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Working relationships between vendors and academic libraries have extended from a traditional one of customer and bookseller to the testing of vendor-developed software. This extension has occurred since 1980, the last quarter century. What has changed since 2000 is the addition of tests of vendor/client interface informed by enterprise software that completely alters methodologies for accommodating library requirements for book supply, MARC record supply, and electronic invoices and purchase orders. This paper will examine the technical, administrative, and legal considerations now relevant to beta testing of vendor software by library staff and offer charts and checklists that may make these projects more easily comprehended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: This chapter attends to the fact that research has revealed much about the importance of parents in this process, especially their increased instructional roles when their children undertake online courses. However, little is known about how online curriculum vendors construct the parents of their potential enrollees in order to make online learning an appealing option. Approach: This research examined what these testimonials revealed about how such companies conceptualize the beliefs parents of potential students. Inductive narrative theme analysis was used to analyze the testimonials. Findings: The findings of this research revealed a characterization of parents as providers of access to online learning, organizers of schedules around online learning, and leveraging time working online as space to nurture and support their children's academic development. The major plotline of these testimonials is one where parents solve problems for their children, who are not being successful in school, which resolves anxiety about a child's previous school performance and their future as students. For the parents, the benefit to this enrollment is increased feelings of efficacy. Research implications: This research comments on the role of narrative in educational decision-making in general and has additional potential to inform online teacher work with parents. Value: The value in this chapter lies in the author's unique approach to inquiry. Very little research on online learning has looked critically at what vendors promise in online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Concerns for information security in e-learning systems have been raised previously. In the pursuit for better authentication approaches, few schools have implemented students' authentication during online exams beyond passwords. This paper aims to assess e-learners' intention to provide multibiometric data and use of multibiometrics during online exams. Design/methodology/approach - Based on data collected from 163 e-learners from two institutions, the authors compared such measures when provided by their university versus by a third-party service vendor. The multibiometrics discussed included fingerprint, face, and voice recognition. Findings - The results show a clear indication by the learners that they are significantly more willing to provide their biometric data and intend to use multibiometrics when provided by their university compared with same services provided by a third-party vendor. Research limitations/implications - Research implications include the need for better understanding of multibiometrics implementations in educational settings. Practical implications - The findings are profound for vendors of multibiometrics as they must adjust their approach when implementing such technologies at higher educational institutions, rather than simply opt to license the use of such solutions and to host them. Originality/value - This study helps higher educational institutions better understand that learners do not appear to object to the use of multibiometrics technologies during online exams, rather the way in which such technologies are implemented and managed on-campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of the Govemments’ new school food standards from September 2006 across English schools has major implications for traditional school vending practices. Although vending has been viewed for several years as an income generator for the school, the potential detrimental influence that the contents of most machines may be having on children’s health, either directly (from consumption of the contents), or indirectly (from the messages they convey) has only recently become a high profile issue. The Health Education Trust has always held the view that vending per se is not the issue, it is the contents of the school machines that require changing. This paper summarises the recent work managed by the Trust, from the pilot studies in schools to developing a rationale for healthy vending operations. This work has indicated that there is much potential for healthy vending in schools, the pupils like it and healthy profits can still be made, provided the vending operation is well managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vendors of meals and snacks, granted the realities of the present changing economic and social lifestyles, will continue to feed large numbers of people despite the insanitary conditions under which most of them operate. This study sought to find out the degree of patronage of food sold by vendors, items purchased, reasons for patronizing, views and opinions on the services patronized. Two-hundred and forty-five students resident in five halls at the University of Ghana completed a self-administered questionnaire each. Eighty-six per cent purchased cooked meals and snacks regularly from vendors. Over two-thirds consumed their meals at the selling sites. However, the services and facilities offered by vendors were judged as inadequate and poor. Nineteen per cent reported having suffered diarrhoea, stomach aches, indigestion and other gastrointestinal problems as a result of eating vendored foods. Three outstanding reasons emerged for the high patronage of vendored foods. They are food always being available (69%); food being cheaper (62%); and more variety to choose from (42%). These findings portray the great influence of money and time on consumer choice of food in our present harsh economic environment. Patrons indicated several unhealthy practices by vendors that pose health threats to patrons. These observations together with several recommendations made regarding the safe handling of food, water and the environment indicate consumers' awareness of the need for safe delivery of the food they consume. There is the urgent need therefore to organize and train vendors, pass a food law, supervise operations of vendors and also educate consumers to choose only safe food and water and insist on a clean food environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early prevention of non-communicable diseases in Cameroon schools program was initiated in 2018 to