ATLANTA (AP) - Finally some good news about cholesterol and kids: A big government study shows that in the past decade, the proportion of children who have high cholesterol has fallen.
The results are surprising, given that the childhood obesity rate didn't budge.
How can that be?
Some experts think that while most kids may not be eating less or exercising more, they may be getting fewer trans fats. That's because the artery-clogging ingredient has been removed or reduced in many processed or fried foods such as doughnuts, cookies and french fries.
'That's my leading theory,' said Dr. Sarah de Ferranti, director of preventive cardiology at Boston Children's Hospital. She wrote an editorial that accompanies the study.
The study did not look at the reasons for the decline, but its lead author, Dr. Brian Kit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the theory makes sense.
The research, released online Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association, also showed that children's average overall cholesterol levels declined slightly.
Too much cholesterol in the blood raises the risk of heart disease. It isn't usually an immediate threat for most children, but those who have the problem often grow into adults with a high risk.
Kit and his colleagues drew data from an intensive national study that interviews people and does blood-cholesterol tests. They focused on more than 16,000 children and adolescents over three periods - 1988-94, 1999-2002 and 2007-10.
During the most recent period studied, 1 in 12 children ages 6 through 19 had high cholesterol. That was down from 1 in 9 during each of the earlier periods - roughly a 28 percent decline.
The average overall cholesterol level fell from 165 to 160. In children, 200 is considered too high.
The study was the first in almost 20 years to show such a decline. Kids' cholesterol levels also fell between the 1960s and the early 1990s, probably because people were eating less fat.
The researchers in the latest study detected modest improvements in children's levels of so-called good cholesterol, which can protect the heart. That may be partly due to declines in teen smoking and childhood exposure to secondhand smoke over the last decade. Studies have found that chemicals in cigarette smoke can lower good cholesterol.
The bigger news was what happened with bad cholesterol and triglycerides. They went down by small but significant amounts.
Cholesterol levels have been declining in adults, too. The incidence of high cholesterol dropped about 27 percent in the last decade, from about 1 in 5 adults at the beginning of the period to 1 in 7 at the end.
But cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins were a big part of the reason for that decline - millions of adults take them. Children are rarely given statins.
Last year, a government-appointed panel urged widespread cholesterol screening for children. It was controversial because of concerns it would lead to more kids being given medicine. Experts say statins should be used in only the worst cases - less than 1 percent.
Artificial trans fats are known to decrease good cholesterol and increase bad cholesterol. In 2006, the federal government began requiring that packaged foods list the amount of trans fat per serving, a boon for careful shoppers.
Meanwhile, a push to take trans fats out of foods gained momentum. New York City banned artificial trans fats in restaurant food in 2008. California in 2010 became the first state to adopt such a ban. Even Crisco, the goopy shortening that was trans fat incarnate, was reformulated to take it out.
'I love the idea that reduced use of hydrogenated trans fats might be responsible' for the new study's results, Marion Nestle, a New York University professor of nutrition, food studies and public health, said in an email. 'If so - and as usual it's clear that more research is needed - it would mean that public health measures like the trans fat ban in New York City are actually doing enough good to be measurable.'
This is not the first study to suggest a payoff in trans fat policy efforts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that from 2005 to 2010, the average trans fat content in bakery items and other foods declined steeply. A small, preliminary CDC study published earlier this year found significant drops in trans fats in white adults between 2000 and 2009.
Despite the good news, experts remain worried.
Seventeen percent of U.S. children are obese, perhaps because they are still eating lots of carbohydrates and sugar. That, along with little exercise, can lead to diabetes and heart disease.
'We may have a small effect in the right direction from lower cholesterol, but I'm worried it will be overwhelmed by the earlier onset of obesity in younger and younger children,' de Ferranti said. 'I'm still pretty worried about how many kids are going to wind up patients of adult cardiologists.'
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CDC Web page on cholesterol: www.cdc.gov/cholesterol
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Cholesterol Levels Getting Better for U.S. Kids: CDC
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol levels among U.S. kids have improved in recent decades, but almost one in 10 still has high total cholesterol, which endangers their heart health, U.S. health officials report in a new study.
