Even in young children: Higher weight = higher blood pressure
June 13, 2019
Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology
Overweight four-year-olds have a doubled risk of high blood pressure by age six, raising the hazard of future heart attack and stroke. That's the finding of a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
"The myth that excess weight in children has no consequences hampers the prevention and control of this health problem," said study author Dr Iñaki Galán, of Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain. "Parents need to be more physically active with young children and provide a healthy diet. Women should shed extra pounds before becoming pregnant, avoid gaining excess weight during pregnancy, and quit smoking, as these are all established risk factors for childhood obesity."
According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and the prevalence has increased at an alarming rate. In 2016, more than 41 million children under the age of five were overweight.
This study, based on the ELOIN cohort, examined the link between excess weight and high blood pressure in 1,796 four-year-olds who were followed up two years later. Blood pressure was measured at both time points, as was body mass index (BMI in kg/m2) and waist circumference.
Compared to children maintaining a healthy weight between ages four and six, those with new or persistent excess weight according to BMI had 2.49 and 2.54 higher risks of high blood pressure, respectively. In those with new or persistent abdominal obesity, the risks for high blood pressure were 2.81 and 3.42 greater, respectively. Children who lost weight did not have an increased risk of high blood pressure. The findings applied to all children regardless of sex or socioeconomic status.
"There is a chain of risk, whereby overweight and obesity lead to high blood pressure, which heightens the chance of cardiovascular disease if allowed to track into adulthood," said Dr Galán. "But the results show that children who return to a normal weight also regain a healthy blood pressure."
The best way to maintain a healthy weight and lose excess kilos is to exercise and eat a healthy diet, said Dr Galán. In addition to the central role of parents, the school curriculum needs to include three to four hours of physical activity every week. Teachers should supervise activities during breaks, while schools can offer games and sports after classes and provide nutritionally balanced meals and snacks.
Doctors should routinely assess BMI and waist circumference at early ages, added Dr Galán. "Some paediatricians think the harms of overweight and obesity begin in adolescence but our study shows they are mistaken," he said. "We need to detect excess weight as soon as possible so the damaging impact on blood pressure can be reversed."
Overweight children should have their blood pressure measured. Three consecutive elevated readings constitute high blood pressure. In young children, the most common cause is excess weight, but doctors will rule out other reasons such as heart defects, kidney disease, genetic conditions, and hormonal disorders. If the cause is overweight, more activity and dietary improvements will be advised. If lifestyle changes don't help, blood pressure lowering medication may be prescribed.
Dr Galán noted that overweight in children is most accurately assessed using both BMI and waist circumference. In the study, using either measurement alone would have missed 15% to 20% of cases.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190613095224.htm
How fathers, children should spend time together
Study dives into factors that could help develop a stronger relationship
June 11, 2019
Science Daily/University of Georgia
Fathers who spend lots of time helping out with child care-related tasks on workdays are developing the best relationships with their children.
As men everywhere brace for an onslaught of ties, tools, wallets and novelty socks gifted for Father's Day, here are two questions fathers of young children should ask themselves: What activities are best for bonding with my child, and when should those activities take place?
New research from the University of Georgia reveals that both the type of involvement -- caregiving versus play -- and the timing -- workday versus non-workday -- have an impact on the quality of the early father-child relationship.
The study by Geoffrey Brown, published in the Journal of Family Psychology, reveals that fathers who choose to spend time with their children on non-workdays are developing a stronger relationship with them, and play activities seem particularly important, even after taking into account the quality of fathers' parenting.
"Fathers who make the choice to devote their time on non-workdays to engaging with their children directly seem to be developing the best relationships," said Brown, assistant professor in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. "And on those non-workdays, pursuing activities that are child centered, or fun for the child, seems to be the best predictor of a good father-child relationship."
However, fathers who spend lots of time helping out with child care-related tasks on workdays are developing the best relationships with their children. And men who engage in high levels of play with their children on workdays actually have a slightly less secure attachment relationship with them.
"It's a complicated story, but I think this reflects differences in these contexts of family interaction time on workdays versus non-workdays," Brown said. "The most important thing on a workday, from the perspective of building a good relationship with your children, seems to be helping to take care of them."
