Tag: parent

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Parental influence key to effective weight loss in children

A recent study published in journal Pediatrics demonstrates the importance of parental involvement when it comes to helping children successfully lose weight.

Interventions regarding childhood obesity are rarely studied beyond 1 year, so researchers decided to look at the long-term impact of specific weight-loss programs over a 24-month time frame.

The scientists tracked 165 overweight prepubescent children, age 6 to 10, and randomly assigned them to one of three groups: a child-centered physical-activity program, parent-centered dietary-modification program, and a combination of the two.

Two years later, all children showed a reduction in body mass index, however, the greatest effects were achieved with the inclusion of a parent-centered diet program, indicating the importance of targeting parents, and the possibility of targeting them exclusively within the treatment.

The authors noted the importance of this detail, since it could mean that childhood obesity treatments could just involve parents’ supervision of their kids’ diets.

Study authors concluded, "Parents can participate in intervention programs that will benefit their child without their child being required to participate."

 

 

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Doctor most trusted source of vaccination information?

Most parents rely on their child’s doctor for information about vaccines, but many will also trust information from family, friends, other parents, and even celebrities, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 1,552 parents with children under 17 years old regarding their levels of trust in various sources of information about vaccinations.

Over three quarters – 76 percent – said that they trusted vaccine information ‘a lot’ when it came from their child’s doctor. Other health care providers were trusted ‘a lot’ by 26 percent of those surveyed, while government officials won the trust of 23 percent.

Parents said that they put ‘some’ trust in other sources of information: 67 percent trusted advice from family and friends, and 63 percent trusted other parents who said vaccines had harmed their children.

Celebrities were trusted ‘a lot’ by 2 percent of parents, and trusted ‘some’ by 24 percent. Hispanic parents were especially willing to trust celebrities, with 40 percent saying they had ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ trust in the advice of someone famous.

"Even if only a fraction of parents receive, believe, and act on misinformation about vaccine safety provided by these different sources, individual children’s health and the population’s health may suffer because of vaccine preventable illnesses," concluded Dr. Gary L. Freed, the study’s lead author.
 

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Child’s happiness depends on family relationship

Two of the most important deciding factors in a child’s happiness are a good relationship with parents, and a mother who is happy in her own romantic life, according to a new report published by Britain’s Institute for Social and Economic Research.

Researchers – who are tracking 40,000 U.K. households as part of a long-term study – surveyed 1,268 children between 10 and 15 years of age, asking them about their satisfaction with life.

The children who reported highest levels of satisfaction lived with two parents and did not fight with them regularly, ate with their family at least three times a week, had no younger siblings – and had mothers who were happy in their current romantic relationship, which proved to be one of the most important factors.

Of those children whose mothers were happily in a relationship, 73 percent reported being ‘perfectly happy’, as compared to only 55 percent of children whose mothers were not in a good relationship.

Dr. Maria Iacovou, one of the study’s authors, noted that "these findings show that family relationships and the happiness of parents are key to the happiness of young people. Contrary to the popular belief that children only want to spend time playing video games or watching TV we found that they were most happy when interacting with their parents or siblings."

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One third of parents struggle with discipline

Almost one-third of parents feel that their discipline methods are ineffective, especially when those methods include yelling, according to a new study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina surveyed over 2,100 parents of children aged two to 11 throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, regarding their discipline methods and effectiveness.

Of the parents surveyed, 45 percent reported using time-outs, 41.5 percent said that they removed privileges, 27 percent sent their child to his or her room, 13 percent admitted that they yelled and nine percent reported spanking their children.

Almost one-third of the parents said that they felt their discipline methods "never" or "sometimes" worked. Those who yelled or said they used the same methods that had been used on them during childhood reported the lowest rates of success.

"We strongly suspect that both yelling and spanking might be underreported, because we know when parents perceive their methods are not working, as a third reported, then emotions can quickly escalate," added Dr. Shari Barkin, lead author of the study.

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Tips for new parents

As a new parent, it can be a challenge to keep up with your little bundle of energy after all the chores and sleepless nights. There are some techniques, as reported by Medical News Today, that can help parents make the most of these early years.

It is important to stay active. If there aren’t enough hours in the day to squeeze in a proper work out, exercise can be incorporated into the daily schedule: leave the car at home and walk to the store – or at least park far from the door and trek across the lot.

Support is essential for new parents. Schedule times to meet up with other parents to share stories and advice, and don’t turn down offers of help when they are given. Enjoy a few hours off while a friend plays with the little one – feeling grateful, not guilty for needing the help.

There are small things you can do in order to keep your sanity intact. When overwhelmed, try to find humor in the situation – laughter is a great stress reliever and burns calories. While sleep may be hard to come by, it is essential to your well-being. Nap when the little one goes down, or move up your own bedtime to match your toddler’s.

Finally, don’t neglect yourself during these hectic years. Be sure to take periodic breaks, as a little ‘me time’ can give a boost of energy and a healthy sense of perspective. Taking up a new hobby, even one that you can do with your child, can help to break the routine and clear the mind.