The study included more than 16,000 children and teenagers aged 6 to 19 years who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys during three periods -- 1988-1994, 1999-2002 and 2007-2010. Overall, average total cholesterol levels decreased slightly, but more than 8 percent had elevated total cholesterol in 2007-2010.
Although researchers can't say precisely what led to the overall improvement, several lifestyle factors likely play a role. But experts also caution that many children remain at risk for heart disease.
'We know that dietary intake of saturated fat and trans fats and exposure to second-hand smoke are related to blood cholesterol, so changes aimed at limiting these may have contributed to the changes that we observed,' said study author Dr. Brian Kit, a pediatrician and epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hyattsville, Md.
As a result of the current U.S. childhood obesity epidemic, conditions formerly seen only in adults, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, are increasingly observed in children. But the decline in cholesterol held even in the face of obesity increases noted during the study, Kit said.
The study, published Aug. 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 22 percent of children aged 9 to 11 years had either low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the 'good' cholesterol, or high non-HDL cholesterol concentrations in 2007-2010 -- down from about 27 percent two decades earlier. The latter refers to the difference between the total cholesterol concentration and the good or HDL cholesterol concentration.
Average total blood cholesterol decreased from 165 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) in 1988-1994 to 160 mg/dL in 2007-2010, the study showed. HDL cholesterol rose from 50.5 mg/dL in 1988-1994 to 52.2 mg/dL in 2007-2010.
And high total LDL cholesterol, noted in 11.3 percent of youths in 1988-1994, declined to 8.1 percent in the most recent time frame.
Dr. Sarah de Ferranti, director of preventive cardiology at Boston Children's Hospital, said 'these small gains are important, but we have a lot of work to do in the weight area.
'The study is a mixed bag,' de Ferranti said. 'There is some good news in that cholesterol values are getting better, good cholesterol is getting higher and bad cholesterol and triglycerides are coming down, so all of the numbers are going in the direction that I would like.'
Still, 'I am concerned that small gains are going to be dwarfed by the effects of excess weight and pediatric obesity,' she said. 'We are not out of the woods.
It's estimated that almost 17 percent of U.S. youth -- or about 12.5 million kids ages 2 to 19 years old -- are obese.
Controlling cholesterol and weight are key strategies in the war against heart disease. Atherosclerosis -- the buildup of plaque inside blood vessels -- starts in childhood and is linked to high levels of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol, low levels of HDL cholesterol and other unfavorable levels of blood fats.
Concerned parents should know their own cholesterol numbers and be aware of their family history of high cholesterol and heart disease, de Ferranti said.
'Current guidelines suggest specific time points for screening cholesterol levels in children,' she said. The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends all children be screened for high cholesterol at least once between the ages of 9 and 11 years and again between ages 17 and 21. 'But, if a child has particular risk including obesity, he or she can be screened at any time after age 2,' de Ferranti said.
Dr. Michael Pettei, chief of nutrition at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said following the recommended screening schedule is critical. 'Despite the improvements, the recent recommendations . . . for universal lipid screening of children aged 9 to 11 years is still quite valid to find the individuals at the most extreme risk, particularly from the genetic [blood fat abnormalities],' he said.
He termed the CDC findings 'intriguing,' especially since the 'slight improvement' coincides with the obesity epidemic in the same age groups. 'It thus becomes more important for an eventual analysis of the dietary and exercise factors associated with the noted improvements,' Pettei said.
More information
The Nemours Foundation talks about cholesterol to kids.
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
The study included more than 16,000 children and teenagers aged 6 to 19 years who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys during three periods -- 1988-1994, 1999-2002 and 2007-2010. Overall, average total cholesterol levels decreased slightly, but more than 8 percent had elevated total cholesterol in 2007-2010.
Although researchers can't say precisely what led to the overall improvement, several lifestyle factors likely play a role. But experts also caution that many children remain at risk for heart disease.
'We know that dietary intake of saturated fat and trans fats and exposure to second-hand smoke are related to blood cholesterol, so changes aimed at limiting these may have contributed to the changes that we observed,' said study author Dr. Brian Kit, a pediatrician and epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hyattsville, Md.
