Influence of eye-related behavior on myopia among junior middle school students under the background of double reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the changes in the unhealthy eye-related behaviors of junior middle school students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the double reduction policy and its relationship with myopia. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2019-2022 Tianjin Children and Youth Myopia, Common Diseases and Health Influencing Factors Survey. Latent profile analysis (LPA) and a generalized linear model (GLM) were applied to analyze the effect of eye-related behavior classes on myopia. RESULTS: A total of 2508 junior middle school students were included. The types of eye-related behavior were categorized into the medium-healthy behavior group, heavy academic burden and near-eye behavior group, insufficient lighting group and high-healthy behavior group. Students with heavy academic burdens and near-eye behavior were more likely to develop myopia than were those in the high-healthy group (OR = 1.466, 95% CI = 1.203-1.787; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The dual reduction policy has a positive effect on improving unhealthy eye-related behaviors, and the prevention and control of myopia through the use of different combinations of eye-related behaviors are heterogeneous among junior middle school students. In the post-COVID-19 period, we should continue to implement a double reduction policy and formulate targeted eye-related behavior strategies to provide an important reference for the prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents during public health emergencies in the future.

What books should we like? A study of gender differences and stereotypes in the reading behaviors of Chinese middle school students.

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated gender differences in the reading behaviors of Chinese middle school students, and whether gender stereotypes relating to choices of reading matter are supported. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Three thousand nine hundred and fifteen middle school (Grade 7) students completed a questionnaire designed to assess reading behaviors. Independent sample t-test and chi-square analyses were employed to examine gender differences in reading behaviors. The qualitative survey was supplemented with an open response survey (94 boys, 50 girls), which provided further insights into individuals' specific experiences and perspectives regarding reading behaviors and gender stereotypes in reading choices. RESULTS: This study revealed a number of gender-linked differences. Boys spent more time reading than girls but read the same number of books; boys were also more likely than girls to read digital texts, while girls were more likely to borrow their reading material. Choice of subject matter also differed: boys were more likely to read factual and action-based books, while girls' choices focused more on motives and emotions. Another significant difference was that boys paid more attention to the overall experience of reading, while girls paid more attention to the details of reading. Responses to the open response survey indicated that gender stereotypes in reading choices were prevalent among respondents, but some students' reading choices did not align with the stereotype associated with their gender. CONCLUSION: The mixed-methods approach proved valuable in both identifying gender differences in reading behaviors, and in highlighting the prevalence of gender stereotypes in reading choices among middle school students.

Online Self-Disclosure and Self-Concept Clarity Among Chinese Middle School Students: A Longitudinal Study.

The relationship between online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity has been previously examined through cross-sectional studies. This study examined causal connections between online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity among Chinese middle school students using longitudinal data collected over 18 months. Participants were 535 seventh-grade students aged 12-14 years (Mage = 12.93, SD = 0.54, 43.18% girls), assessed four times, six months apart. In a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, self-concept clarity significantly predicted online self-disclosure. Latent growth mixture modeling identified two distinct growth trajectories for both online self-disclosure (Rapid change, 7%; Slow change, 93%) and self-concept clarity (Rapid change, 8%; No change, 92%). Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that changes in self-concept clarity influenced the developmental trajectory profile of online self-disclosure. Although male and female students differed in online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity, gender differences in the developmental trajectory profiles of online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity were not significant. Supporting adolescents in developing a clear self-concept to mitigate risks associated with excessive online self-disclosure is important.

Left-behind cumulative risk and academic adjustment in Chinese middle school students: The moderating effect of growth mindset.

Left-behind children, as a large-scale disadvantaged group, encounter an array of risk factors that impede their academic development because of parental migration. The current study aimed at investigating the roles of left-behind cumulative risk and growth mindset on academic adjustment and exploring whether growth mindset moderated the association between left-behind cumulative risk and academic adjustment in left-behind middle school students. A total of 1184 left-behind middle school students (615 males; 12-16 years) participated in the study. Results indicated that left-behind cumulative risk is negatively associated with academic adjustment in middle school students (ß = -.199, t(1183) = -7.229, p < .001). Besides, growth mindset has a protective effect on left-behind middle school students' academic adjustment (ß = .386, t(1183) = 14.070, p < .001) and a moderating effect on the relationship between left-behind cumulative risk and academic adjustment (ß = .394, t(1182) = 4.057, p < .001, ΔR2 = .012). These findings suggest that family risk factors related to left-behind status affect the academic adjustment of left-behind middle school students in a superposition way, while the positive individual factor of growth mindset could protect the negative impact caused by parental migration.

