Educación sexual: Orientadores y orientadoras desde el modelo biográfico y profesional

This paper discusses how important it is for the contemporary society to enhance knowledge about sexuality for the purpose of an effective sexuality experience within a framework of respect to the sexual biography of individuals, based on the relational ethics. For this, we believe in a comprehensive, democratic, tolerant, open sexuality education within the educational processes, throughout all the human development stages. Counseling is one of the professional sectors called to work on this kind of education. Counselors are required to identify the approaches and models they were educated with, which have marked their activity in this field. In this way, they will be able to evaluate, strengthen and learn new skills in the personal, attitudinal, and conceptual areas; they will also have a better perspective on the diversity of those requiring his/her professional services; and, in the procedural field, they will be able to put into practice the counseling intervention strategies and techniques in sexuality that will impact their professional activity.Recibido 15 de marzo de 2012 •  Corregido 21 de octubre de 2012 • Aceptado 07 de noviembre de 2012 El presente documento plantea la necesidad de que la sociedad contemporánea posea mayores y mejores conocimientos sobre sexualidad, con miras a una vivencia efectiva de esta dentro de un marco de respeto a la biografía sexual del ser humano y fundamentados en la ética relacional. Para ello se apuesta por una educación sexual integral, democrática, tolerante y abierta, dentro de los procesos educativos a lo largo de todas las etapas evolutivas del ser humano. Uno de los sectores profesionales llamados a desarrollar este tipo de educación es el colectivo de orientadores y orientadoras. Para dicha acción, requieren conocer cuáles fueron los modelos o formas de abordaje con los que se educaron y que han marcado su hacer en dicha temática. Esto permitirá que la persona profesional en orientación se dé a la tarea de evaluar, fortalecer o aprender nuevas competencias en el campo personal, actitudinal, conceptual y en cuanto a la visión sobre la diversidad de las personas con quienes trabaja; así como en el campo procedimental, las estrategias y técnicas de intervención orientadora en sexualidad, que incidan en su labor profesional

Sexuality Education: Counselors from the Perspective of a Biographical Professional Model

Recibido 15 de marzo de 2012 •  Corregido 21 de octubre de 2012 • Aceptado 07 de noviembre de 2012 El presente documento plantea la necesidad de que la sociedad contemporánea posea mayores y mejores conocimientos sobre sexualidad, con miras a una vivencia efectiva de esta dentro de un marco de respeto a la biografía sexual del ser humano y fundamentados en la ética relacional. Para ello se apuesta por una educación sexual integral, democrática, tolerante y abierta, dentro de los procesos educativos a lo largo de todas las etapas evolutivas del ser humano. Uno de los sectores profesionales llamados a desarrollar este tipo de educación es el colectivo de orientadores y orientadoras. Para dicha acción, requieren conocer cuáles fueron los modelos o formas de abordaje con los que se educaron y que han marcado su hacer en dicha temática. Esto permitirá que la persona profesional en orientación se dé a la tarea de evaluar, fortalecer o aprender nuevas competencias en el campo personal, actitudinal, conceptual y en cuanto a la visión sobre la diversidad de las personas con quienes trabaja; así como en el campo procedimental, las estrategias y técnicas de intervención orientadora en sexualidad, que incidan en su labor profesional.This paper discusses how important it is for the contemporary society to enhance knowledge about sexuality for the purpose of an effective sexuality experience within a framework of respect to the sexual biography of individuals, based on the relational ethics. For this, we believe in a comprehensive, democratic, tolerant, open sexuality education within the educational processes, throughout all the human development stages. Counseling is one of the professional sectors called to work on this kind of education. Counselors are required to identify the approaches and models they were educated with, which have marked their activity in this field. In this way, they will be able to evaluate, strengthen and learn new skills in the personal, attitudinal, and conceptual areas; they will also have a better perspective on the diversity of those requiring his/her professional services; and, in the procedural field, they will be able to put into practice the counseling intervention strategies and techniques in sexuality that will impact their professional activity

