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RELATING TO CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES —
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February 2007
Group says restaurants promote “extreme eating”
Many U.S. chain restaurants are promoting "extreme eating" with dishes that pack at least a day's worth of calories and fat, without giving customers facts about their orders, a consumer group said on Monday. Displaying restaurant offerings including a cheese-laden chicken-and-pasta dish they dubbed "Angioplasta," officials at the Center for Science in the Public Interest said such dishes help fuel national epidemics of obesity and heart disease. They urged local, state and national governments to make restaurants list nutritional data on their menus.
Michael Jacobson, the group's executive director, took aim at "table-service" chain restaurants like Ruby Tuesday's and Uno Chicago Grill. Such places increasingly stuff their dishes with extra unhealthy ingredients, he said. "What we're finding is that table-service restaurants have launched into a whole new era of extreme eating," Jacobson said. "If we're going to deal with the epidemic of obesity and the tremendous prevalence of heart attacks and strokes, we're going to have to do something about restaurant foods."
Jacobson's group often criticizes a variety of restaurant foods. Some critics deride the group as self-appointed food police. Jacobson showed reporters an appetizer offered by Uno Chicago Grill that he said contained 2,050 calories. It was a cross between a pizza and stuffed potato skins, with a deep-dish pizza crust crammed with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, bacon and sour cream.
Ruby Tuesday's offers an entree called Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta so loaded with cheese and other stuff that it tipped the scales at 2,060 calories and 128 grams of fat, he said. Jacobson dubbed it "Angioplasta," alluding to angioplasty, a medical procedure to open clogged arteries.
One slice of The Cheesecake Factory's Chris's Outrageous Chocolate Cake had 1,380 calories, with layers of cake, brownies, coconut pecan filling and chocolate-chip coconut cheesecake, the group said.
The average daily calorie requirement is about 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.
The trade group National Restaurant Association said many restaurants provide nutritional information about their menus, and nearly all have healthy dishes available. "Pointing to a select few menu items at a select few restaurants as being high in calories, and generalizing that to all restaurant fare is misleading, inaccurate and does the public a grave disservice," the association said in a statement.
Jacobson said restaurants have had more than enough time to voluntarily provide nutritional data such as calorie, fat and salt content but many do not - and those that do often make the data hard to find. "Restaurants have every right to make these foods and you have every right to eat them," Jacobson said. "But I think at the very least these restaurants should give consumers the information that would enable them to make some decent eating choices."
Will Dunham
26 February 2007
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Spending time supports children’s brain development
Leading paediatricians say giving children time is especially important for growth and development in the first three years of life.
New Zealand Brainwave Trust’s medical spokesperson Dr Simon Rowley, says research suggests children who are nurtured, given every opportunity to explore the world and enjoy a variety of positive experiences, become flexible, empathetic and intelligent members of society in later life.
The Brainwave Trust was set up to use existing scientific research on brain development to enable children in New Zealand to reach their full potential. “At birth our brains are only 15% connected. The other 85% of brain connections happen after birth in response to what we experience, particularly in the first three years,” says Dr Rowley. “In order to become connected or 'wired up' we need lots of sensory experience to stimulate the brain cells to 'switch on' and talk to each other. This is most effectively done by parents and caregivers spending time with children and encouraging and facilitating exploration,” says Dr Rowley.
Research shows children who are neglected or raised in chaotic, abusive or violent circumstances fail to develop important characteristics like warmth and empathy. “Their brains are ‘wired’ up for negativity and this does affect people in later life,” says Dr Rowley.
Well Child paediatrician Dr Marguerite Dalton agrees. She says giving time is the best gift a parent can give a child. “The theme of Children’s Day this year is timely, given the recent United Nations Children’s Fund report which paints a bleak picture of how much time New Zealand parents and caregivers spend with their kids.”
“Interaction and engagement with our under 5’s is so important,” says Dr Dalton. “Parents don’t need to spend a lot of money – getting kids involved in ordinary, every-day tasks, is a great way for them to feel connected, loved and special.”
“We need to make spending time with kids a habitual activity – something we do frequently and for the duration of a child’s youth,” says Dr Dalton.
This Children’s Day, Well Child encourages parents and caregivers to praise, talk to and spend time with children.
“Spending time can mean many things, but it does involve doing things together; like reading a book, playing a favourite game, eating, cooking, cleaning up the house, going for a walk or just having a cuddle – it’s only limited by your imagination,” says Dr Dalton.
