KNIGHT WATCH

WHY CAN'T CHILDREN BE EASIER TO GROW?

Children are still eating too much sugar. According to a 2012 study by the National Center for Health Statistics, most added sugars come from home – homes at all income levels. Also, most added sugars come from foods – not beverages. The good news is consumption of added sugars has declined among teenagers – from 22% of their total calories to 17%. However, that’s still higher than federal dietary guidelines, which recommend intake of added sugars and solid fats be 5%-15% of daily caloric intake. Parents need to read food labels. If that doesn’t work, they need to read the riot act.

Too much sugar is causing too many cavities in preschoolers. According to a 2012 New York Times’ article, dentists nationwide are seeing preschool-age children with multiple cavities. Dentists attribute this to parents not brushing their children’s teeth twice daily. Either parents don’t understand the need or their children resist. Other contributing factors are sweet snacks and juices. The sugars in juice and breast milk are especially harmful at bedtime because the mouth’s natural cleaning processes are less active during sleep and sugars erode the thin enamel on children’s teeth – and having cavities filled isn’t a “fulfilling” experience for young children.

Active video games don’t increase children’s physical activity. In a study published in Pediatrics, 38 children ages 9-12 were given 2 active video games and 38 children were given 2 inactive video games. For 12 weeks they recorded playtimes and wore accelerometers to measure acceleration and exertion. Unfortunately, children given active video games weren’t more active. Either they didn’t play the games intensely enough or they were less active at other times of the day to compensate for their playtime. Because the CDC recommends children have 1 hour of physical activity daily, I recommend parents play hide-and-seek with television remote controls.

Smoking among America’s youth has reached epidemic proportions – so said a 2012 report by the Surgeon General’s office. More than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students smoke and 80% of high school-aged teens are expected to smoke as adults. Every day an estimated 3,800 children smoke their first cigarette and 90% of these new smokers start smoking before age 18. Smoking kills more than 1,200 people a day and every tobacco-related death is replaced by 2 new smokers under age 25. Cigarette companies deny that they target-market children. However, cigarette companies hide behind a “smoke screen”.

 

WHAT WOULD CHILDREN LIKE TO TELL PARENTS?

Caesarian sections aren’t always best for preterm babies. A report presented to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine found babies delivered by C-section weren’t less likely to develop subdural hemorrhages, seizures or sepsis than were vaginally delivered babies. However, C-section babies were 30% likelier to develop respiratory distress syndrome, which could turn into asthma later in life. According to the CDC, Caesarian sections increased 33% from 2000 to 20007 and increased 57% for women under age 25. In 2009 45.6% of preterm babies were delivered by Caesarian section compared to 35.1% of full-term babies. It seems expectant mothers need to be “pushier”.

Babies may eat better when they feed themselves. A study published in the journal BMJ Open compared the food preferences and weight of babies who fed themselves with finger food to babies who were spoon-fed. Both groups had equal exposure to snack foods. The self-fed babies preferred carbohydrates – toast, pasta, potatoes. The spoon-fed babies preferred sweets and were likelier to be obese as toddlers. Eight of the 63 spoon-fed babies became obese, but not one of the self-fed babies did. It seems as long as parents provide nutritious options, self-feeders are healthy eaters – and that “says a mouthful”.

Parents are less likely to use booster seats for children when they are carpooling. According to a survey of 681 parents published in the journal Pediatrics, 50% of parents didn’t make their children use booster seats when riding in the family car with boosterless friends. Twenty-one percent didn’t make their children use booster seats when riding in someone else’s car. Car crashes are the most common cause of death in children ages 3-14. In 2012 forty-seven states require booster seats for children up to 4 feet 9 inches tall. Shouldn’t the number of states be “boosted” to 50?

Teens may need less sleep than previously thought. Although national guidelines recommend at least 8 hours for young people, a study published in the Eastern Economics Journal compared standardized test scores with amounts of sleep reported by 1,724 students. According to the study, 7 hours of sleep was plenty for older teens. For 12-year-olds it was 8 hours and for 10-year-olds it was 9 hours. A report published in the journal Pediatrics echoed this finding by concluding, “no matter how much sleep children are getting, it has always been assumed that they need more”. In other words, parents “shouldn’t lose sleep over it”.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT WHEN EXPECTING?

