Center on Media and Child Health

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies- April 30

Check out these recently published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

Custers, K. & Van den Bulck, J. (2010). Television viewing, computer game play and book reading during meals are predictors of meal skipping in a cross-sectional sample of 12-, 14- and 16-year-olds. Public Health Nutr., (13)4, 537-543.

• This study examined whether television viewing, computer game playing or book reading during meals predicts meal skipping with the aim of watching television, playing computer games or reading books (media meal skipping).

Kuppens, A.H. (2010). Incidental foreign language acquisition from media exposure. Learning, Media and Technology, (35)1, 65-85.

• This article investigates the extent to which children's foreign language skills benefit from their long-term consumption of media.

Jin, B. (2010). Cultural differences of social network influence on romantic relationships: A comparison of the United States and South Korea. Communication Studies, (61)2, 156-171.

• This study examined the association between social network support and relationship quality of romantic partners among American and Korean college students.

Riquelme, H.E., Al-Sammak, F.S., & Rios, R.E. (2010). Social influences among young drivers on talking on the mobile phone while driving. Traffic Inj Prev. (11)2,127-32.

• This study set out to measure the influence of injunctive, subjective, verbal, and behavioral norms on talking on a mobile phone while driving.

Vendrame, A., Pinsky, I., Silva, R.S., & Babor, T. (2010). Assessment of self-regulatory code violations in Brazilian television beer advertisements. J Stud Alcohol Drugs, (71)3, 445-51.

• This study evaluated perceived violations of the content guidelines of the Brazilian alcohol marketing self-regulation code, based on ratings of the five most popular beer advertisements broadcast on television in the summer of 2005-2006 and during the 2006 FIFA World Cup games.

***

Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health

Someday Melissa: Making a Movie, Changing Lives

The power of media lies in the ability to engage people in a story and influence what they know and think about a particular issue.  When Judy Avrin lost her teen daughter, Melissa, to an eating disorder last year, she chose to use the power of media to tell her daughter's story to the world. 

Her documentary, Someday Melissa, recently received attention from the New York Times and The Today Show, and Judy is discovering that the work she is doing to honor her daughter is already changing lives. We asked Judy to write to us about her view on the power of media:

Someday...

I’ll eat breakfast.

I’ll keep a job for more than 3 weeks.

I’ll have a boyfriend for more than 10 days.

I’ll love someone.

I’ll travel wherever I want.

I’ll make my family proud.

I’ll make a movie that changes lives. 

When I found this writing in my daughter's journal after she died in 2009, I made the decision to go public that she died from an eating disorder. I began work on a documentary called Someday Melissa.  The recent media attention has resulted in an overwhelming response: hundreds of messages from around the world, thanking me for having the courage to speak out and bring eating disorders out of the shadows.  I’ve received messages that calls to helplines have increased, and that children have gone to their parents saying they didn’t really believe they could die and they need help.  

Never could I have imagined the power of media in helping others.  My sweet Melissa is changing lives with the media she dreamed of being part of.

If you are suffering with an eating disorder, or know somebody who is, there is help.  Reach out to the National Eating Disorder Association [NEDA] at http://nationaleatingdisorders.org, or call for assistance at 1-800-931-2237. 

Earth Day: Saving energy, recycling electronics, and environmental media for kids

In honor of Earth Day, we've put together a list of ways to encourage kids to explore the natural world, and we're "recycling" last year's fantastic resources for you:

• How can you use media to educate kids about the environment?
• How can you save energy with the media you use?
• How can you recycle those old TVs, phones and computers?

Research Toolbox: Children and Nature Resources- Earth Day 2010

Take the kids outside! Nature is good for them!

In order to develop an appreciation and love for the environment, children need to explore and learn about nature. Furthermore, studies have shown that contact with nature is essential for children’s health and development. The  American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children need free, unstructured play and discourage passive entertainment such as TV, and video games. Places such as playgrounds, local parks, beaches and nature walks are all ideal places to encourage exploration and discovery of nature’s richness.

