Center on Media and Child Health

Connections in News, Media, and Research: National Library Week

April 14-20 is National Library Week. It's a time to promote a love of reading in your family, talk to your lawmakers about supporting library services, and visit your local library to see how else they support child and adolescent development beyond books. Incidentally, April 16 is National Library Day, and all of April is also School Library Month. Is that enough reasons to make sure your library card isn't expired? Here is some research, news, and resources relating to libraries and child health.

• The American Library Association is the head organization that advocates for library services all over the United States. For those working with children, the Association of Library Service to Children is well worth looking at, and those who specialize in adolescent medicine or otherwise work with teens would do well to get to know the Young Adult Library Services Association, both divisions of the ALA.
• Want to know exactly what libraries do for children, teens, and families? Take a look at Add It Up.
• The Mediatrician has answered many parent questions about reading levels, e-readers, and more. Take a look.
• This 2010 case study looked at how bibliotherapy was an effective treatment for a hospitalized 2-year-old. And remember, stories don't just have to be read - this study found that audiobooks are a great way to help children with dyslexia.
• Want to get a little meta with media? Here's  a look at 16 favorite movie moments of real and imagined libraries.
• Remember, "library" doesn't just mean "Carnegie building with novels." There are special libraries, legal libraries, cultural archives, and, of course, medical libraries. For a look at the best of the best (when you're looking beyond the media focus of our own library, that is), check out the National Library of Medicine and the Public Library of Science. Remember, when looking for resources, the local public library you think of as a beautiful old building with tons of stacks likely also offers you free access to expensive resources where you can keep abreast of all of the latest research in any field.
• This 2008 study looked at the reading behaviors of 15-year-olds and found that gender plays a role.
• If you are interested in knowing the newest data and information about young Americans and their reading and library habits, definitely bookmark the Pew Internet Libraries page.
• Above all, public libraries are civic institutions that promote community and self-edification. And that doesn't mean having to set foot in them physically. Most libraries today have strong online presences, from websites to Pinterest accounts to Twitter accounts, offering expanded services, up-to-the-minute news on new collections, closures, and special events, and more. Why is that important for children and teens? Consider that teens who use media in civic ways (reading the news, signing petitions, etc) are also more likely to be involved in their communities (says a 2010 study), and teens who are exposed to news media are more likely to be civically engaged (from a 2009 study).

How are you observing National Library Week? Let us know!

Connections in News, Media, and Research: Teen Tech Week Edition

March 10-16 we celebrate Teen Tech Week, an initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association. Read more about Teen Tech Week here, and keep reading to learn about some research, news, and cool resources for encouraging digital literacy and creativity.

• Tweeting about Teen Tech Week to share your tips or ask some questions? Use the hashtag #ttw13.
• This virtual "quilt" of links will take you to some great websites that will help your teens learn how to code, create their own comics, or publish their writing.
• Media and technology can be powerful educational tools. Consider this study on how teens use technology to communicate about schoolwork, this study on how a video game encouraged tweens to change their diets for the better, and this study on how combining a traditional lecture with an educational game led to increased understanding of school subject matter.
• Want to celebrate Teen Tech Week with younger children? Check out the Association for Library Service to Children's Great Websites for Kids page or the Best Websites for Teaching and Learning page from the American Association of School Librarians.
• The key to all media and technology is positive use, which includes moderation. Take a look at this illuminating article on emotional intelligence and Instagram.
• How much do you know about Internet security? Test yourself by trying out How Secure Is My Password.
• Teens with technology skills and a global outlook should consider entering this contest sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization of Migration. By creating a video about global themes and social justice, winners can make an impact, learn some skills, and win a free trip to New York.
• Gamers can take their expertise and apply it to building an entirely new game on this website.
• The Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment, or VIA, is a CMCH project that puts cameras into the hands of young people living with chronic disease. Their video diaries not only allow them to express themselves, but they also inform doctors of what it's really like to live with certain conditions. Learn more about the study results and outcomes here and here.

What are you doing to celebrate Teen Tech Week?