In early childhood, the most common way to conceptualize the parent-child relationship is the attachment relationship, according to Brown. Children form an emotional bond with their caregivers, and it serves a purpose by keeping them safe, providing comfort and security, and modeling how relationships should work.
Decades of research have focused on mother-child attachment security, but there's much less research on the father-child relationship and how a secure attachment relationship is formed.
For this study, Brown and his colleagues worked with 80 father-child pairs when the children were about 3 years old. The team conducted interviews and observed father-child interaction in the home, shooting video that was evaluated off site and assigned a score indicating attachment security.
"We're trying to understand the connection between work life and family life and how fathers construct their role. It's clear that there are different contexts of family time," Brown said. "Relying too much on play during workdays, when your child/partner needs you to help out with caregiving, could be problematic. But play seems more important when there's more time and less pressure.
"Ultimately, fathers who engage in a variety of parenting behaviors and adjust their parenting to suit the demands and circumstances of each individual day are probably most likely to develop secure relationships with their children."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190611133938.htm
Early life stress plus overexpressed FKBP5 protein increases anxiety behavior
A new preclinical study adds to mounting evidence about the interplay between genetics and environment in mental health
June 11, 2019
Science Daily/University of South Florida (USF Innovation)
A new preclinical study finds that anxiety-like behavior increases when early life adversity combines with high levels of FKBP5 -- a protein capable of modifying hormonal stress response. Moreover, the researchers demonstrate this genetic-early life stress interaction amplifies anxiety by selectively altering signaling of the enzyme AKT in the dorsal hippocampus, a portion of the brain primarily responsible for cognitive functions like learning and memory.
Researchers continue to dig for molecular clues to better understand how gene-environment interactions influence neuropsychiatric disease risk and resilience. An increasing number of studies point to a strong association between the FKBP5 gene and increased susceptibility to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health disorders.
Adding to the growing evidence, a new preclinical study by University of South Florida neuroscientists finds that anxiety-like behavior increases when early life adversity combines with high levels of FKBP5 -- a protein capable of modifying hormonal stress response. Moreover, the researchers demonstrate this genetic-early life stress interaction amplifies anxiety by selectively altering signaling of the enzyme AKT in the dorsal hippocampus, a portion of the brain primarily responsible for cognitive functions like learning and memory.
While more research is required, the study suggests that FKBP5 may be an effective target for treating anxiety and other mood disorders.
The findings were published June 4 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
"We know that the combination of genetic variations and environmental factors can make people either more or less susceptible to mental illness -- even when they experience the same types of trauma," said senior author Laura Blair, PhD, assistant professor of molecular medicine at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Center. Postdoctoral scholar Marangelie Criado-Marrero, PhD, was lead author of the study.
"We hypothesized that high FKBP5 and early life stress might yield neuropsychiatric symptoms through altered cellular stress response pathways in the brain."
In a series of experiments, newborn mice overexpressing human FKBP5 in the forebrain were divided into two groups -- one group was exposed to an early life stress (maternal separation), and the other was not. Two control groups were comprised of stressed and non-stressed mice without brain overexpression of FKBP5. At two months, when the mice were young adults, an elevated-plus maze with open and closed arms was used to test anxiety-like behavior. Compared to all other groups, the mice with high FKBP5 and early life stress showed more anxiety as measured by their tendency to stay within enclosed areas of the maze rather than naturally explore all arms of the maze.
The anxiety effect was more pronounced in the female mice than in males, an observation that aligns with sex differences noted in humans with anxiety disorders, Dr. Blair said.
The researchers also analyzed molecular changes in brains of the mice. They found that AKT signaling, specifically in the dorsal hippocampus, differed depending upon whether or not the mice with high FKBP5 had experienced maternal separation as newborns. AKT signaling -- shown to be altered in Alzheimer's disease and cancer as well as in mental health disorders -- affects brain cell survival and metabolism, and the brain's ability to adapt to new information.