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Parenting after the loss of a child

One of the biggest challenges facing parents who are grieving the loss of a child is the need to immediately provide parental care to the remaining siblings, reports a new book called Parenting After the Death of a Child: A Practitioner’s Guide.

"The challenge that parents face is this: In the midst of grief, how do you stop parenting the deceased child while you are simultaneously struggling to meet the parenting needs of the children who remain?" asks Dr. Stephen Fleming, a professor of psychology at York University and lead author of the book.

Through in-depth interviews with parents who had lost a child and had one or more surviving children, the authors found that rather than recovering from the loss, bereaved parents work to regenerate a sense of self and a sense of family.

"[Dads] go back to work, commit to working for the family, and they tend to overcome the fear of putting their children out into an unsafe world sooner than moms do," said Fleming. "Moms tend to be more intuitive grievers, more focused on internal feelings, and they have an almost paralyzing fear that if one child can die, another could die as well. So, often, moms are dragged back into parenting by the surviving children."

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Parents stressed due to lack of time

Almost half of all parents feel that they do not have enough time in the day to handle their responsibilities, according to a survey by French non-profit group Ligue des familles (League of Families).

The organization surveyed 1,000 parents regarding their time-management skills and their feelings on juggling the multiple responsibilities of work, school, extra-curricular activities and family life.

Of those surveyed, 24 percent said that they were "always" running behind schedule, while 25 percent replied that they were "often" running late.

Working mothers between the ages of 25 to 39 tend to be most affected by the time crunch and are more likely to be stressed due to lack of time, especially when their spouse is also employed.

Working moms aren’t the only ones feeling pressured, however. Over 70 percent of all parents surveyed, regardless of gender, admitted to feeling stressed by the demands on their time.

Beyond just feeling stressed, 16 percent of survey participants said that they were "worried" about not having enough time for their children, a sentiment that ran especially high among single mothers.

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Girls benefit from playing video games with parents

Video games have been blamed for many health and relationship problems, but a new study partly contradicts previous ideas. According to researchers at Brigham Young University, it’s beneficial for girls to play video games with a parent.

The results of their study of 287 families with an adolescent child, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, states that girls, age 11 to 16, who played age-appropriate video games with a parent were better behaved, felt more connected to their families, and had stronger mental health.

However, if the game was rated M for mature, it actually had the opposite effect in terms of family connectedness. For boys, there was no effect with parent co-playing, since they tend to play more often with their friends.

Mario Kart, Mario Brothers, Wii Sports, Rock Band and Guitar Hero topped the list of games played most often by girls. Call of Duty, Wii Sports and Halo ranked 1, 2 and 3 among boys.

Researchers offer two possible explanations for what’s behind the gender differences.

"We’re guessing it’s a daddy-daughter thing, because not a lot of moms said yes when we asked them if they played video games," said co-author Laura Padilla-Walker. "Co-playing is probably an indicator of larger levels of involvement."

"Any face-to-face time you have with your child can be a positive thing, especially if the activity is something the child is interested in," she concluded.

 

 

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Children of divorce have their say

 

Children of divorced parents continue to feel effects of the split even when grown, according to a new survey by the French organization Union des familles (Union of Families).

More than 1,100 adult children of divorce, aged 18 to 57, took part in an online survey to share their feelings and opinions about their parents’ divorce.

The vast majority of respondents – 88 percent – felt that their childhood experience of their parents’ divorce  still had an effect on their adult personality, with 48 percent indicating it influenced their romantic lives. Many of those polled said that the divorce left them with a fear of abandonment, lack of self-confidence and a strong sense of guilt. 

Participants in the survey also felt that the problems went beyond just their personal and romantic lives. Fifty-six percent said that the split caused their education to suffer, particularly because it became difficult to learn while distracted by thoughts of divorce. Forty-one percent felt that the divorce still influenced their professional lives as adults.

Many of the respondents expressed thanks for the survey, grateful that someone was finally asking them about their own experiences in coping with their parents’ divorce.

 

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Smoking habit transmitted from parent to child

British researchers investigated the impact of parental smoking habits on children’s smoking decisions, reports Medical News Today.

By looking at detailed information from the British household survey from 1994 to 2002 about products consumed in the household, including tobacco, scientists analyzed the transmission of smoking habits between generations. 

The research, which has been published in the journal Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, showed evidence that the same-sex parent was the primary role model in two-parent households: mothers play a large role in their daughters’ smoking decisions, whereas fathers’ smoking habits are primarily imitated by their sons. If both parents smoked, the odds of a child taking up smoking are about 24 percent, however that number is cut in half if neither parent smokes.

For single-mother households, however, mothers transmit their smoking habits to their children regardless of gender. The son’s likelihood of copying his mother’s smoking habit is 32 percent, and a daughter’s likelihood is 28 percent.

"These results have clear importance in terms of designing public policies to combat smoking. Policies that are successful in reducing smoking habits among parents will also affect their children. Anti-smoking policies for young people need to be put in place that will also include the family and social context in which they live", explains co-author and Spanish researcher Loureiro.