noted. Tapentadol will need to be rigorously tested in chronic neuropathic pain, cancer-related pain, and cancer-related neuropathic pain.Keywords: osteoarthritis, neuropathic pain, analgesic, opioids, norepinephrine

Resilience among caregivers of children with chronic conditions: a concept analysis

OpenAIRE

Lin, Fang-Yi; Rong,Jiin-Ru; Lee,

2013-01-01

Fang-Yi Lin, Jiin-Ru Rong, Tzu-Ying Lee Department of Nursing, School of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Abstract: The purpose of this concept analysis is to uncover the essential elements involved in caregivers' resilience in the context of caring for children with chronic conditions. Walker and Avant's methodology guided the analysis. The study includes a literature review of conceptual definitions of car...

Social participation and psychosocial outcomes of young adults with chronic physical conditions: Comparing recipients and non-recipients of disability benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Bal, Marjolijn I; Sattoe, Jane N T; Miedema, Harald S; van Staa, AnneLoes

2018-03-01

Little is known about any differences between young people with chronic physical conditions who do and do not apply for disability benefits in young adulthood for providing insights for future policy and rehabilitation care. We aimed to identify predictors during adolescence of receiving disability benefits in young adulthood and to compare recipients and non-recipients of benefits in social participation and psychosocial outcomes in young adulthood. Follow-up study of 18 to 25 year olds with various chronic conditions who at adolescent age completed a web-based survey (n=518; T0). The outcome was receiving disability benefits (yes or no). Associations with background characteristics, social participation, and impact of the chronic condition were explored with stepwise multivariate modelling, using T0 variables. Differences between recipients and non-recipients were explored using chi-square tests and t-tests. Receiving disability benefits in young adulthood was associated with greater extent of physical disability, receiving less special education, absenteeism at school/work, and low health-related quality of life during adolescence. In young adulthood, recipients of benefits reported higher perceived impact of the chronic condition on their school/work career and lower quality of life than non-recipients. Social participation varied across domains. This study provides important insights into the characteristics of a vulnerable subgroup of young people with chronic physical conditions. Disability benefit recipients experienced more impact of their chronic condition and reported a lower health-related quality of life over time than non-recipients. Rehabilitation professionals are encouraged to use patient-reported outcomes to address the lived experiences and screen the need for psychosocial support of this vulnerable subgroup of young people with chronic physical conditions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Original article School personnel’s perceptions of their schools’ involvement in culturally and linguistically diverse school-family-community partnerships

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Jolanta Jonak

2014-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND The achievement gap between White and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD students is a chronic issue in many U.S. schools that stakeholders endeavor to eliminate through best practices involving curriculum, instruction, and early interventions; however, disparities often persist. In addition to all educational efforts provided by schools and implementation of best practices when students begin to struggle academically or behaviorally in schools, family involvement cannot be disregarded. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE School personnel from one Midwestern school district in the United States educating over 8,000 students was surveyed to obtain their perceptions about school-family-community partnerships. A total of 117 informants, including teachers, student support personnel, and administrators, provided their opinions through an online survey measuring responses to questions related to current best practices in their schools with regard to culturally and linguistically diverse students, their families and their communities. RESULTS In a research study focused on school practices relating to parent involvement, it was found that strategies intended to encourage and incorporate parent involvement were implemented in just one-third to one-half of the schools surveyed, indicating the need for increased and concerted effort on the part of school professionals to recognize and address obstacles to a pivotal school-parent-community relationship. CONCLUSIONS Although schools can be credited with endeavoring to provide best practices for their CLD students, in keeping with state and federal mandates and assumedly in keeping with best intentions, there is in fact much work to be done to better facilitate the success of these students. School psychologists can provide the impetus for this effort by formally recommending parent involvement and participation in their assessments of CLD students in particular. This recommendation should

A phenomenological study on resilience of the elderly suffering from chronic disease: a qualitative study

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Hassani P

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Parkhide Hassani,1 Fatemeh-Sadat Izadi-Avanji,2 Mahnaz Rakhshan,3 Hamid Alavi Majd4 1Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, International Branch of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; 4Department of Biostatistics, Facility of Paramedical, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Background: Resilience is a key factor in improving health and attenuating problems caused by chronic diseases in the elderly. Having a clear understanding of its meaning in a specific population can be of great help in taking efficient steps toward better health services. Given the lack of information in this regard, the aim of this study was to understand the meaning of resilience for hospitalized older people who experience chronic conditions.Methods: The study was carried out as a qualitative work based on a descriptive phenomenological approach. The participants were selected purposefully, so that 22 elderly with chronic disease were interviewed in 24 sessions. The collected data were recorded and analyzed through Colaizzi’s method.Results: Four themes were extracted from the interviews as follows: 1 “meaning of resilience in the participants’ experiences” with subthemes of “the art of overcoming pain and suffering”, “adapt to health problem of senescence”, “accepting life with the chronic disease”, and “patience and trust in God”; 2 “growth context as a prologue of resilience” with subthemes of “growth background”; 3 “external factors contributing to resilience” with subthemes of “welfare”, “received support”, “deprivation and shortage”, and “attitudes toward an elderly with health problem”; and 4 �

Puberty development among children and adolescents with chronic disease in Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

AlBuhairan, Fadia; Tamimi, Waleed; Tamim, Hani; Al Mutair, Angham; Felimban, Naila; Altwaijri, Yasmin; Shoukri, Mohamed; Al Alwan, Ibrahim

2012-01-01

Increasing numbers of children with chronic health conditions are now surviving into adolescence and adulthood because of advancing health care. These chronic health conditions are generally known to impact a child's growth and development, including pubertal development. In Saudi Arabia, chronic diseases are prevalent, yet no reports of pubertal onset and its relation to chronic illness are available. The aim of this study was to explore pubertal development among Saudi children and adolescents with a chronic illness. Cross-sectional study conducted at schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2006. Those students whose parents reported that their son/daughter had a chronic illness and/or was taking a long-term medication underwent a physical examination to determine sexual maturity rating and growth parameters. Of 1371 students who participated in the study, 155 (11.3%) had a chronic illness. Of those, 79 (51%) were male, and the mean SD age of all the students was 11.4 (2.4) years. Ninety (58%) students were taking medication for their health condition. Bronchial asthma was reported to be the most common chronic condition (n=66; 42.6%), followed by blood disorders (n=41; 26.5%). Fifty-three (34%) students were overweight or obese. For male gonadal (G) development, the mean age of boys with G stage 2 was 11.7 years; stage 3: 13.5 years; stage 4: 14.1 years; and stage 5: 14.6 years. For female breast (B) development, the mean age of girls with B stage 2 was 10.7 years; stage 3: 11.3 years; stage 4: 12.4 years; and stage 5: 14.1 years. The pubic hair development for both boys and girls was similar to the corresponding gonadal or breast development, respectively. The age of onset of pubertal development for both boys and girls with a chronic illness are within normal limits. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity may contribute to this phenomenon, yet further studies should consider the effects of disease severity and chronicity and medication use as possible

Peer Attachment, Perceived Parenting Style, Self-concept, and School Adjustments in Adolescents with Chronic Illness

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Jeong-Ah Ahn, PhD, RN

2016-12-01

Conclusions: Healthcare providers can promote the process of school adjustment in several ways, such as discussing this issue directly with adolescent patients, along with their parents and peers, examining how the organization and content of the treatment can be modified according to the adolescents' school life.

Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study

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Ronald Herrera

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany was followed from age 16–18 (2002–2003 to age 20–23 (2007–2009 (n = 1688. Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, socio-demographics, stress outside the workplace, and job history were additionally considered. At follow-up, 52% of the population were university students. Work overload increased statistically significantly from first to second follow-up, while work discontent remained constant at the population level. Students, compared to employees, reported a larger increase in work overload (adjusted odds ratio (OR: 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI: 1.07, 1.67, while work discontent did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, work overload increases when young adults transition from school to university/job life, with university students experiencing the largest increase.

Prevalence and patterns of chronic disease multimorbidity and associated determinants in Canada

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K. C. Roberts

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Multimorbidity is increasingly recognized as a key issue in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. We examined the prevalence and correlates of chronic disease multimorbidity in the general adult Canadian population in relation to age and other key determinants. Methods: We extracted data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2011/12 on 105 416 Canadians adults. We analysed the data according to the number of multimorbidities (defined as 2+ or 3+ diseases from a list of 9 and examined the determinants of multimorbidity using regression analyses. Results: Our findings show that 12.9% of Canadians report 2+ chronic diseases and 3.9% report 3+ chronic diseases. Those reporting 3 or more chronic diseases were more likely to be female, older, living in the lowest income quintile and to have not completed high school. In the overall population, social deprivation is associated with a 3.7 odds of multimorbidity, but when examined across age groups, the odds of multimorbidity were notably higher in middle age, 7.5 for those aged 35 to 49 years and 5.4 for those aged 50 to 64 years. Discussion: As the proportion of Canadians living with multiple chronic diseases increases, we need to assess chronic disease from a holistic perspective that captures multimorbidity and upstream factors, to facilitate broader and more context-appropriate associations with healthy living, quality of life, health care costs and mortality. Special consideration should be given to the role that social deprivation plays in the development of multimorbidity. Canadians living in the lowest socioeconomic group are not only more likely to develop multimorbidity, but the onset of multimorbidity is also likely to be significantly earlier.

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Science.gov (United States)

Chronic myelogenous leukemia Overview Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is an uncommon type of cancer of the blood cells. The term "chronic" in chronic myelogenous leukemia indicates that this cancer ...

Children with chronic continence problems: the challenges for families.

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, David V; Ray, Lynne D

2004-01-01

For families who are raising children with myelomeningocele, bowel and bladder incontinence presents unique challenges for everyday life. The Parenting and Childhood Chronicity model is used to describe the work of raising a child with a chronic condition in 6 areas, including medical care, adapted parenting, dealing with the systems, caring for siblings, maintaining relationships, and personal coping (keeping yourself going). This article provides an overview of the physiologic and developmental challenges inherent in this neural tube defect and illustrates the work that is involved in the child's care and the challenges of maintaining a balance in family life. Clinical implications are discussed, including the setting of appropriate expectations, providing parents with accurate information, ensuring that a focus on continence is not at the expense of other important aspects of the child's functioning, and supporting parents in their interaction with the school system. The medical team, consisting of nursing, urology, nephrology, and psychology working together, can be a strong support for families.

School outcomes of children with special health care needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Forrest, Christopher B; Bevans, Katherine B; Riley, Anne W; Crespo, Richard; Louis, Thomas A

2011-08-01

To examine the associations between having a special health care need and school outcomes measured as attendance, student engagement, behavioral threats to achievement, and academic achievement. A total of 1457 children in the fourth through sixth grades from 34 schools in 3 school districts and their parents provided survey data; parents completed the Children With Special Health Care Needs Screener. School records were abstracted for attendance, grades, and standardized achievement test scores. Across 34 schools, 33% of children screened positive for special health care needs. After adjusting for sociodemographic and school effects, children with special health care needs had lower motivation to do well in school, more disruptive behaviors, and more frequent experiences as a bully victim. They experienced significantly lower academic achievement, as measured by grades, standardized testing, and parental-assessed academic performance. These findings were observed for children who qualified as having a special health care need because they had functional limitations attributed to a chronic illness or a behavioral health problem but not for those who qualified only because they took prescription medications. Specific subgroups of children with special health care needs are at increased risk for poor school outcomes. Health and school professionals will need to collaborate to identify these children early, intervene with appropriate medical and educational services, and monitor long-term outcomes.

School Outcomes of Children With Special Health Care Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Bevans, Katherine B.; Riley, Anne W.; Crespo, Richard; Louis, Thomas A.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between having a special health care need and school outcomes measured as attendance, student engagement, behavioral threats to achievement, and academic achievement. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 1457 children in the fourth through sixth grades from 34 schools in 3 school districts and their parents provided survey data; parents completed the Children With Special Health Care Needs Screener. School records were abstracted for attendance, grades, and standardized achievement test scores. RESULTS: Across 34 schools, 33% of children screened positive for special health care needs. After adjusting for sociodemographic and school effects, children with special health care needs had lower motivation to do well in school, more disruptive behaviors, and more frequent experiences as a bully victim. They experienced significantly lower academic achievement, as measured by grades, standardized testing, and parental-assessed academic performance. These findings were observed for children who qualified as having a special health care need because they had functional limitations attributed to a chronic illness or a behavioral health problem but not for those who qualified only because they took prescription medications. CONCLUSIONS: Specific subgroups of children with special health care needs are at increased risk for poor school outcomes. Health and school professionals will need to collaborate to identify these children early, intervene with appropriate medical and educational services, and monitor long-term outcomes. PMID:21788226

Chronic Stereotype Threat Is Associated With Mathematical Achievement on Representative Sample of Secondary Schoolgirls: The Role of Gender Identification, Working Memory, and Intellectual Helplessness

Science.gov (United States)

Bedyńska, Sylwia; Krejtz, Izabela; Sedek, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

Stereotype threat affects performance in many different groups across many different domains. Despite a large body of experimental research on situational stereotype threat, little attention has been paid to the consequences of repeated experience of stereotype threat. Using structural equation modeling on data from a representative sample of girls from secondary schools, the current research examined the relations of chronic stereotype threat with mathematical achievement, and effectiveness of working memory functions. Moving beyond past theory, this study examined a new mechanism by which chronic stereotype threat decreases school achievement – namely intellectual helplessness. We assumed that repeated experience of stereotype threat works as intellectual helplessness training. After the phase of cognitive mobilization, cognitive exhaustion appears, because the individual has no gain from intense cognitive effort. Corroborating previous research on acute stereotype threat, we demonstrated that chronic stereotype threat is negatively associated with mathematical achievement. Additionally, it was also associated with lower effectiveness of working memory functions, which seems to show depletion of working memory as an effect of chronic stereotype threat. The results also demonstrated that both mediational paths from chronic stereotype threat to mathematical achievement: through working memory depletion and through intellectual helplessness were significant but only for girls that were highly identified with their gender group. In sum, we extended a well-established model of acute stereotype threat to its chronic version and suggested a new mechanism of chronic stereotype threat, which involves intellectual helplessness. Implications for stereotype threat theory and educational practice are discussed. PMID:29666599

Chronic Stereotype Threat Is Associated With Mathematical Achievement on Representative Sample of Secondary Schoolgirls: The Role of Gender Identification, Working Memory, and Intellectual Helplessness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylwia Bedyńska

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Stereotype threat affects performance in many different groups across many different domains. Despite a large body of experimental research on situational stereotype threat, little attention has been paid to the consequences of repeated experience of stereotype threat. Using structural equation modeling on data from a representative sample of girls from secondary schools, the current research examined the relations of chronic stereotype threat with mathematical achievement, and effectiveness of working memory functions. Moving beyond past theory, this study examined a new mechanism by which chronic stereotype threat decreases school achievement – namely intellectual helplessness. We assumed that repeated experience of stereotype threat works as intellectual helplessness training. After the phase of cognitive mobilization, cognitive exhaustion appears, because the individual has no gain from intense cognitive effort. Corroborating previous research on acute stereotype threat, we demonstrated that chronic stereotype threat is negatively associated with mathematical achievement. Additionally, it was also associated with lower effectiveness of working memory functions, which seems to show depletion of working memory as an effect of chronic stereotype threat. The results also demonstrated that both mediational paths from chronic stereotype threat to mathematical achievement: through working memory depletion and through intellectual helplessness were significant but only for girls that were highly identified with their gender group. In sum, we extended a well-established model of acute stereotype threat to its chronic version and suggested a new mechanism of chronic stereotype threat, which involves intellectual helplessness. Implications for stereotype threat theory and educational practice are discussed.

Options for Educating Students Attending Department of Defense Schools in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

student engagement , which has a detrimental effect on student achievement. School Inputs Teacher quality is an important determinant of student learning...Poor attendance can also indicate low student engagement , which has a detrimental effect on student achievement. Students who are chronically

Contrasting Disclosure Practices and Experiences of School Support for Australian Adolescents with Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis and Anorexia Nervosa: Parent Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Bowtell, Evelyn Cecile; Aroni, Rosalie; Green, Julie; Sawyer, Susan M.

2018-01-01

Schools in Australia are required to promote equitable access to education and provide support services to students with chronic health conditions (CHCs). This qualitative study was conducted to explore stakeholders' experiences and perceptions regarding school-based support. In-depth interviews were conducted with 38 parents of upper secondary…

'Sometimes it feels as if the world goes on without me': adolescents' experiences of living with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Winger, Anette; Ekstedt, Mirjam; Wyller, Vegard B; Helseth, Sølvi

2014-09-01

To explore the experience of being an adolescent with chronic fatigue syndrome. Despite ample research, chronic fatigue syndrome is still poorly understood, and there are still controversies related to the illness. Adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome are often unable to attend school and lose social relations with friends. The challenges they face will affect their quality of life. A qualitative, phenomenological hermeneutical design. Six boys and twelve girls, aged 12-18, were interviewed, emphasising their own experiences living with chronic fatigue syndrome. Analyses were performed using a phenomenological hermeneutical method. The core theme, 'Sometimes it feels as if the world goes on without me', encompasses the feelings an adolescent living with chronic fatigue syndrome might have about life. The core theme was supported by four subthemes: 'On the side of life--locked in and shut out'; 'the body, the illness and me'; 'if the illness is not visible to others, does it exist?'; and 'handling life while hoping for a better future'. The subthemes reflect the experience of social isolation, their own and others' understanding of the illness and hope for the future. Not being able to be with friends, or attend school, made the adolescents feel different and forgotten. They felt alienated in their own bodies and were struggling to be visible to themselves and to their surroundings. Spending less time with friends and more time with their parents constituted a threat to independence and development. Yet they managed to envision a better future despite all the difficulties. To provide effective support and constructive relations to adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome, all health professions involved need insight from the persons who are themselves ill. Health centres could function as resource centres for patients and healthcare professionals. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The association between chronic bullying victimization with weight status and body self-image: a cross-national study in 39 countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiguo Lian

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background Childhood obesity and school bullying are pervasive public health issues and known to co-occur in adolescents. However, the association between underweight or thinness and chronic bullying victimization is unclear. The current study examined whether chronic bullying victimization is associated with weight status and body self-image. Methods A school-based, cross-sectional study in 39 North American and European countries and regions was conducted. A total of 213,595 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years were surveyed in 2009/10. Chronic bullying victimization was identified using the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Weight status was determined using self-reported height and weight and the body mass index (BMI, and body self-image was based on perceived weight. We tested associations between underweight and bullying victimization using three-level logistic regression models. Results Of the 213,595 adolescents investigated, 11.28% adolescents reported chronic bullying victimization, 14.80% were classified as overweight/obese according to age- and sex-specific BMI criteria, 12.97% were underweight, and 28.36% considered themselves a little bit fat or too fat, 14.57% were too thin. Bullying victimization was less common in older adolescent boys and girls. Weight status was associated with chronic bullying victimization (adjusted ORunderweight = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05–1.16, p = 0.002; adjusted ORoverweight = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.32–1.49, p < 0.0001; adjusted ORobese = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.71–2.14, p < 0.0001. Body self-image also related to chronic bullying victimization (adjusted ORtoo thin = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.36–1.49, p < 0.0001; adjusted ORa little bit fat = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.48–1.61, p < 0.0001; adjusted ORtoo fat = 3.30, 95% CI = 2.96–3.68, p < 0.0001. Conclusion Both perceived weight and self-rated overweight are associated with chronic bullying victimization. Both overweight and underweight children are at risk of being

School Students' Food Services in Primorskii Krai: Reality and Prospects

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Shemetova, E. V.; Shchenikova, N. V.