Effect of an intervention based on child-care centers to reduce risk behaviors for obesity in preschool children

AbstractBackgroundPreschool age is a critical stage for health promotion and prevention of obesity, which is an emerging public health problem in children. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate the effect of a multifaceted intervention based on child-care centers to reduce risk behaviors for obesity among preschool children.MethodsA 12-month cluster-randomized community trial was conducted in 16 Mexican Institute of Social Security child-care centers in Mexico City. Children between 2 and 4 years of age enrolled in the selected child-care centers participated in the study. Intervention comprised 12 weekly curriculum sessions for the children, and six family workshops. Changes in children’s dietary and physical activity, food availability at home, and maternal feeding styles were determined after 6 and 12 months. Changes within groups among stages, and between groups by stage were analyzed through X2 test.ResultsThe intervention showed a decrease of home availability for some non-recommended foods and an increase in physical activity in the intervention group compared to the control group.ConclusionsImprovement in physical activity can be effective in the long term; innovative strategies aimed to modify family dietary risk behaviors are required

Validación de materiales educativos de un curso en línea para promover el consumo de agua en adolescentes de nivel secundaria en México

Introduction: Validating health-education materials prevents the dissemination of erroneous messages and enhances the effectiveness of health-promotion initiatives. Objective: To describe the validation process for five educational materials pertaining to an online course on the promotion of water consumption among Mexican adolescents. Methodology: One group of 13-15 experts (technical validation) and another of 13-39 adolescents (population validation) reviewed three infographs and two videos using digital tools. Five criteria were established for the evaluation: appeal, clarity, identification, acceptance and inducement to action. A performance index was developed based on two categories: strong or weak compliance with each criterion. Successful compliance was determined when 70% or more of responses fell within the strong-compliance category. Results: Between 80% and 100% of the experts and adolescents rated all materials in the strong-compliance category for appeal, acceptance, clarity and inducement to action. For identification, however, the experts accorded the three infographs low scores, with similar results obtained from the adolescents for the three infographs and one video. Conclusions: Validation of the course materials allowed for identifying their strengths and weaknesses, as well as for ascertaining their usefulness in promoting water consumption among Mexican adolescents.Introducción: La validación de material educativo en salud podría evitar comunicar mensajes erróneos y mejorar su efectividad en promoción de la salud. Objetivo: Describir el proceso de validación de cinco materiales educativos de un curso en línea sobre promoción del consumo de agua entre adolescentes mexicanos. Metodología: Un grupo de 13-15 expertos (validación técnica) y un grupo de 13-39 adolescentes (validación poblacional) revisaron tres infografías y dos videos utilizando herramientas digitales según cinco criterios: atractivo, claridad, identificación, aceptación e inducción a la acción. Desarrollamos un índice de dos categorías: alto o bajo cumplimiento por criterio. Se determinó un cumplimiento exitoso cuando el 70% o más de las respuestas se concentraron en alto cumplimiento. Resultados: Entre el 80% y el 100% de los expertos y adolescentes calificaron todos los materiales con alto cumplimiento según atractivo, aceptación, claridad e inducción a la acción. El criterio de identificación según los expertos tuvo un bajo porcentaje de alto cumplimiento en las tres infografías. Se observaron resultados similares según los adolescentes para las tres infografías y un video. Conclusiones: La validación de los materiales permitió identificar sus fortalezas y áreas de mejora, y conocer su utilidad en promover el consumo de agua entre adolescentes mexicanos

