Adopting and adapting a standardised modular survey

Survey design involves a range of different decisions, many of which affect the accuracy of the results. This report discusses some of the key challenges of comparative survey research, and the different approaches to quality in comparative survey projects through the concept of equivalence. This field of research has developed considerably in the past three decades or so, and we now have a greater understanding of how equivalence can be achieved. Global Kids Online (GKO) has developed a modular survey for those who want to study children’s use of digital media. The survey is responsive to local contexts while also allowing cross-national comparisons, and key to its flexibility is the concept of careful adaptation

When do parents think their child is ready to use the internet independently?

In all the recent discussion over social media data exploitation, licit or illicit, with or without consent, urging people to lock down privacy settings or even delete their profiles, the ‘user’ is constantly assumed to be an adult – responsible for their decisions about when to allow information society services to monetise their personal data. But who is looking out for children and their data privacy? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), coming into force on 25th May 2018, proposes that for children under a certain age, companies should gain parental consent before processing their personal data. But under what age? But what is under-age? The GDPR proposed 16 as the age of consent, albeit for largely unexplained reasons. It then allowed member states to reduce the age to 13, and the UK’s Data Protection Bill has proposed just that, resulting in a lower age of consent than in some European countries, but leaving unresolved the challenges of implementation. In all this, it seems no-one has consulted parents. US research with parents suggests 13 is too young and, as Facebook reported, 77% of parents say they should be the ones to decide. The Parenting for a Digital Future project surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2032 UK parents of 0-17 year olds in November 2017. As we show, overall parents think 13 is about right, but parents of teens – to whom this decision actually matters in practice – think 13 is too young

The mobile internet: access, use, opportunities and divides among European children

Based on data collected through the Net Children Go Mobile survey of approximately 3500 respondents aged 9–16 years in seven European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania and the United Kingdom), this article examines the diffusion of smartphones among children and contributes to existing research on mobile digital divides by investigating what influences the adoption of smartphones among children and whether going online from a smartphone is associated with specific usage patterns, thus bridging or widening usage gaps. The findings suggest the resilience of digital inequalities among children, showing how social inequalities intersect with divides in access and result in disparities in online activities, with children who benefit from a greater autonomy of use and a longer online experience also reaching the top of the ladder of opportunities

The weight of school children and its relationship to performance in studies and well-being

