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In this study we examined the phenomena of smartphone addiction, online harassment, and school bullying/victimization to predict the prospective influence these could have on the onset and persistence of sleep problems and depression among children.Responses from 2155 fifth-grade children recruited from 30 primary schools in Taipei were assessed, and a follow-up was performed in the 6th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected for each year.Children who reported smartphone addictions, online harassment, and school bullying/victimization coupled with an increase in those factors were more likely to experience the onset and persistence of sleep problems. In addition, children who reported smartphone addiction, online harassment, school bullying/victimization, and poor sleep quality were more likely to experience the onset and persistence of depression.School nurses or pediatric nurses should be able to assess children's Internet use and risks to understand potential influences on sleep quality and mental status and provide recommendations for children, parents and schools.

This study assessed the discrepancies between reports from parents and children concerning children's exposure to violence/pornography on mobile devices and the impact on the psychosocial adjustment of children. Data were obtained from a sample of 2,230 parent-child dyads recruited from 16 elementary schools (1,140 dyads) in Taiwan and 9 schools (1,090 dyads) in China. A self-administered questionnaire was used. The results showed that about 30 percent of children reported being exposed to violence on mobile devices. Approximately 70 percent of their parents were unaware of their child's exposure to violence on mobile devices. About 16 percent of children reported exposure to pornography on mobile devices, and 80 percent of their parents were unaware of this exposure. Multinomial logistic regression results showed that after controlling for parent and child sociodemographic variables, factors related to parental unawareness of child exposure to violence on mobile devices included a child's ownership of mobile devices, smartphone/tablet use time, a lower level of parental understanding, and a residence in China or in a rural area, whereas the parent-child relationship and a child's smartphone/tablet use time were associated with parents who were unaware of their child's exposure to pornography. Multiple regression results showed that children who were living with household poverty, had a poor parent-child relationship, spent much time using a smartphone/tablet, and with parents who were unaware of their exposure to violence/pornography on mobile devices were more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems.

For a linear regression model with two-predictor variables, the effects of the correlation between the two predictors on estimated standardized regression coefficients and R2 have been well studied...

This study examined the relationships between children’s mobile gaming preferences, online risks, and mental health. Data were obtained from a sample of 2,702 third and fourth grade students from 16 elementary schools in Taiwan and 9 schools in China. A self-administered questionnaire was used. The mental state of the children who participated in the study was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), while mobile gaming addiction was assessed using the short form of the Internet Gaming Disorders Scale (IGDS9-SF). The results showed that about 54% of children played mobile games with others (multi-player), while 31% played mobile games alone, and 15% did not play mobile games. Multiple logistic regression results indicated that behaviors such as participating in multi-player games, playing violent games, a poor parent-child relationship, and living in a rural area were associated with a greater risk of mobile gaming addiction. Involvement in multi-player games, playing violent games, mobile gaming addiction, and exposure to mobile violence/pornography were associated with greater risks of cyber aggression/victimization. Multiple regression results showed that being a multi-player, playing violent games, mobile gaming addiction, exposure to violence/pornography, exposure to cyber aggression/victimization, and having a poor parent-child relationship were associated with emotional and behavioral problems.

This study assessed the prevalence of smartphone addiction among children in Taiwan and examined the related factors. A total of 2621 fifth-grade students and 2468 parents from 30 primary schools in Taipei, Taiwan completed self-administered questionnaires in 2016. The results showed that fifth-grade students spent 11 h per week using either smartphones or tablets. The prevalence of smartphone addiction among fifth-grade students was 15.2%. Multivariate analysis results showed that parents who had high levels of risk perception and mediation efficacy were more likely to implement restrictive mediation of their children's use of the Internet and mobile devices. In addition, multivariate analysis results showed that children who had poor academic performance, depression, owned smartphones, frequently played smartphone/tablet gaming, and regularly used SNSs and instant messaging, had low levels of parental restrictive mediation, and had lower levels of self-reported Internet safety literacy were more likely to experience smartphone addiction.