"The AKT signaling pathway was inversely regulated as a result of early life stress. High FKBP5 normally decreases AKT signaling, but when early life stress was added to overexpressed FKBP5 that signaling activity increased," Dr. Blair said. "Overall, our findings highlight the importance of stress and genes (like FKBP5) in modulating vulnerability to mood disorders and learning impairments."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190611133927.htm
An hour or two of outdoor learning every week increases teachers' job satisfaction
June 11, 2019
Science Daily/Swansea University
A Swansea University study has revealed how as little as an hour a week of outdoor learning has tremendous benefits for children and also boosts teachers' job satisfaction.
Through interviews and focus groups, researchers explored the views and experiences of pupils and educators at three primary schools in south Wales that had adopted an outdoor learning programme, which entailed teaching the curriculum in the natural environment for at least an hour a week.
Interviews were held with headteachers and teachers, and focus groups were conducted with pupils aged 9-11 both before and during the implementation of an outdoor learning programme within the curriculum.
The schools in the study reported a variety of benefits of outdoor learning for both the child and the teacher and for improving health, wellbeing, education and engagement in school.
Lead author of the study Emily Marchant, a PhD researcher in Medical Studies at Swansea University, explained: "We found that the pupils felt a sense of freedom when outside the restricting walls of the classroom. They felt more able to express themselves, and enjoyed being able to move about more too. They also said they felt more engaged and were more positive about the learning experience. We also heard many say that their well-being and memory were better, and teachers told us how it helped engage all types of learners."
The benefits of outdoor education for children are well documented, but a finding of this study is the impact that the outdoor learning programme had on teachers.
Emily said: "Initially, some teachers had reservations about transferring the classroom outdoors but once outdoor learning was embedded within the curriculum, they spoke of improved job satisfaction and personal wellbeing. This is a really important finding given the current concerns around teacher retention rates. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of outdoor learning as a curriculum tool in improving school engagement and the health, wellbeing and education outcomes of children.
"The schools within our study have all continued with regular outdoor learning within the curriculum. With support and recognition from education inspectorates of the wider benefits to children's development and education, outdoor learning could be set within the primary school curriculum."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190611102710.htm
Three parent factors that heighten the prevalence of childhood physical abuse
The connection between abuse and addiction, intimate partner violence and mental illness
June 11, 2019
Science Daily/University of Toronto
Adults who had parents who struggled with addiction, intimate partner violence and mental illness are more than 30 times more likely to have been victims of childhood physical abuse than those whose parents did not have these problems, once age and race were taken into account.
The study by researchers at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Institute of Life Course & Aging was published online this week in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Findings indicated that between 66% and 78% of adults who grew up in homes where all three risk factors were present reported that, before the age of 18, their parent or an adult in their home had ever "hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt (them) in any way." Respondents were told not to include spanking.
"With each additional risk factor experienced, the prevalence of childhood physical abuse increased dramatically. Intimate partner violence was a strong predictor of childhood abuse, even in the absence of the other two risk factors; more than one-third of respondents who had been exposed solely to parental intimate partner violence reported that they had been physically abused" reported co-author Senyo Agbeyaka, recent MSW graduate and a social worker in health care. "Between 23% and 31% of those exposed to both parental addictions and parental mental illness, but not parental domestic violence, reported they had been physically abused as a child."
"We were so astonished by the magnitude of the association between the combination of these three risk factors and childhood physical abuse in the 2010 survey that we replicated the analysis with a different sample from a 2012 survey," says co-author Jami-Leigh Sawyer, a University of Toronto doctoral candidate in social work. "The findings in both data sets and for each gender were remarkably consistent and very worrisome."
The study was based on two representative community samples, one study conducted in 2010 with 22,862 adults and the second, in 2012, with a different sample of 29,801 adults. The data were drawn from the Brief Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) and separate analyses were conducted for each sex. A major limitation of the study is use of retrospective self-report of these early adversities and a lack of information on the exact timing when they occurred. The findings only indicate correlation and cannot be interpreted as causative.
