Beyond Sociodemographic and COVID-19-Related Factors: The Association Between the Need for Psychological and Information Support from School and Anxiety and Depression.

BACKGROUND In addition to sociodemographic and COVID-19- related factors, the needs of school support, including material, psychological and information support, have seldom been discussed as factors influencing anxiety and depression among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 3351 college students from China were surveyed through questionnaires about their sociodemographic and COVID-19 characteristics, the needs of school support, and their experiences with anxiety and depression. RESULTS Anxiety and depression were reported by 6.88% and 10.50% of students, respectively. Married, higher education, non-medical, and urban students had significantly higher risks of anxiety or depression. Additionally, symptoms such as cough and fever, especially when following a possible contact with suspected individuals, quarantine history of a personal contact, going out 1-3 times a week, not wearing a mask, and spending 2-3 hours browsing COVID-19-related information were significantly associated with the occurrence of anxiety or depression. Those who used methods to regulate their emotional state, used a psychological hotline, and who had visited a psychiatrist showed higher anxiety or depression. Those who used online curricula and books, used preventive methods for COVID-19, and who had real-time information about the epidemic situation of the school showed lower anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS In addition to sociodemographic and COVID-19-related aspects, students' needs for psychological assistance and information from schools were also associated with anxiety and depression among college students.

Assessing the educational performance of different Brazilian school cycles using data science methods.

Educational indicators are metrics that assist in assessing the quality of the educational system. They are often associated with economic and social factors suggested to contribute to good school performance, however there is no consensus on the impact of these factors. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the factors related to school performance. Using a data set composed by Brazilian schools' performance (IDEB), socioeconomic and school structure variables, we generated different models. The non-linear model predicted the best performance, measured by the error and determination coefficient metrics. The heterogeneity of the importance of the variable between school cycles and regions of the country was detected, this effect may contribute to the development of public educational policies.

[Effects and costs of The Healthy Primary School of the Future]. / De effecten en kosten van de Gezonde Basisschool van de Toekomst.

OBJECTIVE: To study school lifestyle interventions for elementary school children (The Healthy Primary School of the Future). RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the effects of the introduction of increased physical activity with or without healthy nutrition on health behaviour and BMI of young children and what are the costs of this program? DESIGN: Prospective controlled non-randomized study with nearly 1700 children in Parkstad (South-East Netherlands). RESULTS: Preliminary results after two years show that the combination of increased physical activity and healthy nutrition result in a decreased BMIz-score (-0.036), increased physical activity alone in hardly any change (-0.10) while in the control group the BMIz-score increased (0.052). The net societal costs of the combination of physical activity and health nutrition costs were 1 euro per child per day. CONCLUSION: The study contributes to the increasing amount of evidence proving that lifestyle interventions are effective in reducing the obesity epidemic. Future studies will show whether a weight reduction in children will result in the prevention of chronic disease later on in life and what the cost reduction related to this result will be.

Coletiva de imprensa: anúncio na área de educação - 13/01/2021

O Governador João Doria e os Secretário de Estado Rossieli Soares (Educação) e Marco Vinholi (Desenvolvimento Regional) apresentaram aos 645 prefeitos do Estado os detalhes da volta às aulas presenciais a partir de 1º de fevereiro na rede pública estadual. No encontro online também foi anunciado investimento de R$ 80 milhões para o programa de ampliação de oferta de vagas em creches escolares. “A Educação é fundamental para todos nós que somos pais, temos filhos que há mais de 12 meses estão distante de suas aulas, do ensino, de seus professores e que precisam, com critério, com planejamento retomarem suas aulas”, disse o Governador João Doria. A retomada ocorrerá no próximo dia 1º de fevereiro. Para este ano, foi autorizada pelo Governo do Estado a abertura das escolas em todas as fases do Plano São Paulo, obedecendo aos critérios de segurança estabelecidos pelo Centro de Contingência do Coronavírus. “Hoje, a ciência nos mostra que o espaço escolar é seguro desde que realizemos todos os protocolos corretamente. Como Governo do Estado, estamos seguindo a ciência e junto com as prefeituras, vamos avançar para priorizar cada vez mais a educação, abrindo nossas escolas para todos os estudantes”, explicou o Secretário da Educação, Rossieli Soares. Além do tema da volta às aulas, foram abordadas as parcerias entre Estado e Municípios, como materiais didáticos, merenda e transporte escolar. No encontro virtual, também foi anunciado um novo programa para ampliação de vagas em creches municipais. O diferencial para este ano é que as prefeituras poderão ofertar seus próprios projetos de obras para construção. O número de vagas ofertadas dependerá das demandas dos municípios. Detalhes sobre o programa serão publicados em resolução nos próximos dias.