Parents should also make time to immunise on time. Research shows delaying immunisation by as little as 30 days makes a child 4 times more likely to be hospitalised with whooping cough. And don’t forget the routine Well Child checks – they’re free and provide a good opportunity to discuss the health and wellbeing of your child.
Press release: Well Child
26 February 2007
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0702/S00063.htm
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Traumatic memories easier to recall than happy ones
Memories of traumatic events are not suppressed by the people who experienced them but can be recalled clearly, according to Canadian researchers.
Sigmund Freud developed a theory that victims of horrific events repressed difficult memories in order to cope with what happened to them. But scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax found in a five-year study that pleasant events were more difficult to recall than unhappy ones. "We were frankly blown away," lead author Stephen Porter said in an interview. "We were surprised at how consistent (the traumatic memories) were relative to the good memories in life which had deteriorated dramatically and looked nothing like the reports that we heard about years ago."
The researchers interviewed 29 people who had gone through a traumatic event such as a sexual assault or domestic violence in the past few months. The participants were asked to provide details about the experience as well as a recent happy event such as a wedding, birth of a child, award or vacation.
Porter and his team re-interviewed them after three months and again after four to five years.
Based on a questionnaire with a maximum possible score of 36, the average mark among participants for consistently recalling a traumatic experience was 30, compared to 15 for a positive one. "I think it's quite obvious that these types of events really permeate our conscious awareness. They were just haunted by them," he said referring to the traumatic events. "I think this provides evidence that (Freud's theory) is completely off-base," said Porter, whose findings will be published in the journal Psychological Science.
"It really makes good sense to remember the event well in the future so we can avoid those circumstances and maximize our chances of survival," he added.
Claire Sibonney
22 February 2007
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Big rise in number of young people killed by heavy drinking
The alcopops generation are drinking themselves to death, latest figures show.
Drink-related deaths among 15 to 34-year-olds have increased by almost 60 per cent since 1991. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which published the figures yesterday, said 198 men and 89 women in this age group died from alcohol poisoning or cirrhosis of the liver in 2004.
Overall, deaths from drinking have doubled in the past 13 years to 8,221 in 2004. These do not include road accidents and other injuries caused by alcohol.
At all ages the death rate among men is twice that for women and the gap between the sexes is widening. Scotland is the worst affected region with a death rate twice that for the rest of the UK.
The Institute of Alcohol Studies said the figures underlined the need to discourage young people from drinking. Director Andrew McNeill said: "Alcohol consumption is going up in Britain, and going down in countries such as France and Italy, because alcohol is cheaper and available at more outlets in this country than ever before. We live in the age of 24-hour licensing and the booze cruise. The consequence is that younger and younger people are appearing in hospital with alcohol-related illnesses."
Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "Forty five Scots are now dying because of drink every single week. We need to ask what is so different about Scotland's drinking culture, compared with the rest of the UK."
The figures came as the Scottish Executive unveiled its Alcohol Action Plan to target binge-drinking. Scotland's health minister, Andy Kerr, announced that a crackdown on owners of licensed premises selling alcohol to under-age drinkers would be rolled out across Scotland.
Alcohol-related death rates were five times higher among men in the most deprived areas and three times higher among women. Mr Law said: "Much more work needs to be done to reach people in the most deprived social groups because they are most likely to die from alcohol abuse."
Glasgow had the highest alcohol-related death rate among both men and women. Fifteen of the 20 local areas with the highest death rates were in Scotland, with three in England and two in Northern Ireland. Wales was the only country to have no local areas with a very high death rate.
Surveys have shown little change in the number of men reporting drinking more than 21 units a week or women drinking more than 14 units. The ONS says it is possible that the rise in deaths is related to binge drinking or changes in the type of alcohol consumed, especially by the young.
The Government changed its guidelines on sensible drinking in 1995 from weekly to daily benchmarks - three or four units a day for men and two or three for women - to tackle binge drinking. Surveys since have shown no change in the number of binge drinkers, but researchers say they are unreliable because heavy drinkers tend to underestimate how much they drink.
Jeremy Laurance
23 February 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2296832.ece
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Smoking changes brain the same way as
drugs: study
Smoking causes long-lasting changes in the brain similar to changes seen
in animals when they are given cocaine, heroin and other addictive
drugs, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
A study of the brain tissue of smokers and nonsmokers who had died
showed that smokers had the changes, even if they had quit years before,
the team at the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported. "The data
show that there are long-lasting chemical changes in the brains of
humans," said Michael Kuhar of Emory University in Atlanta, who was not
involved in the study.
