22 results on '"Allen, Elizabeth A."'
Search Results
2. The Positive Choices trial: study protocol for a Phase-III RCT trial of a whole-school social marketing intervention to promote sexual health and reduce health inequalities
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Ponsford, Ruth, Meiksin, Rebecca, Allen, Elizabeth, Melendez-Torres, G. J., Morris, Steve, Mercer, Catherine, Campbell, Rona, Young, Honor, Lohan, Maria, Coyle, Karin, and Bonell, Chris
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- 2021
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3. Implementation of the Good School Toolkit in Uganda: a quantitative process evaluation of a successful violence prevention program
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Knight, Louise, Allen, Elizabeth, Mirembe, Angel, Nakuti, Janet, Namy, Sophie, Child, Jennifer C., Sturgess, Joanna, Kyegombe, Nambusi, Walakira, Eddy J., Elbourne, Diana, Naker, Dipak, and Devries, Karen M.
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- 2018
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4. A pilot whole‐school intervention to improve school ethos and reduce substance use
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Bonell, Chris, Sorhaindo, Annik, Strange, Vicki, Wiggins, Meg, Allen, Elizabeth, Fletcher, Adam, Oakley, Ann, Bond, Lyndal, Flay, Brian, Patton, George, Rhodes, Tim, and Marks, Ray
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- 2010
- Full Text
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5. Does the Good Schools Toolkit Reduce Physical, Sexual and Emotional Violence, and Injuries, in Girls and Boys equally? A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial
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Devries, Karen M, Knight, Louise, Allen, Elizabeth, Parkes, Jenny, Kyegombe, Nambusi, and Naker, Dipak
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Male ,Schools ,School-based interventions ,Sexual Behavior ,education ,Emotions ,Bullying ,Gender ,Violence ,Article ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Cluster Analysis ,Humans ,Wounds and Injuries ,Uganda ,Female ,Child - Abstract
We aimed to investigate whether the Good School Toolkit reduced emotional violence, severe physical violence, sexual violence and injuries from school staff to students, as well as emotional, physical and sexual violence between peers, in Ugandan primary schools. We performed a two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial with parallel assignment. Forty-two schools in one district were allocated to intervention (n = 21) or wait-list control (n = 21) arms in 2012. We did cross-sectional baseline and endline surveys in 2012 and 2014, and the Good School Toolkit intervention was implemented for 18 months between surveys. Analyses were by intention to treat and are adjusted for clustering within schools and for baseline school-level proportions of outcomes. The Toolkit was associated with an overall reduction in any form of violence from staff and/or peers in the past week towards both male (aOR = 0.34, 95%CI 0.22-0.53) and female students (aOR = 0.55, 95%CI 0.36-0.84). Injuries as a result of violence from school staff were also lower in male (aOR = 0.36, 95%CI 0.20-0.65) and female students (aOR = 0.51, 95%CI 0.29-0.90). Although the Toolkit seems to be effective at reducing violence in both sexes, there is some suggestion that the Toolkit may have stronger effects in boys than girls. The Toolkit is a promising intervention to reduce a wide range of different forms of violence from school staff and between peers in schools, and should be urgently considered for scale-up. Further research is needed to investigate how the intervention could engage more successfully with girls.
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- 2017
6. The role of family and school-level factors in bullying and cyberbullying: a cross-sectional study
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Bevilacqua, Leonardo, Shackleton, Nichola, Hale, Daniel, Allen, Elizabeth, Bond, Lyndal, Christie, Deborah, Elbourne, Diana, Fitzgerald-Yau, Natasha, Fletcher, Adam, Jones, Rebecca, Miners, Alec, Scott, Stephen, Wiggins, Meg, Bonell, Chris, and Viner, Russell M.
