Effects For Boys Research Articles

Genetic confounding in the association of early motor development with childhood and adolescent exercise behavior

IntroductionEarly motor development has been found to be a predictor of exercise behavior in children and adolescents, but whether this reflects a causal effect or confounding by genetic or shared environmental factors remains to be established.MethodsFor 20,911 complete twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register a motor development score was obtained from maternal reports on the timing of five motor milestones. During a 12-year follow-up, subsamples of the mothers reported on the twins’ ability to perform seven gross motor skills ability (N = 17,189 pairs), and weekly minutes of total metabolic equivalents of task (MET) spent on sports and exercise activities at age 7 (N = 3632 pairs), age 10 (N = 3735 pairs), age 12 (N = 7043 pairs), and age 14 (N = 3990 pairs). Multivariate phenotypic and genetic regression analyses were used to establish the predictive strength of the two motor development traits for future exercise behavior, the contribution of genetic and shared environmental factors to the variance in all traits, and the contribution of familial confounding to the phenotypic prediction.ResultsSignificant heritability (h2) and shared environmental (c2) effects were found for early motor development in boys and girls (h2 = 43-65%; c2 = 16-48%). For exercise behavior, genetic influences increased with age (boys: h2age7 = 22% to h2age14 = 51%; girls: h2age7 = 3% to h2age14 = 18%) paired to a parallel decrease in the influence of the shared environment (boys: c2age7 = 68% to c2age14 = 19%; girls: c2age7 = 80% to c2age14 = 48%). Early motor development explained 4.3% (p < 0.001) of the variance in future exercise behavior in boys but only 1.9% (p < 0.001) in girls. If the effect in boys was due to a causal effect of motor development on exercise behavior, all of the factors influencing motor development would, through the causal chain, also influence future exercise behavior. Instead, only the genetic parts of the regression of exercise behavior on motor development were significant. Shared and unique environmental parts of the regression were largely non-significant, which is at odds with the causal hypothesis.ConclusionNo support was found for a direct causal effect in the association between rapid early motor development on future exercise behavior. In boys, early motor development appears to be an expression of the same genetic factors that underlie the heritability of childhood and early adolescent exercise behavior.

Sex differences in the mediation role of political mobilization between the search for status and risk-taking behaviors in adolescents

One of the primary drivers behind adolescents engaging in risk-taking behaviors is the pursuit of status. This study examines how activism and radicalism mediate the relation between the search for status and risk-taking behaviors, moderated by sex. A total of 482 participants, with an average age of 17.97 (SD = 1.83), reported their levels of status-seeking, activism, radicalism, and engagement in risk-taking behaviors. The study revealed an indirect effect of seeking status on risk-taking behaviors through the mechanisms of activism and radicalism. Furthermore, sex moderated the relation between status, activism and radicalism, and risk-taking behaviors. In both girls and boys, activism correlated with reduced engagement in risk-taking, while radicalism correlated with increased engagement. In terms of sex differences, both activism and radicalism showed a more pronounced effect in boys than in girls. These findings highlight the role of political mobilization on the relation between the pursuit of status and engagement in risk-taking.

Sex-specific associations between prenatal exposure to phthalates and neurocognitive development in Taiwanese children: Application of environmental mixture methods to small study sample

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Few studies have examined the sex-specific effect of phthalates as a mixture by applying multiple mixture methods to a small study sample. This study, therefore, examined sex-specific associations of prenatal exposure to urinary phthalates with neurocognitive development in Taiwanese children aged two to three years old. METHODS: The study included 127 children who were followed up at the ages two-three years in the Taiwanese Maternal and Infant Cohort Study. The Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Development Index (MDI) were measured in children using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II (BSID-II). The monomethyl phthalate, monoethyl phthalate, mono-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-benzyl phthalate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) were measured in urine samples collected from mothers during pregnancy. Multivariable linear regression (MLR), Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression, quantile g-computation (qgcom), Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), the Super Learner with g-computation were applied and compared to examine the sex-specific effects of the phthalate mixture on MDI and PDI. RESULTS: The mediation MDI and PDI were 94.0 and 99.0, respectively. The spearman correlation ranged between -0.01 and 0.74. None of these methods could detect any sex-specific associations between phthalates and MDI. Results suggest that WQS and qgcomp were able to detect inverse associations between phthalates and PDI with a stronger effect in boys. BKMR and Super Learner with g-computation were unable to detect any precise associations of phthalates with PDI. However, mixture methods detected mixtures&amp;#x27; negative directionality and linear dose-response effects on neurocognitive development. MBP, MEHP, and MEOHP dominated these associations with PDI. CONCLUSIONS: Mixture methods outperformed MLR. However, flexible approaches like BKMR and Super Learner with g-computation may perform better with larger samples. Therefore, the study recommends using multiple mixtures methods for getting comprehensive results from mixture studies. KEYWORDS: Mixture; Neurodevelopment; WQS; BKMR; G-computation

