Caucasian Girls Research Articles

Parental Feeding Style and Eating Attitudes: Influences on Childrens Eating Behavior

Within the past three decades, the percentage of children who are overweight or at risk for overweight has more than doubled. Pediatric overweight negatively affects physical and psychological well-being, and overweight children are at high risk of becoming obese adults. Several parental variables are associated with childhood eating and weight problems, including genetics, feeding style, and role modeling of eating behaviors and attitudes. Parental restriction appears to be associated with unhealthy eating behaviors in children, particularly Caucasian girls. However, it is unknown whether parental restriction of access to highly palatable foods causes disinhibited eating and overweight in children, or if parents restrict in response to childrens overeating. Additionally, parental disinhibition seems to impact childrens eating behaviors negatively. Further, disinhibition appears to be strongly influenced by genetic factors; certain individuals may be predisposed to eat in response to environmental cues. In sum, many questions about parental factors associated with childrens eating behaviors remain. In addition to summarizing the literature, this review highlights areas where further investigation is needed. Finally, we provide preliminary suggestions for practitioners and others working with parents concerned about their children ’ s eating and weight, and highlight the need for intervention at multiple levels.

Association of Reduced Physical Activity and Quantitative Ultrasound Measurements: A 6-Year Follow-up Study of Adolescent Girls

Sonographic parameters of the heel were recorded in order to investigate the effects of changes in physical activities among 140 healthy growing peripubertal Caucasian girls. Calcaneal quantitative ultrasound measurements (Hologic Sahara) were recorded at baseline and 2- and 6-year follow-up. Broadband ultrasound attenuation, speed of sound (SOS), and T scores were documented. Altogether, 30 girls reduced their physical activity by >50% and 29 girls by 25-50%, whereas 81 girls continued at the present level or increased it. Age and physical activity together accounted for 16.7% of the variation in calcaneal T scores at baseline and for 16.4% at 2-year follow-up, whereas physical activity alone accounted for 11.3% of the variation at 6-year follow-up. The reduction in mean T scores was significant (from 2.0 to 0.8, P < 0.001) among those having discontinued their physical activity by the 6-year measurement. The changes between three groups were statistically significantly different from each other (P = 0.003). The mean SOS values decreased 16.78 meters per second (95% CI -26.9 to -6.7) among those having discontinued their physical activity between the 2- and 6-year follow-up measurements. The SOS value sensitively reacts to changes in physical activity, and consequently, it will help assess changes in bone quality. Because of such an immediate reaction, SOS is a good-quality measure for the physical condition of bone in young people and a suitable tool for detecting changes in calcaneal bone.

Developmental considerations in measuring children's disordered eating attitudes and behaviors

This study examined the discriminant ability of the Children's version of the Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) clinical cut-off in a low/low–middle socioeconomic status, non-clinical sample of primarily Hispanic and non-Hispanic white (Caucasian) girls aged 8 to 12. We investigated how age, age-standardized body mass index (z-BMI), body dissatisfaction, body esteem, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms contributed to disordered eating status in 152 girls. Girls scoring at/above the ChEAT clinical cut-off reported significantly greater body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms and lower body esteem than did girls who scored below the cut-off. We then investigated whether age moderated the discriminant ability of the ChEAT threshold and found that the ChEAT was significantly more sensitive when our sample was limited to 10- to 12-year-olds. An abbreviated 6-item ChEAT scale, based on marker items distinguishing at-risk and non-clinical status, was subsequently developed. Findings indicate that this abbreviated ChEAT scale has improved sensitivity with older girls (10- to 12-year-olds). However, sensitivity was unacceptable for younger girls (8- and 9-year-olds) for both the ChEAT and abbreviated ChEAT scale, regardless of cut-off.

