Many Parents Give Kids Cold Medicines When They Shouldn't, Survey Finds

TUESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- More than 40 percent of American parents give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to kids under age 4 even though they're too young for such products, a new survey finds.

In young children, these medicines can cause allergic reactions, increased or uneven heart rate, slow and shallow breathing, confusion or hallucinations, drowsiness or sleeplessness, convulsions, nausea and constipation.

Since 2008, labels on cough and cold medicines have warned that they should not be given to children under age 4. The use of cough and cold medicines in children in that age group did not differ by parent gender, race/ethnicity or household income, according to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

The survey included 498 parents of children aged 3 and under.

Children can get five to 10 colds a year, so parents often turn to over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to relieve their child's symptoms. But that can be dangerous, the study authors stressed.

"Products like these may work for adults, and parents think it could help their children as well. But what's good for adults is not always good for children," survey director Dr. Matthew Davis said in a university news release.

Davis said parents can be confused by the fact that many of "these products are labeled prominently as 'children's' medications. The details are often on the back of the box, in small print. That's where parents and caregivers can find instructions that they should not be used in children under 4 years old."

Parents need to read cough and cold medication labels carefully and should always call their child's doctor if they have questions about over-the-counter medicines, Davis urged.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: University of Michigan, news release, April 22, 2013

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'Clean Your Plate' Orders From Parents May Backfire for Kids

'Controlling' food behavior messages are counterproductive, study finds

By Serena Gordon

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Although you might think being a member of the "clean plate club" is something that stops when a child is young, new research suggests that up to two-thirds of parents still encourage teenagers to finish all the food on their plates, even if the teen is overweight.

The study found that the use of controlling food behaviors was common in parents of adolescents, with some parents pressuring their kids to eat more and others pressuring their kids to eat less.

Not surprisingly, restrictive behaviors were more common in parents of children who were overweight or obese, while pressure-to-eat behaviors were more common in children who weren't overweight.

"Parents do use high levels of control, such as restriction and pressure to eat," said study author Katie Loth, a registered dietician, doctoral candidate and research assistant at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

"I was surprised at some of the parent behaviors, like feeling that their children should clean their plates and not waste food," Loth said. "In the 1950s, cleaning your plate meant something different. Portion sizes have gotten bigger over time, and if you encourage kids to rely on environmental indicators, like how much food is on their plates or the time of day, they'll lose the ability to rely on internal cues to know whether they're hungry or full."

Results of the study were released online April 22 and will be published in the May print issue of the journal Pediatrics.

As obesity rates among America's adolescents have been rising, researchers have been looking for factors that might be modifiable to help keep teens at a healthy weight. Parental food-related behaviors, whether it's restricting food or encouraging children to eat more, have long been considered a factor in children's weights.

Loth and her colleagues wanted to look at a diverse group of parents and teens to see if parental food behaviors were, in fact, linked to weight status in teens.

Data for the study came from two population-based studies that included parents and teens. One study was conducted in 2010, and the other was done in 2009 to 2010. A total of more than 2,200 teens with an average age of 14.4 were included in the studies, as well as nearly 3,500 parents.

Examples of restrictive behaviors were positive responses to statements such as, "I have to be sure that my child does not eat too many sweets," or "If I did not guide or regulate my child's eating, he or she would eat too much of his or her favorite food."

Examples of pressure-to-eat behaviors were positive responses to statements such as, "My child should always eat all of the food on his or her plate," or, "If my child says, 'I am not hungry,' I try to get him or her to eat anyway."

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Many Parents Text, Phone With Kids in Car: Survey

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly two-thirds of adults use a cell phone when they're driving with children in the car, and about one-third text, according to a new California survey.

The dangers of such behavior are well-documented. In 2011, about 3,300 deaths and 400,000 injuries in the United States occurred because of distracted driving, according to experts in the driving safety program at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

Their online survey of 715 drivers, aged 30 to 64, in San Diego County revealed that many people either are unaware of the dangers of distracted driving or choose to ignore them.

"Studies have shown that phoning and driving increases the risk of crashes four-fold, with hands-free and handheld devices equally dangerous; this is the same as driving with a blood alcohol content at the legal limit of .08. Texting increases this risk eight to 16 times," Dr. Linda Hill, a clinical professor in the department of family and preventive medicine at UCSD School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

"[These findings] highlight the dangerous behavior of adults driving distracted, especially with children in the car, exposing both themselves and their children to increased risk for a crash," Hill said.