"The chemical changes alone suggest a physiological basis for nicotine
addiction."
A team led by Bruce Hope of NIDA, one of the National Institutes of
Health, analyzed levels of two enzymes found inside brain cells known as
neurons. These enzymes help the neurons use chemical signals such as
those made by the message-carrying compound dopamine.
Smokers and former smokers had high levels of these enzymes, the
researchers reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Hope said other studies had seen the same thing in animals given cocaine
and heroin -- and it was clear that the drugs were causing the effects.
"This strongly suggests that the similar changes observed in smokers and
former smokers contributed to their addiction," he added in a statement.
Experts on smoking have long said that nicotine is at least as addictive
as heroin.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20.9
percent of all adults smoke in the United States, which adds up to 45
million people. And 23 percent of high school students smoke.
20 February 2007
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2007-02-21T021349Z_01_N20446490_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRAIN-SMOKING.xml
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International study finds new autism genetic links
Scientists revealed the most extensive findings to date on the genetics of autism on Sunday, pinpointing two new genetic links that may predispose children to develop the complex brain disorder. The five-year study, led by an international consortium of researchers from 19 nations, indicated autism had numerous genetic origins rather than a single or a few primary causes.
The researchers scoured DNA samples from 1,168 families with two or more children with autism, and used "gene chip" technology to detect genetic similarities. They also looked for tiny insertions and deletions of genetic material that could play a role in autism.
The scientists hope that nailing down the genetics of autism will lead to better ways to diagnose it and focus efforts on developing drugs to treat it. They announced they are launching a new phase in the research to map genes responsible for autism.
The study incriminated a gene called neurexin 1 involved with glutamate, a brain chemical previously implicated in autism that plays a role in early brain development, as a possible susceptibility gene for autism. A previously unidentified region of chromosome 11 also was implicated.
Autism is a spectrum of disorders apparently stemming from genetic and environmental causes. Geneticist Stephen Scherer of the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto said 90 percent of autism may have a genetic basis. "What we have now that we didn't really have before is a pretty decent understanding of what the genetic architecture is looking like in the autism genome," said Scherer, who worked on the study published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Autistic children have problems with social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as repetitive behaviors such as rocking and twirling or narrow and obsessive interests. These behaviors can vary in severity from mild to disabling.
Autism appears in early childhood, often as young as age 2 or 3, and affects four times as many boys as girls. "It's such a perplexing issue and it's so serious for the children," said University of Pittsburgh researcher Bernie Devlin, who helped lead the study.
Some advocacy groups believe too little attention is given to environmental factors they believe may contribute to autism, like mercury.
A problem in autism research has been that some studies have been based on data from relatively few people. In this study, more than 120 researchers from Europe and North America pooled efforts and expanded the number of people studied. "Most researchers tend to work in their own world, collect their own set of families to study genetic disorders, and not share," said Rita Cantor, a University of California-Los Angeles geneticist involved in the study.
U.S. federal health experts this month called autism an urgent public health concern that is more common than previously estimated. They said it affects about one in 150 U.S. children.
The research was funded by the nonprofit group Autism Speaks and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
"I think the most important thing that the study shows is that the genetic causes of autism are likely to be varied," said Andy Shih, chief science officer for Autism Speaks. "The genetic mechanism involved is probably not uniform."
Will Dunham
18 February 2007
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Methamphetamine use linked to heart condition
Research suggests a link between a disease of the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy and use of methamphetamine -- a powerfully addictive illegal stimulant drug, also known as meth, crank, crystal, and speed. A chart review of patients aged 45 and younger discharged from a medical center in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy or heart failure revealed a high prevalence of methamphetamine abuse in this population.
Methamphetamine use more than triples the risk of cardiomyopathy, report Dr. Khung-Keong Yeo of the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and colleagues in The American Journal of Medicine.
Yeo's team conducted a case-control study of all patients aged 45 and younger discharged with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy between January 2001 and June 2003. There were 107 patients. These were compared with 114 controls matched for age but discharged without evidence of heart trouble. After adjusting for age, body weight and renal failure, Yeo and colleagues report that the odds of cardiomyopathy was 3.7-fold higher in methamphetamine users compared with non-users.
"There are many speculated causes" of methamphetamine-related cardiomyopathy, Yeo told Reuters Health. "These include spasm of the (heart) arteries, direct toxicity, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and enhanced atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, February 2007.
