Center on Media and Child Health

Research Toolbox: AAP-Community Pediatrics

Have you seen the new AAP Division of Community-based Initiatives (DOCBI) website? The new design makes it easy to get to the many useful resources.

The AAP Division of Community-based Initiatives raises awareness of community pediatrics and supports pediatricians and child health professionals in developing a community perspective of pediatrics. This AAP division promotes understanding of the factors that affect child health and supports pediatricians and child health professionals to improve child health through the practice of community of pediatrics.

Their website offers a variety of resources, including health topics, webinars, and funding opportunities. The DOCBI also has a grant database, searchable by seven major categories: target population, health topic, state/territory, project activity, AAP program, AAP district, and project year.

You can subscribe to the Listserv to receive Community Pediatrics e-newsletters, program information and funding opportunities.

A Loss in the Field of Children and Media

This post was written by Dina L.G. Borzekowski, Ed.D. Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Gerald Lesser was a wonderful, kind soul, who touched the lives of children (and families) all over the world. He passed away on Sept 23, 2010.

So many people who work in the world of Children and Media were trained directly and indirectly by Gerry.  He taught the importance of merging education and entertainment.  Also, he greatly valued how research could help shape how media is produced and received by children and adolescents.  Gerry's work was imaginative and influential.

I was one of Gerry's last graduate students and feel incredibly lucky that I had him as a mentor, advisor, and friend. It is my hope that my own work can be a worthy tribute to his spirit. Lastly, I will try my best to use simple, declarative sentences.

>> Read Harvard's tribute article with an opportunity to comment on how Dr. Lesser influenced your own work

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies-September 28

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

Hume, C., van der Horst, K., Brug, J., Salmon, J., & Oenema, A. (2010).Understanding the correlates of adolescents' TV viewing: A social ecological approach.  Int J Pediatr Obes. 5(2),161-168.

• This study found an association between overweight adolescents, with high computer use and TV viewing and parents with high levels of TV viewing. The adolescents were more likely to exceed two hours of TV viewing per day.

King, L., Hebden, L., Grunseit, A., Kelly, B., Chapman, K.,  & Venugopal. K. (2010).Industry self regulation of television food advertising: Responsible or responsive? Int J Pediatr Obes. Available Online Sep 21.

• This study found that while some companies in Australia have responded to self-regulatory initiatives to reduce unhealthy food advertising on television, the impact of the self-regulatory code is limited. The continued advertising of unhealthy foods indicates that this self-regulatory code does not adequately protect children.

Miller, A. & Kurpius, D. (2010). A citizen-eye view of television news source credibility. American Behavioral Scientist, 54(2),137-156.

• The results showed viewers do distinguish between the credibility of official and citizen sources. No difference was found in credibility on the basis of race.

Siibak, A. (2010).Constructing masculinity on a social networking site: The case-study of visual self-presentations of young men on the profile images of SNS Rate. Young, 18(4),403-425.

• The study results indicate that media representations of  Estonian young men are often taken as role-models while constructing one’s visual identities online. In particular, young men mostly pose alone in order to emphasize their looks and appear as willing sexual or romantic objects.

Wong, B.Y., Cerin, E., Ho, S.Y., Mak, K.K., Lo, W.S., & Lam, T.H. (2010). Adolescents' physical activity: Competition between perceived neighborhood sport facilities and home media resources. Int J Pediatr Obes. 5(2),169-176.

• The authors found that the availability of sport facilities in the neighborhood may positively impact adolescents' level of physical activity. However, having computer/Internet may cancel out the effects of active opportunities in the neighborhood.

***

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

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies-September 22

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

Bushman, B.J. & Gibson, B. (2010). Violent video games cause an increase in aggression long after the game has been turned off. Social Psychological and Personality Science, published online August 11.

• Results of this study showed that violent video games increased aggression 24 hr later, but only among men who ruminated about the game. The authors argue that rumination keeps aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavioral tendencies active.

Hinkley, T., Salmon J, Okely, A.D., & Trost, S.G (2010). Correlates of sedentary behaviours in preschool children: A review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 8;7(1),66.

• A literature search to identify articles which examined correlates of sedentary behaviours in preschool children revealed that television viewing was the most commonly examined sedentary behaviour. Findings from the review suggest that child's sex was not associated with television viewing.

Hofferth, S.L. (2010). Home media and children’s achievement and behavior. Child Development, 81(5),1598–1619.

• The author found that between 1997-2003, girls benefited from computer use more than boys, and Black children benefited more than White children. Greater computer use in middle childhood was associated with increased achievement for White and Black girls, and for Black but not White boys.

Moreno, M.A., Brockman, L., Rogersd,  C.B., & Christakis, D.A. (2010). An evaluation of the distribution of sexual references among “Top 8” MySpace friends. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(4), 418-420.

• The result of this study was that adolescents who displayed explicit sexual references were more likely to have online friends who displayed references. Thus, social networking sites present new opportunities to investigate adolescent sexual behavior.

