Depression and belongingness in general and workplace contexts : a cross-lagged longitudinal investigation

Belongingness has been linked to depression. Prior studies have been cross-sectional with few addressing distinct belongingness contexts. This study used structural equation modelling to investigate cross-lagged longitudinal relationships between general belonging, workplace belonging and depressive symptoms in a community sample of 221 working adults measured at two time points three months apart. Measures were: Sense of Belonging Instrument-Psychological (SOBI-P); Psychological Sense of Organizational Membership (PSOM); Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21); Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). General belonging was predicted more strongly by depressive symptoms than by baseline general belonging, suggesting that depressive symptoms not only linger but also influence future belongingness cognitions. Neither general nor workplace belonging longitudinally predicted depressive symptoms, however cross-sectional correlations were substantial. The concurrent path between general belongingness and depressive symptoms was strong. Results are consistent with daily process studies suggesting that reduced belongingness precipitates a rapid increase in depressive symptoms which influence longer term belongingness cognitions. Congruent with interpersonal descriptions of depression such as the social-cognitive interpersonal process model, results further suggest that belongingness cognitions are the proximal antecedent of a depressive response. Practitioners should monitor both a general sense of belonging as well as perceived relational value cues in specific contexts.

Calibration and evaluation of an objective measure of physical activity in pre-school children

Background The purposes of this study were 1) to establish accelerometer count cutoffs to categorize activity intensity of 3 to 5-y old-children and 2) to evaluate the accelerometer as a measure of children’s physical activity in preschool settings. Methods While wearing an ActiGraph accelerometer, 16 preschool children performed five, 3-min structured activities. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses identified count cutoffs for four physical activity intensities. In 9 preschools, 281 children wore an ActiGraph during observations performed by three trained observers (interobserver reli-ability = 0.91 to 0.98). Results Separate count cutoffs for 3, 4, and 5-y olds were established. Sensitivity and specificity for the count cutoffs ranged from 86.7% to 100.0% and 66.7% to 100.0%, respectively. ActiGraph counts/15 s were different among all activities (P < 0.05) except the two sitting activities. Correlations between observed and ActiGraph intensity categorizations at the preschools ranged from 0.46 to 0.70 (P < 0.001). Conclusions The ActiGraph count cutoffs established and validated in this study can be used to objectively categorize the time that preschool-age children spend in different physical activity intensity levels.

Determinants of physical activity in middle school children

Objective To evaluate the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and planned behavior (TPB) in predicting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in sixth-grade youth. Methods One hundred ninety-eight students completed a questionnaire measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to be active. MVPA was measured using the CSA 7,164 accelerometer. Results Although demonstrating an acceptable fit, the TRA and TPB accounted for only a small percentage of the variance in MVPA. In support of the TPB: the addition: of control perceptions to the reasoned! action model! added to the prediction of intentions and MVPA. Conclusion Within our sample of sixth graders, the utility of the, TRA or TPB;as a framework for activity interventions appears to be limited.

Adherence to physical activity and electronic media guidelines in Australian pre-school children

The aim of this study was to determine compliance with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) guideline for physical activity and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation for electronic media use among urban pre-school children in two large cities on the East Coast of Australia. Cross-sectional data were collected from 266 parents. Time spent using electronic media (watching television, DVDs or on the computer) and in physical activity were parent reported. The proportion who met each guideline was calculated. 56 per cent and 79% of children met the NASPE guideline on weekdays and weekends, respectively, while 73% and 70% met the AAP recommendation on weekdays and weekends, with no difference between boys and girls. A substantial minority do not meet physical activity and electronic media use recommendations, highlighting the need to better understand what factors contribute to physical activity and electronic media use among this group of pre-schoolers.

School physical education in the post-report era : an analysis from public health

The 1996 United States Surgeon General’s report on physical activity and health represents a watershed moment in the modern history of physical activity and public health. Based on a compelling body of scientific evidence from the fields of medicine, epidemiology, physiology, and health psychology, the Surgeon General’s report proclaimed that people of all ages could improve their health and quality of life through lifelong practice of moderate physical activity (United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1996). Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General was an especially important publication for school physical education. Not only did the report acknowledge the importance of regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence, it also identified school physical education as an important vehicle for promoting healthenhancing physical activity in young people. “With evidence that success in this arena is possible, every effort should be made to encourage schools to require daily physical education in each grade and to promote physical activities that can be enjoyed throughout life” (USDHHS, 1996, p. 6). The purpose of this article is to discuss the status of school physical education since the release of the Surgeon General’s report on physical activity and health nearly a decade ago. Specifically, the article will address four questions: 1) What has been the historical role of physical education in physical activity and public health? 2) What impact, if any, has the Surgeon General’s report has had on physical education programs? 3) What impact should physical education have on public health and physical activity? 4) What should teacher education programs in physical education do to prepare physical education teachers, given the current role of physical education?

