In 2008 research by Mathews, Johnson & Neil implied that children of women who eat breakfast cereal are more likely to be boys than girls. Young, Bang & Oktay assert that the result of the study is easily explained as chance. Young, Bang & Oktay examined the data sets from the original study and noted that 132 food items were tested for two time periods, totaling 264 statistical tests. With this many tests, it is quite likely that some apparent statistical significance will occur simply by chance. At the standard significance level of 5% (that is, there is 5% chance that the data will show an effect even when there is none), the 264 tests will yield approximately 13 false positives unless the analysis is adjusted to account for multiple testing. Young, Bang & Oktay argue that this is precisely what happened. So keep eating cereals if you like to have girls babies!
Today, over 90% of children begin watching TV regularly before the age of 2 years in spite of recommendations to the contrary. This article reviews what is known about the effects of infant TV viewing on multiple domains of child development including language, cognition and attentional capacity as well as directions for future research. No studies to date have demonstrated benefits associated with early infant TV viewing. The preponderance of existing evidence suggests the potential for harm. Parents should exercise due caution in exposing infants to excessive media.
Mr. Blumenauer is a passionate advocate of cycling as a remedy for everything from climate change to obesity. The current global financial collapse is ‘œperhaps the best opportunity we will ever see’ to build environmental sustainability into the nation’s infrastructure. With an eye on the potential stimulus package, cycling advocates ‘œhave compiled a list of $2 billion of projects that can be under construction in 90 days’.
The study sample consisted of 438 adults mean age 49.8 years. Pedometer use was more likely in older participants and in those who were aware of the “10,000 Steps” campaign. Increasing step counts was more likely among those with higher education, baseline step counts below 10,000 steps/day and those who used a pedometer. Pedometer use only partly mediated the intervention effect on step counts.
Seventeen focus groups were conducted with 113, 10–11 year old children, from 11 primary schools in Bristol, UK. Enjoyment was the most important factor in maintaining activity participation with participating in activity with friends a key factor influencing enjoyment. Physical activity was perceived as a positive attribute and linked to social status among boys. Among girls the association between physical activity ability and social status was more complex, appearing to differ by the norms of the group to which participants belonged. Some participants reported that low activity ability could be perceived as desirable in some social groups. Participants reported that friends provide support to initiate physical activity via co-participation (i.e. engaging in activity together).
Finish researchers examined the current health promotion orientation of youth sports clubs. 97 youth sports clubs participated, and 273 sports club officials and 240 coaches answered questionnaires. An health promoting sports club index was created. The questionaires proved valid and reliable and can therefore be recommended for international use. There is a lot of need for development of health promotion policies and practices.
Researchers determined mean nutrient intakes and physiological values between bean consumers and non-consumers. Bean consumers had better overall nutrient intake levels, better body weights and waist circumferences, and lower systolic blood pressure in comparison to non-consumers.
Parental concerns about children’s inactivity are not associated with a supportive home environment
Jan 27
A sample of 615 parents of 5-6-year-old children and 947 parents of 10-12-year-old children completed a questionnaire in Australia. Just over 50% of parents reported they were concerned their child was not getting enough activity. These findings suggest that parents who are concerned about their child’s physical activity levels provided a less supportive environment for physical activity than parents who are not concerned. The challenge for public health will be to harness parental concerns and translate them into action.
Published in the January issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the research found that people are now drinking about 300 calories daily coming from sweetened beverages. See also http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2009/01/10/soft-drink-math-50-extra-calories-a-day-5-extra-lbs-a-year/
A new campaign suggestion includes a regulatory package of programs designed to stem the problem. The cornerstone of the campaign requires restaurant chains that operate at least 15 stores in the state to post calorie counts as prominently as prices on menu boards. A second component of the campaign requires public schools to measure the body mass index of students in first, fourth, seventh and 10th grades. Parents of students who are found to be overweight or obese will be notified and provided with information on proper nutrition and activity levels for their child.