Thomas M. Bohman

What you hear and what you say: language performance in Spanish–English bilinguals

Abstract Purpose. This study assesses the factors that contribute to Spanish and English language development in bilingual children. Method. Seven hundred and fifty-seven Hispanic prekindergarten and kindergarten-age children completed screening tests of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English. Parents provided information about their occupation and education as well as their childrens English and Spanish exposure. Data were analyzed using zero-inflated regression models (comprising a logistic regression component and a negative binomial or Poisson component) to explore factors that contributed to children initiating L1 and L2 performance and factors that contributed to building childrens knowledge. Results. Factors that were positively associated with initiating L1 and L2 performance were language input/output, free and reduced lunch, and age. Factors associated with building knowledge included age, parent education, input/output, free and reduced lunch, and school district. Conclusion. Amount of language input is important as children begin to use a language, and amount of language output is important for adding knowledge to their language. Semantic development seemed to be driven more by input while morphosyntax development relied on both input and output. Clinicians who assess bilingual children should examine childrens language output in their second language to better understand their levels of performance.

The Measure Matters: Language Dominance Profiles across Measures in Spanish-English Bilingual Children.

The purpose of this study was to determine if different language measures resulted in the same classifications of language dominance and proficiency for a group of bilingual pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners. Data were analyzed for 1029 Spanish-English bilingual pre-kindergarteners who spanned the full range of bilingual language proficiency. Parent questionnaires were used to quantify age of first exposure and current language use. Scores from a short test of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English were used to quantify childrens performance. Some children who were in the functionally monolingual range based on interview data demonstrated minimal knowledge of their other languages when tested. Current use accounted for more of the variance in language dominance than did age of first exposure. Results indicate that at different levels of language exposure children differed in their performance on semantic and morphosyntax tasks. These patterns suggest that it may be difficult to compare the results of studies that employ different measures of language dominance and proficiency. Current use is likely to be a useful metric of bilingual development that can be used to build a comprehensive picture of child bilingualism.

Low-Income, Overweight and Obese Mothers as Agents of Change to Improve Food Choices, Fat Habits, and Physical Activity in their 1-to-3-Year-Old Children

Objective: To examine the effects of a weight loss program for mothers on the diet and activity of mothers and their 1–3 year old children. Design: Overweight and obese mothers participated in an 8-week weight loss intervention encompassing diet, physical activity, and behavioral modification. Anthropometrics, demographic, dietary, and physical activity questionnaires were administered at weeks 0 and 8; anthropometrics were re-evaluated at week 24. Subjects: Mothers (N=91) of a 1–3 year old child; body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2; non-breastfeeding; age 18–45 years; income < 200% of federal poverty index; Hispanic, African American, or white; and English-speaking were recruited from Special Supplemental Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) and public health clinics. Intervention Measures of Outcome: Weight loss in mothers and improvements in diet (reduction in calories, fat, snacks/desserts, sweetened beverages, and increases in fruit, vegetables) and activity in mothers and children. Results: Weight loss in mothers was modest (−2.7 kg, p < 0.001) and sustained at week 24 (−2.8 kg, p < 0.001), and children gained in height and weight as expected for normal growth (p < 0.001). Initial energy intakes of children exceeded Estimated Energy Requirements (123%) and were reduced to acceptable levels post-intervention (102%, p < 0.001); additional beneficial changes in childrens diets were decreased total (47.7 to 39.9 g/day) and saturated fat (19.2 to 16.6 g/day), high-fat snacks/desserts (1.6 to 0.9 servings/day), added fats (81.8 to 40.9% using), sweetened beverages (0.8 to 0.4 servings/day), and fast food consumption (11.6 to 6.6% of meals), and increased home-prepared meals (63.2 to 71.6% of meals) (p < 0.01 for all). Physical activity scores improved by 7% in children (p < 0.05). Comparable changes in food choices and activity also were seen in mothers. Conclusion: Offering weight loss classes was a successful method of enticing low-income women to participate in an educational intervention that benefited their children. Overweight and obese mothers who modified their food choices and fat habits made comparable changes for their child.

