Search Results (12)

Background: Pediatric Crohn’s Disease (CD) affects more than physical health, influencing emotional well-being, social integration, and developmental milestones, with an impact on disease management. This study aimed to explore adolescents’ lived experiences with CD and identify factors influencing their motivation for self-management. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured, self-administered online questionnaire. Participants (n = 10) were adolescents with CD who had been diagnosed for over three years and were recruited from a tertiary pediatric gastroenterology center. Data included demographics, clinical characteristics, IMPACT-III (HRQOL), and PROMIS short forms. Open-ended responses underwent thematic analysis using the framework developed by Braun and Clarke. Results: Participants (80% female, median age 16.2 years, median disease duration 4.6 years) were all in clinical remission (median PCDAI = 2) and with good quality of life (median IMPACT-III = 80.7). Six themes emerged: (1) disease knowledge, (2) emotional responses, (3) coping and adaptation, (4) social support, (5) daily life and school impact, and (6) transition to adult care. Most participants demonstrated strong disease literacy and reported effective coping strategies. Emotional responses to diagnosis ranged from relief (60%) to distress (40%); relapses commonly triggered anxiety and fear. Therapeutic changes and disease monitoring were perceived as beneficial (100%) but with concern. Diagnostic procedures were viewed as burdensome by 70% of respondents. School performance and extracurricular participation were negatively affected in 40% during flares. Concerns regarding the future were reported by 40% of participants, with 30% believing that CD might limit life aspirations. While 60% managed their disease independently, 30% relied on parental support. All acknowledged the need for transition to adult care, though readiness varied. Conclusions: This study illustrates the overall impact of disease on pediatric CD patients. It reports significant emotional challenges and difficulties, as well as an impact on daily life, despite good disease knowledge. The findings underscore the importance of psychosocial well-being, ongoing mental health assessment, non-invasive monitoring, and holistic care, emphasizing the patient perspective, in managing pediatric CD. Full article

Background: Family, the child’s first environment, shapes their psycho-emotional balance. The literature links adolescent anxiety to family relationships, interactions, and dynamics. The self-esteem of adolescents appears to protect their mental health. Goal: This study examines whether family cohesion and adaptability affect adolescent anxiety symptoms. It also examines whether teen self-esteem mediates this relationship. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive study included 166 Attica youth aged 12–18 from schools and educational units. The adolescents completed Olson’s FACES-III cohesion and adaptability scale, Spielberger’s STAI-C, Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: Family cohesion, but not adaptability, was negatively correlated with state (rho = −0.25, p = 0.001) and trait (rho = −0.46, p < 0.001) anxiety in the adolescents. Teenagers from extreme families with the lowest cohesion and adaptability had higher trait anxiety (x²(2) = 6.91, p = 0.032) than those from moderately balanced/balanced families. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between the family cohesion functioning and adolescent’s state anxiety (p = 0.005) and trait anxiety (p = 0.011). Conclusions: The findings show that family dysfunction negatively impacts adolescent anxiety, as well as their self-esteem, which protects mental balance. Full article

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the application of the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Survey (IPAQ-SF) in the rural Senegalese Fulani pastoralist population by combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Design and participants: For the quantitative method, 101 men completed the IPAQ-SF questionnaire measuring moderate, vigorous, and walking physical activity. Self-rated health, BMI, and sociodemographic variables were also collected. With regard to the qualitative methods, a total of 22 participants were recruited and interviewed. Four themes were addressed, including (i) physical activity (PA) and its definition, description, related experiences, and representations of social actors; (ii) PA and health; (iii) PA and sport; and (iv) the body and Fulani world of life (i.e., Pulaagu/Ndimaagu). Results: Sahelian herders have a high level of self-reported PA and a low amount of daily sitting time. The measure of PA as proposed by the IPAQ-SF is not adapted to the Senegalese Ferlo pastoralists, mainly because this scale gives too much importance to leisure-time PA, perceived as unproductive energy expenditure, which is factually and symbolically antinomic to the Fulani lifeworld. Thus, neither intense nor moderate PA is related to self-rated health. However, sedentary lifestyles are linked to self-rated health and, therefore, to mortality and morbidity in Fulani pastoralists. Finally, walking, which is the dominant PA during transhumance and herd surveillance, is related to BMI. It therefore represents a protective factor against the occurrence of overweight and associated chronic non-communicable diseases. Conclusion: The mixed method approach developed in this study has shown that the IPAQ-SF is not a valid measure of PA in the population of Fulani male herders from the Ferlo region, given that unproductive energy expenditure is incompatible with the Fulani way of life, which condemns excess and immoderation. Full article