Prevalence of Daidzein-Metabolizing Phenotypes Differs between Caucasian and Korean American Women and Girls

Interindividual differences in metabolism of the soy isoflavone, daidzein, to equol and O-desmethylangolensin (ODMA) by human gut bacteria, have been associated with altered risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, according to some studies. Differences have been reported in the prevalence of the equol-producer phenotype among populations, with a higher prevalence in soy-consuming Asian populations than in Western populations. To date, prevalence of the daidzein-metabolizing phenotypes in Asians, compared with Caucasians, has not been evaluated in the context of a standardized phenotyping method. We assessed the prevalence of equol- and ODMA-producer phenotypes in 91 Korean American (KA) women and girls living in the Seattle, Washington area and compared this with previous similarly collected prevalence data in Caucasian American (CA) women and girls (n = 222). We also compared the dietary habits of the 2 groups. Isoflavonoid concentrations in first-void morning urines, collected after a 3-d soy challenge, were used to establish equol-, and ODMA-producer phenotypes (>44 microg/L). The prevalence of the equol-producer phenotype was higher (51 vs. 36%; P = 0.015) and the ODMA-producer phenotype was lower (84 vs. 92%, P = 0.03) in KA than in CA women and girls. KAs consumed approximately 3 times more soy foods than the CAs, but no significant associations were found between the consumption of soy foods and equol-producer phenotype. Our findings support the reports that, compared with Western populations, Asian populations have a higher equol-producer prevalence. The additional observation that the prevalence of the ODMA-producer phenotype is lower in KAs suggests that daidzein-metabolizing patterns in general may differ between KAs and CAs.

Clinical Views, Research Highlights and Perspectives

It is obviously essential for the clinician to have a firm handle on the time of onset and variations in normal puberty. In 1997 a much discussed report by Herman-Giddens et al suggested that puberty may be initiated earlier in girls than was found in studies of previous cohorts. In this report puberty (Stage 2 or greater) was described on average as beginning at 8.87 years (±1.93 SD) in African-American girls and at 9.96 years (±1.82 SD) in Caucasian girls. Their study involved 17077 girls from primarily suburban general pediatric practices with 9.6% being African-American. There were significant methodologic concerns in the Herman-Giddens study. In spite of these shortcomings Kaplowitz and colleagues concluded more than a year later that girls with onset of puberty after age 6 in African-Americans or age 7 in Caucasians would likely not benefit from aggressive evaluation or treatment. (authors)

Physical Activity Attitudes, Preferences, and Practices in African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Girls

Physical activity levels in girls decline dramatically during adolescence, most profoundly among minorities. To explore ethnic and racial variation in attitudes toward physical activity, semistructured interviews (n = 80) and physical activity checklists (n = 130) are conducted with African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian middle school girls in six locations across the United States. Girls from all groups have similar perceptions of the benefits of physical activity, with staying in shape as the most important. Girls have similar negative perceptions of physical activity, including getting hurt, sweating, aggressive players, and embarrassment. Chores, running or jogging, exercises, and dance are common activities for girls regardless of ethnicity. Basketball, swimming, running, and dance are commonly cited favorite activities, although there are slight differences between ethnic groups. The results suggest that factors other than ethnicity contribute to girls' physical activity preferences and that distinct interventions may not be needed for each ethnic group.

57: Health risk behaviors in adolescent girls: Effects of childhood maltreatment and psychopathology