Martha Kerr
14 February 2007
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School to test teens for underage drinking
A New Jersey school is planning to use a controversial test to determine whether its students have been drinking during the weekend or up to a week earlier. The EtG test measures concentrations of a breakdown product called ethyl glucuronide from alcohol in urine. It is already used in hospitals and the military.
Pequannock Township High School in Morris County intends to test about four to eight students every day to see if they consumed alcohol during the weekend, according to New Scientist magazine. "We plan to use this new test as part of our comprehensive testing program to keep our kids safe from the dangers of drugs and alcohol," said Larrie Reynolds, the superintendent of the school.
The legal minimum age for consuming alcohol in New Jersey is 21.
Underage drinking is a major problem in the United States and other countries. A National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released in 2004 found that 17.7 percent of 12-to-17 year-olds had consumed alcohol in the month before the study. More than 10 percent were binge drinkers.
In 2005 about 1,700 U.S. high school students died from alcohol poisoning or accidents, according to the magazine. It added that the test is controversial because it is so sensitive it can sometimes produce false positive results in non-drinkers who have been exposed to alcohol from vinegars, mouthwashes or even communion wine. The test has been available in the United States for about three to four years. An estimated 20,000 tests are performed each month, mainly in hospitals for medical staff.
Greg Skipper, medical director of the Alabama Physician Health Program, who helped to produce an advisory document on the test for the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said he supported the use of the test in schools as long as they are aware of how sensitive it is. "Schools must have a system for dealing with positives, managed by a medical review officer, and not automatically expel the child," he told the magazine.
14 February 2007
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New Study Links Obesity in Children With Lack of Sleep
Children who do not get enough sleep are often irritable and unable to concentrate in school. But now a new study suggests lack of sleep could also contribute to the epidemic of childhood obesity in many countries. VOA's Carol Pearson has more on that study and other research connecting sleepiness with obesity. If children got to bed earlier and woke up later, fewer kids would be overweight. That is the conclusion of a newly published study on children and sleep.
The study was conducted at Northwestern University. It followed more than 2,000 children from three to 18 years of age. Researchers weighed the participants then checked them again five years later. The children or their parents kept sleep journals.
The researchers found children who slept less weighed more than those who got more sleep. Children who had just one extra hour of sleep each night were 20 percent less likely to be overweight five years later. Later bedtimes play a greater role in overweight children between 3 and 8 years of age, while earlier waking times play a greater role in the weight of children aged 8 to 13.
Experts recommend that children under five get 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night; that children five to 12 get 10 to 11 hours of sleep, and that teenagers get nine hours. Other research shows a connection between lack of sleep and the hormone that causes hunger. In this study, where volunteers had their sleep curtailed, the hunger hormone, ghrelin, rose 24 percent.
Professor Eve Van Cauter at the University of Chicago says, "You're more hungry, even if you have the same amount of food. And so you're more likely to over-eat and thus gain weight." Both studies agree with what sleep specialist Dr. Beth Malow at Vanderbilt University has found: "This research is consistent with prior studies, it's relatively new, and it's really applicable for people of all ages."
The studies suggest sleep, at least more of it, could reduce the risk of being overweight and the medical problems that accompany weighing too much.
Carol Pearson
13 February 2007
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-02-13-voa65.cfm
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Family meals may help children eat well
Children who snack among a large groups of friends eat up to 30 per cent more than those in smaller groups, according to new research. Youngsters ate more when in a group of nine children than when they were in a group of three, the study found.
The research, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood by researchers at the University of Michigan said the findings could help families to control their child's weight. Children who are overweight may eat more in busy environments, such as fast food restaurants, while those who under-eat could be encouraged to consume more during family mealtimes, according to the research.
The study observed the eating habits of 54 children aged between two to six years during snack time at a pre-school nursery. Children in larger groups tend to eat more quickly and begin snacking earlier than those in smaller groups. When snacking lasted longer than 11 minutes, children in the larger groups ate 30 per cent more than children eating in smaller groups.
http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=238032007
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New genre of video games target mental health
It's not all fun and violence in video games, according to makers of a new genre of games which claim to boost players' mental health and self-esteem.
A group of developers inspired by the success of Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s "Brain Age" title that gets the gray matter working with math and word puzzles, hopes to harness the power and popularity of video games to boost psychological health. Among them is Tokyo-based Dimple Entertainment, which in May will begin selling the unconventional title "DS Therapy" in Japan for Nintendo's hand-held DS player.