Research, News and Resources for Dealing With Tragedy

We at CMCH were deeply saddened to hear of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. We thought it might be helpful to provide you with links to research, words of peace, and helpful resources for helping children and families cope with tragic circumstances and violent acts.

• CMCH's sister blog, Ask the Mediatrician, published a new Q&A about the shooting. Read it here. You might also want to check the posting after the Aurora, CO, shooting.
• CMCH's director, Michael Rich, MD, MPH, was one of the experts featured on 90.9 WBUR's resource list for talking about the Sandy Hook shooting. He was also on the NECN morning show to talk about the aftermath of the event.
• News shows that memberships in the National Rifle Association have grown significantly since the days of the shooting, and gun sales have spiked as well.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics stated that "we must engage in a national dialogue designed to reduce children’s detrimental exposure to violence in their communities, environments and entertainment" in an open letter to President Obama following the shooting.
• Research available in the CMCH database include experiments using relaxation techniques to cope with negative events broadcast on the news and studies on how children reacted to the September 11 tragedies depending on their news exposure. Keep in mind also that people of different cultural backgrounds react differently to stressful, sad events, and no one way of coping works for everyone.
• The AAP also noted that one of the ways to help children deal with tragedy is not to deviate from normal routines. 
• Because media can be healing when used in positive ways, librarians have started the Books Heal Hearts initiative, soliciting donations of materials that can help the Newtown community deal with their great loss.
• Healthy Children has an article on how to talk to children about the tragedy.

We extend our deepest sympathies and support to those affected by this tragic event.

Connections in News, Media, and Research: World AIDS Day Edition

December 1st is World AIDS Day, but the awareness month continues until the new year. Here is some news and research on media and its connections with sexual health, STI/STD prevention, and sexual health literacy.

• Take a look at the official World AIDS Day website, with statistics, videos, event listings, and more. Did you know it was the first global health day?
• Why is this an important day to recognize, especially for CMCH? Research shows that the numbers of young people infected with HIV are growing, and around 60% of these teens don't even know they are affected, meaning that they miss out on healthcare and could pass HIV on to new partners. For us, that means that it's ever more important to teach health literacy, using a variety of methods - including meda - to get vital messages across.
• If you're curious about how sexual activity is portrayed in fictional media like novels, movies, and television shows, we have some research in our database. Here is an analysis of sexual activity content in young adult novels. A 2011 study looked at whether exposure to sex on TV varied by show genre. In 2010, researchers asked teens for their judgment on sexual content in television shows, and in 2009 researchers looked at whether viewing sexual content on television was related to a lower fear of contracting AIDS.
• You don't have to be an adult to care about teens and health literacy. Take a look at this blog post by a 17-year-old writer on why it's important to get tested for HIV. That same writer also wrote another post linking to a video on touring reproductive health clinics in order to lower fears and stigma associated with such visits.
• Many healthcare providers have been experimenting with using new media to engage with adolescents and encourage preventive sexual health practices. Here's a study on computer-based interventions targeting teens in rural areas, and this study looked at the efficacy of similar programs. There is also a texting-based prevention program. And what do you think of this much older (1990) method, an AIDS comic book?
• In this study, teens themselves took the lead on teaching their peers about media representations of sex.
• For more global perspectives on HIV/AIDS prevention, take a look at these studies based in Brazil, Uganda, Jamaica, and a global initiative with a study based in Nepal, Brazil, and Senegal.
• Rookie is an online teen magazine (and huge phenomenon) started by a teenage girl and featuring adult and teen contributors. It's a great way for teen girls to teach and converse with each other about sexual health issues, empowerment, and concerns. Take a look at some of these great posts: 1, 2, and 3.

To look at more research on the effects of media on child and adolescent health, check out the free CMCH Database of Research.

Connections in News, Media, and Research: Alcohol Awareness Week Edition

Today begins Alcohol Awareness Week, so we're highlighting news, innovation, and research related to our mission of healthy media use by children and adolescents.