Literacy assessment that counts : mediating, interpreting and contesting translocal policy in a primary school

In Australia, as in many western education systems over the last two decades, discourses of accountability and performativity have reshaped education policy that has in turn reorganised the work of school leaders and teachers. One of the effects of this reorganisation is increased attention to the production, analysis and display of student achievement data. In this paper we examine in detail a sequence of the production and reading of literacy assessment data in a small Catholic school. Our analysis uses institutional ethnography’s concept of the ‘active text’, the text as occurring in a specific place and time even as it is articulated to social relations beyond its immediate context. Through this process we learn from those involved how their everyday work brings into being formalised, textually authorised processes in a local site that ensure the school meets accountability requirements while enabling teachers to resist standardisation of literacy teaching and assessment.

A qualitative investigation of adolescents’ perceived mechanisms of change from a universal school-based depression prevention program

A recent meta-analysis provides evidence supporting the universal application of school-based prevention programs for adolescent depression. The mechanisms underlying such successful interventions, however, are largely unknown. We report on a qualitative analysis of 109 Grade 9 students’ beliefs about what they gained from an evidence-based depression prevention intervention, the Resourceful Adolescent Program (RAP-A). Fifty-four percent of interviewees articulated at least one specific example of program benefit. A thematic analysis of responses revealed two major themes, improved interpersonal relationships and improved self-regulation, both stronger than originally assumed. A more minor theme also emerged—more helpful cognitions. It is postulated that both improved interpersonal relationships and improved self-regulation are likely to enhance one another, and more helpful cognitions may express its contribution through enhanced self-regulation. These findings broaden our understanding of the impact of depression prevention programs, beginning to illuminate how such programs benefit participants.

Physical activity in overweight and non-overweight pre-school children

OBJECTIVE To compare the physical activity levels of overweight and non overweight 3- to 5-y-old children while attending preschool. A secondary aim was to evaluate weight-related differences in hypothesized parental determinants of child physical activity behavior. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS A total of 245, 3- to 5-y-olds (127 girls, 118 boys) and their parent(s) (242 mothers, 173 fathers) recruited from nine preschools. Overweight status determined using the age- and sex-specific 85th percentile for body mass index (BMI) from CDC Growth Charts. MEASUREMENTS Physical activity during the preschool day was assessed on multiple days via two independent objective measuresFdirect observation using the observation system for recording activity in preschools (OSRAP) and real-time accelerometry using the MTI/CSA 7164 accelerometer. Parents completed a take-home survey assessing sociodemographic information, parental height and weight, modeling of physical activity, support for physical activity, active toys and sporting equipment at home, child’s television watching, frequency of park visitation, and perceptions of child competence. RESULTS Overweight boys were significantly less active than their nonoverweight peers during the preschool day. No significant differences were observed in girls. Despite a strong association between childhood overweight status and parental obesity, no significant differences were observed for the hypothesized parental influences on physical activity behavior. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that a significant proportion of overweight children may be at increased risk for further gains in adiposity because of low levels of physical activity during the preschool day.

An application of an extended theory of planned behaviour to understand drivers' compliance with the school zones speed limit in Australia and Malaysia

This research investigated individual and situational factors that influence driver compliance with the school zones speed limit in Australia and Malaysia. Despite all the countermeasures implemented in these two countries, driver compliance with the speed limit in school zones is still poor. The findings of the research provided support for the application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand and therefore influence drivers' intention to comply with the school zones speed limit in both Australia and Malaysia. The research also revealed that mindfulness, a construct rarely used in road safety before, directly influenced Australian drivers' intention to comply, while habit influenced intention to comply in Malaysia. The research raised important theoretical and cross-cultural issues for future research and highlighted the need to increase the visibility of school zones with the use of more noticeable traffic control devices.