2009-01-01

In the past ten years, children's health has become qualitatively worse. According to the data from numerous studies in Russia, only 10 percent of the upper-grade students in secondary school can be considered healthy. At the same time, half the students have morphofunctional impairments, and 40 percent suffer from chronic pathology. In the past…

Association between objectively measured physical activity, chronic stress and leukocyte telomere length.

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von Känel, Roland; Bruwer, Erna J; Hamer, Mark; de Ridder, J Hans; Malan, Leoné

2017-10-01

Physical activity (PA) attenuates chronic stress and age-related and cardiovascular disease risks, whereby potentially slowing telomere shortening. We aimed to study the association between seven-day objectively measured habitual PA, chronic stress and leukocyte telomere length. Study participants were African (N.=96) and Caucasian (N.=107) school teachers of the Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans study. All lifestyle characteristics (including PA) were objectively measured. The general health questionnaire and serum cortisol were assessed as psychological and physical measures of chronic stress. Leukocyte telomere length was measured using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Africans had significantly shorter telomeres (Pstress or telomere length. However, more time spent with light intensity PA time was significantly and independently correlated with lower waist circumference (r=-0.21, P=0.004); in turn, greater waist circumference was significantly associated shorter telomeres (β=-0.17 [-0.30, -0.03], P=0.017). Habitual PA of different intensity was not directly associated with markers of chronic stress and leukocyte telomere length in this biethnic cohort. However, our findings suggest that light intensity PA could contribute to lowered age-related disease risk and healthy ageing by facilitating maintenance of a normal waist circumference.

Pseudo market timing : A reappraisal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dahlquist, M.; de Jong, F.C.J.M.

2008-01-01

The average firm going public or issuing new equity underperforms the market in the long run. This underperformance could be related to the endogeneity of the number of new issues if new issues cluster after periods of high abnormal returns on new issues. In such a case, ex post measures of new

Improving Nutrition Education in U.S. Elementary Schools: Challenges and Opportunities

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Perera, Thushanthi; Frei, Simone; Frei, Balz; Wong, Siew Sun; Bobe, Gerd

2015-01-01

Poor food choices in childhood are core contributors to obesity and chronic diseases during adolescence and adulthood. Food choices and dietary behaviors develop in childhood and are difficult to change in adulthood. Nutrition education in elementary schools can provide children with the information and skills to develop healthy food choices and…

Protective connections and educational attainment among young adults with childhood-onset chronic illness.

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Maslow, Gary; Haydon, Abigail A; McRee, Annie-Laurie; Halpern, Carolyn T

2012-08-01

Youth with childhood-onset chronic illness (COCI) are at risk of poor educational attainment. Specific protective factors that promote college graduation in this population have not been studied previously. In this study, we examine the role protective factors during adolescence play in promoting college graduation among young adults with COCI. Data were collected from 10,925 participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Protective factors present before 18 years of age included mentoring, parent relationship quality, school connectedness, and religious attendance. College graduation was the outcome of interest assessed when participants had a mean age of 28 years. Analysis was stratified by presence of COCI. About 2% of participants (N = 230) had 1 of 4 COCIs (cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, or heart disease). All 4 protective factors were associated with college graduation for youth without COCI. In the final multivariate model, only school connectedness was associated with college graduation for youth with COCI. School connectedness is of particular importance in promoting educational attainment for youth with COCI. © 2012, American School Health Association.

Sibling analysis of adolescent intelligence and chronic diseases in older adulthood.

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Jokela, Markus; Batty, G David; Deary, Ian J; Silventoinen, Karri; Kivimäki, Mika

2011-07-01

We examined whether associations of adolescent intelligence with chronic diseases in adulthood are explained by socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, or common sources of variance in intelligence and chronic disease risk. A prospective cohort study (Wisconsin Longitudinal Study) of high school graduates and their siblings with intelligence assessed in adolescence and chronic diseases reported in adulthood (n = 10,168; mean age 53.9 and n = 9051; mean age 64.8 in two follow-ups). After adjustment for age and sex, greater intelligence was associated with lower risk of heart disease (odds ratio per 1 SD advantage in intelligence 0.93; 95% confidence interval 0.87-0.99), circulation problems (0.85; 0.79-0.92), stroke (0.80; 0.70-0.91), and diabetes (0.88; 0.81-0.95). Participants' risk of stroke and circulation problems also was predicted by their sibling's intelligence, suggesting potential common causes for intelligence and cerebrovascular diseases. Sibling analysis provided no support for shared family environment in explaining associations between intelligence and disease outcomes because between-families and within-siblings regression models were not different. Adjusting for common risk factors had little impact on these associations. In contrast, adjusting for adult socioeconomic status attenuated the associations by 25%-100% (66% on average). Multiple mechanisms may link intelligence with occurrence of chronic diseases of major public health importance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chronic Functional Constipation and Encopresis in Children in Relationship with the Psychosocial Environment

OpenAIRE

Olaru, Claudia; Diaconescu, Smaranda; Trandafir, Laura; Gimiga, Nicoleta; Olaru, Radian A.; Stefanescu, Gabriela; Ciubotariu, Gabriela; Burlea, Marin; Iorga, Magdalena

2016-01-01

Functional constipation is an issue for both the patient and his/her family, affecting the patient's psychoemotional balance, social relations, and their harmonious integration in the school environment. We aimed to highlight the connection between chronic constipation and encopresis and the patient's psychosocial and family-related situation. Material and Method. 57 patients with ages spanning from 6 to 15 were assessed within the pediatric gastroenterology ward. Sociodemographic, medical, a...

Rising with De Colores: Tapping into the Resources of la Comunidad to Assist Under-Performing Chicano-Latino Students

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Ordonez-Jasis, Rosario; Jasis, Pablo

2004-01-01

This article explores the dynamics and educational potential of De Colores Community Learning Center, an after-school program serving low-performing Chicano-Latino children. The article discusses the foundational characteristics of De Colores and its quest to become a model of empowerment, instead of a more traditional model of service. Finally,…

Is obesity associated with school dropout? Key developmental and ethnic differences

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Lanza, H. Isabella; Huang, David Y.C.

2015-01-01

Background We aimed to expand the literature on child obesity and school outcomes by examining associations between obesity and high school dropout, including the role of obesity onset and duration as well as ethnicity. Methods Data on 5066 children obtained between 1986 and 2010 from the child cohort of the 1979 National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79) were analyzed. Group-based trajectory analysis identified obesity trajectories from 6-18 years. School completion information from age 14 into young adulthood was used to calculate school dropout. Chi-square and pairwise comparison tests were used to identify significant associations between obesity trajectories and school dropout. Results Adolescents belonging to an increasing trajectory (adolescent-onset obesity) had a higher likelihood of dropping out of high school compared to those belonging to chronic, decreasing (childhood-only obesity), and non-obese trajectories. This association was particularly salient among white adolescents. Conclusions Obesity onset during early adolescence increased risk of high school dropout. White adolescents were particularly vulnerable. Given that early adolescence is marked by significant biological and social changes, future research should seek to identify the underlying processes linking adolescent-obesity and school dropout to decrease school dropout risk among this vulnerable population. PMID:26331748

Grade retention risk among children with asthma and other chronic health conditions in a large urban school district.

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Moonie, Sheniz; Cross, Chad L; Guillermo, Chrisalbeth J; Gupta, Tina

2010-09-01

Asthma accounts for 12.8 million missed school days for children nationwide. Whether this excess absenteeism contributes to poor outcomes such as grade retention is of interest. The Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV has incorporated the Federal "No Child Left Behind Act," which states that absences per individual in excess of 10 per school year are considered unapproved and may put a child at risk for repeating a grade. The purpose of this study was to determine if children with asthma are at increased risk for absenteeism associated with grade retention. Secondary data were obtained for students in attendance for the 2006-2007 school year. Days absent were weighted for enrollment time. Frequencies were obtained using descriptive statistics, and multivariate logistic regression was used to model the odds of absenteeism > 10 days per year. Of 300 881 students, 27 299 (9.1%) reported having asthma, as determined by school health records. The population was 52% male, 37% white, and 39% Hispanic. Significant predictors of missing > 10 days per school year included ethnicity, gender, grade, and health status (P 10 school days per year compared with healthy students or those with a medical condition other than asthma (P grade point average by race, gender, and asthma status. Children with asthma have a greater risk of absenteeism associated with grade retention. Therefore, improved asthma management and tailored education is necessary to identify and eliminate asthma triggers in the home and school setting for school-aged children.

Psychiatric and Psychological Impact of Chronic Skin Disease.

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Jafferany, Mohammad; Pastolero, Paul

2018-04-26

Chronic skin disease has a devastating effect on a person's physical and psychological well-being. Skin disease significantly impacts all aspects of a patient's life including school, relationships, career choices, social and leisure activities, and sexual life. The physical, psychological, and social consequences affect not only the patients, but also caregivers and family members as well. Common psychological problems associated with skin disease include, but are not limited to, feelings of stress, anxiety, anger, depression, shame, social isolation, low self-esteem, and embarrassment. Besides psychopharmacology, multiple psychotherapeutic techniques have proved to be helpful in addressing the psychological sequelae of skin disease. © Copyright 2018 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

[Nutrition education in schools: potential resources for a teacher/nurse partnership].

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Arboix-Calas, France; Lemonnier, Geneviève

2016-01-01

Nutrition education in schools must be based on a collaborative approach between teachers and school nurses. The objective of this study was to compare the nutrition education representations and practices of primary school teachers and school nurses in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the South of France. We used the theoretical framework of complexity, which is particularly suited to multifactorial phenomena such as nutrition education. We interviewed 112 primary school teachers and 33 school nurses about three aspects of their nutrition education representations and practices: actors, content and place of nutrition education at school. Nurses had a more comprehensive and complex approach to nutrition education, including a collaborative approach. However, teachers had a fairly simplistic view of nutrition education and their practice took little account of the psychosocial dimensions of nutrition and a collaborative approach. Nurses could be resources for teachers to help them change their approach to health by transforming a purely biomedical approach to health and nutrition into a more comprehensive approach, particularly taking into account in its psychological and social dimensions, which would be more appropriate to address the growing prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases in France today.

Long term cardiovascular consequences of chronic lung disease of prematurity.

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Poon, Chuen Yeow; Edwards, Martin Oliver; Kotecha, Sailesh

2013-12-01

Pulmonary arterial (PA) hypertension in preterm infant is an important consequence of chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) arising mainly due to impaired alveolar development and dysregulated angiogenesis of the pulmonary circulation. Although PA pressure and resistance in these children normalise by school age, their pulmonary vasculature remains hyper-reactive to hypoxia until early childhood. Furthermore, there is evidence that systemic blood pressure in preterm born children with or without CLD is mildly increased at school age and in young adulthood when compared to term-born children. Arterial stiffness may be increased in CLD survivors due to increased smooth muscle tone of the pre-resistance and resistance vessels rather than the loss of elasticity in the large arteries. This review explores the long term effects of CLD on the pulmonary and systemic circulations along with their clinical correlates and therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality of life and emotional functioning in youth with chronic migraine and juvenile fibromyalgia.

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Kashikar-Zuck, Susmita; Zafar, Marium; Barnett, Kimberly A; Aylward, Brandon S; Strotman, Daniel; Slater, Shalonda K; Allen, Janelle R; Lecates, Susan L; Kabbouche, Marielle A; Ting, Tracy V; Hershey, Andrew D; Powers, Scott W

2013-12-01

Chronic pain in children is associated with significant negative impact on social, emotional, and school functioning. Previous studies on the impact of pain on children's functioning have primarily used mixed samples of pain conditions or single pain conditions (eg, headache and abdominal pain) with relatively small sample sizes. As a result, the similarities and differences in the impact of pain in subgroups of children with chronic pain have not been closely examined. To compare pain characteristics, quality of life, and emotional functioning among youth with pediatric chronic migraine (CM) and juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM). We combined data obtained during screening of patients for 2 relatively large intervention studies of youth (age range, 10 to 18 y) with CM (N=153) and JFM (N=151). Measures of pain intensity, quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life; PedsQL, child and parent-proxy), depressive symptoms (Children's Depression Inventory), and anxiety symptoms (Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4-Anxiety subscale) were completed by youth and their parent. A multivariate analysis of covariance controlling for effects of age and sex was performed to examine differences in quality of life and emotional functioning between the CM and JFM groups. Youth with JFM had significantly higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, and lower quality of life in all domains. Among children with CM, overall functioning was higher but school functioning was a specific area of concern. Results indicate important differences in subgroups of pediatric pain patients and point to the need for more intensive multidisciplinary intervention for JFM patients.

Neural Consequences of Chronic Short Sleep: Reversible or Lasting?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengqing Zhao

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Approximately one-third of adolescents and adults in developed countries regularly experience insufficient sleep across the school and/or work week interspersed with weekend catch up sleep. This common practice of weekend recovery sleep reduces subjective sleepiness, yet recent studies demonstrate that one weekend of recovery sleep may not be sufficient in all persons to fully reverse all neurobehavioral impairments observed with chronic sleep loss, particularly vigilance. Moreover, recent studies in animal models demonstrate persistent injury to and loss of specific neuron types in response to chronic short sleep (CSS with lasting effects on sleep/wake patterns. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the effects of chronic sleep disruption on neurobehavioral performance and injury to neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes and discuss what is known and what is not yet established for reversibility of neural injury. Recent neurobehavioral findings in humans are integrated with animal model research examining long-term consequences of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance, brain development, neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, and connectivity. While it is now clear that recovery of vigilance following short sleep requires longer than one weekend, less is known of the impact of CSS on cognitive function, mood, and brain health long term. From work performed in animal models, CSS in the young adult and short-term sleep loss in critical developmental windows can have lasting detrimental effects on neurobehavioral performance.

The effect of leukemia and its treatment on self-esteem of school-age children.

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Mullis, R L; Mullis, A K; Kerchoff, N F

1992-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the self-esteem of school-age children with leukemia in a clinic setting and to compare it to the self-esteem of healthy children. Thirteen chronically ill children, 6 to 11 years old, who were patients at a midwestern clinic and children's hospital, and 50 school-age children without chronic illness participated in the study. Children were administered the Kinetic Family Drawing-Revised (Spinetta, McLaren, Fox, & Sparta, 1981) to measure their self-image in relation to their family. Children's self-esteem was measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) (Coopersmith, 1981). The results indicated that children with leukemia did not differ in self-esteem from healthy children except on one subscale of the SEI. However, children with and without leukemia did differ on components of the self-image measure, a dimension of self-esteem. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Monitoring of risk and protective factors for chronic non communicable diseases by telephone survey in Brazilian State Capitals, 2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Malta, Deborah Carvalho; da Silva, Sara Araújo; de Oliveira, Patrícia Pereira Vasconcelos; Iser, Betine Pinto Moehlecke; Bernal, Regina Tomie Ivata; Sardinha, Luciana Monteiro Vasconcelos; Moura, Lenildo de

2012-09-01

To estimate the prevalence of protective and risk factors for the most important chronic non communicable diseases in all Brazilian capitals, including the Federal District. Data used were collected in 2008 through VIGITEL, an ongoing population-based telephone survey surveillance system implemented in all Brazilian State capitals since 2006. In 2008, over 54,000 interviews were completed over the phone with a random sample of individuals living in all 27 capitals. The analyses showed differences in the prevalence of determinants of chronic diseases by demographic characteristics such as gender, age and schooling. Men were more likely to be current smokers, overweight, and consumers of soft drinks, fatty meat and alcohol. They were also more likely to be more active in leisure. Women reported being more likely to eat healthy, but also were more likely to have a physician diagnosis of high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis and overall poor health status. In general, the prevalence of risk factors studied increased with decreasing levels of schooling. The VIGITEL system was implemented to monitor changes in the prevalence of determinants of chronic diseases over time to inform public health workers and decision makers to adjust existing programs and policies according to the changing profile of consumers. The ultimate goal is to improve the health of the Brazilian population.