address the alarming trend of obesity among adolescents through a nutrition education intervention aimed at increasing knowledge on nutrition and the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity. The program included: school surveys to document eating habits and health-risky behaviors in students, the development of a training curriculum, training and sensitization sessions for school staff, school vendors and students, and advocacy meetings with parliamentarians and mayors. We carried out a quasi-experimental study to assess the effect of the intervention on the student's knowledge and eating behavior three months after the training sessions. We compared the knowledge of a sample of students from five schools that were part of the program (IG) to that of students that were not (CG). The mean (±SD) score was 14.4/20 (±2.1) and 9.7/20 (±2.7) for IG and CG, respectively (p<0.001). Those who scored above 12/20 accounted for 89.8% of IG vs 23.8% of CG (p<0.001). Other significant achievements of this program are the amendment of the National School Hygiene Policy to include compulsory training in food hygiene and nutrition education for school canteen vendors and the integration of nutrition education sensitization sessions into the routine activities of school healthcare. The study showed that a wellstructured multi-sectoral nutritional education program could be the bedrock to improve healthy nutrition among adolescents, thereby serving as a vehicle for non-communicable disease prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School feeding programme is an important aspect of child’s cognitive development. Home-grown school feeding is an intervention programme designed for school aged children in order to eradicate hunger, increase enrolment, improve pupils’ nutritional value and pupils’ cognitive development whereas these objectives have not be achieved. Therefore, aim of the study is to holistically review the challenges faced in the implementation of homegrown school feeding programme among primary school pupils in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya & Mali) and ways of solving these challenges. The paper also reviewed the concept of home-grown school feeding and its challenges. A qualitative research design of systematic search strategy type was used to gathered information in different databases and journals. In the course of the study, the researchers discovered that the programme is faced with the issues of corruption due non- remittance of regular fund to the school vendors and underfunding of the programmes. Other penitent issues include: low and inadequate storage facilities, political interferences, inadequate nutritional meals and low level of implementation. The researchers recommended that caterers should be trained by dieticians on the type of food to prepare for pupils’ and also government should set up a monitoring team to supervise the home-grown school feeding programme for proper implementation in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and other Sub-Sahara Africa Countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author offers views on the relationship between the admissions office and student and the vendor and the admissions director in the recruitment of students. He relates his own personal experience as a former admissions counselor and of how he realized the parallel roles of vendors with admissions directors. He considers such parallel relationship for college admissions as a multifaceted business.

Digital technology creates new opportunities to design multisensory learning experiences. Evidence suggests that digital innovation can greatly benefit health education, including nutrition programs. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education sector, forcing schools to modify standard practices from exclusively in-person delivery to online or blended learning. Digitalized curriculums became particularly useful as an Emergency Remote Teaching tool. This article focuses on developing and implementing a multimedia, multisensory, and scalable Hip-Hop Healthy Eating and Living in Schools (H.E.A.L.S.) Nutrition–Math Curriculum (NMC). NMC comprises 20 lessons—music-based multimedia resources used in the classroom or at home. Fourteen lessons represent self-directed online modules (asynchronous learning) hosted on a Learning Management System (LMS) called "Gooru." The remaining six lessons are teacher-facilitated (in person or using Zoom) review sessions (synchronous learning). The article discusses (1) the development of NMC through the lens of the Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model (MMHEM), (2) the high acceptability of NMC evaluated using a mixed-methods design among minoritized fifth-grade students attending an after-school program, and (3) the students' completion and mastery rates of the NMC modules based on LMS data. Multimedia nutrition education programs integrated with common core curriculum content, such as NMC, may be a promising avenue for disseminating health education to minoritized children living in New York City and similar high fast-food density cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unhealthy diets are among the main risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In Sub Saharan Africa, NCDs were responsible for 37% of deaths in 2019, rising from 24% in 2000. There is an increasing emphasis on health-harming industrial foods, such as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), in driving the incidence of diet-related NCDs. However, there is a methodological gap in food systems research to adequately account for the processes and actors that shape UPFs consumption across the different domains of the food systems framework and macro-meso-micro levels of analysis. This paper interrogates how the Food Systems Framework for Improved Nutrition (HLPE in Nutrition and food systems. A report by the high level panel of experts on food security and nutrition of the committee on world food security, 2017), considered the dominant framework to analyse nutrition, and language of interdisciplinarity are practised in research with regards to consumption of UPFs among adolescents in Ghana, a population group that is often at the forefront of dramatic shifts in diets and lifestyles. We conducted a scoping review of studies published between 2010 and February 2022, retrieved 25 studies, and mapped the findings against the domains and analysis levels of the Food Systems Framework for Improved Nutrition (HLPE in Nutrition and food systems. A report by the high level panel of experts on food security and nutrition of the committee on world food security, 2017). Our study illustrates that there is a tendency to address unhealthy diets among adolescents in a siloed manner, and as a behavioural and nutritional issue. In most cases, the analyses fail to show how domains of the food systems framework are connected and do not account for linkages across different levels