Gender differences in the association between biomarkers of environmental smoke exposure and developmental disorders in children and adolescents.

Effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure on children and adolescent health outcomes have been attracted more and more attention. In the present study, we seek to examine the gender-specific difference association of environmental smoke exposure biomarkers and developmental disorders in children and adolescents aged 6-15 years. US nationally representative sample collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2014 was enrolled (N = 4428). Developmental disorders (DDs) are defined as a positive answer to the question, "Does your child receive special education or early intervention services?" Serum cotinine and urinary 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) were utilized as acute and chronic exposure biomarkers of ETS, respectively. Participants with serum cotinine >0.015 ng/mL were considered as with acute ETS exposure, and participants with creatinine-adjusted NNAL >0.0006 ng/mL were considered as with chronic ETS exposure. A survey logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between ETS exposure biomarkers and DDs. Additive interaction was utilized to examine the interaction of gender and biomarkers of ETS. Overall, approximately 9% of children were defined as DDs, and 65% of children had serum cotinine and urinary NNAL levels above the limit of detection. In the adjusted models, the association of ETS exposure biomarkers with DDs was only observed in girls. Girls with low cotinine levels and high urinary NNAL levels had 2.074 (95% CI: 1.012-4.247) and 1.851 (95% CI: 1.049-3.265) times higher odds of being DDs than those without ETS exposure, respectively. However, the effects of boys and NNAL exposure on DDs have additively interacted. Our findings first provided strong evidence for gender differences in the association between two tobacco metabolites and DDs in children, disclosing the public health implications and economic burdens of environmental tobacco smoke exposure.

Private schooling and unhealthy lifestyle in France

ABSTRACT Using data which follow the educational trajectories of students during secondary education and measure health status during adulthood, this paper analyzes the effects of private schooling on a range of unhealthy lifestyle outcomes. To account for the non-random selection of students in French private schools I use propensity score matching. I find a positive effect of private schooling on the self-reported health status of girls and a negative effect for boys. These results are related to those on risky behaviours: I find that enrolment in a private school reduces the likelihood of daily smoking for girls, but increases the likelihood of drinking multiple times a week for boys, twelve years after sixth grade. A set of robustness checks confirms the robustness of my results.

Sugar rush or sugar crash? Experimental evidence on the impact of sugary drinks in the classroom.

Sugary drinks in schools have been demonized for their potential long-term contribution to rising obesity rates. Surprisingly, there is only little evidence on the immediate effects of sugary drinks in schools. This paper provides experimental evidence on the in-class effects of sugary drinks on behavior and student achievement. We randomly assigned 462 preschool children to receive sugary drinks or artificially sweetened drinks and collected data before and after consumption. Our findings suggest that the consumption of one sugary drink induces an initial "relaxing" effect for boys, before making them more restless. Girls' behavior is not significantly affected. We find a negative effect on student achievement for boys and a positive effect for girls. We show the robustness of the results across two field experiments.

