Scarcity mindset among schoolteachers: how resource scarcity negatively impacts teachers' cognition and behaviors

A recent line of research investigates the negative cognitive effects - known as the scarcity mindset - that arise when people face a lack of resources. We expand on this research and show that these cognitive effects are present among Swedish schoolteachers facing a scarcity of time and social resources at work. From an initial interview study we developed novel survey scales to measure teachers' subjective assessments of available resources and the extent of their scarcity mindset. We then related resource scarcity of time and social resources to the scarcity mindset using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis in a survey study with a sample of Swedish schoolteachers. This research provides valuable insights for addressing resource constrained work environments in schools and contributes to the broader psychological research on cognitive effects resulting from resource scarcity.

Perceptions of Schoolteachers About Teledentistry Use in Makkah City

OBJECTIVES

Teledentistry is a combination of communication technology and dentistry. Teledentistry is an alternative and useful way to remotely provide advisory, preventive, and emergency services in places with poor access to dental care. Few studies in Saudi have investigated the implementation of teledentistry at schools or assessed the perceptions of school personnel. This research aimed to evaluate teachers' perceptions about the use of teledentistry to examine schoolchildren in Makkah city.

METHODS

 The study was conducted on 20 intermediate schools randomly selected from different regions of Makkah city using a multistage cluster sampling method. Two data collectors visited the schools to administer the study questionnaire, exploring teachers' perceptions of teledentistry. The questionnaire was adapted from a validated survey based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test, and the Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted to compare the mean differences in participants' perceptions of teledentistry based on their demographics.

RESULTS

 A total of 241 teachers completed the survey, 131 of whom were females (54.4%), and the mean age of participants was 42.5±7 years. Over 80% of participants taught ≥16 classes a week, and their experience ranged from less than a year to more than 31 years. Sixty participants (25%) knew teledentistry before watching the study video. The results revealed a significant difference between male and female teachers regarding perceptions of teledentistry. Female participants had higher scores in TAM dimensions than males.

CONCLUSION

 This survey revealed a generally favorable attitude toward teledentistry utilization in schools. Including non-dental employees, such as teachers to provide such a service will assist in alleviating the shortage or unavailability of dentists at schools. This goes in line with the government's plans to promote telehealth as part of the Saudi Vision 2030.

The effect of workplace bullying on fatigue in school teachers: the moderating roles of gender and spirituality

Workplace bullying is quite prevalent and has been linked to many health complaints. The relationship between workplace bullying and fatigue was documented in previous studies. However, knowledge on how this relationship develops with the interplaying factors of spirituality and gender was not investigated before especially among schoolteachers. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between workplace bullying and fatigue as moderated by spirituality and gender among schoolteachers in Lebanon. This is a cross-sectional study, where 215 schoolteachers aged 18 till 64 and employed for a minimum of 6 months were recruited through systematic sampling. Six private and six public schools in Beirut participated in the study. Online questionnaires using validated scales were used. Both simple and multiple ordinal logistic regression were performed for the statistical analysis. Results showed that workplace bullying is a predictor of fatigue with an odds ratio of 2.74 and p-value 0.008. Gender was found to be an effect modifier for this relationship, mainly among females (OR 2.66, p-value 0.047) but not among males. Anxiety and depression also predicted higher levels of fatigue (OR 5.75, p-value 0.017). Spirituality did not moderate this relationship.

Knowledge and Attitude About Epilepsy Among School Teachers in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders affecting school-age children. School teachers play an essential role in the life and development of patients with epilepsy. Hence, adequate knowledge of and positive attitudes toward epilepsy among school teachers are critical. This study assessed the knowledge of and attitude toward epilepsy among primary, middle, and high school teachers in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered electronic questionnaire to assess the knowledge and attitude about epilepsy among 394 teachers from local schools.  Results: Most of the participants were female (64.7%). About 32.2% of the participants had experience teaching children with epilepsy. The mean score for knowledge about epilepsy was 8.2 out of 13. Regarding attitudes toward epilepsy, most participants (93.4%) had positive attitudes toward students with epilepsy. There is a strong correlation between experience and attitude toward epilepsy. Most of the participants lacked adequate first aid training and felt unprepared to deal with a child with a seizure.