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Male ,Internet ,Student-level variables ,Schools ,Adolescent ,education ,lcsh:RJ1-570 ,Multi-level models ,Bullying ,lcsh:Pediatrics ,Models, Psychological ,Cyberbullying ,United Kingdom ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Logistic Models ,Risk Factors ,Humans ,Gatehouse bullying scale ,School-level variables ,Family ,Female ,Child ,Students ,Crime Victims ,Research Article - Abstract
Background: \ud Bullying and cyberbullying are common phenomena in schools. These negative behaviours can have a significant impact on the health and particularly mental health of those involved in such behaviours, both as victims and as bullies. This UK study aims to investigate student-level and school-level characteristics of those who become involved in bullying and cyberbullying behaviours as victims or perpetrators.\ud \ud Methods: \ud We used data from 6667 Year 7 students from the baseline survey of a cluster randomized trial in 40 English schools to investigate the associations between individual-level and school-level variables with bullying victimization, cyberbullying perpetration, and cyberbullying victimization. We ran multilevel models to examine associations of bullying outcomes with individual-level variables and school-level variables.\ud \ud Results: \ud In multilevel models, at the school level, school type and school quality measures were associated with bullying risk: students in voluntary-aided schools were less likely to report bullying victimization (0.6 (0.4, 0.9) p = 0.008), and those in community (3.9 (1.5, 10.5) p = 0.007) and foundation (4.0 (1.6, 9.9) p = 0.003) schools were more likely to report being perpetrators of cyberbullying than students in mainstream academies. A school quality rating of “Good” was associated with greater reported bullying victimization (1.3 (1.02, 1.5) p = 0.03) compared to ratings of “Outstanding.”\ud \ud Conclusions: \ud Bullying victimization and cyberbullying prevalence vary across school type and school quality, supporting the hypothesis that organisational/management factors within the school may have an impact on students’ behaviour. These findings will inform future longitudinal research investigating which school factors and processes promote or prevent bullying and cyberbullying behaviours.\ud \ud Trial registration: \ud Trial ID: ISRCTN10751359 Registered: 11/03/2014 (retrospectively registered).
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- 2017
7. Initiating change locally in bullying and aggression through the school environment (INCLUSIVE) trial: update to cluster randomised controlled trial protocol
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Bonell, Chris, Mathiot, Anne, Allen, Elizabeth, Bevilacqua, Leonardo, Christie, Deborah, Elbourne, Diana, Fletcher, Adam, Grieve, Richard, Legood, Rosa, Scott, Stephen, Warren, Emily, Wiggins, Meg, and Viner, Russell M.
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lcsh:R5-920 ,Schools ,Time Factors ,Adolescent ,Cost-Benefit Analysis ,Emotions ,education ,Age Factors ,Bullying ,Environment ,Violence prevention ,Update ,Cluster randomised trial ,Aggression ,School intervention ,England ,Adolescent Behavior ,Research Design ,Humans ,Learning ,Social Behavior ,Students ,lcsh:Medicine (General) ,School Health Services - Abstract
Background Systematic reviews suggest that multi-component interventions are effective in reducing bullying victimisation and perpetration. We are undertaking a phase III randomised trial of the INCLUSIVE multi-component intervention. This trial aims to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the INCLUSIVE intervention in reducing aggression and bullying victimisation in English secondary schools. This paper updates the original trial protocol published in 2014 (Trials 15:381, 2014) and presents the changes in the process evaluation protocol and the secondary outcome data collection. Methods The methods are summarised as follows. Design: cluster randomised trial. Participants: 40 state secondary schools. Outcomes assessed among the cohort of students at the end of year 7 (n = 6667) at baseline. Intervention: INCLUSIVE is a multi-component school intervention including a social and emotional learning curriculum, changes to school environment (an action group comprising staff and students reviews local data on needs to review rules and policies and determine other local actions) and staff training in restorative practice. The intervention will be delivered by schools supported in the first two years by educational facilitators independent of the research team, with a third intervention year involving no external facilitation but all other elements. Comparator: normal practice. Outcomes: Primary: Two primary outcomes at student level assessed at baseline and at 36 months: 1. Aggressive behaviours in school: Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime school misbehaviour subscale (ESYTC) 2. Bullying and victimisation: Gatehouse Bullying Scale (GBS) Secondary outcomes assessed at baseline, 24 and 36 months will include measures relating to the economic evaluation, psychosocial outcomes in students and staff and school-level truancy and exclusion rates. Sample size: 20 schools per arm will provide 90% power to identify an effect size of 0.25 SD with a 5% significance level. Randomisation: eligible consenting schools were randomised stratified for single-sex versus mixed-sex schools, school-level deprivation and measures of school attainment. Discussion The trial involves independent research and intervention teams and is supervised by a Trial Steering Committee and a Data Monitoring Committee. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN10751359 . Registered on 11 March 2014.