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: There has been significant weight gain among Western populations during the past few decades, including children and adolescents. The aim of this research was to investigate the possibility of discovering a correlation between the weight of primary school children and their well-being and performance in studies. There was also an interest in determining the weight development of children and adolescents during a period of thirty years and attempting to answer the question whether they were still putting on weight. Methods and materials: The target population of the research project comprised pupils in the 4th, 7th and 10th grades of primary schools within the service area of Akureyri Health Centre during the winter of 2000-2001. The above classes were chosen on the basis of the fact that they all sat the national coordinated examination. Data were collected to discover Body Mass Index (BMI, weight/height_, kg/m_), measure performance in studies (the results in nationally coordinated examinations in Icelandic and arithmetic) and assess well-being by means of a questionnaire (Youth Self Report, YSR), which was only presented to the 7th and 10th grade. Furthermore, BMI was determined for corresponding groups from the school years 1970-71, 1980-81 and 1990-91, using information obtained from school health reports for the pupils in question. Results: This group consisted of 819 pupils and information was available on 568 of those, or about 70%. The weight gain which turned out to have occurred between the years 1970 and 1990 did not occur in the final decade of the 20th century and this applies to all three year groups. No difference was between those living in urban and rural areas. This was found to be the case, both when comparing the average BMI of the year groups and the proportion of children who are above a certain threshold of criteria. Furthermore, it was found that excessive weight/obesity is related to slack study results and a poor state of well-being among pupils in the 10th grade of the primary school. Such a relationship, however, did not exist among students in the 7th grade. Heavier pupils in the 4th grade perform better in their studies than their lighter peers, although this difference is not statistically significant. Conclusions: The unfavourable trend towards weight gain that we have seen in the past may now be changing. Other research pointing in the same direction has not been found, however, and more results are needed before this can be stated as a fact. Weight has a stronger influence on the well-being of adolescents in their upper teens, or towards the end of primary school, than is the case with younger pupils. This research does not explain why, although it may be assumed that the social environment of older children and adolescents is a significant factor in this respect. As the children grow older, a correlation begins to appear between being overweight and having less performance in studies and none of the heavier pupils show excellent school performance.Tilgangur: Þyngdaraukning meðal vestrænna þjóða er veruleg síðustu áratugi og á það einnig við um börn og unglinga. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna hvort finna mætti tengsl á milli þyngdar grunnskólabarna og hvernig þeim liði og árangurs þeirra í námi. Ennfremur var áhugi á að sjá hver hefur verið þróun í þyngd barna og unglinga á þrjátíu ára tímabili og leita svara við spurningunni hvort þau væru enn að þyngjast. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsóknin náði til nemenda í 4., 7. og 10. bekk grunnskóla á starfssvæði Heilsugæslustöðvarinnar á Akureyri veturinn 2000-2001. Umræddir árgangar urðu fyrir valinu þar sem þeir þreyttu allir samræmd próf. Gögnum var safnað til að finna líkamsþyngdarstuðul, LÞS (Body Mass Index, BMI, þyngd/hæð_, kg/m_), mæla námsárangur (niðurstöður samræmdra prófa í íslensku og stærðfræði) og líðan með spurningalista (Youth Self Report, YSR) sem var eingöngu lagður fyrir 7. og 10. bekk. Ennfremur var fundið LÞS fyrir sambærilega hópa frá skólaárunum 1970-71, 1980-81 og 1990-91 og voru þær upplýsingar unnar úr heilsufarsskýrslum skóla fyrir þessa nemendur. Niðurstöður: Í þessum hópi voru alls 819 nemendur og fengust upplýsingar um 568 þeirra eða um 70%. Marktæk þyngdaraukning reyndist vera milli áranna 1970 og 1990 en var ekki til staðar á tíunda áratug 20. aldar og á það við alla árgangana þrjá. Á það bæði við þegar borið er saman meðaltal LÞS þessara árganga og hlutfall þeirra barna sem eru yfir ákveðnum viðmiðunarmörkum. Enginn munur var eftir búsetu í þéttbýli eða dreifbýli. Þá kom í ljós að ofþyngd/offita tengist slöku námsgengi og slakri líðan meðal nemenda í 10. bekk grunnskóla. Slík tengsl eru ekki til staðar meðal nemenda í 7. bekk. Þyngri nemendur í 4. bekk sýna betri námsárangur en þeir sem léttari eru en sá munur er þó ekki marktækur. Ályktanir: Hugsanlega er sú óhagstæða þróun í átt til þyngdaraukningar sem verið hefur að breytast. Þó hafa ekki fundist aðrar rannsóknir sem benda í sömu átt og þarf því frekari niðurstöður áður en hægt er að fullyrða að svo sé. Þyngd hefur meiri áhrif á líðan eldri unglinga eða undir lok grunnskóla en þeirra sem yngri eru. Þessi rannsókn svarar ekki hvers vegna en gera má ráð fyrir að hin auknu félagslegu áhrif sem börn og unglingar verða fyrir þegar þau eru eldri skipti hér verulegu máli. Eftir því sem börnin verða eldri þá fer að gæta sambands milli þess að vera of þungur og ganga lakar í námi og meðal þungra eru engir nemendur sem ná ágætum námsárangri

The long term blood glucose level and its relation to knowledge, empowerment, distress and type of diabetes

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenÞeim fjölgar ört sem fá sykursýki en sykursýkin getur valdið fylgikvillum sem rýra lífsgæði og auka kostnað við heilbrigðisþjónustu. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að greina hvað hefur áhrif á langtímasykurgildið (HbA1c-gildið). Hugað er sérstaklega að þekkingu, sjálfseflingu og streitu sem og að bakgrunnsþáttum sem áhrif geta haft á langtímasykurgildið. Þátttakendur voru 143 einstaklingar með sykursýki. Níutíu einstaklingar tóku þátt í rannsókn 1, sem framkvæmd var árið. 2002 meðal fólks með sykursýki af tegund 1. Í rannsókn 2 voru þátttakendur 53 með sykursýki af tegund 2, en rannsóknin var gerð árin 2005-2007. Allir svöruðu þrem spurningalistum, auk þess spurningum um bakgrunnsþætti. Langtímasykurgildið var mælt hjá öllum. Borið saman við fólk með sykursýki af tegund 1 svaraði fólk með tegund 2 færri spurningum rétt á þekkingarkvarða, hafði minni skilning á meðferð sykursýkinnar og átti verra með að laga sig „á jákvæðan hátt að þeirri staðreynd“ að vera með sykursýki. Þátttakendur með langtímasykurgildi ≥7,5% sýndu marktækt minni skilning á sykursýkismeðferð sinni heldur en þátttakendur með langtímasykurgildi undir 7,5%. Streita og menntun höfðu fylgni við langtímasykurgildið og þau tengsl virðast að mestu óháð öðrum þáttum. Einstaklingar með framhaldsskólapróf eru næstum fimmfalt líklegri en einstaklingar með grunnskólamenntun eingöngu til að mælast með langtímasykurgildi undir 7,5%. Huga þarf sérlega vel að fólki sem er með sykursýki af tegund 2 og litla menntun þar sem það sýndi minni skilning á meðferðThe prevalence of diabetes is increasing and diabetes can cause complications that affect the quality of life of people with diabetes and increases cost of care. The aim of the study was to analyze knowledge, empowerment and distress as well as background factors affecting the long term blood glucose level. Participants were 143 individuals with diabetes. Ninety individuals with Type 1 diabetes participated in Study 1, which was conducted in the year 2002. In Study 2, 53 individuals with Type 2 diabetes participated. The study was conducted in the years 2005-2007. Participants answered three instruments, demographic questions and the long term blood glucose level was measured. Compared with people with Type 1 diabetes those with Type 2 diabetes answered fewer items correct on the knowledge test, had less understanding of diabetes and its treatment, and were less able to fit diabetes into their life in a positive manner. Those with HbA1c level ≥7.5% had significantly lower understanding of diabetes and its treatment compared with people with lower HbA1c level. Educational level and scoring on the distress scale correlated significantly with the HbA1c level and the relations are mostly independent of other factors. Those with high school exams are almost five times more likely to have HbA1c level < 7.5%. Care of people with Type 2 diabetes and lower education need to be given more priority as they showed less understanding of diabetes and its treatment and their long term blood glucose level was higher. As scoring on the distress scale correlated with the HbA1c level, health care professionals should consider distress among people with diabetes