Answer a few light-hearted questions on topics ranging from love to money and the title promises to deliver a measurement on your mental and emotional health on a daily basis. Mark Baldwin, a psychology professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and designer of another new title "MindHabits Booster," is hoping his game will make people feel good about themselves. Baldwin and his research team designed the game based on social psychology research after finding that repetitive components from video game play could be used to shape the way people think and how they perceive themselves.
The game, distributed via www.Mindhabits.com, tries to address insecurity and stress by having players repeatedly pick a smiling, approving face from a group of frowning faces, training players to look for acceptance and ignore rejection. "All it does is change your attention from one thing to another, but that can make a big difference (in self-esteem and lower stress)," said Baldwin, who is releasing new game study results later this year and hopes to take his game from the lab to stores.
While most of the headline-grabbing research around video games has tended to probe the link between violent games and aggressive behavior, there is a growing body of research looking at the more positive impact of play. A study conducted by West Virgina University and supported by Konami Digital Entertainment claimed that consistent usage of the "Dance Dance Revolution" game "improved the health, attitudes, and behaviors of participating children."
Researchers at the University of Rochester recently reported finding that children and adults play video games because they fulfill basic psychological needs such as opportunities for achievement, freedom and a sense of connection to others.
Mary Jane Zamora, 50, doesn't need an academic to tell her that playing games has helped to boost her well-being. Zamora, of Redondo Beach, California, is recovering from a bout with breast cancer and has been rebuilding her strength and agility playing virtual golf, bowling and tennis on Nintendo's new Wii console, which has a motion-sensing controller that lets players mimic real-world moves. Zamora, who worked in advertising for years, said the games helped her visualize her new life after her "year of fear." "My life is coming back. It's not about loss. It's about setting aside what I was and evolving into an even better person ... This has been a cornerstone," said Zamora.
Lisa Baertlein
8 February 2007
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1 in 150 Children in U.S. Has Autism, New Survey Finds
Approximately one in every 150 children in the United States has autism or a closely related disorder -- a figure higher than most recent estimates -- according to a federal survey released yesterday, the most thorough ever conducted.
The new data, from 14 states, do not mean that autism is on the rise, because the criteria and definitions used were not the same as those used in the past. But the sheer number of children apparently affected -- 560,000 nationwide if the new statistics are extrapolated to all 50 states -- makes autism an "urgent public health issue" and a "major public health concern," said Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, chief of the developmental disabilities branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the survey.
The prevalence of autism, a poorly understood behavioral syndrome that interferes with a child's ability to relate to or interact with others, varies mysteriously from state to state in the survey, with New Jersey standing out as a hot spot and Alabama and West Virginia having low rates. West Virginia, however, appeared to tally a significant increase from 2000 to 2002, the two years for which data have been compiled so far. Most of the other states showed no change in that period.
The survey, which is to be updated regularly, offers no clues about what causes autism or the range of related disorders that together cost the nation tens of billions of dollars a year and take an immeasurable emotional toll on families. In particular, it sheds no light on the controversial claim that trace amounts of mercury in childhood vaccines are behind the growing number of diagnoses in recent decades. The survey data may help settle that question in future years, because most vaccines have recently eliminated the ingredient.
The survey does provide an unequaled, standardized baseline measure of the prevalence and distribution of autistic behaviors around the country, CDC officials said. In the short term, that can help state and federal officials budget their special education and mental health services needs. Over the longer term, it may tell at last whether autism is becoming more common and, if so, why. "We need to do our best to get a better understanding of how many children are affected," said Catherine Rice, a CDC behavioral scientist and a senior author of the new report, published in today's issue of the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The results are the first to come out of the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, launched in 2000. That program aims to get the most accurate statistics possible on the prevalence of autistic behaviors by collecting information on thousands of children from schools, medical clinics and social service providers.
Past estimates have varied because there is no simple test to provide a definitive diagnosis and because the behavioral measures used to define the syndrome have changed over time.
Today, the definition encompasses a wide range of children, some "fully disabled" and others who "have something that is much more mild and can attend school but may have some social disability," said Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Insel said he was "not surprised" by the new numbers, given recent estimates that ranged from one in 150 children to about one in 170. He emphasized that the new numbers may not reflect the true incidence of the syndrome because they are derived not from clinical exams but from descriptive reports provided by teachers and others, which were reviewed by experts for key words that suggested a diagnosis of autism, Asperger syndrome or any of several related disorders.
The CDC is comparing selected survey cases with data collected from medical exams to test the accuracy and validity of the survey's impressions.
By applying a standardized methodology across the nation year after year, Insel said, the CDC survey promises to tell a lot about autistic behaviors in the United States.