CONCLUSION

Most school teachers in Madinah had positive attitudes toward epilepsy patients. Although they had a basic understanding of epilepsy, there were gaps in their knowledge, and they lacked adequate training and confidence in assisting a child with a seizure. Therefore, it is essential to implement education and training programs aimed at improving their knowledge and confidence in dealing with students with epilepsy.

Absences due to illness and health problems of the teachers of municipal public schools in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

Introduction

Absenteeism is defined as the absence of workers from their workplace, resulting from a complex phenomenon.

Objectives

To analyze the profile of absence due to illness and health problems of the permanent teachers of early childhood education (day care and preschool) and elementary school (years 1-5) in the city of Rio Branco - Acre, Brazil, from 2014 to 2017.

Methods

An observational, analytical, individual, cross-sectional, retrospective cohort study with data from 1,584 teachers from 100 municipal public schools in Rio Branco. The period prevalence was calculated by chapters of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, and by specific reasons for absence for those chapters with higher proportions. Additionally, the absenteeism-illness frequency index and mean sickness absence duration were calculated.

Results

The chapters of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, with the highest prevalence of absences were Chapter XIII (diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue) with 7.83%, Chapter V (mental and behavioral disorders) with 7.45%, and Chapter X (diseases of the respiratory system) with 6.12%. The absenteeism-illness frequency index was 0.72, and the mean sickness absence duration was 24.07 days.

Conclusions

The present study showed that diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, mental and behavioral disorders, and diseases of the respiratory system are the main problems that lead the permanent teachers of municipal public schools in Rio Branco to be absent from the classroom.

Psychosocial factors at work and teachers' illness: a systematic review

The aim of the present study is to analyze scientific evidence about associations between psychosocial factors at work and teachers' illness. A systematic literature review based on the PRISMA statement was conducted. Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrievel System Online, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Excerpta Medica Database databases were searched. Articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish, published in the past 11 years, were of interest. In total, 861 articles were identified, but only 15 of them met all the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Eleven articles (73.3%) used validated instruments to assess psychosocial factors, and the Job Content Questionnaire was the most cited one. Low social support, heavy workload, high job demands, and low job control were the most commonly investigated factors and showed statistically significant associations with teachers' illness.

Schoolteachers Teach First Aid and Trauma Management to Young Primary School Children: An Experimental Study with Educational Intervention

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of teaching first aid to 6-8-year-old children within their primary school setting. The study aimed to address two key research questions: (1) Can children of this age group acquire first aid and trauma management skills from their schoolteachers? (2) How long do children retain the acquired first aid knowledge?

METHODS

A pilot experimental study with an educational intervention was conducted in a single primary school in Greece. A total of 60 schoolchildren aged 6-8 years were randomly selected for participation, with 30 children assigned to the training group and 30 children assigned to the control group, which did not receive any intervention. To assess the children's understanding of first aid, a specialized questionnaire was administered to all children one day before the training, as well as to the training group one day after the training, and at two and six months following the training.

RESULTS

Prior to the training, there were no significant differences in first aid knowledge between the children in the training group and those in the control group. However, one day after the training, the trained children demonstrated significantly higher scores (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Over time, the first aid knowledge of the trained children gradually declined at the two- and six-month follow-up assessments, although it remained higher than their pre-training level.

CONCLUSIONS

First aid training provided by their teachers improved the knowledge of 6-8-year-old primary school children in first aid and trauma management.

Auxiliary delivered school based oral health promotion among 12-14-year-old children from a low resource setting-A cluster randomized trial

OBJECTIVES

This community intervention study compared the changes in oral health knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), and oral health indicators among 12-14-year-old children who received a school based oral health promotion delivered by auxiliaries in a rural setting in India.

