Book Review

Abstract

Vickery DM: LifePlan for Your Health. Reading, Addison-Wesley, 1978     

Evaluating a social marketing campaign on healthy nutrition and lifestyle among primary-school children: A mixed-method research design

Italy has one of the highest levels of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe. Therefore, preventing children from becoming overweight is a major public health challenge. Here, we used a mixed-method research approach – including a quasi-experimental design and three surveys – to create a formative evaluation of a social marketing campaign on healthy nutrition and lifestyle in Italian primary school children. The social marketing campaign was organized around the 4 Ps of the marketing mix (product: the educational activities; place: the involved schools and supermarkets; promotion: the in-person and technology-based communication; and price: hours spent by the targeted children in fulfilling the educational activities). The campaign involved primary-school children across four Italian cities. The findings suggest that social marketing education campaigns can be effective tools to improve children’s knowledge about healthy food and lifestyle, reduce their sedentary behavior, and increase their consumption of healthy food. Also, increasing children’s acceptance of healthful nourishment is a valuable tool to improve the dietary habits of the entire family. With relation to the educational program assessment method, this study can inform societal interventions especially those involving children through the integration of different qualitative and quantitative research methods, which collect data from different subjects and perspectives.     

Parental Work Schedules and Child Overweight or Obesity: Does Family Structure Matter?

The authors used longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 5,482) to investigate whether maternal and paternal work schedules affect child overweight or obesity. They took the novel step of examining whether this effect is consistent for children living in different family structures. Findings from child fixed effects models suggest that the probability of child overweight or obesity was higher for children living with mothers who worked standard shifts at a primary job and nonstandard shifts at a secondary job compared to children living with mothers who worked a standard shift at a primary job only. Fathers' work schedules were not associated with child overweight or obesity. Unexpectedly, maternal standard shift work at a primary job and nonstandard shift work at a secondary job was associated with overweight or obesity only among children living with married biological parents.     

Exploring communicative functions of humor: the development and assessment of a new functions of humor scale

This work develops and assesses a new Functions of Humor Scale, a scale that measures purposes (identification, clarification, enforcement, and differentiation) for which individuals enact humor. Two studies were conducted using undergraduate students (N = 210, N = 233) from different regions of the United States. Construct and criterion validity were established via factor analysis and the concurrent assessment of the new scale with previously published measures of humor. In addition, the scale produced good internal consistency coefficients for each factor. The researchers suggest continued testing and assessments for the new measure.     

Farm Friends

Abstract

Intergenerational programs have proliferated in community and educational settings, yet research on their effects and impacts lags (Kaplan, 2002; Kuehne, 1998/99), and the benefits and learning that occur for participants are under-theorized (Abrams and Giles, 1999; Smith and Yeager, 1999). Similarly, insufficient research has been reported on the learning that takes place in environmental education programs. In this paper we focus on the relationship that developed between community elders and elementary school-aged children during the first year of an intergenerational environmental education project. Our goal is to better understand these experiences so we can sustain participation and develop programs rich in rewards for elders and children. We are particularly interested in the nature of intergenerational learning that occurs when children are brought together with community elders for environmental education that is integrated into a school program. Granville and Ellis (1999) propose that for a program to be defined as intergenerational, it must show a benefit and value for both generations and “demonstrate an improvement in the quality of life for both, and from that, an improvement in the quality of life for all” (p. 236). We concur with these criteria and designed a program linking community elders with farming backgrounds with one class of 18 grade-seven girls for the purpose of fostering environmental consciousness. In this paper we focus our attention on the learnings of participants in order to understand the mutuallearning that occurs in an intergenerational environmental program.     

Keynote Address: Impact of the Future on College Health

Abstract

Objective: The authors investigated the effect of gain-framed (GF) compared with loss-framed (LF) messages on exercise behaviors in normal weight and among overweight/class I obese. The authors also examined which groups would have significantly improved exercise behaviors over time. Participants: Sixty-four undergraduates were randomized to the 4 groups by message type and weight category from September 2008 to December 2011. Methods: After screening, students received messages and attended an exercise instruction session. Results: There were no significant differences between GF or LF message groups among normal weight or overweight/obese on the primary outcomes at posttest. After receiving the GF messages, the overweight/obese group was the only group to have a significant increase on all 3 primary outcomes: fitness center attendance (p = .038), combined moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity (p = .005), and strength training (p = .037). Conclusions: The exercise behaviors of undergraduate students who are overweight or obese can benefit from GF messages.     

Australian Social Work Reviewers 2010

Abstract

Children placed in out-of-home care are a particularly disadvantaged group in society, who have often been exposed to trauma and socioeconomic disadvantage. As a result, they experience poorer health outcomes than children in the general population, especially mental health outcomes. One health outcome that has yet to be researched thoroughly is overweight and obesity of children placed in out-of-home care. Hence, the overall goal of this paper was to review the extant literature over the last decade on weight-related issues for children in out-of-home care, with particular emphasis on overweight and obesity. The findings of the review revealed that there is a lack of rigorous Australian research in relation to prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in children in out-of-home care; there is a lack of strategies or interventions designed specifically to combat overweight and obesity in children in out-of-home care; and one of the major limitations of Australian research to date is the use of self-report measures to assess the weight status of children in out-of-home care. It was concluded that prevention and intervention strategies are needed that target children as they enter out-of-home care.     

