Bad News about Summer Vacation for Obese Children

A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (June 2007) suggested that for obese middle-school children, school-based fitness interventions are an important part of their overall fitness. In fact, the extended summer break reduced their cardiovascular fitness, increased fasting insulin levels as well as body fat.

These results would suggest that the families of obese kids need some education and/or support to help their children make different choices about eating and exercise when home and not participating in school-based programs. Turning off the T.V. and getting active may need to be decisions made at an adult level with support for finding ways for preteens and teens to stay active and involved in non-sedentary activities.

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Labels: Obesity

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Setting an Example: The Best Way to Defeat Bullying

As children, most parents likely experienced bullying as someone bigger and meaner physically threatening someone smaller or weaker. Bullying is still a problem in schools, but the nature of the intimidation is more likely to be gossiping, spreading rumors, and name-calling. These anti-social behaviors are often dismissed as a "normal part of growing up" but they do more damage to children's well-being and academic performance than most people realize.

In an attempt to stop bullying and the damage done by the behavior, schools are trying to make the school environment more respectful instead of the "zero-tolerance" policies that removed bullies from classrooms. In an effort to do this, schools are having to acknowledge the underlying factors that lead to negative behavior, one of which is the discriminatory modeling of parents.

Children in all grade levels use "difference" as a reason to discriminate, exclude, or make fun of their peers. Perceived distinctions based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, body type or mental ability are the basis of harassment, specially in middle school. It is important that we as parents model behavior that is respectful of all people and that our language does not inadvertently suggest that someone is "less than" us in any way.

Be conscious of what you say to people today and every day - you may be surprised by the messages you are sending to your children.

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Girls and Body Image

There is a very scary myth out there that plastic surgery improves self-esteem. Dr. Jenny O'Dea from the University of Sydney recently said in an interview with someone from The Border Mail that 27% of the 4,000 girls between the ages of 11 and 18 she interviewed would get plastic surgery if they could and 2% already had done some plastic surgery. Most of the participants were unhappy with their bodies, 60% wanted to weigh less and 45% knew someone with an eating disorder.

In contrast, what we know as parents and psychologists is that what makes teenage girls really happy are their friends and relationships, as well as what they do with their lives - nothing with how they look. Somehow we have to help young girls realize that who they are is more important than what they look like.

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Back-to-School Basics

Here are some interested facts from the National Center for Education Statistics. Nearly 56 million elementary and secondary students (which includes 1.1 million homeschoolers, and 6 million attending the private schools) are heading off to about 97,000 public school and 28,000 private schools within a couple of weeks. Before the school year is out $489 billion will have been spent related to the education of those kids, including the salaries of the 3.5 million teachers.

74% of the kids attending public high schools will graduate with a diploma within four years, and 69% of high school grads will go on to attend a 2-year or 4-year college (which is up from 49% in 1972). There are about 18 million undergraduate students attending college this year supporting about 1.3 million faculty. The average cost of a 4-year undergraduate education in the United States is $15,100 a year.

As an academic, back-to-school has to be one of my favorite times of the year. I love the supplies, textbooks, locker decorating, uniforms or new clothes, excitement about the first day, learning how to get along with teachers, the start of the sports seasons, and the rhythm of the school week. Not only are there supplies and books to get prepared, there are likely also some habits that most teens need to change so they can get enough sleep and do their best in school.

The first thing most teens have to do is start going to bed earlier so they can get up early enough to get to school with a breakfast and a positive attitude. Teens need about 9 hours a sleep, and many do not get it without making a real effort. The next challenge is probably lunches, which most teens probably do not make themselves, but would be better off bringing from home than eating at school. As teens start being responsible for more of their lives, I think we as parents sometimes forget to remind them that life goes better and they feel better if they take care of the basics - getting enough exercise and sleep as well as eating healthy.

Finally, with school getting going, teens have to find enough time to do homework, build the college application with sports, music, community services, and work, while squeezing in some meaningful quality time with friends and family. Good luck with that - it seems to be a never ending struggle! Any way, good luck with this coming school year! Make the best of every chance you have, and enjoy every minute!

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Health Care Professionals Can Help Prevent Teen Suicide

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents and is more frequent in urban teens who have experienced violence. A study in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that suicide attempts are much more likely among victims of violence and sexual assault. Recent dating violence was also associated with suicide attempts among adolescent girls, and a lifetime history of sexual assault was linked to suicide attempts among adolescent boys.