Test- or judgement-based school track recommendations: Equal opportunities for students with different socio-economic backgrounds?

BACKGROUND: There are concerns that school track recommendations that are mostly based on teachers' judgements of students' performance ('judgement-based recommendations') are more biased by students' SES than school track recommendations that are mostly based on standardized test results ('test-based recommendations'). A recent policy reform of the Dutch educational system has provided us the unique opportunity to compare the effects of students' SES on these two types of track recommendations. AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the differences between test-based and judgement-based recommendations regarding the direct and indirect effect of students' SES at student level and school level. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of 8,639 grade 6 students from 105 Dutch primary schools. METHODS: Data were analysed using two-level multilevel mediation models. RESULTS: Track recommendations were higher for high-SES students. This was mostly due to differences in students' prior performance. SES also had a small, direct effect on judgement-based, but not on test-based recommendations. The effects were partly situated at school level. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results indicated that teachers based their track recommendations mostly on students' prior performance without being biased by students' SES.

Brief Report: Classifying Rates of Students with Autism and Intellectual Disability in North Carolina: Roles of Race and Economic Disadvantage.

We examined special education classifications among students aged 3-21 in North Carolina public schools, highlighting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Results revealed variability by county in ASD and ID prevalence, and in county-level ratios of ID vs. ASD classifications. Sociodemographic characteristics predicted proportion of ASD or ID within a county; correlations showed an association between race and ID, but not ASD. County's median household income predicted proportion of students classified as ASD and ID (opposite directions), controlling for number of students and gender. Variability was unlikely related to biological incidence, and more likely related to district/school practices, or differences in resources. Disparities warrant further examination to ensure that North Carolina's youth with disabilities access necessary, appropriate resources.

Analyzing the Association between Student Weight Status and School Meal Participation: Evidence from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study.

Childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern. Children consume a substantial amount of their caloric intake while in school, making the passage of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010 and the subsequent improvements to the school meal standards a key policy change. Using data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, this paper seeks to re-examine the association between students' (N = 1963) weight status and participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) since the implementation of these policy changes to determine whether, and how, this relationship has changed. After controlling for a wide array of student characteristics and school-level fixed effects, findings from the multivariate regression analyses indicate that usual participation in the school meal programs has no clear association with students' weight status, which contradicts findings from earlier studies conducted prior to the passage of the HHFKA. These findings are discussed in relation to changes in the demographic composition of usual NSLP participants over time.

Estimated Resource Costs for Implementation of CDC's Recommended COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 Public Schools - United States, 2020-21 School Year.

As school districts across the United States consider how to safely operate during the 2020-21 academic year, CDC recommends mitigation strategies that schools can adopt to reduce the risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1). To identify the resources and costs needed to implement school-based mitigation strategies and provide schools and jurisdictions with information to aid resource allocation, a microcosting methodology was employed to estimate costs in three categories: materials and consumables, additional custodial staff members, and potential additional transportation. National average estimates, using the national pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (preK-12) public enrollment of 50,685,567 students, range between a mean of $55 (materials and consumables only) to $442 (all three categories) per student. State-by-state estimates of additional funds needed as a percentage of fiscal year 2018 student expenditures (2) range from an additional 0.3% (materials and consumables only) to 7.1% (all three categories); however, only seven states had a maximum estimate above 4.2%. These estimates, although not exhaustive, highlight the level of resources needed to ensure that schools reopen and remain open in the safest possible manner and offer administrators at schools and school districts and other decision-makers the cost information necessary to budget and prioritize school resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coletiva de imprensa: anúncios do Governo SP 26/11/2020