Home births are increasing in the U.S. According to the National Center for Heath Statistics, the number has increased 29% from 2004 to 2009. The biggest increase was among non-Hispanic white women over age 35 who’d already had at least 1 child. About 1 in 90 births in that group was a home birth. The increase is attributed to home births being one-third less expensive than hospital births, dissatisfaction with hospital care and new mothers wanting more control. Because only 1% of births nationally are home births, 99% of women are still happy to be the “i” in hospital.

Whether parents have college degrees is a better predictor of children’s socioeconomic success than a strong work ethic and ambition. That’s according to researchers from the Russell Sage Foundation and the Pew Economic Mobility Project. In fact, the relationship between parents’ education levels and children’s future success is higher in the U.S. than in Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Canada. Although pre-kindergarten and other opportunities to help children get ahead are popular in the U.S., parents’ education makes a difference from birth in children’s future socioeconomic success. It seem parents’ college degrees are the ultimate “head start” program.

Working mothers spend more time multitasking than working fathers and find it more stressful. A study published in American Sociological Review used data from a sample of 369 mothers and 241 fathers in dual-earning families. The findings showed working mothers spent 48 hours weekly multitasking compared to 39 hours for fathers. Mothers felt more stressed because their multitasking tended to be more labor-intensive, involving housework or children. Father’s multitasking tended to be less burdensome – like carrying on a 3-way conversation or participating in self-care. Maybe working moms should point out to working dads that multi contains both an “i” and a “u”.

 Smoking during pregnancy may damage children’s blood vessels. A study published in the journal Pediatrics measured body dimensions and lung functions of 250 babies 4 weeks old. Five years later the children’s carotid arteries (large blood vessels in the neck supplying blood to the brain) were measured. At both times parents were questioned about smoking. According to the findings, the carotid artery walls of children whose mothers smoked throughout pregnancy were 19 microns thicker and 15% stiffer. If both parents smoked throughout pregnancy, the artery walls were 28 microns thicker and 21% stiffer. Obviously, babies don’t do well in “smoked-filled wombs”.

 

CAN PARENTS AFFORD FREE ADVICE?

Acupuncture is safe for children. So said the American Academy of Pediatrics. A study published in the journal Pediatrics looked at the side effects from 37 studies of acupuncture on children from birth to age 17. Of the 279 adverse side effects found, 253 were mild, 1 was moderate and 25 were serious. However, the serious side effects were related to substandard conditions – not the acupuncture technique itself. About 150,000 U.S. children have acupuncture a year. It can be used to treat headaches, migraines, back and joint pain, cramps and chemotherapy-induced nausea. Unfortunately, acupuncture can’t treat children’s fear of needles.

School lunches aren’t making children fat. That’s according to a study published in the journal Sociology of Education. The study followed approximately 20,000 students from kindergarten through eighth grade in 1,000 public and private schools. In the eighth grade 35.5% of the children in schools serving junk food were overweight compared to 34.8% in schools not serving junk food. That’s a statistically insignificant difference. It’s not that middle schoolers aren’t eating junk food. It’s that most of the junk food they eat doesn’t come from school. “Home sweet home” may be too sweet, as well as too fatty.

Test children ages 9-11 for high cholesterol. That advice from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute was endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics to prevent heart disease later in life. Cholesterol levels dip during puberty and screening at age 20 may be too late. Fat builds up in the heart arteries during the first 20 years. After that the arteries start hardening. By fourth grade 10%-13% of U.S. children have high cholesterol, but less than 1% need mediation. In most children high cholesterol can be controlled by diet and exercise – and parents who have a “controlling interest”.

And children who get more exercise do better in school. A report published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reviewed 14 studies comparing children’s physical activity with their grades and scores on math, language, general thinking and memory tests. Whether exercise came from recess, physical education or getting to and from school, children benefitted. Exercise enables children to concentrate better. It also improves blood flow to the brain and boosts mood. The American Heart Association recommends 2-5 hours of physical education a week and 20 minutes of recess a day. School officials could also benefit from more exercise – of common sense.