Growing violence: the image of the boy in Australian domestic violence prevention campaigns

ABSTRACT This paper explores the discursive construction of boys in two Australia domestic violence primary prevention advertisement campaigns. The first, ‘Stop it at the Start’, is an Australian government initiative which launched in 2016 and includes five different video shorts. The second is the Victorian Government’s 2016 ‘Respect Women. For Our Children’s Future’ campaign, which includes two video advertisements: ‘Nothing Good about Dads Who Abuse Women’ and ‘Family Violence Has No Good Days’. We explore the tendency of these campaigns to construct boys as future perpetrators; their representation of boys’ unambiguous and painless inculcation into masculine violence; their lack of attention to the psychological effects of boys’ experiences of witnessing domestic violence; how the ‘future’ framing of the advertisement diverts attention away from violence done to women in the present; and, their failure to represent feminist education for boys. By examining these limitations, we draw attention to the places where an affirmative feminist studies of boys is needed in order to address the realities and needs of boys in the present.

Boys don’t cry (or do the dishes): Family size and the housework gender gap

We here use data from the British Cohort Study (BCS) to link family size to age-16 children’s contribution to household chores and the adult housework gender gap. Assuming that home production is an increasing function of family size and using an instrument to account for the endogeneity of fertility, we show that larger families have a different effect on boys and girls at age 16: girls in large families are significantly more likely to contribute to housework, with no effect for boys. We then show that childhood family size affects the housework gender gap between the cohort members and their partners at age 34. Women who grew up in larger families are more likely to carry out a greater share of household tasks in adulthood, as compared to women from smaller families. In addition, growing up in a large family makes cohort members more likely to sort into households with a wider housework gender gap as adults. We show that the persistent effect of family size is due to the adoption of behaviours in line with traditional gender roles: a lower likelihood of employment and shorter commutes for women, along with a higher employment probability for their partners.

Combined effect of height growth and overweight/obesity on blood pressure in children

Objective To investigate the association between the combined effect of height growth and overweight/obesity with elevated blood pressure in Chinese children. Methods Based on a cohort study of puberty development in Xiamen, a cluster sampling method was used to select 1 313 children whose complete height, weight and blood pressure levels at baseline were obtained in 2017 and during a follow-up in 2019. The incidence of elevated blood pressure was compared between four different subgroups, and multivariate Logistic regression was performed to analyze the combined effect in boys and girls. Results Among 1 313 children, the prevalence of elevated blood pressure at baseline was 25.2%. After 2 years of follow-up, the incidence of elevated blood pressure was 19.7% and 23.4% in boys, and 16.6% in girls. After adjusting for factors including age, sex, family history of hypertension, sleep time, intake of fruits, vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, and meat products, multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that children in the high height growth and overweight/obesity group were more likely to exhibit a higher incidence of elevated blood pressure (overall: RR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.44–4.04; boys: RR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.45–5.02). Among girls, the risk of elevated blood pressure in the low height growth and overweight/obesity group also increased significantly ( RR = 4.47, 95% CI = 1.45–13.75). Conclusion A large magnitude of height growth and being overweight/obesity were associated with elevated blood pressure in children, especially boys. Therefore, interventions that are targeted toward obesity prevention in children before pubertal growth spurts in height may be beneficial to reduce childhood high blood pressure. 【摘要】 目的 分析不同身高增长幅度与超重肥胖联合作用对儿童新发血压偏高的影响, 为探索防控儿童血压偏高的策 略提供科学依据。 方法 基于厦门市青春期发育队列研究, 采用整群抽样方法, 选取 2017 年基线和 2019 年随访时身高、 体重和血压数据完整的 1 313 名小学生作为研究对象。采用多因素 Logistic 回归模型分析不同身高增长幅度与超重肥胖 的联合作用对儿童血压偏高的影响。 结果 1 313 名小学生基线时 (2017 年) 血压偏高检出率为 25.2%; 随访 2 年后, 未发 生血压偏高的人群中有 19.7% 的儿童新发了血压偏高, 男生血压偏高新发率为 23.4%, 女生为 16.6%。多因素 Logistic 回归 模型分析显示, 在调整年龄、性别、高血压家族史J垂眠时间、水果、蔬菜、含糖饮料及肉制品摄人情况后, 总体及男生身高增 长高水平超重肥胖组血压偏高新发的风险高于身高增长低水平非超重肥胖组 (总体: RR = 2.41, 95% CI =1.44~4.04; 男生: RR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.45~5.02); 女生身高增长低水平联合超重肥胖组血压偏高检出率也显著增加 ( RR = 4.47, 95% CI = 1.45~13.75)。 结论 身高增长幅度较高和超重肥胖是儿童血压偏高发病的影响因素, 尤其是在男生中。在青春期身高突增 前对儿童进行肥胖的预防和干预可能有益于降低儿童期高血压的发生。

