Search

School-based universal screening in the social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) domains allows for the early identification of students in need of SEB support. Importantly, equitable assessment in universal screening for the SEB domains is critical to engage in accurate and ethical data-based decision-making. Measurement invariance is one method for examining potential inequities in assessment tools, permitting the ability to evaluate which assessments or assessment items perform differently across groups. As such, this study utilized multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the extent of measurement invariance for a commonly used universal screening tool for the SEB domains: the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener -- Teacher Rating Scale (SAEBRS-TRS). The sample consisted of 1949 students in kindergarten through fourth grade in a Midwest, suburban school district. Examination of factor structures indicated the bifactor model yielded adequate fit and was utilized for measurement invariance testing. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis results provided preliminary evidence that the SAEBRS-TRS displays invariance across a variety of student characteristics. Specifically, results supported configural and metric/scalar invariance of the bifactor model across the student characteristics of racial or ethnic identity, sex assigned at birth, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. Yet, future research is needed to corroborate these findings. Limitations, implications for practice, and directions for future research are discussed.

Objective and Approach The environment in and around children’s homes and schools can influence their health and educational outcomes. Better understanding of how these potentially modifiable environmental risk factors can affect children is crucial in enabling the creation of healthier and more equitable places. We aim to establish the Kids’ Environment and Health Cohort, a research-ready, de-identified, national longitudinal birth cohort of approximately 11 million children born in England from 2006 to 2023, updated annually. The cohort will link vital statistics, census, health, education, and environmental data, via unique property identifiers from longitudinal health service address records for children and their mothers during pregnancy. Data on environmental exposures around schools will be linked to the cohort via education records. The cohort will be held and accessed in a secure research environment at the Office for National Statistics (ONS). All geographical identifiers will be encrypted and stored separately from the main cohort by the ONS to ensure privacy and security. Results We have received ethics approval and have agreed the legal bases for establishing the cohort. We are now setting up data sharing agreements with each data provider. Delivery of the cohort is scheduled for late 2025. Conclusion The Kid’s Environment and Health Cohort will support policy-relevant research in exploring associations between environmental factors and children's health and educational outcomes, and assessing the effectiveness of policy interventions. It will also support interdisciplinary collaboration, guiding evidence-based decision-making for environmental, planning, and public health policies aimed at promoting children’s health and well-being.

BackgroundDespite improvements, the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B remains high in Asia. These sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be transmitted from infected mothers to their children. Antenatal screening and treatment are effective interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), but coverage of antenatal screening remains low. Understanding factors influencing antenatal screening is essential to increase its uptake and design effective interventions. This systematic literature review aims to investigate barriers and facilitators to antenatal screening for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B in Asia.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review by searching Ovid (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO), Scopus, Global Index Medicus and Web of Science for published articles between January 2000 and June 2023, and screening abstracts and full articles. Eligible studies include peer-reviewed journal articles of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies that explored factors influencing the use of antenatal screening for HIV, syphilis or hepatitis B in Asia. We extracted key information including study characteristics, sample, aim, identified barriers and facilitators to screening. We conducted a narrative synthesis to summarise the findings and presented barriers and facilitators following Andersen's conceptual model.ResultsThe literature search revealed 23 articles suitable for inclusion, 19 used quantitative methods, 3 qualitative and one mixed method. We found only three studies on syphilis screening and one on hepatitis B. The analysis demonstrates that antenatal screening for HIV in Asia is influenced by many barriers and facilitators including (1) predisposing characteristics of pregnant women (age, education level, knowledge) (2) enabling factors (wealth, place of residence, husband support, health facilities characteristics, health workers support and training) (3) need factors of pregnant women (risk perception, perceived benefits of screening).ConclusionKnowledge of identified barriers to antenatal screening may support implementation of appropriate interventions to prevent MTCT and help countries achieve Sustainable Development Goals' targets for HIV and STIs.