Break Free from Depression:Implementation and Outcomes of a School-Based Depression Awareness Program

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of Break Free from Depression(BFFD),a school-based depression awareness curriculum,in comparison to a wait list control group.A total of 13 eighth grade classrooms participated in either an intervention or control group and completed pre-,post-,and three-month follow-up surveys.Students participating in BFFD(N=6 classrooms,166 students)demonstrated enhanced knowledge of and more adaptive attitudes towards depression compared to the control group(N=7 classrooms,155 students).Participants in the BFFD intervention also demonstrated increases in their confidence in knowing how to seek help for depression and in their intent to seek this help if needed.Slight decreases were found at a three-month follow-up in all scales except for intent to seek help.BFFD was effective regardless of gender,ethnicity,or identification as a member of the LGBTQ community.There was a delayed effect on measured constructs for Black students with gains apparent at three-month follow-up.The findings demonstrated that BFFD had a small but significant positive impact on students’knowledge,skills,and attitudes in seeking support for themselves and for others when faced with signs of depression.The implementation of depression awareness curricula in schools hold promise in promoting student mental health,and it is important to consider factors that might have an impact on outcomes.

Evaluation of a School-Based Health Education Program for Urban Indigenous Young People in Australia

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a school-based health promotion and education program in improving knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviours of urban Indigenous young people regarding chronic disease and associated risk factors. A mixed methods approach was adopted for this evaluation;however, this paper will focus on the quantitative aspect of the study. The Deadly Choices? health education program was delivered weekly at six education facilities in Brisbane, Australia to participants from years seven to 12 over seven weeks. One school that received the Deadly Choices program the following term acted as the control group. Questionnaire data was collected immediately pre and post intervention to assess program impact. As self-reported by participants there were mostly significant improvements over time for questions relating to knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy regarding leadership, chronic disease and risk factors within the intervention group. There were also significant changes within the intervention group regarding breakfast frequency (P = 0.002), physical activity frequency (P ≤ 0.001), fruit (P = 0.004) and vegetable (P ≤ 0.001) intake. Overall, there were few significant differences between the control and intervention groups regarding health attitudes and behaviours;however, there were considerably more improvements relating to self-efficacy and knowledge of chronic disease and associated risk factors between groups. The program also facilitated 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks for participants. Deadly Choices is an innovative and comprehensive school-based program which has great potential to improve the health outcomes of Indigenous young people in urban areas by providing education in leadership and chronic disease prevention;engaging students in physical activity participation;and collaborating with health services to facilitate health checks.

Developing a school-based drug prevention program to overcome barriers to effective program implementation: The CLIMATE schools: Alcohol module

Although effective school-based alcohol prevention programs do exist, the overall efficacy of these programs has been compromised by implementation failure. The CLIMATE Schools: Alcohol Module was developed to overcome some of the obstacles to high fidelity program implementation. This paper details this development of the CLIMATE Schools: Alcohol Module. The development involved two stages, both of which were considered essential. The first stage, involved reviewing the literature to ensure the program was based on the most effecttive pedagogy and health promotion practice and the second stage involved collaborating with teachers, students and specialists in the area of alcohol and other drugs, to ensure these goals were realised. The final CLIMATE Schools: Alcohol Module consists of computer-driven harm minimisation program which is based on a social influence approach. The program consists of six lessons, each with two components. The first component involves students completing an interactive computer-based program, with the second consisting of a variety of individual, small group and class-based activities. This program was developed to provide an innovative new platform for the delivery of drug education and has proven to be both feasible and effective in the school environment. The success of this program is considered to be testament to this collaborative development approach.

Intervention Effects of the School-Based Health Promotion Program“Join the Healthy Boat”on Motor Abilities of Children with Migration Background

Purpose: Motor abilities of migrant children show worse performance compared with children without migration background. This study investigated whether a one-year intervention, which aimed to increase physical activity (PA), could influence the motor performance of these children positively. Methods: A sub-sample of 525 migrant children (7.1 ± 0.7 years;48.6% male), participated in the study and included an intervention (IG) and control group (CG). The Dordel-Koch-Test was used to assess motor performance. An exploratory factor analysis was performed. Differences between IG and CG were examined using ANCOVA. Results: Boys in the IG showed a significant improvement in the conditional skills (F(1, 201) = 8.02, p ≤ 0.005) and girls showed a tendency towards better results. Additionally, girls showed a significant improvement in flexibility (F(1, 226) = 10.72, p ≤ 0.01) compared with the CG. Conclusion: The intervention affects parts of motor skills of migrant children significantly. Future interventions should aim at a target-group-specific promotion to get a holistic improvement in their motor abilities.