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- 2017
8. Methods to increase reporting of childhood sexual abuse in surveys: the sensitivity and specificity of face-to-face interviews versus a sealed envelope method in Ugandan primary school children
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Barr, Anna Louise, Knight, Louise, Franҫa-Junior, Ivan, Allen, Elizabeth, Naker, Dipak, Devries, Karen M., Barr, Anna [0000-0003-4370-9469], and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
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Male ,Schools ,Adolescent ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Confidential methods ,Methodology ,Disclosure ,Child Abuse, Sexual ,Violence ,Child sexual abuse ,Face-to-face interviews ,Interviews as Topic ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Reporting ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Africa ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Uganda ,Female ,Sexual violence ,Confidentiality ,Research Article - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Underreporting of childhood sexual abuse is a major barrier to obtaining reliable prevalence estimates. We tested the sensitivity and specificity of the face-to-face-interview (FTFI) method by comparing the number of disclosures of forced sex against a more confidential mode of data collection, the sealed-envelope method (SEM). We also report on characteristics of individuals associated with non-disclosure in FTFIs. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014, with n = 3843 children attending primary school in Luwero District, Uganda. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated, and mixed effects logistic regression models tested factors associated with disclosure in one or both modes. RESULTS: In the FTFI, 1.1% (n = 42) of children reported ever experiencing forced sex, compared to 7.0% (n = 268) in the SEM. The FTFI method demonstrated low sensitivity (13.1%, 95%CI 9.3-17.7%) and high specificity (99.8%, 95%CI 99.6-99.9%) in detecting cases of forced sex, when compared to the SEM. Boys were less likely than girls to disclose in the FTFI, however there was no difference in prevalence by sex using the SEM (aOR = 0.91, 95%CI 0.7-1.2; P = 0.532). Disclosing experience of other forms of sexual violence was associated with experience of forced sex for both modes of disclosure. CONCLUSIONS: The SEM method was superior to FTFIs in identifying cases of forced sex amongst primary school children, particularly for boys. Reporting of other forms of sexual violence in FTFIs may indicate experience of forced sex. Future survey research, and efforts to estimate prevalence of sexual violence, should make use of more confidential disclosure methods to detect childhood sexual abuse.
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- 2017
9. Community-level epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminths in the context of school-based deworming: Baseline results of a cluster randomised trial on the coast of Kenya.
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Halliday, Katherine E., Oswald, William E., Mcharo, Carlos, Beaumont, Emma, Gichuki, Paul M., Kepha, Stella, Witek-McManus, Stefan S., Matendechero, Sultani H., El-Busaidy, Hajara, Muendo, Redempta, Chiguzo, Athuman N., Cano, Jorge, Karanja, Mary W., Musyoka, Leah W., Safari, Tuva K., Mutisya, Lennie N., Muye, Idris J., Sidigu, Maureen A., Anderson, Roy M., and Allen, Elizabeth
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ASCARIS lumbricoides ,EPIDEMIOLOGY ,HELMINTHS ,LIGHT intensity ,WHIPWORMS - Abstract
Most epidemiological studies of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections focus on school-going children. The majority of large-scale cross-sectional and longitudinal community-based studies have been conducted prior to the implementation of wide-scale mass drug administration (MDA). This study investigates age-related patterns in prevalence and intensity of STH infection, and associated risk factors, in a region of south coastal Kenya that had previously received three consecutive years of school-based deworming (2012–14) and four rounds of community-based MDA for lymphatic filariasis between 2003 and 2014. Between March and May 2015, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 120 community clusters as a baseline for a cluster randomised trial. Individuals aged two years and above were randomly selected during household surveys and requested to provide stool samples, which were assessed for presence and intensity of STH using the duplicate Kato-Katz thick smear method. Species-specific predictors of presence and intensity were investigated through multilevel logistic regression and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. Of the 19,684 individuals who provided a stool sample, 21.5% were infected with at least one STH. Hookworm was the predominant species, with an overall prevalence of 19.1%; Trichuris trichiura prevalence was 3.6% and Ascaris lumbricoides was negligible (0.4% prevalence). The vast majority were light intensity infections. Prevalence and intensity of hookworm infection were significantly higher in adults and males, and were associated with environmental conditions, low socio-economic status, household flooring, individual and household water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) characteristics and behaviours, previous treatment, lack of shoe-wearing and not attending school. In contrast, T. trichiura was more commonly found in school-aged boys and those living in communities close to the coast, with reduced infection in the least poor individuals with private latrine access. Overall, results show that despite several years of school-based deworming, hookworm infection remains common among untreated adults in this population, suggesting that this strategy alone is insufficient to reduce community-wide hookworm infection and in the longer term to eliminate transmission. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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10. Examining intervention mechanisms of action using mediation analysis within a randomised trial of a whole-school health intervention.