of analysis. Methodologically, there is a quantitative bias. From the policy point of view, there is a disconnect between national food policies and food governance (i.e., trade and regulations) and initiatives and measures specifically targeted at adolescent's food environments and the drivers of UPFs consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to explore perceptions of school-based physical therapists (SBPTs) about professional development and effective practice and to create a conceptual framework to help understand how SBPTs become effective practitioners who continue to learn and grow professionally as clinicians in an educational setting. Twenty school-based physical therapists completed a demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Guiding interview questions focused on SBPTs' perceptions of roles and responsibilities, professional development, barriers, and recommendations. Participants identified roles and personal qualities of effective SBPTs. Three concepts for the process of professional development were developed: educational context and culture, barriers to effective practice, and strategies for professional development. The development of effective practice for SBPTs is a multifaceted, iterative process involving a unique set of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that allow them to fulfill their roles. The process takes time and effort to understand the self within the educational context and culture, recognize barriers to effective practice, and develop strategies for success. A conceptual framework was developed to assist SBPTs in implementing a plan for professional development that leads to effectively providing services to students and functioning as essential members of the educational team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco usage has been identified as a leading preventable cause of mortality and is responsible for six million fatalities per year globally. India had enacted COTPA in 2003. Tobacco vendors are one of the key stakeholders for Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) implementation. Objective: To assess the knowledge gap on COTPA and to explore the perceived factors influencing implementation of COTPA among tobacco vendors in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted among tobacco vendors from Point of Sale (PoS) around 230 educational institutions (schools and degree colleges) in Puducherry for three months. Simple random sampling was applied to select educational institutions and the tobacco vendors from PoS located around these institutions were included. Data capture was done using a pretested, face-validated questionnaire incorporated in Epicollect software 5 and data analysis by SPSSv24. Purposive sampling was employed to conduct in-depth interviews among tobacco vendors till the point of saturation and manual content analysis performed. Written informed consents were sought. Institutional Ethical Committee approval was obtained. Results: Majority (95.7%) reported that they were aware of tobacco control legislation, but only one person had heard of COTPA. Awareness about the display of signage boards at PoS was observed in 75.7% vendors. Around 41.7% reported that they should not advertise any kind of tobacco products. Three major themes were identified: facilitators, barriers, and suggested measures for COTPA implementation. Conclusion: Tobacco vendors in Puducherry were aware of tobacco control legislations but not familiar with the COTPA and its provisions. It is necessary to put forth efforts to educate these important stakeholders to be more cognizant of COTPA and to effectively include them in anti-tobacco programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's food choices affect their nutritional health, development, and well‐being. In Nigeria, school lunch is generally unregulated; the food menu is usually at the discretion of individual vendors forcing pupils to make unsupervised food choices. This study examined the effectiveness of 6‐week nutrition education in enhancing pupils' knowledge and attitude on the school mid‐day meal choices in Ibadan, Nigeria. A pre‐test/post‐test, quasi‐experimental study was conducted with 100 pupils in 4th and 5th grades in public primary schools. Multistage sampling was used to select the participants. A nutrition education module and a questionnaire were used to collect the data. Frequency counts and t‐test were used for statistical analysis. Findings revealed the following dietary pattern: 44 of the pupils preferred junk food (mean 41.5, SD = 12.9), 37 were inclined toward protein‐rich food (mean 37.7, SD = 12.5), 32 favored food items dense in carbohydrates (mean 34.4, SD = 9.5), and 11 showed a preference toward food with high vitamins and minerals (mean 28.4, SD = 7.5). Nutrition knowledge (t = 6.4, df = 99, p <.05); (pre‐test: X¯ = 20.9 and SD = 1.0; post‐test: X¯ = 22.8, SD = 2.8) and attitude toward choice of meal showed statistically significant differences (t = 4.9, df = 99, p <.05; pre‐test: X¯ = 13.5 and SD = 6.8; post‐test: X¯ = 18.2, SD = 7.2). We recommend that the Ministry of Education should prepare a standard lunch menu for all schools and the school authorities should enforce it through the schools' food vendors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zimbabwe's socio-economic crises are well debated but not so much how they encroach on subjectivities. This paper discusses hustling as a multidimensional practice wrought by the crises and used by unemployed youth to get by. Using material from intensive fieldwork done in 2009–10 in Beitbridge on the border with South Africa, the paper discusses subjectivities spawned by and through hustling. With a premium on survival and managing uncertainty, hustling enlists ordinary citizens, law enforcement agents and others and blurs the line between work and crime as well (il)licit and (il)legal. Through the concept of 'schizoid subjectivities', the paper illustrates not only paradoxes of policy incoherencies and contradictions that create opportunities for hustling, perpetuate uncertainty for hustlers and deepen distrust among actors, but also edgy and conflicted lives of actors. The paper concludes that in the absence of viable alternative employment hustling is likely to continue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School Health Program or UKS aims to improve students learning achievement by improving their health status including the fulfillment of nutrition so that they can grow and develop optimally. The nutritional problems of school-age children in Indonesia, according to Riskesdas 2018 data, are children with the short/stunting category reaching 30.7%, while those who are obese are 8% and anemic 26%. Nutritional problems in school children will affect the quality of human resources in the future. Objectives: This study examined the effect of promoting healthy and safe snacks by UKS’s cadres on increasing knowledge, attitudes, behavior