The conclusions of the study suggested that pediatricians and family medicine doctors seeing teens include questions about violence, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidality as part of comprehensive health assessments of adolescent patients.

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Thank You: Grand Rounds 3.48

I want to thank Med-Source for hosting Grand Rounds 3.48 this week and including my post about the first anniversary of Teen Health 411, which asks for readers to identify pertinent issues. This back-to-school issue of Grand Rounds was really interesting!

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Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children: National Health Interview Survey, 2006

The latest report from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) presents selected health measures for children under 18 years of age, by sex, age, race, family structure, parent education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, etc. The topics covered are asthma, allergies, learning disability, ADHD, prescription medication use, self-reported health status, school days missed, and various measures of health and dental care. The interviewed sample for 22006 consisted of 29,204 households, which yielded 75,7116 people in 29,868 families. Within these families, data was collected on 8,837 children under the age of 18.

The highlights for children under 18 years old include:

• 14% have been diagnosed with asthma (boys, black children, and poor children were more likely to have been diagnosed);
• 13% of children take a prescription medication regularly for a health condition;
• 10% had no health insurance coverage;
• 8% have a learning disability;
• 7% of children had unmet dental needs (37% of uninsured children had no dental care within two years);
• 7% of children had ADHD (boys are twice as likely as girls to receive this diagnosis);and
• 5% of children missed 11 or more days of school in the past year due to illness or injury (children in single-mother families were more than twice as likely to miss > 11 days of school compared with children in two-parent families).

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Abstinence-Only Programs Do Not Reduce Risk

Another study, "Sexual Abstinence-Only Programs to Prevent HIV Infection in High-Income Countries: Systematic Review," was published in the British Medical Journal and included data from 13 trials involving almost 16,000 youth. The results from researchers at the University of Oxford mirror many other studies suggesting that abstinence-only programs are not an effective way of preventing HIV infection.

Dr. Kristen Underhill and her colleagues found that compared to no program and safer sex programs, abstinence-only programs did not influence the rate of unprotected vaginal sex, condom use, the number of sexual partners, or the timing of first sexual intercourse. In fact, data from one of the trials suggested abstinence-only programs were associated with a rise in sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. On the other hand, programs that promoted condom use, especially those that were tailored to address high-risk behavior, did reduce the risk of acquiring HIV.

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Labels: Research, Sexuality Education

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Happy Anniversary Teen Health 411

I cannot believe that Teen Health 411 has existed for an entire year! Wow! 206 posts later, I want to thank Healthline for sponsoring this blog and teaching me how to function in the blogosphere. More importantly, I especially want to thank the more than 1,100 subscribed readers and the other visitors who read my posts. I also want to find out more about you and get your recommendations about the future of Teen Health 411.

One of my personal characteristics seems to be self-reflection and growth, always changing what I do and how I do it. I believe that blogs, like all writing, can connect people, heal wounds, and inspire. I have two goals for the coming year. The first is a practical goal, to grow the readership of Teen Health 411 so it continues to exist, and the second is to foster community within the readers of Teen Health 411.

Unlike other blogs, this one is not about a clearly defined subject, for a clearly defined set of people. Teen Health 411 has hosted rants about politics and health care, updates on health-related news and medical progress, perspectives on parenting issues, information about teen- and preteen-specific social, emotional and physical health topics, and an occasional inspirational offering. As every parent, teen, preteen, and professional knows, parenting is a multi-faceted process, as is growing up. I get comments from parents, professionals, and teens, but I know little about you, what brings you to the blog, what you like the most, what comforts you, or how I can be of service.

If you are so inspired, please complete this brief and anonymous survey or post a comment and introduce yourself and tell me what types of posts are the most helpful to you (rants, updates, perspectives, information, or inspiration). I will be happy to provide more specific topics or types of posts. In addition, you can help expand the readership by telling a friend, colleague or social group about Teen Health 411 and encouraging them to check it out.

Again, my sincerest appreciation for your interest in Teen Health 411. I look forward to sharing a small piece of your world in the coming year!

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Judge Blocks State Video Game Ban

Sorry, but this counts as a rant! I am so annoyed that a judge has decided that the law authored by Senator Leland Yee from San Francisco to keep youth from buying the most violent video games is unconstitutional! Can you believe that?