O Governador João Doria anunciou nesta quinta-feira (26) o repasse de mais R$ 700 milhões para o Programa Dinheiro Direto na Escola (PDDE-SP) em 2021. Além disso, haverá mudanças nos critérios de repasse do recurso. As medidas adotadas pelo Governo de SP para o combate ao coronavírus O repasse do PDDE-SP é transferido para a Associação de Pais e Mestres (APM) das escolas para que realizem pequenas reformas, manutenções emergenciais e adquiram equipamentos de forma mais ágil e menos burocrática, e contribuam para a melhoria do ambiente escolar e do ensino. “O Programa Dinheiro Direto na Escola aumentou o valor dos repasses, modernizou e tirou a burocracia, agilizando os repasses para as escolas estaduais”, disse Doria. Em 2020, primeiro ano do PDDE-SP, as 5,1 mil escolas estaduais receberam R$ 700 milhões: R$ 650 milhões e R$ 50 milhões específicos para a COVID-19. Os R$ 700 milhões representam um valor 13 vezes superior aos destinados em anos anteriores. “Com o PDDE-SP, as escolas estaduais ganharam agilidade para executar recursos a qualquer momento do ano letivo. E a Secretaria da Educação pode realizar a transferência direta de verba às APMs, com agilidade, sem carga de trabalho excessiva ou muita burocracia”, destaca o Secretário de Estado da Educação, Rossieli Soares. Até 2019, os critérios para a distribuição do PDDE-SP consideravam apenas um valor fixo por escola e um valor per capita por aluno, a partir da quantidade de alunos matriculados. Neste ano, a partir de escuta feita na rede, o Governo de São Paulo fez uma adequação dos critérios para o repasse da verba do PDDE-SP. A partir da inclusão de novos critérios, o valor per capita dos alunos matriculados em escolas de tempo integral passará a ser maior do que das regulares, dado que os alunos ficam mais tempo na escola. Outro critério adicionado será o Índice Paulista de Vulnerabilidade Social (IPVS), da Fundação Seade. Serão priorizadas com um montante maior de recurso as escolas localizadas em áreas de vulnerabilidade alta e muito alta. A área em que a escola está construída também passará a ser avaliada. Dessa forma, serão contempladas com um repasse maior as escolas construídas em áreas mais amplas, visto que estas unidades possuem custo de manutenção maior. Outra novidade é que as escolas que dispõem de salas de recurso vão receber um valor destinado para sua manutenção. As unidades que ainda não têm poderão usar a verba do PDDE-SP para sua implementação. Os novos critérios buscam aprimorar ainda o PDDE-SP, por meio de um repasse mais equânime, que contemple melhor às necessidades da rede. O cálculo da quantia de cada escola será feito pela Secretaria de Estado da Educação. Para receber o recurso, as escolas terão de fazer um Plano de Aplicação Financeira. Assim, poderão prever a quantia destinada para custeio, para realizar gastos com pequenos reparos ou manutenção, por exemplo, e a quantia destinada para capital, que pode ser destinada para a aquisição de equipamentos, dentre outros investimentos. O PDDE-SP foi instituído em setembro de 2019, por meio da Lei 17.149. Antes da implementação do PDDE-SP, a Seduc realizava convênio com o Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Educação (FDE), para a qual eram repassados os recursos às APMs. A FDE, por sua vez, firmava convênio com cada APM. A necessidade de realizar tantos convênios gerava burocracia e uma grande dificuldade de gestão, resultando em atraso na execução da obra ou na reposição do material, que era um dos principais pontos de reclamação da rede.

