Kindergarten Obesity and Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Weight Bias.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Yu B
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8086407 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of an early childhood, family-centered, school-based intervention on children's kindergarten academic achievement.MethodsThis was a cluster (school) randomized controlled trial with assessments from pre-kindergarten (pre-k) entry through the end of kindergarten. The setting was 10 public elementary schools with 26 pre-k classes in 2 school districts in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods serving a largely black, low-income population. Participants were 1050 black and Latino, low-income children (age 4; 88% of pre-k population) enrolled in 10 schools over 4 years. Universal intervention aimed to promote self-regulation and early learning by strengthening positive behavior support and effective behavior management at home and school, and increasing parent involvement in education. Intervention included after-school group sessions for families of pre-k students (13 2-hour sessions; co-led by pre-k teachers) and professional development for pre-k and kindergarten teachers. The outcome measures were standardized test scores of kindergarten reading, writing, and math achievement by independent evaluators masked to intervention condition (primary outcome); developmental trajectories of teacher-rated academic performance from pre-k through kindergarten (secondary outcome).ResultsRelative to children in control schools, children in intervention schools had higher kindergarten achievement test scores (Cohen's d = 0.18, mean difference = 2.64, SE = 0.90, P = .03) and higher teacher-rated academic performance (Cohen's d = 0.25, mean difference = 5.65, SE = 2.34, P = .01).ConclusionsEarly childhood population-level intervention that enhances both home and school environments shows promise to advance academic achievement among minority children from disadvantaged, urban neighborhoods.
| S-EPMC3639460 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAlthough children's curiosity is thought to be important for early learning, the association of curiosity with early academic achievement has not been tested. We hypothesized that greater curiosity would be associated with greater kindergarten academic achievement in reading and math.MethodsSample included 6200 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort. Measures at kindergarten included direct assessments of reading and math, and a parent-report behavioral questionnaire from which we derived measures of curiosity and effortful control. Multivariate linear regression examined associations of curiosity with kindergarten reading and math academic achievement, adjusting for effortful control and confounders. We also tested for moderation by effortful control, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES).ResultsIn adjusted models, greater curiosity was associated with greater kindergarten reading and math academic achievement: breading = 0.11, p < 0.001; bmath = 0.12, p < 0.001. This association was not moderated by effortful control or sex, but was moderated by SES (preading = 0.01; pmath = 0.005). The association of curiosity with academic achievement was greater for children with low SES (breading = 0.18, p < 0.001; bmath = 0.20, p < 0.001), versus high SES (breading = 0.08, p = 0.004; bmath = 0.07, p < 0.001).ConclusionsCuriosity may be an important, yet under-recognized contributor to academic achievement. Fostering curiosity may optimize academic achievement at kindergarten, especially for children with low SES.
| S-EPMC6203666 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The current study aimed to analyze the relationships between students' background variables (students' academic preparation and sociocultural status), students' cognitive and behavioral engagement, and an outcome variable (academic achievement). One sample of 380 first-year students who were studying in different scientific areas participated in the study. Students answered a questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of their first semester in college. To increase ecological validity, students' cognitive and behavioral engagement and academic achievement were assessed using a specific curricular subject of the course as a reference. Students' grades were collected through academic services. Data from both time points were analyzed with a structural equation model (SEM), and data showed a goodness of fit of SEM in both time points. Findings indicate that cognitive and behavioral engagement mediated the relationship between students' background variables and their academic achievement. The analysis of both SEM allows us to understand that academic achievement at the end of the semester is closely related to what happens at the beginning of the semester (e.g., approach to learning, study time). Thus, promoting students' engagement at the beginning of the semester should be considered a priority, as the first part of the first semester represents a critical period for students and for their integration in college. Thus, universities should consider improving their mechanisms of collecting information to allow for early identification, support, and monitoring of students at risk of dropping out, showing high level of disengagement and low academic achievement.
