Primary schools: opportune settings for changing attitudes and promoting mental health

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Joyce ◽  
Becca Allchin ◽  
Julie Malmborg ◽  
Leigh Candy ◽  
Vicki Cowling
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Changing Attitudes

scholarly journals Impact of The Daily Mile on children’s physical and mental health, and educational attainment in primary schools: iMprOVE cohort study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e045879
Author(s):  
Bina Ram ◽  
Anna Chalkley ◽  
Esther van Sluijs ◽  
Rachel Phillips ◽  
Tishya Venkatraman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
School Year

IntroductionSchool-based active mile initiatives such as The Daily Mile (TDM) are widely promoted to address shortfalls in meeting physical activity recommendations. The iMprOVE Study aims to examine the impact of TDM on children’s physical and mental health and educational attainment throughout primary school.Methods and analysisiMprOVE is a longitudinal quasi-experimental cohort study. We will send a survey to all state-funded primary schools in Greater London to identify participation in TDM. The survey responses will be used for non-random allocation to either the intervention group (Daily Mile schools) or to the control group (non-Daily Mile schools). We aim to recruit 3533 year 1 children (aged 5–6 years) from 77 primary schools and follow them up annually until the end of their primary school years. Data collection taking place at baseline (children in school year 1) and each primary school year thereafter includes device-based measures of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and questionnaires to measure mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and educational attainment (ratings from ‘below expected’ to ‘above expected levels’). The primary outcome is the mean change in MVPA minutes from baseline to year 6 during the school day among the intervention group compared with controls. We will use multilevel linear regression models adjusting for sociodemographic data and participation in TDM. The study is powered to detect a 10% (5.5 min) difference between the intervention and control group which would be considered clinically significant.Ethics and disseminationEthics has been approved from Imperial College Research Ethics Committee, reference 20IC6127. Key findings will be disseminated to the public through research networks, social, print and media broadcasts, community engagement opportunities and schools. We will work with policy-makers for direct application and impact of our findings.

scholarly journals Association of Child Mental Health with Child and Family Characteristics in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5107
Author(s):  
Huan Wang ◽  
Cody Abbey ◽  
Xinshu She ◽  
Scott Rozelle ◽  
Xiaochen Ma
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional

Assessing the mental health problems encountered by school children and understanding the contributing factors are crucial to inform strategies aimed at improving mental health in low-resource contexts. However, few studies have investigated the mental health problems among disadvantaged children in poorer countries. This study examines the prevalence of mental health problems in rural China and their association with child and family characteristics. The study uses survey data from 9696 children in 120 rural primary schools and measures child mental health using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Overall, 17.9% of the sample children were found to be in the abnormal range of the SDQ total difficulties scores. The mean score was 12.93 (SD = 4.94). Abnormal scores were associated with child and family characteristics, including older child age (Odds Ratio, OR = 0.704, 95% CI: 0.611, 0.810; p < 0.001), gender (OR = 1.235, 95% CI: 1.112, 1.371; p < 0.001), and academic performance (OR = 0.421, 95% CI: 0.369, 0.480; p < 0.001). Reading time was found to be protective for mental health. Risk factors include excessive screen time (OR = 1.685, 95% CI: 1.409, 2.016; p < 0.001) and being bullied (OR = 3.695, 95% CI: 3.301, 4.136; p < 0.001). Our study suggests that future mental health illness prevention programs in rural China should consider targeting different aspects of children’s social contexts.

scholarly journals Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study

2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Marryat ◽  
Lucy Thompson ◽  
Helen Minnis ◽  
Philip Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Population Based ◽  
School Level ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Early Primary ◽  
Additional Support