Pempek, T.A., Kirkorian, H.L., Richards, J.E., Anderson, D.R., Lund, A.F., &  Stevens M. (2010). Video comprehensibility and attention in very young children. Dev Psychol, 46(5),1283-1293.

• The results suggest that it may not be until the middle of the second year that children demonstrate the earliest beginnings of comprehension of video as it is currently produced

***

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

Research Toolbox: New Journal- Childhood Obesity

A new peer-reviewed journal that looks at childhood and adolescent obesity and related issues has launched recently. Childhood Obesity will serve as a platform to provide physicians, nurses, dietitians, diabetes educators, nutritionists, psychologists, educators and school nurses, community organizers, and policymakers with prevention and treatment strategies that promote environmental and policy changes, patient education and motivation tools, and clinical advances in the field.

Here's a sample of articles that you will find in the current issue:

• Connecting the Good Food Dots: Growing Healthy Kids

• U.S. Government Initiatives

• Associations Between Mothers' and Their Children's Weights at 4 Years of Age

Click here to read the inaugural issue available for FREE.

Research Wrap-Up: Recently Published Studies-September 8

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

Bener, A., Al-Mahdi, H.S., Vachhani, P.J.;  Al-Nufal, M., & Ali, A.I. (2010). Do excessive internet use, television viewing and poor life-style habits affect low vision in school children? Journal of Child Health Care, Published online September 7.

• This study suggested a strong association between spending prolonged hours on the computer or TV, fast food eating, poor lifestyle habits and low vision.

Cain N.; & Gradisar, M. (2010). Electronic media use and sleep in school-aged children and adolescents: A review.  Sleep Medicine, 11(8),735-742.

• The present study identified 36 papers that have investigated the relationship between sleep and electronic media in school-aged children and adolescents. The analysis revealed that delayed bedtime and shorter total sleep time have been found to be most consistently related to media use.

Eliaa, I.; van den Heuvel-Panhuizenb, M.; &  Georgioua, A. (2010). The role of pictures in picture books on children's cognitive engagement with mathematics. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 18(3),125-147.

• This study found that  the pictures in books as a whole has the potential for cognitively engaging young children and supporting children's learning of mathematics. However, the pictures with a representational function were found to elicit mathematical thinking to a greater extent than the pictures with an informational function.

Krahé, B.; &   Möller, I; (2010). Longitudinal effects of media violence on aggression and empathy among German adolescents. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31(5),401-409

• This  longitudinal study looked at the relation between adolescents' habitual usage of media violence and aggressive behavior and empathy. The analysis showed significant pathways from media violence usage to higher physical aggression and lower empathy.

Webb, T.; Martin, K.; Afifi,  A.A. & Kraus, J. (2010). Media literacy as a violence-prevention strategy: A pilot evaluation. Health Promot Pract, 11(5),714-722.

• This pilot study focused on the implementation and feasibility of the media literacy curriculum Beyond Blame: Challenging Violence in the Media. The results found that students in the media literacy curriculum scored much higher on the posttest compared with the students that did not participate in the evaluation.

***

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

Research Toolbox: Recently Published Books

Recently published titles of interest on the topics of children, media, and health:

New Books

• Children and Youth in the Digital Media Culture by Ulla Carlsson (ed.)

This Yearbook showcases the Nordic countries and the work being done in the research communities of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The focus rests on children, youth and media in a digitized media culture. We believe that the issues treated here will interest a broad range of readers all over the world.

• Emerging Practices in Cyberculture and Social Networking by Daniel Riha & Anna Maj (eds.)

This book aims to present how emergent media penetrate all fields of human cultural activity. The content of this volume reflects theoretical and practical discussions on cultural issues influenced by increased adoption of information and communication technologies.

• The Emerging Media Toddlers by  María Dolores Souza & Patricio Cabello (eds.)

The authors explore topics such as preschools, screen and internet  technology and growing up with media.

• Media, Culture and Society: An Introduction by Paul Hodkinson

This book provides a 'must have' contribution to media and communication studies by bringing together various perspectives on today's media culture and media society.

• Media Literacy Education. Nordic Perspectives by Sirkku Kotilainen & Sol-Britt Arnolds-Granlund (Eds.)

This publication belongs to an effort bringing the Nordic studies on media literacy education in a global sight. Current definitions of media literacy and evaluations of educational case studies are presented in the form of thirteen articles written by Nordic academic experts.

• Producing Serious News for Citizen Children: A Study of the BBC's Children's Program Newsround by Julian Matthews

This ethnographic study examines the changing history, personnel and production regime of the BBC’s popular children’s news program.

• What's Happening to Our Boys?  by Maggie Hamilton

Childhood and teenage life is changing rapidly, leaving parents exhausted and confused as to how best to tackle the many issues they face. How does this high pressure environment affect a boy's confidence, his values and aspirations, his wellbeing, his sense of community, his attitudes to girls and women? The author addresses many of these questions and provides numerous tips for parents and educators

***

Please let us know if you would like to see any books highlighted in the future!