The Use of Singing and Playing Wind Instruments to Enhance Pulmonary Function and Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis

Although Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the most fatal and devastating lung diseases in the world, treatments to enhance lung capacity and Quality of Life (QOL) are still in their infancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of music therapy, specifically singing or playing a wind instrument, on pulmonary function and QOL in children and adolescents with CF. Three participants with CF participated in this two week study, which consisted of two, thirty minute sessions a day, for a total of twenty sessions. The sessions for one week of the study included singing, playing the recorder, or playing the kazoo, and the other week included talking, playing board games or playing video games. The Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) results and the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire (CFQ) results were used in this descriptive study as outcome variables. These data were collected three times throughout the study: pre-study, mid-study and post-study. For two participants, PFT results showed a higher increase during the music week, than during the non-music week. For the third participant, he did not complete the study, and only participated in the full non-music week and two days of the music week. His PFT results increased more during the non-music week. No significant trends were found when comparing the CFQ results. Suggestions for future research are discussed

Television and food in the lives of young children

Several mechanisms have been proposed behind the associations between screens and overweight including sedentary behaviour, eating while viewing, and exposure to commercials. Aspects of this association as underlying social factors and the possible confounding factors of social norms in the family that can affect children’s lifestyle have received less attention. TV commercials for food and beverages have been extensively studied and it is important to study the appearance of food in children’s TV programmes in a similar way. The general aim of this thesis is to examine the associations between young children’s screen habits, food habits and anthropometry as well as to analyse food and beverages in children’s television programmes in public service television in Sweden. Data from the European research project Identification and prevention of dietary and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) has been used in Papers I-III and 25 hours of children’s TV programmes have been analysed for Paper IV. The main findings indicate that children’s TV viewing and total screen time was found to be associated with their increased sweet drink consumption, BMI and waist to height ratio, according to cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The association between TV viewing and sweetened beverage consumption was found to be independent of parental norms regarding sweetened beverages. Exposure to commercial TV was associated with consuming sweetened beverages more frequently independently of TV viewing time. One in five foods appearing in the sample of children’s TV programmes was for high-calorie and low-nutrient foods, often appearing with children. The results indicate that it is possible to affect children’s food habits by influencing their TV habits, and that public service television has the potential to improve the way food and eating are depicted in children’s TV programmes

The Food Insecurity–Obesity Paradox: A Review of the Literature and the Role Food Stamps May Play

During the past decade, rates of food insecurity and obesity have risen, and an association has been made between these two seemingly paradoxical states. Although this relationship has not been repeatedly seen in men, research suggests a correlation in women. Studies have not been able to consistently show a relationship in children, because findings differ based on age, race/ethnicity, household income, and sex. Several proposed hypotheses explain why a correlation between food insecurity and obesity exists in adults-especially women-but not in children. This review proposes a conceptual framework linking the Food Stamp Program and other coping strategies to the food insecurity-obesity relationship. This link has implications for Food Stamp Program policy changes, welfare reform, and poverty prevention

Substance use and STI acquisition: Secondary analysis from the AWARE study

OBJECTIVES: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are significant public health and financial burdens in the United States. This manuscript examines the relationship between substance use and prevalent and incident STIs in HIV-negative adult patients at STI clinics. METHODS: A secondary analysis of Project AWARE was performed based on 5,012 patients from 9 STI clinics. STIs were assessed by laboratory assay and substance use by self-report. Patterns of substance use were assessed using latent class analysis. The relationship of latent class to STI rates was investigated using Poisson regression by population groups at high risk for STIs defined by participant’s and partner’s gender RESULTS: Drug use patterns differed by risk group and substance use was related to STI rates with the relationships varying by risk behavior group. Substance use treatment participation was associated with increased STI rates CONCLUSIONS: Substance use focused interventions may be useful in STI clinics to reduce morbidity associated with substance use. Conversely, gender-specific sexual health interventions may be useful in substance use treatment