Generalizability theory provides a comprehensive framework for determining how multiple sources of measurement error affect scores from psychological assessments and using that information to improve those assessments. Although generalizability theory designs have traditionally been analyzed using analyses of variance (ANOVA) procedures, the same analyses can be replicated and extended using structural equation models. We collected multi-occasion data from inventories measuring numerous dimensions of personality, self-concept, and socially desirable responding to compare variance components, generalizability coefficients, dependability coefficients, and proportions of universe score and measurement error variance using structural equation modeling versus ANOVA techniques. We further applied structural equation modeling techniques to continuous latent response variable metrics and derived Monte Carlo-based confidence intervals for those indices on both observed score and continuous latent response variable metrics. Results for observed scores estimated using structural equation modeling and ANOVA procedures seldom varied. Differences in reliability between raw score and continuous latent response variable metrics were much greater for scales with dichotomous responses, thereby highlighting the value of doing analyses on both metrics to evaluate gains that might be achieved by increasing response options. We provide detailed guidelines for applying the demonstrated techniques using structural equation modeling and ANOVA-based statistical software. Full article

This research sought to explore self-reported satisfaction levels of mature students enrolled in the virtual financial accounting course of the first online-only bachelor’s degree in Portugal. While doing so, it attempted to generate understanding of which factors may affect undergraduate mature students’ engagement—herein measured in terms of overall satisfaction—with online learning, particularly, of financial accounting. Thereby, this research addresses several research gaps. First, unlike most recent empirical research, it provides evidence from a post-pandemic period, in 2022. Second, responding to calls for further education research in different contexts, Portugal poses a highly relevant, unexplored research setting since it was only in 2019 that the Portuguese government approved a legal regime to frame distance education at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Third, this research focuses on the overlooked, and yet growing, population of adult mature students. The research evidence emerges from 32 valid responses to a structured electronic questionnaire circulated to students at the end of a financial accounting module (in July 2022). Satisfaction rates from students’ own perspectives were derived in terms of (i) overall satisfaction, (ii) learning outcomes, (iii) e-learning process, and (iv) pedagogical practices adopted. The assessment of satisfaction levels was determined through Likert-type items with responses ranging from a minimum score of 1 to the highest score of 5. Data gathered were subject to quantitative analysis: descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, statistical tests, principal component analysis, and linear regression. High levels of satisfaction with distance education were uncovered. We found that pedagogical practices constitute the dimension that contributed the least (though, still importantly) to overall satisfaction as compared with learning outcomes and e-learning process. The results of this research offer the potential to contribute to the implementation of training offerings of online courses at other Portuguese HEIs as well as abroad. Full article

This study analyzed the widespread distance teaching/learning impact in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed distance teaching/learning’s effects on students’ intelligence. The distance teaching/learning impact results were evaluated based on the extensive sample tests conducted by applying the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) methodology. The tests conducted in January–September 2022 were compared with those conducted in the same age groups in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. The research data were processed in the following three stages: Stage I. Overview of the general situation of the research data concerning the variables. The descriptive statistics method was applied when calculating the percentages representing the students’ verbal, non-verbal, and general IQ. Stage II. Estimation of the statistically significant differences between the independent variables. Stage III. Review of the research data. The descriptive statistics method was applied, and the WASI methodology was used to assess the effects of distance teaching/learning on the IQ of 1–12-grade students in the 2017–2019 and 2021–2022 periods. The test sample size was over 2000 respondents who engaged in the study questionnaires and surveys. The effects of distance teaching/learning were assessed in many relevant aspects to identify which factors considerably impacted students’ intelligence during distance teaching/learning. Also, a more extensive analysis of these factors was performed to reveal which of them, during the period of distance teaching/learning, (1) greatly influenced students’ verbal IQ, (2) significantly impacted students’ non-verbal IQ, and (3) had a substantial impact on students’ general IQ. The results of the 2021 tests, conducted after the announcement of the official end of distance teaching/learning due to the pandemic, showed that distance teaching/learning affected students’ IQ positively. Such results can be associated with an increased number of self-study independent tasks, which in turn influenced the growth of creativity. The IQ tests of students born in 2009 revealed that the total IQ of test participants gradually decreased in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 respectively. These results might have been influenced by the then-prevalent education system, favoring educational programs that do not promote IQ development. It is believed that the parents of children born in Lithuania in 2009 were provided more favorable conditions for raising children than the EU standards. Notably, the IQ of students of aged 6–15 tended to grow from 2017 to 2021, but in 2022, a dramatic drop was observed. The restricted socialization and deficiency of live communication could pose one of the primary reasons for the drop in their IQ. The analysis also showed that distance teaching/learning negatively affected all student groups by age. Age groups differed to a positive and negative extent; e.g., during the research, the most considerable negative effect in the student group aged 6–10 years and the uniqueness of students born in 2009, i.e., the overall highest average IQ of students born that year (134 in 2018), were noticed. However, during the five years afterward, students’ IQs decreased (119 in 2022). The analysis of the socio-economic environment allowed for determining a positive trend that could have been influenced by the most favorable program for families established by the government at that time. Furthermore, the study concluded that distance learning had an apparent adverse effect on the IQ of individuals in the 6–19 age group. Full article

