The rising number of foreign residents in Japan has caused the number of children with foreign backgrounds in Japanese schools to increase. The present Japanese education system does not adequately ...support children whose mother language is not Japanese, and their educational problems have turned into social issues. We have conducted an action research project in collaboration with several schools and one university to determine how to develop a support system through online media that would soften the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that language assessment is the key to driving the project and sharing the results of the assessment analysis with all project participants works effectively to promote collaboration between schools, families, and the university.
Electronic survey mode has become a more common tool of research than it used to be previously. This is strongly associated with the overall digitization of modern society. However, the evidence on ...the possible mode effect on study results has been scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the comparability of findings on health and behaviours using a paper-versus-electronic mode of survey with randomization design among schoolchildren.
A randomized study was conducted using a mandatory questionnaire on international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Lithuania, enrolling 531 schoolchildren aged 11-15 years. The questionnaire included health and social topics about physical activity, risk behaviours, self-reported health and symptoms, life satisfaction, bullying, fighting, family and school environment, peer relationships, electronic media communication, sociodemographic indicators, etc. The schoolchildren within classes were randomly selected for electronic or paper mode.
It was found that by study mode differences are inconsistent and in the majority of cases do not exceed 5%-point difference between the modes. The only significant difference was that in the paper survey the participants reported more exercise than in the electronic survey (OR=8.08, P<.001). Other trends were nonsignificant and did not show a consistent pattern - in certain behaviours the paper mode was related to healthier choices, while in others - the electronic.
The use of electronic questionnaires in surveys of schoolchildren may provide findings that are comparable with concurrent or previously conducted paper surveys.
The article draws attention to the loss of contract power of people, especially those with mental disabilities. It shows a gap between policies and ideology of participation on the one hand and lived ...experiences of participation practices in the care proceedings' systems on the other. Users' participation seems to be a trademark of contemporary EU social policy or mental health policy, while children's participation is the most emphasised part of child-friendly justice discourse, but the question arises whether they really are in place. The national and European research projects conducted by the author and her colleagues in the last years are used to emphasise the most problematic points, but also innovative social work and advocacy practices. The central focus of the article is therefore the author's recent EU research project 'Access to Justice for Children with Mental Disabilities', which has addressed the participation of children with mental disabilities in all stages of the legal processes. In the case of Slovenia, these are mainly taking the place at centres of social work. The findings showed that in spite of the progress towards participation of children in general in social care decisions, children with mental disabilities remain virtually invisible.
Poorly developed teachers' competences for managing children's allergies can pose a significant problem for the wellbeing of children in the preschool and school environment. The purpose of this ...study is to explore the attitudes and theoretical understanding of the management of allergic reactions in children among future teachers.
A total of 572 future teachers participated in the study, 56% of whom were in the 1st year of undergraduate educational programmes, while 44% were in the 4th year. The participants answered the Teachers' Health Competences Development - Allergy Questionnaire.
The future teachers showed positive attitudes towards learning more about different child health issues. There was an average understanding of managing allergic reactions in children (59.4%; SD=16.1% success), with no statistically significant difference regarding the duration of education, science background or the students' self-allergy. There was, however, a statistically significant difference in achievement scores between future teachers in different educational programmes (
(3,568)=6.4,
≤.000). A subgroup of future teachers exposed to basic allergy education in the 1
year and tested again in the 4
year showed significantly better knowledge (
-
=83.0;
=.008).
The duration of future education, science background and self-allergy did not influence the level of knowledge regarding the management of allergic reactions in children. A basic educational programme in allergy management had a positive effect on future teachers' knowledge of managing allergic reactions in children. Our study indicates that all future teachers should be included in specific educational programmes in order to develop adequate health competences.
The purpose of this study was to identify the possibility of unnoticed reduction in salt content of bread as a basic food in the diet of preschool children. The response of children to less salty ...bread and the role of teachers and teacher assistants in the introduction of novelties into children's nutrition ware studied.
Using hedonic sensory evaluation in the case of bread, the perception of salty taste and responses of preschool children to salt reduction were observed. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis obtained from the case study group, composed of 22 preschool children and 66 teachers and teacher assistants, was studied.
The results show that a 30% salt reduction was not registered by the children, while a 50% reduction of the salt content, compared to the original recipe, though noted, was not disruptive. The perception of taste and development of good eating habits at an early age could be influenced by teachers and teacher assistants' verbal and non-verbal communication.
Salt reduction does not significantly affect the rating of satisfaction with the tested product. Educational personnel must be aware of their decisive influence on children's perception of new and less salty products. Such an approach could represent a basis for creating children's eating habits, which will be of particular importance later in their lives. The findings may possibly result in an update of the national nutrition policy.
The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of prehypertensive and elevated blood pressure in the hypertensive range (elevated BP) and obtain some anthropometric measures in Slovene children ...and adolescents.
In the cross-sectional study lasting one year, we measured BP using mercury sphygmomanometers, as well as height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences in schools. Data from regular check-ups (oscillometric measurements) were also added to increase the sample size. Participants were 2-19 years old. For statistical analysis, we used two-sided multivariate analysis of variance, Pearson's r, and chi-squared test.