An influence of physical rehabilitation on living standards of children with chronic heart failure

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Maryana Chekhovska

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to determine the impact of the developed program of physical rehabilitation on the quality of life of school-age children with chronic heart failure (CHF I–IIA stages. Material & Methods: analysis, generalization of scientific and methodological literature, Internet, survey method, methods of mathematical statistics. The study was conducted on the basis of the West-Ukrainian specialized children's medical center (Lviv. The experiment involved 34 school-age children with CHF I–IIA stages. Result: the evaluation of the quality of life of school age children with EH with CHF I–IIA stages showed a significant improvement in the four blocks. The physical functioning according to the parents' information had the greatest improvement. Despite the increase in the indicator of the functioning of the child in school, it remains low. Improving emotional and social functioning contributes to the social adaptation of children in society. The positive and negative dynamics of QoL of children of CHF for block indicators is not reliably confirmed. Conclusion: quality of life in children with CHF is an important integral indicator.

[Development of a standardized back school for in-patient orthopaedic rehabilitation].

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Meng, K; Seekatz, B; Rossband, H; Worringen, U; Faller, H; Vogel, H

2009-12-01

Medical rehabilitation in Germany is still lacking in patient education programmes that meet certain quality requirements such as the use of manuals, patient-oriented didactics, and evaluations of effectiveness. For patients with chronic low back pain, no standardized and evaluated back school programme has so far been available for routine use. In this paper, we demonstrate the development of a quality-assured back school based on a health-education programme of the German statutory pension insurance scheme. Both topics and didactics incorporate treatment evidence, practice guidelines, quality criteria for patient education and theories of health and illness behaviour. First, formative evaluation was conducted to assess patient acceptance and practicability of the manual. Second, effects of the back school programme were assessed on a short-term (at the end of rehabilitation), medium-term (6-month follow-up) and long-term (12-month follow-up) basis in a randomized controlled study of patients with low back pain (n=360). Results show a significant medium treatment effect in patients' knowledge about chronic back pain and its treatment at the end of rehabilitation (pmotivation to physical activity, pain beliefs and pain intensity. After the programme's medium- and long-term effects have been demonstrated, it will be recommended for implementation in medical rehabilitation. The manual meets the requirements that allow for a successful transfer into clinical practice. Copyright Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart . New York.

Associations between stress and migraine and tension-type headache: Results from a school-based study in adolescents from grammar schools in Germany

OpenAIRE

Milde-Busch, Astrid; Blaschek, Astrid; Heinen, Florian; Borggräfe, Ingo; Koerte, Inga; Straube, Andreas; Schankin, Christoph; Kries, Rüdiger

2011-01-01

Introduction: Stress is considered the major contributor to migraine and tension-type headache in adolescents. Previous studies have focused on general stressors, whereas the aim of the present study was to investigate associations between individuals’ stressful experiences and different types of headache. Methods: Adolescents from 10th and 11th grades of grammar schools filled in questionnaires. Stressful experiences were measured with the Trier Inventory of Chronic Stress. Type of heada...

Evaluation of a pilot national online asthma e-learning program for secondary school students.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hughes, Mary

2014-06-01

Ireland has the fourth highest incidence of asthma in the world, with Irish children losing on average 10 days of school per annum due to their asthma. It is highly probable that a large percentage of students in each class in Irish schools have asthma and are required to manage symptoms during the out-of-home period. Young people with chronic illnesses such as asthma find themselves labelled and marginalized due to a lack of awareness of others about their condition.

Depression in paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome.

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Bould, Helen; Collin, Simon M; Lewis, Glyn; Rimes, Katharine; Crawley, Esther

2013-06-01

To describe the prevalence of depression in children with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and investigate the relationship between depression in CFS/ME and clinical symptoms such as fatigue, disability, pain and school attendance. Cross-sectional survey data using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) collected at assessment. Specialist paediatric CFS/ME service in the South West. Children aged 12-18 years with CFS/ME. Depression was defined as scoring >9 on the HADS depression scale. 542 subjects had complete data for the HADS and 29% (156/542) (95% CI 25% to 33%) had depression. In a univariable analysis, female sex, poorer school attendance, and higher levels of fatigue, disability, pain, and anxiety were associated with higher odds of depression. Age of child and duration of illness were not associated with depression. In a multivariable analysis, the factors most strongly associated with depression were disability, with higher scores on the physical function subscale of the 36 item Short Form (SF-36). Depression is commonly comorbid with CFS/ME, much more common than in the general population, and is associated with markers of disease severity. It is important to screen for, identify and treat depression in this population.

Effects of Neonatal Dexamethasone Treatment on the Cardiovascular Stress Response of Children at School Age

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karemaker, Rosa; Karemaker, John M.; Kavelaars, Annemieke; Tersteeg-Kamperman, Marijke; Baerts, Wim; Veen, Sylvia; Samsom, Jannie F.; van Bel, Frank; Heijnen, Cobi J.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to investigate cardiovascular responses to a psychosocial stressor in school-aged, formerly premature boys and girls who had been treated neonatally with dexamethasone or hydrocortisone because of chronic lung disease. METHODS. We compared corticosteroid-treated, formerly

Prevalence of chronic cough, chronic phlegm & associated factors in Mysore, Karnataka, India.

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Mahesh, P A; Jayaraj, B S; Prabhakar, A K; Chaya, S K; Vijayasimha, R

2011-07-01

Chronic cough and chronic phlegm are important indicators of respiratory morbidity, accelerated lung function decline, increased hospitalization and mortality. This study was planned to estimate the prevalence of chronic cough and phlegm in the absence of dyspneoa and wheezing and to study its associated factors in a representative population of Mysore district. A cross-sectional survey was planned in a representative population of Mysore taluk. Eight villages were randomly selected based on the list of villages from census 2001. Trained field workers using the Burden of Obstructive Diseases questionnaire carried out a house-to-house survey. A total of 4333 adult subjects were enrolled in the study with 2333 males and 2000 females. The prevalence of chronic cough in the community was 2.5 per cent and that of chronic phlegm was 1.2 per cent. A significant association was observed between chronic cough and age, gender, occupation and smoking and chronic phlegm with age, gender, occupation, indoor animals and smoking. A multivariate analysis confirmed independent association of age, occupation and smoking for chronic cough and age and smoking for chronic phlegm. On sub-group analysis of males, heavy smokers had higher prevalence of chronic cough and chronic phlegm as compared to light smokers and non smokers. The prevalence of chronic cough was 2.5 per cent and chronic phlegm was 1.2 per cent in the general population in Mysore which is lower than that observed in other studies. Heavy smoking was an important preventable risk factor identified in this study and efforts towards smoking cessation are crucial to achieve good respiratory health in the community.

Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Pain Disorders in Head, Abdomen, Muscles and Joints.

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Friedrichsdorf, Stefan J; Giordano, James; Desai Dakoji, Kavita; Warmuth, Andrew; Daughtry, Cyndee; Schulz, Craig A

2016-12-10

Primary pain disorders (formerly "functional pain syndromes") are common, under-diagnosed and under-treated in children and teenagers. This manuscript reviews key aspects which support understanding the development of pediatric chronic pain, points to the current pediatric chronic pain terminology, addresses effective treatment strategies, and discusses the evidence-based use of pharmacology. Common symptoms of an underlying pain vulnerability present in the three most common chronic pain disorders in pediatrics: primary headaches, centrally mediated abdominal pain syndromes, and/or chronic/recurrent musculoskeletal and joint pain. A significant number of children with repeated acute nociceptive pain episodes develop chronic pain in addition to or as a result of their underlying medical condition "chronic-on-acute pain." We provide description of the structure and process of our interdisciplinary, rehabilitative pain clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA with accompanying data in the treatment of chronic pain symptoms that persist beyond the expected time of healing. An interdisciplinary approach combining (1) rehabilitation; (2) integrative medicine/active mind-body techniques; (3) psychology; and (4) normalizing daily school attendance, sports, social life and sleep will be presented. As a result of restored function, pain improves and commonly resolves. Opioids are not indicated for primary pain disorders, and other medications, with few exceptions, are usually not first-line therapy.

An investigation into the opportunity to learn that is available to Grade 12 mathematics learners

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Gerrit Stols

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the opportunity to learn (OTL that is available to Grade 12 mathematics learners. Learner workbooks were analysed in terms of time on task, curriculum coverage, curriculum coherence, and cognitive demand. Based on these elements, experienced mathematics teachers judged the opportunity that the learners have to achieve more than 60% for each topic. According to the workbooks, the average number of active learning days in this sample was 54.1 days per annum. This resulted in limited curriculum coverage in almost all sections in 16 of the 18 under-performing schools. In these schools, learners spent most of their time practising routine procedures. The high correlation of 0.95 (p < 0.001 between the experts'prediction about the opportunity to learn in the different schools (based on the learner workbooks and learners' actual performance in the Grade 12 exam shows that the number, the coverage, the cognitive level, and the coherence of activities play a major role in understanding learner performance.

Indicated Truancy Interventions: Effects on School Attendance among Chronic Truant Students. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2012:10

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Maynard, Brandy R.; McCrea, Katherine Tyson; Pigott, Terri D.; Kelly, Michael S.

2012-01-01

The main objective of this systematic review was to examine the effects of interventions on school attendance to inform policy, practice, and research. The questions guiding this study were: (1) Do truancy programs with a goal of increasing student attendance for truant youth affect school attendance behaviors of elementary and secondary students…

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging of subretinal bands associated with chronic retinal detachments

OpenAIRE

Kothari, Nikisha; Kuriyan, Ajay E; Flynn, Harry W

2016-01-01

Nikisha Kothari, Ajay E Kuriyan, Harry W Flynn JrDepartment of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USAAbstract: We report three patients with subretinal bands associated with retinal detachment in chronic retinal detachments who underwent successful retinal reattachment. Subretinal bands before and after surgery can be identified on clinical examination and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Removal of subr...

Complementary and alternative medicine use by primary care patients with chronic pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Eric I; Genao, Inginia; Chen, Ian; Mechaber, Alex J; Wood, Jo Ann; Faselis, Charles J; Kurz, James; Menon, Madhu; O'Rorke, Jane; Panda, Mukta; Pasanen, Mark; Staton, Lisa; Calleson, Diane; Cykert, Sam

2008-11-01

To describe the characteristics and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among primary care patients with chronic pain disorders and to determine if CAM use is associated with better pain control. Cross-sectional survey. Four hundred sixty-three patients suffering from chronic, nonmalignant pain receiving primary care at 12 U.S. academic medical centers. Self-reported current CAM usage by patients with chronic pain disorders. The survey had an 81% response rate. Fifty-two percent reported current use of CAM for relief of chronic pain. Of the patients that used CAM, 54% agreed that nontraditional remedies helped their pain and 14% indicated that their individual alternative remedy entirely relieved their pain. Vitamin and mineral supplements were the most frequently used CAM modalities. There was no association between reported use of CAM and pain severity, functional status, or perceived self-efficacy. Patients who reported having at least a high school education (odds ratio [OR] 1.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.19, P = 0.016) and high levels of satisfaction with their health care (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13-1.91, P = 0.004) were significantly more likely to report using CAM. Complementary and alternative therapies were popular among patients with chronic pain disorders surveyed in academic primary care settings. When asked to choose between traditional therapies or CAM, most patients still preferred traditional therapies for pain relief. We found no association between reported CAM usage and pain severity, functional status, or self-efficacy.

Physical education issues for students with autism: school nurse challenges.

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Rutkowski, Elaine M; Brimer, Debbie

2014-08-01

Extant studies indicate persons with autism have difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, and poor ability to generalize learned skills. Obesity has also been identified as significantly affecting children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Negative experience in physical education (PE) may be the antecedent behavior to lack of activities that are mediators to sedentary lifestyles and contributors to the chronic illnesses associated with overweight and obesity. Students with ASD often cannot perform required activities to meet required PE standards. It is imperative school nurses be aware of the many challenges students with ASD bring into a PE class. School nurses provide education for the members of the school community, including the Individualized Education Plan team, regarding the need for attention to limitations, including physical activity, of students with ASD. © The Author(s) 2013.

Chronic motor tic disorder

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Chronic vocal tic disorder; Tic - chronic motor tic disorder ... Chronic motor tic disorder is more common than Tourette syndrome . Chronic tics may be forms of Tourette syndrome. Tics usually start ...

Costs of implementing and maintaining comprehensive school health: the case of the Annapolis Valley Health Promoting Schools program.

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Ohinmaa, Arto; Langille, Jessie-Lee; Jamieson, Stuart; Whitby, Caroline; Veugelers, Paul J

2011-01-01

Comprehensive school health (CSH) is increasingly receiving renewed interest as a strategy to improve health and learning. The present study estimates the costs associated with implementing and maintaining CSH. We reviewed the accounting information of all schools in the Annapolis Valley Health Promoting Schools (AVHPS) program in 2008/2009. We considered support for nutrition and physical activity programs by the public system, grants, donations, fundraising and volunteers. The annual public funding to AVHPS to implement and maintain CSH totaled $344,514, which translates, on average, to $7,830 per school and $22.67 per student. Of the public funding, $140,500 was for CSH, $86,250 for breakfast programs, $28,750 for school food policy programs, and the remainder for other subsidized programs. Grants, donations and fundraising were mostly locally acquired. They totaled $127,235, which translates, on average, to $2,892 per school or $8.37 per student. The value of volunteer support was estimated to be equivalent to the value of grants, donations and fundraising combined. Of all grants, donations, fundraising and volunteers, 20% was directed to physical activity programs and 80% to nutrition programs. The public costs to implement and maintain CSH are modest. They leveraged substantial local funding and in-kind contributions, underlining community support for healthy eating and active living. Where CSH is effective in preventing childhood overweight, it is most likely cost-effective too, as costs for future chronic diseases are mounting. CSH programs that are proven effective and cost-effective have enormous potential for broad implementation and for reducing the public health burden associated with obesity.

Climate Change and Schools: Environmental Hazards and Resiliency.

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Sheffield, Perry E; Uijttewaal, Simone A M; Stewart, James; Galvez, Maida P

2017-11-16

The changing climate is creating additional challenges in maintaining a healthy school environment in the United States (U.S.) where over 50 million people, mostly children, spend approximately a third of their waking hours. Chronic low prioritization of funds and resources to support environmental health in schools and lack of clear regulatory oversight in the U.S. undergird the new risks from climate change. We illustrate the extent of risk and the variation in vulnerability by geographic region, in the context of sparse systematically collected and comparable data particularly about school infrastructure. Additionally, we frame different resilience building initiatives, focusing on interventions that target root causes, or social determinants of health. Disaster response and recovery are also framed as resilience building efforts. Examples from U.S. Federal Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and nationally are used to illustrate these concepts. We conclude that better surveillance, more research, and increased federal and state oversight of environmental factors in schools (specific to climate risks) is necessary, as exposures result in short- and long term negative health effects and climate change risks will increase over time.

Greenness and job-related chronic stress in young adults: a prospective cohort study in Germany.

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Herrera, Ronald; Markevych, Iana; Berger, Ursula; Genuneit, Jon; Gerlich, Jessica; Nowak, Dennis; Schlotz, Wolff; Vogelberg, Christian; von Mutius, Erika; Weinmayr, Gudrun; Windstetter, Doris; Weigl, Matthias; Heinrich, Joachim; Radon, Katja

2018-06-04

We aimed to prospectively study the association between normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a measure of greenness around homes and occupational stress. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden cities was followed from age 16-18 years to age 20-23 years (n=1632). At baseline, all participants attended high-school while at follow-up some had started working and others studying at university. At baseline and in each follow-up, we assigned NDVI based on participants' residential geocoded addresses and categorised it by quartiles. School-related, university-related or job-related self-reported chronic stress was assessed at the two follow-ups by the Trier Scale for Assessment of Chronic Stress using work discontent and work overload as outcomes. We modelled the association employing ordinal generalised estimating equations model accounting for changes in sociodemographics, non-job-related stress, job history and environmental covariates. Stratified analysis by each city was performed. NVDI at baseline was higher for participants from Dresden (median=0.36; IQR 0.31-0.41) than Munich (0.31; 0.26-0.34). At follow-up, it decreased only for participants in Dresden (0.34; 0.30-0.40). Higher greenness (quartile 4 vs quartile 1) was associated with less work discontent (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80 to 0.99) and less work overload (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.78 to 0.96). In stratified analyses, results were more consistent for Munich than for Dresden. Our results suggest that residential green spaces, using the vegetation index as a proxy for exposure, are inversely associated with two types of job-related chronic stress in German young adults transitioning from school to university or working life. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Overloaded circuits: why smart people underperform.

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Hallowell, Edward M

2005-01-01

Frenzied executives who fidget through meetings, lose track of their appointments, and jab at the "door close" button on the elevator aren't crazy--just crazed. They suffer from a newly recognized neurological phenomenon that the author, a psychiatrist, calls attention deficit trait, or ADT. It isn't an illness; it's purely a response to the hyperkinetic environment in which we live. But it has become epidemic in today's organizations. When a manager is desperately trying to deal with more input than he possibly can, the brain and body get locked into a reverberating circuit while the brain's frontal lobes lose their sophistication, as if vinegar were added to wine. The result is black-and-white thinking; perspective and shades of gray disappear. People with ADT have difficulty staying organized, setting priorities, and managing time, and they feel a constant low level of panic and guilt. ADT can be controlled by engineering one's environment and one's emotional and physical health. Make time every few hours for a "human moment;" a face-to-face exchange with a person you like. Get enough sleep, switch to a good diet, and get adequate exercise. Break down large tasks into smaller ones, and keep a section of your work space clear. Try keeping a portion of your day free of appointments and e-mail. The author recommends that companies invest in amenities that contribute to a positive atmosphere. Leaders can also help prevent ADT by matching employees' skills to tasks. When managers assign goals that stretch people too far or ask workers to focus on what they're not good at, stress rises. ADT is a very real threat to all of us. If we don't manage it, it will manage us.