In this study, we examined excessive online gaming by adolescents and the resultant effects of their exposure to the online marketing of energy drinks and alcohol, and whether marketing literacy could serve as a mitigating factor. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020. Data were obtained from a sample of 2613 seventh-grade students from 30 middle schools in Taiwan. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted. The results showed that nearly 18% of the adolescent respondents had used energy drinks, while 75% reported seeing energy-drink advertisements on the internet in the past year. Multiple regression results indicated that factors such as being male, reporting excessive gaming, being exposed to higher levels of online energy-drink marketing, and reporting alcohol use were positively associated with energy-drink consumption. A higher level of online energy-drink marketing-affective literacy, however, was negatively associated with energy-drink consumption. In conclusion, factors that predicted energy-drink consumption among adolescents included excessive gaming and exposure to online energy-drink marketing, but marketing-affective literacy tended to lessen the impact of such advertising.

This study assessed aggression statuses and transitions among children and examined the effects that gender and exposure to online violence can exert on aggression. A sample of 2155 children recruited from 30 primary schools in Taipei, Taiwan completed surveys in both 2015 (5th grade) and 2016 (6th grade). Latent transition analysis (LTA) was performed, and the results identified three latent statuses of aggression: "None," "School aggression," and "Cyber-aggression." About 10% of children behaved aggressively. When in their 5th-grade year, boys were more likely than girls to be a school aggressor (6.48% vs. 4.04%) or a cyber-aggressor (2.37% vs. 1.64%). Among boys who originally were considered to be a school aggressor, 36.19% remained so, 58% renounced their school aggression status, and 5.81% became a cyber-aggressor. Among girls who originally were considered to be a cyber-aggressor, 22.23% remained so, 68.29% renounced their cyber-aggression status, and 9.48% became a school aggressor. Controlling for student's academic performance, household income, and parents' marital status, exposure to online violence was a statistically significant predictor of aggression status for both boys and girls. Children's exposure to online violence appeared to increase the risk of aggression.

With the development of electronic technology and forms of communication such as the Internet, it has become increasing difficult for parents to identify and mitigate the new risks to which their adolescent children are exposed. In this article, we compare the ways parents and adolescents living in urban areas use the Internet with those of their counterparts who live in rural areas. We based this comparison on data obtained from a survey of Internet use in Taiwan in 2013. The survey included 1079 junior high school students and 688 parents who lived in urban areas and 838 students and 729 parents who lived in rural areas. We found that parents living in rural areas had lower levels of Internet skills and intervened less in their children’s use of the Internet when compared with parents living in urban areas. We also found that, compared with their urban counterparts, adolescents who live in rural areas have lower levels of Internet literacy but a higher frequency of Internet use and they also engage in r...

Objective This study examined the relationships between parental mediation and Internet addiction, and the connections to cyberbullying, substance use, and depression among adolescents. Method The study involved 1808 junior high school students who completed a questionnaire in Taiwan in 2013. Results Multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that adolescents who perceived lower levels of parental attachment were more likely to experience Internet addiction, cyberbullying, smoking, and depression, while adolescents who reported higher levels of parental restrictive mediation were less likely to experience Internet addiction or to engage in cyberbullying. Adolescent Internet addiction was associated with cyberbullying victimization/perpetration, smoking, consumption of alcohol, and depression. Conclusion Internet addiction by adolescents was associated with cyberbullying, substance use and depression, while parental restrictive mediation was associated with reductions in adolescent Internet addiction and cyberbullying.

This study evaluated landscape characteristics associated with the incidence of ferret badger (Melogale moschata) rabies in the East Epidemic Area, Taiwan, where the disease has been endemic from 2013 till date. This study included 268 cases of ferret badger rabies reported from 59 townships during 2013-2016. A multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that for townships with elevation between 0 and 200 m, or between 201 and 600 m, the estimated probability of the incidence of ferret badger rabies for each township increases with the rise of forest area. For townships with elevation higher than 600 m, the association is negative, a fact reflected by the interaction effect between variables of forest and elevation fitted in the model. This model provided by the combination of different land use types, human population density and elevation measures of townships, may be used in estimating the incidence probability of prioritizing areas for ferret badger rabies control on oral vaccination.

Statistical procedures for wildlife population estimation have been greatly improved since the last decade. For estimation of stray dog population size, however, the simple methods recommended by the 1990 WHO/WSPA guidelines seem to remain the popular favorites among researchers. Although the methods are very easy to use, their usefulness relies heavily on certain assumptions that are generally unrealistic. Using simulation studies, we conclude that Beck’s method, one of the estimators recommended by the guidelines, performs fairly well and can be safely used to get a quick population estimate, as long as the underlying assumptions are not severely violated.