Health risk behaviors (HRBs), such as risky sex and substance use are more prevalent in teens with conduct disorder (CD). The mechanisms for this association are unknown, but exposure to childhood maltreatment may be a factor. The purpose of this pilot study was to test this hypothesis in girls with CD, compared to girls who were depressed or anxious and those who had no psychiatric problems. 82 girls (15-16 years old) were recruited from the community as part of a large study of psychoneuroendocrine function and psychopathology. Psychiatric diagnoses were made with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Parent and Youth Versions (DISC) and each girl was placed into one of three groups: conduct disorder (CD) (n= 53), mood/anxiety disorder (DEP) (n= 11), or no disorder (ND) (n= 18). The groups differed in socioeconomic status (SES) (CD girls were lower) and racial composition (fewer Caucasian girls in the CD group). HRBs were assessed with the Individual Risks (IRISK) sub-scale of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Adolescent Edition (CHIP-AE) and exposure to childhood maltreatment was measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Girls with CD had significantly lower scores on the IRISK than girls in the other groups (CD=3.80, DEP=4.58, NC=4.63); the two comparison groups did not differ from each other. The CD group also had significantly higher scores than the NC group on every type of maltreatment assessed on the CTQ. The DEP group also had significantly higher scores than the NC girls on sexual abuse and physical neglect; there was no difference between the CD and DEP groups. All analyses controlled for race and SES. In testing our hypothesis, we found that IRISK score and two types of maltreatment were significantly correlated: emotional neglect (r= −0.32; p= 0.002) and emotional abuse (r= −0.18; p= 0.05). Separate regression equations using group status and each of these CTQ sub-scale scores, controlling for race and SES, indicated that the only significant predictor of IRISK was membership in the CD group. This pilot study indicates that girls with CD engage in more HRBs than other girls and that they have more exposure to childhood maltreatment than girls in the NC group. Girls in the DEP group also had higher rates of some types of maltreatment than the girls in the NC group, but did not engage in high rates of HRBs. Our hypothesis that childhood maltreatment is a mechanism explaining the association between CD and HRBs was not borne out. This may have been due to the small sample size. Our future work will include more girls. If a larger sample size confirms these findings, however, we must look at other possible explanations for the CD-health risk behavior link than in childhood histories of maltreatment. Our finding that girls in the DEP group also have high rates of maltreatment, but no CD or HRBs, suggest that there may be at least two adolescent outcomes for abuse and neglect in girls. This merits replication and further investigation.

Physical Activity Attitudes, Preferences, and Practices in African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Girls

Physical Activity Attitudes, Preferences, and Practices in African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Girls

Self-reported symptoms of depression in late adolescence to early adulthood: a comparison of African-American and Caucasian females

The prevalence of depressive symptoms from adolescence through young adulthood was examined in 1,146 African-American adolescent girls and 1,075 Caucasian adolescent girls who completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression scale. Caucasian girls’ scores decreased over time, whereas scores for African-American girls were fairly consistent. Future studies are needed to examine age-specific risk factors in adolescent girls.

Rhnull syndrome: identification of a novel mutation in RHce

The deficiency of Rh proteins on red blood cells (RBCs) from individuals of the Rh(null) amorph type are the result of homozygosity for a silent RHCE in cis with a deleted RHD. A novel mutation in RHce was identified in two Caucasian Brazilian girls with the amorph type of Rh(null) who were born to parents who were first cousins. RBCs from the Rh(null) sisters and from family members were analyzed by serology and flow cytometry with specific antibodies. Genomic DNA and transcripts were tested by polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis. Rh(null) RBCs were nonreactive with anti-Rh and anti-LW. Molecular analyses showed a deletion of RHD and of one nucleotide (960/963; GGGG-->GGG) in exon 7 of the RHce. This deletion introduced a frameshift after Gly321, a new C-terminal sequence, and a premature stop codon, resulting in a shorter predicted protein with 357 amino acids. The detection of a unique RHce transcript indicated that the two sisters were homozygous, whereas the other family members were heterozygous for the mutation. A novel mutation resulting in the amorph Rh(null) with loss of Rh antigen expression is described.

Acculturation and eating disorders in Asian and Caucasian Australian university students

This study aimed to compare the attitudes and psychopathology of eating disorders of Asian and Caucasian university students using a survey method. The study also investigated the relationship between acculturation, attitudes and psychopathology of eating disorders in sub-groups of Asian girls. There were 130 Asian and 110 Caucasian adolescent girls, aged 18–24 who were screened using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-2) and an Acculturation Index. The Asian group did not have higher mean EAT score than the Caucasian group, but had higher mean score in some sub-scales of the EDI-2. Eating disordered attitudes and psychopathology was not significantly different in the low compared to the high accultured Asian girls. This study suggests that Asian and Caucasian university students in Western Australia are equally susceptible to eating disorders, and that the level of acculturation does not modify the susceptibility of Asian students for eating disorders.

