title: Validation of the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) in the population of Saudi preschoolers

authors: Alhamad, Ali Hamad

abstract: The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a multi-dimensional questionnaire filled out by parents to determine the characteristics of eating behaviour of their children and, consequently, children’s propensity to become obese. It assesses eating habits that contribute to childhood obesity. It has been successfully validated mainly in countries of Western-type eating habits, but not in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the Middle East, where obesity has become a significant health problem. In the current study, the CEBQ factor structure and reliability were assessed in a sample of Saudi preschoolers aged 2-6 years. In addition, the associations between children's BMI z-scores, eating behaviours and parental weight were examined. Parents of 200 Saudi preschool children (100 boys and 100 girls) completed the Arabic version of the CEBQ. BMI of children and parents, and parental educational levels were collected. The BMI of every child was calculated and converted to BMI z-score. Factor analyses on all the CEBQ items were performed and the differences between genders and age groups were examined. Correlations between children's BMI z-scores and eating behaviours were analysed using linear regression, controlling for age, gender, parental educational levels and parental weight. The factor analysis revealed an eight-factor solution similar to the theoretical factor structure, with good internal reliability and acceptable correlations between subscales. Boys scored slightly higher than girls on food responsiveness, whereas no difference between age groups was found. Significant and positive associations between BMI z-scores and “food approach” subscales, food responsiveness, enjoyment of food and emotional overeating were found, while “food avoidant” subscales, satiety responsiveness and slowness in eating, had significant inverse relationships with BMI z-scores. Maternal BMI had strong positive associations with BMI z-scores and food responsiveness, whereas paternal BMI had no effect on BMI z-scores or eating behaviours of children. The current data suggest that the CEBQ is a valid psychometric tool that can be reliably used to assess eating behaviour characteristics in Saudi preschool children. The results derived from this study can be useful in understanding the aetiology of overweight and obesity in pre-school children in regard to their eating behaviours.

text: Validation of the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) in the population of Saudi preschoolers The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a multi-dimensional questionnaire filled out by parents to determine the characteristics of eating behaviour of their children and, consequently, children’s propensity to become obese. It assesses eating habits that contribute to childhood obesity. It has been successfully validated mainly in countries of Western-type eating habits, but not in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the Middle East, where obesity has become a significant health problem. In the current study, the CEBQ factor structure and reliability were assessed in a sample of Saudi preschoolers aged 2-6 years. In addition, the associations between children's BMI z-scores, eating behaviours and parental weight were examined. Parents of 200 Saudi preschool children (100 boys and 100 girls) completed the Arabic version of the CEBQ. BMI of children and parents, and parental educational levels were collected. The BMI of every child was calculated and converted to BMI z-score. Factor analyses on all the CEBQ items were performed and the differences between genders and age groups were examined. Correlations between children's BMI z-scores and eating behaviours were analysed using linear regression, controlling for age, gender, parental educational levels and parental weight. The factor analysis revealed an eight-factor solution similar to the theoretical factor structure, with good internal reliability and acceptable correlations between subscales. Boys scored slightly higher than girls on food responsiveness, whereas no difference between age groups was found. Significant and positive associations between BMI z-scores and “food approach” subscales, food responsiveness, enjoyment of food and emotional overeating were found, while “food avoidant” subscales, satiety responsiveness and slowness in eating, had significant inverse relationships with BMI z-scores. Maternal BMI had strong positive associations with BMI z-scores and food responsiveness, whereas paternal BMI had no effect on BMI z-scores or eating behaviours of children. The current data suggest that the CEBQ is a valid psychometric tool that can be reliably used to assess eating behaviour characteristics in Saudi preschool children. The results derived from this study can be useful in understanding the aetiology of overweight and obesity in pre-school children in regard to their eating behaviours.

year: 2013

title: The Solution to the problem of the individuation of actions

authors: Jones, Donald Robert

abstract: How many possible answers are there to the problem of the individuation of actions? In this dissertation I shall confine myself to but two answers. I will not state categorically that there are no other lines of approach to the problem. I am, however, reasonably confident that no other line is at all feasible and that no one has formulated one. There is the possibility of blending the two answers with which I shall deal, but such a blending would at best be mere temporising. It should become obvious that the two answers are mutually antagonistic and that no such blending could be convincingly defended.

text: The Solution to the problem of the individuation of actions How many possible answers are there to the problem of the individuation of actions? In this dissertation I shall confine myself to but two answers. I will not state categorically that there are no other lines of approach to the problem. I am, however, reasonably confident that no other line is at all feasible and that no one has formulated one. There is the possibility of blending the two answers with which I shall deal, but such a blending would at best be mere temporising. It should become obvious that the two answers are mutually antagonistic and that no such blending could be convincingly defended.