Coletiva de imprensa: anúncios do Governo SP - 25/09/2020

O Governador João Doria anunciou nesta sexta-feira (25) o encerramento das atividades do Hospital de Campanha do Ibirapuera, com agradecimento a todos os profissionais de saúde que trabalharam na “linha de frente” do combate ao novo coronavírus. O serviço será encerrado no dia 30 de setembro, após 5 meses de funcionamento. Ao longo do período, o hospital atendeu 3.189 pacientes e obteve uma aprovação de 99% dos usuários. “O declínio da pandemia em todo estado de São Paulo, mais acentuadamente na capital, permite que, neste momento, o Governo do Estado possa determinar o fechamento do Hospital de Campanha do Ibirapuera, após cinco meses de atividades contínuas. O Hospital de Campanha do Ibirapuera atendeu quase 3,2 mil pacientes e foi fundamental no enfrentamento da COVID-19”, afirmou Doria. O último paciente do Hospital de Campanha do Ibirapuera terá alta neste sábado (26) e as equipes de saúde seguirão trabalhando na primeira etapa da desmobilização – o recolhimento dos materiais e insumos hospitalares que requerem manejo dos profissionais especializados. A partir do dia 30, a infraestrutura começa a ser retirada, com conclusão prevista para a primeira quinzena de outubro. O encerramento das atividades está atrelado à redução nos índices da pandemia em todo Estado. As estatísticas de novas internações registram queda há nove semanas consecutivas. Além disso, na Grande São Paulo, as taxas de ocupação dos leitos de UTI e de enfermaria estão entre as menores do Plano São Paulo, sendo 45,3% e 39,3%, respectivamente. O índice de satisfação dos pacientes foi medido nas principais frentes assistenciais, sempre com resultados satisfatórios. O atendimento médico teve nota de 99%; o de Enfermagem, 99,4%; as equipes multidisciplinares, com especialistas em Fisioterapia, Psicologia e Serviço Social, atingiram 99,2%. A qualidade do ambiente também foi bem avaliada: 97,5% aprovaram as acomodações, leitos e espaço físico, e 96,9% a limpeza e manutenção da unidade. Os percentuais de aprovação foram obtidos em pesquisa espontânea com 434 formulários respondidos por vontade dos próprios pacientes, que preencheram folders deixados ao lado dos leitos. A margem de confiabilidade é superior a 95%, com aplicação da metodologia da Escala de Likert, comumente aplicada em pesquisas de opinião, com cinco opções de resposta para avaliar o grau de satisfação de cada tópico. O Hospital de Campanha do Complexo Desportivo Constâncio Vaz Guimarães foi o primeiro implantado pelo Governo do Estado para cuidar exclusivamente de casos confirmados e suspeitos do novo coronavírus. Começou a funcionar no dia 1º de maio e, desde então, salvou 2.431 vidas após atendimento e alta hospitalar. Foram realizadas 725 transferências para outras unidades e 24 pessoas faleceram. Pacientes de 106 cidades foram recebidos pelo serviço, especialmente das regiões da Grande São Paulo, Campinas e Piracicaba, para as quais o hospital de campanha foi estabelecido como referência com a finalidade de dar suporte à demanda local. Os equipamentos instalados na unidade serão doados pelas empresas MChacon e Deca, parceiros do hospital, para entidades assistenciais e outras unidades de saúde, totalizando 268 colchões, 100 camas, 12 televisões, 74 vasos sanitários, 118 torneiras, 14 chuveiros, 62 cubas de porcelana, 53 pias e quatro tanques de aço inox. Ações especiais para celebrar o trabalho desenvolvido na unidade serão realizadas neste sábado (26), com homenagem às equipes e aos pacientes. “O Hospital de Campanha do Ibirapuera é o último que ainda estava em operação no estado de São Paulo. Todos, na capital e no estado, cumpriram bem a missão de salvar vidas Quero fazer um agradecimento especial aos médicos, enfermeiros, técnicos, auxiliares de enfermagem e todos os profissionais de Saúde que atuaram nos hospitais de campanha em São Paulo”, destacou Doria. O Hospital de Campanha do Ibirapuera iniciou as atividades em 1º de maio, com 268 leitos, incluindo 28 de Terapia Intensiva. Logo no primeiro dia, recebeu 18 pacientes, com um volume cada vez mais crescente à medida em que a pandemia do novo coronavírus evoluia. No dia 31 de maio, a unidade atingiu um total de 669 pacientes recebidos. O pico da demanda ocorreu em junho, chegando a 1.492 pacientes. No dia 4 daquele mês, o hospital atingiu ocupação superior a 80%. A unidade fechou julho com 2.118 pacientes, em agosto chegou a 2.879 e alcançou o total de 3.188 até 24 de setembro. Hoje (25), nove pacientes estão no local. A unidade contou com o trabalho de 800 profissionais, sendo mais de 200 médicos, cerca de 450 profissionais de Enfermagem, além de equipes de Fisioterapia, Farmácia, Assistência Social, Nutrição, Psicologia, Fonoaudiologia, apoio técnico e recepção. O serviço foi montado com aparato tecnológico para garantir atendimento com qualidade e humanização, além da prevenção a contaminações. Wi-fi foi disponibilizado a todas as equipes, pacientes e familiares para contato contínuo, com videochamadas e WhatsApp para atualização de quadros clínicos. Atividades focadas no bem-estar, como biblioteca itinerante, desenhos para colorir e outras ações especiais fizeram parte da rotina da unidade. O sistema de ar-condicionado instalado proporcionou climatização adequada e troca de ar constante, atendendo às normas sanitárias e de segurança. Com foco na sustentabilidade e na prevenção, o uso de papel foi extremamente reduzido com uso de sistema informatizado e prontuário eletrônico. Além disso, contou com máquina para compactação e desinfecção de lixo hospitalar que reduz resíduos em até 50% do peso e até 80% de volume, sem uso de produtos químicos e com baixo consumo de água e eletricidade. Foram investidos R$ 12 milhões na obra e custeio de R$ 10 milhões mensais. A área total é de 7,5 mil metros quadrados e ocupou o gramado e parte da pista de atletismo do Complexo, com apoio da Secretaria de Estado de Esportes para uso do espaço.

