Radio spots for the week of 08/15/10 Broadcast on KKOY, KALN, KKOY, KINZ and KIND

Topic #1

Is napping good?  Ask any tired parent, and they will tell you, with a yawn, that absolutely yes; naps are great.  But a new study questions whether naps are helpful for preschoolers.  The 50 + preschoolers were in childcare, ages 3, 4, and 5 years.  The amount of time they slept, (daytime and nighttime), was recorded for a week.  In addition, the kids were given a developmental test called the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test.  Interestingly, the 3 and 4 year olds took a daytime nap which averaged about 70 minutes a day, while the 5 year olds only napped about 21 minutes a day.  Surprising to the authors, was that the kids who slept the most in the day didn't do as well on the vocabulary test.  Now the total amount of sleep in a 24 hour period was roughly the same for all kids, just that some kids got more at night and slept less in the day, hence less time in naps.  Now, the authors didn't know why there was a difference in the vocabulary of the nappers, and  thus more study needs to be done to see if this is a true finding, and possibly to see if other areas of development are affected.  But in the meantime, there are a few points about sleep that are worth considering.  It would seem that for most kids, and probably adults, too, sleep in one long setting is better because it allows for the brain to go through the sleep cycles.  Remember, that we go through several different stages of sleep, and it seems to work best when we go through the proper sequence for the time our brain seems to want to stay in each stage.  With more sleep studies being done, hopefully we will learn more about sleep and the affect it has on our brain functioning.  Perhaps we will find that napping isn't as optimal as getting most of the zzzz's at night.  In any event, give those kids a good night’s sleep, and don’t rely on naps to catch up on missed snoozle time.  Give that kid a hug, I'm Dr. Greta McFarland.

Topic #2

What may get worse with puberty, besides pimples?  According to a recent study, perhaps an increase in socially aggressive behavior, even to the point of violence.  This study is in the August issue of the journal, Pediatrics, and included about 6,000 interviews of kids from 2 cities, one in Seattle, the other in Melbourne, Australia, with interviews of kids in the 5th, 7th, and 9th grades.  Violent behavior was measured asking two questions:  first, how often during the past year had the student attacked someone with the intention of seriously hurting the person, and second, how often had the student hurt someone badly enough to require medical treatment.  To assess social aggression, the students were asked how often in the past year had the student gotten back at a classmate by turning others against the classmate with lies or rumors.  As puberty progressed, more kids show more violent behaviors, with there being a marked difference in the 5th graders compared to the 7th and 9th graders.  The older the kids, the more aggression and violence was shown.  In addition, the kids who showed more violence were more likely to have friends who showed the same tendencies and more of these kids had a stressed family life.  Keep in mind this study was only on a few questions, answered by the students, however, this can be a reminder that puberty is a highly stressful time, and kids need supervision and guidance, to interact early, if these tendencies surface, before violence occurs.  Violence and aggression seem to be a part of human nature; if you have any doubt about that, watch a few 2 year olds, or just read a chapter of world history; about any chapter will do.  Pimples and puberty; the two go together.  Be sure that violence isn't added to the mix.  Give that kid a hug, I'm Dr. Greta McFarland.

Topic #3

Whose responsibility is it, anyway, to be sure what goes in your child’s mouth is appropriate?  Ultimately it is the parents who can and should make the decision what the child will be offered.  And this is easiest for the littler kids.  But how about all the other influences in life, like TV?  Well, according to a study in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, the good news is that television advertisements towards young children for beverages and sweets are down. The bad news is that television ads for fast food towards our kids, is up, having increased by 20 per cent between 2003 and 2007.  Data was collected from Nielsen Media Research, looking at 3 age groups:  2-5 years, 6-11 years, and 12-17 years.  The data was compared for years 2003, 2005, and 2007 looking at annual exposure to food advertising for beverages, sweets and fast food restaurants.  In 2003, all three age groups saw an average of 13 to 14 food advertisements each day.  By 2007 the number had dropped for the little kids to about 11-12 ads, and had stayed bout the same for the other two groups.  The beverage ads were down by 30% in all age groups, and the sweet ads were also down in all age ranges.  However, the fast food chains increased advertisement to all ages and to especially the teens by 20%.  Now is this a real problem?  Well, it is the parents' responsibility for what goes into those little mouths, and hopefully to teach the child to make good decisions when teen years are reached.  Perhaps the most important point is just to be aware of what your kids are watching and hearing, and give your input.  If you haven't actually counted how many food commercials your child is absorbing, spend time with your kid and focus on the child's reactions.  Why, you might learn something, and hopefully, Jr will, too!!  Give that kid a hug, I'm Dr. Greta McFarland.