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Bonell, Chris, Allen, Elizabeth, Opondo, Charles, Warren, Emily, Elbourne, Diana Ruth, Sturgess, Joanna, Bevilacqua, Leonardo, McGowan, Jennifer, Mathiot, Anne, and Viner, Russell M.
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BULLYING prevention ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,STATISTICAL sampling ,SCHOOL environment ,SCHOOL health services ,SCHOOLS ,SELF-evaluation ,STUDENTS ,RANDOMIZED controlled trials ,TREATMENT effectiveness - Published
- 2019
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11. Effects of the Learning Together intervention on bullying and aggression in English secondary schools (INCLUSIVE): a cluster randomised controlled trial.
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Bonell, Chris, Allen, Elizabeth, Warren, Emily, Legood, Rosa, Opondo, Charles, Sturgess, Jo, Sadique, Zia, Elbourne, Diana, McGowan, Jennifer, Bevilacqua, Leonardo, Mathiot, Anne, Miner, Russell M., Jamal, Farah, Wiggins, Meg, Fletcher, Adam, Bond, Lyndal, Christie, Deborah, Scott, Stephen, and Viner, Russell M
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BULLYING prevention , *VIOLENCE prevention , *AGGRESSION (Psychology) , *COMPARATIVE studies , *CURRICULUM , *EMOTIONS , *RESEARCH methodology , *MEDICAL cooperation , *RESEARCH , *STATISTICAL sampling , *SCHOOLS , *SOCIAL skills , *STUDENTS , *TEENAGERS' conduct of life , *SOCIAL support , *EVALUATION research , *RANDOMIZED controlled trials , *TREATMENT effectiveness , *PSYCHOLOGICAL factors - Abstract
Background: Bullying, aggression, and violence among children and young people are some of the most consequential public mental health problems. We tested the Learning Together intervention, which involved students in efforts to modify their school environment using restorative practice and by developing social and emotional skills.Methods: We did a cluster randomised trial, with economic and process evaluations, of the Learning Together intervention compared with standard practice (controls) over 3 years in secondary schools in south-east England. Learning Together consisted of staff training in restorative practice; convening and facilitating a school action group; and a student social and emotional skills curriculum. Primary outcomes were self-reported experience of bullying victimisation (Gatehouse Bullying Scale; GBS) and perpetration of aggression (Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime (ESYTC) school misbehaviour subscale) measured at 36 months. We analysed data using intention-to-treat longitudinal mixed-effects models. This trial was registered with the ISRCTN registry (10751359).Findings: We included 40 schools (20 in each group); no schools withdrew. 6667 (93·6%) of 7121 students participated at baseline and 5960 (83·3%) of 7154 at 36 months. Mean GBS bullying score at 36 months was 0·34 (SE 0·02) in the control group versus 0·29 (SE 0·02) in the intervention group, with a significant adjusted mean difference (-0·03, 95% CI -0·06 to -0·001; adjusted effect size -0·08). Mean ESYTC score at 36 months was 4·33 (SE 0·20) in the control group versus 4·04 (0·21) in the intervention group, with no evidence of a difference between groups (adjusted difference -0·13, 95% CI -0·43 to 0·18; adjusted effect size -0·03). Costs were an additional £58 per pupil in intervention schools than in control schools.Interpretation: Learning Together had small but significant effects on bullying, which could be important for public health, but no effect on aggression. Interventions to promote student health by modifying the whole-school environment are likely to be one of the most feasible and efficient ways of addressing closely related risk and health outcomes in children and young people.Funding: National Institute for Health Research, Educational Endowment Foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
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12. Implementation of a "real world" School-Based Asthma Therapy program targeting urban children with poorly controlled asthma.
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Allen, Elizabeth D., Arcoleo, Kimberly, Rowe, Courtney, and Long, William W.