METHODS

The interventions in this school based cluster randomized trial were delivered using schoolteachers and school health nurses. Oral health education (once in 3 months), weekly classroom based sodium fluoride mouth rinsing and biannual oral health screening/ referral were provided for 1 year. The control arm did not receive these interventions. Oral health indicators and self-administered KAP questionnaire were evaluated at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Oral health indicators included oral hygiene index simplified, DMFT/DMFS net caries increments, prevented fraction, number of sites with gingival bleeding, changes in care index, restorative index, treatment index, and dental attendance.

RESULTS

The improvement in total KAP score, oral hygiene, and gingival bleeding from baseline to follow up was higher in the intervention arm (p < 0.05). The prevented fraction for net caries increment were 23.33% and 20.51% for DMFT and DMFS, respectively. Students in the intervention group had a higher dental attendance (OR 2.92, p < 0.001). The change in treatment index, restorative index, and care index were significantly higher in the intervention arm (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Inclusion of available primary care auxiliaries like school health nurses and teachers in oral health promotion is a novel, effective, and sustainable strategy to improve oral health indicators and utilization in rural areas in low resource settings.

Prevalence and Predictors of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms Among Teachers in Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) afflicting the upper limbs with a prevalence of approximately 14.4% in the general population. Previous studies have noted the increasing prevalence of MSDs among teachers but have not investigated in depth the prevalence and predictors of CTS symptoms in this population. The aim of this study was to help fill this gap in the literature by investigating teachers working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods We conducted this cross-sectional study in Riyadh using an online survey. We distributed the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (BCTQ) to schoolteachers in the city through the social media applications Twitter, WhatsApp, and Telegram. We assessed the respondents' symptoms using Univariate association analyses with a Wilcoxon rank sum test for the continuous variables and Fisher's exact test and Pearson's chi-squared test for the categorical variables. We assessed the independent risk factors for CTS by constructing multivariate binary logistic regression models and expressed the results using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results The sample for this study included 490 teachers. Among them, the prevalence of moderate to severe CTS symptoms was 40.0%, and self-reported CTS was 9.1%. The teachers who were female, relatively old, left-handed, retired, and spent significant time using a pen, keyboard, and/or blackboard were more likely than those who were male, relatively young, right-handed, and did not spend significant time using a pen, keyboard, and/or blackboard to self-report CTS and exhibit moderate to severe symptoms. Conclusions We found a relatively high percentage (40.0%) of CTS symptoms among teachers working in Riyadh. This finding suggests that any sign of CTS symptoms should be checked to ensure early diagnosis and treatment, which contribute to positive outcomes, particularly given the recent increase in such risk factors for CTS as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and high BMI in populations worldwide.

Associations between dietary intake, physical activity, and obesity among public school teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Objective

We aimed to assess the dietary intake of certain food groups in a representative sample of public-school teachers living in Jeddah city. We also, examined the association of dietary intake with physical activity and obesity among schoolteachers.

Methods

The study was a cross-sectional online survey, conducted among 640 (177 male, 463 female) schoolteachers aged between 20 and 62 years old and working in public primary, intermediate, and high schools in Jeddah. Measurements included gender, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), health problems, and lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity levels, smoking status, and dietary intake.

Results

Based on gender, number of non-smoking women (94%) was higher than number of non-smoking men (57.1%) (P < 0.001). However, men were more active than women (P = 0.03). Regarding BMI, there were more overweight men than women, while obese women numbered more than men (P = 0.003). There was no significant difference in dietary intake between men and women except that men consumed more soft drinks than women (P = 0.002). Lower physically active schoolteachers were less likely to consume salad (OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.9; P = 0.02), vegetables (OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.3-0.9; P = 0.01), beans and legumes (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7; P = 0.005), wholegrain bread (OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.9; P = 0.03), dairy products (OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.9; P = 0.01), snacks (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-0.8; P = 0.01), and fish (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.9; P = 0.04) compared to those with high levels of physical activity. Only fruit intake was considered statistically significant (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.7; P = 0.003). The study found a relationship between the BMI of schoolteachers and food intake. Obese schoolteachers had lower consumption of fruits (OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.7; P = 0.007) and white meat (OR = 0.5, 95%CI 0.3-0.9; P = 0.03) than schoolteachers in the normal weight group.