Quality of Life and Spiritual Well-Being in Geriatric Patients With Chronic Depression

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Izadmehr

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Background Most people do not appreciate the aging period because of lack of knowledge or unknown backgrounds; therefore, they get affected by chronic mental disorders. Depression is one of the most predominant chronic mental disorders. Objectives In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL and spiritual well-being among geriatric retired employees of the oil industry in Khuzestan, Iran, who had chronic depression. Patients and Methods This was a cross-sectional study on 200 retired employees of the oil industry in Khuzestan, Iran, selected using simple random sampling technique. The variables were measured by three different standard questionnaires, including the QOL questionnaire (SF12, spiritual well-being scale (SWB, and depression scale (GDS. Results The mean age of the study group was 65 ± 4 years. Most of the patients had elementary or middle school level of education (44%. Hypertension was the predominant chronic disease associated with depression (37%. The mean QOL, spiritual well-being, and depression scores were 27.9 ± 6.4, 105 ± 13.8, and 4.2 ± 4.35, respectively. Spiritual well-being had a significant negative correlation with depression (P = 0.0001, indicating that the prevalence of chronic diseases such as depression decreased as spiritual well-being increased. There was also a significant negative correlation between the QOL and depression (P = 0.0001. Conclusions The results of our study showed that chronic depression disorder was significantly correlated with QOL and spiritual well-being of the elderly. To have healthy, independent, and happy geriatrics, it is important to consider such problems.

Daily Attendance Data. Chronic Absenteeism in Oregon Elementary Schools. Part 3 of 4. September 2016. Research Brief Series

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Oregon Department of Education, 2016

2016-01-01

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) partnered with 15 elementary schools to obtain and analyze student-level daily attendance records for 6,390 students. Schools ranged in size from just over 100 students to more than 600 students. Geographic locations also varied with 4 schools located in a city, 4 in a suburb, 4 in a town, and 3 in a rural…

Investing in Obesity Treatment: Kaiser Permanente's Approach to Chronic Disease Management.

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Tsai, Adam G; Histon, Trina; Donahoo, W Troy; Hashmi, Shahid; Murali, Sameer; Latare, Peggy; Oliver, Lajune; Slovis, Jennifer; Grall, Sarah; Fisher, David; Solomon, Loel

2016-09-01

Kaiser Permanente, an integrated health care delivery system in the USA, takes a "whole systems" approach to the chronic disease of obesity that begins with efforts to prevent it by modifying the environment in communities and schools. Aggressive case-finding and substantial investment in intensive lifestyle modification programs target individuals at high risk of diabetes and other weight-related conditions. Kaiser Permanente regions are increasingly standardizing their approach when patients with obesity require treatment intensification using medically supervised diets, prescription medication to treat obesity, or weight loss surgery.

Augmenting Cognitive Behavior Therapy for School Refusal with Fluoxetine: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Melvin, Glenn A; Dudley, Amanda L; Gordon, Michael S; Klimkeit, Ester; Gullone, Eleonora; Taffe, John; Tonge, Bruce J

2017-06-01

This study investigates whether the augmentation of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with fluoxetine improves outcomes in anxious school refusing adolescents (11-16.5 years). Sixty-two participants were randomly allocated to CBT alone, CBT + fluoxetine or CBT + placebo. All treatments were well tolerated; with one suicide-attempt in the CBT + placebo group. All groups improved significantly on primary (school attendance) and secondary outcome measures (anxiety, depression, self-efficacy and clinician-rated global functioning); with gains largely maintained at 6-months and 1-year. Few participants were anxiety disorder free after acute treatment. During the follow-up period anxiety and depressive disorders continued to decline whilst school attendance remained stable, at around 54 %. The only significant between-group difference was greater adolescent-reported treatment satisfaction in the CBT + fluoxetine group than the CBT alone group. These results indicate the chronicity of school refusal, and the need for future research into how to best improve school attendance rates.

A randomized controlled trial of a public health nurse-delivered asthma program to elementary schools.

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Cicutto, Lisa; To, Teresa; Murphy, Suzanne

2013-12-01

Childhood asthma is a serious and common chronic disease that requires the attention of nurses and other school personnel. Schools are often the first setting that children take the lead in managing their asthma. Often, children are ill prepared for this role. Our study evaluated a school-based, multifaceted asthma program that targeted students with asthma and the broader school community. A randomized trial involving 130 schools with grades 1-5 and 1316 children with asthma and their families was conducted. Outcomes of interest for the child, at 1 year, were urgent care use and school absenteeism for asthma, inhaler technique, and quality of life, and for the school, at 14 months, were indicators of a supportive school environment. Improvements were observed at the child and school level for the intervention group. Fewer children in the intervention group had a school absence (50% vs 60%; p Schools in the intervention group were more likely to have practices supporting an asthma-friendly environment. Implementation of a multifaceted school-based asthma program can lead to asthma-friendly schools that support children with asthma to be successful managers of their asthma and experience improved quality of life and decreased disease associated burden. © 2013, American School Health Association.

A review of halotherapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Rashleigh R

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Rachael Rashleigh,1 Sheree MS Smith,1,2 Nicola J Roberts3 1Family and Community Health University Research Group, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown Campus, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 2Centre for Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Division of Experimental Medicine, Imperial College, South Kensington, London, United Kingdom; 3Institute of Applied Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is a chronic, progressive disease and is treated with inhaled medication to optimize the patient's lung health through decreasing their symptoms, especially breathlessness. Halotherapy is the inhalation of micronized dry salt within a chamber that mimics a salt cave environment. Recent media reports suggest that this therapy may help with the symptoms of COPD. Objective: To critically evaluate and summarize the evidence for the use of halotherapy as a treatment for COPD. Design: A review using systematic approach and narrative synthesis. Data sources: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Google Scholar were searched. Two reviewers independently reviewed abstracts and selected eligible studies based on predetermined selection criteria. Results: Of the 151 articles retrieved from databases and relevant reference lists, only one randomized controlled trial met the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis was unable to be conducted due to the limited number of published studies. Inclusion criteria were subsequently expanded to allow three case-control studies to be included, ensuring that a narrative synthesis could be completed. From the pooled data of the four studies, there were 1,041 participants (661 in the intervention group and 380 in the control group. The assessment of methodological quality raised issues associated with randomization and patient selection

Gender, Headaches, and Sleep Health in High School Students.

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Ming, Xue; Radhakrishnan, Varsha; Kang, Lilia; Pecor, Keith

2016-09-01

The effects of gender, headaches, and their interaction on sleep health (sleep duration, sleep onset and continuity, and indications of hypersomnolence) have not been well studied. For American adolescents, we contrasted sleep health variables between males (n = 378) and females (n = 372) and between individuals with chronic headaches (n = 102 females and 60 males) and without chronic headaches (n = 270 females and 318 males) using data from surveys. Not all measures of sleep health differed between groups, but the following patterns were observed for the measures that did differ. Females reported shorter sleep durations on school nights (p = 0.001), increased likelihood of sleepiness on school days (p sleep durations on weekends (p = 0.009) and higher hypersomnolence scores (p = 0.009) than individuals without headaches. Interestingly, females with headaches reported worse sleep health than females without headaches for multiple measures. Males with headaches did not differ from males without headaches, except for greater waking at night (p = 0.04). These results are consistent with other studies of gender-based differences in sleep health and emphasize the importance of recognizing the risk of headache in female adolescents and treating that condition to prevent additional sleep health issues.

Formative research to develop a community-based intervention for chronic disease prevention in Guatemalan school-age children.

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Letona, Paola; Ramirez-Zea, Manuel; Caballero, Benjamin; Gittelsohn, Joel

2014-01-31

Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, even in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Recent trends in health promotion emphasize community-based interventions as an important strategy for improving health outcomes. The aim of this study was to conduct formative research regarding the perceptions of NCD risk factors, their influencing factors, and community resources available to aid the development and implementation of a community-based intervention with school-age children. Focus group discussions (n = 18), home visits (n = 30), and individual semi-structured interviews (n = 26) were conducted in three urban communities in Guatemala with school-age children (10-12 years of age), teachers, parents, and local community members (i.e., school principals, school food kiosk vendors, religious leaders, authority representatives). All focus groups and interviews were transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis. Children, parents, and teachers have general knowledge about modifiable risk factors. Adults worried more about tobacco use, as compared to unhealthy diet and physical inactivity in children. Participants identified features at the intrapersonal (e.g., negative emotional state), interpersonal (e.g., peers as role models), and organizational and community levels (e.g., high levels of crime) that influence these risk factors in children. School committees, religious leaders, and government programs and activities were among the positive community resources identified. These findings should help researchers in Guatemala and similar LMIC to develop community-based interventions for NCD prevention in school-age children that are effective, feasible, and culturally acceptable.

[Is there an association between the reduced school years in grammar schools and headache and other health complaints in adolescent students?].

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Milde-Busch, A; Blaschek, A; Borggräfe, I; von Kries, R; Straube, A; Heinen, F

2010-07-01

The reduction of school years in grammar schools from 9 to 8 years (G9 vs. G8) is supposed to exhibit increased impairments of health of the latter group of students. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether G8-students are exposed to more stress and report more headaches and other health complaints than G9-students. 1 260 formers of grammar schools in Munich (10 (th) vs. 11 (th) form). In a survey, the frequency of headache and other health complaints, experience of chronic stress and health-related quality of life were assessed with a questionnaire and compared between the two groups of different grammar-school durations (G8 vs. G9). 83.1% of all formers reported to suffer from headache at least once per month. Further frequently reported health complaints were back pain (47.7%), excessive need for sleep (45.6%) and pain in neck or shoulder (45.0%). 20.4% of the formers reported high exposure to stress. The greatest reductions in quality of life were found with respect to school-related and physical wellbeing. As the only significant differences, formers of G8 reported fewer daily leisure time and that available leisure time was not sufficient for recreation. The high prevalence of pain, health complaints and stress indicates high demands to all grammar scholars. High demands due to the reduction of school years in grammar school, however, are not reflected in increased health impairments in these formers, but rather in limited leisure time activities. (c) Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart-New York.

The Professional Development Needs of Special Needs Assistants in Irish Post-Primary Schools

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Kerins, Pauline; Casserly, Ann Marie; Deacy, Evelyn; Harvey, Deirdre; McDonagh, Dolores; Tiernan, Bairbre

2018-01-01

According to government policy in Ireland, special needs assistants (SNAs) may be employed in post-primary schools to support students deemed to have chronic and serious care needs. There is currently no national policy regarding the continuing professional development (CPD) of SNAs, to meet the requirements of their role. This study investigated…

Investigating the relationships between chronic ill health and educational outcomes in children

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Michael Fleming

2017-04-01

Compared to peers, children who had ADHD or depression were most adversely affected experiencing poorer educational outcomes in all five of the educational domains investigated. Children with epilepsy experienced poorer outcomes across four domains. Children with diabetes and asthma experienced more absence and increased SEN and asthmatic children experienced poorer attainment. Children who have these chronic illnesses at school appear to be at an educational disadvantage therefore further understanding of the intricate relationships between health and education is an on-going important area of public health.

Developments in clinical neuropsychology: implications for school psychological services.

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Cleary, Michael J; Scott, Albert J

2011-01-01

According to the 2000 Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health, a significant percentage of children and adolescents have emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to merit a mental health diagnosis. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 reemphasized the schools' importance in supporting cognitive and behavioral development in students, particularly those identified with learning problems. In this article, we examine the growing specialty of clinical neuropsychology and provide suggestions for integrating this field into school-based psychological services. This article provides a review of the neuropsychological bases for many childhood learning disorders and addresses how school psychologists can work with clinical neuropsychologists to better address the needs of exceptional children through neuropsychological testing. There is substantial neurological evidence for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as disorders of reading, language, and mathematics. Close collaborative partnerships between clinical neuropsychologists and school psychologists will help develop assessment protocols that are likely to result in more effective intervention services for students with neuropsychological conditions. Schools are being asked to support the physical, cognitive, and emotional development in students, particularly those identified with chronic physical and mental health challenges. Dissatisfaction with minimal screenings, the growing awareness of the neurology of learning disorders, and the passage of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 obliges all school-based mental health providers to consider how to fully integrate the tools of clinical neuropsychology into school-based psychological services. © 2011, American School Health Association.

Supporting Self-management of Chronic Pain

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2018-04-04

Chronic Pain Syndrome; Chronic Pain; Chronic Pain Due to Injury; Chronic Pain Due to Trauma; Chronic Pain Due to Malignancy (Finding); Chronic Pain Post-Procedural; Chronic Pain Hip; Chronic Pain, Widespread

Incarcerated Mothers and Fathers: How their Absences Disrupt Children’s High School Graduation

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Anh- Luu Huynh- Hohnbaum

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The United States is faced with a growing number of children who have incarcerated parents and nearly one quarter of children who fail to complete high school. It has been shown that parental incarceration negatively impacts academic outcomes. This study examined whether parental incarceration affects children’s high school graduation. Data on 12,418 young adults was drawn from the Add Health Wave IV dataset. Logistic regression analyses examined differences between maternal and paternal incarceration and the effects of chronicity of incarceration. Whereas both were found to reduce the likelihood that children will complete high school, maternal incarceration had a greater impact. This study fills gaps in the literature examining differences in parental incarceration. Practice and policy implications are discussed.

[Chronically ill--chronically forgotten?--communication/mobility/everyday life].

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Mattern, R

2007-04-01

In the course of the recent years, the policy for the needs of disabled people has started a fundamental paradigm shift. Central elements of the current policy for the needs of disabled people are prevention, rehabilitation and integration. Self-determination instead of care forms the guiding principle. An indistinct definition of chronic disease makes it difficult to obtain a general idea of structures in the care and support for people with chronic diseases. The following compilation examines requirements in social legislation and questions the quality of life by means of the three exemplary aspects: communication, mobility and everyday life. Here the question remains whether the current focus on health neglects any relevant components of chronic diseases. It turns out that people with a chronic illness, although social legislation has improved, are neglected the more support they need. Care as an elementary social principle must be discussed on an interdisciplinary basis and in the context of the whole society.

Chronic Generalized Harassment During College: Influences on Alcohol and Drug Use.

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McGinley, Meredith; Rospenda, Kathleen M; Liu, Li; Richman, Judith A

2015-10-01

The experience of chronic generalized harassment from others can have a deleterious impact on individuals over time. Specifically, coping resources may be taxed, resulting in the use of avoidant coping strategies such as substance use. However, little is known about the experience of chronic generalized harassment (e.g., verbal hostility, manipulation by others, exclusion from important events) and its impact on substance use in collegiate populations. In the current study, we examined the latent growth of generalized harassment across the transition from high school to college, whether this growth was heterogeneous, and the relationships between latent generalized harassment classifications and substance use. Incoming freshmen students (N = 2890; 58% female; 53% white) at eight colleges in Illinois completed a web survey at five points: fall 2011 (baseline), spring 2012 (T1), fall 2012 (T2), fall 2013 (T3) and fall 2014 (T4). Students were required to be at least 18 years old at baseline, and were compensated with online gift certificates. Two-part latent class growth analysis was implemented in order to examine heterogeneous growth over time. The results supported a two-class solution (infrequent and chronic classes) for generalized harassment. Growth in harassment was characterized by a decrease from baseline through college entry, with a recovery in rates by T3. Members of the chronically harassed class had greater mean generalized harassment over time, and were less likely to report zero instances of harassment experiences. As hypothesized, membership in the chronic class predicted future binge drinking, drinking to intoxication, problems due to alcohol use, and cigarette use, but not marijuana use. Future interventions should focus on providing college students with resources to help cope with distress stemming from persistent generalized harassment from peers, faculty, and other individuals in higher-education settings.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure: two muscle diseases?

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Troosters, Thierry; Gosselink, Rik; Decramer, Marc

2004-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure are two increasingly prevalent chronic diseases. Although care for these patients often is provided by different clinical teams, both disease conditions have much in common. In recent decades, more knowledge about the systemic impact of both diseases has become available, highlighting remarkable similarities in terms of prognostic factors and disease management. Rehabilitation programs deal with the systemic consequences of both diseases. Although clinical research also is conducted by various researchers investigating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure, it is worthwhile to compare the progress in relation to these two diseases over recent decades. Such comparison, the purpose of the current review, may help clinicians and scientists to learn about progress made in different, yet related, fields. The current review focuses on the similarities observed in the clinical impact of muscle weakness, the mechanisms of muscle dysfunction, the strategies to improve muscle function, and the effects of exercise training on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure.

Chronic Pericarditis

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... surgery) and is considered subacute. Causes Usually, the cause of chronic effusive pericarditis is unknown. However, it may be caused by cancer, tuberculosis , or an underactive thyroid gland ( hypothyroidism ), and it occasionally occurs in people with chronic ...

Chronic Pain

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... pain. Psychotherapy, relaxation and medication therapies, biofeedback, and behavior modification may also be employed to treat chronic pain. × ... pain. Psychotherapy, relaxation and medication therapies, biofeedback, and behavior modification may also be employed to treat chronic pain. ...

Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Pain Disorders in Head, Abdomen, Muscles and Joints

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Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Primary pain disorders (formerly “functional pain syndromes” are common, under-diagnosed and under-treated in children and teenagers. This manuscript reviews key aspects which support understanding the development of pediatric chronic pain, points to the current pediatric chronic pain terminology, addresses effective treatment strategies, and discusses the evidence-based use of pharmacology. Common symptoms of an underlying pain vulnerability present in the three most common chronic pain disorders in pediatrics: primary headaches, centrally mediated abdominal pain syndromes, and/or chronic/recurrent musculoskeletal and joint pain. A significant number of children with repeated acute nociceptive pain episodes develop chronic pain in addition to or as a result of their underlying medical condition “chronic-on-acute pain.” We provide description of the structure and process of our interdisciplinary, rehabilitative pain clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA with accompanying data in the treatment of chronic pain symptoms that persist beyond the expected time of healing. An interdisciplinary approach combining (1 rehabilitation; (2 integrative medicine/active mind-body techniques; (3 psychology; and (4 normalizing daily school attendance, sports, social life and sleep will be presented. As a result of restored function, pain improves and commonly resolves. Opioids are not indicated for primary pain disorders, and other medications, with few exceptions, are usually not first-line therapy.

Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Pain Disorders in Head, Abdomen, Muscles and Joints

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Friedrichsdorf, Stefan J.; Giordano, James; Desai Dakoji, Kavita; Warmuth, Andrew; Daughtry, Cyndee; Schulz, Craig A.

2016-01-01

Primary pain disorders (formerly “functional pain syndromes”) are common, under-diagnosed and under-treated in children and teenagers. This manuscript reviews key aspects which support understanding the development of pediatric chronic pain, points to the current pediatric chronic pain terminology, addresses effective treatment strategies, and discusses the evidence-based use of pharmacology. Common symptoms of an underlying pain vulnerability present in the three most common chronic pain disorders in pediatrics: primary headaches, centrally mediated abdominal pain syndromes, and/or chronic/recurrent musculoskeletal and joint pain. A significant number of children with repeated acute nociceptive pain episodes develop chronic pain in addition to or as a result of their underlying medical condition “chronic-on-acute pain.” We provide description of the structure and process of our interdisciplinary, rehabilitative pain clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA with accompanying data in the treatment of chronic pain symptoms that persist beyond the expected time of healing. An interdisciplinary approach combining (1) rehabilitation; (2) integrative medicine/active mind-body techniques; (3) psychology; and (4) normalizing daily school attendance, sports, social life and sleep will be presented. As a result of restored function, pain improves and commonly resolves. Opioids are not indicated for primary pain disorders, and other medications, with few exceptions, are usually not first-line therapy. PMID:27973405

Relación entre aprendizaje de la lectura y nivel socioeconómico en niños argentinos

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Sebastián Urquijo

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to provide empirical data about reading performance in elementary school children from public and private schools in Mar del Plata, Argentina, considering the differences in their socioeconomic status (SES. The sample consisted of 227 1st and 3rd graders (male and female. In order to assess reading performance, we administered 10 scales from the Child Neuropsychological Assessment Set —known by the acronym ENI in Spanish—, four of them related to decoding and six related to comprehension. To assess the participants´ SES, we considered the type of school (public or private they go to, and we requested information about social class, socio-occupational status of the head of household, parents’ educational level and current occupational status of the head of household. Our results confirm that reading performance varies with type of school and SES, as students that go to a public school and come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds underperformed in almost all the tests. We also found that differences in lexical access tasks are reduced during schooling. To conclude, we insist in the early schooling of children that come from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, in order to mitigate the deficits caused by a weak reading stimulation and a poor literacy environment.

Partners in Public Health: Public Health Collaborations With Schools of Pharmacy, 2015.

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DiPietro Mager, Natalie A; Ochs, Leslie; Ranelli, Paul L; Kahaleh, Abby A; Lahoz, Monina R; Patel, Radha V; Garza, Oscar W; Isaacs, Diana; Clark, Suzanne

To collect data on public health collaborations with schools of pharmacy, we sent a short electronic survey to accredited and preaccredited pharmacy programs in 2015. We categorized public health collaborations as working or partnering with local and/or state public health departments, local and/or state public health organizations, academic schools or programs of public health, and other public health collaborations. Of 134 schools, 65 responded (49% response rate). Forty-six (71%) responding institutions indicated collaborations with local and/or state public health departments, 34 (52%) with schools or programs of public health, and 24 (37%) with local and/or state public health organizations. Common themes of collaborations included educational programs, community outreach, research, and teaching in areas such as tobacco control, emergency preparedness, chronic disease, drug abuse, immunizations, and medication therapy management. Interdisciplinary public health collaborations with schools of pharmacy provide additional resources for ensuring the health of communities and expose student pharmacists to opportunities to use their training and abilities to affect public health. Examples of these partnerships may stimulate additional ideas for possible collaborations between public health organizations and schools of pharmacy.

E-submission Format for Sub-chronic and Chronic Studies

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The purpose of this document is to suggest the format for final reports and to provide instructions for creation of Adobe PDF electronic submission documents for electronic submission of sub-chronic and chronic studies for pesticides.

Setting Adolescents up for Success: Promoting a Policy to Delay High School Start Times

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Barnes, Margaux; Davis, Krista; Mancini, Mackenzie; Ruffin, Jasmine; Simpson, Tina; Casazza, Krista

2016-01-01

Background: A unique biological shift in sleep cycles occurs during adolescence causing later sleep and wake times. This shift is not matched by a concurrent modification in school start times, resulting in sleep curtailment for a large majority of adolescents. Chronic inadequate sleep is associated with poor academic performance including…

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)

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CML; Chronic myeloid leukemia; Chronic granulocytic leukemia; Leukemia - chronic granulocytic ... nuclear disaster. It takes many years to develop leukemia from radiation exposure. Most people treated for cancer ...

Self-reported chronic pain is associated with physical performance in older people leaving aged care rehabilitation

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Pereira LS

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Leani Souza Máximo Pereira,1,2 Catherine Sherrington,2,3 Manuela L Ferreira,2 Anne Tiedemann,2,3 Paulo H Ferreira,4 Fiona M Blyth,5 Jacqueline CT Close,3,6 Morag Taylor,3,6 Stephen R Lord3 1Department of Physiotherapy, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 2Musculoskeletal Division, The George Institute for Global Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 3Neuroscience Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; 4Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 5Pain Management and Research Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 6Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Background/objectives: The impact of pain on the physical performance of patients in aged care rehabilitation is not known. The study sought to assess 1 the prevalence of pain in older people being discharged from inpatient rehabilitation; 2 the association between self-reported pain and physical performance in people being discharged from inpatient rehabilitation; and 3 the association between self-reported pain and physical performance in this population, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study of 420 older people at two inpatient aged care rehabilitation units. Physical performance was assessed using the Lower Limb Summary Performance Score. Pain was assessed with questions about the extent to which participants were troubled by pain, the duration of symptoms, and the impact of chronic pain on everyday activity. Depression and the number of comorbidities were assessed by questionnaire and medical file audit. Cognition was assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results: Thirty percent of participants reported chronic pain (pain

Assessment and comparison of nutritional status of government and private secondary school children of Muzaffarnagar

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Sangeeta Jain Sharma

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Malnutrition leads to poor cognitive performance and physical growth in children and is a major component of school health services. Imbalanced nutrition in adolescence can put them at high risk of chronic diseases particularly if combined with adverse lifestyle. Aims & Objectives: This study was designed to assess and compare the nutritional status of government and private school children of Muzaffarnagar city. Material and Methods: School based, comparative Cross-sectional study. One private and one government school was selected using unistage stratified random sampling. A total of 1960 (980 each from private school and government school school children of class 6-12 were studied for socio-epidemiological details, dietary habits, and physical activity. Information on education status, occupation, monthly income of their parents was also collected. Required anthropometric measurements were taken. Results: Of 980 children from private school, 90 (9.18% were underweight,138 (14.08% were overweight, and 137 (13.97% were obese. Majority of children from government school were underweight 215 (21.94% except for 24 (2.45% overweight children. Conclusion: This study shows the dual nature of nutritional problem, under-nutrition among the lower socioeconomic class of govt. school at one side and worrisome epidemic of obesity among the affluent of private school

School buses, air pollution and children's health : improving children's health and local air quality by reducing school bus emissions

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Perrotta, K. [Ontario Public Health Association, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2005-11-01

The exhaust gases from school buses was examined and recommendations were presented for the establishment of a healthy school bus program in Ontario that is directed at improving children's health and local air quality. The Ontario Public Health Association is concerned with school bus emissions because they are heavy-duty vehicles that emit large quantities of diesel-related air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and diesel particulates. In addition, school buses can be self-polluting vehicles that expose children on-board to high levels of fine particulates and diesel particulate matter. Both these pollutants have been associated with a range of acute and chronic health problems such as asthma, respiratory infections, allergies, and school absences. With nearly 800,000 Ontario children being transported on school buses annually, these exposures can represent a serious public health concern, as childhood exposures can also influence the health of exposed individuals later in life. Exposure studies have found that tailpipe and engine emissions contribute greatly to concentrations of air pollutants on-board school buses. The studies also showed that on-board concentrations were also influenced by local air quality in the communities studied, traffic density, wind direction, the configuration of windows, idling and queuing patterns. It was recommended that the use of ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel along with the installation of diesel particulate filters and closed crankcase filters can reduce the concentrations of air pollutants on-board school buses to almost ambient air levels, even under idling conditions. This report recommended the replacement of pre-1994 school buses, the retrofitting of 1994-2003 school buses with filters, and maintaining proper maintenance, idling and vehicle operation practices. refs., tabs., figs.

[Chronic appendicitis. A case report].

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Montiel-Jarquín, Alvaro José; Gómez-Conde, Eduardo; Reyes-Páramo, Pedro; Romero-Briones, Carlos; Mendoza-García, Aurelio Valentín; García-Ramírez, Ulises Noel

2008-01-01

The term chronic appendicitis has been used to describe any type of chronic pain that originates in the appendix, with or without inflammation. This broad category can be divided more specifically into: chronic or recurrent appendicitis and appendiceal colic pain. a 41-year-old female, suffering intestinal chronic constipation, abdominal pain, nausea, hiporexia and febricula, treated with antibiotics, vermifuges, analgesics and antispasmodics, showing a slight and partial improvement. She was suffering chronic pain in lower abdomen, mostly on the right side along a year. With these symptoms, she underwent an exploratory laparotomy, that showed chronic appendicitis. Appendix had been removed. The histopathological report corresponded to chronic appendicitis. the histopathological characteristics and the clinical manifestations of the chronic appendicitis are different from those of acute appendicitis. Criteria for chronic appendicitis include: symptoms lasting longer than 4 weeks, confirmation of chronic swelling through histopathological examination, improvement of symptoms after appendectomy. The ultrasonic images, the barium enema and the computerized helicoidal tomography could be suggestive for its diagnosis.

Educators' emotion regulation strategies and their physiological indicators of chronic stress over 1 year.

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Katz, Deirdre A; Harris, Alexis; Abenavoli, Rachel; Greenberg, Mark T; Jennings, Patricia A

2018-04-01

Studies show teaching is a highly stressful profession and that chronic work stress is associated with adverse health outcomes. This study analysed physiological markers of stress and self-reported emotion regulation strategies in a group of middle school teachers over 1 year. Chronic physiological stress was assessed with diurnal cortisol measures at three time points over 1 year (fall, spring, fall). The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the changes in educators' physiological level of stress. Results indicate that compared to those in the fall, cortisol awakening responses were blunted in the spring. Further, this effect was ameliorated by the summer break. Additionally, self-reported use of the emotion regulation strategy reappraisal buffered the observed blunting that occurred in the spring. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of a Pilot Asthma Care Program for Electronic Communication between School Health and a Healthcare System's Electronic Medical Record.

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Reeves, Kelly W; Taylor, Yhenneko; Tapp, Hazel; Ludden, Thomas; Shade, Lindsay E; Burton, Beth; Courtlandt, Cheryl; Dulin, Michael

2016-10-19

Asthma is a common childhood chronic lung disease affecting greater than 10% of children in the United States. School nurses are in a unique position to close gaps in care. Indeed, effective asthma management is more likely to result when providers, family, and schools work together to optimize the patient's treatment plan. Currently, effective communication between schools and healthcare systems through electronic medical record (EMR) systems remains a challenge. The goal of this feasibility pilot was to link the school-based care team with primary care providers in the healthcare system network via electronic communication through the EMR, on behalf of pediatric asthma patients who had been hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation. The implementation process and the potential impact of the communication with providers on the reoccurrence of asthma exacerbations with the linked patients were evaluated. By engaging stakeholders from the school system and the healthcare system, we were able to collaboratively design a communication process and implement a pilot which demonstrated the feasibility of electronic communication between school nurses and primary care providers. Outcomes data was collected from the electronic medical record to examine the frequency of asthma exacerbations among patients with a message from their school nurse. The percent of exacerbations in the 12 months before and after electronic communication was compared using McNemar's test. The pilot system successfully established communication between the school nurse and primary care provider for 33 students who had been hospitalized for asthma and a decrease in hospital admissions was observed with students whose school nurse communicated through the EMR with the primary care provider. Findings suggest a collaborative model of care that is enhanced through electronic communication via the EMR could positively impact the health of children with asthma or other chronic illnesses.

Association between traffic-related air pollution in schools and cognitive development in primary school children: a prospective cohort study.

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Jordi Sunyer

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Air pollution is a suspected developmental neurotoxicant. Many schools are located in close proximity to busy roads, and traffic air pollution peaks when children are at school. We aimed to assess whether exposure of children in primary school to traffic-related air pollutants is associated with impaired cognitive development.We conducted a prospective study of children (n = 2,715, aged 7 to 10 y from 39 schools in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain exposed to high and low traffic-related air pollution, paired by school socioeconomic index; children were tested four times (i.e., to assess the 12-mo developmental trajectories via computerized tests (n = 10,112. Chronic traffic air pollution (elemental carbon [EC], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], and ultrafine particle number [UFP; 10-700 nm] was measured twice during 1-wk campaigns both in the courtyard (outdoor and inside the classroom (indoor simultaneously in each school pair. Cognitive development was assessed with the n-back and the attentional network tests, in particular, working memory (two-back detectability, superior working memory (three-back detectability, and inattentiveness (hit reaction time standard error. Linear mixed effects models were adjusted for age, sex, maternal education, socioeconomic status, and air pollution exposure at home. Children from highly polluted schools had a smaller growth in cognitive development than children from the paired lowly polluted schools, both in crude and adjusted models (e.g., 7.4% [95% CI 5.6%-8.8%] versus 11.5% [95% CI 8.9%-12.5%] improvement in working memory, p = 0.0024. Cogently, children attending schools with higher levels of EC, NO2, and UFP both indoors and outdoors experienced substantially smaller growth in all the cognitive measurements; for example, a change from the first to the fourth quartile in indoor EC reduced the gain in working memory by 13.0% (95% CI 4.2%-23.1%. Residual confounding for social class could not be discarded completely

Association between traffic-related air pollution in schools and cognitive development in primary school children: a prospective cohort study.

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Sunyer, Jordi; Esnaola, Mikel; Alvarez-Pedrerol, Mar; Forns, Joan; Rivas, Ioar; López-Vicente, Mònica; Suades-González, Elisabet; Foraster, Maria; Garcia-Esteban, Raquel; Basagaña, Xavier; Viana, Mar; Cirach, Marta; Moreno, Teresa; Alastuey, Andrés; Sebastian-Galles, Núria; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark; Querol, Xavier

2015-03-01

Air pollution is a suspected developmental neurotoxicant. Many schools are located in close proximity to busy roads, and traffic air pollution peaks when children are at school. We aimed to assess whether exposure of children in primary school to traffic-related air pollutants is associated with impaired cognitive development. We conducted a prospective study of children (n = 2,715, aged 7 to 10 y) from 39 schools in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) exposed to high and low traffic-related air pollution, paired by school socioeconomic index; children were tested four times (i.e., to assess the 12-mo developmental trajectories) via computerized tests (n = 10,112). Chronic traffic air pollution (elemental carbon [EC], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], and ultrafine particle number [UFP; 10-700 nm]) was measured twice during 1-wk campaigns both in the courtyard (outdoor) and inside the classroom (indoor) simultaneously in each school pair. Cognitive development was assessed with the n-back and the attentional network tests, in particular, working memory (two-back detectability), superior working memory (three-back detectability), and inattentiveness (hit reaction time standard error). Linear mixed effects models were adjusted for age, sex, maternal education, socioeconomic status, and air pollution exposure at home. Children from highly polluted schools had a smaller growth in cognitive development than children from the paired lowly polluted schools, both in crude and adjusted models (e.g., 7.4% [95% CI 5.6%-8.8%] versus 11.5% [95% CI 8.9%-12.5%] improvement in working memory, p = 0.0024). Cogently, children attending schools with higher levels of EC, NO2, and UFP both indoors and outdoors experienced substantially smaller growth in all the cognitive measurements; for example, a change from the first to the fourth quartile in indoor EC reduced the gain in working memory by 13.0% (95% CI 4.2%-23.1%). Residual confounding for social class could not be discarded completely; however

Chronic Pain and Chronic Stress: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

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Abdallah, Chadi G; Geha, Paul

2017-02-01

Pain and stress share significant conceptual and physiological overlaps. Both phenomena challenge the body's homeostasis and necessitate decision-making to help animals adapt to their environment. In addition, chronic stress and chronic pain share a common behavioral model of failure to extinguish negative memories. Yet, they also have discrepancies such that the final brain endophenotype of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and chronic pain appears to be different among the three conditions, and the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis remains unclear in the physiology of pain. Persistence of either stress or pain is maladaptive and could lead to compromised well-being. In this brief review, we highlight the commonalities and differences between chronic stress and chronic pain, while focusing particularly on the central role of the limbic brain. We assess the current attempts in the field to conceptualize and understand chronic pain, within the context of knowledge gained from the stress literature. The limbic brain-including hippocampus, amygdala, and ventromedial pre-frontal cortex-plays a critical role in learning. These brain areas integrate incoming nociceptive or stress signals with internal state, and generate learning signals necessary for decision-making. Therefore, the physiological and structural remodeling of this learning circuitry is observed in conditions such as chronic pain, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder, and is also linked to the risk of onset of these conditions.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Chronic Diseases of Youths and Access to Health Care in the United States

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James H. Price

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Racial/ethnic minorities are 1.5 to 2.0 times more likely than whites to have most of the major chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are also more common in the poor than the nonpoor and this association is frequently mediated by race/ethnicity. Specifically, children are disproportionately affected by racial/ethnic health disparities. Between 1960 and 2005 the percentage of children with a chronic disease in the United States almost quadrupled with racial/ethnic minority youth having higher likelihood for these diseases. The most common major chronic diseases of youth in the United States are asthma, diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, dental disease, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mental illness, cancers, sickle-cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and a variety of genetic and other birth defects. This review will focus on the psychosocial rather than biological factors that play important roles in the etiology and subsequent solutions to these health disparities because they should be avoidable and they are inherently unjust. Finally, this review examines access to health services by focusing on health insurance and dental insurance coverage and access to school health services.