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PEDIATRIC intensive care , *ASTHMA , *SCHOOL nursing , *URBAN policy , *SCHOOLS - Abstract
Objective: Describe implementation and clinical impact of a "real world" School-Based Asthma Therapy (SBAT) Program serving an urban, largely Medicaid population in a large midwestern city in the United States. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive evaluation of SBAT was conducted. Students were referred by school nurses or providers, enrolled throughout the year, and could reenroll in subsequent years. A total of 286 students participated in the 2015-2016 school year. Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric testing compared Asthma Control Test™ (ACT) scores from enrollment (anytime between 2013 and 2015) to 2015-2016 for 198 students; and pre- and postenrollment asthma-related emergency department (ED), inpatient, and critical care (pediatric intensive care unit or PICU) utilization rates (events/student/year) for 98 students enrolled for a full year. Results: SBAT participation grew from 17 to 131 schools and from 38 to 268 students between 2013-2014 and 2015-2016. Mean ACT scores increased from 16.2 (SD = 4.89) to 21.37 (SD = 3.41) (K-W χ2 = 35.45, p = 0.008). Healthcare utilization rates from 1-year preenrollment to 1-year postenrollment decreased for ED (0.91-0.44; K-W χ2 = 18.61, p = 0.0002) and Inpatient (0.38-0.10; K-W χ2 = 7.68, p = 0.02). Reduction in PICU (0.27-0.02) was not statistically significant. Conclusions: SBAT, modeled after programs shown in controlled trials to improve asthma health markers (1-3), was successfully implemented in economically challenged, urban schools. Rapid growth and patient reenrollment reflect program acceptance by schools, providers, and caregivers. Improved ACT scores and healthcare utilization supported program efficacy. SBAT could be one solution to improved asthma control in underserved school-aged pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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13. A new measure of unhealthy school environments and its implications for critical assessments of health promotion in schools.
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Shackleton, Nichola, Fletcher, Adam, Jamal, Farah, Markham, Wolfgang, Aveyard, Paul, Mathiot, Anne, Allen, Elizabeth, Viner, Russell, and Bonell, Chris
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RESEARCH evaluation ,SCHOOL environment ,CHI-squared test ,COLLEGE teachers ,COMMITMENT (Psychology) ,STATISTICAL correlation ,EXPERIMENTAL design ,FACTOR analysis ,GOODNESS-of-fit tests ,HEALTH promotion ,HIGH school students ,HIGH schools ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL cooperation ,PROBABILITY theory ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,RESEARCH ,RESEARCH funding ,SMOKING ,STUDENT attitudes ,LOGISTIC regression analysis ,PILOT projects ,INTER-observer reliability ,DATA analysis software ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,EVALUATION ,PSYCHOLOGY - Abstract
The theory of human functioning and school organisation informed by Basil Bernstein’s sociology of education suggests that to gain the commitment and promote the health of students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, schools require radical transformations eroding various ‘boundaries’: between and among staff and students; between students’ academic learning and broader social development and welfare; and between schools and their local communities. Existing research examining this theory has reported associations between school-level proxy measures of student commitment and lower rates of student smoking, drinking alcohol, use of drugs and violence. But this research has not directly assessed whether reduced school boundaries explain this. We piloted a new scale derived from teacher reports to measure unhealthy school boundaries and examined its inter-item reliability and its criterion validity in terms of associations with various measures of school commitment and smoking. Data on boundaries came from 101 teachers across 40 schools. Data on student commitment and smoking came from 6667 students. We assessed reliability by examining correlations between scale-items and criterion validity in terms of associations with student-reported commitment and smoking. Inter-item reliability was sub-optimal but better within the subscales about boundaries between academic/broader learning and schools/local communities. The scale had good criterion validity, strongly associated with reduced student-reported school commitment and increased student-reported smoking. We reflect on the implications of these findings in terms of critical perspectives on health promotion in schools and the strengths and limitations of quantitative research in examining health behaviours as opposed to practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
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- 2017
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14. Student- and school-level belonging and commitment and student smoking, drinking and misbehaviour.
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Bonell, Christopher, Shackleton, Nichola, Fletcher, Adam, Jamal, Farah, Allen, Elizabeth, Mathiot, Anne, Markham, Wolfgang, Aveyard, Paul, and Viner, Russell
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Objectives: It has been suggested that students are healthier in schools where more students are committed to school. Previous research has examined this only using a proxy measure of value-added education (a measure of whether school-level attendance and attainment are higher than predicted by students’ social profile), finding associations with smoking tobacco, use of alcohol and illicit drugs, and violence. These findings do not provide direct insights into the associations between school-level aggregate student commitment and health behaviours, and may simply reflect the proxy measure being residually confounded by unmeasured student characteristics. We examined the previously used proxy measure of value-added education, as well as direct measures at the level of the school and the student of lack of student commitment to school to see whether these were associated with students’ self-reported smoking tobacco, alcohol use and school misbehaviour. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: A total of 40 schools in south-east England. Methods: Multi-level analyses. Results: There were associations between school- and student-level measures of lack of commitment to school and tobacco smoking, alcohol use and school misbehaviour outcomes, but the proxy measure of school-level commitment, value-added education, was not associated with these outcomes. A sensitivity analysis focused only on violent aspects of school misbehaviour found a pattern of associations identical to that found for the measure of misbehaviour. Conclusion: Our study provides the first direct evidence in support of the Theory of Human Functioning and School Organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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15. Are school-level factors associated with primary school students' experience of physical violence from school staff in Uganda?
