Search

Children are online at increasing frequency, for longer periods of time, and at younger ages than ever before. Schools in the USA are engaged in providing online citizenship education to students; however, there are few evaluations of how well programs work or tools to measure program effectiveness. The current study provides psychometric information on one tool, the eight-item online civility scale (OCS), administered as part of an evaluation of the Be Internet Awesome (BIA), digital citizenship curriculum. The OCS was administered securely online to children in grades 4th, 5th, and 6th, to evaluate whether the BIA program improved their online citizenship skills. Psychometric analysis of the OCS was conducted for 824 youth who responded to both the pretest and posttest measures. Item constructs were validated in structural equation models with self-reported online behaviors. The eight items formed a cohesive construct, explaining 60% of the variance in online civility. The item response theory models showed that the items covered a range of the underlying trait. Differential item functioning (DIF) was observed by gender. The difficulty parameter did not show DIF across time (p = 0.11), but the discrimination parameter did (p = 0.002). The OCS construct was significantly and strongly associated with each of the validating variables in the expected directions. The OCS demonstrated excellent psychometric properties and could be a useful evaluation tool in programs designed to promote prosocial online behaviors in children. The scale behaves differently by gender and may discriminate differently across time points after an intervention.

Simple Summary: Despite the benefits of stool-based tests for colorectal cancer screening, the return rate is low. In this study, we tested if adding a tailored, one-page educational flyer to the mailed stool kits targeted at rural Midwestern residents in the USA improved the kit return rates. Overall, there was no significant difference in return rate between the groups that did and did not receive the flyer. However, females and older participants were more likely to return the kits compared to males and younger participants. To improve the kit return rates of male and younger participants, future programs should consider how the content and design of the flyer can be more closely tailored to the audience's needs and preferences as well as how the flyer can be combined with other approaches (e.g., reminders). Background/Objectives: Stool-based tests, such as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), have been widely used for increasing colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Small media, such as printed materials or flyers, are known to be an effective intervention to increase CRC screening by fecal tests. However, more evidence is needed to determine whether such small media are effective in improving screening uptake of a mailed FIT intervention targeted at rural populations in the USA. Methods: In this randomized study, 1230 FIT kits were mailed from July to December 2022 to rural Nebraskans aged 45–74 who were not up to date on CRC screening. Half of the participants (n = 608) also received a tailored, one-page, gender-specific educational flyer created based on focus groups with rural residents. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of returning the FIT. Results: Study participants were predominantly female (76%), non-Hispanic White (83%), and within the age group of 55–64 (43%). Overall, 192 (15.6%) kits were returned (16.1% from the flyer group; 15.1% from the no-flyer group). However, we found no significant differences between the flyer and no-flyer groups (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.88–1.66). Females (AOR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.19–6.14) and the oldest (65–74) age group (AOR: 5.03; 95% CI: 2.78–8.47) were more likely to return FIT kits than males and the youngest (45–54) age group. Conclusions: A tailored educational flyer was not effective in improving the CRC-screening-rate-by-mailed-FIT approach for rural populations. Future research should explore the content, timing, and mode of delivery of educational interventions as well as other multi-component strategies to improve screening rates. Public health officials might also consider developing strategies targeted at males and younger (45–54) age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening use among agricultural operators in Nebraska, US. Methods: The concept mapping approach was used to engage participants and enhance the generation of ideas and opinions regarding CRC screening. Two focus groups (seven women and seven men) were conducted. Results: Among women, the cost domain was most agreed upon as important, followed by experiencing symptoms, awareness, and family. Among men, the important concepts related to CRC screening were family and friend support, feeling too young to get CRC, family or personal history of CRC, and lack of awareness of the need to be screened. Some gender differences regarding barriers were observed, such as women were more concerned about the cost of screening while men were far more concerned about the embarrassment associated with CRC screening. Conclusion: These findings will be crucial to developing educational materials to increase knowledge of risk factors for CRC and of CRC screening in the agricultural population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Agricultural communities experience elevated suicide rates and lack access to behavioral healthcare. FarmResponse is an online, interactive program designed to educate rural healthcare providers about the economic stressors and cultural aspects of working in agriculture. The curriculum is based on the Total Farmer Health model as it relates to factors for mental health in agriculture. The purpose of this report is to examine the quality of the measures used to assess training impact, quantify the effectiveness of the training, and assess participant perceptions in applying the training. Sample: The sample was comprised of those who registered for the training between February, 2022 through February, 2023. A total of 621 completed the pretest and 520 completed the pretest and posttest. Although nearly all U.S. states were represented, 45.6% of participants resided in Texas and Pennsylvania. Method: Classical test theory measures of difficulty and discrimination were used to examine the quality of the test questions at pretest. Distractor analysis was applied to the posttest questions to evaluate the quality of the incorrect responses compared to correct responses. Grounded theory was used to identify themes related to how participants viewed applying the training to their profession. Findings: The test questions covered a broad range of difficulty and a tighter range for discrimination. Distractor analysis revealed two questions that could be improved. Participants significantly increased their knowledge of agricultural culture with a within person increase of 5.05 points (95% CI 4.81, 5.29). Seven themes were identified in response to benefits and challenges expected when employing the training. Conclusions: FarmResponse increased participant knowledge of farming culture based on quality measures of effectiveness. Participants reported feeling positive about gaining needed resources and developing cultural competency, but also expressed concerns related to accessing farmers and ranchers to provide services and the stigma that reduces help-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine: (i) the effect of schools' baseline community readiness (CR) on youth physical activity (PA) at recess prior to the Ready for Recess intervention; (ii) if changes in PA due to the intervention were explained by baseline CR and (iii) if specific components of the intervention altered an association between baseline CR and changes in youth PA. Methods that were employed included: six informants from each of 17 schools participated in CR interviews at baseline (N = 101). CR scores were calculated based on the CR model's nine stages. Direct observation was used to measure PA. Poisson models evaluated the association between baseline CR and PA. Results were that seven schools were in denial, eight in vague awareness and two in pre-planning stages. CR marginally predicted pre-intervention PA. When compared with youth at schools in denial, youth at schools in vague awareness and pre-planning demonstrated significant increases in moderate/vigorous PA. Ready for Recess strengthened this association. This is the first study to demonstrate that school CR may explain changes in PA at recess after a school-based PA intervention. Low CR levels may contraindicate interventions. Efforts to increase school CR "a priori" may be critical to increasing PA among youth.