The Palo Alto Daily reported August 7, 2007 that U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Whyte blocked a new state law that would have prohibited the sale of violent video games to children. The law, which was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005, prohibits the sale or rental of violent games to anyone under the age of 18 and requires these games be clearly labeled.

Apparently this federal judge found that the law was unconstitutional when it was challenged by the video game industry claiming that the law violated their First Amendment rights to free expression. His 17-page ruling apparently agrees with the industry arguments and states that the law's proponents failed to show a concrete link between video game violence and children's behavior, or that the violence in games was any more damaging than the violence found in television, movies or on the Internet. He supported his ruling by saying that games are already labeled to warn parents.

Yes, in fact, they are labeled, but there is also a recent Federal Trade Commission study suggesting that the rating system was not effective and minors frequently purchase mature-rated games designed for adults. In fact, I challenge the idea that parents can be held responsible for knowing everything they need to about video games. In fact, I believe that most parents have never played the games, do not understand the rating system, and do not know the ratings on the video games their children are playing. Parents, beware!

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Weight Loss Confidential: Book Review

Anne M. Fletcher has written a great book for teens and parents of teens who are struggling with their weight. "Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose weight and Keep it Off - and What They Wish Parents Knew," gives hope and practical tips to families struggling with weight loss. Ms. Fletcher interviewed teens who had lost weight and kept if off and documents their tips in this easy -to-read, and not too preachy book.

Inside this book there is an easy quiz to help a teen decide if s/he is ready to start losing weight; a great section of myths about teen wight loss; messages to parents from successful teens; safe and healthy calorie levels for teens; warning signs of eating disorders; a valuable message about setting realistic goals; and some important resource information about programs that can help, Internet sites, and exercise. Just as important as what does work are the messages from teens about what does not work:

• Nagging;
• Preaching;
• Complaining;
• Criticizing;
• Controlling food choices;
• Getting upset about outgrown clothing;
• Using food as a reward;
• Withholding food as punishment; and
• Saying "you have had enough," "you have to," "you can't," "you ned to," "you should."

I think the most important messages I got out of this book were the importance of being a role model and making lifestyle changes that everyone can live with. Even if the teens in your family are not worrying about losing weight, maintaining healthy eating habits are sometimes tough in our busy lives. My own family, although we rarely drink soda or eat fast food (which all teens said had to go), now has a list of the following tips on the refrigerator:

• Drink a glass of water before every meal;
• Never super-size anything - in fact, order small;
• Eat smaller portions;
• Exercise (schedule it, make it a priority, have fun);
• No skipping meals;
• Less than two hours a day TV/computer time;
• Less fat;
• Skip dessert;
• Try a frozen grape;
• Only nonfat dairy products;
• No seconds;
• Nine fruits/vegies a day; and
• Add spices not fat.

I cannot recommend this book enough - for all families! It is a great reminder about being supportive and healthy at the same time.

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Writing to Change the World: Book Review

Writing to Change the World by Mary Pipher is an inspiring guide for transforming the world with words. The book is well worth the read, features rousing commentary, personal anecdotes, great quotes, suggestions, and stories about people who have managed to change the world. I cannot say I have ever really enjoyed reading a book about writing as much as this one, although the only other one I can remember reading was about how to get your dissertation written, which I also really appreciated.

As medical bloggers, all of us believe we have something important to share with the world, although most of us probably do not start our daily posts with thoughts that our writing will save a life, bring justice to the world, or start or end a war. However, we are writers, and this book has some great tips about how to find our "voices," engage with readers, focus our passion into productive prose, avoid making assumptions about our readers, use empathy, use words to bring about social and political change, and tell a damn good story.

At no point does Ms. Pipher suggest it, but many of the suggestions she provides for writing to change the world are great advice for successfully interacting with the teens in our lives. I am sure that this is probably a byproduct of her years as a mom and therapist, and a great gift for all of us who occasionally stand shaking our heads after what we thought was going to be a positive interaction with our teen goes south and ends with a closed door.

I admit I love Mary Pipher and her books Reviving Ophelia, Another Country, and The Shelter of Each Other are some of my favorite books. I actually bought this book as a gift for my daughter's birthday, but to date, I am the only one who has read it. I believe writers can change the world and feel inspired now to make the most of the writing I do, and will consider writing more in the future - a goal I may owe to Ms. Pipher.