Conclusion

The high prevalence of physical activity, dietary intake and body weight among Saudi teachers is a major public health concern. The present study identified several lifestyle factors associated with body weight that may represent valid targets for the prevention and management of obesity among Saudi school teachers. Promoting active lifestyles and healthy diets would be primary targets for obesity prevention.

First-Aid Knowledge and Attitudes of Schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Purpose

Schoolteachers are the main people to provide first aid in cases of health-related emergencies during school hours. In this review, we aimed to synthesize teachers' knowledge and attitudes about first aid in Saudi schools.

Methods

This systematic review was carried out in line with The Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed (via MEDLINE), CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases were searched between January and March 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were (1) published in English, (2) conducted in school-based settings, (3) involved schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia, and (4) investigated first-aid knowledge and practice or assessed the effects of first-aid training interventions. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Cross Sectional Studies.

Results

A total of 15 studies were considered for this review with a total of 7266 schoolteachers. The majority of the included studies were of good quality. Most studies showed that teachers had inadequate knowledge of health-related emergencies in schools. Fourteen cross-sectional studies and one interventional study related to Saudis schoolteachers' first-aid knowledge and attitudes were included. Most of the participants had a supportive attitude toward students with health-related issues and were willing to attend first-aid training.

Conclusion

As a result of teachers' inadequate knowledge of first aid, accessible training packages for schoolteachers and administrators should be developed. Further interventional studies that include both male and female teachers, use validated tools, and include wider regions of Saudi Arabia are strongly recommended.

Barriers and enablers to the implementation of school-based obesity prevention strategies in Jeddah, KSA

Introduction

Despite schools' recognised role in mitigating childhood overweight, many schools fail to implement physical activity or nutrition strategies. The current study explored the enablers and barriers to implementing obesity prevention strategies in Jeddah, KSA.

Methods

This research is based on 14 semi-structured interviews with intermediate school principals and sports teachers to gain insight into their perception of barriers and enablers to implementing obesity prevention strategies. Themes were deductively generated from the data.

Results

Participants estimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity among their students to be between 3 and 15% with an increasing trend, particularly among female students. Participants identified five categories of barriers to implementation of obesity prevention intervention: curriculum; schools strategies promoting healthy weight; lack of resources; student’s lifstyle; and a lack of teachers in nutrition and sports. School regulations, staff and sufficient resources were the most frequently reported enablers. Participants also identified food services, awareness, and partnerships as barriers and enablers.

Conclusion

There is a need for better infrastructure and financial support for schools and professional development opportunities for teachers from the Saudi Ministry of Education. The Ministry also needs to support the development of multilevel health promotion strategies at school and home and reach out to the broader community.

Schoolteachers for Action Against HIV/AIDS-related Oral Disease of Children in Africa

PURPOSE

The intention of the study was to evaluate whether Sub-Saharan schoolteachers may play a key role in oral health promotion of primary schoolchildren, particularly in terms of prevention of HIV/AIDS-related oral health problems.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study examined the level of knowledge about oral disease and the prevention of HIV/AIDS oral lesions amongst schoolteachers of Tanzania and Burkina Faso, identified their sources of information, and evaluated their ability for HIV/AIDS intervention. A multi-centre cross-sectional study was implemented in the two Sub-Saharan African countries. Participants comprised primary school teachers selected by stratified cluster sampling: 261 teachers from Tanzania and 313 teachers from Burkina Faso. All participants completed a structured questionnaire prepared for self-administration. The questions were designed from a standardised questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization.