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Knight, Louise, Nakuti, Janet, Allen, Elizabeth, Gannett, Katherine R., Naker, Dipak, and Devries, Karen M.
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CHILDREN & violence ,SCHOOL children ,SOCIAL belonging ,SCHOOL psychology ,LOGISTIC regression analysis - Abstract
Background: The nature and structure of the school environment has the potential to shape children's health and well being. Few studies have explored the importance of school-level factors in explaining a child's likelihood of experiencing violence from school staff, particularly in low-resource settings such as Uganda. Methods: To quantify to what extent a student's risk of violence is determined by school-level factors we fitted multilevel logistic regression models to investigate associations and present between-school variance partition coefficients. School structural factors, academic and supportive environment are explored. Results: 53%of students reported physical violence from staff. Only 6% of variation in students' experience of violencewas due to differences between schools and half the variationwas explained by the school-level factorsmodelled. Schools with a higher proportion of girls are associated with increased odds of physical violence from staff. Students in schools with a high level of student perceptions of school connectedness have a 36% reduced odds of experiencing physical violence from staff, but no other school-level factor was significantly associated. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that physical violence by school staff is widespread across different types of schools in this setting, but interventions that improve students' school connectedness should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2016
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16. Pilot Multimethod Trial of a School-Ethos Intervention to Reduce Substance Use: Building Hypotheses About Upstream Pathways to Prevention.
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Bonell, Christopher P., Sorhaindo, Annik M., Allen, Elizabeth E., Strange, Vicki J., Wiggins, Meg, Fletcher, Adam, Oakley, Ann R.A., Bond, Lyndal M., Flay, Brian R., Patton, George C., and Rhodes, Tim
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Purpose: Interventions to improve school ethos can reduce substance use but “upstream” causal pathways relating to implementation and school-level changes are uncertain. We use qualitative and quantitative data from a pilot trial to build hypotheses regarding these. Methods: The Healthy School Ethos intervention involved two schools being provided with facilitation, training, and funding to plan and implement actions (some mandatory and some locally determined) to improve school ethos over one year. The evaluation involved a pilot-trial with two intervention and two comparison schools; semi-structured interviews with facilitators, staff, and students; and baseline and follow-up surveys with students aged 11 to 12 years. Results: Student accounts linked participation in planning or delivering intervention activities with improved self-regard and relationships with staff and other students. Some activities such as re-writing school rules involved broad participation. Students in receipt of actions such as peer-mediation or motivational sessions reported benefits such as improved safety and relationships. Some student accounts linked improved self-regard and relationships with increased engagement and aspirations, and reduced substance use. At 9-month follow-up, students in intervention schools reported less hurting and teasing of others and feeling unsafe at school. Other outcomes suggested intervention benefits but were not significant. Conclusions: School-ethos interventions may reduce substance use through upstream pathways involving the aforementioned factors. Future phase-III trials should quantitatively model the extent to which these mediate intervention effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
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- 2010
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17. A pilot whole-school intervention to improve school ethos and reduce substance use.
