The Nitty, Gritty of Sand Play

According to Maria Montessori, “There is only one substance that the modern child is allowed to handle quite freely, and that is sand” (Montessori, 1967, p. 168). Sand is accessible throughout the world and is one of the few granular materials that does not readily decompose. As an open-ended, sensory motor activity, sand play is highly compatible with the explorative, imaginative nature of young children and well-suited for promoting the fun and expansive learning that embodies childhood

A Qualitative Investigation into the Influence of a Mental Health Physical Activity Intervention on University Students

Objective Among the university student population, mental illnesses are highly prevalent. Adults aged 20-30 years have the highest rates of mood and anxiety disorders than any other age group, with approximately 12.0% diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 7.0 to 9.0% experiencing clinical depression (Nunes et al., 2014; Pedrelli, Nyer, Yeung, Zulauf, & Wilens, 2015). Reducing or preventing the effects of mental illness among this population may have lifelong implications including improvements in coping and management of mental illness throughout the lifespan(Jaworska, DeSomma, Fonseka, Heck, & MacQueen, 2016). This research examines the lived experiences of volunteers and participants in a peer-based exercise intervention for students with anxiety and depression called, “I Move My Mood” (IMMM). Methods This research was guided by phenomenology to depict participants’ experiences in their own voices. IMMM participants (n= 2), or students participating in the IMMM program, completed an online Qualtrics survey regarding their experiences in IMMM. Volunteers (n= 8) in the program (or students who were paired with the IMMM participants) and the primary researcher completed background questionnaires and one-on-one semi-structured interviews that were transcribed verbatim for subsequent data analysis. The credibility of the study was enhanced using field notes, member checks, and triangulation. Results Three themes emerged from data analysis: (1) lack of role clarity, (2) “did I make a difference?”, and (3) eyes opened. Even though volunteers had mixed perceptions regarding IMMM’s effectiveness, all volunteers perceived their experiences positively and brought forward recommendations for program improvement. Conclusions Overall, this study provides insight into the experiences of participants and peer support volunteers in a mental health/physical activity university-based intervention. These stories shine a light on some of the challenges and benefits of implementing peer support physical activity interventions for university students experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression and/or anxiety

A co-designed mHealth programme to support healthy lifestyles in Māori and Pasifika peoples in New Zealand (OL@-OR@):A cluster-randomised controlled trial

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license Background: The OL@-OR@ mobile health programme was co-designed with Māori and Pasifika communities in New Zealand, to support healthy lifestyle behaviours. We aimed to determine whether use of the programme improved adherence to health-related guidelines among Māori and Pasifika communities in New Zealand compared with a control group on a waiting list for the programme. Methods: The OL@-OR@ trial was a 12-week, two-arm, cluster-randomised controlled trial. A cluster was defined as any distinct location or setting in New Zealand where people with shared interests or contexts congregated, such as churches, sports clubs, and community groups. Members of a cluster were eligible to participate if they were aged 18 years or older, had regular access to a mobile device or computer, and had regular internet access. Clusters of Māori and of Pasifika (separately) were randomly assigned (1:1) to either the intervention or control condition. The intervention group received the OL@-OR@ mHealth programme (smartphone app and website). The control group received a control version of the app that only collected baseline and outcome data. The primary outcome was self-reported adherence to health-related guidelines, which were measured with a composite health behaviour score (of physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, and fruit and vegetable intake) at 12 weeks. The secondary outcomes were self-reported adherence to health-related behaviour guidelines at 4 weeks; self-reported bodyweight at 12 weeks; and holistic health and wellbeing status at 12 weeks, in all enrolled individuals in eligible clusters; and user engagement with the app, in individuals allocated to the intervention. Adverse events were not collected. This study is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12617001484336. Findings: Between Jan 24 and Aug 14, 2018, we enrolled 337 Māori participants from 19 clusters and 389 Pasifika participants from 18 clusters (n=726 participants) in the intervention group and 320 Māori participants from 15 clusters and 405 Pasifika participants from 17 clusters (n=725 participants) in the control group. Of these participants, 227 (67%) Māori participants and 347 (89%) Pasifika participants (n=574 participants) in the intervention group and 281 (88%) Māori participants and 369 (91%) Pasifika participants (n=650 participants) in the control group completed the 12-week follow-up and were included in the final analysis. Relative to baseline, adherence to health-related behaviour guidelines increased at 12 weeks in both groups (315 [43%] of 726 participants at baseline to 329 [57%] of 574 participants in the intervention group; 331 [46%] of 725 participants to 369 [57%] of 650 participants in the control group); however, there was no significant difference between intervention and control groups in adherence at 12 weeks (odds ratio [OR] 1·13; 95% CI 0·84–1·52; p=0·42). Furthermore, the proportion of participants adhering to guidelines on physical activity (351 [61%] of 574 intervention group participants vs 407 [63%] of 650 control group participants; OR 1·03, 95% CI 0·73–1·45; p=0·88), smoking (434 [76%] participants vs 501 [77%] participants; 1·12, 0·67–1·87; p=0·66), alcohol consumption (518 [90%] participants vs 596 [92%] participants; 0·73, 0·37–1·44; p=0·36), and fruit and vegetable intake (194 [34%] participants vs 196 [30%] participants; 1·08, 0·79–1·49; p=0·64) did not differ between groups. We found no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in any secondary outcome. 147 (26%) intervention group participants engaged with the OL@-OR@ programme (ie, set at least one behaviour change goal online). Interpretation: The OL@-OR@ mobile health programme did not improve adherence to health-related behaviour guidelines amongst Māori and Pasifika individuals. Funding: Healthier Lives He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge

