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Respiratory health, lung function, and airway responsiveness in school-age survivors of very-low-birth-weight.

The purpose of this study was to determine the respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, and airway reactivity in school-age survivors of very-low-birth-weight and to describe the influence of birth weight and perinatal illness on their pulmonary function. Thirty (of 39) 10- to 11-year-old survivors of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) recruited at birth into a prospective longitudinal study of development; 30 (of 32) normal-birth-weight peers recruited from the same school or census tract as the VLBW group at age 5; and 15 normal-birth-weight siblings of the VLBW group participated in the study. Outcome measures were mother's reports of respiratory health; forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1); FEV1/FVC; forced expiratory flow, midexpiratory phase (FEF25-75); peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR); and tolerance to methacholine. There were no differences between groups in mothers' reports of current respiratory health. Pulmonary function values were lower for the VLBW survivors but significant only for FEF25-75 (F = 4.13; P = 0.02). Number of days in the intensive care nursery correlated significantly with decreased FEV1 (r = -.40, df = 28, P = 0.03), FEV1/FVC (r = -.37, df = 28, P = 0.04, and FEF25-75 (r = -.39, df = 28, P = 0.03). Only the relationship between length of nursery stay and FEV1/FVC was independent of birth weight. Number of days on mechanical ventilation was significantly correlated with decreased FEV1 (-.44, df = 28, P = 0.01), FEV1/FVC (r = -.38, df = 28, P = 0.04), FEF25-75 (r = -.44, df = 28, P = 0.01, and PEFR (r = -.40, df = 28, P = 0.03). All of these relationships were independent of birth weight. There were no significant associations between perinatal risk factors and methacholine responsiveness. Differences between VLBW children and normal-birth-weight children in pulmonary function are modest even when statistically significant. Severity of perinatal illness influences pulmonary function parameters into late childhood.

Child

England and Wales: perspectives in school health.

The main roots of health care and health education for young people in the United Kingdom are described. Contributions of the National Health Service to health screening and developmental assessment are described, primarily through the function of school health services. The development and future potential for effective school health education also is considered in the light of the impending introduction of a new national curriculum. The evaluation of the concept of the "health promoting school" is highlighted as a key area for future development, together with more emphasis on achieving a balance between health enhancement and educational outcomes to school health education. Greater priority for evaluation of school health education also is advocated.

Adolescent

The relation of family functioning to adolescent psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior.

The association between family functioning and adolescent adjustment was examined in 429 Chinese adolescents via children's and parents' reports. The ratings obtained from the different sources indicated that family functioning was significantly related to measures of (a) adolescent psychological well-being (general psychiatric morbidity, life satisfaction, purpose in life, hopelessness, and self-esteem), (b) school adjustment (perceived academic performance and school conduct), and (c) problem behavior (smoking and abusing psychotropic drugs). The findings suggest that there is an intimate link between family functioning and the psychosocial adjustment, particularly the positive mental health, of Chinese adolescents.

Achievement

Metals and school learning: a review of investigative techniques.

A growing body of literature suggests a relationship between metals and a threatened health status among children, adolescents, and adults. Recently, several investigators have reported a direct link between exposure to metal and diminished affective, behavioral, and cognitive performance of school children. The purpose of the present study was to review and analyze methods and procedures used to understand the relationship between exposure to metals and cognitive, social, and motor functioning of school children.

Achievement

Functional assessment and treatment of aggressive and destructive behaviors in a child victim of physical abuse.

This case study describes the functional assessment and treatment of aggressive and destructive behaviors in a 14-year-old male child with a history of physical abuse. Evaluation was performed in a classroom within a residential school setting. Functional assessment in forms of indirect and descriptive methods was used to generate hypotheses regarding sources of behavioral control. A treatment plan that combined multi-level differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and positive reinforcement for task completion was implemented based on the outcome of functional assessment. Treatment was associated with a gradual and steady reduction in challenging behaviors with near-zero rates achieved at follow-up. This case provides an example of clinical intervention for behavior disorders commonly observed in children who have been abused physically and a hypothesis-driven model of treatment formulation.

Adolescent

[Preliminary survey of a school health program implementation in Guinea].

The Sectorial Adjustment Education Program implemented in Guinea by the Ministry of Pre-University Education in 1995 includes health-related measures. An important part is the fight against parasitosis and in particular against intestinal helminth infection which has been shown to impair cognitive function in school children. In order to obtain data for this purpose, a survey was carried out in 7 subprefectures across the country. A total of 1,649 children were examined to determine the prevalence in each school of macroscopic hematuria-related schistosomiasis and of various intestinal helminthiasis in stools. In 1468 of these children blood tests were also made to measure hemoglobin levels and detect malarial hematozoons. Overall prevalence rates were 60.0% for soil-transmitted nematodes, 9.1% for urinary schistosomiasis, 57.6% for blood plasmodium, and 57.0% for anemia. Hemoglobin levels were lower in children presenting plasmodium, multiple parasitic infection, and high ankylostoma burdens. Prevalence rates varied widely between regions indicating differences in therapeutic measures. In two villages more than 200 children not attending school who had been informed by school children were treated. This word-of-mouth effect shows that school health programs are also useful to reach children outside the school health system.