of students and snack sellers. Materials and Methods: The first stage of research was training elementary school students UKS’s cadres who will become educators on promoting healthy and safe food consumption behavior. The second stage was assessed to 360 randomly selected students and 94 school vendors in 12 different schools. The intervention schools received a package of promotions delivered by UKS’s cadres while the comparison group received the poster. Data on knowledge, attitudes, behavior of students and food sellers were collected using a questionnaire instrument. The data were collected by the researchers assisted by 12 enumerators, 6 research field assistants and 12 teachers in charge of the research field. Bivariate analysis using t-test, Wilcoxon test, and Mann Whitney test were used to assess the differences between the groups. Results: After intervention by UKS.s cadres, there was a change in students' knowledge of 51.1% for knowledge of healthy snacks, 52.8% about safe snacks, 82.8% about formalin, 62.8% about borax, and 75.6% about Rhodamine B. Changes in the behavior of snack sellers, the highest percentage of changes in holding food with tools is 62.5% and not holding food after holding money is 54.2%. Increased change were significantly higher in the intervention groups than the comparison group (p

Copyright of Revista Chilena de Pediatría is the property of Revista Chilena de Pediatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article we present the long-run gains of adopting a nutritious school meal program for Swedish children. During the 1960s, Sweden rolled out a universal program that provided nutritious school lunches free of charge to all children in Swedish primary schools. Our results show that the school lunch program generated substantial long-term benefits, where pupils exposed to the program during their entire primary school period have 3 percent greater life-time earnings. This effect was greater for pupils from poor households, suggesting that the program reduced socioeconomic inequalities in adulthood. Exposure to the school lunch program also had substantial effects on educational attainment and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition—both undernutrition and overnutrition—is a public health concern worldwide and particularly in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). The education sector has high potential to improve immediate nutrition outcomes by providing food in schools and to have more long‐term impact through education. We developed a conceptual framework to show how the education sector can be leveraged for nutrition. We reviewed the literature to identify existing frameworks outlining how nutrition programs can be delivered by and through the education sector and used these to build a comprehensive framework. We first organized nutrition programs in the education sector into (1) school food, meals, and food environment; (2) nutrition and health education; (3) physical activity and education; (4) school health services; and (5) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. We then discuss how each one can be successfully implemented. We found high potential in improving nutrition standards and quality of school foods, meals and food environment, especially through collaboration with the agriculture sector. There is a need for well‐integrated, culturally appropriate nutrition and health education into the existing school curriculum. This must be supported by a skilled workforce—including nutrition and public health professionals and school staff. Parental and community engagement is cornerstone for program sustainability and success. Current monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programming in schools is weak, and effectiveness, including cost‐effectiveness, of interventions is not yet adequately quantified. Finally, we note that opportunities for leveraging the education sector in the fight against rising overweight and obesity rates are under‐researched and likely underutilized in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unhealthy food vending can expose children to malnutrition and other diet related challenges such as obesity. This study sought to describe types and sources of food in basic schools in urban Accra, and to describe food purchases by pupils. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of five basic schools (3 public; 2 private) and 644 pupils in the Ga-East Municipality in Ghana. Check-lists were used to document available sources of foods during school hours. Pupils were intercepted after making purchases during breaktime and the type, cost and sources of foods purchased documented. Energy content of foods were read from labels when available or estimated using the Ghana Food Composition database when unlabelled. Frequencies and crosstabs were used to compare food type by source and school type. Results: Foods were purchased from school canteen, school store, private stores, and 'table-top' vendors. Meals were most frequently purchased (38%) although single purchases were sweetened drinks, savoury snacks and confectioneries. About 53% of retailers located within the schools sold relatively healthier food options. Similar foods with comparable energy content were purchased within and outside of school. Conclusions: Basic schools in urban Ghana provide ready access to energy dense food options, which are purchased by pupils both within and outside of school premises. Timely interventions inclusive of school food policies can encourage healthier diets among pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional definitions of "on-time graduation" and "college readiness" often place the needs of traditionally marginalized students (first-generation, low-income, immigrant and/or students of color) in a deficit light. This multi-case study explores how school leaders at two public high schools are redefining and reframing these policies for their specific student populations. The findings suggest that extending graduation beyond 4 years and using intersectional understandings of college readiness increase traditionally marginalized students' opportunities to finish high school and pursuing postsecondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is currently experiencing rapid urbanisation impacting on people's food environments and dietary habits. Such changes are associated with higher prevalence of obesity coexisting with undernutrition. The present paper provides an overview of the healthiness of African urban food environments. We discuss the ways that food environments can be characterised and summarise the methods that can be used to investigate and intervene in the food environment. Data for Africa over a 50-year period (1961-2013) suggest an increasing availability of energy, animal products, fruit and vegetables, vegetable oils, sugar and sweeteners but a decrease in animal fats. There is a lack of evidence about how social, physical and