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Employment of appropriate study strategies is crucial for academic success. Previous findings on whether use of specific strategies is related to academic performance in real educational settings were inconsistent, and their participant samples were largely restricted to undergraduate students. The current study recruited a large sample (i.e., 4,331 participants) of elementary school students to explore the association between use of specific strategies and academic performance by using multilevel linear regression models, in which two potential confounding variables (i.e., SES and gender) are controlled for. The results showed that after controlling for SES, gender and other study strategies, use of spaced study, rereading and help-seeking positively related to academic performance in elementary school students. However, use of self-testing, highlighting/underlining, note-taking, summarizing, making diagrams, making study plans and studying with friends did not positively correlate with academic performance in elementary school children. Instructors and parents are suggested to encourage children to study by using the effective study strategies, and teach them how to maximize the benefits of these strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Prevention programs, such as mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), are often implemented in schools to prevent psychological disorders from emerging in children and to support their mental health. This study used a randomized cluster design to evaluate the impact of a MBI, called Mission Méditation, on the well-being and the mental health of elementary school children’s. 13 classrooms of an elementary school were randomly allocated to the experimental condition (7 classrooms, n = 127 students) or the waitlist control condition (6 classrooms, n = 104 students). Participants in the experimental condition received a 10-week MBI. Regression analyses revealed significant differences between conditions for inattention. Participants in the MBI condition reported no change in pre- to post-intervention, whereas participants in the control condition reported pre- to post-intervention increases. Results also showed significant differences in perceived competence. Participants in the MBI condition reported a non-significant decrease in perceive competence, whereas participants in the control condition reported significantly higher perceive competence scores from pre- to post-intervention. Results do not indicate that the MBI had a significant impact on participant’s well-being and mental health. This suggests that MBIs may not have an added value when compared to other preventive interventions geared towards well-being and mental health promotion in school settings.

Objective This research aims to investigate the issues arising from prolonged usage of modern electronic technologies by reviewing relevant literature. Specifically, we examine the impact of mobile phones, tablets, and computers on postural control and skeletal abnormalities among children. Methods Articles were selected based on the research objective by conducting a thorough review of specialized biomechanics databases and considering input and output indicators. Results The investigation revealed that modern electronic technologies, particularly among children aged 6 to 11 years, can contribute to various skeletal and muscular abnormalities in the upper limbs (e.g., rounded shoulders). Body postures adopted while using these technologies (e.g., sitting, lying down), as well as the use of one-handed versus two-handed postures, significantly affect pressure distribution and muscle and skeletal health. Other notable issues include vision problems, adaptability challenges during childhood, and psychological and social implications. Conclusion The review of studies underscores the potential adverse effects of prolonged usage of modern electronic technologies, particularly among elementary school children. With the rise of virtual education in recent years, these technologies have become increasingly prevalent and may contribute to significant limb abnormalities and associated problems. Vision impairments due to prolonged screen time, as well as psychological, social, and adaptational challenges, add further pressure on children.

Although the comorbidity between conduct problems (CP) and depressive symptoms (DS) is associated with a host of negative outcomes, the factors, such as temperament, that might explain this comorbidity in school-aged boys and girls are poorly understood. This study compared elementary school children presenting co-occurring CP and DS to children with DS only, CP only, and those with low-level symptoms on temperament dimensions, and explored the moderating role of child sex in the associations. Participants are 487 children (M = 8.38 years, SD = 0.92, 52.2% girls) divided into four groups (CP + DS, DS only, CP only, control). Findings suggest that boys with CP and DS presented a lower level of fear than boys with DS and boys from the control group. They also presented higher levels of activity than boys with DS. Girls with CP and DS presented lower levels of fear than girls with DS, lower levels of approach and activity than girls with CP, and higher levels of shyness than girls from the control group. These findings suggest that temperament may discriminate children with comorbid CP and DS from those presenting only CP or DS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective coaching strategies for enhancing change-of-direction (COD) ability in older elementary school boys require innovative assessment approaches due to the pivotal role of this skill in motor control programs. We aimed to (a) conduct a cross-sectional comparison of differences in COD total time (CODT) and COD deficit (CODD) according to chronological age among boys aged 10–12 years and (b) investigate the association of CODT and CODD with height, body mass, and jumping ability. Seventy-eight Japanese boys with chronological age 10–12 years (10.0–10.9 years, n=26; 11.0–11.9 years, n=26; 12.0–12.9 years, n=26) performed 20-m sprint, 505COD, counter-movement jump (CMJ), and rebound jump (RJ) tests; their height and body mass were recorded. Unpaired one-way ANOVA was used to compare each variable between the three groups. CODT (F(2, 75) = 6.21, p = 0.003) and 10-m time (F(2, 75) = 9.49, p = 0.001) were significantly shorter in 12-year-olds than in 10-year-olds; however, no significant differences were observed in CODD, CMJ, and RJ-index. Regarding partial correlation coefficients, CODT showed a significant positive correlation with CODD and 20-m time (r = 0.67 to 0.76, p = 0.001) and a significant negative correlation with CMJ, RJ-index, and RJ-height (r = -0.43 to -0.53, p = 0.001). CODD demonstrated a significant positive correlation with height (r = 0.29, p = 0.011), body mass (r = 0.30, p = 0.008), and sprint momentum (r = 0.28, p = 0.013). These findings suggest that regarding CODD, the development of COD ability did not vary with age, indicating its association with morphological growth. Therefore, COD training should be provided according to children’s morphological and linear sprint speed development.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an IgE-mediated type I allergic chronic nasal disease common among all age groups, including the pediatric population. House dust mites (HDMs) are globally ubiquitous and the most important indoor aeroallergen. However, the recent prevalence of HDM-caused AR (AR-HDM) in Japan remains unknown, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the current prevalence of AR-HDM, its clinical features, and the current status of medical examinations in elementary school students. Methods: A survey of 41,000 elementary school students was conducted during July 2021 in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire that examined allergic disease history and clinical background. Results: A total of 17,974 subjects were analyzed in the study. The results showed that the current prevalence of AR-HDM in elementary school children is 18.8%. We found that AR-HDM had already developed before entrance into elementary school in 68.3% of affected subjects. Among these subjects, 82.3% had received some form of treatment, such as prescription medications, whereas 4.2% were treated by allergen immunotherapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the onset of AR-HDM revealed that male sex, being the first-born child, comorbidity of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and allergic conjunctivitis are associated with development of AR-HDM. Conclusions: The present study revealed the prevalence of AR-HDM in elementary school children. The results emphasize the importance of appropriate diagnosis and treatment from infancy through early childhood.