Parent adoption and implementation of obesity prevention practices through building children's asking skills at family child care homes

BackgroundEarly childhood education programs provide a setting to reach children and parents to modify home environments to prevent obesity. The Healthy Opportunities for Physical Activity and Nutrition Home (HOP’N) Home project was a novel approach that linked Family Child Care Homes (FCCH) to home environments by developing children’s asking skills for healthful home environmental change through curricular activities.ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of engaging parents in obesity prevention practices through building children's asking skills at FCCH.MethodsFCCHs (n = 5 settings) and children (n = 25; aged 3−5 years; female = 36 %; non-Hispanic white = 91 %; low socioeconomic status = 28 %; overweight/obese = 52 %) and parents (n = 25) participated in a pre-post cohort design. We assessed children's body mass index and self-report variables at three time points. HOP'N Home included continuous staff training, group time, dramatic play, meal prompts, songs, and home activities.ResultsFCCH providers implemented 83%–100% of intervention activities. All parents (100 %) adopted the program, most (87 %) returned completed homework activities to FCCHs, and over 90 % implemented changes in the home. Percent of overweight/obese children decreased from pre-intervention (50 %) to post-intervention (29 %,p = 0.06) and follow-up (38 %,p = 0.06).ConclusionsIt is feasible to build children's asking skills and pair this strategy with home activities to engage parents to prevent obesity.     

Parent‐Child Value Similarity: The Role of Zeitgeist

Reporting a study of German 2‐child families, the article focuses on a neglected issue in value transmission studies: contemporaneous societal context. Parent‐child value similarity depends not only on family characteristics but also on zeitgeist, the modal value climate of a society. To evaluate the role of zeitgeist in value transmission, differences in parent‐child value similarity between families agreeing and disagreeing with the zeitgeist are studied, focusing on a core value of modern societies: hierarchic self‐interest. Results show a weak general zeitgeist effect. A family’s relative position vis‐à‐vis the societal value climate, however, is shown to strongly influence intergenerational similarity in hierarchic self‐interest, families distant from the zeitgeist showing a much higher intergenerational value similarity than families close to the zeitgeist.     

Is Laughing at the Expense of Victims and Offenders a Red Flag? Humor and Secondary Traumatic Stress

Those who work with human trauma often use humor to handle job stressors. Research has demonstrated that lighthearted humor is related to lower secondary traumatic stress scores, while gallows humor has the inverse relationship. This work explores how three types of humor relate to secondary traumatic stress: (a) humor at the expense of victims, (b) humor at the expense of offenders, and (c) humor containing sexual innuendo. Internet crimes against children taskforce personnel completed questionnaires about secondary traumatic stress and coping techniques. Humor at the expense of victims was rarely used, but when it was, it was indicative of higher secondary traumatic stress. There were no relationships between secondary traumatic stress and the use of humor at the expense of offenders or humor containing sexual innuendo.     

Risk Factors Associated With Overweight and Obesity in College Students

College obesity is increasing, but to the authors' knowledge, no researchers to date have evaluated risk factors in this population. Objective: The authors assessed whether abnormal eating perceptions and behaviors were associated with overweight in college students. Participants and Methods: A sample of undergraduates (N = 4,201) completed an online survey containing demographic questions and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) questionnaire. The authors stratified participants into normal-weight and overweight/obese groups and evaluated physical activity, EAT-26 score, purging behaviors, and answers to selected overweight screening questions on the basis of body mass index. A modified EAT-26 score of ≥ 11 was associated with overweight (p = .016). Results: Compared with normal-weight peers, overweight participants displayed an increased fear of bingeing, preoccupation with food, desire to be thinner, and engagement in dieting behavior. Mean body mass index also increased with age and physical inactivity (p < .001). Conclusions: Because physical inactivity, disordered eating perceptions, and disordered behaviors are associated with increased rates of overweight and obesity, identification of these risk factors in obese youths may increase understanding of weight loss barriers and facilitate the treatment of adolescent obesity.     

Gendered Policies and Practices that Increase Older Men's Risk of Elder Mistreatment

SUMMARY

We aim to detail some of the ways that social policy and gendered practices put older men at risk of elder mistreatment. Research on the abuse and neglect that older adults experience has often focused on the characteristics of the victims and the dynamics within families, emphasizing factors such as the likelihood of an intergenerational cycle of violence, substance abuse and dependency, and older men's financial status as key risks in elder abuse. The effect on men from this type of analysis is that elder mistreatment remains an individual or family problem rather than being viewed as a larger societal concern. This article challenges the individualistic focus by outlining the importance of societal forces affecting older men's risk of mistreatment.     