A complex web of factors influence children's commercial media literacy

If they don’t know an ad from information, how can they grasp how companies use their personal data? ask Sonia Livingstone, Kjartan Ólafsson and George Maie

Public Attitudes Towards Presumed Consent in Organ Donation in Iceland

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinnInngangur: Líffæraígræðsla er oft eina úrræðið fyrir sjúklinga sem eru með líffærabilun á lokastigi. Hér á landi er gengið út frá ætlaðri neitun, en fyrir ríkisstjórninni liggur lagabreyting um að gert verði ráð fyrir ætluðu samþykki. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna viðhorf íslensku þjóðarinnar til ætlaðs samþykkis við líffæragjafir. Auk þess var skoðað hversu stór hluti Íslendinga var skráður líffæragjafi, hversu mikill áhugi var á því að gerast slíkur og hversu stór hluti vildi gefa líffæri eftir andlát. Efniviður og aðferðir: Um er að ræða þversniðsrannsókn með spurningalista. Þýðið var Íslendingar 18 ára og eldri af öllu landinu og var notast við póstlista frá Capacent Gallup. Í úrtakinu lentu 1400 manns og var svarhlutfall 63% (880 svör). Niðurstöður: Meirihluti Íslendinga var hlynntur því að gert verði ráð fyrir ætluðu samþykki (rúmlega 80%). Konur voru líklegri til að vera hlynntar þessu en karlar, 85% á móti 76%. Karlar voru helmingi líklegri til að vera hlutlausir eða andvígir. Þeir sem voru yngri voru líklegri til að vera hlynntir frumvarpinu en ekki reyndist vera marktækur munur á viðhorfi eftir tekjum, búsetu eða menntun. Helmingi fleiri þeirra sem áttu einhvern náinn sér sem þegið hafði líffæri voru að öllu leyti hlynntir lagasetningu. Skráðir líffæragjafar voru 5% þátttakenda, 29 konur og 15 karlar. Ályktun: Íslendingar eru hlynntir löggjöf sem gerir ráð fyrir ætluðu samþykki en nokkur munur er á viðhorfi eftir kyni, aldri og hvort svarendur þekkja einhvern sem hefur þegið líffæri. Meirihluti vill gefa líffæri en þó er aðeins mjög lítill hluti skráður sem líffæragjafi.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Introduction: Organ transplant is often the only viable treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure. Until now, Icelandic legislation has required informed consent for organ donors, but a new parliamentary bill has been put forth to change the laws to presumed consent. The goal of this study was to investigate the attitude of the Icelandic population towards legislative changes to presumed consent. Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study using a questionnaire. The study population included all Icelanders, 18 years and older. The sample involved 1400 persons randomly selected from a Capacent Gallup mailing-list. The response rate was 63% or 880 answers. Results: The majority of Icelanders are in favour of the proposed legislative change (more than 80%). Women were more likely to support presumed consent than men, 85% versus 76% respectively. Younger participants were more likely to be positive towards the new law, but no significant difference was found in attitude by family income, demographics or education. Persons who knew someone close to them that had received a transplanted organ were 50% more likely to be in complete agreement with the proposed legislation. Only 5% of participants were currently registered organ donors – 29 women and 15 men. Conclusion: Icelanders are very positive towards changing the law to include presumed consent in organ donation. Women and younger people tended to be more in favour and similarly those who know someone that has received donated organs. A majority of responders are willing to donate their organs, but very few are registered as donors

Children’s use of online technologies in Europe: a review of the European evidence base (revised edition)

Children’s Use of Online Technologies in Europe. A review of the European evidence base. This report reviews recent research on children’s use of internet and mobile technologies identified by the EU Kids Online network