School-based physical activity interventions for children and youth:Keys for success

Given the rising trend in obesity in children and youth and age-related decline in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity(MVPA)in several Western,African,and Asian-Pacific countries^1 and strong evidence that past physical activity(PA)interventions have had only a small effect on children’s and youth’s overall activity levels,~2it is important to clarify whether school-based PA interventions warrant resource allocation.Schools represent an accessible and cost-effective

Evaluation of a Nutrition Intervention through a School-Based Food Garden to Improve Dietary Consumption, Habits and Practices in Children from the Third to Fifth Grade in Chile

Objective: Use a school-based food garden as an instrument to improve healthy dietary consumption, habits, and practices among children from the third to fifth grade in public schools in Chile. Design: Quasi-experimental, six-month intervention with an evaluation of dietary consumption, habits, and practices and use of the school-based food garden among the 3rd to 5th grade students. Setting: Two municipal schools in a low-middle income district in Santiago de Chile;one with a school garden intervention and a control school without a garden. Subjects: 155 third to fifth grade children, 63 in the intervention school and 92 in the control school (average age 10 years old, 58% boys). Results: In the intervened school, there was a significant improvement in the children’s dietary habits, such as peeling and slicing fruit (p < 0.05), making sandwiches (p < 0.05), and increased motivation to cook (p < 0.05). Fruit purchases at the school rose from 4% to 37% (p < 0.05) by the end of the intervention. Interest in growing vegetables or fruits at home increased from 48% to 70% (p < 0.05). The school children at the intervention school significantly increased their knowledge about 16 of 21 garden crops (p < 0.05), expanding the spectrum of the vegetables they can consume. There were no significant changes in the control school. Conclusions: The school-based food garden was effective in achieving change in dietary habits and practices among the third to fifth grade children. The project should be carried out for a longer period of time, so that the changes will be reflected in the students’ food consumption and nutritional status.

Research on School-based Curriculum Development Based on Manchu Cultural Inheritance in China

China is the country with pluralistic cultural background of 56 ethnic groups,Manchu is China’s second largest minority,the population is over 10 million.The history of Manchu can be traced back earliest to 7000 years ago,even so,there are not more than 100 Manchu people can speak the Manchu language,the inheritance and development of Manchu culture are in jeopardy.The article focused on how to educate Manchu culture to pupils in Manchu primary school,especially in Manchu schoolbased curriculum,exploring the present situation and effective ways of the development of Manchu school-based curriculum.

Gifted Education in Hong Kong:A School-Based Support Program Catering to Learner Diversity

Purpose:This study explores the contributions and effectiveness of the Jockey Club“Giftedness into Flourishing Talents”Project(Project GIFT)in supporting learner diversity in gifted education,including meeting the educational and psychological needs of highly capable and gifted students in Hong Kong.Design/Approach/Methods:This study investigates the effectiveness of Project GIFT in supporting the development of diversity in learning in 20 project schools.Through close cooperation with project schools,Project GIFT comprised six developmental areas:school development,curriculum development,teachers’professional development,parent empowerment,student development,and financial support.To further assess the usefulness of the school-based support provided by Project GIFT,this study examines the implementation of school-based gifted education in two project schools based on the aforementioned components.educational program in gifted education that intervened at both Level 1(whole class)and Level 2(pullout)of the three-tiered policy stipulated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau.One of the few gifted education programs implemented in Asia,Project GIFT focused on six key components to specifically support high-ability and gifted students with diverse educational and affective needs.This study shows that Project GIFT significantly enhanced diversity in learning,its collaboration with two key schools resulting in the successful enhancement of school development,professional development,curriculum development,student development,parent empowerment,and financial support.Originality/Value:The article fills the research gap by examining the effectiveness of a schoolbased gifted education program focused on enriching and differentiating curricula for different regular and pull-out programs.In doing so,this article attests to the success of the program in addressing the educational and psychosocial needs of gifted students at local schools in Hong Kong.

ESPNeeds Analysisand Course Designin Application-Oriented Universities

With demands for applied talents dramatically increasing motivated by economic transformation and China's "Going Out " Strategy, College English reform should deepen ESP teaching, stress application of language skills to academic and professionallearning, and serve for students' future development. Therefore, it is vital to explore school-based course design in ESP based onneeds analysis.