Early Emotion Knowledge and Later Academic Achievement Among Children of Color in Historically Disinvested Neighborhoods.

This study examined longitudinal relations between emotion knowledge (EK) in pre-kindergarten (pre-K; Mage  = 4.8 years) and math and reading achievement 1 and 3 years later in a sample of 1,050 primarily Black children (over half from immigrant families) living in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Participants were part of a follow-up study of a cluster randomized controlled trial. Controlling for pre-academic skills, other social-emotional skills, sociodemographic characteristics, and school intervention status, higher EK at the end of pre-K predicted higher math and reading achievement test scores in kindergarten and second grade. Moderation analyses suggest that relations were attenuated among children from immigrant families. Findings suggest the importance of enriching pre-K programs for children of color with EK-promotive interventions and strategies.

Coletiva de imprensa: anúncios do Governo SP - 22/07/2020

O Governador João Doria anunciou nesta quarta-feira (22) a marca atingida pelo Governo do Estado de 3.011 respiradores distribuídos desde o início da pandemia. O total inclui mais 167 equipamentos distribuídos nesta semana para hospitais de 51 cidades localizadas em todo o Estado. Os ventiladores pulmonares possibilitam a abertura de novos leitos de UTI (Unidades de Terapia Intensiva), garantindo atendimento aos casos graves provocados pelo novo coronavírus. “Inicio este período à frente da Secretaria de Estado da Saúde compartilhando este importante marco: 3 mil respiradores, que significam mais 3 mil leitos de UTI na rede pública para enfrentamento à pandemia de COVID-19, com o compromisso de que qualquer paciente que precisar de atendimento será assistido”, disse o Secretário de Estado da Saúde, Jean Carlo Gorinchteyn. A remessa desta semana contempla serviços localizados em 14 Departamentos Regionais de Saúde (DRS). “Hoje entregamos mais 167 respiradores para várias regiões do Estado e, com isso, aumentamos a capacidade de leitos de UTI nos hospitais. Nenhuma pessoa ficou ou ficará sem atendimento em São Paulo”, afirmou Marco Vinholi, Secretário de Desenvolvimento Regional do Estado. A distribuição é técnica e feita para locais com maior demanda de internações por COVID-19 e estrutura para novos leitos, permitindo ampliação da capacidade de atendimento da rede pública de saúde. Para enfrentamento à pandemia, o estado de São Paulo dobrou o número de leitos de terapia intensiva no SUS, ultrapassando 8 mil leitos do tipo. Saiba mais em www.saopaulo.sp.gov.br/coronavirus/vacina

Child school injury in Lebanon: A study to assess injury incidence, severity and risk factors.

BACKGROUND: School-based injuries represent a sizeable portion of child injuries. This study investigated the rates of school-based injuries in Lebanon, examining injury mechanisms, outcomes and associated risk factors. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected by intern school nurses at 11 private schools for the 2018-2019 academic year. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. Chi-square comparisons were conducted to determine the significance of any differences in injury rates between boys and girls for each category of school. RESULTS: 4,619 injury cases were collected. The yearly rate for school injuries was 419.1 per 1,000 children for the year 2018-2019. Boys demonstrated a significantly higher injury rate for all mechanisms of injuries, with the exception of being injured while walking, injured in the gym/sports areas, and other areas outside the playground and classroom. Elementary school children had the highest rate of injuries, nearly 2.4 times higher than kindergarten, 2.8 times higher than middle school, and 14.5 times higher than high school. Injuries to the face, upper extremities, and lower extremities were nearly 3 times more common than injuries to other areas of the body. Bumps/hits and bruises were most common-almost 3 times more likely than all other injury types. Injuries were mainly minor or moderate in severity-severe injuries were about 10 times less likely. Most injuries were unintentional, with rates nearly 5 times higher than those with unclear intent and 12 times higher than intentional injuries. CONCLUSIONS: School injuries represent a relatively common problem. Compliance with playground safety standards coupled with the implementation of injury prevention strategies and active supervision at schools can curtail child injuries and ensure a safe and injury-free school environment.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of classwide math intervention.