The study's findings have important clinical implications for pediatricians, family doctors, social workers and other healthcare providers working with children and their families, says lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Chair at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Director of the Institute of Life Course and Aging. "It appears that children from homes with parental intimate partner violence alone, or at least two of the other risk factors are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Such knowledge will hopefully improve the targeting of screening for childhood physical abuse."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190611081849.htm
Teens sleep longer, are more alert for homework when school starts later
Middle and high schoolers felt less sleepy and more engaged in academics
June 7, 2019
Science Daily/American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Preliminary findings from a new study of middle school and high school students suggest that they got more sleep and were less likely to feel too sleepy to do homework after their district changed to later school start times.
In fall 2017, the Cherry Creek School District in Greenwood Village, Colorado, delayed school start times for middle school by 50 minutes (changing from 8 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.) and for high school by 70 minutes (changing from 7:10 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.). Results show that one year after the change, self-reported sleep on school nights was 31 minutes longer among middle school students and 48 minutes longer among high school students.
"Biological changes in the circadian rhythm, or internal clock, during puberty prevents teens from falling asleep early enough to get sufficient sleep when faced with early school start times," said principal investigator Lisa J. Meltzer, Ph.D., an associate professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado. "This study provides additional support that delaying middle and high school start times results in increased sleep duration for adolescents due to later wake times."
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that middle schools and high schools should start at 8:30 a.m. or later to support teen health, alertness and safety. However, a previous data analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 14% of high schools and 19% of middle schools started at 8:30 a.m. or later.
The study involved more than 15,000 students in grades 6-11 who completed online surveys during school hours before the start time change in spring 2017 (n=15,700) and after the start time change in spring 2018 (n=18,607). The survey included questions asking about weekday and weekend bedtime, wake time and total sleep time; sleepiness during homework; and academic engagement.
The study also found that the percentage of students who reported feeling too sleepy to do their homework declined after the school start time delay from 46% to 35% among middle school students and from 71% to 56% among high school students. Scores on a measure of academic engagement were significantly higher after the start time change for both middle school and high school students.
"The study findings are important because getting enough sleep is critical for adolescent development, physical health, mood, and academic success," said Meltzer.
CCSD Superintendent Dr. Scott Siegfried said that the study supports firsthand feedback he's received from students across the 108-square-mile district.
"I don't know how many of our high school students have come up to me and said, 'This has changed my life for the better.' They've told me they're getting up to an hour of additional sleep before school starts," Siegfried said. "That extra sleep makes a real difference in terms of health and wellness. The input from our students and the numbers from this landmark study point to the same conclusion: The change in our start times has been a positive step and benefited our students' everyday routines."
The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and will be presented Wednesday, June 12, in San Antonio at SLEEP 2019, the 33rd annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS), which is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
Meltzer is also the senior author of another abstract from this study, "Impact of Changing School Start Times on Teachers/Staff," which found significant benefits of later school start times for middle and high school teachers and school-based staff. They reported increased sleep duration due to later wake times, as well as improvements in daytime functioning.
"This is the first large study to examine the impact of healthy school start times on teachers and staff," said Meltzer. "It is important to consider that this policy change, critical for the health and well-being of students, also impacts other members of the school community."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190607113825.htm
Early-life challenges affect how children focus, face the day
June 5, 2019
Science Daily/University of Washington
Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, can affect executive function and lead to changes in a child's brain chemistry, muting the effects of stress hormones, according to a new study.
Adversity early in life tends to affect a child's executive function skills -- their ability to focus, for example, or organize tasks.
Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, also can lead to changes in a child's brain chemistry, muting the effects of stress hormones. These hormones rise to help us face challenges, stress or to simply "get up and go."
Together, these impacts to executive function and stress hormones create a snowball effect, adding to social and emotional challenges that can continue through childhood. A new University of Washington study examines how adversity can change the ways children develop.
"This study shows how adversity is affecting multiple systems inside a child," said the study's lead author, Liliana Lengua, a UW professor of psychology and director of the Center for Child and Family Well-Being. "The disruption of multiple systems of self-control, both intentional planning efforts and automatic stress-hormone responses, sets off a cascade of neurobiological effects that starts early and continues through childhood."
The study, published May 10 in Development and Psychopathology, evaluated 306 children at intervals over more than two years, starting when participants were around 3 years old, up to age 5 ½. Children were from a range of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, with 57% considered lower income or near poverty.
