Howard Taras

Physical Activity and Student Performance at School

To review the state of research on the association between physical activity among school-aged children and academic outcomes, the author reviewed published studies on this topic. A table includes brief descriptions of each studys research methodology and outcomes. A review of the research demonstrates that there may be some short-term improvements of physical activity (such as on concentration) but that long-term improvement of academic achievement as a result of more vigorous physical activity is not well substantiated. The relationship between physical activity in children and academic outcomes requires further elucidation.

Home environmental influences on children's television watching from early to middle childhood.

ABSTRACT. Identifying correlates of children’s television (TV) watching could help identify strategies to reduce children’s TV watching and impact children’s weight status. Children’s TV time and home environment factors were assessed longitudinally among 169 families with children followed from 6 to 12 years of age. TV watching increased with age, as did the number of in-home TVs and the presence of videocassette recorders (VCRs), the frequency of meal eating while watching TV, and the percentage of children with bedroom TVs. Greater meal eating while watching TV was consistently related to overall TV watching and increases in TV watching over time. The number of in-home TVs and the presence of a bedroom TV were less consistent correlates. TV watching was related to weight status when children were younger, and when children were older, more than 2 hours of TV daily was a risk factor for higher weight. Modifying TV access, particularly by reducing the frequency of meals eaten while watching TV, could promote lower children’s TV watching and adiposity.

Response to Cardiac Arrest and Selected Life-Threatening Medical Emergencies The Medical Emergency Response Plan for Schools: A Statement for Healthcare Providers, Policymakers, School Administrators, and Community Leaders

This document introduces a public health initiative, the Medical Emergency Response Plan for Schools. This initiative will help schools prepare to respond to life-threatening medical emergencies in the first minutes before the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. This statement is for healthcare providers, policymakers, school personnel, and community leaders. It summarizes essential information about life-threatening emergencies, including details about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). This statement describes the components of an emergency response plan, the training of school personnel and students to respond to a life-threatening emergency, and the equipment required for this emergency response. Detailed information about SCA and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) programs is provided to assist schools in prioritizing and preparing for emergencies to maximize the number of lives saved. Life-threatening emergencies can happen in any school at any time. These emergencies can be the result of preexisting health problems, violence, unintentional injuries, natural disasters, and toxins. In recent years, stories in the lay press have documented tragic premature deaths in schools from SCA, blunt trauma to the chest, firearm injuries, asthma, head injuries, drug overdose, allergic reactions, and heatstroke. School leaders should establish an emergency response plan to deal with life-threatening medical emergencies in addition to the emergency plan for tornados or fires. This statement has been endorsed by the following organizations: American Heart Association (AHA) Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, American National Red Cross, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of State EMS Directors, National Association of EMS Physicians, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, and the Program for School Preparedness and Planning, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This statement was also reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control Division of School and Adolescent …

Routine Neonatal Circumcision A Cost-Utility Analysis

A cost-utility analysis was performed to evaluate the relative importance of each of the various elements in the current circumcision debate. Elements used in the analysis included the cost of the procedure, the pain associated with the procedure, the risk of urinary tract infections, and the risk of penile cancer. The net, discounted lifetime dollar cost of routine circumcision is

Vitamin and Mineral Intakes of Anglo-American and Mexican-American Preschoolers

102 per person, while the net, discounted lifetime health cost is 14 hours of healthy life. These results suggest that the financial and medical advantages and dis advantages of routine neonatal circumcision cancel each other and that factors other than cost or health outcomes must be used in decision making. Key words: cost-utility analysis; circumcision; urinary tract infection. (Med Decis Making 1991;11:282-293)

Television advertising and classes of food products consumed in a paediatric population