[Association between body mass index and blood pressure of Tibetan primary and secondary school students in Lhasa City in 2020].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between body mass index(BMI) and blood pressure among Tibetan primary and secondary school students in Lhasa City. METHODS: From August to October 2020, 1929 Tibetan students were selected from 12 primary and secondary schools in Lhasa City to conduct questionnaire surveys on demographic characteristics, smoking, drinking, living habits, and food consumption frequency, and physical examinations such as height, weight and blood pressure measurements. The association between BMI and blood pressure was analyzed with multivariate logistic regression model and linear regression model. RESULTS: A total of 843 boys(43.70%)and 1086 girls(56.30%)were surveyed, with an average age of(14.25±2.71) years old.925 people(47.95%)were in urban areas and 1004 people(52.05%)were in rural areas. There were 726 people(37.64%)inprimary school students, 692 people(35.87%)in junior high school, 363 people(18.82%)in high school, and 148 people(7.67%)in vocational high school. There were 541 people(28.05%)who were emaciated, 183 people(9.49%)who were overweight, and 87 people(4.51%)who were obese. The wasting, overweight and obesity rates of Tibetan primary and secondary school students were 28.05%, 9.49% and 4.51%, respectively. The high blood pressure rate was 8.76%. The BMI value of the high blood pressure group of students was higher than that of the students in the normal blood pressure group, and the difference was statistically significant(t=4.63, P<0.05). The result of the multi-factor logistic regression model showed that among the study subjects, the risk of high blood pressure, high systolic blood pressure, and high diastolic blood pressure were 3.07 times higher than those of people with normal BMI(95% CI 1.71-5.51, P<0.01), 2.83 times(95% CI 1.38-5.81, P<0.01), 4.19 times(95% CI 2.11-8.32, P<0.01). The risk of high blood pressure in overweight people was 1.17 times that of people with normal BMI(95% CI 1.04-2.84, P=0.04). The result of the linear regression model showed that mild wasting(ß=-2.41, 95% CI-3.95--0.87) and moderate to severe wasting(ß=-4.71, 95% CI-6.19--3.23) was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure, while overweight(ß=2.56, 95% CI 0.88-4.24) and obesity(ß=5.55, 95% CI 3.20-7.91) were positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, moderate to severe wasting(ß=-2.46, 95% CI-3.88--1.04) was negatively correlated with diastolic blood pressure, and obesity(ß=3.42, 95% CI 1.16-5.68) was positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Obesity is positively correlated with blood pressure and high blood pressure among Tibetan primary and secondary school students.

[Screen time among Chinese primary and middle school students from 2016 to 2017].

OBJECTIVE: To get a better knowledge of the current situation of screen time among primary and secondary school students in all provinces of China from 2016 to 2017. METHODS: Data was from the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance of Children and Lactating Women(2016-2017).275 monitoring points were selected from 31 provinces of China by multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling. A total of 280 primary and secondary school students from 2 primary schools, 2 junior middle schools and 1 senior high school were randomly selected from each monitoring point to complete the survey.73629 primary and secondary school students(except grade 9 and grade 12) were included in this study. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2017, the average daily screen time of Chinese primary and secondary school students was(1.65±1.54) hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.29(0.58, 2.21) h. In terms of provinces, the average daily electronic screen time of primary and secondary school students in Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan is more than 2 hours. In terms of rural and urban areas, the screen time of students in Beijing's rural and urban areas, Tianjin's rural areas, Hebei's urban areas, Liaoning's rural areas, Jilin's rural areas, Fujian's urban areas, Guangdong's urban areas, Guangxi's urban areas, Hainan's rural and urban areas, and Xinjiang's urban areas all exceeds 2 hours/day. Besides, screen times of rural primary and secondary school students in Beijing(Z=2.62, P<0.01), Tianjin(Z=5.94, P<0.01), Liaoning(Z=11.56, P<0.01), Jilin(Z=-7.59, P<0.01), Shanghai(Z=3.19, P<0.01), Jiangsu(Z=12.00, P<0.01), Zhejiang(Z=-4.80, P<0.01), Anhui(Z=-4.67, P<0.01), Jiangxi(Z=-3.29, P=0.01), and Sichuan(Z=-4.53, P<0.01) are longer than that of urban students. CONCLUSION: There are urban-rural differences in the average daily electronic screen time and different types of electronic screen time of primary and secondary school students in China's provinces from 2016 to 2017.

