School-Based Participatory Response for Reopening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of a Metropolitan High School Implementing the Health Promoting School.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze how a private high school in Seoul developed and executed a "school disinfection strategy" to ensure the students' right to study in a safe environment, and also to analyze the lessons learned from this process. Methods: This was a case study of school health in a community-based school reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study target was a 64-year-old private high school with 12 classes for each grade with a total of 1,100 students. Results: A "school disinfection strategy" was set up at individual and class environment levels to protect students from the risk of infection. In addition, school health activities were carried out with a "personal protection safety belt" and "community protection safety belt" for effective implementation. To ensure a safe educational environment for high school students and to ensure smooth execution of face-to-face classes (in-person teaching), the "prevention safety belt strategy" was introduced in accordance with governmental guidelines to sequentially implement various preventive measures necessary to guarantee environmental safety of schools. Activating personal prevention safety belts by checking the symptoms of students when entering the school and during each class, and providing self-made disinfectants by spraying alcohol on wet-wipes were cost-effective and sustainable methods used in this school to prevent the spread of infection. Conclusions: The experience of developing a prevention safety belt strategy to adapt the guidelines of the local education office to the school situation was presented. Focusing on the school community, as well as individual students and teachers, the concept of prevention safety belts helped to unite and stimulate voluntary participation of students in health promotion activities.

School Health Needs Assessment in Chanchamayo, Peru: A Health Promoting School Project.

Background: School-based health promotion can be particularly valuable in developing countries. However, there is a lack of information about the health needs of Peruvian school students. The purpose of this study was to conduct a health needs assessment to develop strategies for a school health promotion program in a jungle and indigent region in Chanchamayo, Peru. Methods: This study was conducted using a mixed method approach that included a literature review, national and local statistics, stakeholder interviews, and a survey. Participants of the survey were 210 teachers, 2,504 elementary school students, and 2,834 secondary school students from six 'schools in two planned project implementation regions. A self-administered questionnaire for students was developed based on WHO's Global School-based Student Health Survey. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and t-tests for the survey data and content analysis for the interviews. Results: Weak school health systems were identified, including school health policies, curriculum, trained health care personnel, and health-related facilities and equipment. Common health problems of students were anemia, nutritional deficiency, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, drug abuse, poor hygiene, and sex-related problems. High absence rates from school due to family problems and high dropout rates due to pregnancy were also critical issues. Teachers identified personal hygiene, nutrition, reproductive health, and sex education as high priorities for school health education, while students identified prevention of infectious diseases, nutrition education, psychological health, and healthy lifestyles as priorities. Identified strategies included: establishment of school health policies, curriculum-based interventions, increasing community participation and raising school health awareness, capacity building for health care promotors, training of trainers, and partnership between schools and communities. Conclusions: Findings from this study will help guide the development and implementation of a school-based health promotion program in Chanchamayo. Multicomponent school-based interventions that consider feasibility and sustainability will be developed and evaluated based on WHO's Health Promoting School concepts.

Association of Weight Control Behaviors with Body Mass Index in Korean Adolescents: A Quantile Regression Approach.

PURPOSE: Adolescents are interested in weight control but likely practice unhealthy weight control behaviors. This study aimed to examine weight control behaviors associated with body mass index (BMI) in Korean adolescents. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study of 16- to 19-year-old adolescents (97 girls and 90 boys), analyses were conducted of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, dietary behaviors, and self-efficacy for physical activity and diet. Daily steps were measured using pedometers. Height and weight were self-reported. We conducted descriptive statistics and quantile regression analysis using STATA 14.0. RESULTS: About 10% were underweight, and 8.6% overweight and obese. Average weekday and weekend steps/day were <10,000. Only 4.3% reported performing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. Less than half (42.5%) reported that they had three meals/day every day. Most (89.3%) had milk less than once/day. Quantile regression showed that, for the 5th BMI percentile group, (1) age (ß = 0.941) and milk consumption (ß = 2.148) were significantly positively associated with BMI, whereas (2) dietary self-efficacy (ß = -0.083) was significantly negatively associated with BMI. For the 95th percentile group, having three meals/day (ß = 2.558) was significantly positively associated with BMI, whereas MVPA (ß = -5.440) and muscle-strengthening exercise (ß = -3.392) were significantly negatively associated with BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Milk consumption was positively associated with BMI of underweight adolescents, whereas physical activities were negatively associated with BMI of overweight and obese adolescents. PRACTICE IMPLICATION: Weight control programs for adolescents may need to be tailored for differing BMI levels.

