To assess whether a dose-response relation exists between the number of cigarette promotional ite... more To assess whether a dose-response relation exists between the number of cigarette promotional items (CPIs) owned by an adolescent, and smoking behaviour. Voluntary, self administered survey of 1265 sixth through to 12th grade students (ages 10-19 years), representing 79-95% of all students attending five rural New Hampshire and Vermont public (state funded) schools in October 1996. The association between the number of CPIs owned by students and smoking behaviour was examined using multivariate regression methods. Adjusted odds of being a smoker (>/= 100 cigarettes lifetime) and, among never and experimental smokers, adjusted cumulative odds of having higher levels on a smoking uptake index given the number of CPIs owned. One third of students owned a CPI (n = 406). Among owners, 211 owned one, 82 owned two, 57 owned three, 24 owned four, 23 owned five, and 7 students owned six CPIs. The number of CPIs owned by students was not associated with grade in school but was significantl...
Viewing smoking and drinking in movies may prompt adolescents to initiate these behaviors. Movies... more Viewing smoking and drinking in movies may prompt adolescents to initiate these behaviors. Movies with R ratings contain more smoking than do movies in all other rating categories. To evaluate the extent to which parents restrict the exposure of adolescents to R-rated movies and to determine whether such restrictions are associated with decreased tobacco and alcohol use in adolescents. Cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Students in grades 5 through 8 enrolled in New Hampshire and Vermont schools. SAMPLING STRATEGY: Fifteen schools in Vermont and New Hampshire were randomly selected from all middle schools with > or = 150 students. Students who had tried smoking cigarettes or tried drinking alcohol without parental knowledge. Of 4544 students surveyed, 18% had tried cigarettes and 23% had tried alcohol. Although 90% were younger than 14 years of age, only 16% were completely restricted from viewing R-rated movies. The prevalence of having tried smoking was 35% for those wi...
Although additional dietary calcium is recommended frequently to reduce the risk of lead poisonin... more Although additional dietary calcium is recommended frequently to reduce the risk of lead poisoning, its role in preventing lead absorption has not been evaluated clinically. The objective was to determine the safety and to estimate the size of the effect of calcium- and phosphorus-supplemented infant formula in preventing lead absorption. One hundred three infants aged 3.5-6 mo were randomly assigned to receive iron-fortified infant formula (465 mg Ca and 317 mg P/L) or the same formula with added calcium glycerophosphate (1800 mg Ca and 1390 mg P/L) for 9 mo. There was no significant difference between groups in the mean ratio of urinary calcium to creatinine, serum calcium and phosphorus, or change in iron status (serum ferritin, total iron binding capacity). At month 4, the median (+/-SD) increase from baseline in blood lead concentration for the supplemented group was 57% of the increase for the control group (0.04 +/- 0.09 compared with 0.07 +/- 0.10 micromol/L; P = 0.039). This effect was attenuated during the latter half of the trial, with an overall median increase in blood lead concentration from baseline to month 9 of 0.12 +/- 0.13 micromol/L for the control group and 0.10 +/- 0.18 micromol/L for the supplemented group (P = 0.284). Supplementation did not have a measurable effect on urinary calcium excretion, calcium homeostasis, or iron status. The significant effect on blood lead concentrations during the first 4 mo was in the direction expected; however, because this was not sustained throughout the 9-mo period we cannot conclude that the calcium glycerophosphate supplement prevented lead absorption in this population.
One objective of this clinical trial was to determine whether calcium and phosphorus supplementat... more One objective of this clinical trial was to determine whether calcium and phosphorus supplementation of infant formula affects the iron status of healthy full-term infants. One hundred three infants were randomly assigned to receive iron-fortified, cow milk-based infant formula (465 mg Ca and 317 mg P/L) or the same formula with added calcium glycerophosphate (1800 mg Ca and 1390 mg P/L) for 9 mo. Reported calcium intake for supplemented infants was about four times that of control infants, ranging from a mean of 1741 mg/d at baseline to 1563 mg/d at 9 mo. There was no difference by treatment group in mean or median change from baseline of serum ferritin, total-iron-binding capacity, erythrocyte protoporphyrin, or hematocrit at 4 and 9 mo after enrollment. Incidence of iron deficiency was similar for both groups and no infant developed iron deficiency anemia during the trial. This study indicates that the well-documented inhibitory effect of calcium and phosphorus on iron absorption...