In this paper, a fuzzy-based evaluation method is presented for the impact of e-learning on several aspects of the learning lives of academic students of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the academic year 2020–2021 was considered when a general lockdown was imposed in Greece and all courses were delivered exclusively through the web. The evaluation criteria are (i) e-learning acceptance, (ii) learning effectiveness, (iii) students’ engagement and (iv) socializing and interpersonal relationships in the educational community. The evaluation was conducted through questionnaires. Ninety two (92) undergraduate and postgraduate students and Ten (10) computer science in-structors of the department of Informatics of the University of Piraeus, Greece, participated in this survey. The questionnaire answers were analyzed using a fuzzy-based mechanism. Particularly, five fuzzy sets were used to describe the 5-point Likert scale answers to the questionnaires with linguistic values, and four other fuzzy sets were used for the description of the evaluation results concerning the four defined evaluation criteria. Moreover, 209 fuzzy rules were created to analyze and calculate the evaluation results per criterion, considering both the students’ answers (119 fuzzy rules) and the instructors’ answers (90 fuzzy rules) to the questionnaires. The gain of this approach is that the analysis of evaluation data with fuzzy rules imitates the human way of thinking and, thus, makes the process more explainable. The evaluation results showed a positive impact of e-learning on student confidence, self-discipline and active participation and a negative impact on student interpersonal relationships. The impact of e-learning on other learning issues was neutral. Full article

Background: Diet quality has not been distinctively examined in wheelchair users with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ) III and the Automated Self-Administered 24-h (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool in 128 wheelchair users with MS. Participants were prompted to complete the DHQ-III and 3 ASA24 recalls during a seven-day data collection period. Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 scores were calculated for DHQ-III and ASA24, and scores were compared with normative values. Spearman’s correlation analyses (r_s) estimated the associations between DHQ-III and ASA24 HEI-2015 total and component scores with supportive paired sample t-tests. Results: HEI-2015 scores for DHQ-III and ASA24 were significantly higher than normative values for total score, total protein foods, and added sugar. Correlations between HEI-2015 scores generated using ASA24 and DHQ-III were all statistically significant (range r_s = 0.23–0.69); however, significant differences between ASA24 and DHQ-III values were noted for HEI-2015 total score, total fruits, whole fruit, total vegetable, greens and beans, whole grains, seafood and plant protein, refined grains, and saturated fats. Conclusion: This study provided a novel description of diet quality in wheelchair users with MS for guiding future research promoting healthy eating in this population. Full article

Today, soft skills (transversal competencies) are increasingly appreciated by employers as essential skills for professional success. Likewise, these competencies are necessary to be able to operate as individuals in today’s society. In view of this situation, in the future post-COVID-19 educational model it is necessary to design training programs that promote both hard skills (specific competencies) and soft skills. This fact brings to the table the need for university teachers to have an optimal level of soft skills so that their students can acquire them. Given this situation, this paper aims to analyze the degree of acquisition of this type of competencies in American university teachers from different regions: (i) North America; (ii) Central America, and (iii) Southern Cone. To achieve this objective, it has been necessary to develop a questionnaire on the self-concept of soft skills, based on several variables: (i) gender, (ii) age range, (iii) geographic area, (iv) area of knowledge, (v) years of teaching experience, and (vi) university tenure (public-private). The questionnaire developed was based on the soft skills included in the Bochum Inventory of Personality and Competences (BIP). Results, obtained by descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the means and deviations of the data collected from a sample of 473 participants, reflect that, in general, the American university teachers have a high self-concept about their degree of soft skills development. Although results show significant differences depending on each variable considered in this study, it can be suggested that the American university teachers are prepared to face a mixed university educational model, which promotes equally both hard skills and soft skills. Full article

