Food Environments Near Home and School Related to Consumption of Soda and Fast Food

Outlines how retail food environments affect adolescents' consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food, including county-by-county variations. Discusses implications for health outcomes and policy recommendations improve food environments

Adolescent Physical Education and Physical Activity in California

Based on 2007 California Health Interview Survey data, examines participation in physical education and other physical activity among adolescents ages 12 to 17 by gender and county, and implications for health outcomes. Makes policy recommendations

Obesity and Diabetes: Two Growing Epidemics in California

Analyzes the 2001-07 increase in obesity and diabetes prevalence by race/ethnicity, age, income, education, and years lived in the United States. Outlines policy implications of the disproportionate effect on people of color, the poor, and less educated

A Patchwork of Progress

Outlines changes in childhood obesity and overweight rates in California between 2005 and 2010 by county. Considers implications of regional variations, including public policy options for promoting healthy diets and physical activity

The choice of indicators influences conclusions about the educational gradient of sex-specific alcohol consumption

There has been considerable public interest in reports on harmful alcohol consumption of higher educated females. This study assesses the robustness of this finding with representative German data using ten different indicators of alcohol consumption. This cross-sectional study used data of the Epidemiological Survey on Substance Abuse from 2012. 4,225 females and 3,239 males represent the German population aged 18-64. It presents ten indicators of alcohol consumption by sex and education and provides group specific means and 95 %-confidence intervals. The main results are: (1) Higher educated males and females are drinking alcohol more frequently than lower educated males and females. (2) When drinking, higher educated males and females tend to drink less alcohol than lower educated males and females. (3) Only when using an indicator for hazardous alcohol consumption with different thresholds for males and females, the results indicate a pattern that significantly exposes hazardous alcohol consumption in the group of higher educated females. Concerning the choice of indicators, this study shows that sex-specific threshold-based indicators of alcohol consumption may lead to different conclusions as the majority of other indicators

The image of a city : a place for the people

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1991.Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-71).This thesis is a proposal to create ''The Image of a City: A Place for the People." The study begins by exploring the notion of an image, studying the various images that may already exist, and creating a place from the chosen image or images that becomes a recognizable symbol of the city. Images of a place are the impressions of specific objects left with the individuals who visit it, live in it, or see it in pictures. I asked people about their images of different cities and most of the answers were built structures; therefore, architectural features play an important role in defining the image of a place. If the images of places are structures, what is the built image of Boston? It became evident that Boston does not have one clear specific built image. This thesis will develop a built form for the city of Boston. The site for the development of the image of Boston is Central Wharf, located on the waterfront. Images are open to personal interpretation and the success of this design is in one's ability to associate the design to the intended image. The design is successful if it is suited to the location and one can comfortably associate the image. Because the built image of the city is an image for the people, the built image must also be a place for the people. It is people that make a place and the formal design decisions of a place can create the impressions and images of a city.by Loren Wolstein Stein.M.Arch

Alkohol und Familie. Teil I: Konsum der Eltern. Teil II. Konsum der Kinder

„Alkohol und Familie”. In der vorliegenden Expertise werden aktuelle Ergebnisse der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema “Alkohol und Familie” zusammengefasst. Im ersten Teil werden schwerpunktmäßig der Alkoholkonsum der Eltern und seine Auswirkungen auf die familiäre Situation dargestellt; der zweite Teil beschäftigt sich mit dem Konsum von Kindern und Jugendlichen und dem Einfluss der Eltern auf deren riskante Trinkgewohnheiten. Alkoholkonsum ist unter deutschen Erwachsenen weit verbreitet. Frauen trinken gewöhnlich weniger riskant als Männer, dennoch konsumieren 14% der Frauen Alkohol während ihrer Schwangerschaft. Dies erhöht das Risiko für Alkoholfolgeschäden beim Kind. Mehr als zwei Millionen Kinder und Jugendliche leben in Familien mit alkoholbezogenen Problemen und haben deshalb eine erhöhte Wahrscheinlichkeit, intellektuelle, emotionale oder soziale Probleme oder eine Alkoholabhängigkeit zu entwickeln. Kinder alkoholabhängiger Eltern übernehmen häufig spezifische Rollenmuster um dadurch die Herausforderungen ihres täglichen Lebens bewältigen zu können. Ein Sechstel aller deutschen Jugendlichen zwischen 12 und 17 Jahren konsumiert mindestens einmal wöchentlich Alkohol. Sie bevorzugen Bier oder Mischgetränke und trinken meist gemeinsam mit ihren Freunden auf öffentlichen Plätzen. Jugendliche trinken aufgrund von Verstärkungs-, Bewältigungs-, Konformitäts- und sozialen Motiven. Riskantes Konsumverhalten (z.B. Rauschtrinken) hat zahlreiche kurz- und langfristige Effekte auf das körperliche, psychische und soziale Wohlbefinden von Jugendlichen. Eine große Zahl von Kindern, Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen werden jährlich aufgrund einer Alkoholintoxikation in einem Krankenhaus behandelt. Eltern haben einen Einfluss auf den Alkoholkonsum ihrer Kinder durch ihren Erziehungsstil, Regelsetzung, Kommunikation, Vorbild- und Monitoringverhalten. Präventionsprogramme sollten daher sowohl Jugendliche als auch Eltern ansprechen.„Alcohol in Families“. This report summarises current results of the scientific literature regarding the topic “Alcohol in Families“. The first part focuses on parental alcohol use and its effects on the family. In the second part, alcohol consumption of children and adolescents and the impact of parents on their hazardous drinking habits are discussed. Hazardous alcohol use is a widely spread phenomenon among German adults. Women usually have less risky consumption patterns than men; however, during pregnancy, 14% of women consume alcohol. This increases the risk of alcohol related harms for the child. Over two million children and adolescents live in families with alcohol-related problems and are therefore more likely to develop intellectual, emotional and social problems, or alcohol dependence. Children with alcohol dependent parents tend to adopt specific roles in order to cope with the diverse challenges of their daily life. In Germany, one out of six adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age consume alcohol at least weekly. They prefer to drink beer or mixed drinks together with their friends at public places. Adolescents use alcohol because of enhancement, coping, conformity and social motives. Hazardous alcohol use (e.g. binge drinking) has numerous short and long term effects on the physical, psychological and social well-being of adolescents. A large number of children, adolescents, and young adults are admitted to hospital due to alcohol intoxication every year. Parents have an impact on the alcohol use of their children via their parenting, rule setting, communication, role modelling, and monitoring behaviour. Prevention programs should therefore address both adolescents and their parents