Income was a key marker for adversity. In addition, the children's mothers were surveyed about other risk factors that have been linked to poor health and behavior outcomes in children, including family transitions, residential instability, and negative life events such as abuse or the incarceration of a parent.
Against these data, Lengua's team tested children's executive function skills with a series of activities, and, through saliva samples, a stress-response hormone called diurnal cortisol.
The hormone that "helps us rise to a challenge," Lengua said, cortisol tends to follow a daily, or diurnal, pattern: It increases early in the morning, helping us to wake up. It is highest in the morning -- think of it as the energy to face the day -- and then starts to fall throughout the day. But the pattern is different among children and adults who face constant stress, Lengua said.
"What we see in individuals experiencing chronic adversity is that their morning levels are quite low and flat through the day, every day. When someone is faced with high levels of stress all the time, the cortisol response becomes immune, and the system stops responding. That means they're not having the cortisol levels they need to be alert and awake and emotionally ready to meet the challenges of the day," she said.
To assess executive function, researchers chose preschool-friendly activities that measured each child's ability to follow directions, pay attention and take actions contrary to impulse. For instance, in a game called "Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders," children are told to do the opposite of what a researcher tells them to do -- if the researcher says, "touch your head," the child is supposed to touch their toes. In another activity, children interact with two puppets -- a monkey and a dragon -- but are supposed to follow only the instructions given by the monkey.
When children are better at following instructions in these and similar activities, they tend to have better social skills and manage their emotions when stressed. Children who did well on these tasks also tended to have more typical patterns of diurnal cortisol.
But children who were in families that had lower income and higher adversity tended to have both lower executive function and an atypical diurnal cortisol pattern. Each of those contributed to more behavior problems and lower social-emotional competence in children when they were about to start kindergarten.
The study shows that not only do low income and adversity affect children's adjustment, but they also impact these self-regulation systems that then add to children's adjustment problems. "Taken all together, it's like a snowball effect, with adverse effects adding together," Lengua said.
While past research has pointed to the effects of adversity on executive function, and to the specific relationship between cortisol and executive function, this new study shows the additive effects over time, Lengua said.
"Executive function is an indicator that shows the functioning of cognitive regulation. Cortisol is the neuroendocrine response, an automatic response, and the two consistently emerge as being related to each other and impacting behavior in children," she said.
The research could be used to inform parenting programs, early childhood and school-based interventions, Lengua said. Safe, stable environments and communities, and positive, nurturing parenting practices support child development, while a focus on relationships and healthy behaviors in preschool settings can support children of all backgrounds -- those with high as well as low adversity.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190605171354.htm
Physical inactivity proved risky for children and pre-teens
June 4, 2019
Science Daily/Université de Genève
At what age do children lose the desire to exercise? Researchers (UNIGE) followed 1,200 pupils and found out that from the age of 9, the positive reasons for exercising begin to be replaced by displaced incentives: to get a good mark or improve your image with others. These results call for a more detailed analysis of how PE is taught in schools to counter physical inactivity leading to a sedentary lifestyle from an early age.
Cardio-respiratory capacity in children has dropped by 25% in 20 years, according to a study by the University of Adelaide in Australia. There are multiple reasons for this, from the social environment and the decreasing number of play areas to a more academic approach towards teaching physical education and the spread of new technologies. But at what age do children lose the desire to exercise? Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, followed 1,200 Geneva pupils, aged 8 to 12, for two years. The team found out that from the age of 9, the positive reasons for exercising -- it's fun and good for your health -- begin to be replaced by more displaced incentives: to get a good mark or improve your image with others. These results, which are published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, call for a more detailed analysis of how PE is taught in schools to counter physical inactivity leading to a sedentary lifestyle from an early age.
Society today is characterized by an increasingly sedentary way of life and a decline in physical activity, which is reflected in the growing number of overweight children (16% of children aged 6 to 12 in Switzerland). In an earlier study, UNIGE researchers noted that the recommendations issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the amount of exercise undertaken by school-age children were not being met, namely: children should be active for at least 50% of the time devoted to physical education lessons in primary school. In reality, they move on average only 38% of the time. And as children grow older, the percentage drops. Why?