The current study aimed to explore subtypes of elementary school children regarding their social, emotional, and behavioral problems, validate the derived profiles with the mean differences of two outcomes (i.e., children's peer problems and prosocial behaviors) across the profile groups, and then examine the association between predictors (i.e., gender, ethnicity, and covid-19 impact status) and students' profile membership. Elementary school teachers rated 639 children ages 5 to 12 with the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17). Four groups were identified using the Latent Profile Analysis (LPA): Well-adjusted (51.6%), Comorbid Attention and Externalizing Risk (21.9%), Internalizing Risk (18.2%), and Severe Risk (8.3%). Students in the Well-adjusted profile showed a low-risk level for peer problems and high prosocial skills. The Well-adjusted group tends to have more females than the Comorbid Attention and Externalizing Risk group and Severe Risk group. More children from the minority group were represented in the Comorbid Attention and Externalizing Risk group rather than the Well-adjusted group. The Well-adjusted group tends to have more children whose behaviors were not affected by Covid-19 than the other three profiles. The findings highlight the importance of early intervention to prevent the potential occurrence of specific or comorbid aspects of social, emotional, and behavioral problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relative contributions and psychological mechanisms of the effects of family (father–child and mother–child) and school (teacher–student and student–student) interpersonal relationships on depression in elementary school children. The participants (n = 20,629) were elementary school children (48.19% male) aged nine to 13 years from Southwest China during the COVID-19 pandemic. They voluntarily completed questionnaires regarding parent–child, teacher–student, and student–student relationships, as well as academic stress and self-esteem. The results indicate that the effect of family interpersonal relationships on children's depression was stronger than that of school interpersonal relationships. The predictive effects of father–child and mother–child relationships on children's depression did not significantly differ; however, the effect of student–student relationships was significantly stronger than that of teacher–student relationships. Academic stress partially mediated the effect of interpersonal relationships on depression in elementary school children. The effects of family interpersonal relationships and academic stress on depression were moderated by self-esteem. These findings underscore the disparities and mechanisms pertaining to the impacts of diverse interpersonal associations on children's depression, thus signifying significant implications for the advancement of research and intervention strategies aimed at addressing this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills are the hallmarks of people with intellectual disabilities. Many studies indicate that compare to typically developing people; persons with intellectual disabilities have more challenges in daily life activities. The aim of this study is to access the triceps, shoulder strength and flexibility also scapula mobility in intelectual disable children. A total of 33 (23 boys and 10 girls, mean age 13.5 years old) children with intellectual disabilities (ID), randomly selected from a special education school in Shkodra (a city in Albania), were enrolled in this study. To access the triceps and shoulder muscles strength, the "Seated Push-Up Test" was used and for the shoulder flexibility and rotation/mobility, the modified "Apely" test was used. Children with intellectual disabilities showed differences in flexibility between the left and right arms, specifically flexibility of the right arm reaching up was weaker than that of the left arm reaching up. Girls had a negative flexibility score comparing to boys especially in the right arm up and left arm down. Both genders have lower flexibility in left arm up and right arm down. Boys also showed a higher strength in upper body compared to girls, as reflected in performing time in the push-up test. The data show a strong positive correlation between the two measurements of flexibility (flexibility left arm up and right arm down and flexibility right up left down). However, there is no significant correlation between flexibility and push-up performance. It suggests that flexibility and thrust performance may not be strongly correlated in this particular sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the influence of parental involvement on the character development of elementary school-aged children, focusing on how different forms of parental engagement shape positive character traits. Utilizing a literature review methodology, this research synthesizes and analyzes empirical studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the connection between parental involvement and children's character formation at this crucial developmental stage. Findings indicate that parental involvement plays a pivotal role in shaping children's character. Positive engagement from parents correlates with enhanced character development, while insufficient or negative involvement tends to impede the growth of positive character traits. The study underscores that the development of children's character is a collaborative endeavor involving parents, schools, and the wider community, highlighting the importance of a united approach in nurturing well-rounded individuals.

Predicting the actual performance of strategy use with self-report questionnaires is difficult, especially among elementary school children. Nevertheless, due to the simplicity of self-report questionnaires, it is desirable to identify one that can predict children's performance of actual strategy use. This study investigated whether a self-report questionnaire on the frequency of using a diagram strategy in mathematical problem-solving can predict children's actual diagram use by manipulating the question type (i.e., free description, multiple-choice, and Likert scale). We also examine the question types that can better predict the actual strategy use in elementary school children. Fourth- to sixth-grade children were asked to complete both a questionnaire, which asked about their daily use of a diagram strategy through three question types and a test consisting of math word problems. We found that when children were asked to self-report their strategy using a Likert scale, they were predicted to use diagrams during the test regardless of grades. Furthermore, the older the children became, the more effective it was to ask them to self-report in a free description type. These results suggest that appropriate question types can make it possible to measure actual strategy-use behaviors through self-report measures, even for elementary school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi 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.)