Levo-α-acetylmethadol (LAAM) induced QTc-prolongation - results from a controlled clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Due to potential proarrhythmic side-effects levo-α-Acetylmethadol (LAAM) is currently not available in EU countries as maintenance drug in the treatment of opiate addiction. However, recent studies and meta-analyses underline the clinical advantages of LAAM with respect to the reduction of heroin use. Thus a reappraisal of LAAM has been demanded. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relative impact of LAAM on QTc-interval, as a measure of pro-arrhythmic risk, in comparison to methadone, the current standard in substitution therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>ECG recordings were analysed within a randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of maintenance treatment with LAAM compared with racemic methadone. Recordings were done at two points: 1) during a run-in period with all patients on methadone and 2) 24 weeks after randomisation into methadone or LAAM treatment group. These ECG recordings were analysed with respect to QTc-values and QTc-dispersion. Mean values as well as individual changes compared to baseline parameters were evaluated. QTc-intervals were classified according to CPMP-guidelines.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Complete ECG data sets could be obtained in 53 patients (31 LAAM-group, 22 methadone-group). No clinical cardiac complications were observed in either group. After 24 weeks, patients receiving LAAM showed a significant increase in QTc-interval (0.409 s ± 0.022 s versus 0.418 s ± 0.028 s, p = 0.046), whereas no significant changes could be observed in patients remaining on methadone. There was no statistically significant change in QTc-dispersion in either group. More patients with borderline prolonged and prolonged QTc-intervals were observed in the LAAM than in the methadone treatment group (n = 7 vs. n = 1; p = 0.1).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this controlled trial LAAM induced QTc-prolongation in a higher degree than methadone. Given reports of severe arrhythmic events, careful ECG-monitoring is recommended under LAAM medication.</p

Novelty-elicited mismatch negativity in patients with schizophrenia on admission and discharge

Introduction: MMN, an electrophysiological measure of auditory working memory, is usually recorded as the difference in the event-related potential (ERP) elicited by a rare deviant and a common standard sound. The amplitude is usually reduced in patients with schizophrenia (refs below). Here we looked at the response in the extreme and most simple case of the deviant being always a novel, different tone on every presentation. We compared the novelty-MMN with clinical symptoms expressed - both measures being made soon after admission and again 2-3 months later just before discharge. Methods: We compared 20 patients (mean age 26y) with a first, second or third episode of schizophrenia on admission with 21 healthy controls (mean age 26y) and were able to repeat the measures with 12 patients at discharge and with 15 controls. An early MMN component (80-140 ms), a later component (140-300 ms) and the P3a were recorded and topography examined after min-max norming from 19 sites. Symptoms were assessed with the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). Results: a) Novelty-elicited MMN was not significantly reduced on admission. b) The early component remained unaltered, but the amplitude of the later component decreased significantly during inpatient treatment. While the decrease appeared significant over the left hemisphere in the raw data, the lateral difference was lost after normalizing the data. c) Improved positive symptom ratings were associated with increases of the early component latency, but decreases of the late component latency. d) P3a at Fz showed an increased latency between sessions in the patients but there were no group differences in amplitude. Conclusions: Our results are partially consistent with two other studies using a conventional MMN that showed a lack of MMN normalization where symptoms improved (Schall et al., 1998; Umbricht et al., 1998) - in the present study MMN deteriorated. While trait features have been attributed to conventional MMN reductions in schizophrenia, our results suggest that if novelty responses are impaired in patients with schizophrenia then the differences may be sensitive to state