Characteristics of ultrafine particle sources and deposition rates in primary school classrooms

The aim of this work was to investigate changes in particle number concentration (PNC) within naturally ventilated primary school classrooms arising from local sources either within or adjacent to the classrooms. We quantify the rate at which ultrafine particles were emitted either from printing, grilling, heating or cleaning activities and the rate at which the particles were removed by both deposition and air exchange processes. At each of 25 schools in Brisbane, Australia, two weeks of measurements of PNC and CO2 were taken both outdoors and in the two classrooms. Bayesian regression modelling was employed in order to estimate the relevant rates and analyse the relationship between air exchange rate (AER), particle infiltration and the deposition rates of particle generated from indoor activities in the classrooms. During schooling hours, grilling events at the school tuckshop as well as heating and printing in the classrooms led to indoor PNCs being elevated by a factor of more than four, with emission rates of (2.51 ± 0.25) x 1011 p min-1, (8.99 ± 6.70) x 1011 p min-1 and (5.17 ± 2.00) x 1011 p min-1, respectively. During non-school hours, cleaning events elevated indoor PNC by a factor of above five, with an average emission rate of (2.09 ± 6.30) x 1011 p min-1. Particles were removed by both air exchange and deposition; chiefly by ventilation when AER > 0.7 h-1 and by deposition when AER < 0.7 h-1.

A combinatorial approach to anonymous membership broadcast

A set system (X, F ) with X= {x 1,...,x m}) and F = {B1...,B n }, where B i ⊆ X, is called an (n, m) cover-free set system (or CF set system) if for any 1 ≤ i, j, k ≤ n and j ≠ k, |B i >2 |B j ∩ B k | +1. In this paper, we show that CF set systems can be used to construct anonymous membership broadcast schemes (or AMB schemes), allowing a center to broadcast a secret identity among a set of users in a such way that the users can verify whether or not the broadcast message contains their valid identity. Our goal is to construct (n, m) CF set systems in which for given m the value n is as large as possible. We give two constructions for CF set systems, the first one from error-correcting codes and the other from combinatorial designs. We link CF set systems to the concept of cover-free family studied by Erdös et al in early 80’s to derive bounds on parameters of CF set systems. We also discuss some possible extensions of the current work, motivated by different application.

New constructions of anonymous membership broadcasting schemes

An anonymous membership broadcast scheme is a method in which a sender broadcasts the secret identity of one out of a set of n receivers, in such a way that only the right receiver knows that he is the intended receiver, while the others can not determine any information about this identity (except that they know that they are not the intended ones). In a w-anonymous membership broadcast scheme no coalition of up to w receivers, not containing the selected receiver, is able to determine any information about the identity of the selected receiver. We present two new constructions of w-anonymous membership broadcast schemes. The first construction is based on error-correcting codes and we show that there exist schemes that allow a flexible choice of w while keeping the complexities for broadcast communication, user storage and required randomness polynomial in log n,. The second construction is based on the concept of collision-free arrays, which is introduced in this paper. The construction results in more flexible schemes, allowing trade-offs between different complexities.

Performance government : activating and regulating the self-governing capacities of teachers and school leaders

This article analyses ‘performance government’ as an emergent form of rule in advanced liberal democracies. It discloses how teachers and school leaders in Australia are being governed by the practices of performance government which centre on the recently established Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and are given direction by two major strategies implicit within the exercise of this form of power: activation and regulation. Through an ‘analytics of government’ of these practices, the article unravels the new configurations of corporatized expert and academic knowledge—and their attendant methods of application—by which the self-governing capacities of teachers and school leaders are being activated and regulated in ways that seek to optimize the performance of these professionals. The article concludes by outlining some of the dangers of performance government for the professional freedom of educators and school leaders.

The impact of employment-level characteristics on work-life interference in school aged children

Work–life interference is important for school-aged workers because it influences their educational outcomes/career aspirations. Although research highlights the role of work hours in determining work–life interference for these workers, work/job-level characteristics have received limited attention. Using survey data from Queensland school students who work part-time, we assess the influence of a range of employment-level variables on work–life interference. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate work–life interference is exacerbated by having low trust in managers and limited scope to refuse work hours and stability in work hours, emphasising the importance of organisational variables in integrating work and non-work spheres for school-aged workers.

Women, peace and security as an ASEAN priority

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and its member states have repeatedly professed their commitment to the protection and advancement of women’s economic and human rights. Such commitments have included the Declaration on the Advancement of Women in ASEAN in 1988, the ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2004, and the ASEAN Declaration of Human Rights in 2012, as well as the establishment of the ASEAN Committee on Women in 2002 and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Women and Children in 2009. However, none of these regional commitments or institutions expressly take up the core concern of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda set out in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1325 in 2000. ASEAN has no 1325 regional action plan and amongst the ASEAN membership, the Philippines is the only state that has adopted a 1325 National Action Plan (NAP). We explore the possible reasons for lack of ASEAN institutional engagement with 1325, outline the case for regional engagement, and suggest specific roles for ASEAN Secretariat, donor governments and individual member states to commit to UNSCR 1325 as a regional priority.