| S-EPMC6913656 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionPrevious research has observed relationships between higher prenatal exposure to air pollutants and neurodevelopmental and academic outcomes later in childhood. Identifying intermediate outcomes mediating this relationship would inform prevention and intervention efforts. We aimed to investigate if previously observed associations between prenatal exposure to common urban air pollutants, diesel and perchloroethylene, and performance on third grade standardized tests were mediated through increased risk of preterm birth.MethodsData from the 1994-1998 birth cohorts within the New York City Longitudinal Study of Early Development were included in this analysis. Exposure was determined by linking the mother's residence at the time of delivery to the U.S. EPA's 1996 National Air Toxic Assessment of estimated ambient concentrations of diesel and perchloroethylene. Children's third grade standardized math and language tests were used as the markers for academic achievement. Missing data on covariates were imputed, while participants with missing information on gestational age and test scores were excluded. Linear regression models and causal mediation analysis were used to examine potential mediation by preterm birth.ResultsIn total, 187,723 and 196,122 participants were included in language and math analyses, respectively. Children with exposure to the fourth quartile of diesel or perchloroethylene had approximately 0.03 (95%CI: 0.02, 0.04) lower math z-scores when compared to individuals with exposure in the first quartile, although there was no consistent decreasing trend in math z-scores over increasing quartiles of diesel or perchloroethylene. We did not find evidence of mediation by preterm birth or exposure-mediator interaction in our models.ConclusionWe did not find evidence that observed relationships between exposure to common urban air pollutants and test z-scores in childhood were mediated through an increased risk of preterm birth. This suggests other pathways between early exposure to air pollution and neurodevelopment should be investigated with causal mediation approaches.
| S-EPMC9541921 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRecent data suggest that children of mothers who are obese before pregnancy, or who gain too much weight during pregnancy, may be at an increased risk of cognitive impairments.MethodsMother-infant dyads enrolled in a birth cohort study in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1983-1986), were followed from early pregnancy to 14 years postpartum (n=574). Math, reading and spelling achievements were assessed at ages 6 and 10 years using the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised, and at age 14 years using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Screener. Self-reported total GWG was converted to gestational age-standardised z-scores. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate the effects of GWG and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) on academic achievement at 6, 10 and 14 years, while adjusting for maternal race, child sex, parity, employment, family income, maternal intelligence, maternal depression, pre-pregnancy BMI (in GWG models only) and the home environment.ResultsThe mean (SD) BMI was 23.4 (5.7) kg/m(2) and the mean (SD) GWG reported at delivery was 14.4 (5.9) kg. There was a significant non-linear association between pre-pregnancy BMI and an offspring's academic achievement. At 6, 10 and 14 years, an offspring's academic scores were inversely associated with pre-pregnancy BMI beyond 22 kg/m(2). High GWG (>1 SD) was associated with approximately 4-point lower reading (adjusted β (adjβ) -3.75, 95% CI -7.1 to -0.4) and spelling scores (adjβ -3.90, 95% CI -7.8 to -0.2), compared with GWG -1 to +1 SD.ConclusionsFuture studies in larger and socioeconomically diverse populations are needed to confirm maternal weight and weight gain as causal determinants of a child's academic skills, and whether this effect persists into adulthood.
| S-EPMC4865436 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The current study was designed to examine one possible weight stigma-reduction mechanism: school-level weight diversity. It was hypothesized that greater weight diversity among same-sex peers at school would attenuate the negative association between weight and academic achievement. Across 26 urban public middle schools, 5,991 sixth-grade students (52% girls) were included: 12% African American/Black, 14% East/Southeast Asian, 30% Latino, 21% White, and 23% from other specific ethnic groups. Weight diversity was estimated as the likelihood that two randomly selected students would be from different weight categories, using Simpson's index. Standardized achievement test scores and grade point average (GPA) were used to assess academic achievement. Consistent with our contextual moderator hypothesis, high levels of weight diversity at school served a protective function. The negative association between body mass index (BMI) and achievement test scores, as well as GPA (girls only) was nonsignificant at schools with high levels of weight diversity. The study results offer a potential explanation for inconsistent findings regarding body weight and achievement, and a novel methodological approach to capture weight diversity in ways that provide new insights for school-based interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC6741346 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundElucidating risk pathways for under-achieving at school can inform strategies to reduce the number of adolescents leaving school without passing grades in core subjects. Maternal depression can compromise the quality of parental care and is associated with multiple negative child outcomes. However, only a few small studies have investigated the association between perinatal maternal depression and poor academic achievement in adolescence. The pathways to explain the risks are also unclear.MethodProspective observational data from 5,801 parents and adolescents taking part in a large UK population cohort (Avon-Longitudinal-Study-of-Parents-and-Children) were used to test associations between maternal and paternal depression and anxiety in the perinatal period, executive function (EF) at age 8, and academic achievement at the end of compulsory school at age 16.ResultsAdolescents of postnatally depressed mothers were 1.5 times (1.19, 1.94, p = .001) as likely as adolescents of nondepressed mothers to fail to achieve a 'pass' grade in math; antenatal anxiety was also an independent predictor of poor math. Disruption in different components of EF explained small but significant proportions of these associations: attentional control explained 16% (4%, 27%, p < .001) of the association with postnatal depression, and working memory explained 17% (13%, 30%, p = .003) of the association with antenatal anxiety. A similar pattern was seen for language grades, but associations were confounded by maternal education. There was no evidence that paternal factors were independently associated with impaired child EF or adolescent exams.ConclusionMaternal postnatal depression and antenatal anxiety are risk factors for adolescents underachieving in math. Preventing, identifying, and treating maternal mental health in the perinatal period could, therefore, potentially increase adolescents' academic achievement. Different aspects of EF partially mediated these associations. Further work is needed, but if these pathways are causal, improving EF could reduce underachievement in math.