 

ARE CHILDREN UNDER THE INFLUENCE?

Fathers are the major influence on their children’s choice of a favorite sports team. That’s according to a study done at Murray State University. When grown-ups were asked who had “the greatest single influence” when you picked your first sports team, 38.7% of men said it was their father. Brother(s) – 10.7% was the second most popular answer for men, followed by friends – 10.1%. As for women, 31.3% answered their father. For women the second most popular answer was school – 14.6%, followed by friends – 7.1%. It seems children connect with their fathers by sharing a team. Rooting becomes “teamwork”.

Outdoor play has been linked to better eyesight. In a study presented to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, researchers analyzed 8 previous studies involving more than 10,000 children and adolescents. They found that nearsighted children spent an average of 4 fewer hours outdoors per week than children who were farsighted or had normal vision. It seems nearsightedness could be caused by insufficient UV radiation, insufficient physical activity or less time looking into the distance. More research is necessary to determine how much outdoor time is necessary; but considering 42% of Americans are nearsighted, increasing children’s outdoor play seems “farsighted”.

Children and teenagers are seeing more ads for soda than ever before. A report from the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity found children’s exposure to full-calorie soda ads on television doubled from 2008 to 2010. In 2010 teens saw 18% more television ads and heard 46% more radio ads for energy drinks than adults did. Then there’s the computer. Twenty-one sugary drink brands have YouTube channels. Considering 8 ounces of a full-calorie fruit drink have 110 calories and 7 teaspoons of sugar – the same as in 8 ounces of soda or an energy drink – the calories “ad” up.

Rap, R&B and hip-hop music promote drinking. According to a study published in the journal Addiction, for every hour American teens listen to music, they hear more than 3 references to brand-name alcohol. Eight percent of rap songs mentioned alcohol in 1979. By 1997 it was 44%. At the same time brand name-drops rose from 46% to 71%. Many of the brands in lyrics are those named favorite by underage drinkers – especially girls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42% of high school students drank and 24% binge drank in 2009. That is not music to parents’ ears.

 

WHAT'S IT MEAN TO BE PARENTS?

Expectant mothers should be careful of what they eat – especially during the first trimester of their pregnancies. A Cal Poly/Brown University study examined the food intake of 285 pregnant women and recorded their babies’ weights at birth and at 6 months. Overweight and obese women who consumed more than 20% of their calories from sweets were more than twice as likely to have overweight or obese babies at birth and at 6 months than heavy women who consumed less than 20% from sweets. Expectant mothers who eat sweets can exercise more or enjoy the fact that sweet dreams aren’t fattening.

Older fathers are likely to have less intelligent children. That was the result of a study published in the Journal of Medical Genetics. Scientists looked for “copy number variation” DNA mutations in approximately 3,500 people with “intellectual disabilities”. They found the mutant gene in 227 people. Further analysis of the 118 with available data on their parents showed 90 people received the mutant gene from their father and these intellectually disabled people were much likelier to have an older father. Unfortunately, the scientists didn’t specify how old older is. Especially when talking about father/child genetics, the term older is “relative”.

Thin parents pass on thin genes. Researchers at London’s University College did a 5-year study evaluating this “inter-generational transmission” in 7,000 families with young children and teenagers. They determined parental weight strongly influenced thinness in children. For example, a child with 2 thin parents was twice as likely to be thin compared to a child with parents in the normal or upper half of the weight range. It seems weight-related genes give you a small appetite or a big one. Unfortunately, the study didn’t evaluate if the inter-generational transmission continued into adult life – or if it disappeared into “thin” air.

When it comes to parents in general, supposedly 11% regret what they named their child. That’s according to a 2011 Baby Center survey. Two reasons given for the regret were being influenced by trends and discovering other parents had chosen the same name. In 2010 the Social Security Administration listed Isabella as the most popular girl’s name, a name inspired by the movie series “Twilight”. Then there’s Apple, Bronx, Genesis, Jayden, Jaxon, Presley, Sunday and Trinity.  Parents want their child’s name to stand out – but not like a sore thumb. The science of names is stuck with the name onomastics.