Trajectory of Systolic Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents

Rapid height and weight changes during childhood contribute markedly to blood-pressure change during children's physical growth. This article evaluates the differences in systolic blood pressure (SBP) growth or changes between four gender-ethnic groups: African American males (AM), Caucasian males (CM), African American females (AF), and Caucasian females (CF). Subjects 6-9 years old at entry (n = 1302) were followed for 12 years. The repeated-measure data of SBP were analyzed using the Gompertz growth model with random coefficients. Mean SBP (mmHg) at age 6 years was lowest in African American girls (82.23 +/- 0.76) and highest in Caucasian boys (102.83 +/- 0.5). And for both ethnic groups, girls had lower levels at which SBP growth stopped. The peak growth ages (years) also differed by group: 9.30 +/- 0.73, 9.91 +/- 0.28, 10.00 +/- 0.82, and 10.60 +/- 0.22 for African American girls, African American boys, Caucasian girls and Caucasian boys, respectively. SBP growth differed among gender-ethnic groups with respect to mean SBP level at age 6, the level at which SBP growth stops and the mean age at which SBP growth rate was at its peak.

Physical activity in the post‐pubertal period is associated with maintenance of pre‐pubertal high bone density – a 5‐year follow‐up

To evaluate the association between physical activity (PA) and skeletal growth in girls during adolescence. A 5-year, observational, population-based study (Reykjavik, Iceland). Seventy-eight Caucasian girls, mean age 13.4+/-1.0 (mean+/-SD) years at baseline. Bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm2) and bone width (cm) were measured in the forearm by single-photon absorptiometry at baseline and with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry after 3 and 5 years, when lumbar spine, femoral neck (FN) and total body were also evaluated. Half of the physically active girls were compared with the other half of less active girls. BMD in physically active girls was higher in the forearm at both baseline (P=0.001) and after 5 years (P=0.04) in comparison with less active girls. BMD was higher for the total body (P=0.0001), spine L2-L4 (P=0.02) and FN (P=0.002) in the active girls at age 18. The accrual of forearm BMD and bone width from age 13 to 18 was no different when comparing the two groups. Pre-pubertal PA is associated with high BMD at age 13 and continued PA is associated with maintenance of high BMD until age 18.

Acculturation and eating disorders in Asian and Caucasian Australian adolescent girls

The present study aimed to compare the attitudes and psychopathology of eating disorders between Asian and Caucasian adolescent girls; and investigate the relationship between acculturation and the attitudes and psychopathology of eating disorders in subgroups of Asian girls. Two groups of non-clinical adolescent girls in Perth, Western Australia, were compared using a survey method. There were 17 Asian and 25 Caucasian adolescent girls, aged 14-17 drawn from private high schools in Perth who were screened using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-2), and an acculturation index. The psychopathology scores for eating disorders of the Asian group were significantly higher than that of the Caucasian group in terms of total EDI-2 score, Interpersonal Distrust, Maturity Fears, Impulse Regulation and Social Insecurity subscales. Eating attitudes measured by Dieting subscale of the EAT-26 was significantly different. Within the Asian group, the less acculturated girls had higher scores on the EAT-26 and the EDI-2 than the more acculturated. Less acculturated Asian girls appeared to have unhealthier attitudes and psychopathology toward eating.