The survey looks at records of 8-year-olds, the age by which the vast majority of autistic children are diagnosed. Alison Singer, senior vice president of New York-based Autism Speaks, an advocacy group that funds about $30 million in research, said the survey pulls back the veil on the huge toll autism is taking in America. "We need to remember that behind every one of these one in 150 is a family," said Singer, the mother of a 9-year-old autistic girl. She said Congress should take heed and fund the Combating Autism Act it passed in December, which authorized $945 million in research and other funds over five years.
"That money has to get into the hands of the researchers," Singer said, "so we can find a cause and understand what is fueling this high prevalence."
Rick Weiss
9 February 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020801883.html
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Children's behavior problems may be in their genes
If some children seem like they were born to be bad, new research suggests it may be true.
In a study of adult twins and their children, researchers found that genes, rather than parents' own argumentative behavior, seemed key in the children's odds of serious conduct problems -- like bullying, skipping school and shoplifting. The findings, published in the journal Child Development, touch on the classic nature-versus-nurture question.
In the case of child behavior, research has linked parents' marital conflicts to long-term, serious conduct problems in their children. However, it has been unclear whether that means that marital woes themselves cause the behavioral problems.
The new findings suggest it's more a matter of genes. That is, parents who are naturally argumentative pass on these traits to their kids. "Marital conflict doesn't appear, in this study, to cause stable patterns of conduct disorder," explained lead study author K. Paige Harden of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "Rather, marital conflict is influenced by parents' own characteristics -- including their genes -- and these genes are passed on to children," she told Reuters Health.
Harden and her colleagues arrived at their conclusions by studying 1,045 adult twins and their children. Some of the twin pairs were identical, which means they shared all of their genes; the rest were fraternal, meaning they shared only some of their genes.
Such studies allow researchers to tease out the effects of genes and environment on a given behavior. In this case, Harden's team found that genetic influences were important in parents' marital conflicts, and genes, in turn, explained the link between marital discord and children's conduct problems.
There may be no "argument" gene, but genes do influence personality traits, including those that make people more or less prone to confrontation. According to Harden, it's possible that genes involved in risk-taking, sensation-seeking and other aspects of antisocial behavior may make parents more likely to clash, and, when passed on to their kids, make conduct problems more likely.
However, the researchers stress, none of this means that fights between parents do no harm to children. Even if genes are more important in long-term, serious behavioral problems, parents' conflicts do distress their kids, explained Dr. Robert E. Emery, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and a co-author on the study. The study "does not mean that children are unaffected by parents' disputes," he told Reuters Health.
"Think about how you feel when friends, a couple you know, start fighting. Now make them your parents, you're six, and they're screaming about moving out. Parental conflicts definitely are not healthy for children."
SOURCE: Child Development, January/February 2007.
Amy Norton
7 February 2007
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa011&articleID=D9A849054248CB8A75FAA6FAADB62507
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Children seeing online porn
A new study by University of New Hampshire researchers due out today looked at teenagers and online pornography. A summary of their conclusions, which appear in February's Pediatrics, follow below:
- 42 percent of Internet users ages 10 to 17 surveyed said they had seen online pornography in the past year.
- 66 percent of those who saw the pornography said they did not want to view the images and had not sought them out.
- Most kids who reported unwanted exposure were ages 13 to 17. Still, sizable numbers of 10- and 11-year-olds also had unwanted exposure -- 17 percent of boys and 16 percent of girls.
- More than one-third of 16- and 17-year-old boys surveyed said they had intentionally visited X-rated sites in the past year. Among girls the same age, 8 percent had done so.
Online pornography was defined in the study as images of naked people or people having sex.
Source: Pediatrics
5 February 2007
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ADHD in youth may be misdiagnosed for sleep disorders
Frenzied and restless behavior in a teenage son or daughter may signal they need more pillow time.
Teens do not exhibit the same signs of sleepiness as adults, and therefore distracted or overexcited behavior caused by fragmented sleep may masquerade as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, said Dr. Robert Meny, a sleep specialist at the Sleep Center at Franklin Square in Baltimore City. “A tired child is an irritable, hyper child,” he said, whereas adults tend to be more subdued when they are sleepy.
ADHD is identified based on behavioral issues, rather than blood tests so doctors should consider sleep patterns when diagnosing patients, Meny said. “If a 10-year-old diagnosed with ADHD takes an hour to fall asleep, that’s too long. And something can be done to fix that,” he said.
The National Institute of Mental Health characterizes ADHD in children as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that affects school performance, social interactions and behavior at home.