 

IS THERE A CHECKLIST FOR PARENTING?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has checked out the effects of television on children under age 2. Because it hasn’t been proven children that young learn from television and because television may lead to sleep problems and delayed speech, the AAP says children that age should play instead of watching television. Even background television can distract children from learning from playtime activities. It can also distract parents from interacting with their children. Because about 90% of parents said their children under age 2 watch some type of media, it seems the importance of play is being “played down”.

A study in the Journal of Pediatrics checked out commercials and children. Seventy-five children ages 3-5 were divided into 2 groups. Half saw a commercial for French fries and half saw one for apple slices with a dipping sauce. When the children chose a coupon for one of the foods, half the parents were neutral and half encouraged the healthy choice. Seventy-one percent of the fries-commercial children with neutral parents chose fries – 55% with healthy-choice parents. Forty-six percent of the apple-slices-commercial children with neutral parents chose fries – 33% with healthy-choice parents. Parents can modify the strong influence of food commercials, but “ad-olescence” starts early.

A study published in the journal SLEEP checked out the activities and weights of 2,200 children ages 9-16 over a 4-day period. The children getting up early and going to bed early were in better physical shape than those staying up late and sleeping late. The night owls were 2 times likelier to be physically inactive, almost 3 times likelier to participate in inert activities like watching television and playing video games and 1.5 times likelier to be obese. Although both groups got the same amount of sleep, night owls didn’t exercise as much. Surfing the web isn’t exercise.

When parents are checking out their child’s boyfriend or girlfriend, they should check out the romantic partner’s friends too. A study published in the American Sociological Review questioned 898 7^th-12^th graders. Although teenagers’ longtime friends tend to be like-minded about values and lifestyle, romantic partners tend to come from different social circles. According to the study, teenagers are more influenced by the romantic partner’s friends then they are by the partner. They are motivated to be like those friends because they appeal to the new partner. Hopefully, it’s a change for the better; but parents can’t rely on hope.

WHAT CAN YOU BUY FOR $226,920?

 They say it takes a village to raise a child. Soon it may take a village to pay for raising a child. In 10 years the cost increased 40%. According to the Department of Agriculture, in 2010 it cost a middle-income, two-parent family approximately $226, 920 to raise a child to age 18. Six percent was for clothing, 8% for healthcare, 8% for miscellaneous, 14% for transportation, 16% for food, 17% for childcare and education and 31% for housing. During the same 10 years the median household income decreased 7%. Soon there may be a luxury tax on children.

The money that buys food for a child can also buy less risky behavior for that child. According to a Columbia University Study, teenagers who ate with their family 5-7 times weekly were almost 4 times less likely to try tobacco, more than twice less likely to drink alcohol and 2.5 times less likely to use marijuana than teens who had fewer than 3 family dinners weekly. Also, female adolescents who usually ate family dinner were less likely to purge or binge. Meals are times for families to connect – which means disconnecting electronics.

Sleep also reduces risky behavior. In a 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of more than 12,000 teenagers, 68.9% said they slept less than 8 hours on an average school night. In 10 of 11 categories those teens were likelier to participate in risky behavior. Over 50% of sleep-deprived students said they’d drunk alcohol in the previous 30 days compared to 36.7% of those who slept more than 8 hours. Sleep-deprived students were less likely to exercise, more likely to smoke, more sexually active and more likely to fight or contemplate suicide. According to this study, it’s possible to “sleep off” risky behavior.

Finally, it’s possible for a best friend to reduce stress. In a study done at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 103 fifth and sixth graders who had a best friend filled out diaries 5 times a day for 4 school days. They also filled out a questionnaire about how they felt about themselves and other people and had their saliva tested for the stress hormone cortisol. Children didn’t produce as much cortisol in response to unpleasant experiences when they had the calming influence of a best friend. They also felt better about themselves overall. It seems a best friend can depressurize peer pressure.

 

DO CHILDREN NEED MORE OR LESS?