Of the more than 500 people in the survey who said they drive an average of one to two hours a day, 30 percent said they use cell phones for talking, texting and other applications sometimes or often. Fifty-three percent said they rarely do so, and 17 percent said they never do.

Fifty-six percent of respondents reported driving with a handheld phone and 92 percent with a hands-free phone.

Among the respondents with children younger than age 11 in the car, 65 percent drive with a cell phone and 36 percent text. Of those with children aged 12 to 17 in the car, 63 percent drive with a cell phone and 31 percent text. People with children younger than age 11 in the car were significantly more likely to text and to talk on a handheld phone, according to the survey.

The survey also found that 31 percent of respondents said they feel obligated to take a work-related call while driving.

"Employers should be aware that encouraging workers to initiate and receive calls while driving on the job is putting their employees at risk and exposing their companies to potential liability," Hill said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, news release, April 10, 2013

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'Clean Your Plate' Orders From Parents May Backfire for Kids

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Although you might think being a member of the "clean plate club" is something that stops when a child is young, new research suggests that up to two-thirds of parents still encourage teenagers to finish all the food on their plates, even if the teen is overweight.

The study found that the use of controlling food behaviors was common in parents of adolescents, with some parents pressuring their kids to eat more and others pressuring their kids to eat less.

Not surprisingly, restrictive behaviors were more common in parents of children who were overweight or obese, while pressure-to-eat behaviors were more common in children who weren't overweight.

"Parents do use high levels of control, such as restriction and pressure to eat," said study author Katie Loth, a registered dietician, doctoral candidate and research assistant at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

"I was surprised at some of the parent behaviors, like feeling that their children should clean their plates and not waste food," Loth said. "In the 1950s, cleaning your plate meant something different. Portion sizes have gotten bigger over time, and if you encourage kids to rely on environmental indicators, like how much food is on their plates or the time of day, they'll lose the ability to rely on internal cues to know whether they're hungry or full."

Results of the study were released online April 22 and will be published in the May print issue of the journal Pediatrics.

As obesity rates among America's adolescents have been rising, researchers have been looking for factors that might be modifiable to help keep teens at a healthy weight. Parental food-related behaviors, whether it's restricting food or encouraging children to eat more, have long been considered a factor in children's weights.

Loth and her colleagues wanted to look at a diverse group of parents and teens to see if parental food behaviors were, in fact, linked to weight status in teens.

Data for the study came from two population-based studies that included parents and teens. One study was conducted in 2010, and the other was done in 2009 to 2010. A total of more than 2,200 teens with an average age of 14.4 were included in the studies, as well as nearly 3,500 parents.

Examples of restrictive behaviors were positive responses to statements such as, "I have to be sure that my child does not eat too many sweets," or "If I did not guide or regulate my child's eating, he or she would eat too much of his or her favorite food."

Examples of pressure-to-eat behaviors were positive responses to statements such as, "My child should always eat all of the food on his or her plate," or, "If my child says, 'I am not hungry,' I try to get him or her to eat anyway."

The researchers found that restrictive food behaviors were more common in parents who had overweight or obese children. Pressure-to-eat behaviors were more common in parents of children who were normal weight.

One expert noted that what is a normal weight has been skewed in recent years.

"There's now so much obesity in the United States that when we see a child who is normal weight, inevitably, a parent will think the child is too skinny," said Dr. Michael Hobaugh, chief of the medical staff at LaRabida Children's Hospital in Chicago. "But if a pediatrician charts that child's height and weight, he or she may even be overweight. There's a wide range of normal, and for many teens it's normal to be slender and gangly. Children aren't supposed to be shaped like linebackers."

The study also found that fathers were more likely to use pressure-to-eat behaviors, and adolescent boys were more likely to be pressured to eat by their parents than were adolescent girls.

Both Loth and Hobaugh said a better way is for parents to model healthy eating behaviors.

"Children will eat like you do. You have to model portion control and good food choices," Hobaugh said. "The whole family needs to make a decision together to increase the amount of fruits and veggies, and to reduce empty calories from drinks."

"Parents need to allow their children to have freedom when eating," Loth added. "Parents can control the types of foods that are on the table, and you can bring lots of healthy food to the table. Then let your child choose how much they want to eat. Let them regulate their own intake."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Katie Loth, R.D., M.P.H., doctoral candidate and research assistant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Michael Hobaugh, M.D., Ph.D., pediatrician and chief, medical staff, LaRabida Children's Hospital, Chicago; May 2013 Pediatrics

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Many Parents Text, Phone With Kids in Car: Survey

Work-related calls a priority for nearly one-third polled

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly two-thirds of adults use a cell phone when they're driving with children in the car, and about one-third text, according to a new California survey.