Poor snack food habits with a diversity of snacks encourages children's snack habits at school, because they can spend a third of their time at school. However, there are still many children who have the habit of consuming snacks and poor hand and nail hygiene habits The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with the incidence of diarrhea in elementary school. This research was quantitative with the Cross Sectional method. The sample in this study amounted to 118 respondents, which were determined by simple random sampling technique. Respondents were dominated by women as many as 77 respondents (65.3%), and the age of the respondents was dominated by the age category 11-12 years as many as 60 respondents (50.8%). Bivariate analysis resulted that there was a significant relationship between the frequency of snack food consumption, the choice of snack foods, the habit of washing hands, and cleanliness of nails with the incidence of diarrhea, while the habit of carrying lunch had no significant relationship with the incidence of diarrhea in elementary school in Muara Burnai Village II. The results of the multivariate analysis showed that the selection of snack foods was the most dominant variable influencing the incidence of diarrhea in elementary school children with (p-value=0.030; PR=29.291; CI 95%)=1.393-615.854) after controlling for the variable frequency of snack food consumption, washing habits hand and nail hygiene. The schools should make regulations related to standards for traders so that they become healthy canteens in school.

This study aims to determine students' cognitive development in developing critical thinking skills and understanding mathematical concepts at the elementary school level. This study uses qualitative methods with convenience sampling techniques. The researcher collected the data through interviews with six elementary school students from grades 3 to 5 on May 2023. They are inhabitants of Tegal Gundil, Bogor. Some problems identified include the inability to answer random questions, inappropriate questions and answers, disobedience in understanding the teacher's explanation, and external factors hindering elementary school children's cognitive development. Based on these problems, this study found that cognitive development is essential in developing critical thinking skills and understanding mathematical concepts in elementary school-age children. Suggestions include using an inclusive learning approach, adjusting questions and answers, increasing the ability to understand teacher explanations, and collaboration between schools, parents and the community. With the right approach and adequate attention, students can improve their cognitive development by developing critical thinking skills and understanding mathematical concepts.

This study aimed to explore Colombian fifth-graders views about people, events, and situations involved in their gratitude experiences. The sample consisted of 120 fifth-grade children from three mixed-gender schools (one public, two private) in Bogotá, Colombia. The study used a child-centered methodology that involved a novel combination of qualitative strategies such as drawings, photos, and schematization. Children played a protagonist role in both gathering and analyzing data. Results showed the complexity of children's understandings of who they were grateful to and for what benefits. Personal relationships constituted one of the main aspects of children's perceptions of gratitude; they identified family, friends, teachers and members of the community as the most important benefactors when thinking about gratitude, and they recognized a variety of benefits received from them. Research on gratitude in Colombia and Latin America can provide important input for designing educational programs to promote positive competences in these societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student engagement promotes school learning and adaptation and can be a protective factor for children who are vulnerable to school failure. A longitudinal mixed‐methods study was conducted to identify individual, family and school predictors of children's school engagement as well as to explore the facilitators of and obstacles to student engagement at school amongst children with externalising problems. The sample consisted of 369 elementary school children (53.7% girls) and their parents as well as 35 teachers. Participants completed several measures to evaluate emotional and behavioural engagement at school, externalising behaviours, parental emotional support, parental involvement with the school and student–teacher relationships. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a subsample of 17 parents of children with high levels of externalising problems. Problems with externalising behaviours and student–teacher relationships were significant predictors of school engagement. Parents' reports showed that family support, positive student–teacher relationships, and positive relationships with peers are the main facilitators of school engagement in children with high levels of externalising problems. Our study highlights the role played by externalising problems in school engagement. Limitations of the study and implications for prevention research and practice are discussed. Highlights: This study aimed to analyse individual, family and school predictors of children's school engagement and to explore the facilitators of and obstacles to school engagement in a subsample of children with high levels of externalising problems.A mixed method design consisting of a longitudinal quantitative and cross‐sectional qualitative approach was used.The quantitative results show that problems with externalising behaviours and student–teacher relationships were significant predictors of school engagement.The qualitative results show that family support, positive student–teacher relationships and positive relationships with peers are the main facilitators of school engagement in children with high levels of externalising problems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The group of elementary school age children is a stage of life where children experience rapid growth and development. Imbalance between nutritional intake and daily needs can cause nutritional health problems. This community service activity was carried out as an effort to promote health in groups of elementary school age children. Balanced nutrition education using picture guessing game media. Participants in this community service were 70 students from grades 1-6 in one of the elementary schools in Sungai Bawang Village, Kutai Kartanegara Regency. The final results of this activity show an increase in the mean value of knowledge from 5.96 to 6.23 and the p value (0.000). Health education using games can increase children's interest in learning about efforts to maintain health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on RISKESDAS data (2018), 67,3% of Indonesian children aged 5--9 years reported suffering from caries. One of the causes of the high number is their low oral health literacy. If this continues, more children in Indonesia will have low Oral Health Literacy and dental disease. Educational intervention is needed to tackle this problem. Seeing that need, children's educational games are used as a breakthrough. To analyze the implementation of games in increasing awareness about dental and oral health in elementary school children. The references were taken from the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Wiley databases last accessed on 4 June 2023. Thirtythree (33) search results were filtered using PRISMA 2009 into four (4) main data in the form of clinical studies that met the inclusion criteria that had been processed using a study tool with the NIH. From this study, game-based dental and oral health education was reported to increase the knowledge score of elementary school children about dental and oral health. This method was carried out for up to three months and succeeded in increasing the knowledge score of the posttest results. Games also increase the OHI-S and DI-S scores on the subject. Countries like India and China have used this method. The use of games has succeeded in improving children's dental and oral health education to build healthy children of the nation towards the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Games as a medium of learning can increase the awareness of maintaining oral health in elementary school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Japanese Journal of Clinical Educational Psychology: JJCEP is the property of Japanese Society of Clinical Educational Psychology 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 study explores the relative contributions and psychological mechanisms of the effects of family (father–child and mother–child) and school (teacher–student and student–student) interpersonal relationships on depression in elementary school children. The participants (n = 20,629) were elementary school children (48.19% male) aged nine to 13 years from Southwest China during the COVID-19 pandemic. They voluntarily completed questionnaires regarding parent–child, teacher–student, and student–student relationships, as well as academic stress and self-esteem. The results indicate that the effect of family interpersonal relationships on children’s depression was stronger than that of school interpersonal relationships. The predictive effects of father–child and mother–child relationships on children’s depression did not significantly differ; however, the effect of student–student relationships was significantly stronger than that of teacher–student relationships. Academic stress partially mediated the effect of interpersonal relationships on depression in elementary school children. The effects of family interpersonal relationships and academic stress on depression were moderated by self-esteem. These findings underscore the disparities and mechanisms pertaining to the impacts of diverse interpersonal associations on children’s depression, thus signifying significant implications for the advancement of research and intervention strategies aimed at addressing this issue.