BackgroundThis paper examines socioeconomic inequalities in mental health at school entry and explores changes in these inequalities over the first 3 years of school.MethodsThe study utilises routinely collected mental health data from education records and demographic data at ages 4 and 7 years, along with administrative school-level data. The study was set in preschool establishments and schools in Glasgow City, Scotland. Data were available on 4011 children (59.4%)at age 4 years, and 3166 of these children were followed at age 7 years (46.9% of the population). The main outcome measure was the teacher-rated Goodman’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (4–16 version) at age 7 years, which measures social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.ResultsChildren living in the most deprived area had higher levels of mental health difficulties at age 4 years, compared with their most affluent counterparts (7.3%vs4.1% with abnormal range scores). There was a more than threefold widening of this disparity over time, so that by the age of 7 years, children from the most deprived area quintile had rates of difficulties 3.5 times higher than their more affluent peers. Children’s demographic backgrounds strongly predicted their age 7 scores, although schools appeared to make a significant contribution to mental health trajectories.ConclusionsAdditional support to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds at preschool and in early primary school may help narrow inequalities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds started school with a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, compared with their more advantaged peers, and this disparity widened markedly over the first 3 years of school.

scholarly journals The primary school as a therapeutic community

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley MacDonald ◽  
Gary Winship
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Therapeutic Community ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Work ◽  
School Counselling ◽  
School Counsellor

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the changes underway in the delivery of services to children and young people in schools, not least that OFTSED will soon be routinely carrying out an assessment of mental health provision in schools. This paper considers the policy context to these changes and the recent initiatives that are informing the evolution of initial teacher training. Alongside the changes in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services there are an increasing number of schools developing counselling and psychotherapy services. How can the School counsellor look to develop a who school as therapeutic community. Design/methodology/approach – A case narrative is presented of a seven-year-old child who was referred to the school counselling service. The narrative draws attention to the array of dynamic interactions, from peers to teachers to parents which the school counselling manager encountered. Findings – It is argued that it is necessary for the school counsellor to have a framework for understanding how all parts of the school work together and it is proposed that we might usefully consider the primary school as a therapeutic community. Originality/value – There are a raft of policy changes and practices in recent years that have altered the landscape of early intervention and the mental health agenda in primary schools. This paper captures this debates and consider how therapeutic community ideology is positioned as an opportunity to think more expansively about mental health in primary schools.

Mainland Chinese Students' Concept of Health

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Concept Of Health ◽  
Health Concept ◽  
Moral Dimensions

This investigation, which was part of a larger project, was to describe and explain the concept of health as perceived by Chinese students. Data were collected through a questionnaire from students from two primary schools, two high schools and two universities (N=946) in Shanghai, China. The results showed that Chinese students not only considered themselves healthy but also viewed adolescents as the healthiest people in comparison with children, the middle and the old-aged. Their health concept consisted of components relating to physical, psychological, and social/moral dimensions. There were more boys than girls who considered mental health to be part of general health and a tendency for boys to perceive health status as poorer along with the increase in age. The categories of the concept of health and students' views on how to enhance health status are presented. Asia Pac J Public Health 2004; 16(2): 89-94.

scholarly journals The Effect of Boarding on the Mental Health of Primary School Students in Western Rural China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 8200
Author(s):  
Bin Tang ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Yujuan Gao ◽  
Shijin Wu ◽  
Haoyang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Boarding School ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Fifth Grade Students

Based on the panel data of 20,594 fourth- and fifth-grade students in the western provinces A and B in China, this paper analyzed the effect of boarding at school on the mental health of students using a combination of the propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) methods. The results showed that boarding had no significant effect on the mental health of students, but the tendency of loneliness among boarding school students was increased. Heterogeneity analysis found that fifth-grade students whose parents had both left home to work were more likely to have poorer mental health when boarding. This paper has essential policy significance for guiding rural primary schools to improve the mental health of boarding school students, especially left-behind children.

scholarly journals Early Challenges in Evaluating the KidsMatter National Mental Health Promotion Initiative in Australian Primary Schools

