Eerika Finell1, Asko Tolvanen2, Juha Pekkanen3,4, Timo Ståhl5, Pauliina Luopa6. 1. School of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014, Tampere, Finland. eerika.finell@tuni.fi. 2. Methodology Centre for Human Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland. 3. Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, PO Box 20, 00014, Helsinki, Finland. 4. Environmental Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 95, 70701, Kuopio, Finland. 5. Department of Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Biokatu 10, 33520, Tampere, Finland. 6. Department of Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little previous research has analysed the relationship between schools' indoor air problems and schools' social climate. In this study, we analysed a) whether observed mould and dampness in a school building relates to students' perceptions of school climate (i.e. teacher-student relationships and class spirit) and b) whether reported subjective indoor air quality (IAQ) at the school level mediates this relationship. METHODS: The data analysed was created by merging two nationwide data sets: survey data from students, including information on subjective IAQ (N = 25,101 students), and data from schools, including information on mould and dampness in school buildings (N = 222). The data was analysed using multilevel mediational models. RESULTS: After the background variables were adjusted, schools' observed mould and dampness was not significantly related to neither student-perceived teacher-student relationships nor class spirit. However, our mediational models showed that there were significant indirect effects from schools' observed mould and dampness to outcome variables via school-level subjective IAQ: a) in schools with mould and dampness, students reported significantly poorer subjective IAQ (standardised β = 0.34, p < 0.001) than in schools without; b) the worse the subjective IAQ at school level, the worse the student-reported teacher-student relationships (β = 0.31, p = 0.001) and class spirit (β = 0.25, p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Problems in a school's indoor environment may impair the school's social climate to the degree that such problems decrease the school's perceived IAQ.
BACKGROUND: Little previous research has analysed the relationship between schools' indoor air problems and schools' social climate. In this study, we analysed a) whether observed mould and dampness in a school building relates to students' perceptions of school climate (i.e. teacher-student relationships and class spirit) and b) whether reported subjective indoor air quality (IAQ) at the school level mediates this relationship. METHODS: The data analysed was created by merging two nationwide data sets: survey data from students, including information on subjective IAQ (N = 25,101 students), and data from schools, including information on mould and dampness in school buildings (N = 222). The data was analysed using multilevel mediational models. RESULTS: After the background variables were adjusted, schools' observed mould and dampness was not significantly related to neither student-perceived teacher-student relationships nor class spirit. However, our mediational models showed that there were significant indirect effects from schools' observed mould and dampness to outcome variables via school-level subjective IAQ: a) in schools with mould and dampness, students reported significantly poorer subjective IAQ (standardised β = 0.34, p < 0.001) than in schools without; b) the worse the subjective IAQ at school level, the worse the student-reported teacher-student relationships (β = 0.31, p = 0.001) and class spirit (β = 0.25, p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Problems in a school's indoor environment may impair the school's social climate to the degree that such problems decrease the school's perceived IAQ.
Entities:
Keywords:
Class spirit; Dampness; Indoor air quality; Indoor environmental problems; Mould; Multilevel analysis; Teacher-student relationships
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