校本教师教育的认识与实践

教师继续教育的重心下移、阵地前移,“为了学校”、“在学校中”、“基于学校”的“校本”理念在广泛的传播并逐步落实到行动之中。形成自主意识、提高专业化水平、生成教育智慧、成为专家型教师成为“校本教师教育的目的”;为了实现这一目的所制订的“校本教师教育内容、措施、制度”构成了校本教师教育的体系。

High rate of injuries among students in Southern Nigeria: An urgent call to action

Addressing injury and its associated effects is a multi-dimensional and ongoing challenge. This includes recognizing that injury is a significant public health problem capable of affecting the health and wellbeing of all populations over short and longer terms, albeit in varied ways and intensities. That recognition has drawn attention to the need to take actions to avert its rate of occurrence particularly in developed nations. While in low-income countries, despite the growing burden of injury, there are few school-based studies from which to develop prevention initiatives. Thus this study describes the cause, nature and types and prevalence of injuries in a cross sectional population of students in Southern Nigeria, in order to provide data for use in developing priorities for injury prevention efforts. An interviewer-administered school-based survey of students attending schools in Southern Nigeria was conducted in 2013. The study sample involved 585 students (60.9% male, 39.2% female and overall mean age of 15 years). We inquired about participants self-reported injuries in the past one year (all injury inclusive). When reported, injuries were further assessed according to cause, intent, nature, type, place, and number of days absent from school due to injury. Overall, there were 549 self-reported injuries in the past one year (93.8%) among the respondents (95.5% for males and 90.8% for females, p = 0.6696). Sex wise, prevalence of injury differ by age, school setting and parents’ occupation (p higher in males compared to females [206 (60.4%) vs 87 (41.8%) p = 0.002, and 10 (2.9%) vs 0 (0.0) p = 0.016] respectively. Traffic injuries and falls decrease progressively with age. Homes and schools were settings injuries occurred mostly. Over 68% of the reported injuries were unintentional. On the average, 2 days of normal school activity were lost per injured persons because of an injury. Given the high prevalence of injury reported in this study, injury like tropical diseases, should be considered a significant public health problem in Nigeria. We expect that this school-based information will be useful in establishing rational priorities for prevention, and the targeting of interventions toward responsible authorities. Also, there is a high need for safety education aiming to educate this young population on how to prevent injury.

Effects of resistance training on cardiovascular health in non-obese active adolescents

AIM:To determine the benefits of a 10-wk resistance training programme on cardiovascular health in nonobese and active adolescents.METHODS:This is a pragmatic randomised controlled intervention.The study was carried out in a Hong Kong Government secondary school.Thirty-eight lean and active boys and girls were randomised to either the resistance training group or the control group.Students in the resistance training group received in-school 10-wk supervised resistance training twice per week,with each session lasting 70 min.Main outcome measures taken before and after training included brachial endothelial dependent flow-mediated dilation,body composition,fasting serum lipids,fasting glucose and insulin,high sensitive C-reactive protein,24-h ambulatory blood pressure and aerobic fitness.RESULTS:The only training related change was in endothelial dependent flow-mediated dilation which increased from 8.5%to 9.8%.A main effect of time and an interaction(P<0.005) indicated that this improvement was a result of the 10-wk resistance training.Main effects for time(P<0.05) in a number of anthropometric,metabolic and vascular variables were noted;however,there were no significant interactions indicating the change was more likely an outcome of normal growth and development as opposed to a training effect.CONCLUSION:Ten weeks of resistance training in school appears to have some vascular benefit in active,lean children.

Association between Active School Travel and Depressive Symptoms among 51,702 Adolescents in 26 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Little is known about the role of active school travel(AST)on mental health among adolescents.Thus,this study aimed to explore the AST-depression association among adolescents aged 12–15 years from 26 low-and middle-income countries(LMICs).Data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey were analyzed in 51,702 adolescents[mean(SD)age 13.8(1.0)years;49.3%boys).Both depressive symptoms and AST were assessed by a single question self-reported measure,respectively.Participants who reported having 5 days or above were considered as AST.Multivariable logistic regression analysis(accounting for sampling weights)was performed while controlling for gender,age,physical activity,sedentary behavior,and food insecurity,and a countrywide meta-analysis was undertaken.The prevalence of depressive symptoms and AST were 30.1%and 37.0%,respectively.Compared with those not having AST,adolescents with AST were less likely to have self-reported depressive symptoms(OR=0.88,95%CI:0.85-0.93)regardless of gender.Countrywide meta-analysis demonstrated that having AST versus not having AST was associated with 12%lower odds for depressive symptoms(OR=0.88;95%CI:0.82-0.94)but with a moderate between-country heterogeneity(I^(2)=59.0%).Based on large samples of adolescents from LMICs,it would be expected that AST may play a critical role in preventing adolescent depression worldwide.However,it is necessary to consider more country-specific factors when implementing AST-related mental health interventions.Future studies should adopt the solid study design to confirm or negate our researchfindings.