• There is a lot of research on how alcohol is represented in media for teens, especially movies and music videos. Take a look at some of the most recently published content analyses and studies here: 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• A recent episode of the comedy "Modern Family" (ABC) caused quite a stir when one of the characters was expelled from college for underage drinking. From Twitter to parenting blogs, people were asking questions like whether expulsion was legal, whether the episode was a teaching moment for teens, and whether it was plausible storytelling. You can read a summary of the episode here, and you can follow some community conversation in the blogosphere here. And if you'd like to see how that plays out in the real world, look at this study on media coverage of celebrity DUIs.
• For government resources on alcohol abuse and media literacy,  you can look at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) newsletter or the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) newsletter.
• Nobody can legally sell alcohol to U.S. minors under the age of 21, but that doesn't stop them from advertising in venues read, passively seen, or watched by teens. Check out some of the many studies on alcohol advertising in the database: 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• Teens in Oregon have taken alcohol abuse prevention into their own hands and created their own anti-drinking ads. You can check some of them out here.
• For international perspectives, take a look at a study about teens in European countries, where drinking culture and legal age vary drastically from in the U.S.

Remember, if you're looking for more research, whether on alcohol or on any other health issue, you can check the CMCH Database of Research.

Recently Added Studies on Children, Media, and Health

Check out these studies of interest that were recently added to our database.

Durham, Meenakshi Gigi. (2011). Blood, lust and love: Interrogating gender violence in the Twilight phenomenon. The Journal of Children and Media, 6(3), 281-299.

• The researcher investigated the popular YA book series The Twilight Saga and looked at gender stereotypes and dating activities and customs. The author considered what influence the gender roles in the series might have on its readers.

Lwin, May O., & Malik, Shelly. (2011). The role of media exposure, peers, and family on body dissatisfaction amongst boys and girls in Singapore. Journal of Children and Media, 6(1), 69-82.

• Researchers surveyed 10- to 13-year-old children in Singapore to learn about their body image and body dissatisfaction. They found that both parents and peer groups have an effect on tweens and early adolescents' body image, as does media exposure.

McDermott, Jeanne T. (2011). Getting it on: An examination of how contraceptives are portrayed in young adult literature. Young Adult Library Services, 9(4), 47-53.

• The author of this study, a youth services librarian, analyzed the content of 25 YA novels published between 1995 and 2010 to determine what types of portrayals of contraceptive use each book contained. She determined that fiction alone was not a good enough resource for teens.

Mossle, Thomas, et al. (2010). Media use and school achievement--boys at risk? British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 28(pt 3), 699-725.

• In this study, researchers looked at the connection between media use and academics. They found that boys who used media frequently were more likely than girls to have lower school achievement, especially when video and computer games were involved. They also found that children whose schools had a media literacy education program were more likely to have high achievement.

Wansink, B., et al. (2012). Can branding improve school lunches? Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 166(10), 967-968.

• This letter from the researchers described an experiment in which schoolchildren were given branded and unbranded food items, healthy and unhealthy, in an effort to determine whether the presence of a recognizable character, such as Elmo, would make them more likely to choose a certain item.

To find more studies on children, media, and health, click here to search our database.

Connections in News, Media, and Research: National Family Literacy Day Edition

In honor of National Family Literacy Day (November 1), we are highlighting some interesting links and studies available in our database on children/adolescents, health, and literacy.