OBJECTIVE To assess vitamin and mineral intakes of Anglo-American and Mexican-American preschoolers. DESIGN By use of interview and observation methods, acquire food intake data, calculate total nutrient intake, and compare selected nutrients to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for ethnic and gender groups. SUBJECTS Low- to middle-income parents and their preschool children (N = 351) recruited from preschools in San Diego, Calif, consented to participate in the Study of Childrens Activity and Nutrition conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Data regarding 15 nutrients were summarized based on the average of two food intake records for each preschooler. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED Means and standard deviations were used to describe micronutrient intakes for ethnic and gender groups; analyses of variance and t tests were performed to determine ethnic and gender differences. RESULTS Boys and Anglo-Americans had higher total nutrient intakes than girls and Mexican-Americans, respectively. Mexican-Americans had higher nutrient intakes per energy intake, which indicates a micronutrient-dense diet. When each nutrient was considered by the two thirds of the RDA criterion (66% of the RDA means adequate intake), the nutrients most likely to be inadequate were iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C, and niacin. Mexican-American girls had significantly lower calcium intakes than the other gender and ethnic groups. APPLICATION Parents and day care providers must ensure that preschoolers, especially girls and Mexican-Americans, eat nutrient-rich foods in adequate quantities that will achieve the recommended intakes.

Blood pressure reactivity in young children: comparing three stressors.

The purpose of this study is to look for associations between the following: the frequency of television advertising for certain categories of food products; the number of times they are requested by children; and subsequent purchases by parents. The study design consisted of a cross-analysis of two sets of existing and published databases, one being an independent study of television advertising where data were collected in 1993, and the other being the Study of Childrens Activity and Nutrition, with data collected in 1991. The results showed that the correlation coefficient between foods advertised on television during common child viewing hours and foods children requested was 0.91 (p <0.0001). The correlation coefficient between foods advertised on television and foods purchased because they were requested by children after television viewing was 0.94 (p < 0.0001). The authors conclude that certain classes of foods are requested by children and purchased by parents in the same frequency they are advertised during childrens television viewing hours.

Cultural Adaptation of a Nutrition Education Curriculum for Latino Families to Promote Acceptance

Blood pressure (BP) reactivity in children, the transient elevation of BP after an acute stressor, is a stable characteristic that may predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) and hypertension. The purpose of the present study was to assess the generalizability of BP reactivity across various stressors in young children. BP reactivity was measured in 85 children (ages 3 to 6 years) after each of three different stressors. Systolic BP reactivity level was highest after physical exertion (104 mm Hg), followed by competitive task (95 mm Hg) and cognitive task (93 mm Hg). Resting systolic BP was 90. The 2-week test-retest reliability was higher for physical stress systolic BP reactivity level (r = .66) than for baseline systolic BP (r = .58) and the other two stressors. The reliability of the systolic BP change score was significant only for physical stressor (r = .33). Correlations among the three stressors ranged from .75 to .79 for systolic BP reactivity level and from .37 to .50 for change in systolic BP. Change in systolic BP after physical stress correlated with skin-fold thickness (r = .32). There was evidence of generalizability across stressors. The physical task is the most promising for future study of BP reactivity in young children. J Dev Behav Pediatr 13:41–45, 1992. Index terms: blood pressure, stress, reactivity, cardiovascular disease, children.

Soliciting views of various communities on health research: a prelude to engagement in specific research projects

Researchers who work with Latino populations contend that genetics, culture, immigration, and social and environmental conditions influence eating and activity behaviors in Latino families. 6 Thus, these factors should inform the processes and resources used to adapt a health education program from one United States population segment to another. The purpose of this paper is to describe how an existing nutrition education program was adapted for Latino families and to report indicators of its acceptability. To achieve a good fit, several components were considered in all aspects of the program, including both surface modifications, such as bilingual-bicultural educators, material translation, and incentive selections, as well as deep-structure characteristics of culture such as common values and culturally appropriate mealtime practices.

Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Strategies for Teaching Handwriting Skills to Kindergarten Children

Members of the public are increasingly engaged in health‐service and biomedical research and provide input into the content of research, design and data sharing. As there is variation among different communities on how research is perceived, to engage all sectors of the general public research institutions need to customize their approach.