The effectiveness of self-regulation interventions for increasing cognitive and social-emotional functioning of preschool-aged children : a systematic review.

The preschool period is an important time for the development of self-regulation. Various interventions and programs have been developed to improve pre-schoolers’ self-regulation. A systematic review of self-regulation interventions was conducted to examine the effectiveness of these interventions for improving both social-emotional and cognitive aspects of preschool-aged children’s self-regulation. The review also aimed to investigate any specific intervention effects for different types of self-regulation interventions. A systematic review of the literature within PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Education Source databases was conducted. Studies were included in the review if they were randomised control trials, had participants between the ages of two and six, the intervention was conducted by parents or teachers, and the study assessed cognitive or social-emotional aspects of self-regulation pre- and post-intervention. A total of thirty-seven studies were included in this review. Results indicated that interventions could effectively improve both social-emotional and cognitive aspects of pre-schoolers’ self-regulation. Parenting programs, play-based interventions and multi-method interventions appeared to be most effective in promoting children’s self- regulation. These findings have implications for parents and educators of preschool-aged children and for future developers of self-regulation interventions

Linking Public Transit Investment with Social and Economic Equity of Chicago Neighborhood Communities

This research paper is examining the impact and social equity of funding for projects that improve and expand the Chicago L rail system. Equity is an extremely multi-faceted concept, so this report uses a metric called a “Hardship Index” that uses census data to assess the quality of living in individual neighborhoods in Chicago. This data is compared to Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) rail locations to draw conclusions between equity and access to public transit. This study also looks at other transit investment impacts such as health implications and potential macroeconomic return over time. Our data finds that there is a significant correlation between CTA access and lower hardship in serviced neighborhoods and a slight correlation between historical CTA rail projects and their social impacts. Our report endorses upcoming rail projects, such as the proposed $2.3 Billion Red Line Extension project, with the stipulation that hardship data and existing access are considered when deciding where rail extensions will be built

Two approaches to longitudinal qualitative analyses in rehabilitation and disability research.

Purpose: Although relatively unknown within the field of rehabilitation, qualitative longitudinal research is ideal for rehabilitation and disability research that aims to understand health-related challenges over time. We describe the strengths and challenges of longitudinal qualitative research using two concrete examples.Materials and methods: Qualitative longitudinal research often involves in-depth interviews of participants on multiple occasions over time. Analytic approaches are complex, summarizing data both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. We present two detailed analytic approaches used in research with people living with HIV in Zambia and Canada.Results: Our experiences provide three recommendations. First, development of the initial analytic coding framework should include both inductive and deductive approaches. Second, given the large quantity of data generated through longitudinal qualitative research, it is important to proactively develop strategies for data analysis and management. Third, as retention of participants is challenging over time, we recommend the use of a consistent interviewer over the duration of the study to promote a trusting relationship.Conclusions: Longitudinal qualitative research has much to offer researchers and can provide clinicians with insights on the challenges of living with chronic and episodic disability. The flexibility in analytic approaches allows for diverse strategies to best address the rehabilitation and disability research questions and allow for insights into living with disability over time

Yes, The Government Should Tax Soft Drinks: Findings from a Citizens’ Jury in Australia

Taxation has been suggested as a possible preventive strategy to address the serious public health concern of childhood obesity. Understanding the public’s viewpoint on the potential role of taxation is vital to inform policy decisions if they are to be acceptable to the wider community. A Citizens’ Jury is a deliberative method for engaging the public in decision making and can assist in setting policy agendas. A Citizens’ Jury was conducted in Brisbane, Australia in May 2013 to answer the question: Is taxation on food and drinks an acceptable strategy to the public in order to reduce rates of childhood obesity? Citizens were randomly selected from the electoral roll and invited to participate. Thirteen members were purposively sampled from those expressing interest to broadly reflect the diversity of the Australian public. Over two days, participants were presented with evidence on the topic by experts, were able to question witnesses and deliberate on the evidence. The jurors unanimously supported taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks but generally did not support taxation on processed meats, snack foods and foods eaten/ purchased outside the home. They also supported taxation on snack foods on the condition that traffic light labelling was also introduced. Though they were not specifically asked to deliberate strategies outside of taxation, the jurors strongly recommended more nutritional information on all food packaging using the traffic light and teaspoon labelling systems for sugar, salt and fat content. The Citizens’ Jury suggests that the general public may support taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks to reduce rates of obesity in children. Regulatory reforms of taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks and improved labelling of nutritional information on product packaging were strongly supported by all members of the jury. These reforms should be considered by governments to prevent childhood obesity and the future burden on society from the consequences of obesity