Statistics from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that agriculture consistently ranks as the most hazardous industry in the US. To identify specific targets for prevention, we investigated injury risk factor profiles separately for each injured body site. We also characterized the severity of agricultural injuries by injured body site using the type of medical care and lost work time due to injury. We used the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) surveillance data for 2018 to perform descriptive statistics and regression modeling. We found that 12% (513/4351) of the participants experienced one or more injuries in the previous 12 months. Compared to female operators, male operators had 3.53 (95% CI: 1.17–10.68) times higher odds of back injury. Operators in livestock production had 2.77 times (95% CI:1.12–6.82), 2.28 times (95% CI:1.25–4.14), and 1.69 times (95% CI:1.10–2.59) higher odds of injury to the chest/trunk, finger, and leg/knee/hip, respectively, compared to operators in crop or mixed production. After adjusting for age and gender, operators who worked full time (vs. part-time) on the farm/ranch had 2.11 times (95% CI:1.03–4.34) higher odds of back injury. Arm/shoulder and leg/knee/hip injuries were more frequent in older age groups. Prevention measures should be tailored considering specifically livestock producers with emphasis on trainings on proper livestock handling, such as being gentle, establishing routine, keeping distance, and avoiding sudden and loud noise when handling animals. Applying these techniques avoid startling the animals and reduce the risk of injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the association of self-reported occupational stress and injury among farm and ranch operators in the central United States. Randomly sampled operators received mail surveys with questions related to injuries, chronic health conditions, work exposures, and preventive measures in 2018 and 2020. Injury risk factors were analyzed using Poisson regression analysis. Out of 6,744 participants, 836 (12%) reported at least one injury in the past 12 months and 1,766 (26%) reported work-related stress. The percentage of those reporting stress was 24% among those with no injuries, 36% among those with one injury, and 66% among those with two or more injuries. Similar percentages across the three injury categories were found for sleep deprivation (21%, 30%, and 51%) and fatigue (25%, 39%, and 66%). A high perceived stress level was a risk factor for injury in the final adjusted model (adjusted Rate Ratio (aRR): 1.93, 95% CI: 1.65 to 2.25) when controlling for hearing loss (aRR: 1.25, CI: 1.25 to 1.75) and exposure to animal and/or chemical based allergens (aRR: 1.49, CI: 1.17 to 1.91). With musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) in the model, the association of stress and injuries was attenuated (aRR: 1.54, CI: 1.32 to 1.79) while MSS had a strong association with injuries (aRR: 3.79, CI: 3.00 to 4.78). Stress, sleep deprivation, and fatigue were associated with injuries in a dose-response manner. Preventing injuries among farmers and ranchers requires a focus on stress reduction and related health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]