As a result of the current U.S. childhood obesity epidemic, conditions formerly seen only in adults, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, are increasingly observed in children. But the decline in cholesterol held even in the face of obesity increases noted during the study, Kit said.
The study, published Aug. 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 22 percent of children aged 9 to 11 years had either low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the 'good' cholesterol, or high non-HDL cholesterol concentrations in 2007-2010 -- down from about 27 percent two decades earlier. The latter refers to the difference between the total cholesterol concentration and the good or HDL cholesterol concentration.
Average total blood cholesterol decreased from 165 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) in 1988-1994 to 160 mg/dL in 2007-2010, the study showed. HDL cholesterol rose from 50.5 mg/dL in 1988-1994 to 52.2 mg/dL in 2007-2010.
And high total LDL cholesterol, noted in 11.3 percent of youths in 1988-1994, declined to 8.1 percent in the most recent time frame.
Dr. Sarah de Ferranti, director of preventive cardiology at Boston Children's Hospital, said 'these small gains are important, but we have a lot of work to do in the weight area.
'The study is a mixed bag,' de Ferranti said. 'There is some good news in that cholesterol values are getting better, good cholesterol is getting higher and bad cholesterol and triglycerides are coming down, so all of the numbers are going in the direction that I would like.'
Still, 'I am concerned that small gains are going to be dwarfed by the effects of excess weight and pediatric obesity,' she said. 'We are not out of the woods.
It's estimated that almost 17 percent of U.S. youth -- or about 12.5 million kids ages 2 to 19 years old -- are obese.
Controlling cholesterol and weight are key strategies in the war against heart disease. Atherosclerosis -- the buildup of plaque inside blood vessels -- starts in childhood and is linked to high levels of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol, low levels of HDL cholesterol and other unfavorable levels of blood fats.
Concerned parents should know their own cholesterol numbers and be aware of their family history of high cholesterol and heart disease, de Ferranti said.
'Current guidelines suggest specific time points for screening cholesterol levels in children,' she said. The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends all children be screened for high cholesterol at least once between the ages of 9 and 11 years and again between ages 17 and 21. 'But, if a child has particular risk including obesity, he or she can be screened at any time after age 2,' de Ferranti said.
Dr. Michael Pettei, chief of nutrition at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said following the recommended screening schedule is critical. 'Despite the improvements, the recent recommendations . . . for universal lipid screening of children aged 9 to 11 years is still quite valid to find the individuals at the most extreme risk, particularly from the genetic [blood fat abnormalities],' he said.
He termed the CDC findings 'intriguing,' especially since the 'slight improvement' coincides with the obesity epidemic in the same age groups. 'It thus becomes more important for an eventual analysis of the dietary and exercise factors associated with the noted improvements,' Pettei said.
More information
The Nemours Foundation talks about cholesterol to kids.
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
Few Follow Car Safety Guidelines for Kids, Study Finds
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Many American children are not meeting recommended car passenger safety guidelines for their age group, a new study finds.
Too many of these youngsters are also riding in the front seat before they're ready, putting them at greater risk on the road, according to research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
'The most important finding from this study is that, while age and racial disparities exist, overall few children are using the restraints recommended for their age group, and many children over 5 are sitting in the front seat,' study co-author Dr. Michelle Macy, with the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said in a journal news release.
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines on child passenger safety in 2011.
The AAP advised that children be placed in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 2 years old. Next, children should use forward-facing car seats with a five-point harness until they reach the maximum height and weight requirement recommended by the seat's manufacturer.
Children should continue to use a booster seat until they are about 57 inches tall (the average height of an 11-year-old child) and an adult seat belt fits them properly. Children under 13 years old should ride in the back seat, the AAP said.
For the new study, the investigators examined information on nearly 21,500 children from the U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Survey on the Use of Booster Seats.
Data collectors observed drivers with child passengers as they drove into gas stations, fast-food restaurants, recreation centers and child care facilities. They recorded the type of restraints being used by the children, where the children sat and if the children were boys or girls. They also noted the type of restraints used by the adults and the type of car they were driving.