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe food and bev- erage brand placements in a ... more OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe food and bev- erage brand placements in a large representative sample of popular movies. METHODS: We identified and coded brand placements for foods, bev- erages, and food retail establishments in the top 20 US box office movie hits for each year from 1996 to 2005. We also coded general movie characteristics
The aim of this study is to examine whether school food attenuates household income-related dispa... more The aim of this study is to examine whether school food attenuates household income-related disparities in adolescents' frequency of fruit and vegetable intake (FVI). Telephone surveys were conducted between 2007 and 2008 with adolescent-parent dyads from Northern New England; participants were randomly assigned to be surveyed at different times throughout the year. The main analysis comprised 1542 adolescents who typically obtained breakfast/lunch at school at least once/week. FVI was measured using 7-day recall of the number of times adolescents consumed fruits and vegetables. Fully adjusted linear regression was used to compare FVI among adolescents who were surveyed while school was in session (currently exposed to school food) to those who were surveyed when school was not in session (currently unexposed to school food). Mean FVI was 8.0 (SD=5.9) times/week. Among adolescents unexposed to school food, household income and FVI were strongly, positively associated. In contrast, among adolescents exposed to school food, FVI was similar across all income categories. We found a significant cross-over interaction between school food and household income in which consuming food at school was associated with higher FVI among adolescents from low-income households versus lower FVI among adolescents from high-income households. School food may mitigate income disparities in adolescent FVI. The findings suggest that the school food environment positively influences FVI among low-income adolescents.
To assess whether a dose-response relation exists between the number of cigarette promotional ite... more To assess whether a dose-response relation exists between the number of cigarette promotional items (CPIs) owned by an adolescent, and smoking behaviour. Voluntary, self administered survey of 1265 sixth through to 12th grade students (ages 10-19 years), representing 79-95% of all students attending five rural New Hampshire and Vermont public (state funded) schools in October 1996. The association between the number of CPIs owned by students and smoking behaviour was examined using multivariate regression methods. Adjusted odds of being a smoker (>/= 100 cigarettes lifetime) and, among never and experimental smokers, adjusted cumulative odds of having higher levels on a smoking uptake index given the number of CPIs owned. One third of students owned a CPI (n = 406). Among owners, 211 owned one, 82 owned two, 57 owned three, 24 owned four, 23 owned five, and 7 students owned six CPIs. The number of CPIs owned by students was not associated with grade in school but was significantl...
Viewing smoking and drinking in movies may prompt adolescents to initiate these behaviors. Movies... more Viewing smoking and drinking in movies may prompt adolescents to initiate these behaviors. Movies with R ratings contain more smoking than do movies in all other rating categories. To evaluate the extent to which parents restrict the exposure of adolescents to R-rated movies and to determine whether such restrictions are associated with decreased tobacco and alcohol use in adolescents. Cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Students in grades 5 through 8 enrolled in New Hampshire and Vermont schools. SAMPLING STRATEGY: Fifteen schools in Vermont and New Hampshire were randomly selected from all middle schools with > or = 150 students. Students who had tried smoking cigarettes or tried drinking alcohol without parental knowledge. Of 4544 students surveyed, 18% had tried cigarettes and 23% had tried alcohol. Although 90% were younger than 14 years of age, only 16% were completely restricted from viewing R-rated movies. The prevalence of having tried smoking was 35% for those wi...
