The urban heat island effect and its consequences is one of the most important problems cities worldwide have to face in an effort to become more sustainable. This paper presents a study of a major open area in a densely built and populated area in the centre of Athens that was part of a Municipality of Athens program to improve thermal comfort conditions in open spaces. The bioclimatic rehabilitation design process was based on a specific strategy involving detailed monitoring of the thermal characteristics and climatic conditions in the area, extensive analysis of the results in order to define the problem, design and use of efficient passive cooling techniques (cool materials, green spaces, solar control and earth to air heat exchangers), and the use of advanced simulation tools to evaluate and optimise the planed microclimatic improvements. The results indicate that the proposed measures contribute to a decrease in local temperatures of up to 2°C for summer conditions. Practical application: • The knowledge on perceptions of microclimate in outdoor space can serve as a basis for urban spatial design. • To evaluate the application of cool materials in public urban squares. • Strategies to improve local microclimate with monitoring and modelling the design features.

The number of children in Europe with significant psychologic and social problems is large and increasing. This article describes an innovative crosscultural method of working with families to This project has been financially supported by the European Union (Leonardo da Vinci Programme, EL 98/98/1/ 68123/P1/1.1.1.b/FPC), the Ministry of Social Welfare and Health in Finland, the Medical Research Fund of Tampere University Hospital, the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology and the Greek Ministry of Health (Cofunding programme 96SYN103), The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, The South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, and the Community Health South London NHS Trust. We should like to thank all the primary health care professionals involved in the project for their commitment and care, all the research staff, and of course the families and children. Direct correspondence to: Kaija Puura, Assistant Chief of Child Psychiatry, Medical School, 33014 University of Tampere, Finland; e-mail: puura@sci.fi. The European Early Promotion Project • 607promote the psychosocial well being of children and prevent the development of psychologic and social problems. A study designed to evaluate the effects of the service is also presented. Primary health care workers in five European countries have been trained to conduct promotional interviews with all prospective mothers in their area one month before and one month after birth. They have also been taught to work with mothers identified as in need of support as a parent by using a specific counselling model to try to prevent the onset of child mental health difficulties. Effects of the intervention on children's psychologic development and family adaptation are being evaluated at two years in comparison with matched groups not receiving the intervention.RESUMEN: El número de niños en Europa con problemas sicológicos y sociales significativos es grande y va en aumento. Este ensayo describe un método innovador e intercultural de trabajar con familias para promover el bienestar sicológico de los niños y prevenir el desarrollo de problemas sicológicos y sociales. También se presenta un estudio diseñado para evaluar los efectos del servicio prestado. Los trabajadores que prestan los servicios de salud esenciales en cinco países europeos han sido entrenados para llevar a cabo entrevistas promocionales con todas las futuras madres en sus áreas un mes antes y un mes después del parto. A ellos se les ha enseñado también a trabajar con madres identificadas como personas con necesidad de apoyo en su papel de madre, por medio de un modelo específico de consejería para tratar de prevenir el comienzo de las dificultades de salud mental del niño. Los efectos de la intervención en el desarrollo sicológico de los niños y la adaptación familiar están siendo evaluados a los dos años en comparación con grupos similares que no están recibiendo tal intervención.RÉ SUMÉ : Le nombre d'enfants en Europe qui ont d'importants problèmes psychologiques et sociaux est élevé et grandit sans ce...

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief screening measure of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to assess reliability and validity of the Greek version of the SDQ. A representative Greek sample of 1194 adolescents (aged 11 to 17 years) and their parents completed the SDQ along with other measures. Internal consistency reliability was determined by calculation of the Cronbach α coefficient. Varimax Orthogonal Transformation was conducted to test the factor structure of the questionnaire. Validity was further examined by investigating the correlation of the SDQ with the KIDSCREEN questionnaire and its association with demographic factors. The inter-rater agreement between parent and self-reports was analyzed with Pearson's correlation coefficient. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were computed to determine test-retest stability. For both parent and the self-report SDQ versions, most items loaded onto their predicted factors in consistency with the originally proposed five-factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable with a Cronbach α above 0.70 for all SDQ scales except for conduct and peer problems. Inter-rater correlations ranged from 0.33 to 0.45. Test-retest stability was good (ICCs > 0.60). Correlation coefficients between the SDQ and KIDSCREEN questionnaire were significant. Small effect sizes (d > 0.5) of the socioeconomic status were found for all of the SDQ scale mean scores. In conclusion, the SDQ was found to have satisfying psychometric properties and could be suitable for assessing emotional and behavioural problems in Greek adolescents.The SDQ contains 25 items (small sentences), categorised into 5 scales of 5 items each: hyperactivity/inattention, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer problems and prosocial behaviour [4]. Responses to each

Existing research underscores the significance of early childhood experiences in the childcare context for the development of socioemotional skills and competencies. However, the practices adopted within childcare for the enhancement of children's socioemotional development and the factors mediating these practices are less adequately researched. The present study contributes to this understanding, through studying the perceptions of 34 educators working in childcare centres in Greece with regard to children's socioemotional development and its promotion. Results showed that although they acknowledged the significance of social and emotional competencies for children's adjustment, learning and well-being, they did not report consistent use of practices having as a goal the promotion of such skills. Explanations involve on the one hand the lack of formal policy and the existence of structural barriers and on the other hand a perception that socioemotional development is mostly affected by factors beyond their influence. Results are discussed in relation to prior research and in terms of their implications for designing interventions, curricula and staff training. IntroductionThe purpose of the present paper is to explore early childhood educators' perspectives regarding children's socioemotional development and its promotion in the childcare 1 context. The rationale of the study is based on (1) the importance of early socioemotional development for lifelong well-being and achievement and (2) the role of childcare experiences for children's socioemotional development, especially as they are mediated through early childhood educators' beliefs and practices.

BackgroundEarly childhood education services create potentially optimal opportunities to identify and respond effectively to preschoolers' mental health problems. However, little is known about the knowledge, skills and competencies of early childhood educators in the area of mental health. The present study aimed to contribute to this field through conducting focus group interviews with professionals from public early childhood education centres in Greece.MethodsThirty-four educators attended five focus group meetings, with each group consisting of five to nine participants and two discussion facilitators. A thematic analysis was conducted using line-by-line open coding. Constructed codes from the wording used by the participants in the interviews were created, and constant comparisons for developing themes as well as seeking data not conforming to each theme were used independently by two researchers. At the end of this process, no new information was being provided and there was repetition in each of the categories.ResultsThe analysis identified three themes in the data: risk factors for preschoolers' mental health problems, signs of preschoolers' mental health problems and practices of helping preschoolers with mental health problems. Results suggested that early childhood educators had satisfactory awareness of many preschoolers' mental health issues, although they showed a rather limited understanding in some domains. Moreover, they seemed to deliver inadequate practices in responding effectively to children's and families' mental health problems.ConclusionsBest practice training in working with preschoolers, families and mental health services seems essential for helping young children receive the best level of support through early identification and intervention services for possible mental health problems.