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Bonell, Chris, Sorhaindo, Annik, Strange, Vicki, Wiggins, Meg, Allen, Elizabeth, Fletcher, Adam, Oakley, Ann, Bond, Lyndal, Flay, Brian, Patton, George, and Rhodes, Tim
- Abstract
Purpose – Evidence from the USA/Australia suggests whole-school interventions designed to increase social inclusion/engagement can reduce substance use. Completeness of implementation varies but contextual determinants have not been fully explored. Informed by previous interventions, the paper aims to examine these topics in an English pilot of the Healthy School Ethos intervention. Design/methodology/approach – This intervention, like previous interventions, balanced standardization of inputs/process (external facilitator, manual, needs-survey and staff-training delivered over one year to enable schools to convene action-teams) with local flexibility regarding actions to improve social inclusion. Evaluation was via a pilot trial comprising: baseline/follow-up surveys with year-7 students in two intervention/comparison schools; semi-structured interviews with staff, students and facilitators; and observations. Findings – The intervention was delivered as intended with components implemented as in the USA/Australian studies. The external facilitator enabled schools to convene an action-team involving staff/students. Inputs were feasible and acceptable and enabled similar actions in both schools. Locally determined actions (e.g. peer-mediators) were generally more feasible/acceptable than pre-set actions (e.g. modified pastoral care). Implementation was facilitated where it built on aspects of schools' baseline ethos (e.g. a focus on engaging all students, formalized student participation in decisions) and where senior staff led actions. Student awareness of the intervention was high. Originality/value – Key factors affecting feasibility were: flexibility to allow local innovation, but structure to ensure consistency; intervention aims resonating with at least some aspects of school baseline ethos; and involvement of staff with the capacity to deliver. The intervention should be refined and its health/educational outcomes evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2010
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18. Methods to increase reporting of childhood sexual abuse in surveys: the sensitivity and specificity of face-to-face interviews versus a sealed envelope method in Ugandan primary school children
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Barr, Anna Louise, Knight, Louise, Franҫa-Junior, Ivan, Allen, Elizabeth, Naker, Dipak, and Devries, Karen M
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Male ,Schools ,Adolescent ,4. Education ,Confidential methods ,Methodology ,Disclosure ,Child Abuse, Sexual ,Violence ,16. Peace & justice ,Child sexual abuse ,Face-to-face interviews ,Interviews as Topic ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,5. Gender equality ,Reporting ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Africa ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Uganda ,Female ,10. No inequality ,Sexual violence ,Confidentiality - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Underreporting of childhood sexual abuse is a major barrier to obtaining reliable prevalence estimates. We tested the sensitivity and specificity of the face-to-face-interview (FTFI) method by comparing the number of disclosures of forced sex against a more confidential mode of data collection, the sealed-envelope method (SEM). We also report on characteristics of individuals associated with non-disclosure in FTFIs. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014, with n = 3843 children attending primary school in Luwero District, Uganda. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated, and mixed effects logistic regression models tested factors associated with disclosure in one or both modes. RESULTS: In the FTFI, 1.1% (n = 42) of children reported ever experiencing forced sex, compared to 7.0% (n = 268) in the SEM. The FTFI method demonstrated low sensitivity (13.1%, 95%CI 9.3-17.7%) and high specificity (99.8%, 95%CI 99.6-99.9%) in detecting cases of forced sex, when compared to the SEM. Boys were less likely than girls to disclose in the FTFI, however there was no difference in prevalence by sex using the SEM (aOR = 0.91, 95%CI 0.7-1.2; P = 0.532). Disclosing experience of other forms of sexual violence was associated with experience of forced sex for both modes of disclosure. CONCLUSIONS: The SEM method was superior to FTFIs in identifying cases of forced sex amongst primary school children, particularly for boys. Reporting of other forms of sexual violence in FTFIs may indicate experience of forced sex. Future survey research, and efforts to estimate prevalence of sexual violence, should make use of more confidential disclosure methods to detect childhood sexual abuse.
19. A New Breed.
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Allen, Elizabeth
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PERSONAL managers ,SCHOOLS ,SOCIAL media ,INTERNET users -- Social aspects ,TRENDS ,STUDENT affairs services ,SOCIAL networks ,COMPUTER network resources - Abstract
The article offers the author's insights on the role of social media community manager to schools. She presents the roles of community mangers such as monitoring of online relationships and strategic engaging with the members. She notes that an effective community manager should have an eye on the conversations and new content, listen to the comments of the users, and update on trends. The author adds that a community manager can function on student affairs, public events, and parent relations.
- Published
- 2010
20. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary and secondary school students and staff in England in the 2020/2021 school year: a longitudinal study.