• National Family Literacy Day is an intiative by the National Center for Family Literacy.
• There are so many public service announcements (PSAs) on smoking, drinking, drugs, and other health issues, some directed at children and young adults and others directed at adults. But what effect do PSAs about reading have, if any? This study looked at positive and negative literacy television messages and assessed children's thoughts about them.
• If you're a parent or doctor interested in promoting early literacy and all the great health and social gains that come out of it, you might find websites like Zero to Three, Reach Out and Read, the Center for Early Literacy Learning, or UNICEF's Early Childhood website helpful.
• Talking, singing, and reading with babies is great for the development--and markedly different from watching television with them--as this study observes.
• That's not to say that media can't be a valuable way to help children learn. Take a look at this study on the transfer of learning from books and video, a study on media-rich literacy interventions, a study on low-income preschoolers learning to use books and television, and another study on the use of audiobooks with adolescents with dyslexia.
• A 2008 study in our database just wanted to know what kinds of books adolescents read, when they read, and why.
• Want some perspectives from professionals not in the health field? Take a look at the National Education Association's facts about children's literacy and their intiative Read Across America. You might also like to read about the American Library Association's stance on family literacy, including various intiatives sponsored by their ethnic caucuses and library divisions.
• Family literacy isn't just about getting every member in the family to read. It's also about promoting positive family interactions and togetherness. Here is a study on family dinners and television to take a look at. In 2010, the New York Times found that time families spent together was increasing. Finally, the grassroots organization the Family Dinner Project offers families lots of resources for spending quality fun time together--think of all the possibilities that eating together can lead to: conversation can increase the vocabularies of babies and toddlers; children and parents can talk about the books they're reading or the things they're leanring in school; and cooking together means the potential for a much healthier meal than you might find in a restaurant.
• Finally, take a look at this article on how mothers who are literate can help make their kids healthier.

Are you planning on celebrating National Family Literacy Day?

Connections in News, Media, and Research: Teen Read Week Edition

In honor of Teen Read Week (October 14-20), we are highlighting some recent news and studies available in our database that are related to children/adolescents and literacy, reading, books, and magazines.

• The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) sponsors Teen Read Week and has a website that will let you learn more about it, whether you're a librarian or not. They encourage teens to read any sort of media (print books, ebooks, magazines, graphic novels, etc) just for the fun of it. Their reasoning for a special week dedicated to encouraging teen engagement with literacy? "Although teens realize the importance of reading, they have a huge menu of activities to choose from when deciding how to spend their free time, and reading gets lost in the shuffle. Reading skills get rusty when they are not used. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that over the last 20 years there have been only modest gains in reading achievement. And although there are many active literacy campaigns, very few efforts focus on teenagers."
• In a 2011 study, researchers asked children to watch television clips on literacy and assessed the children's reactions to them. They found that the children could remember and understand the clips, but they did not find any connection between watching the clips and changing opinions of literacy. Then again, only three years earlier, a study asked 4- to 8-year-old children what they thought of kids who read, kids who watched television, and kids who played video games. Their answers? Readers were "smart," TV fans "lazy," and gamers "bored."
• Children's and Young Adult (YA) novels are gaining in popularity, leading to fans of all ages. CMCH has been collecting content analyses and studies that look at how these books (and children's and teens' magazines) might portray things like substance use, thinness and beauty messages, violence, tobacco use, aggression, sexual initiation, and food advertising.
• Has your son/daughter/patient been spending more time on social networks not called Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace? If they're readers, they might be members of social reading sites, gaining in popularity, which are dedicated to reading lists, user book reviews, and community, all through shared reading experiences and interests. Popular sites include GoodReads, LibraryThing, Copia, and BookLamp.
• There's no doubt that different media messages can contribute to self-image. If you're interested in how this works in print media for young people, check out this study on portrayals of disability in picturebooks, one on magazine advertisements and body image, one on how media exposure affects sexual behavior in teens, and one on how reading can improve emotional health and school performance.

Do you have any plans for Teen Read Week?

Media in the Media - News We're Following

Here at CMCH, we're always finding news, websites, games, and other great stuff that promotes positive use of media, shows young people engaging with technology in creative ways, informs us of new studies underway, and highlights other items of interest to practitioners, researchers, parents, teachers, and advocates. Here are some of the things we're excited about lately.