The dangers of such behavior are well-documented. In 2011, about 3,300 deaths and 400,000 injuries in the United States occurred because of distracted driving, according to experts in the driving safety program at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

Their online survey of 715 drivers, aged 30 to 64, in San Diego County revealed that many people either are unaware of the dangers of distracted driving or choose to ignore them.

"Studies have shown that phoning and driving increases the risk of crashes four-fold, with hands-free and handheld devices equally dangerous; this is the same as driving with a blood alcohol content at the legal limit of .08. Texting increases this risk eight to 16 times," Dr. Linda Hill, a clinical professor in the department of family and preventive medicine at UCSD School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

"[These findings] highlight the dangerous behavior of adults driving distracted, especially with children in the car, exposing both themselves and their children to increased risk for a crash," Hill said.

Of the more than 500 people in the survey who said they drive an average of one to two hours a day, 30 percent said they use cell phones for talking, texting and other applications sometimes or often. Fifty-three percent said they rarely do so, and 17 percent said they never do.

Fifty-six percent of respondents reported driving with a handheld phone and 92 percent with a hands-free phone.

Among the respondents with children younger than age 11 in the car, 65 percent drive with a cell phone and 36 percent text. Of those with children aged 12 to 17 in the car, 63 percent drive with a cell phone and 31 percent text. People with children younger than age 11 in the car were significantly more likely to text and to talk on a handheld phone, according to the survey.

The survey also found that 31 percent of respondents said they feel obligated to take a work-related call while driving.

"Employers should be aware that encouraging workers to initiate and receive calls while driving on the job is putting their employees at risk and exposing their companies to potential liability," Hill said.

View the original article here

Parents Who Veto Vaccinations Often Seek Like-Minded Opinions

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Friends and family may be key in parents' decisions on whether to vaccinate their young children, a small study suggests.

The study, of about 200 parents, found that those who had opted not to follow the standard vaccine schedule often sought advice from anti-vaccine friends and family.

Experts said it's not certain that the advice actually steered parents in an anti-vaccine direction: Parents who were already prone to shunning vaccines may have turned to like-minded people for reinforcement.

"It's the chicken-and-egg question," said researcher Emily Brunson, an assistant professor of anthropology at Texas State University, in San Marcos. "The answer is, we don't know which came first."

To be more sure, Brunson said, parents would have to be followed over time, to see whether undecided parents actually base vaccine decisions on advice from other people.

But Brunson said she thinks family, friends and others in parents' "social networks" really are an important influence.

Dr. Douglas Opel, of Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington, agreed.

"It is unclear how these groups influence parents. Do they simply reinforce the vaccine decisions parents would have made otherwise, or do they actually function as a way that provokes a parent to consider other ideas?" said Opel, who wrote an editorial published with the study, which appears online April 15 and in the May print issue of the journal Pediatrics

Opel said his hunch is that family and friends reinforce parents' existing views. But even if that's true, they are still a big influence by bolstering parents' beliefs.

Experts recommend that babies and young children routinely receive vaccinations against a host of common (or once common) infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, chickenpox and hepatitis.

But some parents balk at those recommendations, largely because of a purported link between vaccines and autism. More than a decade's worth of studies have failed to confirm that link exists, but anxiety remains: A recent study of U.S. parents found that about one-third thought children receive too many vaccinations in their first two years, and they thought the shots could contribute to autism.

Brunson wanted to see where parents are turning to get their information, so she recruited nearly 200 parents of children 18 months old or younger. About 130 had their child up to date on all vaccines (and were dubbed "conformers") and 70 had opted to skip or delay at least some vaccinations ("nonconformers").

In an online survey, Brunson asked the parents to list the people and other sources -- such as websites and books -- they had gone to for vaccine advice.

She found that nearly all parents had sought advice from other people -- usually several people, including their doctor, spouse, family members and friends. And parents' ultimate decisions generally fell in line with that advice.

Among nonconforming parents, nearly three-quarters of their social circle recommended not vaccinating, on average. That was in sharp contrast to the conformers, whose social circles by and large said they should have their child vaccinated on time.

Brunson found that the more anti-vaccine views parents heard from their circle, the more likely they were to skip or delay vaccinations. And people seemed to matter more than information sources, such as the media.