RESULTS

Most teachers knew about the principal causes of the major oral diseases and the means of disease prevention. Nearly all teachers (95.6%) were aware of HIV/AIDS and they knew (92.3%) a virus was the direct cause of AIDS. Teachers were well informed of the general symptoms of HIV/AIDS, although oral symptoms were mentioned less often. In all, 17.6% of schoolteachers reported that children suffering from HIV/AIDS were found in their classes and 10.3% of teachers were conscious of students receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Knowledge about the disease seemed to reflect mass media as a source, while teacher colleagues and health personnel played a somewhat lesser role in communication. In total, 83.2% emphasised that they should teach children about HIV/AIDS and the mouth. Schoolteachers from Tanzania (70.5%) were more often engaged in classroom-based oral health education than were the Burkinabe teachers (53.9%).

CONCLUSION

The study confirms that schoolteachers may be a relevant source in the fight against HIV/AIDS among children. However, they would benefit from interaction with health personnel.

Effectiveness of a School-Based Educational Intervention to Improve Hypertension Control Among Schoolteachers: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The control of hypertension is low in low- and middle-income countries like India. We evaluated the effects of a nurse-facilitated educational intervention in improving the control rate of hypertension among school teachers in India. Methods and Results This was a cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 92 schools in Kerala, which were randomly assigned equally into a usual care group and an intervention group. Participants were 402 school teachers (mean age, 47 years; men, 29%) identified with hypertension. Participants in both study groups received a leaflet containing details of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of regular intake of antihypertensive medication. In addition, the intervention participants received a nurse-facilitated educational intervention on hypertension control for 3 months. The primary outcome was hypertension control. Key secondary outcomes included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and the proportion of participants taking antihypertensive medications. For the primary outcome, we used mixed-effects logistic regression models. Two months after a 3-month educational intervention, a greater proportion of intervention participants (49.0%) achieved hypertension control than the usual care participants (38.2%), with an odds ratio of 1.89 (95% CI, 1.06-3.35), after adjusting for baseline hypertension control. The odds of taking antihypertensive medications were 1.6 times higher in the intervention group compared with the usual care group (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.08-2.45). The reduction in mean systolic blood pressure was significantly greater in the intervention group by 4.2 mm Hg (95% CI, -7.2 to -1.1) than in the usual care group. Conclusions A nurse-facilitated educational intervention was effective in improving the control and treatment rates of hypertension as well as reducing systolic blood pressure among schoolteachers with hypertension. Registration URL: https://www.ctri.nic.in; Unique Identifier: CTRI/2018/01/011402.

Adequate emergency department resource usage: Applying simulation-based workshop to improve teaching competence among elementary and junior high school teachers in Taiwan

INTRODUCTION

More than 80% of patients who visited Emergency Department (ED) was not urgent in Taiwan in 2019. It causes insufficient medical services and a latent fiscal threat to the Nation Health Insurance (NHI). This study adopted simulation-based educating modules to explore the effect in teaching competence among primary and middle school teachers for efficient AEDRU (adequate emergency department resource usage) education in the future.

METHOD

The subjects were 414 elementary and junior high school teachers in Taiwan. 214 participants attended the simulation-based workshop as the simulation-based group, whereas 200 participants took an online self-learning module as the self-learning group. The workshop was created by an expert panel for decreasing the unnecessary usage amount of ED medial resources. The materials are lecture, board games, miniature ED modules, and simulation-based scenarios. A teaching competence questionnaire including ED knowledge, teaching attitude, teaching skills, and teaching self-efficacy was conducted among participants before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed via McNemar, paired t test and the generalized estimating equations (GEE).

RESULTS

The study showed that teachers who participated in the simulation-based workshop had improved more in teaching competence than those who received the online self-learning module. In addition, there were significant differences between the pre-test and post-test among the two groups in teaching competence.

CONCLUSION

The simulation-based workshop is effective and it should be spread out. When students know how to use ED medical resources properly, they could affect their families. It can help the ED service to be used properly and benefits the finance of the NHI. The health care cost will be managed while also improving health.