Given limited resources, schools are encouraged to consider not only what works, but also at what cost. Cost-effectiveness analysis offers a formal methodology to conceptualize and calculate the ratio of the costs to implement an intervention to its effects (i.e., incremental cost-effectiveness ratios). This study used the ingredients method to analyze secondary data from a randomized controlled trial (N = 537 fourth- and fifth-grade students) to calculate the cost-effectiveness of a classwide math intervention, and provides an overview of cost-effectiveness analysis for readers unfamiliar with the formal methodology. For fourth-graders, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $169.07, indicating it cost $169.07 per student for a 1 standard deviation increase in scaled scores on the state assessment. For fifth-graders, there was no statistically significant effect on the state assessment, but there were improvements in curriculum-based measurement (CBM) scores with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ranging from $65.08 to $469.12, depending on the type of CBM probe and implementation context. Additionally, using number-needed-to-treat (i.e., the number of participants who must be provided with the intervention to prevent one failure on the state assessment), the cost was $126.90 to prevent failure on the state assessment for one fourth-grade student receiving special education services or for one student who scored below the 25th percentile on the prior year's state assessment. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Food Industry Donations to Academic Programs: A Cross-Sectional Examination of the Extent of Publicly Available Data.

No studies have documented the prevalence of the food industry's funding of academic programs, which is problematic because such funding can create conflicts of interest in research and clinical practice. We aimed to quantify the publicly available information on the food industry's donations to academic programs by documenting the amount of donations given over time, categorizing the types of academic programs that receive food industry donations, cataloguing the source of the donation information, and identifying any stated reasons for donations. Researchers cataloged online data from publicly available sources (e.g., official press releases, news articles, tax documents) on the food industry's donations to academic programs from 2000 to 2016. Companies included 26 food and beverage corporations from the 2016 Fortune 500 list in the United States. Researchers recorded the: (1) monetary value of the donations; (2) years the donations were distributed; (3) the name and type of recipient; (4) source of donation information; and (5) reasons for donations. Adjusting for inflation, we identified $366 million in food industry donations (N = 3274) to academic programs. Universities received 45.2% (n = 1480) of donations but accounted for 67.9% of total dollars given in the sample. Community colleges, schools (i.e., preschool, elementary, middle, and high schools), and academic nonprofits, institutes, foundations, and research hospitals collectively received 54.8% of the donations, but made up less than one-third of the monetary value of donations. Half of the donations (49.0%) did not include a stated reason for the donation. In our sample, donations grew from $3 million in 2000 to $24 million in 2016. Food companies in our sample donated millions of dollars to universities and other academic programs but disclosed little information on the purpose of the donations. Achieving transparency in donation practices may only be possible if federal policies begin to require disclosures or if companies voluntarily disclose information.

Simulating the council-specific impact of anti-malaria interventions: A tool to support malaria strategic planning in Tanzania.

INTRODUCTION: The decision-making process for malaria control and elimination strategies has become more challenging. Interventions need to be targeted at council level to allow for changing malaria epidemiology and an increase in the number of possible interventions. Models of malaria dynamics can support this process by simulating potential impacts of multiple interventions in different settings and determining appropriate packages of interventions for meeting specific expected targets. METHODS: The OpenMalaria model of malaria dynamics was calibrated for all 184 councils in mainland Tanzania using data from malaria indicator surveys, school parasitaemia surveys, entomological surveillance, and vector control deployment data. The simulations were run for different transmission intensities per region and five interventions, currently or potentially included in the National Malaria Strategic Plan, individually and in combination. The simulated prevalences were fitted to council specific prevalences derived from geostatistical models to obtain council specific predictions of the prevalence and number of cases between 2017 and 2020. The predictions were used to evaluate in silico the feasibility of the national target of reaching a prevalence of below 1% by 2020, and to suggest alternative intervention stratifications for the country. RESULTS: The historical prevalence trend was fitted for each council with an agreement of 87% in 2016 (95%CI: 0.84-0.90) and an agreement of 90% for the historical trend (2003-2016) (95%CI: 0.87-0.93) The current national malaria strategy was expected to reduce the malaria prevalence between 2016 and 2020 on average by 23.8% (95% CI: 19.7%-27.9%) if current case management levels were maintained, and by 52.1% (95% CI: 48.8%-55.3%) if the case management were improved. Insecticide treated nets and case management were the most cost-effective interventions, expected to reduce the prevalence by 25.0% (95% CI: 19.7%-30.2) and to avert 37 million cases between 2017 and 2020. Mass drug administration was included in most councils in the stratification selected for meeting the national target at minimal costs, expected to reduce the prevalence by 77.5% (95%CI: 70.5%-84.5%) and to avert 102 million cases, with almost twice higher costs than those of the current national strategy. In summary, the model suggested that current interventions are not sufficient to reach the national aim of a prevalence of less than 1% by 2020 and a revised strategic plan needs to consider additional, more effective interventions, especially in high transmission areas and that the targets need to be revisited. CONCLUSION: The methodology reported here is based on intensive interactions with the NMCP and provides a helpful tool for assessing the feasibility of country specific targets and for determining which intervention stratifications at sub-national level will have most impact. This country-led application could support strategic planning of malaria control in many other malaria endemic countries.

