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News About Parenting as of Mar 10, 2010
Obamas take on problem of obese children
Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:05:43 - Pacific Time
Alarmed that nearly a third of U.S. children are obese or overweight -- and likely to stay that way all their lives -- President Barack Obama launched an initiative on Tuesday to roll back the numbers and put his wife in charge of promoting it. Obama signed an executive order setting up a task force to include Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other cabinet officials. "I have set a goal to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight," Obama said in signing the order on Tuesday at the White House. He asked first lady Michelle Obama to head up a national public awareness effort. "She will encourage involvement by actors from every sector -- the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, as well as parents and youth -- to help support and amplify the work of the federal government in improving the health of our children," Obama said. "Obesity has been recognized as a problem for decades, but efforts to address this crisis to date have been insufficient." He assigned his cabinet officers to meet within three months and come up with "a comprehensive interagency plan." Reports on the U.S. obesity epidemic have recommended such an approach. The independent Institute of Medicine has found in several studies that Americans will have to exercise more, eat less fatty and sugary food and eat more fruits and vegetables to overcome obesity and the heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other health problems it brings. But the independent Institute has also recommended policy changes to help people accomplish this -- changes in zoning to encourage exercise, changes in school lunch programs, policies to encourage grocery stores to open in areas where healthy food is hard to come by and better public transport to get people out of their cars. "Without effective intervention, many more children will endure serious illnesses that will put a strain on our healthcare system. We must act now to improve the health of our nation's children and avoid spending billions of dollars treating preventable disease," Obama said. Read More...
Study Shows Effectiveness of Abstinence Education
Fri, 5 Feb 2010 07:09:31 - Pacific Time
A study of middle-school students that found for the first time that abstinence-only education helped to delay their sexual initiation is already beginning to shake up the longstanding debate over how best to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. "This is a rigorous study that means we can now say that it’s possible for an abstinence-only intervention to be effective," Dr. John B. Jemmott III, the University of Pennsylvania professor who led the study, said Tuesday, hours after results of the study were released. "That’s important, because for some populations, abstinence is the only acceptable message." In Dr. Jemmott’s research, only about a third of the students who participated in a weekend abstinence-only class started having sex within the next 24 months, compared with about half who were randomly assigned instead to general health information classes, or classes teaching only safer sex. Among those assigned to comprehensive sex-education classes, covering both abstinence and safer sex, about 42 percent began having sex. Dr. Jemmott’s research followed 662 African-American students at urban middle schools, who were paid $20 a session to attend the classes, plus follow-up and evaluation sessions. The abstinence-only classes covered HIV, abstinence and ways to resist the pressure to have sex. "Because African-Americans tend to have a higher rate of early sexual initiation than others, we thought that within two years, a reasonable number would start having sex," Dr. Jemmott said. "If we went younger, we couldn’t show that intervention works." The research, published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, appears just as the Obama administration is eliminating federal financing for abstinence-only programs, and starting a pregnancy-prevention initiative that will finance programs that have been shown in scientific studies to be effective. Recognizing the political sensitivity of the research, and how unexpected are its results, the journal ran an accompanying editorial cautioning that public policy should not be based on the results of a single study and that policy makers should not "selectively use scientific literature to formulate a policy that meets preconceived ideologies." "The results may be surprising to some in that the theory-based abstinence-only curriculum appeared to be as effective as a combined course and more effective than the safer-sex only curriculum in delaying sexual activity," the editorial said. "None of the curricula had any effect on the prevalence of unprotected sexual intercourse or consistent condom use." The executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, Valerie Huber, said she hoped that the new study would lead to restored federal support for abstinence programs. Read More...
Does a Parent's Gender Impact a Child's Success?
Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:29:49 - Pacific Time
In a finding that confronts deeply rooted beliefs about parenting, a new study concludes that parents' genders have little impact on children -- suggesting that same-sex couples are as effective at raising children as heterosexual couples. On average, children succeed most when raised by two parents rather than one. The parents' genders, however, make little difference in terms of a child's development, according to a landmark study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. The analysis of 81 parenting studies by sociologists Judith Stacey of New York University and Tim Biblarz of the University of Southern California challenges the widely held notion that children need both a mother and a father in their household in order to thrive. "What we're saying is there is no best (household) structure," said Stacey, a professor of social and cultural analysis at NYU. "There are better parenting practices, and certainly better relationships and worse relationships, but they don't come in one particular structure." Many of the studies that highlight gender-specific parenting skills, such as a father's masculine interactions with sons and a mother's nurturing care, only compared heterosexual married couples with divorced or single-parent families. Lesbian- and gay-parented households as well as single adoptive parents were usually left out. By not controlling for the number of parents, sexual identity, marital status and biogenetic relationship to the children, the research often failed to isolate the real impact of gender on effective parenting, according to Biblarz and Stacey's study. Recent research on lesbian-parented households seems to support the study's gender-neutral thesis. Overall, studies indicate that children raised with lesbian co-parents do just as well as children raised by heterosexual married couples. The children of lesbian co-parents may even have fewer behavioral problems and higher self-esteem. Read More...
Experts urge screening for obesity in kids
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:01:49 - Pacific Time
Doctors should screen children and teens between 6 and 18 years for extra pounds, a federal task force recommends. For children who are found to be obese based on their body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of the relationship between height and weight, the task force also calls for referrals to a comprehensive program that includes dietary advice, physical activity, and behavioral counseling to promote weight loss. The new recommendations update earlier ones from 2005. Skyrocketing rates of obesity have reached between 12 and 18 percent in 2- to 19-year-olds, increasing up to 6-fold since the 1970s, members of the United States Preventive Services Task Force report in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics. Obesity is linked to the early development of diabetes and high blood pressure. For their update, the task force reviewed 13 studies of behavioral intervention in 1258 obese children and adolescents. Moderate- to high-intensity programs, involving more than 25 hours of contact with the child and/or the family over a six-month period, resulted in a decrease in BMI 12 months after the beginning of the intervention. In addition to dietary and physical activity counseling, effective programs included behavioral-management techniques such as self-monitoring and eating management. However, the programs only worked in children who followed through on treatment. Harms of screening -- for example, adverse effects on growth, eating-disorder pathology, or mental health issues -- were judged to be minimal. It is unclear if the recommendations can be applied to children who are overweight but not obese. And there was no convincing support for interventions that lasted less than 25 hours per six months, or for screening children below age 6. Read More...
Movies for kids still depict unsafe behaviors
Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:28:43 - Pacific Time
While movie makers have gotten better at portraying appropriate injury-prevention tactics in movies made for kids, many scenes still show characters riding bikes without helmets, on boats without life vests, and riding in cars without buckling up, a US government study found. "Oftentimes, children imitate what they see in the movies and if they see bad safety practices - they might adopt them," first author Dr. Jon Eric Tongren, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, warned in an email to Reuters Health. To see whether injury-prevention practices in children's movies have improved or worsened over the years, Tongren's team analyzed 67 of the most popular G-rated and PG-rated movies released between 2003 and 2007 and compared them with similarly-rated movies reviewed in 1995-1997 and 1998-2002. Overall, the entertainment industry has improved the depiction of injury prevention practices "significantly" in G- and PG-rated movies marketed for children in comparison with past studies, Tongren told Reuters Health. In the latest films, 56 percent of motor vehicle passengers wore seat belts, up from 27 percent in 1995-1997 and 35 percent in 1998-2002; 35 percent of pedestrians used crosswalks in the latest films, up from roughly 15 percent in the earlier time periods; 25 percent of bicyclists wore helmets, up from 6 percent in 1995-1997 and 15 percent in 1998-2002; and 75 percent of boaters wore personal flotation devices, which is also significantly more than in the earlier films. Despite these improvements, however, over half of the scenes analyzed depicted unsafe practices, the investigators found. The observation that G and PG movies rarely show the consequences of unsafe behaviors in movies is particularly concerning, the investigators say. Of 22 scenes that involved crashes or falls, only 3 (less than 1 percent) showed characters actually getting injured. Not showing a character getting injured "might desensitize children to the real consequences of not following safe injury prevention practices," Tongren said. The CDC, trade organizations such as the Entertainment Industry Council (EIC), and advocacy groups such as the Hollywood, Health, and Society Program at the University of Southern California, are working with the entertainment industry to improve health and social messaging in movies. "Scripts are being reviewed by health experts so they convey appropriate health messages such as injury prevention practices," Tongren noted. Read More...