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Nguipdop-Djomo, Patrick, Oswald, William E, Halliday, Katherine E, Cook, Sarah, Sturgess, Joanna, Sundaram, Neisha, Warren-Gash, Charlotte, Fine, Paul EM, Glynn, Judith, Allen, Elizabeth, Clark, Taane G., Ford, Benjamin, Judd, Alison, Ireland, Georgina, Poh, John, Bonell, Chris, Dawe, Fiona, Rourke, Emma, Diamond, Ian, and Ladhani, Shamez N
- Subjects
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SCHOOL children , *SOCIAL contact , *SECONDARY school students , *SCHOOL year , *INFECTION , *SARS-CoV-2 - Abstract
• Schools are key sites with potential for effective transmission of SARS-CoV-2. • One of the largest research studies worldwide of SARS-CoV-2 in students and staff. • Risk associated with public transports in Autumn 2020 and infections in household. • No observed association with social contact pattern between students and staff. • Schools can remain safely open with low transmission when mitigations are in place. Investigate risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infections in school students and staff. In the 2020/2021 school year, we administered polymerase chain reaction, antibody tests, and questionnaires to a sample of primary and secondary school students and staff, with data linkage to COVID-19 surveillance. We fitted logistic regression models to identify the factors associated with infection. We included 6799 students and 5090 staff in the autumn and 11,952 students and 4569 staff in the spring/summer terms. Infections in students in autumn 2020 were related to the percentage of students eligible for free school meals. We found no statistical association between infection risk in primary and secondary schools and reported contact patterns between students and staff in either period in our study. Using public transports was associated with increased risk in autumn in students (adjusted odds ratio = 1.72; 95% confidence interval 1.31-2.25) and staff. One or more infections in the same household during either period was the strongest risk factor for infection in students and more so among staff. Deprivation, community, and household factors were more strongly associated with infection than contacts patterns at school; this suggests that the additional school-based mitigation measures in England in 2020/2021 likely helped reduce transmission risk in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Effect of the good school toolkit on school staff mental health, sense of job satisfaction and perceptions of school climate: Secondary analysis of a cluster randomised trial.
- Author
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Kayiwa, Joshua, Clarke, Kelly, Knight, Louise, Allen, Elizabeth, Merrill, Katherine G., Devries, Karen, Walakira, Eddy, Namy, Sophie, and Naker, Dipak
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MENTAL health of teachers , *JOB satisfaction , *SCHOOL environment , *TEACHER training , *PRIMARY schools , *PREVENTION of child abuse , *WORK environment & psychology , *CHILD abuse & psychology , *PSYCHOLOGY of college teachers , *MENTAL health , *RESEARCH funding , *SCHOOLS , *CROSS-sectional method , *JOB Descriptive Index - Abstract
The Good School Toolkit, a complex behavioural intervention delivered in Ugandan primary schools, has been shown to reduce school staff-perpetrated physical violence against students. We aimed to assess the effect of this intervention on staff members' mental health, sense of job satisfaction and perception of school climate. We analysed data from a cluster-randomised trial administered in 42 primary schools in Luwero district, Uganda. The trial was comprised of cross-sectional baseline (June/July 2012) and endline (June/July 2014) surveys among staff and students. Twenty-one schools were randomly selected to receive the Toolkit, whilst 21 schools constituted a wait-listed control group. We generated composite measures to assess staff members' perceptions of the school climate and job satisfaction. The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01678846). No schools dropped out of the study and all 591 staff members who completed the endline survey were included in the analysis. Staff in schools receiving the Toolkit had more positive perspectives of their school climate compared to staff in control schools (difference in mean scores 2.19, 95% Confidence Interval 0.92, 3.39). We did not find any significant differences for job satisfaction and mental health. In conclusion, interventions like the Good School Toolkit that reduce physical violence by school staff against students can improve staff perceptions of the school climate, and could help to build more positive working and learning environments in Ugandan schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Brief report: Cyberbullying perpetration and its associations with socio-demographics, aggressive behaviour at school, and mental health outcomes.
- Author
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Fletcher, Adam, Fitzgerald-Yau, Natasha, Jones, Rebecca, Allen, Elizabeth, Viner, Russell M., and Bonell, Chris
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CYBERBULLYING , *QUALITY of life , *SCHOOLS & society , *COMPUTER crimes , *PSYCHOLOGY , *MANAGEMENT ,MENTAL health & society - Abstract
Relatively little is known about those who cyberbully others, especially in a UK context. We drew on data from 1144 young people aged 12–13 in eight English secondary schools to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration and its associations with socio-demographics, other behaviours, and health outcomes. Overall, 14.1% of respondents reported ever cyberbullying others with no significant differences by gender or socio-economic status. Drawing on mixed-effects logistic regression models, first we found a strong, dose–response relationship between aggressive behaviour at school and cyberbullying others, suggesting that cyberbullying may not only be a facet of wider patterns of bullying but also of aggression more broadly. Second, cyberbullying others was associated with poorer quality of life and with psychological difficulties but not with peer/social problems or worse mental wellbeing. Longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether such associations are causal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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