Positive motivations decline as the child grows older
The UNIGE researchers tracked 1,200 Geneva pupils aged 8 to 12 for two years. The children had to complete a questionnaire every six months to measure their motivation levels according to a seven-point scale based on different motivational controls related (or not) to practising the actual activity: enjoyment, learning, health, grades, satisfying other people, integration, avoiding guilt or shame, and so forth. "Our results showed for the first time that there is a sharp drop in positive motivations for physical activity (with good motivational qualities), such as pleasure or health, over a child's time at primary school from age 9 onwards," explains Julien Chanal, a researcher in the Psychology Section of UNIGE's Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE). "And we've never observed this decline at such a young age!" On the other hand, motivations considered counterproductive (with poor motivational qualities) -- such as undertaking the activity to get a good grade or to send a positive image to one's classmates -- increase as a child gets older. "It's true that harmful motivations do also mean that a child is physically active but these motivational qualities are only positive in the short term, which is counter-productive for a child's physical development. In fact, we know that if children are motivated by good reasons when they're young, then they'll remain active when they're adults," continues Chanal. But what can be done to fight against the early decline of positive motivations?
Reforming education to increase physical activity
Given that nine years is a crucial age to establish good, healthy and long term physical activity, the way PE is taught at primary school needs to be analysed, since compulsory education is the only place where every child can be reached. "In recent decades," says Chanal, "PE teaching has changed enormously. Classes are more academic, with children learning about rules, motor functioning, mutual support, etc." But this approach has a direct cost for the child since it reduces the actual time dedicated to moderate to vigorous physical activity, which is already rare outside school.
The UNIGE researchers are now working with the Haute École Pédagogique in the canton of Vaud (HEP Vaud) on teaching physical education in primary classes. The aim is to develop autonomy and cooperation among pupils, and to work on the curriculum, course structure and teacher involvement to help them keep or boost their positive motivations for physical education. "Now that children don't move as much as before outside school, it's vital that the periods earmarked for PE maximize the time they spend moving," adds Chanal. "This is especially the case since, once again, we fall below the standards prescribed by the WHO. Their recommendation is 150 minutes of physical education per week, while students in Geneva only have 135 minutes available, or three periods of 45 minutes each." Teaching physical education has an important role to play in this new global health problem, which affects children at a younger age.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190604131231.htm
Sticking to sports can help kids adjust
June 4, 2019
Science Daily/University of Montreal
By participating in organized physical activity from the age of 6, children will have less risk of emotional difficulties by the time they're 12, a new study finds.
Thinking of getting your child to take up a sport that involves a coach or instructor? Good news: a new study finds that children who engage in organized physical activity at a young age are less likely to have emotional difficulties by the time they turn 12.
"The elementary school years are a critical time in child development," said Frédéric N. Brière, an Université de Montréal professor of psycho-education who led the study, published this month in Pediatric Research.
"And every parent wants to raise a well-adjusted child."
Besides keeping children from being sedentary, physical activities such as structured sports have the potential to be enriching both physically and mentally, Brière believes, something parents seem to know instinctively.
The study tested that intuitive logic with a large representative population of typically developing Canadian children.
"We followed a birth cohort over time to examine whether consistent participation in organized sport from ages 6 to 10 would minimize risks associated with emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, social withdrawal at age 12," said Brière. "Our goal was to test this question as critically as possible by eliminating pre-existing child or family conditions that could offer an alternative explanation."
To do this, Brière and his team at UdeM's School of Psycho-Education examined data from a cohort of children born in 1997 or 1998 who are part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development coordinated by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec. From ages 6 to 10, mothers reported whether their child participated in organized physical activity. At age 12, teachers reported on the child's levels of emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, and social withdrawal at school.
"The results revealed that children who participated consistently from ages 6 to 10 showed fewer instances of those factors at age 12 than their counterparts who did not engage in physical activity in a consistent way," said Brière. "We found these benefits above and beyond pre-existing individual and family characteristics."