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of media addiction and its associated factors in elementary school children based on the problem behavior theory. This cross-sectional study was a secondary data analysis using national data from the 10th Panel Study on Korean Children 2017, which included 1,078 families of third-grade students (8–9 years of age). Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence of media addiction, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with media addiction. Prevalence of media addiction was 22.91% in this sample. Media addiction was significantly associated with general characteristics (gender, education level of mother, and time spent without parents), socialization (media use time), factors in the personal system (happiness), and factors in the perceived-environment system (parenting style). More comprehensive, tailored education may prevent elementary school children's media addiction. In addition, parents should participate in media addiction education with their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This research has been carried out with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of using the intelligent speech recognition system in correctly retrieving the information of narrative literature for elementary school children. Methodology: This research is practical in terms of purpose and was done with a semiexperimental method. The statistical population of the research consists of first to third grade elementary school children, 36 of whom were selected as a sample using stratified sampling method. In order to conduct this study, two intelligent speech recognition system tools and a storytelling application called "Audio Story Book" were used. To collect the data, a questionnaire and a checklist designed according to the research questions. The questionnaire was used to complete the survey and evaluate the determined criteria. SPSS27 statistical software and one-way analysis of variance statistical test were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings of this research showed that the average number of errors in the story information retrieved by the children of the intelligent speech recognition system group with an average of 0.7 is more than the human voice group and less than the storytelling application group. The average length of story information retrieved by the children of the intelligent speech recognition system group with an average of 3.966 is less than the human voice group and more than the storytelling application group. The average speed of retrieving story information by children in the intelligent speech system group with an average of 2.583 is lower than the human voice group and higher than the storytelling application group. The average accuracy of story information retrieved by the speech recognition system group children is lower than the human voice group and higher than the storytelling application group with an average of 3.4. Conclusions: The results of this research showed that the use of intelligent speech recognition system is not significantly effective in correctly retrieving the information of narrative literature of primary school children. Children who were told stories by a human had higher accuracy and concentration, and this could be due to physical, emotional, eye, face-to-face communication and environmental conditions that affected their psyche and increased memory and learning performance, increased attention and concentration, quick processing of information, perceptual organization and recall of information, which led to their complete understanding and comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the daily lives of preschoolers and elementary school children worldwide. Although these changes may have affected their mental health, the full picture still remains unknown. Since March 2020, Japan has intermittently experienced several COVID-19 waves. This survey was conducted between February and March 2022. In this study, we investigated the pathways by which specific lifestyle factors (such as exercise, sleep, diet, and life skills) affect physical/psychosocial health (PPH) in 1183 preschoolers (3–5 years old) and 3156 elementary school children (6–11 years old) in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. These pathways were examined using a path analysis. Consequently, "life skills" was found to be the factor most strongly associated with PPH in both preschoolers and elementary school children (p < 0.001). Furthermore, it was associated with the physical activity score and with PPH via physical activity. Moreover, both boys' and girls' mental health declined with age among elementary school children (p < 0.001). The results of the current study may be helpful for early interventions (around the start of elementary school) at home and at school to improve children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined three dimensions of parental engagement in Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) prevention education (knowledge, attitudes and practices) to determine whether increased knowledge and attitudes favouring CSA education led to increases in parental behaviours while controlling for multiple factors. Design: A random, digitally selected sample of 508 Hong Kong parents with at least one child in primary school answered a 47-question telephone survey designed by social workers and educators at a local community agency. Method: Parental knowledge and attitudes were measured by scales, scored from 5 to 25 each. Three variables measured parental practices: sex-related topics discussed with the referenced child, CSA-prevention learning methods and a weighted score of CSA-prevention discussions. Univariate tests and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were used to analyse the data. Results: A two-way MANCOVA indicated that attitudes were significantly associated with all the parental practices measured, while knowledge was correlated only with the covered sex-related topics. Parental gender and child gender revealed statistically significant differences in the results. Conclusion: To encourage parental engagement in CSA prevention, educators can empower parents to take on the roles of supporters, planners, implementers and collaborators to deliver sexual health education. Praxis-oriented topics such as 'how to talk to children' in a standardised CSA curriculum may improve parental participation and increase their motivation to become peer trainers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to increase in both developing and developed countries and occurs in all age groups. As well as being the biggest threat to public health, especially non-communicable diseases. Childhood is the most special period in life. It is almost certain that many health problems/illnesses experienced during this period will be carried on into adulthood. The causes of obesity in children are very complex; genetic, biological, psychosocial, behavioral and sociocultural factors. The impact of overweight and obesity on children is related to physical and psychological effects. Lifestyle modification which includes increasing knowledge, diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior, socio-cultural aspects is believed to be a strategy in preventing and controlling overweight and obesity. This study aims to examine the effect of family empowerment on the prevention of overweight and obesity in elementary school children. This research is a quasy experiment that is pre-test and posttest with control group design. Parallel design with one treatment group and one control group. The sample is determined by purposive random sampling. The research sample was overweight/obese children in elementary school grades 4, 5 and 6, totaling 112 people. Data were obtained through a structured questionnaire covering family abilities, knowledge, physical activity and nutritional intake. Nutritional status was measured after measuring body weight and height using digital scales. Eating patterns were measured using a food frequency questionnaire and a 24-hour recall formula. Results: The results showed that there were differences in family ability (p<0.016), knowledge (p<0.001), physical activity (p<0.015) and nutritional intake (p<0.000) in the treatment group and the control group after implementing the family empowerment intervention. Conclusion: Family-centered empowerment interventions through health education about overweight and obesity management have a positive impact on increasing family capacity, family knowledge, physical activity and changes in family eating patterns. It is necessary to implement lifestyle modifications in preventing and controlling overweight and obesity. Family-centered empowerment interventions through health education about overweight and obesity management have a positive impact on increasing family capacity, family knowledge, physical activity and changes in family eating patterns. It is necessary to implement lifestyle modifications in preventing and controlling overweight and obesity. Family-centered empowerment interventions through health education about overweight and obesity management have a positive impact on increasing family capacity, family knowledge, physical activity and changes in family eating patterns. It is necessary to implement lifestyle modifications in preventing and controlling overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elementary school children are spending more time using digital technologies. Teachers and schools are concerned about the student's digital safety. We interviewed ten elementary school teachers virtually to understand their concerns and understand the actions they take regarding elementary school children's digital safety. Using thematic analysis, we identified themes of concerns and actions of teachers and schools on elementary school children's digital safety. Some digital safety concerns discussed by the teachers included content-related concerns such as accessing inappropriate content, contact-related concerns, inappropriate contact with others online, sharing personal information, lack of understanding of danger, conduct-related concerns regarding cyberbullying and digital footprint, contract-related concerns such as digital security and privacy, and home-related concerns. Teachers and schools have taken several actions to address these concerns. Some of the digital safety actions included security measures and limits, monitoring student activities, providing education on digital safety, and support from guidance counselors. This study has implications for elementary school educators, administrators, parents, and students on the safe use of digital technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To estimate the efficacy of interventions to improve healthy eating, valid measures are essential. Although simple dietary intake tools have been developed with other populations, few have been culturally tailored and assessed for validity and reliability among Navajo. Objectives: This study aimed to develop a simple dietary intake tool tailored to Navajo culture, derive healthy eating indices, and assess their validity and reliability in Navajo children and adults and to describe the process used to develop this tool. Methods: A picture-sort tool using typically consumed foods was developed. Elementary school children and family members provided qualitative feedback in focus groups, used to refine the tool. Next, school--aged children and adults completed assessments at baseline and follow-up. Baseline behavior measures including child self-efficacy for fruits and vegetables (F&V) were examined for internal consistency. Healthy eating indices were derived from intake frequencies from picture sorting. The convergent validity of the indices and behavior measures for children and adults were examined. The reliability of the indices at the 2 time points was derived using Bland-Altman plots. Results: The picture-sort was refined from feedback provided by the focus groups. Baseline measures from 25 children and 18 adults were obtained. In children, a modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and 2 other indices from the picture-sort were correlated with self-efficacy for eating F&V and had good reliability. In adults, the modified AHEI and 3 other indices from the picture-sort had significant correlations with adult abbreviated food frequency of F&V or obesogenic dietary index and had good reliability. Conclusions: The Navajo foods picture-sort tool developed for Navajo children and adults is proven to be acceptable and feasible to implement. Indices derived from the tool has good convergent validity and repeatability, supporting use in evaluating dietary change interventions in Navajo, with the potential for broader use of the approach in other underserved populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to determine whether neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics are associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence in elementary school children and, if so, the associated characteristics. We obtained data on the number of infected children from 282 public elementary schools and the socioeconomic characteristics of each school district in Osaka City, Japan. We examined associations between these variables through negative binomial regression analyses. The proportion of employment in the wholesale and retail trade industry and the college graduation rate were significantly positively and negatively associated, respectively, with the total number of COVID-19-infected children. It was discovered that percentages of employment in the accommodation and food service industries in Wave 2, wholesale and retail trade industries after Wave 3, and healthcare and social assistance industries in Wave 5 were significantly positively associated with the number of infected children; likewise, the college graduation rate in Wave 5 was significantly negatively associated with the number of infected children. Our findings provide insight into the relevant and important areas of focus for public health policymakers and practitioners to ensure reduced disparities in COVID-19 infection rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon a sample of 232 German elementary school students aged 9–12 years, the present longitudinal study aimed to examine the relations between achievement, self-concepts, and intrinsic values in music, mathematics, and verbal domains within the generalized internal/external frame of reference model (GI/E model). Results showed significantly positive achievement-self-concept/intrinsic value relations within domains and some significant achievement-self-concept/intrinsic value relations across domains: Mathematics achievement negatively predicted verbal self-concept, verbal intrinsic value, and music intrinsic value, whereas verbal achievement positively predicted music self-concept and music intrinsic value but negatively predicted mathematics intrinsic value. Music achievement, in turn, positively predicted verbal intrinsic value. All three self-concepts mediated the achievement-intrinsic value relations within domains. Furthermore, verbal self-concept proved to mediate the relation of mathematics achievement to verbal intrinsic value, whereas music self-concept also proved to mediate the relation of verbal achievement to music intrinsic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Soil-Transmitted Helminths infection is still remain become a health problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries, one of which is Indonesia. The aim of the study was to determine the STH infection in Banawa and Dampelas sub-districts, Donggala district, Central Sulawesi Province. The study was conducted in February - November 2017 on 153 elementary school students. The collected feces were examined by the direct examination method. The results found infections of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, and Trichuris trichiura. We also found Enterobius vermicularis and mixed infections. However, the logistic regression test showed there was no relationship between taking deworming medication and the incidence of worms in school children in Donggala Regency (p-value > 0,05). Based on the results it can be concluded that the prevalence of STH infection in both locations is still high. It is necessary to make efforts to treat school children and counseling on clean and healthy living behavior. ABSTRAK Infeksi Soil Transmitted Helminths masih menjadi masalah kesehatan di negara tropis dan sub tropis, termasuk di Indonesia. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk menentukan tingkat infeksi STH pada siswa sekolah dasar (SD) wilayah Kecamatan Banawa dan Dampelas, Kabupaten Donggala, Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Februari - November 2017 dengan jumlah sampel 153. Tinja yang terkumpul diperiksa dengan metode pemeriksaan langsung. Hasil penelitian ditemukan infeksi cacing gelang (Ascaris lumbricoides) cacing tambang (Hookworm), dan cacing cambuk (Trichuris trichiura). Selain itu ditemukan infeksi Enterobius vermicularis dan infeksi ganda. Namun uji logistic regression menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada hubungan antara minum obat cacing dengan kejadian kecacingan pada anak sekolah di Kabupaten Donggala (p-value > 0,05). Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa prevalensi infeksi STH di kedua lokasi masih tinggi. Perlu dilakukan upaya pengobatan anti cacing pada anak sekolah serta penyuluhan perilaku hidup bersih dan sehat.