macro-environments drive dietary habits in urban Africa, as most research has focused on the individual level. Examining how food consumption is embedded in everyday life, by investigating social environments is crucial to developing effective interventions. The informal food sector plays an important role in the retail food environment. Macro-level food price changes are an important factor influencing nutritional quality of African diets. The rapid expansion of food/beverages advertising in Africa threatens traditional food habits. Liberalisation of food trade is already impacting on the nutritional quality of food available. Improving African food environments represents a pressing public health concern and has the potential to prevent all forms of malnutrition. Hence, by conducting research into the role of urban social, physical and macro-environments, emerging interventions and policies are likely to positively impact on nutritional status, thereby enhancing social and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended education flourishes all over the world. Within different cultures and sociopolitical backgrounds, it takes different terms, forms, and developments across nations. Without identifying the common concepts of extended education, we may not expect further developments in extended education research. This study examined the terms that are used to describe extended education in each country. Research focus was given to the kind of connotations the terms contain - in what ways the terms are perceived. Given that extended education in each nation has its own heritage and historicity, the study also suggested four extended education development models. The four models mainly concern the origin of extended education - for what reasons a certain type of extended education was introduced and developed as a legitimate educational arrangement. Finally, this current study attempted to explore the common features and concepts of extended education as an area of education research and academic discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a serious problem among children in Mexico. In 2010, the government implemented a national food and physical activity policy in elementary schools, to prevent obesity. The goal of this study is to assess the implementation of this policy, using the logic model from a descriptive survey with national representativeness at the elementary school level and based on a stratified cluster design. We used a systematic random sampling of schools (n = 122), stratified into public and private. We administered questionnaires to 116 principals, 165 members of the Food and Physical Activity Committees, 132 food school food vendors, 119 teachers, 348 parents. This study evidences a significant deviation in implementation from what had been planned. Our lessons learned are the importance to: base the design/implementation of the policy on a theoretical framework, make programs appealing to stakeholders, select concrete and measurable objective or goals, and support stakeholders during the implementation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The study compared hemoglobin (Hb) and serum ferritin levels between adolescent and adult women with different body mass indices, dietary intake, and sociodemography. A secondary analysis of data for 3177 South African women ⩾15 years of age who participated in the SANHANES‐1 study was undertaken. Abnormal Hb (≤12 g/dL) and serum ferritin (<15 μg/mL) were based on the World Health Organization's criteria for nonpregnant women aged ⩾15 years. Data were analyzed using STATA version 11. Overall, anemia was detected in 740 (23.3%) participants. Of the individuals in the subsample (n = 1123, 15–35 years) who had serum ferritin measured, 6.0% presented with iron depletion (ID) and 10.8% presented with iron‐deficiency anemia (IDA). The highest prevalences of anemia, ID, and IDA were in 15‐ to 18‐year‐olds (11.2%, 8.8%, and 20.2%, respectively). Black young adults (19–24 years) were up to 40 times more likely to present with ID compared with their non‐black counterparts. While overweight adolescents were three times more likely to be anemic, overweight and obese young adults, as well as obese older adults (25–35 years), were less likely to be anemic compared with normal‐weight women of all age groups. Overconsumption of dietary fat increased ID by up to 54‐ and 11‐fold (adolescents and 25‐ to 35‐year‐olds, respectively). In South Africa, anemia is most prevalent in adolescents and black women. Anemia is also an indicator of overconsumption of dietary fat and a marker of socioeconomic disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbiological risks of street foods have been reported as a health concern. This study determined microbial hazard knowledge of school food vendors. Ninety six vendors from 16 secondary schools of Mvudi and Dzindi circuits in Thulamela Municipality, Vhembe District, participated in a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Quantitative methods were used. Descriptive statistics were obtained using version 21 of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Secondary school food vending in Mvudi and Dzindi circuits is typically done by females (90.6%) aged 30 years and above of Venda ethnicity (91.7%). Although 51% had never attended school and had neither health (91.76%) nor nutrition (90.6%) training/education, 74% were aware that food can cause illnesses. Furthermore, 50% knew that expired/spoiled foods can cause foodborne illnesses. Most vendors (54.2%), indicated that they had never experienced a person being sick from eating food either from their businesses or somewhere else. Few (12.5%) reported not to know symptoms of foodborne illnesses. With regards to prevention of foodborne illnesses, 7.3% indicated no knowledge whatsoever about preventative measures against foodborne illnesses. Basic critical prevention measures such as hand washing before and after handling food, washing food before cooking, storing food properly as well as covering hair were not known by 75% of the participants. Microbial hazards knowledge of school food vendors was inadequate on all tested aspects including, causes, symptoms and prevention of foodborne illnesses. This remains a serious concern looking at the risk that can be posed by these foods in the health and nutritional status of school children as consumers of these foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Health Promoting Schools Initiative can provide a platform to explore integration of oral health promotion activities within the broader context of healthcare delivery. Objectives: To understand the contextualised delivery of oral health service provision within Health Promoting Schools, to conduct a situational analysis of existing services provided at these schools and to review current health and education policies. Methods: The explorative study design used a mixed methods approach. Twenty-three schools of a total sample