Child

[Canonical correlation of body composition and pulmonary function in children aged eight to twelve].

Canonical correlation of body composition and pulmonary ventilation function in school boys and girls aged 8 to 12 and normally developed was analyzed. Skinfolds of triceps and subscapular angle were measured, and body composition was estimated as body fat percentage (BF%), body fat (BF) and lean body mass (LBM). Ventilation function was measured. Results indicated that correlation between body composition and ventilation function mainly attributed to a positive correlation between LBM and vital capacity (VC) and a negative correlation between BF% and a ratio of expiratory reserve volume (ERV) to VC. It suggests effects of body composition on ventilation function mainly attributed to LBM and BF%.

Body Composition

Psychosocial adjustment of children with spina bifida.

It was the aim of the present prospective study to investigate the influence of age, sex, intellectual function, and school type as well as of hydrocephalus, the level of lesion, and of the degree of handicap on the psychosocial adjustment of children with spina bifida. Seventy-five patients with spina bifida, aged 6 to 16 years were assessed concerning their psychosocial adjustment and their intellectual function by use of standardized instruments. The findings were compared with those of nondisabled controls, matched for age and sex. Children with spina bifida showed a tendency to be at an increased risk for psychosocial maladjustment. Influencing factors were age, sex, and the degree of handicap. Twelve- to 16-year-old boys and girls displayed significant adjustment problems in specific areas in comparison with their controls. There was a tendency for children with spina bifida to be attending inappropriate school types according to their intellectual abilities. Perhaps the most striking finding of our study was that children with spina bifida who attended a school for disabled children, even though it might be an IQ-appropriate setting, had a higher rate of psychosocial maladjustment than the disabled children in mainstream schools.

Adolescent

Use of ECFMG certifying examinations for national comparisons: performance of graduates of Israeli medical schools in basic and clinical science examinations.

Examinations were used for comparison of Israeli medical school graduates. The two schools with traditional curricula had higher pass rates for first takers of Day 1 (68% and 61%, mean scores 76.6 and 76.4) than the community-based school (44%, mean score 74.5) and the technologically oriented school (40%, mean score 72.5). There were similar pass rates for traditional school first takers of Day 2 (97% and 91%, mean scores 82.4 and 80.4) as for community-based school first takers (94%, mean score 80.1). The traditional schools and the community-based school demonstrated higher pass rates and mean scores for first takers of Day 2 than the technologically oriented school. Analysis of the time lapse between the basic science curriculum and taking the basic science examination reveals no trend in scores or pass rates. While the likelihood of better performance on Day 1 seems enhanced by traditional curricula, there is an equivalent performance on Day 2 by graduates of schools with traditional curricula.

Certification

The relationship of self-esteem to selected personal and environmental resources of adolescents.

This study examined the relationship of selected variables to self-esteem among 648 high school and college students. Multiple regression analyses, with self-esteem as the dependent variable, were computed separately for both males and females from small and large schools. Predictor variables were sex role orientation (masculinity/femininity); attitudes toward women's roles in society; high school activity participation; high school athletic participation; employment practices of students; and parents' education, occupational, and marital status. For all four groups, higher masculinity scores and greater levels of activity participation were significantly related to self-esteem. As predicted, however, there were differences in the regression equations as a function of school size. For males in small schools, but not in large schools, athletic participation was a significant predictor of self-esteem. For females in small schools, but not in large schools, more nontraditional or egalitarian attitudes toward women were related to higher self-esteem scores. Only masculinity and activity participation were significant predictors of self-esteem for both males and females in large schools. The implications of these results for the understanding of adolescent development are discussed.

Adolescent

[Arterial pressure and race. A study in pauper children attending schools in an urban strip in Lisbon].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether race is a factor of blood pressure levels in school-age children of similar social status, and to investigate other potential determinants of the levels of blood pressure. DESIGN: Inquiry in schools of the suburbs of Lisbon. SETTING: Three schools, four medical observers (general practitioners with school-health functions). SUBJECTS: Three hundred ninety seven children, aged 6-14 years, both sexes, 296 being white and 101 non-white. INTERVENTIONS: Inquiry to the following individual characteristics--sex, age, race, birthplace, type of housing, house availability of water, electricity and waste water, type of transportation to school, number of cohabitans, family income, school marks. Individual determination of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), weight and height. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Blood pressure values were cross-analyzed with all the determined variables, and the virtual correlations were checked. Main results as follows: Race does not influence either SBP or DBP. In this age group, sex does not influence blood pressure values. The used markers of socioeconomical status have equally no influence on blood pressure. Age has only a significant repercussion on SBP. No significant correlation was found between height and blood pressure. Body weight, however, influence either SBP or DBP. SBP was found to be lower in the second of two successive measurements, and the difference increases with age. CONCLUSIONS: In this school-aged biracial population, body weight seems to be the major factor of blood pressure levels, in the sense-bigger weight, higher SBP and DBP.