Abstract Background Understanding factors contributing to an individual reducing screen time is essential for promoting a healthy weight. Parents’ behavior affects children by influencing their daily decision-making through modeling, rules or restrictions, social support, and co-participation. We examined how the direct and indirect effects of parents’ and children’s behaviors regarding screen time influenced body mass index (BMI) among Japanese elementary school children. Methods We included 283 Japanese children, one child per household, aged 6–12 years, who were randomly selected from resident registries of two cities. The questionnaires were completed by children and their mothers and fathers. Screen time and sociodemographic attributes, including sex, age, employment status, height, and weight, were assessed using a mail-based survey. Path analyses were conducted to determine associations among children’s, fathers’, and mothers’ variables. It was hypothesized that after controlling for household income and children’s sex and age, mothers’ and fathers’ screen time on weekdays and weekends would be related to children’s weekdays and weekend screen time, respectively. In addition, we hypothesized that children’s weekday and weekend screen time was related to children’s BMI. Results Both fathers’ and mothers’ weekday screen times were associated with children’s weekday and weekend screen times. BMI was affected by children’s weekday screen time (0.117). The path coefficients for the indirect effects of mothers’ and fathers’ screen time on children’s BMI through children’s weekday screen time were 0.016 from the fathers’ weekday screen time and 0.024 from the mothers’ weekday screen time (GFI = .980, AGFI = .953, RMSEA = .030, AIC = 93.030). Conclusions Both fathers’ and mothers’ weekday screen times indirectly affected children’s BMI through children’s weekday screen time among Japanese elementary school children. The strongest indirect effects could be seen by examining the paths of a mother’s weekday screen time through children’s screen time to BMI. Mothers who spend much time with their children are role models, and their behavior could affect the child’s behavior. The findings imply that intervention strategies to reduce screen time in children should also focus on modeling the mothers’ behavior.

