Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers

Presents the findings of a national study of more than 1,000 parents of children ages six months through six years, conducted from April 11 to June 9, 2003. Includes the impact of TV on reading, and parent's views on the educational value of media

A View from the Past Into our Collective Future: The Oncofertility Consortium Vision Statement

Today, male and female adult and pediatric cancer patients, individuals transitioning between gender identities, and other individuals facing health extending but fertility limiting treatments can look forward to a fertile future. This is, in part, due to the work of members associated with the Oncofertility Consortium. The Oncofertility Consortium is an international, interdisciplinary initiative originally designed to explore the urgent unmet need associated with the reproductive future of cancer survivors. As the strategies for fertility management were invented, developed or applied, the individuals for who the program offered hope, similarly expanded. As a community of practice, Consortium participants share information in an open and rapid manner to addresses the complex health care and quality-of-life issues of cancer, transgender and other patients. To ensure that the organization remains contemporary to the needs of the community, the field designed a fully inclusive mechanism for strategic planning and here present the findings of this process. This interprofessional network of medical specialists, scientists, and scholars in the law, medical ethics, religious studies and other disciplines associated with human interventions, explore the relationships between health, disease, survivorship, treatment, gender and reproductive longevity. The goals are to continually integrate the best science in the service of the needs of patients and build a community of care that is ready for the challenges of the field in the future

The Influence of Active Gaming on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Black and Hispanic Youth

BackgroundYouth in the United States have low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, a risk factor for childhood obesity. Lower levels of physical fitness for black and Hispanic youth contribute to health disparities. In this feasibility study, we examined active video games (AVGs) as a tool to improve fitness and attitudes toward physical activity during early adolescence.MethodA 6-week AVG program took place in a youth development program in a high-poverty neighborhood in New York City. Youth aged 10 to 15 years (50% overweight or obese) participated in 2 fitness tests and completed surveys that captured barriers to physical activity pre- and postintervention. Each week, participants played Wii Fit games for 30 minutes.ResultsParticipants improved the number of sit-ups and step-ups they completed from pre- to postintervention (p < .05). Participants also increased their self-efficacy, intention to exercise and perceived social support to exercise (p < .05). Youth reported a high level of enjoyment and perceived Wii Fit as ways to increase physical fitness and increase their physical activity.ConclusionAVGs may be a viable alternative exercise program to increase physical activity for black and Hispanic youth living in poverty-impacted neighborhoods