Physical Activity in the Prevention and Amelioration of Osteoporosis in Women

Osteoporosis is a serious health problem that diminishes quality of life and levies a financial burden on those who fear and experience bone fractures. Physical activity as a way to prevent osteoporosis is based on evidence that it can regulate bone maintenance and stimulate bone formation including the accumulation of mineral, in addition to strengthening muscles, improving balance, and thus reducing the overall risk of falls and fractures. Currently, our understanding of how to use exercise effectively in the prevention of osteoporosis is incomplete. It is uncertain whether exercise will help accumulate more overall peak bone mass during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. Also, the consistent effectiveness of exercise to increase bone mass, or at least arrest the loss of bone mass after menopause, is also in question. Within this framework, section 1 introduces mechanical characteristics of bones to assist the reader in understanding their responses to physical activity. Section 2 reviews hormonal, nutritional and mechanical factors necessary for the growth of bones in length, width and mineral content that produce peak bone mass in the course of childhood and adolescence using a large sample of healthy Caucasian girls and female adolescents for reference. Effectiveness of exercise is evaluated throughout using absolute changes in bone with the underlying assumption that useful exercise should produce changes that approximate or exceed the absolute magnitude of bone parameters in a healthy reference population. Physical activity increases growth in width and mineral content of bones in girls and adolescent females, particularly when it is initiated before puberty, carried out in volumes and at intensities seen in athletes, and accompanied by adequate caloric and calcium intakes. Similar increases are seen in young women following the termination of statural growth in response to athletic training, but not to more limited levels of physical activity characteristic of longitudinal training studies. After 9-12 months of regular exercise, young adult women often show very small benefits to bone health, possibly because of large subject attrition rates, inadequate exercise intensity, duration or frequency, or because at this stage of life accumulation of bone mass may be at its natural peak. The important influence of hormones as well as dietary and specific nutrient abundance on bone growth and health are emphasised, and premature bone loss associated with dietary restriction and estradiol withdrawal in exercise-induced amenorrhoea is described. In section 3, the same assessment is applied to the effects of physical activity in postmenopausal women. Studies of postmenopausal women are presented from the perspective of limitations of the capacity of the skeleton to adapt to mechanical stress of exercise due to altered hormonal status and inadequate intake of specific nutrients. After menopause, effectiveness of exercise to increase bone mineral depends heavily on adequate availability of dietary calcium. Relatively infrequent evidence that physical activity prevents bone loss or increases bone mineral after menopause may be a consequence of inadequate calcium availability or low intensity of exercise in training studies. Several studies with postmenopausal women show modest increases in bone mineral toward the norm seen in a healthy population in response to high-intensity training. Physical activities continue to stimulate increases in bone diameter throughout the lifespan. These exercise-stimulated increases in bone diameter diminish the risk of fractures by mechanically counteracting the thinning of bones and increases in bone porosity. Seven principles of bone adaptation to mechanical stress are reviewed in section 4 to suggest how exercise by human subjects could be made more effective. They posit that exercise should: (i) be dynamic, not static; (ii) exceed a threshold intensity; (iii) exceed a threshold strain frequency; (iv) be relatively brief but intermittent; (v) impose an unusual loading pattern on the bones; (vi) be supported by unlimited nutrient energy; and (vii) include adequate calcium and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) availability.

Physical Activities and Sedentary Pursuits in African American and Caucasian Girls

The purposes of this study were to describe and compare the specific physical activity choices and sedentary pursuits of African American and Caucasian American girls. Participants were 1,124 African American and 1,068 Caucasian American eighth-grade students from 31 middle schools. The 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) was used to measure participation in physical activities and sedentary pursuits. The most frequently reported physical activities were walking, basketball, jogging or running, bicycling, and social dancing. Differences between groups were found in 11 physical activities and 3 sedentary pursuits. Participation rates were higher in African American girls (p ≤. 001) for social dancing basketball, watching television, and church attendance but lower in calisthenics, ballet and other dance, jogging or running rollerblading soccer, softball or baseball, using an exercise machine, swimming, and homework. Cultural differences of groups should be considered when planning interventions to promote physical activity.

Peak oxygen uptake in relation to age, sex, and maturation in Hong Kong Chinese children.