The researchers also interviewed the drivers to learn their age as well as the ages of all the children riding in the car. The drivers also gave the race and ethnicity of the child passengers.
As children got older, they were less likely to be restrained in cars and follow recommended car safety guidelines.
'We found that few children remain rear-facing after age 1, fewer than 2 percent use a booster seat after age 7, many over age 6 sit in the front seat,' Macy said.
Hispanic and black children were even less likely to use age-appropriate restraints than white children.
'Our findings demonstrate that not all children have been reached equally by community-based public education campaigns and the passage of child safety seat laws in 48 states,' Macy said. 'Further development and dissemination of culturally specific programs that have demonstrated success in promoting restraint use among minority children are necessary. Further, the findings may also help in developing strategies to lower the racial and ethnic disparities seen in children experiencing crash-related injuries.'
More information
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more about children and car safety.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Too many of these youngsters are also riding in the front seat before they're ready, putting them at greater risk on the road, according to research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
'The most important finding from this study is that, while age and racial disparities exist, overall few children are using the restraints recommended for their age group, and many children over 5 are sitting in the front seat,' study co-author Dr. Michelle Macy, with the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said in a journal news release.
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines on child passenger safety in 2011.
The AAP advised that children be placed in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 2 years old. Next, children should use forward-facing car seats with a five-point harness until they reach the maximum height and weight requirement recommended by the seat's manufacturer.
Children should continue to use a booster seat until they are about 57 inches tall (the average height of an 11-year-old child) and an adult seat belt fits them properly. Children under 13 years old should ride in the back seat, the AAP said.
For the new study, the investigators examined information on nearly 21,500 children from the U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Survey on the Use of Booster Seats.
Data collectors observed drivers with child passengers as they drove into gas stations, fast-food restaurants, recreation centers and child care facilities. They recorded the type of restraints being used by the children, where the children sat and if the children were boys or girls. They also noted the type of restraints used by the adults and the type of car they were driving.
The researchers also interviewed the drivers to learn their age as well as the ages of all the children riding in the car. The drivers also gave the race and ethnicity of the child passengers.
As children got older, they were less likely to be restrained in cars and follow recommended car safety guidelines.
'We found that few children remain rear-facing after age 1, fewer than 2 percent use a booster seat after age 7, many over age 6 sit in the front seat,' Macy said.
Hispanic and black children were even less likely to use age-appropriate restraints than white children.
'Our findings demonstrate that not all children have been reached equally by community-based public education campaigns and the passage of child safety seat laws in 48 states,' Macy said. 'Further development and dissemination of culturally specific programs that have demonstrated success in promoting restraint use among minority children are necessary. Further, the findings may also help in developing strategies to lower the racial and ethnic disparities seen in children experiencing crash-related injuries.'
More information
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more about children and car safety.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Parents Spank, Slap Kids in Public More Often Than Thought
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Parents may resort to physical means of admonishing their kids in public spaces much more frequently than they admit to in surveys, a new study suggests.
In another finding, the research showed that fathers tended to more often dole out hugs versus spankings to their kids when out in public.
The study, from a team at Michigan State University, is published in the current issue of Behavior and Social Issues.
According to the researchers, parents dealing with misbehaving children in public places often resort to 'negative touches' -- actions such as arm-pulling, pinching, slapping and spanking. But 'positive touches,' such as patting, tickling or hugging, are typically more effective in getting young children to behave, the researchers say.
In conducting the study, student researchers anonymously watched 106 incidents between caregivers and children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old in public places, such as restaurants and parks. The study revealed that 23 percent of the children received some type of negative touch when they did not do what they were asked to do by their parents.
'I was very surprised to see what many people consider a socially undesirable behavior done by nearly a quarter of the caregivers,' study leader Kathy Stansbury, trained psychologist and associate professor in Michigan State University's department of human development and family studies, said in a university news release. 'I have also seen hundreds of kids and their parents in a lab setting and never once witnessed any of this behavior.'
Although the study revealed male caregivers touched the children (either in a negative or positive way) more often than women, most of the time the men provided the children with a positive touch.