Long-term efficacy and safety of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog treatment in children with idiopathic central precocious puberty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the long‐term efficacy and safety of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analog (GnRHa) treatment in children with idiopathic central precocious puberty (CPP).MethodThe protocol was registered with International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42018102792). PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched for eligible comparative and single‐arm studies.ResultsWe identified a total of 98 studies that included 5475 individuals. The overall risk of bias of the eligible studies ranged from critical to moderate. The overall quality of evidence for each outcome ranged from very low to moderate. Evidence‐based comparative studies showed that GnRHa treatment increase final adult height (FAH, cm; studies = 4, n = 242; mean difference [MD] = 4.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.32 to 7.34; I 2 = 49%) and decrease body mass index (BMI, kg/m2; studies = 3, n = 334; MD = −1.01; 95% CI, −1.64 to −0.37; I 2 = 0%) in girls with idiopathic CPP compared with no treatment. The incidence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) did not significantly differ with and without GnRHa treatment (studies = 3, n = 179; risk ratio = 1.21; 95% CI, 0.46 to 3.15; I 2 = 48%). The evidence for other long‐term outcomes was very weak to deduce the effects of GnRHa treatment. Further, limited evidence is available on its effects in boys.ConclusionCompared with no treatment, evidence indicates that GnRHa treatment increase FAH and decrease BMI in girls with idiopathic CPP. GnRHa treatment did not evidently increase the risk of PCOS. However, evidence regarding other key long‐term outcomes (such as infertility and malignant or metabolic diseases) was considered very weak to suggest the benefits or side effects of GnRHa treatment. Additional high‐quality evidence is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

A sex/gender perspective on interventions to promote children\u2019s and adolescents\u2019 overall physical activity: results from genEffects systematic review

BackgroundTo evaluate the effects of interventions on children’s and adolescents’ overall physical activity (PA) for boys and girls separately and to appraise the extent to which the studies haven taken sex/gender into account.MethodsSystematic review and semi-quantitative analysis. Eleven electronic databases were searched to identify all relevant randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. Studies had to report overall PA as the main outcome to be eligible for inclusion in the review. The main outcomes of the studies is a quantified measure of overall PA. Additionally, all studies had to report sex/gender disaggregated overall PA at baseline and/or follow up and/or explain how they dealt with sex/gender during outcome analysis (i.e., sex/gender adjusted analyses) and/or report that there were no differences in the outcome when looking at sex/gender. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Two authors independently screened studies for eligibility and assessed the risk of bias. Semi-quantitative analyses were conducted to evaluate intervention effects, taking into account the extent to which studies have considered sex/gender aspects. To evaluate sex/gender considerations in primary studies, a newly developed sex/gender checklist was used. The study was registered previously (registration number CRD42018109528).ResultsIn total, 97 articles reporting 94 unique studies with 164 outcomes for overall PA were included in the present review. Average sample size was 829 participants, ranging from five to 9839. Participants’ ages ranged from three to 19 years. Our review shows that overall 35% of PA outcomes had significant effects in increasing overall PA of children and adolescents. Not including single sex/gender studies, 105 out of 120 PA outcomes resulted in same intervention effects for boys and girls. The interventions reported to have similar effects on PA outcomes for boys and girls showed higher quality of reporting sex/gender aspects of measurement instruments, participant flow and intervention content and materials than PA outcomes with effects only in boys or only in girls. Overall, consideration of sex/gender aspects in intervention studies is low.ConclusionsThere is still a need to address sufficient consideration of sex/gender aspects in developing and implementing interventions in the context of PA.