To celebrate Earth Day 2010, we have gathered a list of resources to help you and your family discover the beauty and benefits of nature:

• Children and Nature Network

This website offers parents, youth, civic leaders, educators and health-care providers access to the latest news and research in this field as well as practical advice, including ways to apply new-found knowledge at home, at school, in work environments, and in the community.

• Children's Health and Nature Fact Sheet by National Environmental Education Foundation

This fact sheet addresses children's health issues such as obesity and diabetes and offers sisightful information about reconnecting children to nature as a way to prevent those serious health conditions.

• The Children's Nature Institute

Through its programs, including the award winning Outreach Discovery Program, Tykes on Trails Program, Kids Leading Kids, and Family Walks, this organization connects nature to the everyday lives of children by incorporating parents, grandparents, and teachers into the learning process.

• Nature Conservancy

This conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Check out their "Earth Day To-Do List."

• National Audubon Society

This national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engages millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.

• National Environmental Education Foundation

This website offers great environmental educational programs for health educators and teachers with the goal of reducing energy use, protecting nature, and improving the health of children.

• Nature Rocks

This site will help you find all sorts of nature activities, plus tools to help guide and plan your adventures. You’ll also find useful tips and information to help you get into nature.

• Urban Nature Watch by Smithsonian National Zoological Park
  

This website offers a collection of seasonal urban nature pieces, covering topics such as migratory birds, how groundhogs help the ecosystem, nighttime wildlife, poison ivy, why turtles sunbathe, and wildfire-friendly fall clean-up.

   

Research Toolbox: Recently Published Studies-April 16

Check out these recently published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

Cai, X. & Zhao, X. (2010). Click here, Kids! Online advertising practices on popular children's websites. Journal of Children and Media, 4(2), 135-154.

• This study examined the structural and privacy features of advertisements placed on popular children's websites.

Krcmar, M. (2010). Assessing the research on media, cognitive development, and infants: Can infants really learn from television and videos? Journal of Children and Media, 4(2), 119-134.

• The literature suggests that basic conceptual knowledge is needed in infants before more advanced learning, such as language acquisition, can be achieved. The essay explores whether television is capable of teaching these very basic cognitive skills.

Scullard, P.; Peacock, C.; & Davies, P.(2010). Googling children's health: Reliability of medical advice on the internet. Arch Dis Child. Available Online April 7.

• To assess the reliability and accuracy of medical advice, over a range of types of websites, found using the Google search engine, thus simulating a patient's experience.

Wilson, K., Fornasier, S.;  & White, K.M.(2010). Psychological predictors of young adults' use of social networking sites. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13(2), 173-177.

• This study sought to predict young adults' use of social networking sites and addictive tendency toward the use of SNSs from their personality characteristics and levels of self-esteem.

Wu, J. & Zhang, Y.(2010). Examining potentialities of handheld technology in students' academic attainments. Educational Media International, 47(1), 57-67.

• This study explored the use of handheld computers in the classroom as an integral means of facilitating education due to the flexibility, mobility, interactive learning capability, and comparatively inexpensive cost.

***

Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health

Research Toolbox: New Children, Media, and Health Journals

Take a look at Celebrity Studies, a new published journal that focuses on exploring celebrity and fame and its manifestations in society. Also, two upcoming journals will be available this Spring: Childhood Obesity Journal and The Media Education Research Journal will explore issues such as childhood obesity prevention and management strategies and the exchange of media education research into practice.

New Journal

• Celebrity Studies, Routledge, Issue 1 (March 2010) freely available online

Celebrity Studies is a journal that focuses on the critical exploration of celebrity, stardom and fame. It seeks to make sense of celebrity by drawing upon a range of (inter)disciplinary approaches, media forms, historical periods and national contexts.

Upcoming Journals

• Childhood Obesity Journal, Mary Anne Libert, Spring 2010

Childhood Obesity will have a very broad mandate and will provide physicians, nurses, dietitians, diabetes educators, nutritionists, psychologists, educators, school nurses, health counselors, and policymakers with effective prevention and management strategies, patient education and motivation tools, and research advances in the field.

• The Media Education Research Journal, Auteur, Spring 2010

The Media Education Research Journal offers a forum for the exchange of academic research into media education and pedagogy conducted by academics, practitioners and teachers situated in all sectors and contexts for media education. Published twice a year.