Masatoshi Tomita,&ast; Takehiro Yamashita,&ast; Hiroto Terasaki, Naoya Yoshihara, Naoko Kakiuchi, Taiji Sakamoto Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hiroto Terasaki, Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan, Tel +81 99-275-5402, Fax +81 99-265-4894, Email teracchi@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jpPurpose: To determine the success rate of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) biometry (OA-2000) in elementary school students.Methods: This was a prospective observational longitudinal study of 115 right eyes of elementary school students who were 8- to 9-years-old at the initial examination. Biometric measurements of the eyes were performed annually for three years, viz., during the third, fourth, and fifth grades. The success rates of obtaining data from optical biometric measurements of the axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), pupillary diameter (PD), corneal diameter (CD), and corneal curvature (CC) were determined.Results: The AL, CCT, and CC could be measured in all images at the three measurement times in all subjects. The success rate of the measurements of the ACD was 92.2% in the third grade and 100% in the fourth and fifth grade. The LT was successfully measured in 88.7% in the third grade, 99.1% in the fourth grade, and 100% in the fifth grade. The PD was successfully measured in 100% of the third grade, 96.0% of the fourth grade, and 100% in the fifth grade. The CD was successfully measured in 84.3% in the third grade, 66% in the fourth grade, and 100% in the fifth grade.Conclusion: SS-OCT can obtain accurate measures of all ocular parameters in the primary school students with high success rates. However, care should be taken especially in analyzing the ACD, LT, PD, and CD because errors can occur in some cases.Keywords: swept source optical coherence tomography, success rate, elementary school children

Abstract Background Food and nutrition literacy is a key factor in shaping healthy dietary behaviors and may result in decreasing decrease the prevalence of overweight. Empirical research on food and nutrition literacy and its outcomes is limited, especially among children and adolescents. Thus, this study investigates the link between Food and Nutrition Literacy (FNLIT) with eating behaviors, academic performance, and overweight in 10–12 years old students in Tehran, Iran. Methods This study was performed through two phases: 1) Proposing a conceptual model of the relationship between FNLIT and its determinants and outcomes, based on the existing evidence and previous models, and 2) Testing the proposed FNLIT model through a cross-sectional study on 803 primary school students (419 boys and 384 girls, from 34 public and 10 private primary schools), aged 10–12 years using structural equation modeling. Demographic, socio-economic, and household food security characteristics were collected by interviewing the students and their mothers/caregivers using a questionnaire. FNLIT was measured by a self-administered, locally designed, and validated questionnaire. Results The fit indices suggested a reasonably adequate fit of the data to the hypothesized model (χ2/df = 2.03, p