Pushed out of the education system: using a natural experiment to evaluate consequences for boys

ObjectivesTo examine the short-term effects of admission requirements for upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) on enrollment and criminal offending among academically low-achieving boys.MethodsWe apply multi-group difference-in-differences models to full population data and analyze an educational policy reform in Denmark (N = 60,759).ResultsThe reform caused a 16 percentage points lower enrollment in VET among academically low-achieving boys, and their risk of being charged with a crime increased by up to two percentage points 9 months after the end of compulsory school. However, after 12 months, the effect on criminal charges disappeared.ConclusionIn the education-crime nexus, educational enrollment in upper secondary education is an understudied margin, which has important implications for both scholars and policy-makers. Limitations include the short follow-up period and that the analyses examine effects for boys only.

Biomonitoring of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in human milk: Exposure and risk assessment for lactating mothers and breastfed children from Spain

The main objective of the present research was to evaluate the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in the human milk of Spanish lactating women who participated in the BETTERMILK project so that exposure and risk could be assessed for these mothers and their breastfed children. The total ∑PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs TEQ2005 concentrations in the upper-bound (UB) ranged from 1.29 to 13.48 pgTEQ2005 g−1 lipid. The estimated geometric mean level for the sum of PCDD/F and dl-PCBs was 4.10 and 4.42 pgTEQ2005 g−1 lipid, lower-bound (LB) and UB respectively and were below the reference level reported by EFSA, which is associated with adverse effects in boys of 9 years and related to lactating mothers' exposure values of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of around 2 pgTEQ2005 kg−1 bw per week. Nevertheless, it was exceeded when the 95th percentile (8.31 pgTEQ2005 g−1 lipid, as UB) was considered. Results from a multiple regression analysis showed that age has a significant impact on milk ∑PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs levels, with higher concentrations observed in the milk from older mothers.

UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS AND LONG‐TERM CHILD OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

AbstractWhat are the long‐term effects of universal preschool programs on child outcomes? We review 26 studies using natural experiments to estimate the effects of universal preschool programs for children aged 0–6 years on child outcomes measured from third grade to adulthood. Studies comparing universal preschool with a mix of parental, family, and private modes of care show mixed effects on test scores and on measures related to health, well‐being, and behavior. All estimates for outcomes related to adequate primary and secondary school progression, years of schooling, highest degree completed, employment, and earnings indicate beneficial average effects of universal preschool programs. Three of the included studies calculate benefits‐to‐costs ratios and find ratios clearly above one. Universal preschool tends to be more beneficial for children with low socioeconomic status and there are not consistently different effects for boys or girls. Only three studies compare two alternative types of universal preschool programs in terms of long‐term outcomes.

Supplementation with Fortified Lipid-Based and Blended Complementary Foods has Variable Impact on Body Composition Among Rural Bangladeshi Children: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACTBackgroundComplementary food supplementation enhances linear growth and may affect body composition in children.ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the effect of complementary food supplements provided from the age of 6 to 18 mo on fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) gain among children in rural Bangladesh.MethodsIn an unblinded, cluster-randomized, controlled trial we tested the effects of 4 complementary food supplements for 1 y [chickpea, rice lentil, Plumpy'doz, and wheat-soy-blend++ (WSB++)] compared with no supplements on linear growth. Body composition was estimated using weight-length-based, age- and sex-specific equations at 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 mo and postintervention aged 24 mo. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were applied to estimate the effect of each complementary food on mean FFM and FM from 9 to 18 and 24 mo compared with the control, adjusting for baseline measures. Sex interactions were also explored.ResultsIn total, 3592 (65.9% of enrolled) children completed all anthropometric assessments. Estimated FFM and FM (mean ± SD) were 5.3 ± 0.6 kg and 1.4 ± 0.4 kg, respectively, at the age of 6 mo. Mean ± SE FFM and FM from 9 to 18 mo were 75.4 ± 14.0 g and 32.9 ± 7.1 g, and 61.0 ± 16.6 g and 30.0 ± 8.4 g, higher with Plumpy'doz and chickpea foods, respectively, than the control (P < 0.001). Estimated FFM was 41.5 ± 16.6 g higher in rice-lentil-fed versus control (P < 0.05) children. WSB++ had no impact on FFM or FM. A group-sex interaction (P < 0.1) was apparent with Plumpy'doz and rice-lentil foods, with girls involved in the intervention having higher estimated FFM and FM than control girls compared with no significant effect in boys. At 24 mo, FFM and FM remained higher only in girls eating Plumpy'doz compared with the controls (P < 0.01).ConclusionsIn this randomized trial, supplementation effected small shifts in apparent body composition in rural Bangladeshi children. Where seen, FFM increments were twice that of FM, in proportion to these compartments, and more pronounced in girls. FFM increased in line with reported improvements in length. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01562379.