Background: The recent pandemic due to the appearance of COVID-19 in 2020 has led to lockdowns worldwide, which have affected companies and universities conducting sensory evaluations. Therefore, a novel method to conduct sensory sessions for descriptive and consumer tests using biometrics in isolation has been developed. Materials and Methods: The method consists of using communication software such as Zoom and online software such as Google forms or RedJade to conduct the sensory sessions remotely. Different studies have been conducted using this technology to assess (i) consumers’ acceptability towards coffee labels (N = 69), (ii) videos of beer while pouring (N = 100), and (iii) images from the Geneva affective picture database (GAPED) using self-reported and biometric (subconscious) responses from consumers (N = 100), and (iv) wine samples using a trained panel (N = 11) with a quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA^®) method and a 15 cm non-structured scale. The researcher shared the questionnaire link with the participants and connected through Zoom during the session, using the camera to record videos of consumers’ responses while evaluating the samples for the biometrics. Results: Study 1 showed several associations between the coffee label concepts and self-reported and biometric responses. Some of these were that the Premium label was associated with perceived coffee strength, brand as the preferred area of interest (AOI), , and valence and relaxed subconscious responses. On the other hand, the Everyday label was associated with pleasantness, colors as preferred AOI, , , , and subconscious responses such as Joy and Smile (Figure in the Poster as Supplementary Material) [1]. Study 2 showed that consumers had more positive emotions and higher perceived quality towards beers, with higher liking of foam-related parameters. In Study 3, using GAPED images, based on the self-reported and subconscious responses, participants were able to correctly distinguish positive, neutral, and negative images [2]. On the other hand, in Study 4, the trained panel was able to accurately assess the intensity of aromas in different wine samples (Shiraz and Chardonnay) [3]. Conclusions: Findings were consistent with those from similar studies from previous publications conducted in a sensory laboratory [4,5,6,7,8,9], which confirms the reliability of the proposed virtual method. Further developments involve the assessment of multiple participants to record their biometrics simultaneously and optimize the sensory session time. Full article

Tailor’s bunion (TB) disease should be considered one of the foot injuries that causes disability in feet as well as general health. This case–control descriptive study investigated and contrasted the effects of different TB types in a sociodemographic population using the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ). A sample of 100 subjects with a mean age of 51.70 ± 17.78 years was recruited and requested to reply to a foot health survey. Results were self-reported. Subjects were scored. Participants with TB type III (TB3) registered lower scores for foot pain, foot function, footwear, and foot health. Physical activity and social capacity had higher scores, and vigor and general health were lower. A Kruskal–Wallis test was used for systematic differences between the FHSQ and different TB types. In all analyses, statistical significance was considered a p-value <0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Statistically significant differences were found between all domains of the FHSQ and TB, except for the social capacity domain and vigor. The FHSQ is an important measurement tool in TB subjects, showing that factors such as sex, age, and footwear used throughout an individual’s life are significantly associated with the development of TB3 and its influence on foot pain and foot health. Full article

The objective of this study was to translate and adapt five English self-report health measures to a South Indian language Kannada. Currently, no systematically developed questionnaires assessing hearing rehabilitation outcomes are available for clinical or research use in Kannada. The questionnaires included for translation and adaptation were the hearing handicap questionnaire, the international outcome inventory - hearing aids, the self-assessment of communication, the participation scale, and the assessment of quality of life – 4 dimensions. The questionnaires were translated and adapted using the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines. The five stages followed in the study included: i) forward translation; ii) common translation synthesis; iii) backward translation; iv) expert committee review; v) pre-final testing. In this paper, in addition to a description of the process, we also highlight practical issues faced while adopting the procedure with an aim to help readers better understand the intricacies involved in such processes. This can be helpful to researchers and clinicians who are keen to adapt standard self-report questionnaires from other languages to their native language. Full article