Effectiveness of a diet and physical activity promotion strategy on the prevention of obesity in Mexican school children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Overweight and obesity in children in Mexico was among the countries with the highest prevalence's in the world. Mexico currently has few innovative and comprehensive experiences to help curb the growth of this serious public health problem. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a nutrition and physical activity strategy, called "Nutrition on the Go" (<it>"nutrición en movimiento") </it>in maintaining the BMI values of school children in the State of Mexico.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A two-stage cluster trial was carried out. Sixty schools were selected in the State of Mexico, of which 30 were randomly assigned to the intervention group (IG) and 30 to the control group (CG). A total of 1020 fifth grade school children participated. The intervention strategy aimed to decrease the energy content of school breakfasts and include fruits and vegetables, as well as increase physical activity and the consumption of water during the time spent at school. The strategy was implemented over a 6-month period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The estimated probability (EP) of obesity between baseline and the final stage for the IG decreased 1% (Initial EP = 11.8%, 95%CI 9.0, 15.2, final EP = 10.8, 95%CI 8.4, 13.) For the CG, the probability increased 0.9% (baseline EP = 10.6%; 95%CI 8.1, 13.7; final EP = 11.5, 95%CI 9.0, 14.6). The interaction between the intervention and the stage is the average odd time corrected treatment effect, which is statistically significant (<it>p </it>= 0.01) (OR = 0.68, 95%CI 0.52, 091).</p> <p>This represents the interaction between intervention and stage, which is highly significant (<it>p </it>= 0.01) (OR = 0.68; 95%CI 0.52, 091). In addition, girls had a protective effect on obesity (OR = 0.56; 95%CI 0.39, 0.80).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The intervention strategy is effective in maintaining the BMI of school children.</p

Paragraph Structure in Senior Students´ Writing

Previous studies provide insights into how writing as an activity has been treated. It was considered that writing was a natural skill and not actually taught; therefore the teaching of this has been neglected at schools. And though it is a complex process, it is something that one can learn through systematic practice. In Nicaraguan public schools that are of great concern in the educational field because there is a lack of stimulation from early education given that, the majority of English teachers present weaknesses in their basic training in both methodologies and their communicative competence. In response, this paper critically explores student’s writings, especially the paragraph to see how writing is approached, what problems there are, and what should be done in order to engage students into the process of writing. The results of the study highlights that students are not properly taught at schools and students are not enough motivated. As a result, they present weaknesses in their pieces of writing. Consequently, if this problem is not addressed it is a danger for them due to fact that they cannot write in English, which is a globalized language. This will prevent them from being competitive on a regional and global level. This leaves them stuck in their world and not being able to see the world from another perspectiv

Validación de material educativo: estrategia sobre alimentación y actividad física en escuelas mexicanas = Validation of educational material: strategy on food and physical activity in elementary schools in Mexico

Resumen: Introducción. Ante la necesidad de desarrollar materiales educativos que trasmitan mensajes claros y adecuados en salud, se realizó la validación de diversos materiales que apoyan la campaña “Recreo Saludable” que promueve estilos de vida saludable. Objetivo. Validar seis materiales impresos y cinco audiovisuales diseñados para promover una alimentación saludable, el incremento de actividad física y el consumo de agua pura. Material y método. Se seleccionaron por muestreo ocho escuelas primarias. Se realizó un estudio mixto de enfoque cuantitativo centrado en encuestas, y cualitativo fundamentado en entrevistas estructuradas. El análisis cualitativo se hizo con base en el contenido del discurso de los criterios explorados. Para el análisis cuantitativo se estimaron frecuencias con intervalos de confianza de 95%. Resultados. Para los criterios explorados se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados, entendimiento 87%, aceptación 78%, atracción 74%, inducción a la acción 93%, identificación 35%, lo que indica una validación positiva en la mayoría de las categorías. Los datos cualitativos aportaron aproximaciones necesarias para mejorar el contenido y el diseño de los materiales. Conclusión. Los resultados muestran que el material validado fue aceptado por la población e hicieron aportaciones para mejorarlo y con esto poder garantizar, la efectividad y aplicabilidad de estos como recurso pedagógico en estrategias educativas. Palabras clave: estudios de validación, materiales educativos y de divulgación, educación alimentaria y nutricional, actividad motora, educación en salud Abstract: Introduction. Given the need to develop educational materials that convey clear and appropriate messages on health, we performed the validation of various resources promoting healthy lifestyles that support the campaign "Healthy Recess". Objective. To validate six printed materials and five audiovisual ones, designed to promote healthy eating, increased physical activity and consumption of pure water. Material and methods. Eight elementary schools were selected for sampling. A joint study was conducted focused on surveys with a quantitative approach, based on structured qualitative interviews. Qualitative analysis was based on the content of the discourse of the criteria explored. Frequencies with confidence the explored criteria: understanding 87%; accepting 78%; appeal 74%; induction to action 93%; affinity 35%; which indicates a positive validation in most categories. Qualitative data provided necessary approximations to improve the content and layout of the materials. Conclusion. The results show that the validated material was accepted by the population and they contributed to its improvement, thereby ensuring the effectiveness and applicability of these as a pedagogical resource in educational strategies.Keywords: validation studies, educational and outreach materials, food and nutrition education, motor activity, health educatio

