A participatory action research approach to developing youth-friendly strategies for the prevention of teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy among school-going youth is a concern worldwide, but in socially–economically challenged environments it is a result of, and contributory factor to, a complex web of social injustice. In South Africa, most of the school-based prevention interventions to date have been adult-designed and imparted, with the voice of the target audience – the youth – being ignored. The purpose of this participatory action research study was to involve school-going youth in the research and development of prevention interventions, tailored to meet their perceived needs. This article focuses on the first cycle where 24 high school participants interrogated their own and their peers’ narratives about teenage pregnancy so as to determine a way forward. Findings indicate that, although the youth perceive parenthood while they are still studying to have a negative impact on their future life goals, the prevention messages mediated by educators and other adults do not take into consideration the needs and lifestyle of teenagers within their specific social context. The implications of the three themes which emerged from the thematic analysis of the interviews, open-ended questionnaires and visual data are discussed to provide guidelines for the design of more youth-friendly prevention education to inform the next cycle of the research. Since teenage pregnancy is a global problem, the findings of this study have international relevance.     

Relationships and sexuality education topics taught in Western Australian secondary schools during 2014

This paper reports on findings from the first Western Australian Survey of Educators of Sexuality Education, which aimed to assess the state of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in the state of Western Australia. Key findings show that secondary school teachers provided more hours of RSE instruction than the national average. However, they mainly taught curriculum topics such as Abstinence from Intercourse until Married, Effects of Alcohol/drug Use on Decision-making, Puberty, and Sex and Ethics (respectful relationships). The least taught subjects included Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, Birth Control, the Impact of Media on Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation. These findings are of concern when one considers that nationally, Western Australia has higher rates of STIs among young people aged 15–24 years and teenage pregnancies, than other parts of the country. Results from the survey can be used to form a baseline measure ahead of the roll-out of the Australian Curriculum, which includes RSE as a focus area, and the new Western Australian Curriculum for Health and Physical Education.     

萧红早期小说中的女体书写与隐喻

本文试图从萧红早年未婚怀孕的经验,考察萧红书写女性人物的特色.在萧红早期的写作生涯中,一些极为私密的女性经验,成为她建构文本的资源和推动力量,在独有的女性书写中完成中国现代文学中极为复杂的女性集体想象.在萧红小说中,女体/母体的病态构成了史诗风格的女性身体铭刻.这种独有的女性叙述,凸显了女性身体,以一种怪诞现实主义的叙述策略完成.     

Maternal perinatal risk factors and child abuse

A retrospective matched pair study was designed to compare maternal perinatal factors such as abnormal pregnancy history and labor and delivery experience in families who subsequently were reported as physically abusive to one or more of their children as compared to non-abusive families. The study population consisted of the mothers of 532 children reported to the Baltimore (Maryland) Department of Social Services as physically abused during the years 1975-77. The comparison group was handmatched to the study group from State of Maryland birth certificates on the basis of the abused child's birth year and sex, maternal race, education and hospital of delivery. The study population was 67% black with a mean maternal education of 10.5 completed years. The abused children were 59% male with 48% less than 2 years of age. Results indicated that selected medical definitions of abnormal pregnancy, labor and delivery did not identify families at differential risk of maltreatment. However, mothers in maltreating families were younger, had shorter birth intervals, less prenatal care and were significantly more likely to have had a stillbirth or reported abortion or a prior child death. Study limitations are addressed as are suggestions for future research.     

我国青少年女子足球运动现状调查分析

采用问卷调查法、访问调查等方法,对2008年1月—2月在广西南宁冬训的16支球队的345名运动员45名教练员做为研究对象,通过实地调查研究,了解和分析我国青少年女子足球队的现状,并探讨我国青少年女足队伍存在的问题。     

浅谈青少年足球训练中教学比赛的重要性

青少年足球训练中教学比赛是不可缺少方法之一。足球训练中常常也把教学比赛作为提高队员技战术实战能力的一种重要手段。在德国青少年足球训练中,有一句熟话,叫作＂随意比赛＂,意思也就是通过比赛来体验足球训练中的实战能力。常常会安排一些教学比赛,让队员在比赛中尽可能体验和享受足球给他们带来的快乐。从而提高队员足球技术、战术、以及身体对抗的能力。同时,教学比赛能调动队员学习的积极性,提高学生练习效率,完善技、战术运用能力,培养团体协作和集体精神。     

Early markers of gestational diabetes mellitus: what we know and which way forward?

Women’s metabolism during pregnancy undergoes numerous changes that can lead to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The cause and pathogenesis of GDM, a heterogeneous disease, are not completely clear, but GDM is increasing in prevalence and is associated with the modern lifestyle. Most diagnoses of GDM are made via the guidelines from the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADSPG), which involve an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Diagnosis in this stage of pregnancy can lead to short- and long-term implications for the mother and child. Therefore, there is an urgent need for earlier GDM markers in order to enable prevention and earlier treatment. Routine GDM biomarkers (plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and sex hormone-binding globulin) can differentiate between healthy pregnant women and those with GDM but are not suitable for early GDM diagnosis. In this article, we present an overview of the potential early biomarkers for GDM that have been investigated recently. We also present our view of future developments in the laboratory diagnosis of GDM.     

Teenage Pregnancy and Sex and Relationship Education: Myths and (mis)Conceptions

This paper explores the role of sex and relationship education (SRE) in reducing teenage pregnancy rates. It critically examines some of the assumptions underlying the emphasis placed on SRE within the teenage pregnancy strategy ( SEU, 1999 ) – in particular, the view that ignorance of sexual matters plays a key part in teenage conception. An analysis of these assumptions is used to explore the reasons why the research evidence on the efficacy of sex education in changing adolescent sexual behaviour is mixed. Attention is drawn to the wider contexts within which adolescent sexual behaviour occurs – and the wider contexts within which schools are operating to provide SRE. Also highlighted are suggestions from the literature about what young people want from sex education and the possible implications for reducing teenage pregnancy. The paper concludes that although important, SRE, on its own, is unlikely to be the panacea sought by politicians to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom.     

江苏省青少年武术俱乐部业余训练体制的研究

文章运用文献资料、调查访谈、演绎归纳等研究方法对江苏青少年武术俱乐部业余训练体制现状进行分析,认为目前存在的一些局部性制度改革与创新,不足以彻底改变业余训练体制深层次的问题。并行一步提出了满足社会需求,实现效益最大化等改革原则,构建着眼于“制度新”、“面向广”、“影响远”、“效益大”的青少年武术俱乐部运行模式。     

少年男排运动员专项身体素质与比赛成绩的相关分析

通过文献资料、测量、数理分析和逻辑分析等方法,对我国少年男排运动员专项身体素质现状及其与比赛成绩的相关性进行了统计学分析。研究表明,少年男排运动员专项身体素质对比赛影响程度较高,且各队之间差异较大,由此提出在训练过程中应以提高身体素质为重点,加强弹跳力、灵敏性和快速移动能力的训练。