• GenZPlay has developed an app for kids that only functions if they're doing physical activity. What an interesting way to make sure technology-loving kids go outside and play once in awhile!Available for iPhone, Big Cat Race pits the iPhone holder against a lion, leopard, or cheetah and encourages them to race.
• In a study titled "The New Definition of Childhood," The Global Kids Study found that kids use technology in a variety of positive ways, helping make this generation's world a lot smaller than it is for their parents.
• YA (young adult, meant for teens) literature has enjoyed a surge of popularity lately and is becoming more widely read by both tweens and adults. In these two posts at Teen Librarian's Toolbox, bloggers Christie and Karen discuss what the covers of YA books might say, imply, or promote about body image and size.
• The great accessibility of the Internet has led to crowdsourcing new musical albums, book reviews, and health information. Just take a look at Kickstarter, Goodreads, or HealthTap if you want to see how people of all backgrounds provide others--even if they don't know them in person--with everything from support for a business upstart to answers to common health questions. Now teens are doing that too, with the public launch of Hallway, a crowd-sourced homework help website.
• Confused about why so many girls love seemingly vapid and meaningless pop songs? This insightful essay about Taylor Swift, the guitar-playing young popstar known for writing songs about breakups and heartbreak (and directly naming her exes) talks about why Swift's lyrics really are quite accurate and pertinent to teen life.
• Those interested in understanding how teens use various forms of technology might be curious about the approach, opinions, and expertise of those who work with adolescents outside of the medical sphere. Professional magazine VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) provides freely available archives online of their column Tag Team Tech, which discusses everything from cyberbullying to pleasure reading to visual literacy. 
• With so many media messages about how girls should hate math or how computer programming is for boys, it's great to see this news about African American girls succeeding at and enjoying computer programming. The program Black Girls Code aims not only to educate and engage these girls but also to change their perspectives on what the stereotypical programmer looks and acts like, hoping to get a little more diversity into the field.
• GURL.com talks about why celebrity "bump watching" is silly, and they also take a jab at the idea that girls who don't watch their eating must be pregnant. Previously, though, they encouraged readers to speculate on whether actress and singer Selena Gomez, who was rushed to the hospital, was pregnant or just sick. What do you think tabloid media and reality shows that focus on pregnancy or pregnancy speculation do to the perceptions of the teens that read and watch them? P.S. If you want to see what else this site, frequented by teen girls and dedicated to everything from health tips to fashion, says, click on the links at the bottom of the article for "pregnant" and "pregnancy."

If you're looking for peer-reviewed articles and scholarly research, remember to check the CMCH database.

New studies in the CMCH Database of Research

Check out these studies recently added to the CMCH database:

Bergen, D., & Davis, D. (2011). Influences of technology-related playful activity and thought on moral development. American Journal of Play, 4(1), 80-99.

• Developmental psychologists and early childhood educators are often big proponents of play, as it promotes healthy social and behavioral development, as well as having indicators for physical activity and later academic success. In this article, researchers consider how traditional play often falls by the wayside these days in favor of technological games and forms of play. In a review of current online and computer-based play environments, the researchers offer suggestions and frameworks for future research on how new forms of play contribute to moral development in children.

Carstensen, T. (2009). Gender trouble in Web 2.0: Gender perspectives on social network sites, wikis and weblog. International Journal of Gender, Science, and Technology, 1(1), 106-127. 

• This study looks at how people negotiate gender identity on the Internet, especially in Web 2.0 applications like blog platforms and social networking sites. The author looked at feminist theories and gender studies theories that informed this study and then considered how Web 2.0 tools allowed for creative navigating of gender identities or how other applications force a gender binary and therefore exclude individuals of queer or other identities. The author concluded by positing what these tools and structures do to the psyches and activities of web users, especially young women.

Garrison, M.M., & Christakis, D.A. (2012). The impact of a healthy media use intervention on sleep in preschool children. Pediatrics, 130(3), 1-8.

• Doctors and parents are aware that media has an association with the quality of sleep in children and adolescents, but little research has been done to determine whether it is a causal relationship. This randomized trial looked at the effects of a healthy media intervention by asking parents to substitute violent or scary media with educational and prosocial media, and then reports on sleep quality and telephone interviews were gathered. The researchers found that there was indeed a causal relationship between media and sleep.

Opree, S.J., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P.M. (2012). Lower life satisfaction related to materialism in children frequently exposed to advertising. Pediatrics, published online August 2012: 

• In this study, researchers strove to uncover the causality behind life satisfaction and materialism, focusing on children. Interestingly, they found that children satisfied with life had decreased materialism, but not vice versa. By comparing their data with research on this topic done with adults, they were able to offer conclusions and possible interventions.

To find more research on children, youth, media, and health, check out the CMCH database.