Prevalence of fibromyalgia in a low socioeconomic status population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of fibromyalgia, as well as to assess the major symptoms of this syndrome in an adult, low socioeconomic status population assisted by the primary health care system in a city in Brazil.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We cross-sectionally sampled individuals assisted by the public primary health care system (n = 768, 35–60 years old). Participants were interviewed by phone and screened about pain. They were then invited to be clinically assessed (304 accepted). Pain was estimated using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Fibromyalgia was assessed using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), as well as screening for tender points using dolorimetry. Statistical analyses included Bayesian Statistics and the Kruskal-Wallis Anova test (significance level = 5%).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From the phone-interview screening, we divided participants (n = 768) in three groups: No Pain (NP) (n = 185); Regional Pain (RP) (n = 388) and Widespread Pain (WP) (n = 106). Among those participating in the clinical assessments, (304 subjects), the prevalence of fibromyalgia was 4.4% (95% confidence interval [2.6%; 6.3%]). Symptoms of pain (VAS and FIQ), feeling well, job ability, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety and depression were statically different among the groups. In multivariate analyses we found that individuals with FM and WP had significantly higher impairment than those with RP and NP. FM and WP were similarly disabling. Similarly, RP was no significantly different than NP.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Fibromyalgia is prevalent in the low socioeconomic status population assisted by the public primary health care system. Prevalence was similar to other studies (4.4%) in a more diverse socioeconomic population. Individuals with FM and WP have significant impact in their well being.</p

Significant process of change for elementary teachers to foster functional thinking

The purpose of this study was to explore a professional development program that involved 15 teachers. Functional thinking was used as a centerpiece of the program for work with teachers of Grades 1-5 during 6 months of the study. We used the concern-based adaptation model (CBAM) as a methodology to track the process of change of teachers and to understand the trajectories through which teachers may progress. Two questions guided the investigations: 1. How does implementation of the professional development program focused on functional thinking impact teachers' concerns? 2. How did teachers' practice change due to the implementation of the innovation program? The result of the study showed effectiveness of process of change in teachers, both in stages of concerns and level of use of the innovation

A Qualitative Investigation into the Influence of a Mental Health Physical Activity Intervention on University Students

Objective Among the university student population, mental illnesses are highly prevalent. Adults aged 20-30 years have the highest rates of mood and anxiety disorders than any other age group, with approximately 12.0% diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 7.0 to 9.0% experiencing clinical depression (Nunes et al., 2014; Pedrelli, Nyer, Yeung, Zulauf, & Wilens, 2015). Reducing or preventing the effects of mental illness among this population may have lifelong implications including improvements in coping and management of mental illness throughout the lifespan(Jaworska, DeSomma, Fonseka, Heck, & MacQueen, 2016). This research examines the lived experiences of volunteers and participants in a peer-based exercise intervention for students with anxiety and depression called, “I Move My Mood” (IMMM). Methods This research was guided by phenomenology to depict participants’ experiences in their own voices. IMMM participants (n= 2), or students participating in the IMMM program, completed an online Qualtrics survey regarding their experiences in IMMM. Volunteers (n= 8) in the program (or students who were paired with the IMMM participants) and the primary researcher completed background questionnaires and one-on-one semi-structured interviews that were transcribed verbatim for subsequent data analysis. The credibility of the study was enhanced using field notes, member checks, and triangulation. Results Three themes emerged from data analysis: (1) lack of role clarity, (2) “did I make a difference?”, and (3) eyes opened. Even though volunteers had mixed perceptions regarding IMMM’s effectiveness, all volunteers perceived their experiences positively and brought forward recommendations for program improvement. Conclusions Overall, this study provides insight into the experiences of participants and peer support volunteers in a mental health/physical activity university-based intervention. These stories shine a light on some of the challenges and benefits of implementing peer support physical activity interventions for university students experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression and/or anxiety

University Scholars Day

This paper discusses a research study on the effect of technology on achievement in mathematics in middle school

University Scholars Day

Presentation for the 2006 University Scholars Day at the University of North Texas discussing research on the effects of technology on achievement in mathematics in middle school