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies-April 9

Check out these recently published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

Chia, S.C. (2010). How social influence mediates media effects on adolescents’ materialism.Communication Research, Available online April 7.

• This study proposed a theoretical framework by which it can be identified how media influence and social influence interplay and produce joint effects on adolescents’ materialistic values.

Courage, M. L. &  Howe, M. L. (2010). To watch or not to watch: Infants and toddlers in a brave new electronic world. Developmental Review, Available online 7 April.

• This review explores the impact of television and video materials on the cognitive and social development of preschoolers and older children.

Luthe, C.A. & Legg Jr, J.R. (2010). Gender differences in depictions of social and physical aggression in children's television cartoons in the US. Journal of Children and Media, 4(2), 191-205.

• The main purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in depictions of social and physical aggression in children's television cartoons.

Peter, J., &  Valkenburg, P.M. (2010). Processes underlying the effects of adolescents’ use of sexually explicit internet material: The role of perceived realism. Communication Research, Available online April 7.

• This study explores the processes underlying the link between adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) and sexual attitudes.

Weis, R. & Cerankosky, B.C. (2010). Effects of video-game ownership on young boys’ academic and behavioral functioning: A randomized, controlled study. Psychological Science, Available online Febrary 18.

• This study explores that video games may displace after-school activities that have educational value and may interfere with the development of reading and writing skills in some children.

***

Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health

Research Toolbox: Google Reader

Whether you are a researcher or high school student, many of us keep track of a massive amount of information everyday.  You might read online newspaper articles, listen to weekly radio show podcasts, follow friends' or key researchers' blog posts, subscribe to newsletters, or check for new job postings.  You might have e-mailed the links to yourself, while you have some links bookmarked on your desktop browser.  Perhaps you might have forgotten what keyword combination you used to find the website. 

There are just too many sites to visit, links to click, bookmarks to browse through.  Google Reader can make your life a lot easier. Google Reader is a free web based reader/aggregator that reads Atom or RSS feeds and is accessible both online and offline.  Using Google Reader, you will never need to run after the news all over the place.  You can manage them in one place and the news will automatically come to you.

• To learn more about Google Reader, watch this YouTube Video, Google Reader in Plain English
  
  
  

• To give you a better idea, we have created a short tutorial which gives a brief overview of Google Reader using Pediatrics: The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics as an example. Follow the links to learn more about signing up and adding RSS feeds:

1. Signing Up For Google Reader
2. Adding the RSS Feeds to Your Google Reader
3. Subscribing to Pediatrics RSS Feeds

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies-April 2

Check out these recently published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

Foley, L., & Maddison, R. (2010). Use of active video games to increase physical activity in children: A (virtual) reality? Pediatr Exerc Sci. 22(1), 7-20.

• The study assessed active video games as a means of increasing energy expenditure and physical activity behavior in children. Studies were obtained from computerized searches of multiple electronic bibliographic databases.

Guthold, R., Cowan, M.J., Autenrieth, C.S., Kann, L., & Riley, L.M. (2010). Physical activity and sedentary behavior among schoolchildren: A 34-country comparison. J Pediatr. Available Online Mar 19.

• To describe and compare levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior in schoolchildren from 34 countries.

Jones, S.C., Mannino, N., & Green,  J. (2010). 'Like me, want me, buy me, eat me': relationship-building marketing communications in children's magazines. Public Health Nutr. Available Online March 26.

• This study examines children's responses to relationship-building marketing tactics found in popular children's magazines.

Mackenzie, R., Chapman, S., Holding, S., & Stiven, A. (2010). “No Respecter of Youth": Over-representation of young women in Australian television coverage of breast cancer. J Cancer Educ. Available Online Mar 25.

• To test the hypothesis that young women, at low risk for breast cancer, are overrepresented in Australian television news.

Pierce, J.P. et al. (2010). Camel No. 9 cigarette-marketing campaign targeted young teenage girls. Pediatrics, 125(4), 619-626.

• This study assessed whether cigarette-advertising campaigns conducted after the MSA continue to influence smoking among adolescents.

***

Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health