Teacher Teleworking during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Association between Work Hours, Work-Family Balance and Quality of Life

BACKGROUND

Teachers worldwide had to reinvent their work routine according to teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic, a work format that negatively impacts individuals' physical and mental health. This study evaluates the association between work hours, work-family balance and quality of life (QoL) among teachers during the Chilean health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers from across Chile were contacted via email and social media to answer an online survey. QoL was evaluated via the SF-36 questionnaire, work hours and work-family balance in the pandemic. A total of 336 teachers from across Chile participated in this study. Teachers had a low QoL score, associated with age (p < 0.05). Teachers who were ≤44 showed lower deterioration risks in the Physical Component Summary (OR: 0.54) than the ≥45-year-old age group; simultaneously, the younger group (≤44 years) had a greater risk (OR: 2.46) of deterioration in the Mental Component Summary than teachers over 45 years. A total of 78.7% of teachers reported having increased their work hours during the COVID-19 pandemic due to teleworking and 86% indicated negative effects on their work-family balance. Pandemic work hours and negative work-family balance increase the risk of reducing the Mental Component Summary (OR: 1.902; OR: 3.996, respectively). Teachers presented low median QoL scores, especially in the Mental Component Summary, suggesting that it would be beneficial to promote a better workload distribution for teachers in emergency contexts, considering the adverse effects of teleworking.

Oral Health-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours of Elementary School Teachers

BACKGROUND

elementary schoolteachers play a central role in shaping their students' beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours related to health and oral hygiene. This study was designed to evaluate Turkish schoolteachers' levels of oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among elementary schoolteachers in Istanbul using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of 36 multiple-choice items categorised into six sections, and the participants were recruited using convenience sampling. (3) Results: A total of 385 elementary schoolteachers participated in this study. The majority were female (62.2%), qualified with a licensure degree (81.3%) and working in public schools (86.5%). Female gender and greater work experience were found to be promoters for oral health knowledge and positive attitudes. The correlation between their perceived knowledge and actual knowledge was very weak, thus suggesting that the teachers are inclined to overestimate their knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

The Turkish elementary schoolteachers showed satisfactory oral health knowledge and attitudes toward oral health education. The teachers' knowledge about dental trauma management was inadequate, necessitating urgent educational interventions, especially for physical education teachers, who are at the greatest risk of encountering such events during their work. The oral hygiene behaviours were not associated with teachers' oral health knowledge, attitudes, or practice, thus requiring further investigation.

Parents' and Teachers' Perceptions of Physical Activity in Schools: A Meta-Ethnography

The aim of this meta-ethnographic study was to analyze parents' and teachers' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to physical activity in children. Facilitators were the benefits of physical activity, modeling, participation, children's preferences, and factors supporting active transport. Barriers were quantifying the physical activity, parents' lack of time, the cost of activities, bad weather, traffic, long distances, and the lack of facilities and safety. The level of physical activity does not depend exclusively on individual factors related to the child; rather, barriers and facilitators are influenced by the social and school context and the physical and built environment. It is important that school nurses understand these contextual factors, so that they can take these into consideration when designing their intervention programs.

Impact of a Three-Year Obesity Prevention Study on Healthy Behaviors and BMI among Lebanese Schoolchildren: Findings from Ajyal Salima Program

Most school-based obesity prevention programs in low- to middle-income countries are of short duration, and few undertake follow-up analyses after the termination of the project. The aims of the current study are to investigate (1) the long-term effects of a school-based intervention program when implemented over two years on body mass index (BMI), healthy dietary behaviors, and physical activity (PA); and (2) whether the effects are sustained after one-year washout. The study is a cluster-randomized trial; 36 public and private schools were randomized into either intervention or control groups. Students (8–12 years) completed pre-and post-assessment anthropometric measurements and questionnaires about their eating and physical activity habits. Students in the intervention groups received the program components for two consecutive years. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of the intervention on BMI and healthy behaviors. Students in the intervention groups were less likely to be overweight at washout, only in public schools. The number of children reporting change in dietary behaviors significantly increased in intervention groups, with a sustained effect only in public schools. Policies aiming at securing a positive nutrition environment in schools, and adoption of nutrition programs, are needed for achieving sustained behavior and prompting BMI changes in children.