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Plan B Use Increases

A recent article in the Washington Post reported that since last August when the federal government approved the sale of emergency contraception without a prescription to women over the age 18, 54,000 pharmacists have completed an online training program about it, and sales of Plan B have doubled to more than $80 million a year. Women's health and family planning advocates suggest that the sales reflects increased access to the product needed by women to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Conservative opponents report being concerned about the impact of the higher doses of hormones found in Plan B on women's health.

The controversy continues. There are pharmacists who refuse to carry emergency contraception and according to the Post article by Rob Stein, the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York is actually suing the FDA to remove the age restriction given that there is no medical basis for restricting teenager's access to emergency contraception and many of the unwanted pregnancies each year involve teenagers. The most important thing we can all do is to make sure that young women understand the law and the availability of Plan B.

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Thank You: Grand Rounds 3.46

I want to thank Hsien-Hsien Lei at Eye on DNA for hosting Grand Rounds 3.46 this week and including my post about regulating junk food advertising to kids. I loved the beach house theme and the wonderful posts.

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Traveling with Teens: Part 3

Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary in Oregon

Spending a week with up to six teenagers for the last three summers while they work at the wolf sanctuary is always a highlight for me. I borrow a car (we call it the living room on wheels), get emergency consents and medical histories on the kids (that is from my old girl scout leader training), collect $230 from each kid, pack the camping gear and kitchen basics, and away we go. During the drive the teens plan the menu and make the grocery list, and right before we arrive, we buy groceries and put the ice in the coolers. It takes about 12 hours to drive each way, and during the seven days there we all work hard, play a lot, and mostly enjoy each other's company. The sanctuary is in a rural part of Oregon, very quiet, and in some way, very spiritual. The wolves remember the kids each year and greet them like old friends, wagging their tales, playing, kissing, and in some cases, knocking them over to get a better view.

My role is driver, cook, nurse, problem solver, and responsible adult. I tell them what to pack, remind them that they will have to wash their own dishes, help cook, and monitor their own stuff. I try to stay out of their way and let them be as responsible for things as possible, including resolving the squabbles between the two most inflexible of the teens. The same group of kids come each year and they look forward to the trip all year.

I always wonder why after overhearing their calls home. I hear things like "today we scooped poop, cleaned pens, recycled stinky trash, cut up raw meat, and hauled about a ton of food up the hill." "The port-a-potty is gross, and we are dirty and tired." But then, I hear them telling friends about some of the rituals - stopping at the Jelly Belly Factory, writing down funny quotes, listening to and singing Phantom of the Opera, spending the first and last night at Alpenrose, my mom's guest house in Mt Shasta, visiting a little bakery in the middle of nowhere, barbecuing buffalo burgers, and sucking Hershey bars that have melted. That is the stuff childhood summer memories are made of I guess and each year they beg parents and I to find the one week a year that fits with summer school, family vacations, and visits from relatives.

The memories from this summer may be a little sad, as while we were here the kids buried two of the wolves they have known for three years. The first one died and an autopsy showed she had eaten a toy that a well-meaning donor had sent the sanctuary, and it got into her intestines, and then made a hole in them, so she died of internal bleeding. The second one had a broken leg that abscessed in the cast and they put him to sleep to avoid amputating his leg and then discovering they could not save him. The kids buried their friends with love and will probably never forget the vet telling them that "God must have wanted more wolves near him, and these were the best!"

This summer I asked the teens what advice they would give adults traveling with teens, and here is what they said:

Lucy (14): Be patient. Do not attempt to argue with the male teens - they always think they are right. We cannot help it, it is raging hormones.
Virginia (14): Never travel with teenagers. Bring a lot of ear plugs, and be clear that there are standards of health and cleanliness. We make strange noises, and swear - be prepared to talk about everything. Remember to enforce good sleeping habits - we need ten hours a night. Teens are lazy - get us to work a lot, without nagging.
Madison (15): Have the teens rotate the chores. Remember that we are teens, we forget things, and need to be told exactly what the adult expects - sometimes.
Surya (12): Bring a first aid kit and lots of snacks, games, and sleep drops (aromatherapy).
Max (15): Do fun things, too. Like visiting places, water park, movies, Jelly Belly Factory, so it is all not just work!