Food Insecurity and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years from Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Purpose:Little is known about the role of food insecurity(FIS)on depressive symptoms among adolescents.Thus,this study aimed to explore the association between FIS and depressive symptoms among adolescents aged 12–15 years from low-and middle-income countries across the world.Methods:Data from the Global school-based Student Health Survey were analyzed in 51,702 adolescents[mean(SD)age 13.8(1.0)years;49.3% girls].Self-reported measures assessed depressive symptoms during the past 12 months,and food insecurity.Partici-pants reporting yes for depressive symptoms.FIS was categorized intofive levels,including‘never’,‘rarely’,‘some-times’,‘most of the time’and‘always’.Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed,and a country-wise meta-analysis was undertaken to compare country difference in the associations between FIS and depressive symptoms.Results:The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.0%,respectively.Compared with those reporting never for FIS,adolescents with increased severity of FIS were more likely to report depressive symptoms regardless of gender.Country-wise meta-analysis demonstrated that having FIS versus not having FIS was asso-ciated with 60%greater odds for depressive symptoms(OR=1.60;95%CI:1.52–1.69)but with a moderate between-country heterogeneity(I^(2)=12.7%).Conclusion:The current study indicates that alleviating FIS may be an effective prevention against depressive symptoms among adolescents from LMICs.Future studies should adopt improved study design to confirm or negate our researchfindings,which informs more efficient public mental health interventions.

Improvements of Nutrition Behavior Fitness and Body Fatness with a Short-Term after School Intervention Program

The prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing worldwide and lifestyle changes are the most important strategies in managing this prevalence. This study aimed to describe the intervention effects of nutrition and physical activities offered as an after school short-term on outcomes of healthy nutrition practices, fitness and lowering fatness. This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a convenience sample of 59 caucasian children, aged 7.7 ± 1.4 years old (52.5% girls) registered on a private school of a middle-size town located in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The school-based 12-week intervention consisted of 2 weekly 60 minutes section, during 3 months, including a nutritional education and a physical activity curriculum. Anthropometric data was measured for all children at baseline and after 12 weeks. All parents were contacted and requested to complete questionnaire about child’s eating behavior at baseline and after the 12-week program. After the intervention, children showed an increasing in the intake of fruits (64.3%), vegetables (61.9%), and water (52.0%). Overall, 83.3% of the children changed eating behavior according to the questionnaire responded by the parents. Waist circumference was significantly lower and abdominal strength improved after participating in the intervention program. Mean height and weight were significantly higher in boys and girls after a 12-week intervention. Although mean values of BMI remained the same after the intervention it was observed a decreasing in the prevalence of obesity among the children. Thus our study showed that a school-based intervention program focused on nutritional education and physical activity program promoted waist circumference reduction and decreased obesity without affecting the height growth along with improved fitness and healthy eating behavior. This intervention program would be feasible and replicable in others schools around the country.

A Systematic Review of Observational Studies, Demonstrating Smoking among School Going Adolescents

Objective: To characterize the methods of design and analysis currently adopted in survey research of school-based observational studies for smoking, and to identify the common pitfalls made by researchers. Methods: The systematic review was conducted in 2009 and consisted of observational studies in school settings published between January 2005 and January 2009. Smoking status was the main outcome of interest. Following Cochrane style, five steps were followed: setting selection criteria for studies and conducting a literature search;review of abstracts;review of complete articles;data extraction and quality assessment of included studies;and, finally, synthesis of studies. Results: Of the 292 abstracts retrieved, 45 (15.4%) articles were selected for the final review. Inconsistencies were found in the definition of smoking behaviour which impeded generalisability. Individual-level factors had importance, but environmental level factors were also important in studying the aetiology of smoking. Results showed that studies inappropriately reported sample size estimation and important confounding factors. Hierarchical linear modelling, random effects modelling and structural equation modelling were employed in comparatively few studies. Conclusions: There were concerns regarding data analysis of complex surveys. Fifty five percent of reviewed studies ignored environmental effects which may have produced unreliable inferences. Multi-level analysis assisted in understanding school-level effects.