Relationship between childhood sexual abuse and attitudes toward premarital sexual permissiveness among middle school students in Luzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the number of adolescents engaging in premarital sex has increased, and an increasing number of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) cases have been reported in China. Many studies have indicated that CSA has a well-established association with risky sexual activities. However, only a limited number of studies have explored possible reasons for this association among middle school students, a population that may engage in premarital sex, which is critical for the development of interventions to prevent risky sexual behavior. Based on random samples of middle school students from a Chinese city, this article investigated the relationship between CSA and students' premarital sexual permissiveness (PSP). METHODS: In a cross-sectional study conducted between 2016 and 2017 in Luzhou, China, 2292 middle school and high school students aged 12-18 years were recruited by multistage random sampling. All students were administered anonymous questionnaires. Multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the relationship between CSA and PSP. RESULTS: The prevalence of CSA was 15.4% (354/2292; 95% CI: 14-16.9%). A higher percentage of male respondents (18.2%) than female respondents (12.9%) had experienced CSA. A positive association between CSA and PSP was found among students. Respondents who had suffered CSA exhibited greater PSP, and this relationship was observed in the male sample, female sample and the total student sample in Luzhou (ß = - 3.76, P < 0.05; ß = - 2.79, P < 0.05; and ß = - 2.84, P < 0.05, respectively). Respondents who had suffered CSA were also more likely to express a double standard about premarital sex (odds ratio [OR] =1.41, P < 0.05), especially among male students (odds ratio [OR] =1.63, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sex differences in CSA and the relationship between CSA and PSP were significant among this large sample of middle school students in Luzhou (China). The findings suggest that experiencing CSA may be closely related to youth attitudes toward premarital sex, especially among males. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the prevention of CSA and provide adolescent reproductive health programs to reduce the impact of CSA on sexual cognition and attitude, prevent premarital sex and promote positive attitudes toward sexual equality for middle school students.

Longitudinal association between poor parental supervision and risk-taking behavior: The role of self-control and school climate.

INTRODUCTION: Although poor parental supervision has been associated with an increased adolescents' propensity for risk-taking behavior, few researchers have investigated nuanced mechanisms of how and for whom from the perspective of "family × school." Inspired by ecological system theory and self-control theory, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-control and the moderating role of school climate between the link between poor parental supervision and risk-taking behavior. METHODS: Four hundred and ninety-one Chinese adolescents (231 females, Mage = 15.39 ± 1.36) were recruited to participate in a three-wave longitudinal study (3 months apart) and complete questionnaires regarding poor parental supervision (W1), school climate (W1), self-control (W2), and risk-taking behavior (W1/W3). RESULTS: After controlling for W1 risk-taking behavior, our moderated mediation model indicated that W1 poor parental supervision was positively related to W3 risk-taking behavior by restraining the development of W2 self-control. Additionally, a high level of school climate as a protective factor buffered the negative impact of poor parental supervision on adolescents' self-control, further reducing risk-taking behavior. CONCLUSION: Our findings shed light on the processing mechanisms between poor parental supervision and risk-taking behavior among Chinese adolescents and underscore the importance of effective preventions and interventions to facilitate adolescents' healthy development.

[Current situation of screen time among Chinese primary and middle school students from 2016 to 2017].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and describe the status and characteristics of using electronic screens of primary and middle school students in China from 2016 to 2017. METHODS: From 2016 to 2017, 275 monitoring points were selected from 31 provinces in China, and 280 primary and middle school students were selected from each monitoring point to complete the survey. Using the suggestion from "Healthy China Initiative(2019-2030)"of which the screen time of primary and middle school students should be less than one hour per day as the standard. RESULTS: A total of 74 314 primary and secondary school students(except grade 9 and grade 12) were included in this study. Among them, there were 37 147 boys(50.0%) and 37 167 girls(50.0%); 44 612 pupils(60.0%), 14 858 junior school students(20.0%), and 14 844 senior high school students(20.0%); 38 995(52.5%) rural students and 35 319(47.5%) urban students; 53 287 boarding students(71.7%) and 20 537 day students(27.6%). From 2016 to 2017, the average daily screen time of Chinese primary school students was 1.45 hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.14(0.57, 1.93) h. That of junior high school students was 1.92 hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.43(0.71, 2.48) h. That of senior high school students was 2.37 hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.71(0.90, 3.02) h. The average daily screen time qualified rates of primary school, junior high and senior high school students were 46.1%, 37.1% and 27.7%, respectively. From 2016 to 2017, the most used electronic screen products of primary school students in China were TV/videos(62%), followed by mobile phones(21%). Junior high school students spent 38% and 37% of the total time watching TV/videos and playing mobile phones, respectively. High school students spend the longest time using mobile phones(49%) of the total time, followed by watching TV/videos(26%). CONCLUSION: With the increasing of grade, screen time became longer, and screen time qualified rate dropped. Moreover, the most used electronic screens were mobile phones and TV/videos.

