A review of mental health morbidity associated with OFSTED inspections of schools in one metropolitan local authority.
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Anecdotally there appeared to be a relationship between OFSTED inspections and mental health morbidity. This study was set up to examine this relationship in one metropolitan local authority. Inspected schools were matched with schools from the same local authority that were not inspected. The rate of sickness absence per 100 whole time equivalent staff in inspected schools was 5.4 as compared with 2.1 in matched schools. The relative risk of a spell of sickness absence due to mental ill-health in an inspected versus an uninspected school was 2.52 (95% confidence interval = 1.19-5.31). The study indicates that there may be a relationship between the OFSTED inspection process and mental health morbidity. Some recommendations are made. (+info)
Parenting practices and child disruptive behavior problems in early elementary school. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group.
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Examined the hypothesis that distinct parenting practices may be associated with type and profile of a child's disruptive behavior problems (e.g., oppositional, aggressive, hyperactive). Parents of 631 behaviorally disruptive children described the extent to which they experienced warm and involved interactions with their children and the extent to which their discipline strategies were inconsistent and punitive and involved spanking and physical aggression. As expected from a developmental perspective, parenting practices that included punitive interactions were associated with elevated rates of all child disruptive behavior problems. Low levels of warm involvement were particularly characteristic of parents of children who showed elevated levels of oppositional behaviors. Physically aggressive parenting was linked more specifically with child aggression. In general, parenting practices contributed more to the prediction of oppositional and aggressive behavior problems than to hyperactive behavior problems, and parenting influences were fairly consistent across ethnic groups and sex. (+info)
Predicting the course of meningococcal disease outbreaks in closed subpopulations.
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A stochastic epidemic model was applied to meningococcal disease outbreaks in defined small populations such as military garrisons and schools. Meningococci are spread primarily by asymptomatic carriers and only a small proportion of those infected develop invasive disease. Bayesian predictions of numbers of invasive cases were developed, based on observed data using a stochastic epidemic model. We used additional data sets to model both disease probability and duration of carriage. Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling techniques were used to compute the full posterior distribution which summarized all information drawn together from multiple sources. (+info)
Smoking behaviors and attitudes among school teachers in Mie, Japan.
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We conducted a questionnaire survey of public kindergarten, elementary and high school teachers in Mie Prefecture, concerning smoking habits and attitudes from November 1995 to February 1996. A self-reporting questionnaire was sent to approximately 16,000 teachers and school employees. The questionnaires were collected in a way which took into consideration the privacy of the respondents. A total of 13,998 questionnaires were returned. The percentages of smokers among the teachers were 44.7% for males and 3.1% for females, percentages which are lower than those for the general Japanese population. Almost all of the men and women agreed that anti-smoking education is needed. Most of those who did not feel anti-smoking education was needed were smokers themselves. Seventy percent of both men and women responded that anti-smoking education was a teachers' duty, however, only thirty-six percent of the male and twenty-one percent of the female teachers had actual experience at such education. Finally, almost all teachers wish wish that schools were totally smoke-free or had a partial ban on smoking and believe that school anti-smoking policies in Japan should be introduced. (+info)
Vaccination coverage among adolescents 1 year before the institution of a seventh grade school entry vaccination requirement--San Diego, California, 1998.
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In 1996, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Family Physicians, and the American Medical Association recommended routine health-care visits for children aged 11-12 years, emphasizing vaccination with hepatitis B vaccine; measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR); tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Td); and varicella vaccine. Because no national data exist regarding vaccination coverage among adolescents, the impact of these recommendations is unknown. In October 1997, California enacted Assembly Bill 381 (AB381) that requires students entering the seventh grade on or after July 1, 1999, to have received three doses of hepatitis B vaccine and two doses of MMR. To assist in planning and implementing AB381, the San Diego County Health Department expanded its 1998 infant and adult vaccination survey to include fifth and sixth graders. This report summarizes the findings from that survey, which indicate that most fifth and sixth graders lacked required and recommended vaccinations. (+info)
Bacteriologic characteristics and serotypings of Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from throats of school children.
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To determine the carrier rate of beta-hemolytic streptococci (BHS), throat cultures were taken from healthy elementary school children in four separate areas of Korea from 1992 to 1995, including Inje, Nonsan, Seoul and Chinju. The strains of Streptococcus pyogenes had been serotyped with anti-T, -OF and -M sera. The isolation rates of BHS and S. pyogenes ranged from 14.1-32.4% and 10.9-18.5% respectively. More than half of the carriers showed heavy growth of BHS. M78 (48.6%) and M28 (22.2%) were most common in Inje, M12 (23.6%) and M5 (20.3%) in Nonsan, M12 (48.8%) and M5 (14.6%) in Seoul, and M12 (26.3%) and M22 (14.5%) in Chinju, respectively. About 15% of school children were positive for S. pyogenes in throat cultures, and the distribution of serotypes varied according to geographical regions. (+info)
Estimation of the basic reproduction number of measles during an outbreak in a partially vaccinated population.
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From March to July 1996 a measles outbreak occurred in northern Luxembourg with 110 reported cases centered around two primary schools (85 cases) and the surrounding community (25 cases). Eighty four suspected cases were confirmed serologically. Vaccine coverage was estimated from questionnaire-based surveys at the two primary schools to be 70 and 76%, respectively. Vaccine efficacy during the outbreak was estimated to be 94.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 90.4-97.0]. Using the information from the, school surveys, we obtained estimates of the basic reproduction number of measles of 7.7 (95% CI 4.4-11.0) and 6.2 (95% CI 3.5-8.9), respectively. Assuming a 95% vaccine efficacy, these estimates correspond to minimal vaccine coverages of 91.6% (95% CI 81.4-95.7) and 88.3% (95% CI 75.5-93.4) which would have been necessary to minimize the chances of a major outbreak occurring. We can confirm that major outbreaks in similar school settings can only be prevented if vaccination coverage exceeds 90%. (+info)
Participation in school sports clubs and related effects on cardiovascular risk factors in young males.
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The effects of belonging to sports clubs on male high school students was evaluated. The relationships between the type and extent of school-based exercise were examined in conjunction with percent body fat, blood pressure (BP), and other key metabolic parameters. A total of 264 male Japanese high school students (age range: 17-18 years old) were studied. Percent body fat was measured and blood was collected in the fasting state during a routine health check. Subjects were divided into two groups. The exercise (E) group (n=150) included students who had belonged to a sports club during the past 2 years. The non-exercise (NE) group (n=114) included students who did not belong to a sports club during the past 2 years. The body mass index was significantly greater in group E (21.7 +/- 2.3 (SD) kg/m2) than in group NE (20.7 +/- 2.6 kg/m2, p < 0.01). However, the percent body fat in group E (13.6 +/- 3.4%) was significantly lower than that in group NE (14.9 +/- 3.8%, p < 0.01). The diastolic BP and heart rate in group E (64 +/- 7 mmHg, 70 +/- 11/min) were significantly lower in group E than in group NE (66 +/- 8 mmHg, p < 0.05; 76 +/- 14/min, p < 0.01). The serum triglyceride level was significantly lower, and the HDL cholesterol level was higher in group E than in group NE. The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, used as an index of insulin resistance, was similar in the two groups. However, the level of the HOMA index was significantly lower among the 62 subjects in group E who preferred highly dynamic exercise (1.50 +/- 0.46) than it was among those in group NE (1.66 +/- 0.49, p < 0.05). Results indicate that belonging to sports clubs influences the BP and lipid profiles of adolescent males, as well as their percent body fat. In view of the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, it is recommended that even young males practice regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise. (+info)