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Askell-Williams ◽  
Alan Russell ◽  
Katherine L. Dix ◽  
Phillip T. Slee ◽  
Barbara A. Spears ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
National Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion Initiative

scholarly journals Advancing Scalability and Impacts of a Teacher Training Program for Promoting Child Mental Health in Ugandan Primary Schools: Protocol for a Hybrid-Type II Effectiveness-Implementation Cluster Randomized Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng-Yen Huang ◽  
Janet Nakigudde ◽  
Elizabeth Nsamba Kisakye ◽  
Hafsa Sentongo ◽  
Tracy A Dennis-Tiwary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Task Shifting ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Hybrid Type ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Abstract Background: There are numerous challenges to promoting child mental health in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). Most evidence-based interventions (EBIs) adapted to LMICs have not been scaled widely or evaluated for effectiveness and underlying mechanisms. Most mental health EBIs in LMICs rely on a task-shifting approach of implementation because of the shortage of mental health professionals; however, challenges related to task-shifting are understudied. Most EBIs have not been implemented using a scalable and sustainable model that leverages and strengthens existing structures. Through a cross-sector collaboration, we are carrying out a second generation investigation of implementation and effectiveness of a school-based mental health EBI for early childhood students that uses task-shifting and builds on existing educational structures. The ultimate shared goal of this collaboration is to scale and sustain the EBI country wide. The systems-level approach to promoting child mental health builds on ParentCorps, an EBI implemented in schools that has been shown in multiple trials to yield long-term benefits on mental health and school performance. Previous studies in Uganda found that ParentCorps Professional Development (PD) for teachers resulted in short-term benefits for classrooms, children and families. Objectives: This paper describes the rationale and protocol for an effectiveness-implementation study of ParentCorps-PD for teachers in urban and rural Ugandan schools. The study considers the added value (i.e. impact and costs) of a brief wellness intervention for teachers in their task-shifting role and explores mechanisms and outcomes. Methods: Using a hybrid-type II effectiveness-implementation cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT), we will randomize 36 schools (18 urban and 18 rural) with 540 teachers and nearly 2,000 families to one of three conditions: PD + Teacher-Wellness (PDT), PD alone (PD), and control. Primary effectiveness outcomes are teachers’ use of mental health promoting strategies, teacher stress management, and child mental health. Mixed methods will be employed to examine underlying mechanisms of implementation and impact as well as cost-effectiveness. Discussion: This research will generate important knowledge regarding the value of an EBI in urban and rural communities in a LMIC, and efforts toward supporting teachers who are task-shifting as a potentially cost-effective strategy for promoting child mental health. Trial Registration: This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT04383327; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04383327) on May13, 2020.

scholarly journals Improving the Metabolic and Mental Health of Children with Obesity: A School-Based Nutrition Education and Physical Activity Intervention in Wuhan, China

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Hong-jie Yu ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
Yong-feng Hu ◽  
Chang-feng Li ◽  
Shuai Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Plasma Glucose ◽  
Fasting Plasma Glucose ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
School Based ◽  
Fasting Plasma

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based nutrition education and physical activity intervention on cardiovascular risk profile and mental health outcomes among Chinese children with obesity. Two primary schools were randomly allocated to the control group (CG) and the intervention group (IG). We selected children with obesity from 1340 students in the third and fourth grades as participants. The IG received 8 months of nutrition education and physical activity intervention, while the CG was waitlisted. A generalized estimating equation model was applied to assess repeated variables over time. A total of 171 children with obesity (99 IG and 72 CG) aged 9.8 ± 0.7 years completed the post-intervention stage. Compared with baseline, significant reductions were observed within the IG for depression and fasting plasma glucose at post-intervention. After adjusting for confounders, group and time interaction effects showed that the IG achieved improvements in the risk of poor well-being (p = 0.051) and social anxiety (p = 0.029), had decreased diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.020) and fasting plasma glucose (p < 0.001), and had significantly increased high-density lipoprotein (p < 0.001) from baseline to post-intervention relative to the CG. The effects of school-based nutrition education and physical activity intervention on children with obesity are diverse, including not only the improvement of metabolic health but also mental health promotion.

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