Although additional dietary calcium is recommended frequently to reduce the risk of lead poisonin... more Although additional dietary calcium is recommended frequently to reduce the risk of lead poisoning, its role in preventing lead absorption has not been evaluated clinically. The objective was to determine the safety and to estimate the size of the effect of calcium- and phosphorus-supplemented infant formula in preventing lead absorption. One hundred three infants aged 3.5-6 mo were randomly assigned to receive iron-fortified infant formula (465 mg Ca and 317 mg P/L) or the same formula with added calcium glycerophosphate (1800 mg Ca and 1390 mg P/L) for 9 mo. There was no significant difference between groups in the mean ratio of urinary calcium to creatinine, serum calcium and phosphorus, or change in iron status (serum ferritin, total iron binding capacity). At month 4, the median (+/-SD) increase from baseline in blood lead concentration for the supplemented group was 57% of the increase for the control group (0.04 +/- 0.09 compared with 0.07 +/- 0.10 micromol/L; P = 0.039). This effect was attenuated during the latter half of the trial, with an overall median increase in blood lead concentration from baseline to month 9 of 0.12 +/- 0.13 micromol/L for the control group and 0.10 +/- 0.18 micromol/L for the supplemented group (P = 0.284). Supplementation did not have a measurable effect on urinary calcium excretion, calcium homeostasis, or iron status. The significant effect on blood lead concentrations during the first 4 mo was in the direction expected; however, because this was not sustained throughout the 9-mo period we cannot conclude that the calcium glycerophosphate supplement prevented lead absorption in this population.
One objective of this clinical trial was to determine whether calcium and phosphorus supplementat... more One objective of this clinical trial was to determine whether calcium and phosphorus supplementation of infant formula affects the iron status of healthy full-term infants. One hundred three infants were randomly assigned to receive iron-fortified, cow milk-based infant formula (465 mg Ca and 317 mg P/L) or the same formula with added calcium glycerophosphate (1800 mg Ca and 1390 mg P/L) for 9 mo. Reported calcium intake for supplemented infants was about four times that of control infants, ranging from a mean of 1741 mg/d at baseline to 1563 mg/d at 9 mo. There was no difference by treatment group in mean or median change from baseline of serum ferritin, total-iron-binding capacity, erythrocyte protoporphyrin, or hematocrit at 4 and 9 mo after enrollment. Incidence of iron deficiency was similar for both groups and no infant developed iron deficiency anemia during the trial. This study indicates that the well-documented inhibitory effect of calcium and phosphorus on iron absorption...
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe food and bev- erage brand placements in a ... more OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe food and bev- erage brand placements in a large representative sample of popular movies. METHODS: We identified and coded brand placements for foods, bev- erages, and food retail establishments in the top 20 US box office movie hits for each year from 1996 to 2005. We also coded general movie characteristics
The aim of this study is to examine whether school food attenuates household income-related dispa... more The aim of this study is to examine whether school food attenuates household income-related disparities in adolescents' frequency of fruit and vegetable intake (FVI). Telephone surveys were conducted between 2007 and 2008 with adolescent-parent dyads from Northern New England; participants were randomly assigned to be surveyed at different times throughout the year. The main analysis comprised 1542 adolescents who typically obtained breakfast/lunch at school at least once/week. FVI was measured using 7-day recall of the number of times adolescents consumed fruits and vegetables. Fully adjusted linear regression was used to compare FVI among adolescents who were surveyed while school was in session (currently exposed to school food) to those who were surveyed when school was not in session (currently unexposed to school food). Mean FVI was 8.0 (SD=5.9) times/week. Among adolescents unexposed to school food, household income and FVI were strongly, positively associated. In contrast, among adolescents exposed to school food, FVI was similar across all income categories. We found a significant cross-over interaction between school food and household income in which consuming food at school was associated with higher FVI among adolescents from low-income households versus lower FVI among adolescents from high-income households. School food may mitigate income disparities in adolescent FVI. The findings suggest that the school food environment positively influences FVI among low-income adolescents.
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