'When we think of Dad, we think of him being the disciplinarian, and Mom as nurturer, but that's just not what we saw,' Stansbury said. 'I do think that we are shifting as a society and fathers are becoming more involved in the daily mechanics of raising kids, and that's a good thing for the kids and also a good thing for the dads.'
The study authors pointed out that children comply more often and more quickly to positive touches than a negative touch or physical form of punishment.
'If your child is upset and not minding you and you want to discipline them, I would use a positive, gentle touch,' said Stansbury. 'Our data found that negative touch didn't work.'
More information
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has more about children and discipline.
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
In another finding, the research showed that fathers tended to more often dole out hugs versus spankings to their kids when out in public.
The study, from a team at Michigan State University, is published in the current issue of Behavior and Social Issues.
According to the researchers, parents dealing with misbehaving children in public places often resort to 'negative touches' -- actions such as arm-pulling, pinching, slapping and spanking. But 'positive touches,' such as patting, tickling or hugging, are typically more effective in getting young children to behave, the researchers say.
In conducting the study, student researchers anonymously watched 106 incidents between caregivers and children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old in public places, such as restaurants and parks. The study revealed that 23 percent of the children received some type of negative touch when they did not do what they were asked to do by their parents.
'I was very surprised to see what many people consider a socially undesirable behavior done by nearly a quarter of the caregivers,' study leader Kathy Stansbury, trained psychologist and associate professor in Michigan State University's department of human development and family studies, said in a university news release. 'I have also seen hundreds of kids and their parents in a lab setting and never once witnessed any of this behavior.'
Although the study revealed male caregivers touched the children (either in a negative or positive way) more often than women, most of the time the men provided the children with a positive touch.
'When we think of Dad, we think of him being the disciplinarian, and Mom as nurturer, but that's just not what we saw,' Stansbury said. 'I do think that we are shifting as a society and fathers are becoming more involved in the daily mechanics of raising kids, and that's a good thing for the kids and also a good thing for the dads.'
The study authors pointed out that children comply more often and more quickly to positive touches than a negative touch or physical form of punishment.
'If your child is upset and not minding you and you want to discipline them, I would use a positive, gentle touch,' said Stansbury. 'Our data found that negative touch didn't work.'
More information
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has more about children and discipline.
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Severely Obese Donors Raise Risks for Kids With Liver Transplant
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Children who receive a liver from a severely obese adult organ donor are at greater risk for graft loss and death following their transplant surgery, according to a new study.
When the donor is a child however, researchers found body-mass index (BMI) did not increase the risk of death for children receiving a liver transplant.
The study was published in the August issue of Liver Transplantation.
'Donor BMI is associated with post-transplant obesity, but not survival rates of adult liver recipients,' study author Dr. Philip Rosenthal, from the Benioff Children's Hospital of the University of California, San Francisco, explained in a journal news release. 'Our study is the first to evaluate the impact of donor BMI on pediatric liver transplant recipients.'
Using data collected by the United Network for Organ Sharing, the researchers examined information on 3,788 children who received a liver transplant between 2004 and 2010. They found an adult donor BMI of 25 to 35 was not linked to graft loss or death among pediatric liver recipients.
When the adult donors had a BMI greater than 35, however, the study showed the risk of graft loss and death among the children receiving livers increased. This still held true when the researchers took other transplant risk factors into account.
'While we found it common for adult donors to be overweight or obese, our analysis suggests that BMI in the 25 to 35 range should not deter liver donation,' Rosenthal concluded.
Previous research has shown the number of overweight and obese adults donating livers to other adults has increased over the past 20 year, the release noted.
The study's authors said that more research is needed to understand how obesity affects children undergoing liver transplants.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on obesity.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
When the donor is a child however, researchers found body-mass index (BMI) did not increase the risk of death for children receiving a liver transplant.
The study was published in the August issue of Liver Transplantation.
'Donor BMI is associated with post-transplant obesity, but not survival rates of adult liver recipients,' study author Dr. Philip Rosenthal, from the Benioff Children's Hospital of the University of California, San Francisco, explained in a journal news release. 'Our study is the first to evaluate the impact of donor BMI on pediatric liver transplant recipients.'