Story Retelling by Bilingual Children with Language Impairments and Typically-Developing Controls

BACKGROUND To date there is limited information documenting growth patterns in the narratives of bilingual children with and without primary language impairment (PLI). AIMS This study was designed to determine whether bilingual children with and without PLI present similar gains from kindergarten to first grade in the macro- and microstructure of stories told in Spanish and English. METHODS & PROCEDURES In this longitudinal study, 21 bilingual children identified with PLI were each matched to a bilingual typically developing (TD) peer on age, sex, non-verbal IQ and language exposure. During their kindergarten and first-grade years, children retold stories from wordless picture books in Spanish (L1) and English (L2). OUTCOMES & RESULTS Overall, TD children outperformed those with PLI on measures of macro- and microstructure at both time points. For the macrostructure measure, the TD group made significantly larger improvements in both languages from kindergarten to first grade than the PLI group. For microstructure, the TD children made more gains on their Spanish retells than their English retells. However, the PLI childrens microstructure scores did not differ from kindergarten to first grade in either language. We found that macrostructure scores in Spanish at kindergarten predicted macrostructure scores in English at first grade when English experience was held constant. However, this same relationship across languages was not evident in microstructure. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS TD and PLI children differed in the development of narrative macro- and microstructure between kindergarten and first grade. The TD bilinguals transferred conceptually dependent narrative skills easily, but then had to learn independently the nuances of each language to be successful using literate language. Because most children with PLI need more exposure to establish strong connections between their L1 and L2, they had more difficulty transferring their knowledge of literate language forms from one language to another.

Predicting the Changes in Depressive Symptomatology in Later Life: How Much Do Changes in Health Status, Marital and Caregiving Status, Work and Volunteering, and Health-Related Behaviors Contribute?

This study examined the unique effects of four variable groups on changes in older adults’ depressive symptoms for a 2-year period: (1) baseline health and disability status, (2) changes in health and disability since baseline, (3) stability and changes in marital and caregiving status and in work and volunteering, and (4) stability and changes in health-related behaviors. With data from the 1998 and 2000 interview waves of the Health and Retirement Study, the authors used gender-separate multistep (hierarchical) residualized regression analyses in which the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) score at follow-up is modeled as a function of the effect of each group of independent variables. As hypothesized, changes in health, disability, marital, and caregiving status explained a larger amount of variance than the existing and stable conditions, although each group of variables explained a relatively small amount (0.3-3.4%) of variance in the follow-up CES-D score.

A nutrition and physical activity intervention promotes weight loss and enhances diet attitudes in low-income mothers of young children.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a nutrition and physical activity program for reducing body weight and improving nutrition attitudes in mothers of young children. A convenience sample of 114 intervention mothers and 33 comparison mothers was recruited from public health clinics and community centers. Eligibility criteria included Hispanic, African American, or white ethnicity; body mass index of at least 25 kg/m(2); low income (< 200% of the federal poverty index); and youngest child aged 1 to 4 years. For intervention participants, height, weight, percentage of body fat, waist circumference, demographics, nutrition attitudes, and dietary intake were measured at weeks 0 and 8; height, weight, percentage of body fat, and waist circumference were reassessed at 6 months. Overweight mothers in the comparison group provided anthropometric and demographic data at weeks 0 and 8. Changes in anthropometrics, attitudes, and dietary intake were evaluated in intervention mothers. Anthropometric data of intervention vs comparison group mothers were examined. Differences in anthropometrics and attitude scores between weight loss responders (> or = 2.27 kg) and nonresponders (< 2.27 kg) were assessed at week 8. Intervention participants lost weight (x = -2.7 kg; P < .001), whereas comparison mothers gained a slight amount of weight (x = 0.1 kg) by week 8. Weight loss responders had healthier eating attitudes (5.6 vs 5.2; P < .01) and fewer perceived barriers (2.4 vs 2.9; P < .05) than nonresponders postintervention. In conclusion, this dietary and physical activity curriculum is a valuable resource for weight management programs serving low-income women.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine for treatment among African-Americans: a multivariate analysis