This study provides an appropriate analytical approach using stated preference analysis and the contingent valuation method to investigate consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for genetically modified (GM) foods together with their prior purchase intentions. Although most analyses treat consumers’ attitudes and willingness to pay as separate issues, we introduce the idea of prior purchase intention to analyze these two issues as a whole. To achieve this purpose, a modeling technique invoking the multinomial logistic model and the accelerated failure time model is presented. Based on the data collected from an essential double-bounded design, our empirical results suggest that Taiwanese consumers are willing to pay a premium of about 11 NT dollars (7% of the given average market price of 150 NT dollars for the non-GM salmon) to avoid GM-soybean-fed salmon. In addition, the results of this study provide evidence that our stated-preference double-bounded design has a better-off statistical efficiency than the single-bounded one.

This study examined the relationship between parental and adolescent eHealth literacy and its impact on online health information seeking. Data were obtained from 1,869 junior high school students and 1,365 parents in Taiwan in 2013. Multivariate analysis results showed that higher levels of parental Internet skill and eHealth literacy were associated with an increase in parental online health information seeking. Parental eHealth literacy, parental active use Internet mediation, adolescent Internet literacy, and health information literacy were all related to adolescent eHealth literacy. Similarly, adolescent Internet/health information literacy, eHealth literacy, and parental active use Internet mediation, and parental online health information seeking were associated with an increase in adolescent online health information seeking. The incorporation of eHealth literacy courses into parenting programs and school education curricula is crucial to promote the eHealth literacy of parents and adolescents.

Aims This 3-year longitudinal study examined changes in patterns of risk factors and protective factors of smoking initiation and cessation among vocational high school students in Taipei, Taiwan. Design and setting In 2000, a total of 2151 10th grade students from 16 vocational high schools were assessed and followed up in the 11th and 12th grades. Self-administered questionnaires were collected in each year to assess the pattern of changes in smoking behaviors, and risk and protective factors. Findings Of the 1654 non-smokers in the 10th grade, 227 students initiated smoking by the 12th grade. Higher risk factors such as peer smoking, peers offering cigarettes, alcohol use and lower protective factors, such as refusal self-efficacy, antismoking attitude and belief in the 10th grade predicted youth initiation by grade 12. Increases in risk factors and decreases in protective factors during the years from 10th to 12th grades were associated significantly with youth smoking initiation. Of the 494 smokers in the 10th grade, 76 students quit smoking by the 12th grade. Lower risk factors and higher protective factors in 10th grade smokers predict youth smoking cessation by grade 12. Decreases in risk factors and increases in protective factors were associated significantly with youth smoking cessation. Conclusions The risk factors (i.e. social influences) and protective factors (i.e. self-efficacy) examined in this study predict both youth smoking initiation and youth smoking cessation.

A family of simultaneous confidence intervals (SCIs) for multinomial proportions is proposed by inverting the power-divergence statistics and the best SCIs in the family is determined by Monte-Carlo technique. Numerical comparisons of this method with the other alternatives are presented. Simulation results indicate that the new procedure is preferable to all its competitors in most cases.

This study examined factors associated with the unwanted exposure to online pornography and unwanted online sexual solicitation victimization and perpetration of youth in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected. Multivariate analysis results indicated that higher levels of online game use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, depression, and cyberbullying experiences predicted online sexual solicitation victimization, while higher levels of Internet chat room use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, cyberbullying experiences, and offline sexual harassment predicted online sexual solicitation perpetration.

To determine whether a chromosomal band is a fragile site rather than a spontaneous breakpoint, an essential step is to test the nonrandomness of breakage at the region. In this paper, the nonapplicability of the testing procedure introduced by Bohm et al. is discussed, and a new detection procedure is proposed. This new procedure considers the relations of one site with the others, and can be applied to tests of the nonrandomness of breakpoints under either the proportional probability model, or the equiprobability model. A data set for Chinese patients with colorectal carcinoma is analyzed as an illustration of the proposed method.

Summary. Identification of fragile sites is a way to investigate the genetic abnormalities that are the hallmark of cancer and play an important role in carcinogenesis. Manifestation of nonrandom breakage at a chromosome band is an essential criterion for determination of the fragility of the band. In this article, a new detection procedure is proposed. This new procedure takes the relationship of one site with the others into consideration and can be applied to tests of the randomness of breakpoints under either the proportional probability model (PPM) or the equiprobability model (EPM). The procedure can form a grouping structure that classifies all sites into several clusters. It is applied to identification of fragile sites for a real data set for Chinese patients with colorectal carcinoma for illustration of the proposed method.