Using data collected by the United Network for Organ Sharing, the researchers examined information on 3,788 children who received a liver transplant between 2004 and 2010. They found an adult donor BMI of 25 to 35 was not linked to graft loss or death among pediatric liver recipients.
When the adult donors had a BMI greater than 35, however, the study showed the risk of graft loss and death among the children receiving livers increased. This still held true when the researchers took other transplant risk factors into account.
'While we found it common for adult donors to be overweight or obese, our analysis suggests that BMI in the 25 to 35 range should not deter liver donation,' Rosenthal concluded.
Previous research has shown the number of overweight and obese adults donating livers to other adults has increased over the past 20 year, the release noted.
The study's authors said that more research is needed to understand how obesity affects children undergoing liver transplants.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on obesity.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Violent TV Shows Keep Young Kids Awake: Study
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- There's more evidence that watching violent or age-inappropriate images on TV, in movies or on computers can significantly disrupt children's sleep.
Kids between 3 and 5 years old who were exposed only to age-appropriate viewing materials in the hour before bed were 64 percent less likely to have any type of sleep disturbance, such as trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep or nightmares, according to a new study.
Perhaps surprisingly, 'violent' media might even include popular kids' fare such as SpongeBob SquarePants, said the study's lead author, Michelle Garrison.
'Making a relatively simple change in what kids are watching is a change worth the effort,' said Garrison, a principal investigator at the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute. 'Sometimes parents feel overwhelmed by the idea of getting rid of TV altogether, but switching shows can make a big difference.'
The study will be published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, and was released online Aug. 6.
Numerous studies have linked media use with sleep problems, but most of these studies have had children of various ages and varying media use. It also hasn't been clear whether watching something right before bed is stimulating in itself or if the content of the media plays a role.
The current study included nearly 600 children aged 3 to 5 living in the Seattle area. Families were randomized into one of two groups: One group received a home visit, follow-up phone calls and mailings with coaching about how to make better media choices for their young children; the other group simply received mailings about nutrition.
The researchers didn't attempt to reduce the total number of hours of media use. The goal instead was to reduce violent and age-inappropriate content.
The types of programming that are considered age-inappropriate might surprise you.
'An 8-year-old can watch superheroes and understand that it's not what happens in real life,' Garrison said. 'But the same content can be overwhelming and scary for a 3-year-old. The idea that people might just explode is scary for a 3-year-old.'
Garrison said the research suggests that parents should instead select shows such as Sesame Street, Curious George and Dora the Explorer. 'These shows can be beneficial for preschool children to watch, because they emphasize things such as literacy, numbers and social skills,' she said.
'When kids in this age group watched violent or age-inappropriate media, they were more likely to have nightmares, have a hard time falling asleep and wake up during the night,' Garrison said.
The researchers found the opposite was true when kids watched nonviolent, age-appropriate media. These youngsters were 64 percent less likely to have any sleep problems.
'Clearly, children process information while they sleep. If it's the last thing they do before bed, they'll be processing that as they sleep,' said Dr. Sangeeta Chakravorty, director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Ideally, Garrison said, children this age wouldn't be engaged with any media in the hour before bed.
'Even shows with really good content can still be a problem for sleep,' she said. 'When kids are reading a book or playing with toys before bed, they control the pace. But TV ramps their brains up when they're trying to slow down.'
Chakravorty agreed. 'Electronic stimulation at bedtime can affect your child's sleep and affect their thinking process,' she said. 'It's best to avoid exposure altogether at least an hour before bedtime. But if your children are watching something before bed, make sure it's age appropriate.'
More information
To read more about children's sleep, visit the Nemours Foundation.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
Kids between 3 and 5 years old who were exposed only to age-appropriate viewing materials in the hour before bed were 64 percent less likely to have any type of sleep disturbance, such as trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep or nightmares, according to a new study.
Perhaps surprisingly, 'violent' media might even include popular kids' fare such as SpongeBob SquarePants, said the study's lead author, Michelle Garrison.