Beat osteoporosis\xa0\u2014\xa0nourish and exercise skeletons (BONES): a group randomized controlled trial in children

BackgroundLifelong healthy habits developed during childhood may prevent chronic diseases in adulthood. Interventions to promote these habits must begin early. The BONES (Beat Osteoporosis – Nourish and Exercise Skeletons) project assessed whether early elementary school children participating in a multifaceted health behavior change, after-school based intervention would improve bone quality and muscular strength and engage in more bone-strengthening behaviors.MethodsThe 2-year BONES (B) intervention included bone-strengthening physical activity (85 min/week), educational materials (2 days/week), and daily calcium-rich snacks (380 mg calcium/day) delivered by after-school program leaders. BONES plus Parent (B + P) included an additional parent education component. From 1999 to 2004, n = 83 after-school programs (N = 1434 children aged 6–9 years) in Massachusetts and Rhode Island participated in a group randomized trial with two intervention arms (B only, n = 25 programs; B + P, n = 33) and a control arm (C, n = 25). Outcome measures (primary: bone quality (stiffness index of the calcaneus) and muscular strength (grip strength and vertical jump); secondary: bone-strengthening behaviors (calcium-rich food knowledge, preference, and intake; and physical activity level (metabolic equivalent time (MET) score, and weight-bearing factor (WBF) score)) were recorded at baseline, and after years one and two. Analyses followed an intent-to-treat protocol, and focused on individual subjects’ trajectories along the three time points adjusting for baseline age and race via a mixed-effects regression framework. Analyses were performed with and without sex stratification.ResultsChildren in B + P increased bone stiffness compared to C (p = 0.05); No significant changes were observed in muscle strength, food knowledge, or vertical jump. Children in B + P showed significant improvement in their MET and WBF scores compared to C (p < 0.01) with a stronger effect in boys in both B and B + P (all p < 0.01).ConclusionAfter-school programs, coupled with parental engagement, serving early elementary school children are a potentially feasible platform to deliver bone-strengthening behaviors to prevent osteoporosis in adulthood, with some encouraging bone and physical activity outcomes.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT00065247.Retrospectively registered.First posted July 22, 2003.

Associations of appetitive behaviors in 7-year-old children with their cardiometabolic health at 10 years of age

Background and AimsAtherosclerosis begins early in life, thus optimal cardiovascular health needs to be promoted early. We investigated whether appetitive behaviors among 7 year olds are associated with their cardiometabolic health years later. Methods and ResultsA sample of 2951 children from a Portuguese birth cohort was analyzed. The Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire assessed eating behaviors, and a measure of cardiometabolic risk (higher risk group: those in the upper quartile of triglycerides, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, waist circumference and systolic blood pressure and in the lower quartile of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol z-scores) was created. Linear and logistic regressions were run. Children with more food avoidant behaviors had lower cardiometabolic risk (Satiety Responsiveness – boys: OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.16; 0.93, girls: OR=0.37, 95% CI 0.17; 0.82 and Slowness in eating – boys: OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.25; 0.95, girls: OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.27; 0.91). Food approach behaviors (Food responsiveness (CEBQ-FR), Enjoyment of food (CEBQ-EF) and Emotional overeating (CEBQ-EOE)) increased cardiometabolic risks (e.g. CEBQ-FR: boys: OR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.45; 4.32, girls: OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.46; 3.71). CEBQ-EF had stronger effects in boys, while CEBQ-EOE was positively associated with cardiometabolic risk among girls. When adjusting for BMIz at 7y, associations did not remain significant. Appetitive behaviors were also associated with isolated cardiometabolic parameters; the strongest association being with waist circumference. ConclusionsAppetitive behaviors at 7-years are associated with cardiometabolic risk at age 10. While ‘food avoidant’ behaviors protect against cardiometabolic risk and ‘food approach’ behaviors increase cardiometabolic risk, these associations are largely dependent of child's adiposity.