year: 1973

title: The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on the English Reading Skills of Year One Students in a Level Two Māori-medium Educational Context

authors: Te Arihi, Kylie

subjects: English Reading Skills

abstract: One of the biggest challenges confronting literacy education in Aotearoa  New Zealand is accommodating the differences in English reading-related variables at school entry to produce equitable outcomes in later reading achievement (Wilkinson, Freebody, & Elkins, 2000).  English-medium schools in Aotearoa struggle to negotiate effective literacy practices that validate and cater for the cognitive, cultural, and linguistic differences children bring to the process of learning to read in English.  Whereas, the role of English reading instruction in Māori-medium schools has been an under-researched and controversial issue.  How to accommodate for these differences to achieve equitable English reading outcomes in a year 1 level 2 Māori-medium context is the theme that this research seeks to explore.
	This Masters thesis reports on a shared reading intervention that explicitly teaches phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to examine its effects on the English reading skills of year 1 students in a level 2 Māori-medium setting.  The research implemented a Kaupapa Māori framework and used interviews, surveys, reliable literacy measures, and research-based literacy instruction to explore reading acquisition for this particular cohort.  Thus, the purposes of the study were (a) to glean an in-depth understanding of the literacy and language practices that potentially shaped the participants English reading–related variables, (b) to examine the range of English reading-related skills for this cohort, and (c) to determine the effects of the intervention on their English reading skills.
	Eight students were divided and matched with a pair according to their reported pre-test phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge scores, and then randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 4) or treatment control (n = 4) group.  The intervention programme was carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minute lessons that integrated phonological and alphabetic based decoding skills within the shared reading approach.  The duration of the treatment control programme was also carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minutes lessons that integrated semantic, syntactic, and visual graphophonic sources of information to recognise words.  The results indicated the breadth and depth of English reading skills in year 1 level 2 Māori-medium contexts are diverse and the children had a positive attitude and sense of efficacy towards reading.  A comparison of the test results between the intervention and treatment control group demonstrated that a shared reading intervention that focused explicitly on phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge is effective in raising letter-naming knowledge, pseudoword decoding, phonemic awareness, and invented spelling.  The results are discussed in light of theoretical assumptions about reading acquisition that underlie word-base and text-base approaches to word recognition.
	Overall, this study supports the development and reform of training and professional development opportunities in phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to better support, inform, and educate Aotearoa reading teachers.  This study contributes to the knowledge of English reading acquisition that validate the depth and breadth of early cognitive and linguistic differences to increase equitable English reading outcomes in level 2 Māori-medium contexts.

text: The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on the English Reading Skills of Year One Students in a Level Two Māori-medium Educational Context One of the biggest challenges confronting literacy education in Aotearoa  New Zealand is accommodating the differences in English reading-related variables at school entry to produce equitable outcomes in later reading achievement (Wilkinson, Freebody, & Elkins, 2000).  English-medium schools in Aotearoa struggle to negotiate effective literacy practices that validate and cater for the cognitive, cultural, and linguistic differences children bring to the process of learning to read in English.  Whereas, the role of English reading instruction in Māori-medium schools has been an under-researched and controversial issue.  How to accommodate for these differences to achieve equitable English reading outcomes in a year 1 level 2 Māori-medium context is the theme that this research seeks to explore.
	This Masters thesis reports on a shared reading intervention that explicitly teaches phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to examine its effects on the English reading skills of year 1 students in a level 2 Māori-medium setting.  The research implemented a Kaupapa Māori framework and used interviews, surveys, reliable literacy measures, and research-based literacy instruction to explore reading acquisition for this particular cohort.  Thus, the purposes of the study were (a) to glean an in-depth understanding of the literacy and language practices that potentially shaped the participants English reading–related variables, (b) to examine the range of English reading-related skills for this cohort, and (c) to determine the effects of the intervention on their English reading skills.
	Eight students were divided and matched with a pair according to their reported pre-test phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge scores, and then randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 4) or treatment control (n = 4) group.  The intervention programme was carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minute lessons that integrated phonological and alphabetic based decoding skills within the shared reading approach.  The duration of the treatment control programme was also carried out over a six week period and comprised 12, 30 minutes lessons that integrated semantic, syntactic, and visual graphophonic sources of information to recognise words.  The results indicated the breadth and depth of English reading skills in year 1 level 2 Māori-medium contexts are diverse and the children had a positive attitude and sense of efficacy towards reading.  A comparison of the test results between the intervention and treatment control group demonstrated that a shared reading intervention that focused explicitly on phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge is effective in raising letter-naming knowledge, pseudoword decoding, phonemic awareness, and invented spelling.  The results are discussed in light of theoretical assumptions about reading acquisition that underlie word-base and text-base approaches to word recognition.
	Overall, this study supports the development and reform of training and professional development opportunities in phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge to better support, inform, and educate Aotearoa reading teachers.  This study contributes to the knowledge of English reading acquisition that validate the depth and breadth of early cognitive and linguistic differences to increase equitable English reading outcomes in level 2 Māori-medium contexts.

year: 2014