'Making a relatively simple change in what kids are watching is a change worth the effort,' said Garrison, a principal investigator at the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute. 'Sometimes parents feel overwhelmed by the idea of getting rid of TV altogether, but switching shows can make a big difference.'
The study will be published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, and was released online Aug. 6.
Numerous studies have linked media use with sleep problems, but most of these studies have had children of various ages and varying media use. It also hasn't been clear whether watching something right before bed is stimulating in itself or if the content of the media plays a role.
The current study included nearly 600 children aged 3 to 5 living in the Seattle area. Families were randomized into one of two groups: One group received a home visit, follow-up phone calls and mailings with coaching about how to make better media choices for their young children; the other group simply received mailings about nutrition.
The researchers didn't attempt to reduce the total number of hours of media use. The goal instead was to reduce violent and age-inappropriate content.
The types of programming that are considered age-inappropriate might surprise you.
'An 8-year-old can watch superheroes and understand that it's not what happens in real life,' Garrison said. 'But the same content can be overwhelming and scary for a 3-year-old. The idea that people might just explode is scary for a 3-year-old.'
Garrison said the research suggests that parents should instead select shows such as Sesame Street, Curious George and Dora the Explorer. 'These shows can be beneficial for preschool children to watch, because they emphasize things such as literacy, numbers and social skills,' she said.
'When kids in this age group watched violent or age-inappropriate media, they were more likely to have nightmares, have a hard time falling asleep and wake up during the night,' Garrison said.
The researchers found the opposite was true when kids watched nonviolent, age-appropriate media. These youngsters were 64 percent less likely to have any sleep problems.
'Clearly, children process information while they sleep. If it's the last thing they do before bed, they'll be processing that as they sleep,' said Dr. Sangeeta Chakravorty, director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Ideally, Garrison said, children this age wouldn't be engaged with any media in the hour before bed.
'Even shows with really good content can still be a problem for sleep,' she said. 'When kids are reading a book or playing with toys before bed, they control the pace. But TV ramps their brains up when they're trying to slow down.'
Chakravorty agreed. 'Electronic stimulation at bedtime can affect your child's sleep and affect their thinking process,' she said. 'It's best to avoid exposure altogether at least an hour before bedtime. But if your children are watching something before bed, make sure it's age appropriate.'
More information
To read more about children's sleep, visit the Nemours Foundation.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
Honey a Sweet Treatment for Kids' Night-Time Cough
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Instead of reaching for a commercial medicine when your child is coughing through the night because of a common cold, Israeli researchers suggest giving honey a try.
A teaspoon or two of honey before bedtime can safely relieve the symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection, they report.
'The cough due to a viral [upper respiratory infection] is generally a self-limited disease,' said study author Dr. Herman Avner Cohen, chairman of the Pediatric Community Ambulatory Care Clinic with Clalit Health Services in Petah-Tikva, Israel.
'However, parents often [want] some active intervention,' Cohen said. This often leads to the use of over-the-counter cough medications, which are potentially dangerous because of the possibility of accidental overdose, he said.
For this reason, 'honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood [upper respiratory infection],' said Cohen, who also hails from Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Israel's Tel-Aviv University.
'In light of our study, honey can be considered an effective and safe alternative, at least for those children over 1 year of age,' he said.
Cohen's investigation, funded by the Israel Ambulatory Pediatric Association, the Materna Infant Nutrition Research Institute and the (for-profit) Honey Board of Israel, is published online Aug. 6 and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.
The authors pointed out that honey has long been appreciated for its antioxidant properties, derived from vitamin C and flavonoids among other sources. It is also known for its antimicrobial potential.
Some researchers have suggested that the proximity of the nerve fibers that control coughing with the nerve fibers that control sweetness may empower sweet substances with a natural ability to suppress coughing.
Still others believe the syrupy thickness of honey, alongside its ability to cause salivation (and thereby throat lubrication), are key characteristics that might explain its potential as an anti-coughing intervention.
To test honey's therapeutic potential, Cohen and his colleagues focused on 300 children between the ages of 1 and 5, all of whom had been diagnosed with upper respiratory infections.
