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What we know about car seats and how kids use them

August 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

We have known for a long time that car seats save children’s lives. But even with that knowledge, do parents and caregivers use them appropriately?

A new study by researchers at University of Michigan found that while most people use child restraints properly, many do not. The researchers analyzed data on more than 21,000 children observed in cars at gas stations, fast-food restaurants, recreation centers and child care centers from 2007 to 2009 using guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

They found 21  percent of children ages 4 and younger were not following the recommendations for sitting in car seats. Thirty-three percent of 4- and 5-year olds and 66 percent of 6- and 7-year-olds were not following the recommendations for using car seats or booster seats. And – the most precarious finding – 11 percent of children were not wearing seat belts or sitting in car seats at all. Children were especially likely to be completely unrestrained if they were driving with an adult who wasn’t wearing a seat belt or if there were four or more children in the car.

While the evidence on kids using car seats is not encouraging, there are some intervention programs proven to increase the use of child safety seats. One systematic review found strong evidence that child safety seat laws increase the use of safety seats. Programs that combine education with distribution of car seats, incentives for installing car seats correctly and stepped up enforcement of laws also increase the use of car seats.

The bottom line: Car seats help save kids lives. It’s important to use them as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, Youth Development Tagged With: , , , ,

How to remind people to take their medicine

August 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

The intersection of medicine and technology is always interesting – with so many opportunities for improving health and wellness.  But it can be hard to know what really works.

A new systematic review is shedding some light on the subject. The Cochrane Collaboration reviewed two studies of nearly 1,000 HIV-positive adults in Kenya taking antiretroviral therapy, which requires daily doses of oral medicine.

They found that patients receiving text messages reminding them to take their medications were less likely to miss doses. One of the studies also demonstrated that patients receiving weekly text-messages were at lower risk of missing medicine doses compared with patients receiving daily messages.

Geri Gay, a Cornell communications professor focused on interactive communication technologies, says these type of messages are just a start.

“There is an enormous potential to use mobile technologies to help us change what we think and do,” she said. “These  mobile tools can not only tailor and deliver health messages for particular times and locations but can also provide feedback and social support.”

While the review found some positive results, it only included two trials with adult patients in Kenya. The authors concluded researchers needed to study whether texting helps adolescents remember to take their medicines, and whether this type of intervention works higher-income countries.

While the results are preliminary, this type of work paves the way for additional research that can tell us even more about using technology to improve health outcomes across the globe.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , ,

New evidence: Vitamin D helps prevent falls

August 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

Vitamin D is one of those supplements that makes it into the news media frequently. Here on EBL, we’ve written before about the U.S. Institute of Medicine’s recommendations on Vitamin D intake.

Now there is a new recommendation that taking Vitamin D supplements can help prevent falls in people over 65 years old with a higher risk of falling.

In a review of nine separate studies, the United States Preventative Services Task Force came to the conclusion a daily dose of 800 international units reduced the risk of falling by about 17 percent, compared with those who did not take the vitamin.

“The exact mechanism is not known, but it seems to help muscle strength and balance,” Dr. Al Siu, vice chairman of the task force and chairman of the geriatrics and palliative medicine department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, told the New York Times.

The panel also made two other recommendations.  Doctors should do a comprehensive assessment of patients’ risk of falling – including asking about falling history and observing patients stand up and walk – to identify those at higher risk. And patients’ should exercise to improve strength and balance.

Falls are the leading cause of injury in adults 65 and older. While there’s no sure-fire way to prevent them, we have evidence that some interventions do work. That’s important information for all of us to know.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, policy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Evidence-based Olympics, Part II: The facts on fitness products

August 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We’ve all seen the advertisements of the sweaty, exhausted athlete pausing to take a sip of a brightly-colored drink and then going on to score the winning goal or set a personal record. Magazines and web sites – especially in these days when Olympic athletes dominate the news – are filled with fitness products that supposedly make you perform better or recovery more quickly.  But are any of those claims true?

A group of researchers at the University of Oxford set out to answer that exact question. They analyzed magazine advertisements and web sites of 104 different fitness products looking for real evidence behind their claims. Then they wrote to manufacturers of fitness products asking for references to research that backed up their claims.

But their study did not find much credible evidence. More than half of the web sites they reviewed did not provide any references. They did find a total of 146 specific references to study, but they were only able to find 76 studies to review.

None of the studies they found were systematic reviews. Eighty-four percent were judged to be of high risk-bias, and only 58 percent used randomization. In total, only three of the studies were judged to be high quality.

The study was thoroughly reported on in the New York Times, along with responses from beverage manufacturers and from health and nutrition experts not involved in the study.

Politics aside, there is a clear lack of evidence about whether performance-enhancing products really work.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, In The Media Tagged With: , , ,

Evidence-based Olympics: The science of sport

August 3, 2012 By 1 Comment

Much of the world is watching the 2012 Olympics with excitement as athletes attempt to swim faster, jump higher and dive more gracefully than humans ever have before.  The casual spectator might be surprised at the amount of science that goes into competition at the Olympic level.

Here at EBL, we tracked down a round-up of media on scientists working with Olympic athletes to help them become the best they can be.

Among the interesting research is a study trying to determine the most efficient freestyle stroke technique for swimmers. A mechanical engineering professor at John Hopkins University used laser body scans and underwater video of two Olympic-level swimmers to create a computational fluid dynamic model to compare the two different freestyle strokes. His work determined that a method known as the “deep-thrust” swimming style is the most effective way to swim freestyle.

Another professor of biomedical engineering at the University of California is using physics to help elite divers. She installed force sensors on diving platforms to measure the forces divers use when they begin their dives. “The athletes feel the forces and the coaches see the effect of the forces,” Professor Jill L. McNitt-Gray explained. “By measuring forces, they could both get a sense of what they actually are.”

And a mechanical engineer at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom studies the role technology has played in the history of sport. He’s written extensively this year on the effects of rule changes and technology on sporting performance over time.

Certainly, there are many more examples of science in sport such as aerodynamic helmets used in cycling and the biological effects of endurance sports, to name two.

When it comes down to individual competitions, luck and human spirit certainly do play a role – especially at the Olympics. But it’s interesting to take a look behind the scenes to see the role that science plays as well.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, In The Media Tagged With: , , , , ,
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