Background: Being skillful is a prerequisite for lifelong participation in physical activity (WHO 2022). Hence, investigating the quality of children’s skill performance is important. If physical education wants to contribute to the development of a physically active lifestyle, demonstrating whether children apply skills learned in physical education in a less structured setting such as recess is worthwhile. Purpose: This study systematically replicated and extended previous work connecting the content of physical education (i.e. parkour) with voluntary organized physical activity during recess. It was investigated whether children would maintain participation in parkour recess after the parkour sport education season in physical education ended. The research questions in this study were: (1) How did children’s voluntary participation in parkour recess differ between the generalization and maintenance phase?; and (2) How did children’s performance of skill trials in parkour recess differ between generalization and maintenance phase in comparison to physical education? Sex effects were investigated in both research questions. Methods: Participants in this study were seven physical education teachers (2 females and 5 males) and 147 grade 2 children (55 girls and 92 boys, mean age: 8 years). Seven classes from different schools in Flanders (Belgium) received a 10-lesson sport education parkour season in physical education. During the generalization phase, parkour was taught in physical education and five voluntary 20-min parkour recess sessions were organized during lunch recess. During the maintenance phase, teachers taught other content during physical education instead of parkour and another five parkour recess sessions were organized during lunch recess. All physical education lessons and parkour recess sessions were videorecorded. Children’s voluntary participation in each parkour recess session was recorded and their correct skill trials in physical education and parkour recess were collected using systematic observation. Findings: Children’s voluntary participation in parkour recess significantly declined from generalization (77%) to maintenance phase (52%), p < .001. In parkour recess, children performed significantly more total skill trials (58 vs. 51, p = .013), skill trials per minute (4.20 vs. 3.49, p < .001), and correct skill trials per minute (1.67 vs. 1.45, p = .029) in the maintenance versus generalization phase. Girls had a higher proportion of correct skill trials than boys (42% vs 36%, p = .01) in maintenance phase. No sex effect was found on children’s performance of skill trials during physical education. Conclusions: More than half of the children continued voluntarily to participate in parkour recess during the maintenance phase. Both boys and girls performed more skill trials in organized parkour recess compared to physical education. Connecting organized recess with physical education provided children with an opportunity to apply what they had learned in physical education. This study provides evidence of physical education’s potential to contribute to the development of children’s volitional physically active lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a cognitive skill, emotional awareness plays a fundamental role in emotional intelligence and significant effect on the development of individuals' social adaptation. However, the role of emotional awareness in children's social adaptation, especially emotional development, remains unclear, the current study sought to determine the significant influence of emotional awareness in children's emotional development. By using cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs, the current study explored the relationship between emotional awareness and children's depression, as well as the mediation effect of emotion regulation on this relationship. The sample comprised 166 Chinese elementary school students (89 girls and 77 boys) ranging from 8 to 12 years old. After adjusting for demographic variables (gender, grade, etc.), the results showed that children with high emotional awareness were less likely to adopt expressive suppression as an emotion regulation strategy and had lower depression levels currently and in the future. In contrast, children with low emotional awareness were more likely to use suppression strategies and showed higher depression levels. Thus, the results indicated that emotional awareness could predict children's current and future depression status. Meanwhile, emotional regulation strategies are an important mediating variable explaining the relationship between emotional awareness and children's depression. Implications and limitations were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental feeding practices influence children's eating behaviors, yet it is not well-understood whether parents' own eating behaviors are associated with their feeding practices. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among parents' eating behaviors, parental feeding practices, and children's eating behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 76 parents of children from an elementary school in Tampa, FL. Parents completed three questionnaires with topics related to parent eating behaviors, parental feeding practices, and children's eating behaviors. Multiple regression analysis was performed, controlling for demographic covariates. Parents who reported to eat more fruits per day (β = 0.15), eat more than one kind of fruit each day (β = 0.33), eat more than one kind of vegetable each day (β = 0.29), eat 2 or more vegetables at the main meal (β = 0.36), plan meals (β = 0.19), and keep vegetables ready for the child to eat (β = 0.25) indicated that they use more positive reinforcement feeding practices (all p ≤ 0.001). There were significantly positive associations between positive reinforcement and children's eating fruits or vegetables like apples, bananas or carrots as snacks (β = 1.03) and eating more than one kind of vegetable a day (β = 1.03; all p < 0.001). No other variables had any significant associations. Findings of this study indicate that there are potential associations among parent's own eating behaviors, feeding practices, and children's eating behaviors. Further research is needed to determine the mechanism of these relationships. Targeting these parental factors may be an effective way to maximize the impact of nutrition interventions on children's dietary behavior changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The changed living and learning conditions caused by quarantine and social restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic have radically transformed the interaction and communication between people. Genuine scientific interest is aroused by the problem of learning motivation and parental attitude toward the child in the context of a pandemic and the transition of the entire education system to a distance or blended learning format. The article presents a theoretical analysis of the motivation to learn of an elementary school child and the peculiarities of the parental attitude toward a child of elementary school age. Methods. The empirical research was carried out using several techniques: the method of “Learning motives questionary” by M.R. Ginzburg; the questionnaire "Parent-child interaction" by I.M. Markovskaya. The study was carried out in two stages during the 2019-2020 learning year based on the MAEI “School No. 96 Eureka - Development named after Nagibin M.V.” Rostov-on-Don. The study involved 107 schoolchildren aged 8-9 years and 107 parents of elementary school children (aged 30 to 39 years). Results. The results revealed the presence of some changes in the severity of the learning motives of younger schoolchildren: the degree of significance of cognitive motivation of younger schoolchildren from families inclined to cooperate during blended learning became significantly lower than during contact learning; in younger schoolchildren from families inclined to control, the importance of external and game motives increased, while the severity of learning and grading motives has significantly decreased.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the type and quality of understanding of God in elementary and preschool children. A review of the research background showed that so far little research has been done in this field in Iran. To achieve this goal, qualitative research with an integrated approach was used. The target population of this study was all primary and preschool male students in Chadegan city and the sample size was 42 people from this population who were selected by purposive sampling method. Qualitative data collection methods included interviewing the children, interviewing experienced teachers, and analyzing the children's drawings. The content analysis method was used to analyze the data. The results show that children have different knowledge of God according to the stages of Piaget's cognitive development and according to the characteristics of each stage. To have a comprehensive understanding of children's knowledge of God, topics such as the prophets, the Qur'an, prayers, and a large number of issues related to God have also been investigated. Findings indicate that children first get familiar with concepts that have objective and tangible examples. As their minds grow and become more powerful they know and understand more abstract concepts. Other religious concepts, such as the concepts of God, resurrection, prophet, prayer, Hajj, prayer, and miracle, like other concepts, follow the general rule of formation of concepts in the child's mind. Having this point in mind, we must adjust religious education, like other education, in accordance with their mental capacities.

