NORFOLK, England, October 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Results of a study on the impact of diet and eye q(TM) fish oilsupplements on pupils at Eaton Hall Special School in Norfolk have beenpublished today (Oct 31).
Twenty eight pupils aged 10-16 at the Norfolk County Council specialschool in Norwich completed the six-month open plan study (see Notes foreditors), which saw them being given a healthy and balanced diet alongsidethe eye q(TM) fish oil supplement on a daily basis, between January and Junethis year.
Eaton Hall in Norwich is Norfolk County Council's specialist school forboys with severe behavioural, social and emotional difficulties and includesday pupils and boarders. All have statements of special educational needs,and been excluded or involved in a managed move from another school. They arediagnosed with various disorders including Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD),Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Dyslexia, AspergersSyndrome and pervasive development disorder.
The assessments were highly detailed and in-depth, with a range of dataavailable for individual children. Staff already monitor the behaviour ofpupils in a systematic way, building up a daily record of progress andbehaviour. All pupils also have individual diaries to record their progressand behaviour. The impact of the study was anaylsed by comparing previousinformation with that gathered during the study.
The health programme included changes to the school meals prepared andserved at Eaton Hall. Cook Helen Clarke introduced meals with reduced salt,transfatty acids, sugar, preservatives and additives, giving pupils a widerrange of healthy eating options.
Lisa Christensen, Norfolk County Council's Director of Children'sServices, said: "This is the first time that a study of this size just onchildren with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties has been carriedout. It was a unique opportunity because there was already detailedinformation about individual pupils' behaviour from before the changes intheir diet and the introduction of the supplements.
"The results show a fall in the number of times pupils were involved inincidents where they had to be physically managed because of their behaviour,with by far the biggest fall amongst those pupils who previously had to bephysically managed the most. It's just one study on the impact of healthydiets and omega-3 and omega-6, but it is encouraging and we want to share theresults with others as part of the debate."
During the six months before the healthy diet and supplementation began,there were 112 recorded incidents of physical management (see Notes foreditors for full definition) and 15 non-physical incidents amongst the 28pupils. During the six month health programme, there were 36 recordedphysical management and 29 non-physical incidents amongst the same 28 pupils.
There was a 49% reduction in total incidents (managed and non-physical)compared with the previous period, a 68% reduction in physically managedincidents, while non-physical incidents nearly doubled.
The biggest impact was on pupils who previously were involved in thehighest number of incidents. The three pupils who saw the biggest change, sawreductions in both physically managed and non-physical incidents of 94%, 40%and even a fall from 10 physically managed incidents to no incidents at all.
"These statistics suggests that as a result of the new health programmeand supplements, the children were able to control their anger better, sowhile outbursts still occurred, they were less extreme, requiring minimalphysical intervention from a teacher," said Lianne Quantrill, the projectco-ordinator at the school.
Valerie Moore, headteacher at Eaton Hall School, who had beeninstrumental in setting up the study with Equazen, who produce thesupplement, said: "This was a worthwhile study. For some children it made apositive difference. Even if it had only helped one child, it would stillhave been worthwhile. Within the wide and varied behaviour modificationmethods we use at Eaton Hall School, this was another strategy well worthexploring."
Staff at the school also took the supplements, to encourage the childrento take theirs and see if they feel any benefits too, although they were notpart of the study.
Other information from the six-month study was also compared with the sixmonths leading up to the study:
- School attendance improved by 6% overall, and by 12% for the year groupwith the most pupils taking part in the study
- The number of students awarded commendations went up 38%
- The year group with the highest overall number of sanctions saw a 27%fall.
Notes for editors
This was an open plan study, which is different to a scientific study,for example there was no placebo / control group.
Physically managed incidents are the positive application of force tosafeguard people and property. The definition is taken fromwww.team-teach.co.uk. If staff have to physically manage a pupil, it isprimarily to prevent them harming themselves or others, damaging property orprejudicing good order.
Non-physical incidents are incidents of a serious nature where it has notbeen necessary to use physical restraint.
Case studies / interviews with parents can be arranged, depending ontimings. Contact Dan Pritchard to discuss. The best opportunity is on31.10.06.
eye q(TM) is a combination of omega-3 marine fish oil and omega-6 virgin,organic evening primrose oil. The fish oil is naturally high in EPA, afunctional fatty acid that helps the brain send messages between cells andhas been shown in research to improve memory, mood, concentration andbehaviour.
The fish oil in eye q(TM) is pressed from the flesh of sardines andpilchards harvested for their high levels of EPA. Special care is taken toleave the oil in its most natural bio-available form, so the fatty acids areeasily absorbed by the body. The oil is from fish living in southern oceansknown to have very low pollution levels. Each batch is independently testedand always found to be in full compliance with the stringent EuropeanCommunity and World Health Organisation guidelines for levels of PCB's anddioxins.
The eye q(TM) range is available from Boots, Superdrug, Tesco,Sainsbury's and leading pharmacies and health food stores priced fromGBP7.99. For further information or to buy direct, call 0870-241-5621 orvisit www.equazen.com.
This press release is available at www.norfolk.gov.uk Click on News
Norfolk County Council
For further information: Dan Pritchard, communications officer, Norfolk County Council +44(0)1603-224214 dan.pritchard@norfolk.gov.uk, Fatima Ouanssaidi, PR Manager, Equazen, +44(0)207-243-7117 fatima@equazen.com Political Contacts: Cllr Rosalie Monbiot (Cons), Cabinet Member for Children's Services, +44(0)1328-738316, Cllr Harriet Panting (Lab), +44(0)1603-456812, or +44(0)7778-564394, Cllr Mervyn Scutter (Lib Dem), +44(0)1603-454841, Cllr Chris Hull (Green), +44(0)1603-664928