Association of Dietary Patterns with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Mexican Adults: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Dietary patterns (DPs) are an essential tool to analyze the relationship between diet and health as they have presented an association with the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was the identification and characterization of DPs and their association with cardiovascular risk factors. For this purpose, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in 165 Mexican adults, including dietary intakes derived from a validated food frequency questionnaire, clinical history, anthropometry, and biochemical biomarkers using standardized procedures for glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, and HDL-c. DPs were identified through principal component analysis and ordinal logistic regression was used to examine associations between DPs and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Three DPs were identified: Mexican Fast-Food, Variety-Food, and Healthy-Economic, with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity (78%). Having a high adherence to a Mexican Fast-Food pattern (OR 1.71 CI 1.4–2.8), being sedentary (OR 4.85 2.32–10.15) and smoking (0R 6.4 CI 2.40–16.9) increased the risk of having a high scale of risk factors (four or more risk factors simultaneously). In conclusion, the Mexican Fast-Food pattern showed an increase in the risk of having multiple risk factors, while a sedentary lifestyle and overeating were largely responsible for the prevalence of overweight and obesity in this group of Mexican adults.National Council for Science and Technology (CONAHCYT). Grant No. 367450 and Registration No. 29867

Alternative glacial-interglacial refugia demographic hypotheses tested on Cephalocereus columna-trajani (Cactaceae) in the intertropical Mexican drylands

Historic demography changes of plant species adapted to New World arid environments could be consistent with either the Glacial Refugium Hypothesis (GRH), which posits that populations contracted to refuges during the cold-dry glacial and expanded in warm-humid interglacial periods, or with the Interglacial Refugium Hypothesis (IRH), which suggests that populations contracted during interglacials and expanded in glacial times. These contrasting hypotheses are developed in the present study for the giant columnar cactus Cephalocereus columna-trajani in the intertropical Mexican drylands where the effects of Late Quaternary climatic changes on phylogeography of cacti remain largely unknown. In order to determine if the historic demography and phylogeographic structure of the species are consistent with either hypothesis, sequences of the chloroplast regions psbA-trnH and trnT-trnL from 110 individuals from 10 populations comprising the full distribution range of this species were analysed. Standard estimators of genetic diversity and structure were calculated. The historic demography was analysed using a Bayesian approach and the palaeodistribution was derived from ecological niche modelling to determine if, in the arid environments of south-central Mexico, glacial-interglacial cycles drove the genetic divergence and diversification of this species. Results reveal low but statistically significant population differentiation (FST = 0.124, P < 0.001), although very clear geographic clusters are not formed. Genetic diversity, haplotype network and Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) demographic analyses suggest a population expansion estimated to have taken place in the Last Interglacial (123.04 kya, 95% CI 115.3–130.03). The species palaeodistribution is consistent with the ABC analyses and indicates that the potential area of palaedistribution and climatic suitability were larger during the Last Interglacial and Holocene than in the Last Glacial Maximum. Overall, these results suggest that C. columna-trajani experienced an expansion following the warm conditions of interglacials, in accordance with the GRH