She noted that the media often "gets a bad rap" as being a well of vaccine misinformation. But in this study, nonconforming parents actually got a more positive view of vaccines from the media than they did from their social circles.

Brunson and Opel said the findings speak to the power of the people in our lives.

"Parents do not make immunization decisions in a vacuum," Opel said. "Parents listen to and are influenced by other parents."

He said parents who vaccinate might try being more "vocal" to other parents about why they made their decision.

Brunson said efforts to encourage parents to vaccinate often focus on the role of pediatricians. "But this study is saying that we probably need to have a much broader approach than that," she said.

Media campaigns and other approaches that reach the general public, not just parents, might work better, Brunson said.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Emily Brunson, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos; Douglas Opel, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, bioethics and general pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; May 2013 Pediatrics

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Lullabies Soothe Preemies, Parents Alike

By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Lullabies have been used to soothe babies since time immemorial. Now, scientists say that premature infants in particular can benefit from combining this tactic with other forms of music therapy, such as simulated womb sounds synchronized to preemies' vital signs.

Studying 272 infants in 11 hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), researchers from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City found that live music matched to babies' breathing and heart rates enhanced feeding and sleeping patterns. Parent-selected lullabies also seemed to promote bonding between parents and babies, easing the stress of the chaotic NICU environment.

"Historically, premature infants were thought to be best off left alone in a quiet, closed incubator with no stimulation," said study author Joanne Loewy, director of Beth Israel's Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine.

However, she added, "In more recent times, we're seeing that the right kind of stimulation -- particularly live, interactive music -- can enhance babies' neurological function and increase their quiet-alert state. It helps them through those tough moments . . . the more we can regulate the sound environment, the better they're going to fare."

The study was released online April 15 in advance of publication in the May print issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Loewy and her colleagues examined the effects of three different types of music therapy interventions on premature babies. The infants were born at least 32 weeks into gestation and were small for their gestational age or suffered from conditions including respiratory distress and sepsis.

Three times each week for two weeks, certified music therapists used devices called Remo ocean discs and gato boxes, which replicated "whoosh" and heartbeat womb sounds while synchronized with infants' breath and heart patterns. Parents or therapists also sung the lullabies preferred by the babies' parents (called "songs of kin"), or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" when parents had no preference.

Compared to babies not receiving any music therapies, babies who did showed more positive health effects such as better sleeping and feeding patterns. Those exposed to the ocean disc sounds experienced improved blood-oxygen levels and quiet-alert states. Additionally, parents' perception of stress in the NICU environment significantly decreased with the interventions, the study said.

"Many NICUs are noisy, or people put on random lullabies that are recorded," Loewy said. "What we're saying is, it's not just any old lullaby that's recorded, it's the power of the parent's voice synchronized therapeutically . . . and the other two sounds that can have a therapeutic benefit."

Dr. Joseph Awadalla, a neonatologist at Redlands Community Hospital, in California, agreed that such therapy helps premature infants thrive. He noted that womb-like sounds have been used in some hospitals for at least the last 20 years to soothe and relax babies.

"I'm aware that not all the [NICUs] do this kind of therapy," Awadalla said. "There should be no obstacle to using it -- there just needs to be an understanding from the staff that choosing it will help."

The cost of such therapy is minimal, study author Loewy said, and depends on the region of the United States a hospital is located. In the mid-Atlantic region, for example, certified music therapists cost about $65 per hour, and a typical session with each infant would last for 10 to 15 minutes, she said.

"In terms of the cost, when you're able to better regulate [a preemie's] vital signs, that's going to lead to less days in the hospital and less expense for [medications]," she added.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Joanne Loewy, D.A., director, Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City; Joseph Awadalla, M.D., neonatologist, Redlands Community Hospital, Redlands, Calif.; May 2013 Pediatrics

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Parents Who Veto Vaccinations Often Seek Like-Minded Opinions

Study suggests friends, family may be important sources of advice

By Amy Norton

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Friends and family may be key in parents' decisions on whether to vaccinate their young children, a small study suggests.

The study, of about 200 parents, found that those who had opted not to follow the standard vaccine schedule often sought advice from anti-vaccine friends and family.

Experts said it's not certain that the advice actually steered parents in an anti-vaccine direction: Parents who were already prone to shunning vaccines may have turned to like-minded people for reinforcement.

