 by Chelsea Jenter, MPH For kids, sugar not only tastes good, but it makes them feel good too. This might explain my four year old’s obsession with Halloween. The Friday before last, she sprinted from house to house, as if it was her only chance to get candy in this century. And though Halloween was just two weeks ago, she’s already asking how long it is until the “next” Halloween. What is this obsession with candy? This could be a long year.
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 by Karen Switkowski, MS, MPH Height is about more than physical appearance or the ability to reach items on the upper shelves of the grocery store. Economics research indicates that taller people make more money, even after controlling for factors such as age, gender, weight, education, and experience. In public health research, we often use height and growth rate as a study outcome when looking at the effects of various exposures, particularly nutritional factors. Height is an easily measured variable that can be used as a general marker of nutritional status and also predict health and developmental outcomes. What are some of the research questions that height is used to study?
 by Sheryl Rifas-Shiman, MPH Almost 14 years ago, I remember being very excited — and a bit confused — about when to start feeding my baby solid foods. The when, what, and how of starting solids was a hot topic among parents at the playground. Since that time, recommendations have changed but haven’t necessarily become clearer. National and international guidelines recommend not feeding an infant solid food until at least 4 months of age and preferably not until 6 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization advocate for later introduction of solids as a way to promote exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. When I was making this decision, I remember being mostly concerned about choking and allergies. But there may be another reason for delaying the introduction of solids: preventing obesity.
 by Elizabeth Cespedes, MS Children in the United States consume an average of 7 hour/day of screen media. Television is the biggest culprit, but time spent on cellular phones, in front of the computer, on a tablet, or playing video games contribute a good bit of that time too.
Screen media is present throughout children’s lives – at school, in free time and even in bedrooms. But is this constant exposure bad for children’s health? The answer seems to be yes, especially because of the link between excessive screen time and less sleep. Multiple studies have found that more time spent viewing television or other screen media predicts less daily sleep in children, from infancy through adolescence. Having a television or a computer in the bedroom is worse, leading to more total media use, and regardless of this total use, to a later bedtime and fewer hours of sleep.  by Chelsea Jenter, MPH New parents are expected to follow an overwhelming number of guidelines, rules, and suggestions to keep their children healthy and safe. When my kids were born a few years ago, I recall trying to research various suggestions: Should we eat only organic food? What about whole grains? Phthalates? BPA? Cleaning agents? Which kind of sunscreen is OK? What about bug spray? All parents want to do what is best for their kids, but navigating the current landscape can be terrifying. So here is a suggestion with a terrific bang for the buck: make sure your kids get enough sleep. Adequate sleep affects many outcomes in positive ways. |
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