BACKGROUND The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is substantial among African-Americans; however, research on characteristics of African-Americans who use CAM to treat specific conditions is scarce. OBJECTIVE To determine what predisposing, enabling, need, and disease-state factors are related to CAM use for treatment among a nationally representative sample of African-Americans. METHODS A cross-sectional study design was employed using the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). A nationwide representative sample of adult (> or =18 years) African-Americans who used CAM in the past 12 months (n=16,113,651 weighted; n=2,952 unweighted) was included. The Andersen Health Care Utilization Model served as the framework with CAM use for treatment as the main outcome measure. Independent variables included the following: predisposing (eg, age, gender, and education); enabling (eg, income, employment, and access to care); need (eg, health status, physician visits, and prescription medication use); and disease state (ie, most prevalent conditions among African-Americans) factors. Multivariate logistic regression was used to address the study objective. RESULTS Approximately 1 in 5 (20.2%) who used CAM in the past 12 months used CAM to treat a specific condition. Ten of the 15 CAM modalities were used primarily for treatment by African-Americans. CAM for treatment was significantly (P<.05) associated with the following factors: graduate education, smaller family size, higher income, region (northeast, midwest, west more likely than south), depression/anxiety, more physician visits, less likely to engage in preventive care, more frequent exercise behavior, more activities of daily living (ADL) limitations, and neck pain. CONCLUSIONS Twenty percent of African-Americans who used CAM in the past year were treating a specific condition. Alternative medical systems, manipulative and body-based therapies, and folk medicine, prayer, biofeedback, and energy/Reiki were used most often. Health care professionals should routinely ask patients about the use of CAM, but when encountering African-Americans, there may be a number of factors that may serve as cues for further inquiry.

Early Intervention for Alcohol Use Prevention and Vehicle Safety Skills: Evaluating the "Protecting You/Protecting Me" Curriculum.

ABSTRACT The present study reports the evaluation results of the “Protecting You/Protecting Me” (PY/PM) alcohol use prevention and safety curriculum for third, fourth, and fifth graders when taught by high school peer leaders. The primary goal of the PY/PM prevention program, developed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), is to prevent injury and death of children due to underage consumption of alcoholic beverages and vehicle-related risks, especially as passengers in vehicles in which the driver is not alcohol-free. Two classrooms for each grade were randomly assigned to receive either the Intervention or serve as a Comparison in four sites in Texas. From pre-test to post-test, 259 surveys were matched (Intervention n = 128, Comparison n = 131). A 6-week follow-up survey was also completed with 120 Intervention students. The results showed the Intervention group made significant improvements, relative to the Comparison group, in Vehicle Safety Skills, Intentions not to Ride with an Alcohol Impaired Driver, Media Literacy, and Knowledge about Brain Development. Additional findings showed some individual differences by gender and grade and that the interventions effect varied in a few areas depending on pre-test score, gender, and grade. Overall, the curriculum benefits students by influencing their attitudes toward advertisements, increasing their intentions not to ride with a driver who has been drinking, developing their skills to protect themselves when they have no other option but to ride with an alcohol impaired driver, and improving their knowledge about the developing brain.

The role of phonological structure and experience in bilingual children's nonword repetition performance

The current study examined the influence of phonological structure and language experience on the nonword repetition performance of bilingual children. Twenty-six Spanish-dominant and 26 English-dominant Spanish-English bilingual five-year-old children were matched on current exposure to the dominant language and year of first exposure to English. Participants repeated non-wordlike nonwords in English and Spanish. The Spanish-dominant group performed better than the English-dominant group for both Spanish and English nonwords. In addition, there was a main effect for test language, where Spanish nonwords were produced more accurately than English nonwords overall. The Spanish-dominant group advantage for nonwords is interpreted as emerging from the extra practice the dominant Spanish speakers had producing multisyllabic words.

Differences Among Substance Abusing Latino, Anglo, and African-American Juvenile Offenders in Predictors of Recidivism and Treatment Outcome

ABSTRACT Alcohol and drug use is prevalent among juvenile offenders and many of the risk factors that predict delinquent behavior also predict adolescent drug use. This study examined the impact of self-reported risk factors on treatment outcomes and recidivism among Latino, Anglo, and African American juvenile offenders. Risk factors included family structure and interactions, peer influences, education, psychiatric history, substance abuse history, stressful life events experienced, and use of leisure time. Analyses yielded the following key findings: Older adolescents and males were more likely to have a greater number and severity of offenses; older adolescents were less likely to complete treatment successfully; a curvilinear relationship existed between time in treatment and positive treatment outcomes, with extremely long treatment time associated with poorer outcomes; and significant differences existed between Latino and African American youth in which risk factors predicted outcomes. Implications for social work practice and research are discussed.