School violence in an impoverished South African community.

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Burnett, C

1998-08-01

The aim of this anthropological study was to create an understanding of school-related violence experienced by adolescents in the context of chronic poverty in a South African community. Qualitative methods of data collection such as participant observation, interviews, and group discussions were utilized for data collection. Sixteen children and three adults in turn kept diaries and wrote reports during the research period of three and one-half years (June 1992-December 1995). All the Standard seven pupils (N = 76) of the local school completed a self-concept questionnaire and wrote two essays about themselves and their lives, respectively. The ideology and structures of apartheid created a context of impoverishment and structural violence to which children were exposed. The school was one of the social institutions where children were subjected to structural, psychological, and physical violence on a daily basis. Violent behavior or discipline was justified as being just and an effective teaching practice by authoritarian parents and teachers. The manifestations of poverty included emotional erosion, a negative self-concept, and reactive violence. School-related violence was structurally interwoven with the very fabric of the social hierarchy of the school set-up and was sanctioned as an effective strategy to gain social control and discipline children. Poverty in itself provided the breeding-ground for violence at home and in the school. Children were caught up in a vicious circle of pro- and reactive violence and socialized to accept violence as an instrument of empowerment. Recommendations for possible intervention and further research are offered.

The role of the residential neighborhood in linking youths' family poverty trajectory to decreased feelings of safety at school.

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Côté-Lussier, Carolyn; Barnett, Tracie A; Kestens, Yan; Tu, Mai Thanh; Séguin, Louise

2015-06-01

Although disadvantaged youth are more likely to be victimized at school, victimization only partly explains their decreased feelings of safety at school. We applied a socioecological approach to test the hypotheses that the experience of poverty is associated with decreased feelings of safety at school, and that residential neighborhood features partly mediate the relationship between poverty and feeling less safe at school. This study draws on the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) which began in 1998 with a representative population-based cohort of 2,120 5-month old infants (49.1% female) and their primary caregiver. The study also includes measures of ego-centred residential neighborhood exposures (based on a 500 m circular buffer zone surrounding the family's residential postal code) derived from a spatial data infrastructure. We used latent growth modeling to estimate youth's family poverty trajectory from age 5 months to 13 years, and structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The results suggest that youth experiencing chronic and later-childhood poverty felt less safe at school in part because they lived in neighborhoods that their parents described as being disorderly (e.g., demarked by the presence of garbage, drug use and groups of trouble-makers). These neighborhoods also tended to have less greenery (e.g., trees, parks) and more lone-parent households. Neighborhood features did not help explain the relationship between early-childhood poverty and feeling less safe at school. The findings suggest that targeting residential neighborhood features such as greenery and disorder could improve youth's felt safety at school, particularly for those experiencing chronic and later-childhood poverty.

Atypical Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

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... myeloproliferative neoplasms, leukemia , and other conditions . Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia Key Points Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia is a disease ... chance of recovery) and treatment options. Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia is a disease in which too many myelocytes ...

NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN BLIND CHILDREN: ISFAHAN ABABASIR BOARDING SCHOOL

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M RAJAI

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Inadequate dietary intake causes malnutrition associated with poor physical and mental development, specially in children. This study evaluated the nutritional status in blind children in Ababasir Boarding Center (a boarding school in Isfahan city. Methods: A 72 hours food regimen survey was measured in 50 subjects (boys and girls by weighting method. The anthropometric data was collected to compare with NCHS normal data. Results: Energy intake was less than 75 percent RDA in all the subjects and the amounts of animal protein intake was also little. Chronic malnutrition was more prevalent. Discussion: Althought the energy intake was lower than RDA, but it did not cause under weight among them probably because of reduced physical activity due to their disability and inadequate high quality protein and other nutrients probably could be the major cause in chronic malnutrition.

Prevalence of Malnutrition in a Rural Residential Sanskrit School in Baglung, Nepal.

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Amatya, B; Shrestha, N

2017-01-01

Under-nutrition is a condition in which there is inadequate consumption, poor absorption or excessive loss of nutrients. Nepal still faces high chronic as well as acute under-nutrition in children. The following study was conducted a Sanskrit school in rural Baglung to find the prevalence of malnutrition among the children which could reflect the nutritional status of the community. Out of 60 students admitted to the school, only 43 were present at the time when we collected our data. Weight was measured with a standard weighing scale and standing height with a measuring tape attached to the wall. Data were filled up in proforma, entered in Microsoft Excel 2013 and were analyzed and indicators calculated with SPSS version 20 using WHO Child Growth Reference data for 5-19 years and macros. Stunting (Z score Sanskrit school where the study was conducted.

Chronic Pancreatitis in Children

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... E-News Sign-Up Home Patient Information Children/Pediatric Chronic Pancreatitis in Children Chronic Pancreatitis in Children What symptoms would my child have? Frequent or chronic abdominal pain is the most common symptom of pancreatitis. The ...

[Handling the cases of school failure in an educational institute in Zaghouan].

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Abdelkafi Koubaa, Afifa; Bouslama, Samira; Bel Abed, Najet; Dahmen, Hayet; Mira Gabsi, Zvine; Gabsi, Abdallah; Ouerfelli, Nabil; Mabaouj, Mohamed Taher; Bachouche, Imen

2011-10-01

To assess the main reasons for the school failure in a school in Zaghouan, how to handle these issues, to evaluate the work of the school social office. A retrospective study included 86 failure cases in a school in Zaghouan, handled by the school social office for three years (2004 - 2007). He have detected the principals causes of school failure, detected by the educational staff or by the listening office. The causes of failure are mainly social (46%) as family problems and low income. These families received financial aids and free treatment cards. Discussions have been made with the parents in order to make them more conscious. The pedagogical reasons (28%) however are usually relationship' problems between the student and his teacher or the student and the administration, the three subjects were informed so that attitudes could be changed in the purpose of helping the student. Twelve students (14%) have a psychological case, depression and over worrying, led in some cases to addiction.These cases were diagnosed and transferred to specialized clinics.Sense and chronic diseases (12%), are considered as health reasons for school failure and caused several absences in the school. The school physicist took care of these cases by handling them medical guidance cards while observing the diagnose progress. As school results, 56 cases turned satisfaisant which is 65 % of all cases. The school failure became a priority of the "School Health" institute. That puss to create the school social program, his aim is protecting the students from all dangers, early school leaving and social disintegration, and delinquency. Thus, all parts must be responsible for the school failure, teachers, parents, students,psychiatrists and physicists, as well as introducing the social school work and listening offices and missions to the parents, students and teachers in order to guarantee the success of the operations.

Chronic disease in child’s life. social and psychological aspects in the context of type i diabetes

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Lucyna Sochocka

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Disease is one of the most undesirable phenomena in life and child’s development. Chronic disease makes very difficult to meet the needs of a child. Chronic failure affects not only the child himself but the child and the whole family. This is often difficult and sometimes even impossible to explain and accept. Lengthiness of type I diabetes often causes the child to stay in hospital where he comes across pain (insulin injections, diagnostic puncture, hospital rigor, impediment in learning.For school-age child is not enough „to be sick”, especially if the disease is associated with sensations such as pain and malaise. In situations like that it is necessary and important to inform the child about the disease. Supply him with basic information of the need for testing, the rules of diet and adverse symptoms such as acidosis, hypoglycemia. Lack of knowledge about the disease exacerbated by stress cause forced isolation of the child. Type I diabetes may be perceived by young people as a disease which limits social contacts. Furthermore may affect sense of otherness in relation to their contemporaries. Peer support is very important. It helps not only in adjusting to the environment but also in overcoming daily duties associated with chronic disease – testing of glucose level, insulin, diet and exercise plan. Treatment of diabetes may not focus solely on achievement of metabolic balance. It also aims at creation of good relationship within therapeutic team (patient, parent, doctor, nurse, laboratory technician, physical therapist, health trainer, psychologist as well as between friends, colleagues and school mates.

A Menu for Health: Changes to New York City School Food, 2001 to 2011

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Perlman, Sharon E.; Nonas, Cathy; Lindstrom, Lauren L.; Choe-Castillo, Julia; McKie, Herman; Alberti, Philip M.

2012-01-01

Background: The high prevalence of obesity puts children at risk for chronic diseases, increases health care costs, and threatens to reduce life expectancy. As part of the response to this epidemic, the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE)--the nation's largest school district--has worked to improve the appeal and nutritional quality…

Chronic daily headaches

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Fayyaz Ahmed

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Chronic Daily Headache is a descriptive term that includes disorders with headaches on more days than not and affects 4% of the general population. The condition has a debilitating effect on individuals and society through direct cost to healthcare and indirectly to the economy in general. To successfully manage chronic daily headache syndromes it is important to exclude secondary causes with comprehensive history and relevant investigations; identify risk factors that predict its development and recognise its sub-types to appropriately manage the condition. Chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache and medication overuse headache accounts for the vast majority of chronic daily headaches. The scope of this article is to review the primary headache disorders. Secondary headaches are not discussed except medication overuse headache that often accompanies primary headache disorders. The article critically reviews the literature on the current understanding of daily headache disorders focusing in particular on recent developments in the treatment of frequent headaches.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Includes: Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema

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... Submit Button NCHS Home Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Includes: Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema Recommend on Facebook ... Percent of visits to office-based physicians with COPD indicated on the medical record: 3.2% Source: ...

A Chronic Disease Management Student-Faculty Collaborative Practice: Educating Students on Innovation in Health Care Delivery.

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Remus, Kristin E; Honigberg, Michael; Tummalapalli, Sri Lekha; Cohen, Laura P; Fazio, Sara; Weinstein, Amy R

2016-07-01

In the current transformative health care landscape, it is imperative that clinician educators inspire future clinicians to practice primary care in a dynamic environment. A focus on patient-centered, goal-oriented care for patients with chronic conditions is critical. In 2009, Harvard Medical School founded the Crimson Care Collaborative, a student-faculty collaborative practice (SFCP) network. With the aim of expanding clinical and educational opportunities for medical students and improving patient control of chronic disease (i.e., hypertension, obesity, and diabetes) in an innovative learning environment, in 2012, the authors developed a novel SFCP at their hospital-based academic primary care practice. In this SFCP, students learn to explore patient priorities, provide focused counseling and education, and assist patients with self-management goals during clinical visits. From 2012 to 2014, 250 student volunteers participated in the SFCP as clinicians, innovators, educators, and leaders, with between 80 and 95 medical students engaging each semester. Between January 2012 and March 2014, there were 476 urgent care or chronic disease management visits. Patients with chronic diseases were seen at least twice on average, and by 2014, chronic disease management visits accounted for approximately 74% of visits. Work is under way to create assessment tools to evaluate the practice's educa tional impact and student understanding of the current health care system, develop interdisciplinary care teams, expand efforts in registry management and broaden the patient recruitment scope, further emphasize patient engage ment and retention, and evaluate chronic disease management and patient satisfaction effectiveness.

Chronic pancreatitis.

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Kleeff, Jorg; Whitcomb, David C; Shimosegawa, Tooru; Esposito, Irene; Lerch, Markus M; Gress, Thomas; Mayerle, Julia; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr; Rebours, Vinciane; Akisik, Fatih; Muñoz, J Enrique Domínguez; Neoptolemos, John P

2017-09-07

Chronic pancreatitis is defined as a pathological fibro-inflammatory syndrome of the pancreas in individuals with genetic, environmental and/or other risk factors who develop persistent pathological responses to parenchymal injury or stress. Potential causes can include toxic factors (such as alcohol or smoking), metabolic abnormalities, idiopathic mechanisms, genetics, autoimmune responses and obstructive mechanisms. The pathophysiology of chronic pancreatitis is fairly complex and includes acinar cell injury, acinar stress responses, duct dysfunction, persistent or altered inflammation, and/or neuro-immune crosstalk, but these mechanisms are not completely understood. Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by ongoing inflammation of the pancreas that results in progressive loss of the endocrine and exocrine compartment owing to atrophy and/or replacement with fibrotic tissue. Functional consequences include recurrent or constant abdominal pain, diabetes mellitus (endocrine insufficiency) and maldigestion (exocrine insufficiency). Diagnosing early-stage chronic pancreatitis is challenging as changes are subtle, ill-defined and overlap those of other disorders. Later stages are characterized by variable fibrosis and calcification of the pancreatic parenchyma; dilatation, distortion and stricturing of the pancreatic ducts; pseudocysts; intrapancreatic bile duct stricturing; narrowing of the duodenum; and superior mesenteric, portal and/or splenic vein thrombosis. Treatment options comprise medical, radiological, endoscopic and surgical interventions, but evidence-based approaches are limited. This Primer highlights the major progress that has been made in understanding the pathophysiology, presentation, prevalence and management of chronic pancreatitis and its complications.

Peer power: how Dare County, North Carolina, is addressing chronic disease through innovative programming.

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Thomas, Anne B; Ward, Ellie

2006-01-01

Peer Power is an innovative school-based program that trains high school students as health educators and mentors for middle school students. The program was designed to produce positive health behavior changes in youth and reduce long-term incidence of chronic diseases of the heart and lung. This program, developed at the Management Academy for Public Health, has been successful in receiving grant funds and has demonstrated positive behavioral changes in youth in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use. Peer Power has far exceeded the anticipated outcomes and proven to be a catalyst for improved health behaviors throughout the community. Positive unintended consequences of Peer Power include the development of an effective social marketing campaign, reduction in tobacco sales to minors, and an increase in smoke-free restaurants in Dare County. Benefits received by Management Academy participants are evident through improved business and administrative skills at the Dare County Department of Public Health, the number of new and innovative programs that have succeeded in securing grant funds, and the sustainability of the programs developed.

The Golden Target: Analyzing the Tracking Performance of Leveraged Gold ETFs

OpenAIRE

Tim Leung; Brian Ward

2015-01-01

This paper studies the empirical tracking performance of leveraged ETFs on gold, and their price relationships with gold spot and futures. For tracking the gold spot, we find that our optimized portfolios with short-term gold futures are highly effective in replicating prices. The market-traded gold ETF (GLD) also exhibits a similar tracking performance. However, we show that leveraged gold ETFs tend to underperform their corresponding leveraged benchmark. Moreover, the underperformance worse...

Chronic Diseases Overview

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... Plan Templates All Chronic Surveillance Systems Communications Center Social Media Press Room Press Release Archives Multimedia Communication Campaigns Publications Chronic Disease Overview 2016–2017 At A ...

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

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... is used for painful and enlarged lymph nodes. Blood transfusions or platelet transfusions may be required if blood ... unexplained fatigue, bruising, excessive sweating, or weight loss. Alternative ... Leukemia - chronic lymphocytic (CLL); Blood cancer - chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Bone marrow cancer - chronic ...

Chronic cardiovascular disease mortality in mountaintop mining areas of central Appalachian states.

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Esch, Laura; Hendryx, Michael

2011-01-01

To determine if chronic cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates are higher among residents of mountaintop mining (MTM) areas compared to mining and nonmining areas, and to examine the association between greater levels of MTM surface mining and CVD mortality. Age-adjusted chronic CVD mortality rates from 1999 to 2006 for counties in 4 Appalachian states where MTM occurs (N = 404) were linked with county coal mining data. Three groups of counties were compared: MTM, coal mining but not MTM, and nonmining. Covariates included smoking rate, rural-urban status, percent male population, primary care physician supply, obesity rate, diabetes rate, poverty rate, race/ethnicity rates, high school and college education rates, and Appalachian county. Linear regression analyses examined the association of mortality rates with mining in MTM areas and non-MTM areas and the association of mortality with quantity of surface coal mined in MTM areas. Prior to covariate adjustment, chronic CVD mortality rates were significantly higher in both mining areas compared to nonmining areas and significantly highest in MTM areas. After adjustment, mortality rates in MTM areas remained significantly higher and increased as a function of greater levels of surface mining. Higher obesity and poverty rates and lower college education rates also significantly predicted CVD mortality overall and in rural counties. MTM activity is significantly associated with elevated chronic CVD mortality rates. Future research is necessary to examine the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of MTM on health to reduce health disparities in rural coal mining areas. © 2011 National Rural Health Association.

Patient considerations in the management of chronic constipation: focus on prucalopride

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Shin A

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Andrea Shin Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA Abstract: Chronic constipation is a common condition that significantly impacts health care utilization, productivity, and quality of life. Laxatives are commonly used, although often insufficient in restoring normal bowel function or providing adequate relief. There remains a significant need for the development of novel agents to optimize treatment of this condition. This review provides an overview of the preclinical and clinical trial data, supporting the efficacy and safety of prucalopride, a highly selective 5-HT4 receptor agonist that has been approved by the European Medicine Agency for the treatment of chronic constipation in adults who have failed standard laxative therapy. Unlike older 5-HT4 agonists, prucalopride has not been associated with adverse cardiovascular side effects or QT prolongation owing to its high selectivity and affinity for the 5-HT4 receptor without clinically significant cross-reactivity at the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG potassium channel or 5-HT receptor subtypes that have previously been implicated in adverse cardiovascular events and arrhythmias. Careful safety assessments have documented the relative safety and tolerability of this agent in various patient groups. Focus has also been placed on demonstrating efficacy with regard to bowel function, symptoms, and patient-reported outcomes such as the Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptoms and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life scores to support the use of prucalopride as a safe and effective therapeutic option for the management of chronic constipation. Keywords: prucalopride, chronic constipation, 5-HT4 agonist, safety, prokinetic, PAC-QOL

Pilot undergraduate course teaches students about chronic illness in children: an educational intervention study.