Childhood body mass index gain during the summer versus during the school year

The nationwide increase in obesity affects all population sectors, but the impact on children is of special concern because overweight children are prone to becoming overweight adults. Contrary to the opinion of experts, research suggests that schools may be more part of the solution than the problem. Recent seasonal comparison research (comparing children's outcomes during the summer and during school year) reports that children gain body mass index (BMI) nearly twice as fast during the summer as during the school year. Whereas most children experience healthier BMI gain during the school year than the summer, this is especially the case for black and Hispanic children and for children already overweight.     

Does Metabolic Syndrome Impair Sexual Functioning in Adults With Overweight and Obesity?

Objectives: Obesity is a growing public health concern worldwide, and results in increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and reduced sex hormone production. Previous research suggests that obesity may contribute to sexual dysfunction. This review aims to determine the relationship between obesity and sexual dysfunction, and ascertain the associated cardiometabolic conditions that may contribute to impaired sexual functioning in individuals with obesity. Methods: Literature searches were conducted through PubMed and Embase from 1980 to 2016, to identify original research articles, reviews including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, using the search terms: obese, obesity, overweight, sexual function, sexual dysfunction, metabolic syndrome, CVD, T2D, hormones and weight loss. Results: This review found that individuals with obesity and cardiometabolic comorbidities were more likely to report the greatest degree or sexual dysfunction and/or reduction in sexual quality of life, compared to those without. Conclusions: Current evidence supports an association between sexual dysfunction and factors associated with obesity, such as reduced insulin sensitivity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and low oestrogen or testosterone. To establish efficacious treatments, research examining the impact of weight loss on the conditions associated with obesity, such as hypertension, reduced insulin sensitivity, dyslipidaemia, and low sex hormones and sexual functioning in individuals with overweight and obesity should be a priority.     

Children changing spaces,changing schools

Children's participation remains controversial in United Kingdom schools where children and their communities rarely have opportunity to change what happens. This paper considers an original approach that developed cooperative intergenerational inquiry with a class of 10–11-year-olds in the north of England as part of complexity-informed participatory action research to consider children's participation in schools. Children and adults considered together, what schools are for, at the same time enabling children to shape spaces for participation in lesson time. The importance of recognising these spaces as dynamic intra-subjective meeting points and of intergenerational relationships for change in schools is revealed.     

Intergenerational Transfers to Adult Children in Europe: Do Social Policies Matter?

Understanding the role of social policies in intergenerational transfers from old to young people is especially important in times of population aging. This paper focuses on the influences of social expenditures and social services on financial support and on practical help from older parents to their adult children based on the first two waves from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE, N = 60,250 dyads from 13 European countries). Multilevel models showed that social policy plays an important role for intergenerational transfer patterns: The more public assistance was provided to citizens, the more likely parents supported their adult children financially and practically, but this support was less intense in terms of money and time given. Thus, the analyses support the specialization hypothesis that posits a division of labor between family and state for downward intergenerational transfers.     

Obesity and Food Choices Among Faculty and Staff at a Large Urban University

Abstract

Objective: In order to address increasing health care costs associated with obesity, this study sought to determine prevalence of overweight and obesity and examine eating behaviors, food choices, health beliefs, and attitudes of university employees. Participants and Methods: An online survey was distributed to > 3,800 faculty and staff at a large public metropolitan university in Winter 2008. Results: Almost half (48%) of 806 respondents were classified as overweight or obese. Compared to those with normal weights, overweight and obese respondents consumed fewer fruits and vegetables (p < .05), were less confident in making healthful food choices (p < .001), and were more influenced by food choices available in on-campus dining facilities (p < .05). Conclusions: Obesity among university employees warrants attention. Because these employees have less self-efficacy and consume less healthful diets than their normal weight colleagues, universities need to improve on-campus access to healthful foods.     

Childhood Overweight: Does Quality of Parental Childcare Time Matter?

This study investigates the impact of parental primary childcare time (quality time) and parental secondary childcare time (multi-tasking time) on children’s overweight probability using data collected from each parent and one child aged 9–16 from 311 families in Houston MSA, US. We find that the primary childcare time is not marginally more important than the secondary childcare time and paternal childcare time is especially important for young children (age 9–11). Furthermore, if parents of overweight children adopt the time inputs of parents of healthy weight children, the predicted overweight probability decreases by ~15% on average, ceteris paribus. If either one of the parents is completely uninvolved, the overweight probability increases by ~21% on average, ceteris paribus.     

Intergenerational Cultural Transmission Among the Akan of Ghana

ABSTRACT

Sociocultural transmission is a necessary ingredient in societal stability, cohesion, and continuity everywhere. For the Akan of central and southern Ghana, an important aspect of societal cohesion occurred through intergenerational solidarity which existed principally in the extended family, with the elders acting as the primary instruments in cultural transmission. The extended family, especially as represented in the Akan traditional household, was regarded as one family. Elders were viewed as the embodiment of the past as well as members with the largest store of memories from the past. Reminiscences, remembrances, and oral narratives were passed down to children in whose lives these elders were intimately involved, and stories always contained some moral values that children were expected to learn from and apply. What appears to be occurring in contemporary Ghana are processes of change and persistence, and the task of this study is to assess changes in the Akan family, particularly the extended family, and their impact on the transmission of cultural values across generations.