Women’s Contributions to the Progress of Mathematics: Lights and Shadows

We deal with many of the notable women whose mathematical accomplishments are best appreciated through an understanding of the societies and the problems that shaped their lives. Women have participated in many of the greatest and most enduring intellectual achievements in mathematics and have enjoyed its powerful satisfactions and its aesthetics values. Not only were their intellectual investments remarkable as those of male mathematicians, but they needed an extra dimension of stamina and fortitude to cope with the prejudice against women working in hard sciences. We enjoy talking about them , because none of their lives were dull and indeed some of them were so unusual they have been romanticized. Their rich personalities and their remarkable personal lives deserve to capture our attention

What factors do young people define as determinants of their well-being? Findings from the improve the youth project

Copyright © 2021 Dorota Kleszczewska et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License (CC BY) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Background: The UN has recognised well-being as a main goal of The Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030). Objective: The aim was to identify the areas of mental health that are the most significant to teenagers. Material and methods: The mixed-method approach was applied. Quantitative research included adolescents aged 11-15 years (6,026 in Portugal; 4,545 in Poland). HBSC study results (2013/2014) were analysed in terms of the following variables: self-rated health, life satisfaction (Cantril Ladder, KIDSCREEN-10 Index), and psychosomatic complaints (SCL scale). Focus workshops took place in 2018, with 72 teenagers aged 14 to 16. Results: 16.6% of the Polish participants and 12.7% of the Portuguese participants were concerned about their health. Polish participants were less satisfied with their life [KIDSCREEN score: 25.48 for Poland (SD=6.39), and 29.96 (SD=6.03) for Portugal]. Both nations associated mental health (MH) with the family setting and relationships with friends. An additional association among Portuguese teenagers involved social issues, whereas Polish adolescents were more focussed on relationships with various people in their environment, as well as on experiencing issues at school and in the family. Conclusions: Adolescent MH is determined by stress, environmental pressure and high expectations. The viewpoints of adolescents are the most valuable source of knowledge for specialists, researchers and youth institutions, who can benefit greatly from taking advantage of this resource.The qualitative study and the Improve the Youth project were supported by the Erasmus+ Grant No. 2017-1-PL01-KA205-036962info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adaptation of the Behavioural Regulation in Active Commuting to School (BR-ACS) questionnaire in Portuguese youth

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).This study aimed to translate and adapt the psychometric properties of the Behavioural Regulation in Active Commuting to School (BR-ACS) questionnaire to young Portuguese students. This study had two stages: (1) translation and adaptation of the questionnaire; (2) evaluation of the psychometric properties. A sample of 338 participants (212 female, 126 male) aged 11 to 19 years (Mage = 15.6 ± 2.1) from 31 cities and Madeira island participated in this study. The confirmatory factor analysis suggested an acceptable fit to the data for the first-order and third-order measurement models. The composite reliability values ranged from 0.71 (identified regulation) to 0.90 (integrated regulation), demonstrating internal consistency. The AVE values ranged from 0.40 (amotivation) to 0.69 (integrated regulation), demonstrating an acceptable convergent validity for all constructs. The model estimation had an acceptable fit, with values akin to those of the first-order tested model. Finally, the results of the multigroup analysis for the successive restricted models (CFI < 0.010 and RMSEA < 0.015) point out that the null hypothesis of factor invariance between gender cannot be rejected. The psychometric properties demonstrates the suitability of this questionnaire among Portuguese youths aged 11 to 19. This questionnaire will help understand the motivation aspects that underpin active commuting to school and consequently help to increase physical activity among Portuguese adolescents.This work was supported by a grant (2018–3291/001–001) from the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) ERASMUS+ Sport Program. E.R.G. acknowledges support from LARSyS—Portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology (FCT) pluriannual funding 2020–2023 (Reference: UIDB/50009/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Different categories of social media use and their association with body image among adolescents in 42 countries

Objectives: Social media has become integrated into adolescents’ lives and influences body image perceptions. Our study examined four patterns of social media use (SMU): non-active, active, intensive, and problematic. We hypothesised that intensive SMU and problematic SMU would be associated with negative body image (negative subjective body weight) and over/underestimated body weight congruence, compared to non-active and active SMU. In addition, we expect these associations to be stronger for girls. Methods: Data from 190,892 respondents aged 11, 13, and 15 from 42 countries involved in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were analysed. Results: Findings revealed higher rates of intensive or problematic SMU among adolescents who perceived themselves as too fat or too thin. Two-level regression analyses showed intensive and problematic SMU as more likely to perceive themselves as too fat or too thin than active users. The association was significant among intensive and problematic girl social media users, whereas, among boys, the relationship was only significant for problematic users. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of assessing SMU patterns to evaluate associations with body image

Cross-national variation in the association between family structure and overweight and obesity: Findings from the Health Behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC) study

Background Trends of increased complexity in family structure have developed alongside increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. This study examines cross-national variations in the likelihood of living with overweight and obesity among adolescents living with one parent versus two parents, as well as the influence of living with stepparents, grandparents and siblings. Furthermore, the study explores how these associations relate to age, gender and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) and country-level SES. We hypothesised that adolescents living in one-parent versus two-parents families, were more likely to live with overweight and obesity. Methods The study is based on nationally representative data from 41 countries participating in the 2013/14 Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children study (n = 211.798). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between family structure and overweight and obesity by age, gender, SES, and geographic region, among adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Results Living with one versus two parent(s) was associated with a higher likelihood of overweight and obesity (ORadj.1.13, 95%CI 1.08,1.17). Age, gender, individual-level SES, and living with grandparents were also associated with a higher likelihood of overweight and obesity, whereas living with siblings was associated with a lower likelihood of overweight and obesity. The effect of family structure varied also by age and gender with no significant associations found between living with one parent and overweight and obesity in the 15-year-old age group. Some cross-national variation was observed, and this was partly explained by country-level SES. The effect of family structure increased by a factor 1.08 per one-unit change in country-level SES (OR 1.08, 95%CI1.03, 1.12). Conclusion The study indicates that living in a one-parent family, as well as living together with grandparents, are associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents, particularly in the Nordic European region. Existing welfare policies may be insufficient to eliminate inequalities related to family structure differences.publishedVersio

Weight Status and Mental Well-Being Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Perceived Body Weight. A Cross-National Survey

Purpose Overweight and obesity are associated with poor mental health in adolescents. However, little is known about whether the influence of overweight and obesity on mental well-being is mediated by self-perceived body weight. Exploring the mechanisms underlying the relationships between obesity and mental well-being is of interest to policy makers and others working in the field of adolescent health. Methods 76,998). Mixed regression models that included gender and socioeconomic status as covariates were used to identify associations between weight status and mental well-being (life satisfaction and subjective health complaints) and to explore whether self-perceived body weight (feeling too thin or too fat) has a mediating effect. Associations between weight status, self-perceived weight, and mental well-being were further assessed country by country. Results Self-perceived body weight mediated the observed associations between overweight or obesity and mental well-being. Perceiving one's body weight as “too thin” or “too fat” was associated with poorer mental well-being, regardless of weight status. Self-perceived body weight varied by gender, socioeconomic status, and country. Discussion Self-perceived body weight may explain, to a greater extent than body mass index, variation in mental well-being among adolescents. These results are important to policy makers, clinicians, and others targeting adolescent health