Concentrations, pollution and health risks of metals in dust from nursery schools in Xi’an, China were determined. In comparison with local soil, dust samples have elevated metals concentrations ...except for Mn. The results indicate no distinct pollution of Mn, Ni, As and Ba in the dust, while Cu, Co and Zn are moderate pollution, Pb is significant pollution, and Cr with large pollution range. Most samples presented moderately polluted by metals. The non-cancer risks of the studied metals are within the safe range, and the cancer risks of As, Co, Cr and Ni are also within the currently acceptable range.
Objectives The relationship between household income and dietary intake among older children and adults in Japan has been studied. However, few studies have examined the relationship in younger ...children, and we believe that this should be taken into consideration from early childhood to correct health disparities. In this study, we examined the relationship between family income and dietary food group intake, and investigated the adequacy of food intake based on the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top for young children aged 3 to 6 years attending nursery school. The goal of this study was to obtain trends in food intake that can be used to improve poor dietary intake of young children caused by socioeconomic factors.Methods A dietary survey using the food weighing or recording method and a self-administered questionnaire on dietary status were conducted on two non-consecutive days, including weekdays and weekends, from October to December 2019 or 2020. The participants were 761 young children (423 boys and 338 girls) attending nursery schools in seven cities in Japan. Equivalent income was calculated from household income and the number of family members indicated in the dietary status survey. Intake of each food group and consistency with the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top were compared in five quintiles.Results Compared to the low equivalent income group, the high equivalent income group showed a decreasing trend in cereal intake and an increasing trend in the intake of sugar and sweeteners, green and yellow vegetables, and dairy products. The percentage of the low-income group who did not meet the definition of adequate intake using the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top was lower for meals that include cereals and grain products, and higher for meals that include meat and fish, vegetable, milk and dairy products, and fruits.Conclusion The lower income group had higher intake of cereals and lower intake of vegetables and fruits compared to the higher income group. This finding is similar to the results of studies in adults and older children. However, based on the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top, >90% of young children have a diet that fall below the adequate intake of meals, including vegetable dishes and even on weekdays, which suggests a general vegetable deficiency in young children. Multifaceted support is required to address this concern, including measures to correct disparities of income and to ensure desirable nutrient intake in early childhood.
Preparing children to become the Rabbani, or godly, generation is the parents' choice when educating their children. In Indonesia, children are seen as an investment in the nation, state and religion ...as they will become the generation to change civilisation for the better. Through gardening education in nursery school, it is hoped that children's monotheism and cognitive, psychomotor and affective development will be achieved. This article offers a service-learning program, developed with the aid of agricultural science and early childhood university education, and partnered with a large social charity, Muhammadiyah. Methods used in this program are group discussion forums, gardening education for class teachers and class action by students in the class. The program involves 60 students aged six at a nursery school, Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal, in East Java Province, Indonesia.
This program is important as it involves measurable assessment of the educational model, learning tool requirements, methods of delivery and evaluation of activities. The program and results shared here demonstrate that gardening education can be accomplished at the nursery school level. Gardening tools are needed, but can be modified to suit this age group. Gardening education for these young children is conducted in accordance with pre-prepared lesson plans. Multilevel learning methods, ranging from reading books, telling stories and watching documentaries to practising and reflecting on gardening activities, are part of the success of this type of gardening education. School support for the implementation of this program markedly determined its success.
We measured the association between history of influenza vaccination by age 2 years and influenza virus (IFV) infection at ages 3 and 4 years by relative risk reduction. We also examined the ...association between history of IFV infection by age 2 years and recurrent IFV infection at age 3 years. This study included 73,666 children from a large Japanese birth cohort. Among children vaccinated never, once or twice when aged under 2 years, 16.0%, 10.8% and 11.3%, respectively, had been infected with IFV by age 3 years, and 19.2%, 14.5% and 16.0%, respectively, by age 4 years. Compared with no history of influenza vaccination, vaccination at ages 1 and/or 2 years reduced the risk of IFV infection at age 3 by 30%–32% and at age 4 by 17%–24%. The relative risk of recurrent IFV infection at ages 3 and 4 years increased in proportion to the number of prior infections by age 2. One-season-prior influenza vaccination history reduced the IFV infection risk at age 3 years by 25%–42%. Influenza vaccination most effectively protected children at age 3 who lacked older sibling(s) and did not attend nursery school. One-season-prior IFV infection increased the relative risk of recurrent infection at age 3 years (1.72–3.33). In conclusion, influenza vaccination-induced protection may partly extend to the next season. Owing to the relative risk reduction by influenza vaccination and the increased relative risk of IFV infection from prior-season infection, annual influenza vaccination is recommended.
•More infection experiences increased infection probability at ages 3 and 4 years.•Vaccination experience decreased infection probability at age 3 years by 30%–32%.•At age 3, one-season-prior vaccination decreased infection probability by 25%–42%.•Vaccination experience decreased infection probability at age 4 years by 17%–24%.•Vaccination benefits children not attending nursery school and without older siblings.
Aim
This study aimed to explore whether the supervision of community public health nurses (PHNs) and nursery school teachers (NSTs) by a specialist, familiar with Early Symptomatic Syndromes ...Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations (ESSENCE), improved the agreement of ESSENCE‐Questionnaire (ESSENCE‐Q) scoring, across raters.
Methods
A PHN, two NSTs, and a speech‐language pathologist (SLP), familiar with ESSENCE, independently assessed 32 children. The ESSENCE‐Q results were divided into the first (child 1–18) and second groups (the 19th child and the following children). Changes in score discrepancies were analysed for ESSENCE‐Q cutoff scores and total ESSENCE‐Q scores across raters. The SLP scores were used as a reference to evaluate sensitivity and specificity.
Results
The total ESSENCE‐Q scores of the PHN and NSTs showed higher concordance in the second group (p < 0.05). Comparisons of the differences between the PHN/NSTs and SLP in total ESSENCE‐Q scores showed a significantly smaller difference in the NSTs' scores in the second group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
The findings suggest that specialist supervision may lead to a better agreement between PHN and NSTs regarding ESSENCE‐Q scores.
In this study, a questionnaire survey and interviews were conducted on the actual disaster preparedness of children's facilities located within the expected flood zone. As a result, it was found ...that:1）There is a link between the use districts, the operating entity and the year of establishment.2）Disaster preparedness issues exist in facilities that do not have a partner or regional cooperation in the event of a disaster.3）It was found that facilities located outside of the expected inundation zone that responded that they were expected to be inundated were in partially low-lying areas.
Many serious injuries occur in preschools. Effective injury prevention requires measures customized to the individual preschool. This paper proposed a field-adaptive injury prevention support system ...that combines both epidemiological analysis of big data of accidents occurred at Japanese preschools and video analysis on accidents/incidents occurred at a specific preschool. While the big data analysis revealed serious injury patterns common in preschools, the video analysis allowed us to extract behavioral patterns in real situations arising at the target preschool. Analysis from both sides enabled the grasping of the behaviors and environments that could lead to serious accidents at the target preschool.
The workload of annual events in nursery schools is a factor that can lead childcare teachers to leave their occupations. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the ...policies of annual event planning in the nursery school division of the local government, and the workload and stress of childcare teachers in public nursery schools. The survey covered 299 childcare teachers. When comparing CBC, which had previously changed its childcare and annual event plans before the Covid-19 pandemic, and CSC, which has changed theirs since then, childcare workers in CBC had significantly lower psychological burdens for annual events and overtime work. The frequency of overtime work and taking work home was also lower for CBC. The results suggest that, as in the case of CBC, changing childcare and annual event plans can reduce the psychological burden of childcare teachers.