Breast feeding for over six months could aid mental health
Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:40:55 - Pacific Time
Children who are breastfed for longer than six months could be at lower risk of mental health problems later in life, according to Australian research. A study by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth looked at 2,366 children born to women enrolled in a pregnancy study in the state of Western Australia. Each of the children underwent a mental health assessment when they were aged two, five, eight, 10, and 14. The researchers found that breastfeeding could help babies cope better with stress and may signal a stronger mother-child attachment which could provide lasting benefits. "Breastfeeding for a longer duration appears to have significant benefits for the onward mental health of the child into adolescence," researcher Dr. Wendy Oddy, who led the study, wrote in The Journal of Pediatrics. Of the children in the study, 11 percent were never breastfed, 38 percent were breastfed for less than six months, and just over half were breastfed for six months or longer.The mothers who breastfed for less than six months were younger, less educated, poorer, and more stressed, and were also more likely to be smokers than the mothers who breastfed longer.They were also more likely to suffer from postpartum depression and their babies more likely to have growth problems. At each of the assessments, the researchers found children who were breastfed for shorter periods of time had worse behavior which could translate into aggression or depression. But for each additional month a child was breastfed, behavior improved.The researchers said breastfeeding for six months or longer remained positively associated with the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents even after adjustments for social, economic and psychological factors as well as early life events. Read More...
Home alone You can teach kids independence, but it'll take a while
Wed, 6 Jan 2010 06:43:00 - Pacific Time
It's an experience parents can identify with -- identifying that point in a child's life when independence, trust and maturity merge into a goodbye wave. And it's never easy. Finding an emotional comfort zone for parents and children is a crucial part of the equation when it comes to leaving the kids home alone. Very young children are not capable of being by themselves. By the time they're old enough for high school, however, teenagers are typically able to care for themselves. The gray zone exists for children ages 9 to 11. There is no state law that marks when a child is old enough, said Toni Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services. "It all depends on if the parent feels the child is mature and responsible enough," she said. "A 6-year-old, we wouldn't advise it -- but there is no law against it." Lisa Hartwell, a clinical psychologist with a family practice in Honolulu, feels 10 is too young, because children that age do not have the maturity to handle an emergency. But Hartwell says every child is different: "Not all kids are ready just because they meet the age requirement." The experience of staying home alone can help a child gain self-confidence and independence, but be sure to know how the child feels about the idea, Hartwell said. Safety is the top concern. Too young and a child won't know what to do if something goes wrong. Read More...