[Association between patterns of adverse childhood experiences, screen time and non-suicidal self-injury behaviors among middle school students].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to understand the relationship between patterns of adverse childhood experiences(ACEs), screen time and non-suicidal self-injury behaviors(NSSI) among middle school students. METHODS: Stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 14 500 middle school students(7347 boys and 7153 girls; 7247 junior high school students and 7253 senior high school students; 7619 urban students and 6881 rural students) from Shenzhen, Guiyang, Nanchang and Zhengzhou Cities. Questionnaire surveys were conducted using the child abuse questionnaire, household dysfunction questionnaire, non-suicidal self-injury behavior questionnaire and screen time items. The latent class analysis was used to evaluate the ACEs exposure patterns, and multivariable logistic regressions was used to analyze the association between patterns of ACEs, screen time levels and their combined effects with NSSI. RESULTS: Latent class analysis indicated four distinct patterns of ACE exposure: highly ACEs group(6.3%), highly abuse and neglect group(21.4%), lowly ACEs group(26.8%), highly neglect group(45.5%). Those in highly ACEs(OR=4.65, 95%CI 3.73-5.80), highly abuse and neglect(OR=3.43, 95%CI 2.91-4.06) and highly neglect(OR=1.31, 95%CI 1.11-1.55) group had significantly higher risk of NSSI compared with those in lowly ACEs group(P<0.001). In study days(OR=1.72, 95%CI 1.42-2.08) and weekends(OR=1.42, 95%CI 1.27-1.60), high screen time were associated with increased rate of NSSI(P<0.01). There showed a trend toward increased risk of NSSI with increasing ACEs exposure and screen time level(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: High ACEs exposure patterns and high screen time are associated with increased rate of NSSI. Reducing ACEs exposure and controlling screen time is beneficial to the prevention and control of NSSI in middle school students.

How is Students' Understanding of Nature of Science Related with Their Metacognitive Awareness?

The paper reports an empirical study on the relationship between middle school students' understanding of nature of science (NOS) and their metacognitive awareness. The reconceptualised family resemblance approach to the nature of science (RFN) (Erduran & Dagher, 2014; Kaya & Erduran, 2016) as a holistic framework that covers science as epistemic-cognitive and social system guided the study. A total of 701 students (180 5th, 167 6th, 170 7th, and 184 8th grade) and 3 students from each grade level (in total 12 students) who have low, moderate, high-RFN understanding, and metacognitive awareness levels were interviewed. The data sources are the "RFN Student Questionnaire," "Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Children," and interviews. The data was analyzed with Pearson product-moment and thematic analysis. The results indicated that there is a statistically positive relationship between middle school students' RFN understanding and their metacognitive awareness. Furthermore, the results of the interviews showed that students' responses to RFN and metacognitive awareness questions were aligned and compatible. The students with high metacognitive awareness had higher RFN understanding and those with lower metacognitive awareness had lower RFN understanding. This relationship was evident for each grade level student separately as well. The study opens a new study area in terms of the use of metacognitive strategies in RFN-enriched lessons for experimental and causal-comparative designs. The teacher education programs or curriculum studies can consider utilization of metacognitive prompts in NOS teaching.

Co-occurrence subgroups of child sexual abuse, health risk behaviors and their associations among secondary school students in China.