Background: During the mixed dentition period, masticatory performance may temporarily decline as deciduous teeth are replaced by permanent teeth. This may lead to an insufficient intake of chewy foods. Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of factors that affect masticatory performance during the dentition exchange period. Methods: The participants were 229 students in grades 4–6 who were in the lateral dentition exchange period. Shearing performance (SP) was evaluated using gummy jelly, and mixing performance (MP) was evaluated using colour‐changing gum. The chewing rate, occlusal force and area, number of teeth, Hellman's tooth age, Rohrer index, grip strength and walking speed were also evaluated. The χ2 test, Mann–Whitney test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and a generalised linear model were used for statistical analysis. Results: SP/MP showed a significant positive correlation with occlusal force, occlusal contact area and chewing rate for gummy jelly and gum but there was a difference in the strength of the correlation between boys and girls. Chewing rate for gummy jelly and gum showed a significant relationship with both SP and MP, suggesting that masticatory performance is higher with slower chewing. Maximum occlusal force was selected as a significant independent variable for SP, and Rohrer index was selected as a significant independent variable for MP. When the occlusal force was higher and the Rohrer index was lower, the masticatory performance tended to be higher. Conclusions: Our results suggest that masticatory performance during the dentition exchange period is higher with slower chewing and a stronger occlusal force, which may be related to obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Amerta Nutrition is the property of Universitas Airlangga 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.)

Background: Understanding factors contributing to an individual reducing screen time is essential for promoting a healthy weight. Parents' behavior affects children by influencing their daily decision-making through modeling, rules or restrictions, social support, and co-participation. We examined how the direct and indirect effects of parents' and children's behaviors regarding screen time influenced body mass index (BMI) among Japanese elementary school children.Methods: We included 283 Japanese children, one child per household, aged 6-12 years, who were randomly selected from resident registries of two cities. The questionnaires were completed by children and their mothers and fathers. Screen time and sociodemographic attributes, including sex, age, employment status, height, and weight, were assessed using a mail-based survey. Path analyses were conducted to determine associations among children's, fathers', and mothers' variables. It was hypothesized that after controlling for household income and children's sex and age, mothers' and fathers' screen time on weekdays and weekends would be related to children's weekdays and weekend screen time, respectively. In addition, we hypothesized that children's weekday and weekend screen time was related to children's BMI.Results: Both fathers' and mothers' weekday screen times were associated with children's weekday and weekend screen times. BMI was affected by children's weekday screen time (0.117). The path coefficients for the indirect effects of mothers' and fathers' screen time on children's BMI through children's weekday screen time were 0.016 from the fathers' weekday screen time and 0.024 from the mothers' weekday screen time (GFI = .980, AGFI = .953, RMSEA = .030, AIC = 93.030).Conclusions: Both fathers' and mothers' weekday screen times indirectly affected children's BMI through children's weekday screen time among Japanese elementary school children. The strongest indirect effects could be seen by examining the paths of a mother's weekday screen time through children's screen time to BMI. Mothers who spend much time with their children are role models, and their behavior could affect the child's behavior. The findings imply that intervention strategies to reduce screen time in children should also focus on modeling the mothers' behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that children’s persistence is associated with their satisfaction with school and life. However, the mechanism of this relationship in children is not understood well. The present study investigated whether there is a correlation between persistence and school and life satisfaction in elementary school children, considering that self-esteem is a mediator between the two factors. A total of 107 children in Grades 1 through 6 and their mothers participated and they answered the questionnaires on persistence, self-esteem and school and life satisfaction. We found that self-esteem explains the relationship between children’s persistence and school and life satisfaction. Our findings suggest the underlying mechanisms linking children’s persistence and school and life satisfaction. The development of persistence and self-esteem may play an important role in the education of elementary school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

With increasing school refusal among elementary school children, we qualitatively examined the associated factors. Elementary school teachers underwent semi-structured interviews, and the data generated were analyzed using SCAT. We conducted interviews with 27 teachers (18 men, nine women) responsible for children refusing to attend school. We analyzed verbatim transcripts of the interviews and abstracted six constructs for school refusal: underdeveloped interpersonal skills; families having difficulty in supporting their children to attend school; low self-esteem; diverse views on school refusal; tenuous relationships among local community members; and an environment where games and media are easily accessible. Children refusing to attend school may be unable to relate well to other people owing to underdeveloped interpersonal skills, and they may have low self-esteem. Regarding the home environment of children who are not positive about school life, living in families having difficulty in supporting their children to attend school may make the children less likely to do so. Because of tenuous relationships with local community members, there has been a decline in the involvement of people around children other than family members in encouraging school attendance. Recently, diverse views on school refusal have been accepted; increasingly, parents and children are likely to choose to spend time outside school. An environment in which games and media are easily accessible may make it easy to relate to other people without attending school, undermining the need for school attendance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]