of 154 were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Data collection comprised policy reviews, a self-administered questionnaire, a data capture sheet and an interview schedule. The study was approved by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (HSS/0509/013D). Results: Although policies included statements on oral health promotion, this was not translated into practice at school level. Barriers and challenges identified for successful implementation of an oral health promotion programme included lack of funds, human resources, knowledge and ownership, as well as high workloads and time constraints. Conclusion: Current delivery of oral health promotion services within the Health Promoting Schools Initiative will not reap the desired oral health outcomes owing to the inherent mismatch between policy planning and implementation. More research needs to be conducted to address opportunities and challenges facing educators and other oral healthcare providers working in the school environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of new technologies in schools and classrooms around the nation has been met with a mixture of enthusiasm and anxiety. Education technologies ("ed tech") present tremendous opportunities: they allow schools to tailor programs to individual students; make education more collaborative and engaging through social media, gamification, and interactive content; and facilitate access to education for anyone with an Internet connection in remote parts of the world. At the same time, the combination of enhanced data collection with highly sensitive information about children and teens presents grave privacy risks. Indeed, in a recent report, the White House identified privacy in education as a flashpoint for big data policy concerns. This Article is the most comprehensive study to date of the policy issues and privacy concerns arising from the surge of ed tech innovation. It surveys the burgeoning market of ed tech solutions, which range from free Android and iPhone apps to comprehensive learning management systems and digitized curricula delivered via the Internet. It discusses the deployment of big data analytics by education institutions to enhance student performance, evaluate teachers, improve education techniques, customize programs, and better leverage scarce resources to optimize education results. This Article seeks to untangle ed tech privacy concerns from the broader policy debates surrounding standardization, the Common Core, longitudinal data systems, and the role of business in education. It unpacks the meaning of commercial data uses in schools, distinguishing between behavioral advertising to children and providing comprehensive, optimized education solutions to students teachers, and school systems. It addresses privacy problems related to "small data"-the individualization enabled by optimization solutions that "read students" even as they read their books-as well as concerns about "big data" analysis and measurement, including algorithmic biases, discreet discrimination, narrowcasting, and chilling effects. This Article proposes solutions ranging from deployment of traditional privacy tools, such as contractual and organizational governance mechanisms, to greater data literacy by teachers and parental involvement. It advocates innovative technological solutions, including converting student data to a parent-accessible feature and enhancing algorithmic transparency to shed light on the inner working of the machine. For example, individually curated "data backpacks" would empower students and their parents by providing them with comprehensive portable profiles to facilitate personalized learning regardless of where they go. This Article builds on a methodology developed in the authors' previous work to balance big data rewards against privacy risks, while complying with several layers of federal and state regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of obesity among children has roughly tripled in the past 30 years. Given the numerous health risks associated with obesity, elementary schools have implemented a variety of prevention programs targeting this problem. This review examines recent studies of combinations of obesity prevention programs in US elementary schools and offers recommendations about effective strategies. We found 12 studies that met selection criteria and reviewed their findings related to obesity-related outcomes. Among the single intervention strategies, neither physical activity nor education alone demonstrated efficacy in reducing objective measures of obesity. Most studies of programs with two or three components (i.e., physical activity plus nutrition, physical activity plus both education and nutrition) reported statistically significant improvements in objective obesity-related outcomes. Studies evaluating programs with community and parental involvement suggest that these components may increase effectiveness. However, studies assessing outcomes following the cessation of the program showed a reversal of positive effects, suggesting that long-term implementation of programs is important for sustained gains. Results suggest that combinations of obesity prevention programs sustained over time are most likely to be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Whole grain ( WG) options are often limited in schools, which may impact rural, low-income students who rely on school meals for a substantial portion of their food intake. This study examined the changes in the availability and quantity of WG and refined grain foods offered in schools participating in the Creating Healthy, Active and Nurturing Growing-up Environments ( CHANGE) study, a randomized, controlled intervention among rural communities (4 intervention and 4 control). METHODS Foods were assessed using production records, recipes, and nutrition labels from breakfast and lunch over 1 week during fall 2008 and spring 2009. Key informant interviews were conducted with school food service directors in the spring 2009. RESULTS The CHANGE intervention schools significantly increased the average percent of school days WGs were offered (p = .047) and the amount of WGs offered/food item (ounces) at lunch compared with control schools (p = .02). There was a significant decrease in the percent of students with access to refined grains at lunch compared with control schools (p = .049), although there were no significant differences in WG availability during breakfast. CONCLUSIONS The CHANGE schools improved WG availability, enabling student's WG consumption to be closer to national recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Dietary behaviours and physical activity are modifiable risk factors to address increasing levels of obesity among children and adolescents, and consequently to reduce later cardiovascular and metabolic disease. This paper explores perceptions, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators related to healthy eating and physical activity among adolescent girls in rural South Africa. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in the rural Agincourt subdistrict, covered by a health and sociodemographic surveillance system, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Semistructured “duo-interviews” were carried out with 11 pairs of adolescent female friends aged 16 to 19 years. Thematic content analysis was used. Results: The majority of participants considered locally grown and traditional foods, especially fruits and vegetables, to be healthy. Their consumption was limited by availability, and these foods were often sourced from family or neighbourhood gardens. Female caregivers and school meal programmes facilitated healthy eating practices. Most participants believed in the importance of breakfast, even though for the majority, limited food within the household was a barrier to eating breakfast before going to school. The majority cited limited accessibility as a major barrier to healthy eating, and noted the increasing intake of “convenient and less healthy foods”. Girls were aware of the benefits of physical activity and engaged in various physical activities within the home, community, and schools, including household chores, walking long distances to school, traditional dancing, and extramural activities such as netball and soccer. Conclusions: The findings show widespread knowledge about healthy eating and the benefits of consuming locally grown and traditional food items in a population that is undergoing nutrition transition. Limited access and food availability are strong barriers to healthy eating practices. School meal programmes are an important facilitator of healthy eating, and breakfast provision should be considered as an extension of the meal programme. Walking to school, cultural dance, and extramural activities can be encouraged and thus are useful facilitators for increasing physical activity among rural adolescent girls, where the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Salud Pública de México is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper describes the first African experience with the Nutrition-Friendly School Initiative (NFSI) in two large West African cities: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Cotonou, Benin. NFSI was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners in 2006, as a means of preventing the double burden of malnutrition: the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition among school-children. NFSI pilot-testing is one component of the Partnership Project on the Double Burden of Malnutrition, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency for 6 years (2008–2014). The Project assisted the government in the selection of pilot schools, fostered the installation of health and nutrition committees in selected schools, and helped with the initial school self-assessments. In accordance with the empowering philosophy of health promotion, pilot schools did not follow a pre-defined schedule of interventions, except for the training of teachers in nutrition education and the nutritional (anthropometric) surveillance of schoolchildren. For the latter activities, technical assistance and seminal funds were provided. Yearly planning workshops were held for school committees, with WHO support. In both settings, training was given to street vendors in order to improve the hygiene and nutritional value of food sold to schoolchildren. Other activities included special nutrition events and sanitation measures. In both cities, NFSI showed promising results in terms of school and community mobilization towards improved nutrition and health; however, NFSI must be better understood as an endogenous and self-sustaining approach. Furthermore, household poverty and scarce school resources appear as major barriers to gaining full impact of NFSI in low-income populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is a global epidemic posing problems for both developed and developing nations. The prevalence is particularly alarming in developed nations, such as the United States, where approximately one in three school-aged adolescents (ages 12-19) are overweight or obese. Evidence suggests that weight gain in school-aged adolescents is related to energy imbalance exacerbated by the negative aspects of the school food environment, such as presence of unhealthy food choices. While a well-established connection exists between the food environment, presently there is a lack of studies investigating the impact of the social environment and associated interactions of school-age adolescents. This paper uses a mathematical modelling approach to explore how social interactions among high school adolescents can affect their eating behaviour and food choice. Methods: In this paper we use a Cellular Automata (CA) modelling approach to explore how social interactions among school-age adolescents can affect eating behaviour, and food choice. Our CA model integrates social influences and transition rules to simulate the way individuals would interact in a social community (e.g., school cafeteria). To replicate these social interactions, we chose the Moore neighbourhood which allows all neighbours (eights cells in a two-dimensional square lattice) to influence the central cell. Our assumption is that individuals belong to any of four states; Bring Healthy, Bring Unhealthy, Purchase Healthy, and Purchase Unhealthy, and will influence each other according to parameter settings and transition rules. Simulations were run to explore how the different states interact under varying parameter settings. Results: This study, through simulations, illustrates that students will change their eating behaviour from unhealthy to healthy as a result of positive social and environmental influences. In general, there is one common characteristic of changes across time; students with similar eating behaviours tend to form groups, represented by distinct clusters. Transition of healthy and unhealthy eating behaviour is non-linear and a sharp change is observed around a critical point where positive and negative influences are equal. Conclusions: Conceptualizing the social environment of individuals is a crucial step to increasing our understanding of obesogenic environments of high-school students, and moreover, the general population. Incorporating both contextual, and individual determinants found in real datasets, in our model will greatly enhance calibration of future models. Complex mathematical modelling has a potential to contribute to the way public health data is collected and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluated the primary school environment in terms of being conducive to good nutrition practices, sufficient physical activity and prevention of nicotine use, with the view of planning a school-based health intervention. Methods: A sample of 100 urban and rural disadvantaged schools was randomly selected from two education