Developing leadership in dentists and schoolteachers to improve oral health inequalities

With oral diseases affecting people of all ages in every country of the world, new approaches are necessary to remove inequalities in oral health and increase access to oral health education. With over 1 billion children attending school, developing dental leadership skills not only in dental professionals but also in schoolteachers will help to spread oral health prevention messages effectively, implement healthy habits at a young age and impact a greater proportion of the global population to improve their oral health.

Teachers and epilepsy: What they know, do not know, and need to know: A cross-sectional study of Taif City

Objective

The main aim of this study was to assess schoolteachers' knowledge of and attitudes toward epilepsy in Taif City, in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

Method

A structured 28-item questionnaire was distributed to and collected from 290 schoolteachers between November 2017 and November 2018 in Taif City.

Results

Generally, a negative attitude toward epilepsy was observed in this study. Of the 290 schoolteachers in this study, 80% had prior knowledge regarding epilepsy and 72% had witnessed a seizure. Only 2% of the participants expressed the thought that epilepsy is contagious but 59% of them expressed the thought that epilepsy is a mental disease. With respect to attitude, 64% of the participants reported that they would not approve of their daughter/son marrying someone with epilepsy. This attitude correlates with age and marital status as the prevalence of this attitude was higher among those who were either over 40 years old or married (P < 0.05). Although 73% of the participants stated that they know the correct management procedure to follow when helping an epilepsy patient during a seizure, inadequate practices are still performed by many. Finally, almost two-thirds of the respondents (66%) expressed the opinion that top-ranking professions are not suitable for people with epilepsy. This belief was twice as common among older respondents as it was among younger respondents (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study concludes that schoolteachers' knowledge regarding epilepsy is limited and that an immediate intervention through educational campaigns is required to develop a well-informed community.

Readiness of school teachers to accept notifications about causes and preventive measures on food poisoning

INTRODUCTION

In this era of globalization, urbanization, and rapidly expanding unhygienic food corners across the globe, the incidence of food poisoning is very common nowadays.

AIM

The aim of our study was to investigate the perceptions and readiness of schoolteachers to accept notifications on food poisoning as a part of education to the students.

METHODOLOGY

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with the help of a validated questionnaire for data collection. Our research involved schoolteachers from both primary and secondary schools in Muar. The questionnaire was pretested among the eligible trainee teachers and yielded an internal consistency reliability coefficient (c = Cronbach's alpha) of 0.082. This study was conducted from October 29, 2017, to December 14, 2018, in Muar. Our sample size was 259. Ethical consent was obtained from the Institution Ethical Committee.

RESULTS

A total of 259 schoolteachers from both primary and secondary schools in Muar were included in this study. In our study, 81.1% of the teachers responded that they can easily educate their students about food poisoning. Most of them (93.1%) were ready to receive notifications on food poisoning in any mode, and about 72% of the teachers preferred WhatsApp as their mode of receiving notification. The least (1.2%) preferred mode of notification was LINE (a social app). Teachers' willingness to disseminate the information regarding food poisoning was also higher (98.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that majority of the schoolteachers had a good perception and were ready to receive the notifications on food poisoning through WhatsApp as a part of education to the students.

The Relationship between Challenge and Hindrance Stressors and Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderating Role of Perceived Servant Leadership

Schoolteachers worldwide are facing stressful work conditions with heavy responsibilities. Stress may contribute to psychological disorders and physical health issues. The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate whether both challenge and hindrance stressors are positively associated with emotional exhaustion among Chinese schoolteachers and (2) to examine whether perceived servant leadership moderates the effects of challenge and hindrance stressors on emotional exhaustion. This study was cross-sectional in nature. A sample of 2636 schoolteachers was elicited from schools in South China. Research data were collected in the fall semester of 2019 via WeChat^®. Descriptive statistics and inter-correlations were conducted using SPSS 21. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to test measurement models to determine convergent and discriminant validities using Mplus 7.4. Hierarchical multiple regression was performed to test proposed hypotheses using SPSS 21. The study results demonstrated that both challenge and hindrance stressors were positively related to emotional exhaustion among schoolteachers in Chinese schools. It was also indicated that, while perceived servant leadership buffers the relationship between challenge stressor and emotional exhaustion, it enhances the relationship between hindrance stressor and emotional exhaustion. Implications and limitations are also provided.