I find all of that advice reasonable, and yet funny - because most of it I actually don't need - as this group of teens are very self-regulated and because we do this every summer, they need few reminders. I encourage all adults to spend 24/7 with teens that are not your own - it is a very different experience, and I have to say, it always appreciate my two daughters, even more than usual after living with other people's teens, even these wonderful youth.

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Labels: Community Service, Parenting

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Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Book Review

I cannot believe I have finished reading what J.K. Rowling promises was the last of the Harry Potter books. It feels like the beginning of my empty nest phase of life. My kids and I have read every book out loud and then silently to ourselves since the very first one was published when my oldest was about six years old. I loved this book - all 759 pages - and even loved the ending, which I will not spoil for those of you who have not finished it. Beware, there will be tears - four of my favorite characters are killed in this, the bloodiest of all books.

I think that there is probably not another series of books that so carefully captures the teenage years of human beings. In these seven books J.K. Rowling has described all of the phases teens move through - sweet openness & excitement, rebellion, self-hate, courage, daring, self-pity, romance, and even selflessness. We have watched the main characters learn, love, play, succeed, fail, hate, and develop an understanding of society and the circle of life. The three main characters, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine shine in this book, and their challenges are the greatest they have ever faced. Add to that the fact that they are all human, make mistakes, and hurt the people they love, and everyone can identify with at least one of them.

If you have not read the Potter series, it is not too late. Winter will be upon us soon and you will have plenty of time to make your way through seven books and seven years of teenagerhood. Enjoy!

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U.S. Food Companies Promise to Limit Advertising to Kids

It is about time! Posted on the Council of Better Business Bureaus web site are the pledges by some of the biggest food and drink companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Mills to regulate their advertising aimed at children under age 12 in an attempt to help reduce childhood obesity. This seems like a step in the right direction, but I can't keep from wondering if the efforts will go far enough.

Of course, the companies all agree to do different things, but some seemed pretty right on. For example, McDonald's said all advertising directed at children under age 12 would focus on healthy dietary choices. PepsiCo said their advertising would emphasize healthy lifestyles, and Coca-Cola said it would only advertise water and juice to kids.

Now maybe we can get some of the media companies to limit the use of licensed cartoon characters to promote low-nutrition foods, ya think?

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Labels: Advertising, Obesity

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Unhooked: Book Review by: Leigha Winters, college student

Recently, I read a thought-provoking book that Nancy Brown recommended (and reviewed) called Unhooked. Every time I would comment on this book to a friend, it would inevitably spark a fascinating and lively conversation about sex, pleasure, and “hooking up.” As a college student, I live the life that Laura Sessions Stepp investigates in her book Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both. I may not have experienced every situation she presents first hand, but when Stepp starts talking about the high-stress, academically achieving environment where women do not have time for commitment, I know exactly what she’s talking about. To me, Unhooked is a well-researched and insightful book that delves into the contemporary adolescent culture of “hooking up.” While Stepp does examine the actions and reactions of her characters through a somewhat conservative and discouraging lens, she succeeds in highlighting many distressing trends.

Below is a book review I wrote to discuss this book in more detail.

Laura Sessions Stepp examines a modern culture where “hooking ups defining characteristic is the ability to unhook from a partner at any time” by following the lives of three groups of young women: high school students Sienna, Anna and Mieka; Duke University students Jamie, Shaida, Victoria and Alicia; and George Washington University students Nicole and Cleo. (All names are pseudonyms to protect the women’s identities.) These stories reveal much about both the young women and Laura Sessions Stepp. The stories Stepp picks to include all reinforce her clear view that “hooking up” is detrimental to young women’s health and future. Although Stepp alludes to the idea that there are women out there who enjoy and flourish in this culture, she fails to include a single success story in her book. No young woman participates in hooking up and later maintains all her self worth and confidence. Even Shaida, the uber-feminist who originally seeks to “take the term ‘hooking up’ and make it [her] own” in a male-dominated college environment, eventually loses herself, breaks down and admits she was more or less raped one night when she took a man home. Instead of strength and independence, Shaida admits her motives were less profound: “I was anxious to be the person I had been, desired by everyone.”

Unhooked implies that today’s youth have been forced into a very unhealthy and very unique situation. This young generation is being raised with both the most coddling and the greatest expectations. Parents want it all for their kids. From a very young age, parents tell their kids they can achieve anything they put their minds to. And to do this, parents, both consciously and subconsciously, push college and careers, and advocate putting love on the back-burner. Add high-speed technology to this high-achieving environment, and you get a society of multi-taskers who have “everything at their fingertips” and expect instant gratification. With these parameters, what is left for romantic encounters but hooking up?