districts of the Western Cape Education Department, South Africa. A situation analysis, which comprised an interview with the school principal and completion of an observation schedule of the school environment, was done at all schools. Results: Schools, on average, had 560 learners and 16 educators. Principals perceived the top health priorities for learners to be an unhealthy diet (50%) and to far lesser degree, lack of physical activity (24%) and underweight (16%). They cited lack of physical activity (33%) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs; 24%) as the main health priorities for educators, while substance abuse (66%) and tobacco use (31%) were prioritised for parents. Main barriers to health promotion programmes included lack of financial resources and too little time in the time table. The most common items sold at the school tuck shops were crisps (100%), and then sweets (96%), while vendors mainly sold sweets (92%), crisps (89%), and ice lollies (38%). Very few schools (8%) had policies governing the type of food items sold at school. Twenty-six of the 100 schools that were visited had vegetable gardens. All schools reported having physical activity and physical education in their time tables, however, not all of them offered this activity outside the class room. Extramural sport offered at schools mainly included athletics, netball, and rugby, with cricket and soccer being offered less frequently. Conclusion: The formative findings of this study contribute to the knowledge of key environmental and policy determinants that may play a role in the health behaviour of learners, their parents and their educators. Evidently, these show that school environments are not always conducive to healthy lifestyles. To address the identified determinants relating to learners it is necessary to intervene on the various levels of influence, i.e. parents, educators, and the support systems for the school environment including the curriculum, food available at school, resources for physical activity as well as appropriate policies in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the intertwining of neoliberal urbanism and education policy in Chicago. Drawing on critical studies in geography, urban sociology and anthropology, education policy, and critical analyses of race, the author argues that education is constitutive of material and ideological processes of neoliberal restructuring, its contestation, and the struggle for a new urban social imaginary. The paper focuses on neoliberalization of education as a social process. The data show that education policy is constitutive of racialized restructuring of urban space and managerial governance of the public sphere. While capital is a central actor, neoliberal policy also works its way into the discourses and practices of education through actions of marginalized and oppressed people working within constraints of the present situation. This suggests the need to address the (Gramscian) 'good sense' of neoliberal policy in a counter-hegemonic struggle for the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a look at the negative influence of misplaced priorities in medicine. The author suggests that interventions that improve outcomes should be pursued by those in medical professions. He discusses how reordering priorities, choosing effective services, delivering care, preventing disease, and fostering social change can improve medicine and decrease mortality in patients in the United States. Problems associated with overuse and underuse are discussed, as are quality and patient satisfaction.

Aim: The school health programme (SHP), which focuses on promoting safe environments for school children, has not been given proper attention in Nigeria. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of SHP on ensuring safe environments for primary school children.Methods: The study was conducted in ten primary schools in Ife-Central Local Government Area (IFLGA) of Osun State, Nigeria. The ten schools were those that are used by medical students of Obafemi Awolowo University for their clinical rotation posting in Community Health. Hence, these students were used as research assistants. The study employed experimental design and an observational checklist was used to collect data. The project was carried out over a period of three years from 2002–2005. During this period, the students carried out some aspects of SHP by constantly giving health talks to pupils and school personnel on the promotion of optimum sanitary condition in schools. Data were collected on existing facilities in schools and behavioural practices that can promote safe environments both pre-and post-intervention by the SHP.Results: Comparing the two results showed that a well organized and properly executed SHP can be used to create safe environments for school children.Concluion: The study recommends that the SHP should be implemented in all primary schools in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents information on the importance of the development of Cincinnati Virtual High School (CVHS) in Ohio. Background on the educational agenda in the U.S.; Necessity of creating an educational institution that is safe and trusting for at risk students; Information on the demographics of the CVHS and the goals of establishing this educational institution; Discussion on the curriculum of the CVHS.

Iron deficiency anaemia is highly endemic in rural areas of Tanzania and in many developing countries. Its prevention among school children requires greater dissemination of knowledge of anaemia among children, teachers, parents and the general community. Associated improvements in the hygienic status of domestic and school environments are also often required. One-hundred-and-thirty-one anaemic children, 90 parents and 76 teachers were interviewed to ascertain their understanding of anaemia. Most children and parents had little knowledge of the symptoms, causes and prevention of anaemia. In addition to their iron-deficient diets, more than half of the children went to school without something to eat at breakfast and during school hours. However, parents and teachers were willing to work together to provide meals for the children. Poor sanitation in the children's homes and in schools was a little recognized factor which could pose a serious risk of anaemia. In addition, inadequate sanitation facilities and poor quality of physical environment prevailed both in the children's homes and in schools. The findings suggest the need for the establishment of a health-promoting schools network to provide a comprehensive framework for health promotion in schools as well as in homes in Tanzania and in other developing countries. Schools can be an ideal setting to positively influence a community's health status. Partnerships among teachers, parents and the wider community are required to identify, prioritize and ameliorate health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]