Promotion of appropriate knowledge and attitude towards medicines among schoolchildren in Jordan: the role of teachers

OBJECTIVES

The current study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitude and practice of schoolteachers in Jordan towards medication. Furthermore, it assessed teachers' views regarding the importance of school education in the promotion of appropriate and safe use of medicines.

METHODS

All Facebook groups of teachers who were members of the Jordan Teachers Syndicate and/or teachers employed by Jordan Ministry of Education were invited to participate. A cross-sectional online survey using a validated pre-piloted anonymous Arabic questionnaire was created using Google documents. The questionnaire was automatically hosted via a unique URL. Researchers downloaded real-time questionnaire responses. Data were coded and entered into SPSS database for windows version 22 for statistical analysis.

KEY FINDINGS

A total of 902 teachers filled in the questionnaire. The mean knowledge score achieved in multiple-choice questions was 2.43 ± 0.51 out of 4.00. The top three factors affecting all of teachers' knowledge questions were as follows: age, the presence of chronic disease, and the school grade that they taught. Teachers showed variation in their attitude towards education about medicines in children. The majority (80.7%) of teachers were unfamiliar with education about medication and had never taught schoolchildren about any issues related to proper use of medications.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlighted that teachers' knowledge about medicines was not satisfactory enough for them to become active health educators. At the same time, they were willing to educate children about proper use of medicines, and such education should be started at the first grade (i.e. 6 years old).

Young and Middle-Aged Schoolteachers Differ in the Neural Correlates of Memory Encoding and Cognitive Fatigue: A Functional MRI Study

This investigation was inspired by growing evidence that middle-aged persons in a cognitively demanding profession might be characterized by subtle cognitive fatigue. We studied young and middle-aged male schoolteachers. They were compared in a study with functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate differences during successful memory encoding. The schoolteachers were additionally subjected to an induced fatigue condition involving the sustained performance of cognitively demanding tasks and to a control condition. Results showed age-related brain activation differences underlying behavioral performance including: (1) greater activation in middle-aged vs. young teachers in bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas; and (2) differential fatigue effects in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) depending on age group. Middle-aged schoolteachers showed decreased ACC activation in the fatigue compared to the control condition, whereas no change in activation was found in young teachers. Findings demonstrate age effects in these middle-aged subjects that are typically found in older adults, specifically in PFC over-activation. Findings also indicate that already in middle age cognitive aging may be associated with greater resource depletion following sustained task performance. The findings underscore the notion that persons in a cognitively demanding profession can experience subtle age effects, which are evident on fMRI and which impact daily functioning. Possible practical implications for middle-aged schoolteachers are discussed.

The effect of asthma education program on knowledge of school teachers: a randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an asthma education program on schoolteachers' knowledge. Pre-test-post-test experimental randomized controlled design was used. A multistage-cluster sampling technique was used to randomly select governorate, primary schools, and schoolteachers. Schoolteachers were randomly assigned either to the experimental group (n = 36) and attended three educational sessions or to the control group (n = 38) who did not receive any intervention. Knowledge about asthma was measured using the Asthma General Knowledge Questionnaire for Adults (AGKQA). The results indicated that teachers in the experimental group showed significantly (p < .001) higher knowledge of asthma in the first post-test and the second post-test compared with those in the control group. Implementing asthma education enhanced schoolteachers' knowledge of asthma. The asthma education program should target schoolteachers to improve knowledge about asthma.