This cross-sectional study was designed to provide baseline information on peak oxygen uptake for Southern Chinese children in relation to age and sexual maturation. Sixty-three boys and 84 girls, classified for stage of sexual maturation using Tanner's stages, successfully completed a peak oxygen uptake test. ANOVA was used to examine differences in absolute and mass-related peak VO(2). The least-squares log-linear relationship between mass and peak VO(2) was examined using analysis of covariance. We found no difference between boys' and girls' peak VO(2) prior to puberty. Absolute peak VO(2) values for under-10-year-old Chinese girls and boys were 17% and 19%, respectively, lower than Caucasian predicted values. Log-linear adjusted means for prepubertal boys and girls were 34% and 33% lower than Caucasian boys and girls, respectively. By adolescence, values were comparable to Caucasian values. South Chinese children show a distinct pattern of development relative to Caucasian children, particularly in the younger age groups.

Eating and body image concerns among average-weight and obese African American and Hispanic girls

Concern has been expressed that African American and Hispanic girls, because of their greater prevalence and degree of overweight, may be at greater risk than Caucasian girls for the development of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to document the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to compare overweight and obese girls to average-weight girls with regard to early warning signs of eating disorder development. Participants included 139 predominantly African American and Hispanic girls who were classified as average weight, overweight, or obese in Grades 4 and 5. Overall, 18% of the girls were overweight and an additional 30.9% were obese. Overweight and obese girls had lower body esteem and greater concerns about peer influence than did their average-weight peers. They did not have greater fears of negative evaluation or more disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors. Future research should incorporate instruments more sensitive to disorders of overeating and investigate how eating disorder development differs among girls from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Reference charts of body proportion for Japanese girls and boys

Background: Data from previous studies provided the mean values of body proportions for each age group of healthy Japanese children, but not the standard curves describing the distribution.Aim: The aim of the study was to construct a chart of body proportion of girls and boys in Japan.Subjects and methods: About 4% of the nationwide student population in Japan, more than 20 000 children per group of both boys and girls of all ages, was included randomly. The upper/lower ratio (ULR) was calculated from correlation tables containing stature and sitting height data reported in the Statistical Report on School Health and Hygiene. The subischial leg length was calculated by subtracting sitting height from stature.Results: The present study showed that Japanese boys (13.5–17.5 years old) were taller and had relatively longer legs than Japanese girls in the same age group, and that the median ULRs of Japanese girls and boys (5.5–17.5 years old) were larger than the average of Caucasian girls and boys reported previously. In boys, the percentile values reached the lowest at 13.5 years, then increased slightly. On the other hand, in girls, the percentile values remained constant after 11.5 years, which is different in boys in the present study and in other Caucasian populations obtained from several studies.Conclusion: The new chart provides useful information in the assessment of the body proportions of Japanese children.

Tracking of physical activity and aerobic power from childhood through adolescence.

To evaluate the tracking of physical activity levels (PA) and aerobic power (VO2max) in African-American (AA) and Caucasian (CA) youth as they age from 8 to 16 yr. Subjects were 529 girls and 535 boys for whom data were obtained at least three times over 7 yr and a subset of 387 girls and 404 boys who participated in all years. PA levels were obtained from a survey. VO2max was predicted from a cycle ergometer test. Spearman correlation for VO2max for years 1-7 for AA boys and girls were similar (rho approximately 0.53). Year 1-7 correlations for VO2max for the CA boys and girls were similar (rho approximately 0.50-0.53). The year 2-7 correlations for PA were similar for the AA and CA girls but higher for the AA than the CA boys. The kappa (kappa) statistics for VO2max indicated substantial year-to-year agreement on categorization (high, moderate, and low), with AA girls having the highest agreement and AA boys the lowest. The kappa statistic for high, moderate, and low PA groupings in girls of either ethnicity was quite low, whereas the kappa statistics for the boys were somewhat better. The general estimating equation (GEE) stability coefficients for tracking of VO2max were similar between the sexes and ethnicities (P<0.0001). The GEE stability coefficient for PA was better for the boys than girls and slightly better for the AA than CA. Although aerobic power and physical activity levels decline from childhood through adolescence, aerobic power tracks better than physical activity levels. Because tracking within the cohort is only moderate, change is possible if we intervene early in these youth.