Weight Control in Adolescents: Focus Groups With Korean Adolescents and Their Teachers.

PURPOSE: This qualitative descriptive study sought to identify perceptions about and status of weight control in adolescents from the perspective of adolescents and their teachers. METHODS: Focus groups were used with six separate groups, 20 adolescents divided into four groups and 14 teachers divided into two groups. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis in NVivo 11.0. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) were followed. RESULTS: We extracted three themes and 12 sub-themes with 52 meaningful codes. Both adolescents and teachers stated that perceptions about weight control in adolescents were overly weighted toward management of one's appearance. The adolescents reported an increase in weight gained during adolescence, especially after entering high school, and they noted a lack of participation in physical activities and the presence of unhealthy dietary behaviors. However, adolescents perceived excessive weight gain during adolescence as natural, as long as they studied hard. Their teachers and parents were also permissive about weight gain resulted from study. The participants suggested that a weight control program for adolescents should be conducted in schools and should include every student in order to avoid discrimination. In addition, teacher involvement was emphasized to promote participation of adolescents in a school program. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that adolescents, especially those in a society emphasizing academics, need to practice healthy weight control behaviors. A school-based weight control program involving teachers and peers would be suitable and should be provided to all students regardless of weight classification.

Analysis of weight control in Korean adolescents using the transtheoretical model.

The purpose of this study was to identify the stages of change, the processes of change, and the decisional balance for weight control, self-efficacy, and other weight control-related variables and to determine the significant factors explaining movements between the stages of change in Korean adolescents. A total of 475 adolescents completed questionnaires and anthropometric measures. The majority of the adolescents were in the precontemplation (42.1%) and contemplation (43.0%) stages. The benefits of weight control (pros), desire for weight change, perceived body shape, and past experience with weight control increased the odds ratio of movement from precontemplation to contemplation. Stimulus control, self-reevaluation, regular exercise, and past experience of weight control significantly influenced the movement to action and maintenance from contemplation. The study results suggest that weight control programs should emphasize significant factors to help adolescents move through the stages of change.

Sexual violence among men in the military in South Korea.

This research is about sexual violence among men in the military in South Korea. The authors investigated the frequencies, causes, and circumstances surrounding sexual violence and looked for characteristic features of sexual violence among men in the military in South Korea. They found a high frequency of physical sexual violence and a high level of repetition of sexual violence. Of perpetrators, 81.7% had themselves been victimized. However, the soldiers tended to minimize sexual violence, preferred not to address the issue if possible, criticized or ignored the victims, and did not trust the reporting procedures in place. The authors found that sexual violence was mobilized as a tool in the military to control hierarchy and to create certain masculinities. Regarding the relevance of masculinity, as a salient feature of militaries in general, they believed it might emerge as a common feature across national and cultural differences.

Induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene expression by paraquat and stress-related hormones in Rehmannia glutinosa.

Rehmannia glutinosa is a medicinal herb that is tolerant to the non-selective herbicide paraquat. Acteoside, a phenolic compound present in the plant, has been shown to inhibit paraquat. To understand regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway that produces the acteoside moiety, we isolated a phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) cDNA clone (RgPAL1) and used it to examine PAL expression. The deduced 712 amino acid sequence of the open reading frame contains the conserved active site and potential phosphorylation sites of other plant PALs. RgPAL1 mRNA was detected in the leaves, flowers and roots of healthy plants, and the level of the mRNA was higher in leaves than in flowers and roots. RgPAL1 mRNA was induced in leaves by paraquat, H2O2, UV light, wounding, yeast extract, jasmonic acid and ethephon. The transcript level and enzyme activity increased gradually from 6 to 24 h after exposure to paraquat or jasmonic acid. Induction of RgPAL1 by paraquat and stress-related phytohormones suggests that it is involved in the regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway under oxidative stress.