BACKGROUND: Little is known on the co-occurrence and heterogeneity of child sexual abuse (CSA) or health risk behavior (HRB) prevalence nor the associations among the victims. OBJECTIVES: To detect the prevalence and subgroups of adolescents reporting CSAs or HRBs, and to examine the association between the subgroups. METHODS: Participants were secondary school students in a national survey in China (N = 8746). Self-reported CSA and HRB experiences were collected through a computer assisted questionnaire. Prevalence and confidence intervals were calculated. Multigroup latent class analysis (LCA) was used to examine latent subgroups of CSA and HRB. Dual latent class regression analysis was used to examine the association between CSA and HRB classes. RESULTS: A total of 8746 students participated in our study. The prevalence of having ever experienced any of the reported seven CSA items was 12.9%. The preferred LCA model consisted of a three-class CSA latent variable, i.e. "Low CSAs"(95.7% of the total respondents), "Verbal or exhibitionism CSAs"(3.3%), and "high multiple CSAs" (1.1%); and a three-class HRB latent variable, i.e. "Low HRBs"(70.5%), "externalizing HRBs" (20.7%), and "internalizing HRBs" (8.7%). Students in the "Verbal or exhibitionism CSAs" or "high multiple CSAs" classes had higher probabilities of being in "externalizing HRBs" or "internalizing HRBs" classes. The probabilities were higher in "high multiple CSAs" class(male externalizing OR 4.05, 95%CI 1.71-9.57; internalizing OR 11.77, 95%CI 4.76-29.13; female externalizing OR 4.97, 95%CI 1.99-12.44; internalizing OR 9.87, 95%CI 3.71-26.25) than those in "Verbal or exhibitionism CSA"(male externalizing OR 2.51, 95%CI 1.50-4.20; internalizing OR 3.08, 95%CI 1.48-6.40; female externalizing OR 2.53, 95%CI 1.63-3.95; internalizing OR 6.05, 95%CI 3.73-9.80). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of CSA items varies. Non-contact CSAs are the most common forms of child sexual abuse among Chinese school students. There are different latent class co-occurrence patterns of CSA items or HRB items among the respondents. CSA experiences are in association with HRB experiences and the associations between latent classes are dose-responded. Multi-victimization has more significantly negative effects. The results could help identify high-risk subgroups and promote more nuanced interventions addressing adverse experiences and risk behaviors among at-risk adolescents.

Relationships between Smartphone Addiction and Smartphone Usage Types, Depression, ADHD, Stress, Interpersonal Problems, and Parenting Attitude with Middle School Students.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between smartphone addiction of middle school students and smartphone usage types, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), stress, interpersonal problems, and parenting attitude. In particular, we wanted to find out how smartphone usage types predict smartphone addiction when controlling depression, ADHD, perceived stress, interpersonal problems, and parenting attitudes, which are the main predictors of existing smartphone addiction in this study. METHODS: The subjects of this study included 487 local middle school students (253 girls and 234 boys). The measurement instruments used were the smartphone addiction scale, patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Korean ADHD rating scales (K-ARS), perceived stress scale (PSS), Short form of the Korean-inventory of interpersonal problems circumplex scales (KIIP-SC), and the parenting attitude scale. We identified the relationships between the variables with correlation analysis and examined the predictors of smartphone addiction with hierarchical multiple regression analysis. RESULT: The factors that influence smartphone addiction were sex (ß = 3.14, P < 0.01), stress (ß = 2.99, P < 0.01), and interpersonal problems (ß = 3.81, P < 0.001). In addition, when the confounding variables of smartphone addiction were controlled to examine the effects of smartphone usage types on smartphone addiction, social network service (SNS) (ß = 2.66, P < 0.01) and music/videos (ß = 2.73, P < 0.01) were found to significantly positively affect smartphone addiction, whereas study (ß = -2.54, P < 0.05) had a significantly negatively effect. And these factors explained 29.5% of the variance in smartphone addiction. CONCLUSION: The order of the usage types with the highest influence on smartphone addiction was: enjoying music/videos, SNS, and study. This suggests that selective intervention depending on the main smartphone usage type can be effective.

Association between lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms among Chinese middle school students: a cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to identify the independent contributions of lifestyle factors to depressive symptoms among Chinese middle school students, with a focus on gender differences. A cross-sectional study of 3081 middle school students was conducted in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China. Students were asked to complete a questionnaire including socio-demographics, lifestyle factors, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Chinese Secondary School Students Depression Scale. The total prevalence of depressive symptoms was 19.9%. Poor quality of sleep, smoking, drinking and longer mobile phone use time were related to increased prevalence of depressive symptoms after adjusting for potential confounders. A significant interaction between gender and quality of sleep on the depressive symptoms was found (P = 0.014). The gender-stratified analysis showed that quality of sleep was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in both genders. However, the effect in males was greater than that in females.

