Effectiveness of distributing pocket cards in improving the behavior, attitude, and knowledge regarding proper medication use among junior high school students in Japan

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the effectiveness of distributing pocket cards with summaries of key information on appropriate medication usage after the implementation of a structured school-based medication education program for junior high school students in Japan.MethodsA total of 227 3rd-grade high school students participated in the intervention. Students who received the program without the provision of pocket cards in 2022 were included in the comparison group, and students who took the program with the provision of pocket cards in 2023 were included in the intervention group. After propensity score matching, the final sample of N = 116 comprised n = 58 comparison group participants and n = 58 intervention group participants. Questionnaires were administered at baseline, end-of-class, and 3-month follow-up to assess the changes in behavior, attitude, and knowledge scores.ResultsThe matched intervention group showed significantly lower scores at the 3-month follow-up than the matched comparison group. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that for both groups, only the attitude scores were significantly correlated with the behavior scores. In addition, regardless of the baseline scores, the matched intervention group demonstrated smaller or negative changes in scores at the 3-month follow-up.ConclusionOverall, the results of this study did not support the effectiveness of distributing pocket cards after in-class intervention. However, the usefulness of medication education intervention was confirmed. These results emphasize the need to explore other supplemental teaching tools to further enhance the impact of structured medication education programs

CsFTL3, a chrysanthemum FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene, is a key regulator of photoperiodic flowering in chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum is a typical short-day (SD) plant that responds to shortening daylength during the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase. FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)/Heading date 3a (Hd3a) plays a pivotal role in the induction of phase transition and is proposed to encode a florigen. Three FT-like genes were isolated from Chrysanthemum seticuspe (Maxim.) Hand.-Mazz. f. boreale (Makino) H. Ohashi & Yonek, a wild diploid chrysanthemum: CsFTL1, CsFTL2, and CsFTL3. The organ-specific expression patterns of the three genes were similar: they were all expressed mainly in the leaves. However, their response to daylength differed in that under SD (floral-inductive) conditions, the expression of CsFTL1 and CsFTL2 was down-regulated, whereas that of CsFTL3 was up-regulated. CsFTL3 had the potential to induce early flowering since its overexpression in chrysanthemum could induce flowering under non-inductive conditions. CsFTL3-dependent graft-transmissible signals partially substituted for SD stimuli in chrysanthemum. The CsFTL3 expression levels in the two C. seticuspe accessions that differed in their critical daylengths for flowering closely coincided with the flowering response. The CsFTL3 expression levels in the leaves were higher under floral-inductive photoperiods than under non-inductive conditions in both the accessions, with the induction of floral integrator and/or floral meristem identity genes occurring in the shoot apexes. Taken together, these results indicate that the gene product of CsFTL3 is a key regulator of photoperiodic flowering in chrysanthemums

Image_1_Effectiveness of distributing pocket cards in improving the behavior, attitude, and knowledge regarding proper medication use among junior high school students in Japan.pdf

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the effectiveness of distributing pocket cards with summaries of key information on appropriate medication usage after the implementation of a structured school-based medication education program for junior high school students in Japan.MethodsA total of 227 3rd-grade high school students participated in the intervention. Students who received the program without the provision of pocket cards in 2022 were included in the comparison group, and students who took the program with the provision of pocket cards in 2023 were included in the intervention group. After propensity score matching, the final sample of N = 116 comprised n = 58 comparison group participants and n = 58 intervention group participants. Questionnaires were administered at baseline, end-of-class, and 3-month follow-up to assess the changes in behavior, attitude, and knowledge scores.ResultsThe matched intervention group showed significantly lower scores at the 3-month follow-up than the matched comparison group. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that for both groups, only the attitude scores were significantly correlated with the behavior scores. In addition, regardless of the baseline scores, the matched intervention group demonstrated smaller or negative changes in scores at the 3-month follow-up.ConclusionOverall, the results of this study did not support the effectiveness of distributing pocket cards after in-class intervention. However, the usefulness of medication education intervention was confirmed. These results emphasize the need to explore other supplemental teaching tools to further enhance the impact of structured medication education programs.</p

Image_1_Effectiveness of distributing pocket cards in improving the behavior, attitude, and knowledge regarding proper medication use among junior high school students in Japan.pdf

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the effectiveness of distributing pocket cards with summaries of key information on appropriate medication usage after the implementation of a structured school-based medication education program for junior high school students in Japan.MethodsA total of 227 3rd-grade high school students participated in the intervention. Students who received the program without the provision of pocket cards in 2022 were included in the comparison group, and students who took the program with the provision of pocket cards in 2023 were included in the intervention group. After propensity score matching, the final sample of N = 116 comprised n = 58 comparison group participants and n = 58 intervention group participants. Questionnaires were administered at baseline, end-of-class, and 3-month follow-up to assess the changes in behavior, attitude, and knowledge scores.ResultsThe matched intervention group showed significantly lower scores at the 3-month follow-up than the matched comparison group. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that for both groups, only the attitude scores were significantly correlated with the behavior scores. In addition, regardless of the baseline scores, the matched intervention group demonstrated smaller or negative changes in scores at the 3-month follow-up.ConclusionOverall, the results of this study did not support the effectiveness of distributing pocket cards after in-class intervention. However, the usefulness of medication education intervention was confirmed. These results emphasize the need to explore other supplemental teaching tools to further enhance the impact of structured medication education programs.</p