An estimated 2 million children between the ages 5 and 17 in the United States have ADHD. Meny estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD actually have sleep apnea, a disorder that disrupts sleep by causing sufferers to stop breathing for up to a minute, several times a night.
Chronic sleep loss remains a problem among teenagers, but doctors should be cautious when changing a diagnosis from ADHD to a sleep disorder, said Dr. Mairav Cohen-Zion, a sleep specialist at the University of California, San Diego. “You have to be careful because ADHD is a clinical condition, in which you have to meet multiple criteria, not just not being able to concentrate. Sleep loss, which is very common among teenagers, is a problem and may come along with ADHD.”
“... When you look at children with ADHD, they tend to be more active during their sleep. Not every child with ADHD needs a sleep study, but if he or she is snoring seven nights a week, I think he or she deserves one.”
Danielle Ulman
5 February 2007
http://www.examiner.com/a-547498~ADHD_in_youth_may_be_misdiagnosed_for_sleep_disorders.html
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Study shows active children focus better in school
Children who are active during the school day are more likely to be better focused and more on-task than their more sedentary peers, an East Carolina University researcher has found.
In a 12-week study of 62 third and fourth graders at Grifton Elementary School, a team of ECU researchers led by exercise and sport science professor Matt Mahar found children were more attentive and on-task after participating in physical activity.
"We evaluated in this study the effectiveness of a classroom-based physical activity program on elementary school-aged children's physical activity levels during the school day and on on-task behavior," Mahar said. "
[We found that] the kids not only are more physically active, which helps combat the obesity epidemic, but also probably learn better after the Energizers because their on-task behavior is better."
The Energizers are a set of 10-minute long movement-oriented exercises developed by Mahar and other ECU researchers to promote both physical activity and learning. The teachers were trained to lead their students in a 10-minute activity every day for 12 weeks.
Mahar, whose findings were published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, is concerned with the lack of emphasis on physical activity in public schools.
Mahar found that the group of students who performed the Energizers were significantly more active during the school day, as compared to groups of students who did not. In all, 243 children in grades kindergarten through four participated in the physical activity segment of the study.
The amount of activity that can be accumulated over the course of a school year from inclusion of just one 10-minute Energizers activity per day is substantial, said Mahar.
"We found it is the equivalent to moving about 70 miles per year," he said. He also noted that the effect of the Energizers on on-task behavior seemed to be especially strong in students who were least on-task before the activity. The low on-task students had an increase in on-task behavior by 20 percent after participation in 10 minutes of physical activity, according to the study.
Source: East Carolina University
6 February 2007
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=2/6/2007&Cat=5&Num=1
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Skipping: the latest cure for Britain's obese children
Schoolchildren are being taught how to skip in the latest attempt to tackle childhood obesity. More than 100 education authorities across the country have drafted in skipping instructors to encourage pupils to get fit.
Experts say that skipping can also help with concentration in class, communication skills and can transform disruptive teenagers by improving behaviour in the playground. It is also one of the few activities that encourages boys and girls to play together.
It is estimated that as many as 15 per cent of children in Britain are overweight or obese. The huge rise in the number of fat children has been blamed on poor eating habits and lack of exercise. The skipping classes are being provided by Skipping Workshops, which was set up by Harold Galley, a former headteacher. He says the increased focus on exams has diverted attention away from the importance of physical exercise.
"The Government is spending all this money on pedometers to give to obese children, but skipping is a much better way of getting them fit," said Mr Galley, who employs 20 instructors to provide classes in schools. "The advantage of skipping is that you can do it on your own or in a group. A lot of problems in schools start in the playground and skipping can also help with anti-social behaviour."
As well as being a tradition in school playgrounds, skipping is also popular among coaches for training boxers. In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Amir Khan, the Olympic lightweight silver medallist, said that his mission was to encourage young boys to skip because it keeps their weight down, improves all-round fitness and focuses the mind. "Skipping keeps you on your toes, literally," said Khan, who meets French champion Mohammed Medjadji at Wembley Arena on 17 February.
Sophie Goodchild and Alan Hubbard
4 February 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2214866.ece
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EDMONTON
Youth forum looks at violence
Derek Powder joined a gang because he was tired of being ridiculed and bullied at school. Physically and sexually abused as a child in a family where drugs and alcohol were the norm, he didn’t fit in at school and was only able to express his anger through violence. He became a drug dealer and addict, and an alcoholic, and spent time in jail — until four years ago, when he decided to change his life. Now 25, Powder works with Native Counselling Services of Alberta, is a single parent raising a six-year-old daughter and spends a lot of time trying to persuade young people not to follow the path he once took. His message is that even if you grow up in a dysfunctional family, you still have control of your life. “Maybe if there had been somebody out there for me I wouldn’t have taken that path,” Powder told a forum on youth and gang violence Sunday. “But I have moved forward and I’m not a victim anymore. There’s more to life than drugs, parties and alcohol, and my daughter won’t see that stuff.”
