Center on Media and Child Health

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies- July 28

New published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

Barnett, T.A., et al. (2010). Teens and screens: The influence of screen time on adiposity in adolescents. Am J Epidemiol.172(3), 255-262.

• This study found no evidence that screen time has an effect on percent body fat in girls overall, although physical activity modified the association between screen time and percent body fat in both sexes.

Chittenden, T. (2010). Digital dressing up: Modelling female teen identity in the discursive spaces of the fashion blogosphere. Journal of Youth Studies, 13(4), 505-520. 

• The researcher argues that fashion teen blogguers express and shape their identity by  writing, reading and commenting on blogs, more so blogging has  become a critical activity of trading cultural and social capital and, importantly, shaping expressions of emerging teen identity.

Kelly, B. M., et al. (2010). Television food advertising to children: A global perspective." Am J Public Health, Available online July 15.

• This study results show that across all sampled countries from Australia, Asia, Western Europe, and north and south America children were exposed to high volumes of television advertising for unhealthy foods, featuring child-oriented persuasive techniques.

Moreno, M.A., Briner,  L.R.,  Williams, A.; Brockman, L.; Walker, L. &  Christakis, D.A. (2010). A content analysis of displayed alcohol references on a social networking web site. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47( 2) 168-175.

• The authors found that explicit alcohol use is frequently referenced on adolescents' MySpace profiles across several sociodemographic communities. These references may be a potent source of influence on adolescents, particularly given that they are created and displayed by peers.

Northup, T., & Liebler, C.M. (2010) The good, the bad, and the beautiful: Beauty ideals on the Disney and Nickelodeon channels. Journal of Children and Media, 4(3), 265-282.

• Researchers looked at beauty ideal messages in nine Disney and Nickelodeon shows and concluded that thin, white beauty ideal that is present in adult programming is also alive and well in programming for a younger audience.

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

Research Toolbox: Bullying and Cyberbullying Resources

Here's a list of selected resources on bullying and cyberbullying for researchers, educators, and parents. You will find resources such as bullying curriculum, educational programs, hand-outs, organizations, research, and statistics.

Bullying Resources

• Bullying .org- This organization aims to prevent bullying in our society through education and awareness.It provides educational programs and resources to individuals, families, educational institutions and organizations. 

• Bullying is Not a Fact of Life by SAMSHA-National Mental Health Information Center-This page offers insightful information about bullying for parents and schools.

• Bullying Facts and Statistics  by SafeYouth.org -List of facts and statistics along with references. 
  

• Bullying- It’s Not OK by the Massachusetts Medical Society. Explains the concept of bullying and offers a list of tips.

• Eyes on Bullying- This organization offers information about bullying along with resources, websites, teleseminars and activities.

• Exploring the Nature and Prevention of Bullying by US Department of Education- This resources offers a quiz to explore the concepts about bullying and takes a deeper look into what the research says about questions such as "What Is Bullying?" "How Common Is Bullying?" and How 

• Highmark Healthy High 5-Bullying- List of organization and definitions, books and guidesDoes Bullying Differ Among Students?"

• The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence). This porgram is a universal intervention for the reduction and prevention of bully/victim problems. The main arena for the program is the school, and school staff has the primary responsibility for the introduction and implementation of the program.

• Stop Bullying Now- This Web site created especially for adults and kids. Here you’ll find resources about bullying awareness, prevention, and intervention.

Cyberbullying Resources

• Cyberbullying 2010: What the Research Tells Us by Pew Internet & American Life Project- An updated look at the research and definitions around bullying and cyberbullying

• Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers (2008)
  This document was developed for educators and caregivers and summarizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression and discusses the implications of these findings for school staff, educational policy makers, and caregivers.

• i-SAFE- This non-profit foundation is dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place.

• Indicators of School Crime and Safety: Bullying and Cyberbullying 2009 by the National Center for Education Statistics- This report presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety.

• IkeepSafe.org- This organization offers a variety of tools and resources for kids, parents and educators to empower them to teach children the safe and healthy use of technology and the Internet. Its educational resources teach children of all ages in a fun, age-appropriate way, the basic rules of Internet safety, ethics, and the healthy use of connected technologies.

• My secure cyberspace- An educational resource created by Carnegie Mellon University. Includes tips for dealing with cyberbullying online and in the classroom.

• National Crime Prevention Council: Cyberbullying- This sites has resources on internet safety, cyberbullying, and bullying prevention.

• Stop Cyberbullying - This site discusses cyberbullying ("when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted" usually by another child, preteen, or teen, via "the Internet, interactive and digital.

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies-July 6

New published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

Biddiss, E. & Irwin, J. (2010). Active video games to promote physical activity in children and youth: A systematic review. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 164(7), 664-672.

• This study found that active video games (AVGs) enable light to moderate physical activity. Limited evidence is available to draw conclusions on the long-term efficacy of AVGs for physical activity promotion.

Borzekowski, D.L.G &  Macha, J.E. (2010). The role of Kilimani Sesame in the healthy development of Tanzanian preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Available online 25 June.

• This study shows that an educational media intervention directed towards very young children can have an impact on their healthy development, even in locales where populations have minimal resources and face extreme hardships.

Garbutt, J. M., et al. (2010). Telephone coaching for parents of children with asthma: Impact and lessons learned. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 164(7), 625-630.

• This study revealed that a telephone coaching program can improve parental child asthma-related quality of life and can be implemented without additional physician training or practice redesign.

Powell, L. M., G. Szczypka, et al. (2010). Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Available Online July 5.

• This study found that a number of positive changes have occurred in children's exposure to food advertising. Between 2003 and 2007 daily average exposure to food ads fell among young children aged 2 to 5 and 6 to 11 years, respectively, but increased among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. In the other hand, exposure to fast food ads increased for all age groups.

Swing, E.L.,  Gentile, D.A.; Anderson, C.A.; &  Walsh., D.A. (2010).Television and video game exposure and the development of attention problems. Pediatrics, Available Online July 5.

• This study found that viewing television and playing video games each are associated with increased subsequent attention problems in childhood.  

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