Parents' and adolescents' perceptions of parental involvement and their relationships with depression among Chinese middle school students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although psychological stress that adolescents may encounter during the COVID-19 pandemic has been of increasing interest to scholars, few studies have examined the profound impact that parents give to adolescents when staying indoors. This study surveyed 1,550 students and their parents from eight middle schools in eastern China. We employed multiple linear regressions with school fixed effects to examine the different perceptions of parental involvement between parents and children, and the relationships between these different types of parental involvement and depression in middle school students. Results indicated that discrepancies existed in their perceptions of behavioral aspects of parental involvement, including parental academic involvement, parent-teacher communication, and parent-child communication. Most saliently, higher levels of parental academic involvement (B = 0.051, p < 0.05) and lower levels of parent-child communication (B = -0.084, p < 0.05) perceived by students were associated with higher levels of depression. These findings contribute to the understanding of the association between parental involvement and students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prevalence of child maltreatment among Chinese primary and middle school students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide an estimate of the prevalence of child maltreatment among Chinese primary and middle school students. An attempt was also made to explore the causes of heterogeneity by analyzing stratified variables and other potentially related factors included in the study. METHODS: Literature retrieval has been carried out in the databases, including Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database and China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc), for relevant published studies up to October 2019. The Cochran's chi-squared test (Cochran's Q), I2 test and subgroup analysis were performed to evaluate the heterogeneity. Funnel plots were used to detect publication bias. Trim-and-fill method was performed to identify possible asymmetry and assess the robustness of the conclusions. RESULTS: A total of 1433 studies were obtained after retrieval. Finally, 19 eligible studies were included in meta-analysis after detailed exclusion. The pooled prevalence of child physical abuse (CPA), child emotional abuse (CEA), child sexual abuse (CSA), child physical neglect (CPN) and child emotional neglect (CEN) were 0.20 (95% CI 0.13, 0.27), 0.30 (95% CI 0.20, 0.39), 0.12 (95% CI 0.09, 0.15), 0.47 (95% CI 0.35, 0.58) and 0.44 (95% CI 0.28, 0.59), respectively. In subgroup analyses, a higher prevalence of CEN was reported in rural areas. Meanwhile, the prevalence of CPN and CEN in non-only child group was higher than that observed in only child group. Compared with children without mental symptoms, children with mental symptoms have a higher incidence of all categories of child maltreatment. In terms of assessment tools, studies using Childhood Trauma Questionnaire as an assessment tool reported lower prevalence of CPA, CEA. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire In addition, the prevalence of CPN, CEN in studies conducted in northern China was significantly higher than that estimated in southern and central China. For CSA, eight additional studies required trimming according to the trim-and-fill analysis, and the pooled estimate was 0.042 after filling. For CPA, CEA, CPN and CEN, there were no indications of publication with the trim and fill method (data unchanged). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that primary and middle school students had a relatively high prevalence of maltreatment. Because of the visible heterogeneity of the studies included, more large samples, high-quality and prospective studies are needed in the future to acquire the accurate prevalence of child maltreatment in China. Certainly, future research needs to focus not only on the estimate of prevalence of child maltreatment, but also on risk factors and intervention strategies for child maltreatment.

Introducing physiology of diabetes to American Asian middle school and high school students.

Diabetes, a chronic condition that impacts millions, is a complex disease. Understanding the disease can contribute to increasing awareness about this debilitating condition and preventing occurrences. Furthermore, inculcation of physiology knowledge may lead to an increased likelihood of career goals that align with this area of study. In pursuit of these goals, we set out to educate middle and high school students about diabetes. Thirty (16 high school; 14 middle school) students from a Sunday school program at an urban religious center completed a 10-question pretest as a way to measure initial knowledge about diabetes. Following completion of the survey, a 1-h education session was presented by a local physician who also brought a glucometer and insulin syringes for students to have a hands-on experience with some disease-specific tools. A posttest was administered following the presentation. The posttest consisted of 11 questions, where all but 2 questions were the same as for the pretest, measuring improvement of prior knowledge and engagement in the presentation. The overall posttest average score increased by approximately two correct responses, which was a significant improvement (P < 0.0001), suggesting that the students were motivated to and did learn diabetes concepts. This study also suggests that exposing students to educational activities related to physiology is beneficial and may lead to an increase in interest in physiology, an awareness of diabetes, and perhaps the development of healthy habits.