The forum at the west-end boys and girls club was a first step in getting more youth involved in addressing the issue of violence, said Kyle Dube, Western Canada program manager for YOUCAN, which organized the event. “We want to engage youth and give them a voice. We don’t want to be a bunch of adults talking to youth, we want to empower them to deal with the issues themselves.”
YOUCAN trains young people between 12 and 25 to peacefully resolve the conflicts they face in life and in the community, and Dube hopes Sunday’s forum — and future ones on racism, sexuality and poverty — will encourage more young people to get involved. Karen Erickson, project manager with The Community Solution to Gang Violence, said the issue is too complex for any group to address alone. That’s why CSGV has recruited private citizens, community organizations and all levels of government to work together on a community-wide approach. Many of today’s young people don’t have solid family foundations and feel alienated and marginalized, Erickson said. “As a community, we have to step in because we all need to be recognized and valued, and if we don’t do it the gangs will fill the void.”
Everyone can try to make a difference in their own way, perhaps by getting to know their neighbours or by saying hello to kids on the street, said Erickson. “There are lots of studies that show if kids have positive relationships with adults, they stay out of trouble.” Erickson knows one man who put a basketball hoop and picnic table in his driveway and now it’s a gathering place for dozens of neighbourhood kids. “He knows what’s happening in their lives and they have someone else who is interested in them.”
Natalie Foss, a social worker with the Spirit of Youth native healing centre, brought three young aboriginal women to the forum. “There was some really good information, and getting input from everyone was a great idea,” Foss said. Young native women coming to the city experience culture shock, and gangs take advantage of their vulnerability to get them addicted to drugs and into prostitution, she said.
Leslie Nepoose, 14, said she enjoyed the event and the discussion afterward. Kieran Fitzgerald, 16, who recently joined YOUCAN, said it was good to hear from someone who had gone through the gang scene and come out the other side. “It’s been a really good education from someone who’s been involved in it. How it takes a lot of work to get out, but you can do it. You hear about it on TV, but it’s not connected.”
David Finlayson
4 February 2007
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=b66b6c54-bab3-4819-ae87-baab99c7e4eb&k=0
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Skinny teens warned about osteoporosis risk
Skinny teenagers and girls suffering from anorexia could be seriously damaging their bones and increasing their risk of osteoporosis later in life.
The debate about underweight models has captured headlines but the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) said little attention is given to the link between anorexia and osteoporosis or the long-term consequences of dieting during adolescence -- the greatest period of bone growth.
"Anorexia is serious but not everybody realizes that it has a serious implication for bone health," said Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, of the Swiss-based IOF. Although the brittle bone disease usually occurs after the menopause, its seeds are sown much earlier in life.
Eating a healthy diet with enough calcium, vitamin D and proteins and building maximum bone growth during the teenage years can help cut of risk of osteoporosis decades later.
But it is also the age group when many girls begin dieting to keep down their weight. "The age at which most women develop anorexia is during the teenage age years which is also when bones develop the fastest and they develop their peak bone mass. If they miss out on that they are going to be damaging their bone health in later life," Sochaczewski told Reuters.
Anorexia can lead to estrogen deficiency and the cessation of menstrual periods. The IOF said the drop in estrogen in adolescence can contribute to bone density loss in the same way it does in older women after the menopause. It estimates that anorexia patients who suffer from the illness for six years have an annual fracture rate seven times greater than a healthy woman of the same age.
"If they (young women) are not getting their maximum bone density at that time, they are setting themselves up for fractures later on in life," he added.
An estimated one third of women over 50 years old will suffer from fractures due to osteoporosis, according to the IOF. It added that an analysis of 60,000 men and women showed that the risk of hip fracture also doubled in people with a body mass index (BMI) of 20 compared to people with a BMI of 25. A 10 percent loss of bone mass can double the risk of vertebrae fractures.
BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. A BMI of 20 or less is underweight, while 20-25 is normal.
Smoking and drinking heavily, low body weight and a family history of the illness are also risk factors for osteoporosis.
Patricia Reaney
1 February 2007
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