MCH Alert


Maternal and Child Health Library

This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.


January 16, 2009

1. Brochure for Families Revised to Address Current Information on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
2. Report Presents Research Findings on the Co-Occurrence of Drug Abuse Disorders and Other Mental Illnesses
3. Guide Provides Published Resources for Understanding and Using Child and Youth Indicators
4. Study Explores Whether an Online Intervention Reduces Display of Risk Behaviors on Social Networking Sites
5. Article Estimates Vigorous Physical Activity Levels in Different Geographic Regions

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1.  BROCHURE FOR FAMILIES REVISED TO ADDRESS CURRENT INFORMATION ON ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a brochure for families that offers information on ADHD and its management, including research on medications and behavioral interventions and resources on educational options. The brochure, published by the National Institute of Mental Health, is a revision of a brochure first printed in 1994 and reprinted in 1996. Contents include a definition of ADHD and a discussion of its symptoms, diagnosis, and causes. Topics include disorders that sometimes accompany ADHD, treatment, the family and ADHD, behavioral interventions, and how ADHD affects children in school. The brochure contains sections on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults. A list of resource books and contact information on support groups and organizations are included. The brochure is available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd/nimhadhdpub.pdf.

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2. REPORT PRESENTS RESEARCH FINDINGS ON THE CO-OCCURRENCE OF DRUG ABUSE DISORDERS AND OTHER MENTAL ILLNESSES

Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses provides information on the state of the science of comorbidity (defined as two disorders or illnesses that occur in the same person, simultaneously or sequentially), with a focus on the comorbidity of drug use disorders and other mental illnesses. The report was published as part of the National Institute of Drug Abuse's Research Report Series, which reports on research findings of national interest for the lay public, legislators, educational groups, and practitioners. Content is presented in a question-and-answer format and includes discussions of the definition of comorbidity, drug addiction and mental illness, and drug use and other mental disorders. Other topics include why drug use disorders often co-occur with other mental illnesses and how comorbidity can be diagnosed and treated. Statistical graphs and a glossary are included. The report is available at http://www.drugabuse.gov/researchreports/comorbidity.

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3. GUIDE PROVIDES PUBLISHED RESOURCES FOR UNDERSTANDING AND USING CHILD AND YOUTH INDICATORS

A Guide to Resources for Creating, Locating, and Using Child and Youth Indicator Data provides brief descriptions of data and information resources available to those who work in the child and youth indicators field. The guide was produced by Child Trends and Kids Count with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Items covered include (1) books, journals, and other publications related to the identification, measurement, development, and use of child indicators; (2) professional newsletters focused on child indicator issues and products; (3) Web sites offering data at the national, state, and local levels; (4) research centers focusing on child and youth well-being; and (5) technical resources for those who would like to develop their own indicators Web sites. The guide is available at http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_01_05_FR_ChildIndicatorGuide.pdf.

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4. STUDY EXPLORES WHETHER AN ONLINE INTERVENTION REDUCES DISPLAY OF RISK BEHAVIORS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

"Our study shows that an e-mail intervention to reduce SNS [social networking site] display of risk behaviors is feasible and may be effective," state the authors of an article published in the January 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Given the popularity of SNSs among adolescents, the adverse effects associated with displaying risk behaviors online, and the lack of adult monitoring and guidance on SNSs, mechanisms to modulate adolescents' risk behaviors are warranted. This article presents findings from a study to test the hypothesis that a cautionary online message from a physician could reduce older at-risk adolescents' displays of risk behavior on an SNS.

The intervention was conducted between April 2 and July 31, 2007, using the Web site www.MySpace.com. The study sample included 1,340 publicly available individual MySpace profiles having a selected zip code, a reported age between 18 and 20, and three or more references to sexual behaviors and substance use, including at least one reference to alcohol use and one reference to tobacco use. The intervention group received a single e-mail message sent by the researchers on behalf of an adolescent medicine physician from within the MySpace system. The message provided information about the risky nature of online personal disclosures and a link to a Web site containing information about sexually transmitted infections and free testing for Chlamydia. The control group received no contact from the researchers. The four outcomes of interest were measured 3 months after the intervention: (1) eliminated all references to sex, (2) eliminated all references to substance use, (3) changed profile security to "private," and (4) completed any one of these protective actions.

The authors found that
"The results suggest that a single e-mail message from a physician can affect adolescents' online display of references to risk behaviors," conclude the authors. They add, parents and health professionals "should recognize the importance of SNSs in adolescents' social lives, discuss SNS disclosures with both younger and older adolescents, and provide Internet safety resources."

Moreno MA, VanderStoep A, Parks MR, et al. 2009. Reducing at-risk adolescents' display of risk behavior on a social networking web site: A randomized controlled pilot intervention trial. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 163(1):35-41. Abstract available at http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/163/1/35.

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5. ARTICLE ESTIMATES VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS IN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS

"Substantial geographical disparities in childhood VPA [vigorous physical activity] levels shown here underscore the significance of geography in addressing the health and social policy options that are needed to curtail the increasing trends in sedentary lifestyle and the resultant obesity rates in US children," write the authors of an article published in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. Regular physical activity (PA) and dietary measures focusing on healthful eating patterns are important components in achieving energy balance and are considered crucial in obesity prevention and in reversing the growing obesity trend in the United States. Although gender and racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of PA among U.S. children and adolescents are frequently examined, geographic disparities are rarely analyzed. The purpose of the study described in this article was to (1) estimate the levels of VPA among children and adolescents ages 6-17 in nine geographic regions in the 50 states and Washington, DC (DC); (2) examine the extent of regional and state disparities in childhood VPA levels; and (3) identify individual- and area-level socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral predictors of these geographic disparities.

Data for the current analysis came from the National Survey of Children's Health, a telephone survey conducted between January 2003 and July 2004. The analysis was carried out for 68,288 children and adolescents for whom complete information on PA was available. The dependent variable was VPA. The child's or adolescent's state and region of residence was the primary covariate of interest.

The authors found that
The authors conclude that "health promotion efforts should target both individual socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors as well as modify the contextual social and environmental factors to reduce geographic disparities in childhood physical activity levels.

Singh GK, Kogan MD, Sahpush M, et al. 2009. Prevalence and correlates of state and regional disparities in vigorous physical activity levels among US children and adolescents. Journal of Physical Activity and Health 6(1):73-87. Abstract available at http://www.humankinetics.com/jpah/viewarticle.cfm?jid=XuqBcn3dXsyJvvkMXzgDfu67XckKs6fnXfwGh3hQXvcEmNMjXz&aid=16680&site=XuqBcn3dXsyJvvkMXzgDfu67XckKs6fnXfwGh3hQXvcEmNMjXz.

Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library resource:

- Physical Activity and Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_phys_activity.html

Information is also available from the following Bright Futures at Georgetown University resource:

- Bright Futures in Practice: Physical Activity at
http://www.brightfutures.org/physicalactivity/index.html

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MCH Alert © 1998-2009 by National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health and Georgetown University. MCH Alert is produced by Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health under its cooperative agreement (U02MC00001) with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to use the work for federal purposes and to authorize others to use the work for federal purposes.
 
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