An Underpinning of School Inequities: Asthma Absences and Lost Revenue in California Schools.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is epidemic in many locations in the United States. Asthma exacerbations pose serious health and education risks for students through school absences, school dropout, and introduction to the juvenile justice system. Accurate school district-level asthma data, currently in short supply, would enable early interventions that focus on specific geographic areas and racial and ethnic subgroups that have higher asthma prevalence. METHODS: To support the development of better local level data systems, we used two California student databases, as well as state education and financial databases, to develop two models to estimate school absences and to extrapolate their economic impact in lost school revenue. RESULTS: Analysis demonstrated subpopulations that are appropriate for early intervention: African American elementary school boys have 9.4 average absences per year, higher than other primary racial and ethnic groups. Students who miss ≥3 school days due to asthma account for $26 million of lost revenue. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate local level asthma data can identify subpopulations of students for whom environmental and treatment programs can be employed to reduce asthma absences and other related outcomes, and to reduce currently lost school revenues. Such programs also may diminish other asthma-related school inequities.

Supporting emotional well-being in schools in the context of austerity: An ecologically informed humanistic perspective.

BACKGROUND: Schools are commonly asked to take on roles that support the emotional well-being of students. These practices are in line with humanistic education theory and can be difficult to fulfil by schools. Broader ecological pressures, such as periods of austerity, are likely to add to the difficulty in meeting students' needs. AIMS: To explore whether professionals in schools believe that their work supporting pupils' emotional well-being has changed as a consequence of the current period of austerity. SAMPLE: This project reports the views of staff from three secondary schools in the North West of England. A purposive sample of 29 individuals, including members of the senior leadership team and newly qualified teachers, were involved. METHODS: All participants were interviewed about their perceptions of the impact of a sustained period of austerity upon their work. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Educational professionals associated wider socio-political factors with a perceived increase in the need for emotional support of pupils. They reported taking on new roles and responsibilities to accommodate this and noted they are doing so with fewer resources and limited governmental support. CONCLUSIONS: This paper concludes that considering humanistic education theory alongside ecological theory helps to conceptualize how socio-political factors can impact upon the emotional well-being in schools. An ecologically informed humanistic framework is depicted based upon the findings of this project as a means of understanding how these two theories complement one another and interact.

'Pro-tobacco propaganda': a case study of tobacco industry-sponsored elementary schools in China.

BACKGROUND: China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco products worldwide. While direct marketing and advertisement of tobacco products is restricted, indirect marketing still exists under the guise of sponsorship and corporate social responsibility (CSR). This case study is focused on tobacco industry-sponsored elementary schools in Chinese rural areas. METHODS: Field visits were conducted in Yunnan province to interview students, teachers, school principals and parents to understand their perceptions of the tobacco industry and its sponsorship of schools. Interviews with tobacco control activists were conducted in Beijing to discuss national tobacco control efforts targeting tobacco industry sponsorship. Interview data were transcribed and coded, with key themes developed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: While health consequences of smoking are generally known, attitudes towards the tobacco industry and its CSR activities remain positive among the general public. Educators and parents do not perceive any impacts on schoolchildren from exposure to 'pro-tobacco propaganda' created by the industry's CSR activities. Attitudes among tobacco control activists were drastically different, with consensus that CSR activities constitute indirect marketing attempts that should be banned. CONCLUSION: National tobacco control legislation banning all forms of indirect marketing including CSR is needed in order to protect the health of future generations.