 When it comes to sleep, the majority of children need more. Research has proven lack of sleep combined with genetic vulnerabilities can cause heart disease, depression, a weakened immune system and obesity-related diabetes. Sleep is also crucial for learning. It helps the brain retain and sharpen information. Elementary school children need 10 hours of sleep; middle and high schoolers need at least 9 hours. Unfortunately, catch-up sleep on weekends can increase sleepiness by throwing off children’s body clocks. Even more unfortunately, telling children to get more sleep is often an example of parental “Do what I say, not what I do”.

Children need less whole milk. Although milk is important for bone health, although it contains calcium and vitamin D, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say children age 2 and older should consume low-fat milk and milk products to avoid unnecessary fat and calories. According to a 2007-2008 CDC report, about 73% of children drink milk; but only about 20% drink low-fat milk. Older children, white children and children in the highest income category drink more low-fat milk than their counterparts. Considering the high obesity rate among children, this is a subject that should be “milked” for all it’s worth.

Children need smoke-free environments. According to another study published in the journal Pediatrics, 50% of adult smokers living with children smoke in the house; and those children miss more school. Children living with one at-home smoker miss about 1 extra day yearly. With 2 at-home smokers it’s 1.54 days. In fact, up to 33% of all missed school days by children of smokers can be attributed to second-hand smoke. When children get sick, working parents have to stay home, which adds up to about $227 million in lost wages yearly. It’s time to “smoke out” second-hand smoke.

Finally, in a 2011 policy statement published in the journal Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society “vigorously opposed” boxing for children under age 19. In addition to concussions and other head injuries, there is the risk children might develop “chronic traumatic encephalopathy” – a condition caused by repeated head blows that can lead to dementia later in life. According to government records, the rate of head injuries for 12- to 17-year-olds is the same as for older boxers – 3 for every 1,000 participants. When it comes to children’s sports, it seems parents should think “outside the box”ing.

 

ARE PARENTS' DON'T LISTS GETTING LONGER?

In spite of the song “Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”, that might be better than letting them be business majors. According to the 2011 PayScale survey, a business degree ranked 59^th. Students majoring in linguistics, biology, fashion design, literature, urban planning, food science and philosophy made more money. In mid-career salaries petroleum engineering/$155,000 was #1 – followed by chemical engineering/$109,000; electrical engineering/$103,000; material science and engineering/$103,000; aerospace engineering/$102,000; computer engineering/$101,000; physics/$101,000; applied mathematics/$98,600; nuclear engineering/$97,800; and biomedical engineering/$97,800. The top 20 highest-paying college degrees all require advanced math. The facts “add up”.

Something else we shouldn’t let children do is eat out too much. This trend has been increasing, reflecting the availability of fast food restaurants and food prepared in supermarkets and convenience stores. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, between 1977 and 2006 calories eaten away from home increased from 23.4% to 33.9%. We also shouldn’t serve so much fast food at home. In 2006 almost half the fast food children ate was eaten at home. Fast foods and prepared foods are high in fat, salt, sugar and calories – causing a “growing” problem.

However, there’s one thing you can’t stop mothers from doing. That’s worrying. Recent government figures show that in 2011 it cost an average $227,000 to raise a child from birth to age 17. When the parenting website BabyCenter asked 1,300 mothers what expenses they most worried about, 66% said school or college education. Housing was the second biggest worry/47%. Childcare, family vacations, and healthcare and medical bills were tied/44%. Food/42% was followed by transportation/41%, children’s activities/39%, family outings/32%, utilities/28%, baby care/26%, taxes/19%, new baby gear and furniture/11% and other/3%. On the list of worries, worry lines must come under “other”.

Nevertheless, there is something mothers-to-be can do. They can take fish oil. In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, 800 women were randomly given 400 milliliters of DHA (one of two main ingredients in fish oil) or a placebo daily from their second trimester through birth. Three times during the next 6 months researchers asked if the babies had experienced cold symptoms in the previous 15 days and if so, how long. The DHA babies not only had shorter periods of cold symptoms, but at 1 month they had 24% lower risk of any cold symptoms. DHA could help parents fight the “cold war”.