Science.gov (United States)

Montenegro, Roberto E; Birnie, Krista D; Fisher, Paul Graham; Dahl, Gary V; Binkley, John; Schiffman, Joshua D

2014-01-01

Recent data question whether medical education adequately prepares physicians to care for the growing number of children with chronic medical conditions. We describe a 10-week course designed to provide undergraduate students with the knowledge and skills required to understand and care for children with chronic or catastrophic illnesses. The course presented the illness experience from the child's perspective and thus presented information in a manner that was efficient, conducive, and memorable. The curriculum was designed like a graduate-level seminar that included workshops, lectures, readings, writing, and lively discussions. This is an educational intervention study that used survey data to assess changes in attitudes among and between participants completing this course versus students not exposed to this course. We used Somers' D test and Fisher's z-transformation to perform both pre- and post-nonparametric comparisons. Course participants were more likely to change their attitudes and agree that chronically ill children "feel comfortable talking with their peers about their condition" (P=0.003) and less likely to agree that these children "want to be treated differently," "want more sympathy," or "care less about romantic relationships" (P = 0.003, 0.002 and 0.02, respectively). Controls were more likely to continue to agree that chronically ill children "want to be treated differently" (P = 0.009) and "care less about romantic relationships" (P = 0.02), and less likely to agree that these children "talk openly" or "feel comfortable talking with their peers about their condition" (P = 0.04). This classroom-based course serves as a feasible and cost-effective model for universities and medical schools to aid in improving student attitudes toward treating chronically ill children. The course provides the unique opportunity to learn directly from those who care for and those who have lived with chronic illness.

Chronic subdural hematoma

Science.gov (United States)

Subdural hemorrhage - chronic; Subdural hematoma - chronic; Subdural hygroma ... A subdural hematoma develops when bridging veins tear and leak blood. These are the tiny veins that run between the ...

Alfuzosin and Symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis–Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Nickel, J. Curtis; Krieger, John N.; McNaughton-Collins, Mary; Anderson, Rodney U.; Pontari, Michel; Shoskes, Daniel A.; Litwin, Mark S.; Alexander, Richard B.; White, Paige C.; Berger, Richard; Nadler, Robert; O'Leary, Michael; Liong, Men Long; Zeitlin, Scott; Chuai, Shannon; Landis, J. Richard; Kusek, John W.; Nyberg, Leroy M.; Schaeffer, Anthony J.

2009-01-01

Background In men with chronic prostatitis–chronic pelvic pain syndrome, treatment with alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers early in the course of the disorder has been reported to be effective in some, but not all, relatively small randomized trials. Methods We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of alfuzosin, an alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker, in reducing symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis–chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Participation in the study required diagnosis of the condition within the preceding 2 years and no previous treatment with an alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker. Men were randomly assigned to treatment for 12 weeks with either 10 mg of alfuzosin per day or placebo. The primary outcome was a reduction of at least 4 points (from baseline to 12 weeks) in the score on the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) (range, 0 to 43; higher scores indicate more severe symptoms). A 4-point decrease is the minimal clinically significant difference in the score. Results A total of 272 eligible participants underwent randomization, and in both study groups, 49.3% of participants had a decrease of at least 4 points in their total NIH-CPSI score (rate difference associated with alfuzosin, 0.1%; 95% confidence interval, −11.2 to 11.0; P = 0.99). In addition, a global response assessment showed similar response rates at 12 weeks: 33.6% in the placebo group and 34.8% in the alfuzosin group (P = 0.90). The rates of adverse events in the two groups were also similar. Conclusions Our findings do not support the use of alfuzosin to reduce the symptoms of chronic prostatitis–chronic pelvic pain syndrome in men who have not received prior treatment with an alpha-blocker. PMID:19092152

Self-care 3 months after attending chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient education: a qualitative descriptive analysis

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Mousing C

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Camilla Askov Mousing1, Kirsten Lomborg21School of Health Sciences, Randers School of Nursing, VIA University College, Randers, Denmark; 2Department of Public Health, Nursing Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DenmarkPurpose: The authors performed a qualitative descriptive analysis to explore how group patient education influences the self-care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Patients and methods: In the period 2009–2010, eleven patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease completed an 8-week group education program in a Danish community health center. The patients were interviewed 3 months after completion of the program.Findings: Patients reported that their knowledge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had increased, that they had acquired tools to handle their symptoms, and that the social aspect of patient education had motivated them to utilize their new habits after finishing the course. The data indicate that patients need a period of adjustment (a "ripening period": it took time for patients to integrate new habits and competencies into everyday life. Talking to health care professionals focused the patients' attention on their newly acquired skills and the research interview made them more aware of their enhanced self-care.Conclusion: Patients' self-care may be enhanced through group education, even though the patients are not always able to see the immediate outcome. Some patients may require professional help to implement their newly acquired knowledge and skills in everyday life. A planned dialogue concentrating on self-care in everyday life 3 months after finishing the course may enhance patients' awareness and appraisal of their newly acquired competencies.Keywords: COPD, education program, patient knowledge, patient perspective, patient skills, ripening period

SERUM IRON PARAMETERS IN ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOSIS, CRYPTOGENIC CIRRHOSIS, CHRONIC HEPATITIS B AND CHRONIC HEPATITIS C

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Sajeevan K. C

2016-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Regular monitoring of serum iron parameters is helpful for assessing the severity of alcoholic liver disease. Assessment of serum iron parameters are used for screening hereditary haemochromatosis in chronic liver disease. Serum iron parameters in chronic liver disease have not been clearly described in most of the studies. The aim of this study was to assess the serum iron, Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC, transferrin saturation and ferritin levels in common chronic liver disease like alcoholic cirrhosis, cryptogenic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B. MATERIALS AND METHODS 110 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease admitted to the Gastroenterology Department, Government Medical College, Kozhikode were selected for the study. The categories of chronic liver disease included in our study were alcoholic cirrhosis (Group I, n = 40, cryptogenic cirrhosis (Group II, n = 30, chronic hepatitis C (Group III, n = 20 and chronic hepatitis B (Group IV, n = 20. Serum iron, ferritin, total iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation were estimated in the fasting sample. Statistical Analysis- Analysis was performed using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis and Bonferroni test to assess statistical significance of difference of continuous variables among and between groups, respectively. The results were considered statistically significant at the level of p <0.05. RESULTS The serum iron level was normal and total iron binding capacity was low in all the four groups of chronic liver disease. Serum ferritin and transferrin saturation were significantly higher in alcoholic cirrhosis in comparison with cryptogenic cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B, but was not statistically significant in comparison with chronic hepatitis C. CONCLUSION We observed irregularities in iron status in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, cryptogenic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B.

Chronic tophaceous gout

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Thappa D

1993-01-01

Full Text Available A rare case of chronic tophaceous gout, in a 27-year-old female on diuretics for chronic congestive cardiac failure with characteristic histopathological and radiological changes is reported.

Heredity of chronic bronchitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meteran, Howraman; Backer, Vibeke; Kyvik, Kirsten Ohm

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Smoking is a major risk factor for lung diseases and lower respiratory symptoms, but since not all smokers develop chronic bronchitis and since chronic bronchitis is also diagnosed in never-smokers, it has been suggested that some individuals are more susceptible to develop chronic br...

Docosahexaenoic acid for reading, cognition and behavior in children aged 7-9 years: a randomized, controlled trial (the DOLAB Study.

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Alexandra J Richardson

Full Text Available Omega-3 fatty acids are dietary essentials, and the current low intakes in most modern developed countries are believed to contribute to a wide variety of physical and mental health problems. Evidence from clinical trials indicates that dietary supplementation with long-chain omega-3 may improve child behavior and learning, although most previous trials have involved children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or developmental coordination disorder (DCD. Here we investigated whether such benefits might extend to the general child population.To determine the effects of dietary supplementation with the long-chain omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA on the reading, working memory, and behavior of healthy schoolchildren.Parallel group, fixed-dose, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT.Mainstream primary schools in Oxfordshire, UK (n = 74.Healthy children aged 7-9 years initially underperforming in reading (≤ 33(rd centile. 1376 invited, 362 met study criteria.600 mg/day DHA (from algal oil, or taste/color matched corn/soybean oil placebo.Age-standardized measures of reading, working memory, and parent- and teacher-rated behavior.ITT analyses showed no effect of DHA on reading in the full sample, but significant effects in the pre-planned subgroup of 224 children whose initial reading performance was ≤ 20(th centile (the target population in our original study design. Parent-rated behavior problems (ADHD-type symptoms were significantly reduced by active treatment, but little or no effects were seen for either teacher-rated behaviour or working memory.DHA supplementation appears to offer a safe and effective way to improve reading and behavior in healthy but underperforming children from mainstream schools. Replication studies are clearly warranted, as such children are known to be at risk of low educational and occupational outcomes in later life.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01066182

Long-term opioid treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain: unproven efficacy and neglected safety?

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Kissin I

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Igor Kissin Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Background: For the past 30 years, opioids have been used to treat chronic nonmalignant pain. This study tests the following hypotheses: (1 there is no strong evidence-based foundation for the conclusion that long-term opioid treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain is effective; and (2 the main problem associated with the safety of such treatment – assessment of the risk of addiction – has been neglected. Methods: Scientometric analysis of the articles representing clinical research in this area was performed to assess (1 the quality of presented evidence (type of study; and (2 the duration of the treatment phase. The sufficiency of representation of addiction was assessed by counting the number of articles that represent (1 editorials; (2 articles in the top specialty journals; and (3 articles with titles clearly indicating that the addiction-related safety is involved (topic-in-title articles. Results: Not a single randomized controlled trial with opioid treatment lasting >3 months was found. All studies with a duration of opioid treatment ≥6 months (n = 16 were conducted without a proper control group. Such studies cannot provide the consistent good-quality evidence necessary for a strong clinical recommendation. There were profound differences in the number of addiction articles related specifically to chronic nonmalignant pain patients and to opioid addiction in general. An inadequate number of chronic pain-related publications were observed with all three types of counted articles: editorials, articles in the top specialty journals, and topic-in-title articles. Conclusion: There is no strong evidence-based foundation for the conclusion that long-term opioid treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain is effective. The above identified signs indicating neglect of addiction associated with the

Improved diabetes management in Swedish schools: results from two national surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Särnblad, Stefan; Åkesson, Karin; Fernström, Lillemor; Ilvered, Rosita; Forsander, Gun

2017-09-01

Support in diabetes self-care in school is essential to achieve optimal school performance and metabolic control. Swedish legislation regulating support to children with chronic diseases was strengthened 2009. To compare the results of a national survey conducted 2008 and 2015 measuring parents' and diabetes specialist teams' perceptions of support in school. All pediatric diabetes centers in Sweden were invited to participate in the 2015 study. In each center, families with a child being treated for T1DM and attending preschool class or compulsory school were eligible. The parents' and the diabetes teams' opinions were collected in two separate questionnaires. Forty-one out of 42 eligible diabetes centers participated and 568 parents answered the parental questionnaire in 2015. Metabolic control had improved since the 2008 survey (55.2 ± 10.6 mmol/mol, 7.2% ± 1.0%, in 2015 compared with 61.8 ± 12.4 mmol/mol, 7.8% ± 1.1% in 2008). The proportion of children with a designated staff member responsible for supporting the child's self-care increased from 43% to 59%, (P self-care in school in 2015 compared with 2008. More efforts are needed to implement the national legislation to achieve equal support in all Swedish schools. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of the Islamic Revolution in Iran on Medical Education: The Shiraz University School of Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Ronaghy, Hossain A.; And Others

1983-01-01

Of 173 full-time faculty employed in 1978 at Shiraz University School of Medicine, 108 had left the university by December 1982, and 81 of these had left the country, aggravating the chronic shortage of medical personnel in Iran. Iranian authorities have not been able to counteract these trends. (GC)

Hereditary chronic pancreatitis

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Mössner Joachim

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Hereditary chronic pancreatitis (HCP is a very rare form of early onset chronic pancreatitis. With the exception of the young age at diagnosis and a slower progression, the clinical course, morphological features and laboratory findings of HCP do not differ from those of patients with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. As well, diagnostic criteria and treatment of HCP resemble that of chronic pancreatitis of other causes. The clinical presentation is highly variable and includes chronic abdominal pain, impairment of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic function, nausea and vomiting, maldigestion, diabetes, pseudocysts, bile duct and duodenal obstruction, and rarely pancreatic cancer. Fortunately, most patients have a mild disease. Mutations in the PRSS1 gene, encoding cationic trypsinogen, play a causative role in chronic pancreatitis. It has been shown that the PRSS1 mutations increase autocatalytic conversion of trypsinogen to active trypsin, and thus probably cause premature, intrapancreatic trypsinogen activation disturbing the intrapancreatic balance of proteases and their inhibitors. Other genes, such as the anionic trypsinogen (PRSS2, the serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type 1 (SPINK1 and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR have been found to be associated with chronic pancreatitis (idiopathic and hereditary as well. Genetic testing should only be performed in carefully selected patients by direct DNA sequencing and antenatal diagnosis should not be encouraged. Treatment focuses on enzyme and nutritional supplementation, pain management, pancreatic diabetes, and local organ complications, such as pseudocysts, bile duct or duodenal obstruction. The disease course and prognosis of patients with HCP is unpredictable. Pancreatic cancer risk is elevated. Therefore, HCP patients should strongly avoid environmental risk factors for pancreatic cancer.

The Impact of Comprehensive School Nursing Services on Students' Academic Performance.

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Kocoglu, Deniz; Emiroglu, Oya Nuran

2017-03-01

Introduction: School nursing services should be evaluated through health and academic outcomes of students; however, it is observed that the number of studies in this field is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of comprehensive school nursing services provided to 4th grade primary school students on academic performance of students. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted with 31 students attending a randomly selected school in economic disadvantaged area in Turky. Correlation analysis, repeated measures analyses of variance, multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data with SPSS software. Results: At the end of school nursing practices, an increase was occurred in students' academic achievement grades whereas a decrease was occurred in absenteeism and academic procrastination behaviors. Whilst it was determined that nursing interventions including treatment/ procedure and surveillance was associated to the decrease of absenteeism, it also was discovered that the change in the health status of the student after nursing interventions was related to the increase of the academic achievement grade and the decrease of the academic procrastination behavior score. Conclusion: In this study, the conclusion that comprehensive school nursing services contributed positively to the academic performance of students has been reached. In addition, it can be suggested that effective school nursing services should include services such as acute-chronic disease treatment, first aid, health screening, health improvement-protection, health education, guidance and counseling and case management.

The Impact of Comprehensive School Nursing Services on Students' Academic Performance

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Deniz Kocoglu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: School nursing services should be evaluated through health and academic outcomes of students; however, it is observed that the number of studies in this field is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of comprehensive school nursing services provided to 4th grade primary school students on academic performance of students. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted with 31 students attending a randomly selected school in economic disadvantaged area in Turky. Correlation analysis, repeated measures analyses of variance, multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data with SPSS software. Results: At the end of school nursing practices, an increase was occurred in students’ academic achievement grades whereas a decrease was occurred in absenteeism and academic procrastination behaviors. Whilst it was determined that nursing interventions including treatment/ procedure and surveillance was associated to the decrease of absenteeism, it also was discovered that the change in the health status of the student after nursing interventions was related to the increase of the academic achievement grade and the decrease of the academic procrastination behavior score. Conclusion: In this study, the conclusion that comprehensive school nursing services contributed positively to the academic performance of students has been reached. In addition, it can be suggested that effective school nursing services should include services such as acute-chronic disease treatment, first aid, health screening, health improvement-protection, health education, guidance and counseling and case management.

Asthma and food allergy management in Chicago Public Schools.

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Gupta, Ruchi S; Rivkina, Victoria; DeSantiago-Cardenas, Lilliana; Smith, Bridget; Harvey-Gintoft, Blair; Whyte, Stephanie A

2014-10-01

This study aimed to characterize asthma and food allergy reporting and management in Chicago Public Schools. Demographic and health data for students who have asthma and food allergy were extracted from the Chicago Public Schools database. Demographic and geographic variability and the existence of school health management plans were analyzed, and multiple logistic regression models were computed. Home addresses were geocoded to create maps of case counts per community area. Approximately 18,000 asthmatic and 4000 food allergic students were identified. Of asthmatic students, 9.3% had a food allergy; of food allergic students, 40.1% had asthma. Asthma odds were significantly higher among black and Hispanic students (odds ratio [OR] = 2.3 and 1.3, respectively), whereas food allergy odds were significantly higher among black students (OR = 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.3) and significantly lower among Hispanic students (OR = 0.8; 95% CI, 0.7-0.9). Only 24.3% of students who had asthma and 50.9% of students who had food allergy had a school health management plan on file. Odds of having a school health management plan were significantly higher among students with both conditions, but the likelihood of having a plan on file was significantly lower among racial/ethnic minority and low-income students, regardless of medical condition. Only 1 in 4 students who have asthma and half of food allergic students have health management plans in schools, with lower numbers among minority and low-income students. Improving chronic disease reporting and access to school health management plans is critical. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Chronic gastritis - an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Varbanova, Mariya; Frauenschläger, Katrin; Malfertheiner, Peter

2014-12-01

Helicobacter pylori is the main aetiologic factor for chronic gastritis worldwide. The degree of inflammation and the evolution of this form of chronic gastritis can vary largely depending on bacterial virulence factors, host susceptibility factors and environmental conditions. Autoimmune gastritis is another cause of chronic inflammation in the stomach, which can occur in all age groups. This disease presents typically with vitamin B12 deficiency and pernicious anaemia. The presence of anti-parietal cell antibodies is highly specific for the diagnosis. The role of H. pylori as a trigger for autoimmune gastritis remains uncertain. Other rare conditions for chronic gastritis are chronic inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease or on the background of lymphocytic or collagenous gastroenteropathies. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Chronic Illness Problem Inventory as a measure of dysfunction in chronic pain patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, J M; Turner, J A; Jensen, M P

1992-04-01

Assessment of physical and psychosocial dysfunction is recognized as essential in chronic pain patient evaluation. One instrument, the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), has demonstrated good reliability and validity as a measure of dysfunction among chronic pain patients. An alternate measure, the Chronic Illness Problem Inventory (CIPI), is shorter and more easily scored than the SIP, but as yet has not been applied widely to chronic pain problems. In the present study, 95 chronic low back pain patients completed the SIP, the CIPI, activity diaries, the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), before participating in a chronic pain treatment study. Overt pain behaviors were also coded from videotapes of a standardized assessment protocol. Seventy-five subjects completed the measures post-treatment. The results indicate that although the SIP and the CIPI are significantly correlated and appear to be measuring similar constructs, there is also substantial unshared variance between them, suggesting that they may tap somewhat different aspects of dysfunction in chronic pain. The CIPI shows promise as a useful alternative measure of dysfunction in chronic low back pain patients, but requires further validation for this purpose.