Effects of School-Based Meditation Courses on Self-Reflection, Academic Attention, and Subjective Well-Being in South Korean Middle School Students.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of school-based meditation courses on middle school students' self-reflection, academic attention (ability to focus in classrooms), and subjective well-being. DESIGN AND METHODS: The research design was a nonequivalent group comparison (n = 163) with pretest and post-test. The experimental group (n = 81) was given an eight-week meditation course and the control group (n = 82) was given other elective courses such as calligraphy and reading. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant increases in self-reflection (t = 2.536, p = .012) and academic attention (t = 2.767, p = .006), but subjective well-being did not increase significantly (t = 0.906, p = .367). Life satisfaction was the only subcomponent of subjective well-being that increased significantly (t = 2.438, p = .016); the other subjective well-being subcomponents did not show any significant changes. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reflection and academic attention significantly increased in middle school students after an eight-week meditation course. Even though changes in subjective well-being were not significant, one of its subcomponents (life satisfaction) did show significant improvement. Self-reflection and subjective well-being were shown to be influential factors for academic attention (48.5% of the variance explained). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study is meaningful in that it examined positive benefits of a meditation course in middle school students and explored the feasibility of such a course in a school system.

[Association between screen time and sleep habits in 11-to-12-year-old French middle school students]. / Associations entre les temps d'écran et les habitudes de sommeil chez des jeunes collégiens.

BACKGROUND: Screen media usage has become increasingly commonplace in daily life with children initiating themselves to screen media at an early age. Given the high prevalence of screen viewing among children worldwide, its impact on children's health has become a cause for concern. Unfortunately, little information on the independent association between sleep habits and screen time in French children is currently available. The main aim of this study was to assess possible relationships between screen time and sleep habits (quality, duration, etc.) among young middle school students in France. METHODS: A total of 448 (55 % girls) 11-to-12-year-olds from 5 schools were included. Body weight and height were measured according to standard procedures and BMI percentiles were determined based on international reference values. Sleep parameters were obtained by sleep diaries and visual estimations. A sleep diary was maintained for one week to record sleeping and waking times and related information. Information on lifestyle habits (sedentary behaviours, physical activity, and dietary intake) was obtained via standardised questionnaires. RESULTS: Participants were 11.5 (±0.4) years of age. From total sample, 25.5 % reported screen time ≥2hours/d during school days and 62.7 % during school-free days. High screen time was associated with significantly poorer sleep habits and these results remained valid after adjustment for several confounding factors (body mass index, sex, center and parental level of educational attainment) (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study highlights an association between longer screen time and shorter sleep duration in French middle school students aged 11 to 12 years. Preventive measures on use of and exposure to screens are called for. Further studies are necessary to confirm our findings.

Consumption of foods containing prohibited artificial colors among middle-school children in Nay Pyi Taw union territory, Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: Food safety control in Myanmar is regulated by the Department of Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA conducts food safety education programs in schools and regular market surveys of foods containing prohibited artificial colors. However, the consumption of foods containing FDA-prohibited artificial colors among school children is understudied. This study aimed to assess the consumption of foods containing FDA-prohibited artificial colors among middle-school children in Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory, Myanmar. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at eight public schools in Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory in 2017. The schools were selected using simple random sampling with a drawing method. In total, 776 students (359 boys and 417 girls) participated in face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and photos of foods containing artificial color published by FDA. A multiple logistic regression was performed to estimate adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for consumption of such foods. RESULTS: In total, 519 (66.9%) children consumed foods with the FDA-prohibited colors. It was revealed that students at suburban schools were nearly five times more likely to consume foods containing FDA-prohibited artificial colors (AOR = 4.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.99-7.82) compared to those at urban schools. In addition, being in the seventh grade (AOR = 3.38; 95% CI 2.30-4.98), availability of prohibited food in school canteen (AOR = 6.16; 95% CI 2.67-14.22), and having a less educated father (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI 1.06-2.92) were positively associated with consumption of the foods with the prohibited colors. CONCLUSION: More than half of the students consumed foods with the prohibited colors. Consumption was more frequent among students from suburban schools, those with unsafe foods accessible at their school canteen, seventh graders, and students with a less educated father. The findings highlighted that school food safety programs, which focus on preventing consumption of foods containing FDA-prohibited artificial colors, are urgently required. Food safety regulation is also required to ban the sale of unsafe food, especially in school canteens.