Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review

Toy M, Önder FO, Wörmann T, et al. Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review. BMC infectious diseases. 2011;11(1): 337.BACKGROUND: To provide a clear picture of the current hepatitis B situation, the authors performed a systematic review to estimate the age- and region-specific prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Turkey. METHODS: A total of 339 studies with original data on the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Turkey and published between 1999 and 2009 were identified through a search of electronic databases, by reviewing citations, and by writing to authors. After a critical assessment, the authors included 129 studies, divided into categories: 'age-specific'; 'region-specific'; and 'specific population group'. To account for the differences among the studies, a generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the overall prevalence across all age groups and regions. For specific population groups, the authors calculated the weighted mean prevalence. RESULTS: The estimated overall population prevalence was 4.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.58, 5.76, and the estimated total number of CHB cases was about 3.3 million. The outcomes of the age-specific groups varied from 2.84, (95% CI: 2.60, 3.10) for the 0-14-year olds to 6.36 (95% CI: 5.83, 6.90) in the 25-34-year-old group. CONCLUSION: There are large age-group and regional differences in CHB prevalence in Turkey, where CHB remains a serious health problem

Early childhood pre-service teachers’ views about visual arts education and aesthetics [Okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının gözünden görsel sanat eğitimi ve estetik]

Purpose: Pre-service teachers start their university study with only a limited knowledge of art and aesthetics. Early childhood pre-service teachers should be equipped with visual arts education and aesthetics so they will be able to direct artistic activities. Elective courses about art and aesthetics raise pre-service teachers’ awareness of these subjects and prepare them to lead children in qualified activities. This research aimed to compare the thoughts, expectations and experiences about the process of practicing art activities amongst early childhood junior and senior pre-service teachers. Research Methods: Phenomenology was used in this qualitative study. The participants included juniors and seniors enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Program. For each group, ten students were included. Seniors had taken elective courses in visual arts education and aesthetics. Two focus group interviews were conducted at the end of the spring semester. The content analysis was used for data analysis. Findings: The findings were grouped under four themes: definition of visual arts education and aesthetics, their content, experiences related to them, and visual arts education in children’s lives. According to the findings, seniors’ responses had deeper meanings about visual arts education and aesthetics compared to the responses of the juniors. It was discovered that juniors have very limited experience of the subject. Implications for Research and Practice: In this study, elective courses in art and aesthetics raise early childhood pre-service teachers’ awareness of visual arts education and aesthetics, and contribute to them leading appropriate activities. These findings suggest that these courses have enriched pre-service teachers’ background. Future research could discuss the effects of such courses on classroom teaching and learning. © 2018 Ani Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved

Emotional correspondence between preschoolers and teachers: what are the effects on child–teacher relationships?

The effects of the emotion regulation skills of the children attending preschool education on their interactions with their teachers are emphasised in recent studies. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of emotion regulation skills on the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the child. In total, 39 preschool teachers and 119 preschool children (55 girls and 64) boys from 5 public preschools participated in the study. Teachers were asked to fill Student-Teacher Relationship Scale-Short Form regarding three children in their classrooms and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for themselves. We conducted four observations by using MPAC-R/S in order to assess child’s abilities to express and regulate emotions. The results showed that children’s emotional states were effective on teacher’s relationship perception, and that teacher’s emotion regulation skills were also effective on his/her relationship perception. In addition, the cognitive reappraisal strategy used by the teacher in emotion regulation has also been found to have an impact on the negative emotional state of children. © 2018, © 2018 ASPE