Effects of Cooperative Learning Model on Early Adolescents’ Social and Affective Learning Outcomes in Physical Education

The study examined the effect of two different teaching strategies on social skills, physical self-esteem, and physical self-concept, in a sample of Italian Early Adolescents. One hundred and twenty-eight students (M = 62; F = 66), from 11 to 14 years old (M = 12.01, SD = 0.50), attending their Physical Education classes, were involved. Participants were divided into an intervention group (n = 60) and a control group (n = 68). The intervention group was engaged in PE lessons based on the Cooperative Learning model with a focus on positive interdependence between group mates and interpersonal skills in completing shared tasks, while the control group participated in PE lessons conducted through competitive games, individual drills and repetition of exercises as a means of perfecting skills and procedures. In both groups, social skills, physical self-concept, and physical self-efficacy were measured before and after the intervention. The intervention had a significant positive impact on perceived sports competence in boys, but no effect in girls. Related to the duration of the study, other positive effects in boys were higher levels of physical self-efficacy and lower levels of environmental pressure and tendency to psycho-somatization, while in girls lower levels in external locus of control were observed. Implications for physical education programs and physical self-research were discussed.

Reactions of Boys and Girls to Sexual Abuse and to Sexual Encounters with Peers.

To understand the etiology and consequences of child sexual abuse it is important to study the victims' subjective reactions to such incidents. Because researchers have not been able to survey children about sexual abuse, not much is known about how subjective reactions are related to gender, age, age difference, and the social relationship between the offender and victim. The present study fills this gap using data gathered from a large, nationally representative sample of Finnish children ages 11 to 17 (N = 32,145). Analyses of abuse are based on a sample of 1520 children (78% girls), while analyses of peer sexual experiences are based on a sample of 3551 children (55% girls). Multivariate analyses adjusted for the use of coercion, the intimacy of the sexual experience, and other incident characteristics. It was hypothesized that, as a result of sex differences in sexuality and attitudes toward deviant behavior, girls are more sensitive than boys to age and age difference. Three findings supported the hypothesis: (1) girls were more likely than boys to have a negative reaction to sexual encounters regardless of the age difference; (2) for girls, age was negatively associated with the likelihood of a negative reaction, but age had no effect for boys; and (3) girls reacted negatively to age difference while boys did not. However, girls did not react more negatively unless the offender was at least eight years older. The results highlight the susceptibility of adolescent boys to encounters with older women. They further suggest that ignoring the role of the victim limits understanding of the vulnerability of young people to sexual abuse.

The Association Between Past Speech Therapy and Preseason Symptom Reporting in Adolescent Student Athletes

Abstract Purpose Neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD, have been shown to be associated with different baseline symptom reporting, but the relationship between a history of speech therapy and symptom reporting is not well understood. This study examined the association between prior speech therapy and baseline symptom reporting in student athletes. Methods A preseason baseline database contained 40,378 athletes ages 13–18 who had not sustained a concussion in the past 6 months. Of these, 27,550 athletes denied having all developmental/health conditions (controls) and 1,497 reported only having history of speech therapy (total sample: age M=15.5, SD=1.26; 47% girls). Mann-Whitney U-Tests were used to compare baseline symptom reporting on the ImPACT® Post-Concussion Symptom Scale between athletes with prior speech therapy and controls. Individual symptoms were dichotomized (absent vs. present) and compared between groups using chi-square tests. Results There was a higher proportion of boys in the prior speech therapy group than in the control group (62% vs. 53%; X2=41.9, p&lt;.001). Athletes with speech therapy histories reported greater overall baseline symptoms (ps&lt;.001). The effect sizes were minimal-to-small (Cohen’s d: girls= 0.10; boys=0.20). Slightly higher portions of boys and girls with a history of speech therapy reported trouble falling asleep, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating/ remembering compared to their control counterparts (ps&lt;.05). Further, compared to controls, a higher portion of boys (but not girls) with speech therapy histories reported physical and emotional symptoms. Conclusion Adolescents with speech therapy histories report slightly more symptoms than controls during baseline testing, with a stronger effect in boys. However, effect sizes were very small.