His conclusion: "Getting kids actively involved in organized sport seems to promote global development. This involvement appears to be good on a socio-emotional level and not just because of physical benefits. Being less emotionally distressed at the juncture between elementary and high school is a priceless benefit for children, as they are about to enter a much larger universe with bigger academic challenges. This research supports current parental guidelines promoting children's involvement in physical activity."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190604084842.htm
Lack of sleep may increase likelihood of teens engaging in risky sexual behaviors
Majority of teens were not getting recommended amount of sleep, study finds
June 3, 2019
Science Daily/American Psychological Association
Teenagers who don't get enough sleep may be at an increased risk of engaging in unsafe sexual behaviors, such as not using condoms or having sex under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
"Teens by and large are not getting the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep a night, due to a number of reasons, including biological changes in circadian rhythms, early school start times, balancing school and extracurricular activities and peer social pressures" said Wendy M. Troxel, PhD, a RAND Corporation senior behavioral and social scientist and lead author of the study published in the journal Health Psychology. "Insufficient sleep may increase the potential for sexual risk-taking by compromising decision-making and influencing impulsivity."
Troxel and her co-authors, all from RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution, analyzed data from a large, long-term study of 1,850 racially and ethnically diverse adolescents and young adults in Southern California. The data were collected four times between 2013 and 2017. Participants were, on average, 16 years old in 2013 and 19 years old in 2017.
The teens reported their sleep schedules on weekdays and weekends and whether they had trouble sleeping in the four weeks prior to filling out the survey. The participants also reported whether they used alcohol, marijuana or other drugs right before or during sexual activity and whether they used condoms.
The teens were grouped based on their sleep patterns over the four-year period, including weekday sleep duration, weekend sleep duration, differences in sleep patterns between weekdays and weekends, and sleep quality.
The majority of teens were classified as intermediate weekday sleepers, who got an average of 7.5 hours of sleep per school night, which is below the recommended sleep duration for this age group. There was also a group of teens, called short weekday sleepers, who got well below the recommended sleep duration, with 6.35 hours per school night. Only 26% of teens could be classified as sufficient weekday sleepers, averaging about 8.5 hours per night, according to Troxel.
As for the weekends, most teens in the study were intermediate weekend sleepers, clocking in just over nine hours, while long weekend sleepers netted an average of 10.6 hours and short weekend sleepers got an average of 7.8 hours, said Troxel.
Previous research has shown that irregular sleep patterns (e.g., sleeping in on weekends) can put teens at risk for negative health outcomes. Therefore, Troxel and her colleagues expected that teens who slept in on the weekends to make up for lost sleep during the week would show greater sexual risk-taking than those who had a more consistent sleeping routine.
Contrary to what they predicted, the researchers found that adolescents who were short weekday and short weekend sleepers (i.e., those who consistently did not get enough sleep) were nearly two times more likely to engage in unsafe sex than those who slept in, on average, an extra 3.5 hours on weekends.
"Teens who were short weekday and short weekend sleepers were not getting adequate sleep during the school week and were not catching up on sleep on the weekends, and thus were chronically sleep-deprived," said Troxel.
The researchers did not find that sleep quality had any effect on risky sexual behavior.
While this study could not make a direct link between sleep quality and sexual behaviors, it adds to a growing body of research about the potential role of sleep disturbances and adolescent risk-taking behaviors, Troxel said.
"Sexual risk-taking in adolescence poses serious health concerns, such as an increased potential of getting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV," she said.
Troxel acknowledged that the findings pose a significant challenge for parents, clinicians and policymakers.
"On one hand, we should encourage sleep routines for teens because regularity is important for maintaining healthy sleep and circadian rhythms," she said. "However, for most U.S. teens, whose weekday sleep opportunities are constrained due to early school start times, maintaining consistency in sleep-wake schedules throughout the week may not only be unrealistic, but also may be unhealthy, if it perpetuates a pattern of chronic sleep deprivation."
Troxel suggested possible strategies that may help teens get the sleep their bodies need.
"Our recommendation is for parents and teens to find a middle ground, which allows for some weekend catch-up sleep, while maintaining some level of consistency in sleep-wake patterns," she said. "We also need to encourage school districts to consider delaying school start times because this could make a substantial difference in helping teens get adequate sleep."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190603102600.htm