Oral Hygiene in Patients With Severe Mental Illness: A Pilot Study on the Collaboration Between Oral Hygienists and Mental Health Nurses.

PURPOSE: To test (a) the effects of an educational intervention about oral hygiene on the knowledge of mental health nurses, and (b) the effects of an oral care intervention on oral health in patients with severe mental illness (SMI). DESIGN AND METHODS: We applied a pretest/posttest design to test improvements in nurses' knowledge and the oral health of SMI patients. FINDINGS: The nursing staff's knowledge increased significantly after the educational intervention. The oral health of the patients improved significantly after the oral health intervention. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Oral health of SMI patients can improve significantly with basic oral health interventions carried out by collaborating oral hygienists and mental health nurses.

Children's intervention strategies in situations of victimization by bullying: social cognitions of outsiders versus defenders.

This study examined the social cognitions of outsiders and defenders about intervening in situations of victimization by bullying. Do outsiders and defenders behave differently in victimization situations because of differences in competence beliefs, or because of a selectivity effect in intervening? These issues were examined in a sample of 102 outsiders and 107 defenders who were classified into these bullying roles through a peer-nomination procedure out of a total sample of 761 10- to 14-year-old Dutch children. These children were presented with imaginary victimization events. They answered questions about their cognitions and self-efficacy beliefs about intervening in victimization situations and about handling such situations. Outsiders, compared to defenders, claimed to intervene indirectly in victimization situations rather than directly. Defenders, compared to outsiders, claimed to intervene directly in victimization situations rather than indirectly. Both outsiders and defenders claimed to be more likely to intervene when a friend was being victimized than when a neutral classmate was being victimized. Outsiders and defenders did not differ in their self-efficacy for indirect intervention, but only defenders claimed a high self-efficacy for direct intervention. Both outsiders and defenders claimed to benefit from direct help when they themselves are victimized, but only outsiders also reported to need indirect help. The results suggest that outsiders and defenders behave differently in victimization situations because of differences in competence beliefs rather than because of a selectivity effect. More generally, the results suggest that not only defenders but also outsiders have the intention to help children who are being bullied. However, outsiders' anti-bullying attempts are likely to be indirect and less firm than those of defenders.

Longitudinal Changes of Aerobic Fitness in Youth Ages 12 to 23.

In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Study, 103 girls and 97 boys were studied five times on a longitudinal basis over a period of 8 years, covering the teenage years from 12 to 17 until young adulthood at 22/23 years. Measured were anthropometric variables such as height, weight (BW), and body fat, and physiological variables such as maximal aerobic power (V̇O2max) and endurance performance (max slope). During the teenage period, V̇O2max/BW remains constant in boys and decreases in girls whereas endurance performance increases in boys and remains constant in girls. By young adulthood V̇O2max/BW and maximal slope have declined in both sexes, and in the case of females are even lower than at the beginning of their teens. Boys superiority in aerobic fitness and the decline in aerobic fitness in both sexes is mainly caused by the differences in the intensity of daily physical activity level.