From altogether 1594 participants, 723 (45.4%) were boys and 871 (54.6%) girls. The prevalence of elevated BP on a single oscillometric blood-pressure measurement was 12.0% (95% CI: 10.3 to 13.9), and an additional 13.9% (95% CI: 12.0 to 15.9) had prehypertensive BP. In Riva-Rocci measurements, elevated BP was present in only 7.1% (95% CI: 4.9 to 10.1) and prehypertensive BP additionally in 3.9% (95% CI: 2.4 to 6.4) in comparison to oscillometric measurements, which showed higher prevalence. Importantly, overweight participants had a 1.75 times greater relative risk for prehypertensive BP (95% CI: 1.22 to 2.53; p<0.01). Obesity carried a 1.79 times greater relative risk (95% CI: 1.22 to 2.63; p<0.01) for BP outside of the normotensive BP range.
Arterial hypertension is becoming an important public health problem, especially due to the childhood obesity. It seems to concern also Slovene young population with prevalence of elevated BP at around 7.1% after a single auscultatory BP measurement.
Maščobno tkivo ima vlogo pri številnih endokrinih in presnovnih procesih. Lepin je bil med prvimi odkritimi dejavniki iz maščobnega tkiva, ki delujejo avto-, para- in endokrino. Od opredelitve ...leptina so odkrili še številne druge dejavnike, od katerih se nekateri izločajo iz maščobnih celic, nekateri pa iz drugih celic maščobnega tkiva.
Izhodišča. Namen raziskave je bil analizirati mnenja vzgojiteljev o nastanku poškodbe pri organiziranih in neorganiziranih gibalnih dejavnostih otrok v vrtcih glede na starost otrok. Metode. Podatki ...so bili pridobljeni z anketiranjem 322 vzgojiteljev iz 53 vrtcev v Sloveniji. Izračunane so bile frekvence in izveden hi-kvadrat test. Rezultati. Večina otrok ima v vrtcu organizirane gibalne dejavnosti od 1-krat do 2-krat tedensko; pri otrocih prvega starostnega obdobja trajajo večinoma 20 minut in manj, v drugem starostnem obdobju pa od 20 do 30 minut. Dejavnosti potekajo največkrat v igralnici, v kateri se tudi poškoduje največ otrok. Poškodbe nastanejo najpogosteje pri teku in skokih, manj pri drugih gibalnih dejavnostih. Med prosto igro pa se otroci največkrat poškodujejo na zunanjem igrišču, in to med 9. in 12. uro. Večkrat se poškodujejo dečki kot deklice. Vzgojitelji kot najpogostejši vzrok za poškodbo navajajo nepredvidene situacije, najpogostejše poškodbe pa so udarci, in sicer v glavo, zlasti pri najmlajših otrocih, ki zaradi tega nekaj dni ostanejo doma. Starši najmlajših otrok so tudi manj zadovoljni z ukrepanjem vzgojitelja. Vzgojitelji največkrat sami sanirajo poškodbo in obvestijo starše. Le tretjina vzgojiteljev vedno naredi zapisnik o poškodbi, več kot polovica le pri hujših poškodbah. Zaključki. Analiza je pokazala statistično značilne razlike med različnimi starostnimi skupinami otrok glede vzrokov poškodb, časa nastanka poškodb, prostora, v katerem se otrok poškoduje med organizirano gibalno dejavnostjo, vrste dejavnosti med poškodbami, dela poškodovanega telesa in zadovoljstva staršev z ukrepanjem vzgojitelja ob poškodbi. Na podlagi dobljenih rezultatov so predlagani ukrepi za zmanjševanje poškodb pri predšolskih otrocih v vrtcu.
Navezanost je vedenjski in fiziološki sistem, ki posamezniku omogoča dinamično prilagajanje na okolje. Navezanost se razvija pri sovplivu med dojenčkom in materjo, igra pomembno vlogo pri razvoju ...otrokovih možgan in vpliva na kvaliteto posameznikovih socialnih odnosov vse življenje.
Adipose tissue is implicated in many endocrine and metabolic processes. Leptin was among the first identified adipose-secreted factors, which act in an auto-, para- and endocrine manner. Since ...leptin, many other adipose tissue factors were determined, some primarily secreted from the adipocytes, some from other cells of the adipose tissue.
So-called adipokines are not only involved in obesity and its complications, as are insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and other components of the metabolic syndrome, but also in growth, reproduction, bone metabolism, immune response, cancer development and many other important biological processes. Research in the field of adipokines has revealed new insights into the physiological and pathophysiologal processes and opened new therapeutic possibilities. In the present article, a special emphasis is devoted to research in children and adolescents.
Maščobno tkivo ima vlogo pri številnih endokrinih in presnovnih procesih. Lepin je bil med prvimi odkritimi dejavniki iz maščobnega tkiva, ki delujejo avto-, para- in endokrino. Od opredelitve leptina so odkrili še številne druge dejavnike, od katerih se nekateri izločajo iz maščobnih celic, nekateri pa iz drugih celic maščobnega tkiva.
Tako imenovani adipokini niso povezani le z debelostjo in njenimi zapleti, kot so rezistenca proti inzulinu, sladkorna bolezen tipa 2 in druge komponente metabolnega sindroma, temveč tudi z rastjo, razmnoževanjem, presnovo kosti, imunskim odzivom, razvojem rakavih bolezni in mnogimi drugimi pomembnimi biološkimi procesi. Raziskave na področju adipokinov so opredelile nove fiziološke in patofiziološke procese in odprle nove možnosti zdravljenja. V tem prispevku poseben poudarek namenjamo raziskavam pri otrocih in mladostnikih.
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