OBJECTIVES Varicella (chickenpox) is a highly transmissible childhood disease. Between 2010 and 2015, it displayed two epidemic waves annually among school populations in Shenzhen, China. However, their transmission dynamics remain unclear and there is no school-based vaccination programme in Shenzhen to-date. In this study, we developed a mathematical model to compare a school-based vaccinatio...

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in primary school children in Glasgow and to evaluate a pilot activity programme for overweight and obese children. BMI was measured in 1548 children. Overweight, obesity and severe obesity were defined as BMI > or =85th, 95th and 98th centile, respectively. Overweight and obese children were then invited to partici...

Promising approaches to the promotion of healthier eating among children in primary school settings include the opportunity to practise practical cooking and growing, promoting the take up of healthier school meals and nutritional education. However, less is known about the potential for strategies that integrate approaches through a focus on food sustainability issues--such as the promotion of...

OBJECTIVE We assessed the effectiveness of the Luoghi di Prevenzione-Prevention Grounds school-based smoking prevention programme. METHODS We undertook a cluster randomized controlled trial of 989 students aged 14-15 years in 13 secondary schools located in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The intervention consisted of the "Smoking Prevention Tour" (SPT) out-of-school workshop, one in-depth lesson on on...

We have recently read an article in this Journal by Bowyer et al. that found ethnicity to be the only significant factor that predicted human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake amongst adolescent girls in England, UK. Shortly after the start of the vaccination programme, multivariate analysis of our cross-sectional study demonstrated that the level of knowledge regarding the HPV vaccination pr...

BACKGROUND School interventions such as the Incredible Years Classroom Dinosaur Programme targets pupil behaviour across whole classrooms, yet for some children a more intense approach is needed. The Incredible Years Therapeutic Dinosaur Programme is effective for clinically referred children by enhancing social, problem-solving skills, and peer relationship-building skills when delivered in a ...

BACKGROUND It has been observed that the prevalence of dental caries among children has declined in the last decade in Germany. However, despite of these improvements there is still a proportion of children suffering from dental decay. AIMS The aims of this study were to evaluate if a social gradient in the prevalence of dental caries exists and, based on those findings, to develop a strategy...

OBJECTIVES The online universal Climate Schools intervention has been found to be effective in reducing the use of alcohol and cannabis among Australian adolescents. The aim of the current study was to examine the feasibility of implementing this prevention programme in the UK. DESIGN A pilot study examining the feasibility of the Climate Schools programme in the UK was conducted with teacher...