| S-EPMC4789117 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Behavior diffusion through social networks is a key social process. It may be guided by various factors such as network topology, type of propagated behavior, and the strength of network connections. In this paper, we claim that the type of social interactions is also an important ingredient of behavioral diffusion. We examine the spread of academic achievements of first-year undergraduate students through friendship and study assistance networks, applying stochastic actor-oriented modeling. We show that informal social connections transmit performance while instrumental connections do not. The results highlight the importance of friendship in educational environments and contribute to debates on the behavior spread in social networks.
| S-EPMC7384671 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background/objectivesChildhood overweight and obesity have a well-established negative impact on children's health. Overweight and obesity might also negatively impact children's academic performance, but existing literature on this association is inconclusive. This study uses a longitudinal design in a large, diverse elementary school sample to rigorously test the association between longitudinal weight status and academic achievement. Analyses also investigate modification by sex, race/ethnicity, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).Subjects/methodsIn a large suburban school district in the United States, 4936 Grade 4 students were recruited. Demographic, course grade, and standardized test data were collected from school records for Grades 3-5, and body mass index and CRF were assessed each year. Students wore accelerometers during the school day for up to 15 days across three semesters (Grade 4 Fall and Spring, Grade 5 Fall) to objectively measure physical activity. Multiple imputation addressed missing data and multilevel analyses controlled for student demographics and clustering within schools.ResultsUnadjusted multilevel models found small negative associations between persistent obesity and course grades and standardized test scores, but these associations largely disappeared when controlling for demographic characteristics. Residual associations for math and writing course grades were attenuated when controlling for CRF, though some marginal negative associations for math and writing remained for students who developed obesity during follow-up. There was also evidence of marginal negative associations with course grades for students who developed overweight/obesity. There was no evidence of modification by sex or race/ethnicity.ConclusionsResults suggest very small associations between weight status and academic achievement that were largely explained by sociodemographic factors and CRF. Evidence of an association between weight status and achievement was stronger among students who developed overweight/obesity. Interventions promoting healthy weight and high CRF remain critical for schools given the link between student health and achievement.
| S-EPMC10119509 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the present study, we examined the association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and adolescents' academic achievement in the arts and the mediating and moderating roles of family process factors, verified family investment model. Chinese adolescents (N = 8,723) in Grade 8 reported characteristics of family SES, family arts resources, and family arts atmosphere, and then completed a standardized test assessing academic achievement in music and visual art. The results showed that family SES significantly predicted adolescents' level of academic achievement in the arts after controlling for adolescents' gender and school location. The effect of family SES on adolescents' academic achievement in the arts was partly mediated by family arts resources, constituting 20.51% of the total predicted effect. In addition, family arts atmosphere moderated the association between family SES and adolescents' achievement in the arts. Specifically, family SES had a stronger relationship with academic achievement in the arts for adolescent with higher family arts atmosphere than for adolescent with poor family arts atmosphere. Findings in this study expands the field of influence of the family environments and enhance an understanding of the influence mechanisms of family environments on arts learning.
| S-EPMC8565372 | biostudies-literature