The children, who were brought in to one of six pediatric clinics in Israel, had been ill for seven days or less and all suffered from night-time coughing and runny noses. None had signs of asthma or pneumonia.
The children were randomly given one of four possible treatments a half hour before bed: roughly two teaspoons of eucalyptus honey, citrus honey or libiatae honey, or an extract that tasted and looked like honey but contained none.
Based on parents' responses to a survey completed the day before treatment and the day after, the research team found that while all the children showed improvement in terms of sleep quality and coughing severity, those who received honey fared significantly better than those who consumed the non-honey extract.
The authors thereby concluded that honey might be a 'preferable treatment' to relieve the kinds of symptoms that typify childhood upper respiratory infection.
As an expert on the subject of honey as a potential treatment for respiratory infection, Dr. Ian Paul, a professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, was not surprised by the findings.
'My study in 2007 was the first paper ever to show that honey was an effective alternative to over-the-counter cold and cough medicines,' he noted. 'In fact, we found that honey was the best treatment and provided the most relief.'
The bottom line for parents is that the common medicines that many families use are 'not very effective, if at all, and there's potential for side effects,' said Paul, who is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on drugs. 'Whereas honey for children over the age of 1 is both safe and highly effective.'
More information
For more on upper respiratory infections, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
A teaspoon or two of honey before bedtime can safely relieve the symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection, they report.
'The cough due to a viral [upper respiratory infection] is generally a self-limited disease,' said study author Dr. Herman Avner Cohen, chairman of the Pediatric Community Ambulatory Care Clinic with Clalit Health Services in Petah-Tikva, Israel.
'However, parents often [want] some active intervention,' Cohen said. This often leads to the use of over-the-counter cough medications, which are potentially dangerous because of the possibility of accidental overdose, he said.
For this reason, 'honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood [upper respiratory infection],' said Cohen, who also hails from Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Israel's Tel-Aviv University.
'In light of our study, honey can be considered an effective and safe alternative, at least for those children over 1 year of age,' he said.
Cohen's investigation, funded by the Israel Ambulatory Pediatric Association, the Materna Infant Nutrition Research Institute and the (for-profit) Honey Board of Israel, is published online Aug. 6 and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.
The authors pointed out that honey has long been appreciated for its antioxidant properties, derived from vitamin C and flavonoids among other sources. It is also known for its antimicrobial potential.
Some researchers have suggested that the proximity of the nerve fibers that control coughing with the nerve fibers that control sweetness may empower sweet substances with a natural ability to suppress coughing.
Still others believe the syrupy thickness of honey, alongside its ability to cause salivation (and thereby throat lubrication), are key characteristics that might explain its potential as an anti-coughing intervention.
To test honey's therapeutic potential, Cohen and his colleagues focused on 300 children between the ages of 1 and 5, all of whom had been diagnosed with upper respiratory infections.
The children, who were brought in to one of six pediatric clinics in Israel, had been ill for seven days or less and all suffered from night-time coughing and runny noses. None had signs of asthma or pneumonia.
The children were randomly given one of four possible treatments a half hour before bed: roughly two teaspoons of eucalyptus honey, citrus honey or libiatae honey, or an extract that tasted and looked like honey but contained none.
Based on parents' responses to a survey completed the day before treatment and the day after, the research team found that while all the children showed improvement in terms of sleep quality and coughing severity, those who received honey fared significantly better than those who consumed the non-honey extract.
The authors thereby concluded that honey might be a 'preferable treatment' to relieve the kinds of symptoms that typify childhood upper respiratory infection.
As an expert on the subject of honey as a potential treatment for respiratory infection, Dr. Ian Paul, a professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, was not surprised by the findings.
'My study in 2007 was the first paper ever to show that honey was an effective alternative to over-the-counter cold and cough medicines,' he noted. 'In fact, we found that honey was the best treatment and provided the most relief.'
The bottom line for parents is that the common medicines that many families use are 'not very effective, if at all, and there's potential for side effects,' said Paul, who is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on drugs. 'Whereas honey for children over the age of 1 is both safe and highly effective.'
More information
For more on upper respiratory infections, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
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