New Year Resolutions for Better Parenting
Sat, 2 Jan 2010 09:09:50 - Pacific Time
Want to be a better parent? Experts say it's about the simple things. Resolving to be a better parent might sound monumental. But by breaking it down into things you can do every day, it is a resolution you can keep. Plus, it will cost only your time, not money. "Actually take the time to spend with your kids," said Amy Kallaher, program manager for Four Oaks Parents as Teachers Program. "Set aside some time on a family night or day. Turn off the TV, turn off the cell phone and do something together as a family." "Older children and teens are less likely to want to spend as much time with you as they did as small children. This is normal," said Robert Dunn, professor and chair of behavioral sciences at Loras College. He said it becomes necessary to both "pick your battles" and "pick your involvements" with teens. "I found that when I took my teenage son out for a fast-food meal, he conversed much more and more in-depth than when I would initiate a conversation at home," Dunn said. "With my daughter, watching her favorite TV shows with her was an effective way to 'stay in the loop.'" With tiny kids, get down on the floor with them for tummy time, Kallaher said. Ask grade-schoolers how their day went and if they have homework. Read to them, or listen to them read to you, 20 minutes per day. Ask grade-schoolers how their day went and if they have homework. Read to them, or listen to them read to you, 20 minutes per day.Speaking of eating, make sure that the snacks in the house are fruit and other healthy choices instead of chips and soda. Focus on a few daily efforts, and practice them consistently, she said. Have realistic expectations of yourself and your kids, Dunn said. "There are no perfect parents, no perfect children, no perfect families. Strive for good parenting, not perfect parenting," he said. "Parenting a child is like dancing with them. Dancing with an extremely shy, non-verbal child requires different steps and style than dancing with an extroverted, impulsive, verbal child." Parenting is a mix of caring and control, Dunn said. Read More...
Parents Gone Wild? Study Suggests Link Between Working Memory and Reactive Parenting
Fri, 1 Jan 2010 08:11:02 - Pacific Time
We’ve all been in situations before where we get so frustrated or angry about something, we will lash out at someone without thinking. This lashing out — reactive negativity — happens when we can’t control our emotions. Luckily, we are usually pretty good at self-regulating and controlling our emotions and behaviors. Working memory is crucial for cognitive control of emotions: It allows us to consider information we have and reason quickly when deciding what to do as opposed to reacting automatically, without thinking, to something. For parents, it is particularly important to maintain a cool head around their misbehaving children. This can be challenging and sometimes parents can’t help but react negatively towards their kids when they act badly. However, chronic parental reactive negativity is one of the most consistent factors leading to child abuse and may reinforce adverse behavior in children. To avoid responding reactively to bad behavior, parents must be able to regulate their own negative emotions and thoughts. In the current study, psychologists Kirby Deater-Deckard and Michael D. Sewell from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Stephen A. Petrill from Ohio State University, and Lee A. Thompson from Case Western Reserve University examined if there is a link between working memory and parental reactive negativity. Mothers of same-sex twins participated in this study. Researchers visited the participants’ homes and videotaped each mother as she separately interacted with each twin as they participated in two frustrating tasks (drawing pictures with an Etch-A-Sketch and moving a marble through a tilting maze). In addition, the mothers completed a battery of tests measuring various cognitive abilities, including working memory. The results, reported in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reveal that the mothers whose negativity was most strongly linked with their child’s challenging behaviors were those with the poorest working memory skills. The authors surmise that “for mothers with poorer working memory, their negativity is more reactive because they are less able to cognitively control their emotions and behaviors during their interactions with their children.” They conclude that education and intervention efforts for improving parenting may be more effective if they incorporate strategies that enhance working memory skills in parents. Read More...
News Archive
Prenatal baby aspirin not harmful to infants: study: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:03:16 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Heavy teens at risk for sleep apnea: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:03:09 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Dirt can be good for children, say scientists: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:19:01 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Sugar 'high' a myth, studies show: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:14:39 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Gender roles still loom large in modern parenting: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:08:32 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Lack of pediatricians hurting Canadian children: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 06:54:10 - Pacific Time: Read More...
News coverage of antidepressants for kids uneven: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 07:05:35 - Pacific Time: Read More...
A little Mozart might benefit preemies' growth: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 06:42:21 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Half of teen girls have STIs by 2 years of first sex: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 06:37:50 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Boys Miss Out on Sex Education Talks With Parents: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:28:43 - Pacific Time: Read More...
'Study drugs' unhealthy option for students: Fri, 4 Dec 2009 19:58:09 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Disciplining your child: answers from an expert: Fri, 4 Dec 2009 04:28:09 - Pacific Time: Read More...
The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 06:18:50 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Kids should get moving to avoid obesity: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:49:55 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Dripping Water: Gentle Parenting: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:30:33 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Educational engagement: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:27:52 - Pacific Time: Read More...
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