Stepp paints this picture very well in Unhooked. However, she fails to recognize that past generations have experienced similar environments and turned out just fine. (Think the “free love” era of the 1960s!) Furthermore, alcohol is very important in every woman’s story that Stepp relates. However, studies show that this generation’s drinking is actually way down since the 1970s and 1980s. If this is the case, where are the stories in Stepp’s book of the women who are not constantly surrounded by alcohol?

Ultimately, Unhooked is a strong examination of the modern hook-up culture as revealed by young female participants. While it may lack some breadth (there are no lesbian perspectives, no male perspectives and little insight into female experiences without alcohol), Stepp makes some poignant points. Listed below are some of the highlights.

• This hook-up culture has no structure and no rules. Therefore, even if women want to play the game, they do not know how. And if they are left feeling empty and want more, they don’t have the tools or experience to bring about a change. Women can’t transform hook-up buddies into serious boyfriends because they don’t know how to get to that next level. And in many peoples’ eyes, there is nothing in between hooked up and getting married anyway.
• Female friendships are taking the place of romantic relationships in many young women’s lives. As one friend of Nicole’s put it, “My girlfriends in college are my life.” Women are too busy with school work and maintaining their friendships to establish any type of relationship with men except temporary hook-ups. Unfortunately, young women often begin to see guys as either the enemy or fools when these temporary relationships go amiss.
• Hooking up is most often about control for young women. When this control or sense of detachment is lost, women sometimes fall into depression, or develop eating disorders, feelings of worthlessness and other harmful emotional problems.
• Young women are most often unfulfilled by sexual encounters. They try to stay detached to maintain control, but ultimately lose all enjoyment in the process. In fact, when these “female-dominated” hook-ups are revealed, they are more like rape or sexual assault than consenual sex.
• One of the saddest consequences of the hook-up culture is the development of “gray rape.” This is a concept that women are not sexually assaulted or raped because they initially come on as the “hunter.” When things go too far, women are reluctant to report rape as they will appear powerless. Furthermore, when women initially seek out men and initiate the sexual encounter, they often don’t think they can claim rape if things go too far. The situations may be written off as “unfortunate instances of poor judgment and miscommunication on the part of both partners.” This does not stop women from being negatively impacted by the experiences.
• Hooking up is the opposite of marriage. There is no “trust, respect, admiration, honesty, selflessness, communication, caring and, perhaps more than anything else, commitment.” There is also no ability or experience with “straight talk or negotiating different points of view.” It is worrisome that young adults are getting very little experience with trusting relationships, but most of them claim to want to get married and have children some day.
• “The parallel between hookup relationships and this generation’s work habits is striking.” Young adults are individualistic, unfulfilled, mobile and always looking for something better. They don’t stick to one relationship, either professional or romantic, for long when it gets hard, boring or tedious. There is not much trust and very little reliability.
• Parents, friends, fellow women and other men need to get involved. Only through frank and open discussion will these problems improve. And it’s important to remember that young women’s relationships with their parents have a great impact on their romantic behavior later in life. So parents need to lead by example and be willing to talk about the tough issues with their children.

In the end, a lot of Stepp’s conclusions seem a little pessimistic, but sadly realistic. It is never fun to hear that a lifestyle you took for granted is eroding your generation. But now whenever I go to parties, it is all I’m able to see. I can see through the façade, and it makes me want more out of my relationships. Even if I can’t seem to find the time…

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The Role of Fathers in HIV Education for Adolescent Boys

A recent study (conducted with 277 fathers and sons) published in the American Journal of Public Health titled "REAL Men: A Group-Randomized Trial of an HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescent Boys," reported that boys whose fathers participated in the intervention were significantly more likely to abstain from sex, intend to delay intercourse, and use condoms if they were sexually active, than boys with fathers who did not participate. In addition, fathers who participated also discussed sexually-related issues more with their sons, and intended to continue those discussions!

Let's hear it for fathers! This sounds like a great intervention! Research has always shown that even in families with fathers, it is more likely that mom is doing the sexuality education, although many boys would rather talk to dad, so this intervention sounds like it helps fathers feel more confident and responsible for the sexuality education of their sons!

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Labels: HIV, Parenting

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