Learner-Directed Nutrition Content for Medical Schools to Meet LCME Standards

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Lisa A. Hark

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Deficiencies in medical school nutrition education have been noted since the 1960s. Nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, are now the most common, costly, and preventable health problems in the US. Training medical students to assess diet and nutritional status and advise patients about a healthy diet, exercise, body weight, smoking, and alcohol consumption are critical to reducing chronic disease risk. Barriers to improving medical school nutrition content include lack of faculty preparation, limited curricular time, and the absence of funding. Several new LCME standards provide important impetus for incorporating nutrition into existing medical school curriculum as self-directed material. Fortunately, with advances in technology, electronic learning platforms, and web-based modules, nutrition can be integrated and assessed across all four years of medical school at minimal costs to medical schools. Medical educators have access to a self-study nutrition textbook, Medical Nutrition and Disease, Nutrition in Medicine© online modules, and the NHLBI Nutrition Curriculum Guide for Training Physicians. This paper outlines how learner-directed nutrition content can be used to meet several US and Canadian LCME accreditation standards. The health of the nation depends upon future physicians’ ability to help their patients make diet and lifestyle changes.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, Diana K; Dielubanza, Elodi; Schaeffer, Anthony J

2015-08-27

Chronic prostatitis can cause pain and urinary symptoms, and can occur either with an active infection (chronic bacterial prostatitis [CBP]) or with only pain and no evidence of bacterial causation (chronic pelvic pain syndrome [CPPS]). Bacterial prostatitis is characterised by recurrent urinary tract infections or infection in the prostate with the same bacterial strain, which often results from urinary tract instrumentation. However, the cause and natural history of CPPS are unknown and not associated with active infection. We conducted a systematic overview and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments for chronic bacterial prostatitis? What are the effects of treatments for chronic pelvic pain syndrome? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to February 2014 (Clinical Evidence overviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this overview). At this update, searching of electronic databases retrieved 131 studies. After deduplication and removal of conference abstracts, 67 records were screened for inclusion in the overview. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led to the exclusion of 51 studies and the further review of 16 full publications. Of the 16 full articles evaluated, three systematic reviews and one RCT were included at this update. We performed a GRADE evaluation for 14 PICO combinations. In this systematic overview, we categorised the efficacy for 12 interventions based on information relating to the effectiveness and safety of 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors, allopurinol, alpha-blockers, local injections of antimicrobial drugs, mepartricin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral antimicrobial drugs, pentosan polysulfate, quercetin, sitz baths, transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT), and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

Latent trajectories of internalizing symptoms from preschool to school age: A multi-informant study in a high-risk sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Annette M; Schlesier-Michel, Andrea; Otto, Yvonne; White, Lars O; Andreas, Anna; Sierau, Susan; Bergmann, Sarah; Perren, Sonja; von Klitzing, Kai

2018-04-29

Recent proposals suggest early adversity sets in motion particularly chronic and neurobiologically distinct trajectories of internalizing symptoms. However, few prospective studies in high-risk samples delineate distinct trajectories of internalizing symptoms from preschool age onward. We examined trajectories in a high-risk cohort, oversampled for internalizing symptoms, several preschool risk/maintenance factors, and school-age outcomes. Parents of 325 children completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire on up to four waves of data collection from preschool (3-5 years) to school age (8-9 years) and Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment interviews at both ages. Multi-informant data were collected on risk factors and symptoms. Growth mixture modelling identified four trajectory classes of internalizing symptoms with stable low, rising low-to-moderate, stable moderate, and stable high symptoms. Children in the stable high symptom trajectory manifested clinically relevant internalizing symptoms, mainly diagnosed with anxiety disorders/depression at preschool and school age. Trajectories differed regarding loss/separation experience, maltreatment, maternal psychopathology, temperament, and stress-hormone regulation with loss/separation, temperament, maternal psychopathology, and stress-hormone regulation (trend) significantly contributing to explained variance. At school age, trajectories continued to differ on symptoms, disorders, and impairment. Our study is among the first to show that severe early adversity may trigger a chronic and neurobiologically distinct internalizing trajectory from preschool age onward.

Chronic mucus hypersecretion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulrik, Charlotte Suppli; von Linstow, Marie-Louise; Nepper-Christensen, Steen

2005-01-01

To investigate if chronic mucus hypersecretion (CMH) can be used as a marker of asthma in young adults.......To investigate if chronic mucus hypersecretion (CMH) can be used as a marker of asthma in young adults....

Airway inflammation in nonobstructive and obstructive chronic bronchitis with chronic haemophilus influenzae airway infection. Comparison with noninfected patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bresser, P.; Out, T. A.; van Alphen, L.; Jansen, H. M.; Lutter, R.

2000-01-01

Nonencapsulated Haemophilus influenzae often causes chronic infections of the lower respiratory tract in both nonobstructive and obstructive chronic bronchitis. We assessed airway inflammation in clinically stable, chronically H. influenzae-infected patients with nonobstructive (CB-HI, n = 10) and

When mothers have serious mental health problems: parenting as a proximal mediator.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyserman, Daphna; Bybee, Deborah; Mowbray, Carol; Hart-Johnson, Tamera

2005-08-01

Maternal mental health (MMH) problems are associated with lack of confidence in one's parenting, overly lax or too harsh discipline, and child academic underperformance. We asked if parenting mediates the effect of MMH problems on academic outcomes even among mothers with serious mental illness (n=164). Structural equation analyses show a significant association between MMH problems and permissive (lack of parenting confidence, lack of follow through) parenting and verbal hostility as well as worse academic outcomes (school recorded grades, teacher reported behaviour). Permissive parenting completely mediated the direct effect of MMH on academic outcomes. Further analyses showed that the mediation effect was attributed to a single component of permissive parenting-lack of parenting confidence.

Large-scale instructional reform in the Global South: insights from the mid-point evaluation of the Gauteng Primary Language and Mathematics Strategy

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Brahm Fleisch

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on a mid-point evaluation of the Gauteng Primary Language and Mathematics Strategy (GPLMS, an innovative large-scale reform designed to improve learning outcomes. Using data from universal testing of all learners in 2008 on a provincial systemic evaluation, and data from the 2011 and 2012 Annual National Assessment (ANA test, this paper addresses the key research question, namely whether the GPLMS is effective in closing the gap between performing and underperforming schools. Given the evidence we have presented of an instrument effect, namely that various versions of the ANA may not be strictly comparable, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of the GPLMS.

Pain management: the multidisciplinary roessingh back-school rehabilitation program and e-health interventions for chronic pain sufferers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam Marie Rosé; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Wever, Daniel; Söderback, Ingrid

2015-01-01

Abstract Multidisciplinary team interventions aiming at breaking the vicious circle of impaired functioning are effective for clients with chronic pain. However, because of the growing number of people with such complaints, these interventions cannot be provided totally on a face-to-face basis.

Chronic gastritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sipponen, Pentti; Maaroos, Heidi-Ingrid

2015-06-01

Prevalence of chronic gastritis has markedly declined in developed populations during the past decades. However, chronic gastritis is still one of the most common serious pandemic infections with such severe killing sequelae as peptic ulcer or gastric cancer. Globally, on average, even more than half of people may have a chronic gastritis at present. Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood is the main cause of chronic gastritis, which microbial origin is the key for the understanding of the bizarre epidemiology and course of the disease. A life-long and aggressive inflammation in gastritis results in destruction (atrophic gastritis) of stomach mucosa with time (years and decades). The progressive worsening of atrophic gastritis results subsequently in dysfunctions of stomach mucosa. Atrophic gastritis will finally end up in a permanently acid-free stomach in the most extreme cases. Severe atrophic gastritis and acid-free stomach are the highest independent risk conditions for gastric cancer known so far. In addition to the risks of malignancy and peptic ulcer, acid-free stomach and severe forms of atrophic gastritis may associate with failures in absorption of essential vitamins, like vitamin B12, micronutrients (like iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc), diet and medicines.

Chronic Kidney Diseases

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... Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Chronic Kidney Diseases KidsHealth / For Kids / Chronic Kidney Diseases What's ... re talking about your kidneys. What Are the Kidneys? Your kidneys are tucked under your lower ribs ...

Attention and Working Memory in Female Adolescents With Chronic Pain and Pain-free Female Adolescents: A Preliminary Pilot Study.

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Mifflin, Katherine; Chorney, Jill; Dick, Bruce

2016-07-01

Adolescents with chronic pain often report inattention and poor memory. There has been little research on cognitive function in this population. The goal of this preliminary pilot study was to examine differences in cognitive function between adolescents with chronic pain to pain-free adolescents. All participants completed baseline assessments of pain, school absences, depression, anxiety, and sleep habits. Standardized neurocognitive tests were used to examine cognitive function with a focus on working memory and attention. Recruitment from the chronic pain clinic resulted in a female sample of 13 individuals (largely reflective of the clinical population). Pain-free age-matched and sex-matched individuals (n=12) were therefore also recruited as controls. Individuals with chronic pain had significantly lower working memory scores than controls. Differences were found between groups on the most difficult selective attention task and not on tests of sustained attention, divided attention, or attentional switching. In a stepwise regression with baseline characteristics entered in the first step, pain accounted for approximately 15% of the variance in working memory and medication score counted for 49% of the variance. This pilot study is the first study to examine differences in working memory and attention between participants with chronic pain and pain-free adolescents. Our findings suggest that chronic pain may negatively affect adolescents' working memory function and highlights the risk for cognitive difficulties and problems with educational progression in addition to negative health and social effects associated with chronic pain. The study provides a starting point for more research and has the potential to direct better identification and treatment of these cognitive deficits.

Chronic depression : Determinants and consequences of chronic major depression in the general population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spijker, Jan

2002-01-01

The subject of this thesis is chronicity of major depressive disorder (MDD). The main aims of the study are to examine: 1. the duration of a major depressive episode (MDE) and the rate of a chronic duration of MDE in the general population, 2. the determinants of (chronic) duration of

Surgical Management of Chronic Pancreatitis.

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Parekh, Dilip; Natarajan, Sathima

2015-10-01

Advances over the past decade have indicated that a complex interplay between environmental factors, genetic predisposition, alcohol abuse, and smoking lead towards the development of chronic pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is a complex disorder that causes significant and chronic incapacity in patients and a substantial burden on the society. Major advances have been made in the etiology and pathogenesis of this disease and the role of genetic predisposition is increasingly coming to the fore. Advances in noninvasive diagnostic modalities now allow for better diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis at an early stage of the disease. The impact of these advances on surgical treatment is beginning to emerge, for example, patients with certain genetic predispositions may be better treated with total pancreatectomy versus lesser procedures. Considerable controversy remains with respect to the surgical management of chronic pancreatitis. Modern understanding of the neurobiology of pain in chronic pancreatitis suggests that a window of opportunity exists for effective treatment of the intractable pain after which central sensitization can lead to an irreversible pain syndrome in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Effective surgical procedures exist for chronic pancreatitis; however, the timing of surgery is unclear. For optimal treatment of patients with chronic pancreatitis, close collaboration between a multidisciplinary team including gastroenterologists, surgeons, and pain management physicians is needed.

Clinicoroentgenological control in chronic pneumonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamilyaev, R.M.

1984-01-01

A comprehensive clinicoroentgenological study was used to examine 494 patients with chronic pneumonia. Morphological and functional changes observed in the pulmonary pare and functional changes observed in the pulmonary parenchyma and bronchial tree were studied. Types of pneumosclerosis, tigns of exacerbation of chronic pneumonia and abscess formation, morphological and functional disorders of bronchial penetrability in the pneumonic zone were described. Three forms of chronic pneumonia: bronchial, bronchiectatic and abscessing are signled out. The bronchial form is subdivided into chronic pneumonia with chronic bronchitis without deformity and wi.th deforming chronic bronchitis. In the bronchiectatic form pneumonia can be with cylindrical, saccular and cyst-like bronchiectasia. The general diagnosis of chronic pneumonia is established clinically depending on type and variants in 89-94% of cases, by X-ray and sonographic findings in all patients; types and variants of disease are most frequently defined after bronchography

A qualitative study examining health literacy and chronic illness self-management in Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacobs RJ

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Robin J Jacobs,1 Raymond L Ownby,2 Amarilis Acevedo,3 Drenna Waldrop-Valverde4 1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2College of Osteopathic Medicine, 3College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 4Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA Purpose: Chronic illness and low levels of health literacy affect health outcomes for many individuals, particularly older adults and racial/ethnic minorities. This study sought to understand the knowledge, strengths, and areas of need regarding self-management of chronic illness in order to lay the groundwork for content development of an intervention to increase health literacy and maximize patient engagement in chronic disease self-care.Patients and methods: In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted in Spanish and English with 25 older adults with various chronic illnesses. Topics included knowledge and understanding of chronic conditions, medications, and disease self-management skills. Qualitative data were coded by searching text and conducting cross-case analysis. An inductive analysis was then employed to allow for the patterns and themes to emerge.Results: Emerged themes included 1 social support, 2 coping strategies, 3 spirituality, 4 chronic disease health literacy, 5 anger, and 6 depression. While participants had a general overall knowledge of chronic illness, they had deficits in knowledge regarding their own illnesses and medications.Conclusion: Chronic illness self-management is a complex and dynamic behavioral process. This study identified themes that leverage patient motivation to engage in self-care in a personalized manner. This information will guide the development of an intervention to promote health literacy and optimal disease self-management. Keywords: health disparities, older adults, resilience, computer interventions, comorbidity, multimorbidity

Stages of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

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... ALL Treatment Childhood AML Treatment Research Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version General Information About Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Go to Health Professional Version Key Points Chronic ...

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia.

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Bredeweg, Arthur; Burch, Micah; Krause, John R

2018-01-01

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia is a rare myeloproliferative disorder characterized by a sustained peripheral blood neutrophilia, absence of the BCR/ABL oncoprotein, bone marrow hypercellularity with less than 5% myeloblasts and normal neutrophil maturation, and no dysplasia. This leukemia has been associated with mutations in the colony-stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R) that may activate this receptor, leading to the proliferation of neutrophils that are the hallmark of chronic neutrophilic leukemia. We present a case of chronic neutrophilic leukemia and discuss the criteria for diagnosis and the significance of mutations found in this leukemia.

Later school start time is associated with improved sleep and daytime functioning in adolescents.

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Boergers, Julie; Gable, Christopher J; Owens, Judith A

2014-01-01

Chronic insufficient sleep is a growing concern among adolescents and is associated with a host of adverse health consequences. Early school start times may be an environmental contributor to this problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a delay in school start time on sleep patterns, sleepiness, mood, and health-related outcomes. Boarding students (n = 197, mean age = 15.6 yr) attending an independent high school completed the School Sleep Habits Survey before and after the school start time was experimentally delayed from 8:00 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. The delay in school start time was associated with a significant (29 min) increase in sleep duration on school nights. The percentage of students receiving 8 or more hours of sleep on a school night increased to more than double, from 18% to 44%. Students in 9th and 10th grade and those with lower baseline sleep amounts were more likely to report improvements in sleep duration after the schedule change. Daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, and caffeine use were all significantly reduced after the delay in school start time. Sleep duration reverted to baseline levels when the original (earlier) school start time was reinstituted. A modest (25 min) delay in school start time was associated with significant improvements in sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, mood, and caffeine use. These findings have important implications for public policy and add to research suggesting the health benefits of modifying school schedules to more closely align with adolescents' circadian rhythms and sleep needs.

Dasatinib in the treatment of imatinib refractory chronic myeloid leukemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radhakrishnan Ramchandren

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Radhakrishnan Ramchandren, Charles A SchifferDivision of Hematology/Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USAAbstract: The development of imatinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML has proven to be an example of medical success in the era of targeted therapy. However, imatinib resistance or intolerance occurs in a substantial number of patients. Additionally, patients who have progressed beyond the chronic phase of CML do relatively poorly with imatinib therapy. Mechanisms of imatinib resistance include BCR-ABL point mutations resulting in decreased imatinib binding, as well as mutation-independent causes of resistance such as SRC family kinase dysregulation, BCR-ABL gene amplification, drug influx/efflux mechanisms and other poorly understood processes. The options for therapy in these patients include stem cell transplantation, imatinib dose escalation as well as the use of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Dasatinib is a second-generation multi-kinase inhibitor with several theoretical and mechanistic advantages over imatinib. Moreover, several studies have evaluated dasatinib in patients who have progressed on imatinib therapy with encouraging results. Other novel agents such as mTOR inhibitors, bosutinib and INNO 406 have also shown promise in this setting. Although treatment options have increased, the choice of second-line therapy in patients with CML is influenced by concerns surrounding the duration of response as well as toxicity. Consequently, there is no agreed upon optimal second-line agent. This paper reviews the current data and attempts to address these issues. Keywords: chronic myeloid leukemia (CML, dasatinib, imatinib, resistance (imatinib resistance, nilotinib, tyrosine kinase inhibitor

The burden of chronic pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kurita, Geana Paula; Sjøgren, Per; Juel, Knud

2012-01-01

sample consisted of 25,000 individuals (≥16 years old) living in Denmark. In all, 60.7% completed a mailed or online questionnaire. Associations were examined with multiple logistic regression analysis. The study population consisted of 14,925 individuals in whom a high prevalence of chronic pain (26......Chronic pain is currently considered a public health problem with high costs to the individual and society. To improve prevention and treatment of chronic pain, epidemiologic studies are mandatory for assessing chronic pain. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain...

Are There Any Natural Remedies That Reduce Chronic Fatigue Associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

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