Cancer: Education and Primary Prevention Starts in Childhood and Adolescence

At least one third of all newly diagnosed cancers could be prevented if lifestyle factors were changed. The University Cancer Center Dresden initiated two programs aiming at cancer awareness and intentions to engage in health-promoting behavior among children and adolescents. Study 1 examined sun protection knowledge of 80 preschool children in a non-randomized design and Study 2 inspected 235 7th grade students’ knowledge of cancer and its behavioral risk-factors as well as intentions on health-promoting behavior using a randomized pre-post design on group-level. Study 1 showed significant improvement of sun protection knowledge in preschool children (p 0.05). Study 2 was effective in increasing knowledge about risk factors for cancer (p 0.001) and in increasing intentions to engage in health-promoting behavior (p 0.001). Communicating health-related behavior in preschools as well as school-based programs targeting multiple cancer-related risk factors are promising tools for primary prevention of cancer.

National Curriculum Reform in China and England:Origins,Character and Comparison

Both China and England require state-funded schools to teach a national curriculum.While policy congruence in terms of overall intention is apparent,there are major differences between each country's approach to systemic curriculum reform which highlight contrasting attitudes to how best to effect change in schools and widely differing views on curriculum design,particularly in relation to pedagogy,and its significance.

Impact of single annual treatment and four-monthly treatment for hookworm and Ascaris lumbricoides,and factors associated with residual infection among Kenyan school children

Background:School-based deworming is widely implemented in various countries to reduce the burden of soil-transmitted helminths(STHs),however,the frequency of drug administration varies in different settings.In this study,we compared the impact of a single annual treatment and 4-monthly treatment over a follow-up among Kenyan school children,and investigated the factors associated with residual infection.Methods:We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial investigating whether deworming for STHs alters risk of acquiring malaria.Children received either a single treatment or 4-monthly albendazole treatments were followed longitudinally from February 2014 to October 2014.The relative impact of treatment and factors associated with residual infections were investigated using mixed-effects regression models.Predisposition to infection was assessed based on Spearman’s rank and Kendall’s Tau correlation coefficients.Results:In the 4-monthly treatment group,the proportion of children infected with hookworm decreased from 59.9 to 5.7%,while Ascaris lumbricoides infections dropped from 55.7 to 6.2%.In the single treatment group,hookworm infections decreased over the same time period from 58.7 to 18.3%(12.6%absolute difference in reduction,95%CI:8.9-16.3%),and A.lumbricoides from 56.7 to 23.3%(17.1%absolute difference in reduction,95%CI:13.1-21.1%).There was strong evidence for predisposition to both STH types.Residual hookworm infection among children on 4-monthly treatment were associated with male sex and baseline nutritional status,whereas A.lumbricoides infection was associated with individual and school-level infection at baseline,latrine cleanliness at schools.Conclusions:This study found that 4-monthly treatment w more effective than single annual treatment.Repeated treatments led to dramatic reductions in the intensities of STHs,but did not completely clear infections among school children in Kenya,a presumed reflection of reinfection in a setting where there is ongoing transmission.

Evaluation of morbidity in Schistosoma mansoni-positive primary and secondary school children after four years of mass drug administration of praziquantel in western Kenya

Background:World Health Organization guidelines recommend preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel to control morbidity due to schistosomiasis.The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine if 4 years of annual mass drug administration(MDA)in primary and secondary schools lowered potential markers of morbidity in infected children 1 year after the final MDA compared to infected children prior to initial MDA intervention.Methods:Between 2012 and 2016 all students in two primary and three secondary schools within three kilometers of Lake Victoria in western Kenya received annual mass praziquantel administration.To evaluate potential changes in morbidity we measured height,weight,mid-upper arm circumference,hemoglobin levels,abdominal ultrasound,and quality of life in children in these schools.This study compared two cross-sectional samples of Schistosoma mansoni egg-positive children:one at baseline and one at year five,1 year after the fourth annual MDA.Data were analyzed for all ages(6–18 years old)and stratified by primary(6–12 years old)and secondary(12–18 years old)school groups.Results:The prevalence of multiple potential morbidity markers did not differ significantly between the egg-positive participants at baseline and those at 5 years by Mann Whitney nonparametric analysis and Fisher’s exact test for continuous and categorical data,respectively.There was a small but significantly higher score in school-related quality of life assessment by year five compared to baseline by Mann Whitney analysis(P=0.048)in 13–18 year olds where malaria-negative.However,anemia was not positively impacted by four annual rounds of MDA,but registered a significant negative outcome.Conclusions:We did not detect differences in morbidity markers measured in a population of those infected or re-infected after multiple MDA.This could have been due to their relative insensitivity or a failure of MDA to prevent morbidity among those who remain infected.High malaria transmission in this area and/or a lack of suitable methods to measure the more subtle functional morbidities caused by schistosomiasis could be a factor.Further research is needed to identify and develop well-defined,easily quantifiable S.mansoni morbidity markers for this age group.