Adolescent

Knowledge and attitudes of schoolteachers toward oral health programs and preventive dentistry.

Because teachers often take on major roles in school dental health programs, three surveys were completed between 1973 and 1981 to measure teachers' attitudes and knowledge about oral health and their own participation in school programs. The questionnaires were sent to teachers whose schools were included in major dental caries preventive programs and teachers whose schools were not included in such programs. Results showed that: Teachers were quite willing to teach oral health topics and were willing to take on a wide range of teaching, but not administrative, responsibilities. Teachers' acceptance of these responsibilities appeared to decrease during the surveys, possibly as a function of school budget difficulties, indicating a need for incentives and positive rein-forcement. However, their acceptance of responsibilities was not affected by their participation in preventive programs. Schoolteachers had basic misinformation about the purposes of personal oral hygiene, and about the relative effectiveness of measures such as oral hygiene and consumption of fluoridated water in preventing dental caries. The preventive knowledge of teachers was unaffected by either the passage of time or participation in school preventive programs. A series of recommendations is given for the inservice education of school-teachers.

Attitude to Health

School-age outcomes in children with birth weights under 750 g.

BACKGROUND: Since the mid-1980s, increasing numbers of children with birth weights under 750 g have survived to school age. METHODS: We matched a regional cohort of 68 surviving children born from 1982 through 1986 with birth weights under 750 g (mean, 670 g; gestational age, 25.7 weeks) with 65 children weighting 750 to 1499 g at birth and 61 children born at term. Growth, neurosensory status, and functioning at school age in the three groups were compared. Associations of biologic and social risk factors with major developmental outcomes were examined by means of logistic-regression analyses. RESULTS: Children with birth weights under 750 g were inferior to both comparison groups in cognitive ability, psychomotor skills, and academic achievement. They had poorer social skills and adaptive behavior and more behavioral and attention problems. The mean (+/- SD) Mental Processing Composite score for the cohort was 87 +/- 15, as compared with 93 +/- 14 for children with birth weights of 750 to 1499 g and 100 +/- 13 for children born at term (P < 0.001). The rates of mental retardation (IQ < 70) in the three groups were 21, 8, and 2 percent, respectively; the rates of cerebral palsy were 9, 6, and 0 percent; and the rates of severe visual disability were 25, 5, and 2 percent. Major cerebral ultrasonographic abnormalities were associated with mental retardation (odds ratio, 5.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.8 to 15.8) and cerebral palsy (odds ratio, 15.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 3.0 to 77.4). Oxygen dependence at 36 weeks was associated with mental retardation (odds ratio, 4.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 10.7) and severe visual disability (odds ratio, 4.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 14.2). Social disadvantage, though associated with several neuropsychological outcomes, was not associated with major developmental impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Children with birth weights under 750 g who survive represent a subgroup of very-low-birth-weight children who are at high risk for neurobehavioral dysfunction and poor school performance.

Adaptation, Physiological

New library building: Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia.

The Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) enrolled its charter class in 1982. The curriculum is problem-based and adaptable to the learning needs of each student. MUSM is housed in a new building designed to support this unique educational program. Its library is an example of a comparatively small, but fully functional, medical school library. The planning process, design, and layout of the new library facility are described. Among its unique features are an integrated print and non-print collection, current periodical display space, and extensive use of task lighting.

Facility Design and Construction

Rehabilitation of low back pain patients. A review.

Numerous methods have been developed for the rehabilitation of low back pain patients, including spinal flexion and extension exercises, lumbar spine locking in an intermediate position, enhancement of spinal and pelvic proprioceptive sensibility, swimming pool therapy, back schools, and functional restoration. Each seeks to achieve a goal assumed to be central to the prevention of a first or recurrent episode of low back pain. Goals include short-term pain relief, an improved ability to achieve self-sedation, abdominal and lumbar muscle strengthening, increased hip and lumbar spine mobility, improved lumbar and pelvic proprioceptive sensibility, intervertebral joint stabilization, lumbar posture modification and improved general fitness. Less than 30 studies meeting widely accepted validity and applicability criteria for therapeutic trials have addressed the clinical efficacy of rehabilitation in low back pain patients. Most studies of the back school approach have found no benefit. Spinal flexion and extension exercise programs have yielded short-lived improvements, with no differences across methods. There is evidence that functional restoration programs based on graded activity may provide long-term benefits including better social and occupational outcomes. We have evaluated the physical therapy methods most commonly taught to and used by physical therapists in France.

Back Pain

Health of the Nation targets: where school nurses find constraints on achievement.

A qualitative research methodology was used to investigate 73 school nurses' perceptions of their contributions towards Health of the Nation targets (1). The inquiry aimed to identify areas in which the school nurses felt that educational assistance was required. The study demonstrated that school nurses function well and have an enormous potential to affect positively the health of the nation's children. Four main areas of constraint, however, were identified by the nurses. These areas, pinpointed as the major obstacles for target achievement, are education, joint planning, resources and perceived value. The author highlights recommendations for the future role of the school nurse.

Attitude of Health Personnel