"It's the chicken-and-egg question," said researcher Emily Brunson, an assistant professor of anthropology at Texas State University, in San Marcos. "The answer is, we don't know which came first."

To be more sure, Brunson said, parents would have to be followed over time, to see whether undecided parents actually base vaccine decisions on advice from other people.

But Brunson said she thinks family, friends and others in parents' "social networks" really are an important influence.

Dr. Douglas Opel, of Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington, agreed.

"It is unclear how these groups influence parents. Do they simply reinforce the vaccine decisions parents would have made otherwise, or do they actually function as a way that provokes a parent to consider other ideas?" said Opel, who wrote an editorial published with the study, which appears online April 15 and in the May print issue of the journal Pediatrics

Opel said his hunch is that family and friends reinforce parents' existing views. But even if that's true, they are still a big influence by bolstering parents' beliefs.

Experts recommend that babies and young children routinely receive vaccinations against a host of common (or once common) infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, chickenpox and hepatitis.

But some parents balk at those recommendations, largely because of a purported link between vaccines and autism. More than a decade's worth of studies have failed to confirm that link exists, but anxiety remains: A recent study of U.S. parents found that about one-third thought children receive too many vaccinations in their first two years, and they thought the shots could contribute to autism.

Brunson wanted to see where parents are turning to get their information, so she recruited nearly 200 parents of children 18 months old or younger. About 130 had their child up to date on all vaccines (and were dubbed "conformers") and 70 had opted to skip or delay at least some vaccinations ("nonconformers").

In an online survey, Brunson asked the parents to list the people and other sources -- such as websites and books -- they had gone to for vaccine advice.

She found that nearly all parents had sought advice from other people -- usually several people, including their doctor, spouse, family members and friends. And parents' ultimate decisions generally fell in line with that advice.

View the original article here

Parents Will Push for Medication, Even If Doc Says Not Needed

Title: Parents Will Push for Medication, Even If Doc Says Not Needed
Category: Health News
Created: 4/1/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/1/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Parents Will Push for Medication, Even If Doc Says Not Needed

Survey dealt with hypothetical diagnosis of digestive disorder in young child

By Alan Mozes

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- When doctors use quick-and-easy disease labels to sum up symptoms of concern in an otherwise healthy infant, parents are more apt to want to treat their child with some type of medication, even if they're told that drugs won't help, new research says.

The finding was gleaned from the results of a survey administered in a general pediatric clinic setting. The poll had asked parents how they would react to being told that their child's excessive crying and spitting amounted to a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), rather than being given no specific disease label at all.

The study highlights the powerful impact that a physician's choice of words can have on parental decision-making, while emphasizing the importance of good doctor-patient/parent communication.

"The disease label seems to send the message that there is an illness that requires medical treatment," explained study lead author Laura Scherer, an assistant professor in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri. "But, depending on the situation, medical treatments may be necessary, or not. In the case of GERD, an otherwise healthy infant probably will not benefit from medication. So in this case [that] label can be misleading."

Scherer and her colleagues published their findings in the May issue of Pediatrics.

Though the survey results speak to the potential impact of disease-labeling as a whole, the authors noted that the issue is of specific interest with respect to GERD. A growing concern is that this particular condition is both overdiagnosed and overtreated among basically healthy children.

Between 2011 and 2012, the investigators surveyed 175 parents (whose average age was about 35) either while in a pediatric clinic waiting room or an examination room. Most participants were mothers and described as highly educated. The average age of their sons and daughters was 4.5 years. About one-fifth of these children had been previously diagnosed with GERD.

Parents were randomly given one of four hypothetical scenarios: Their infant had GERD and existing drugs were ineffective; their infant had GERD without any comment on medications; no disease label was offered in the context of drugs being ineffective; or no disease label or drug information was offered.

The result: Those parents who were given a GERD diagnosis ended up being interested in treating their infant with drugs despite being specifically cautioned that drugs wouldn't work.

By contrast, parents who were not offered a single disease label to describe their infant's crying and spitting symptoms only expressed an interest in drug treatment if the physician did not raise the issue of the drug's ineffectiveness. This left parents to assume that the relevant drugs worked.

When medicinal ineffectiveness was discussed, these parents expressed no eagerness to launch a drug treatment.

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Kids of Better-Educated Parents Have Healthier Diets: Study

Title: Kids of Better-Educated Parents Have Healthier Diets: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 3/31/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/1/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Young Parents Don't Stress Over Kids' Media Use: Survey

First generation to have lots of exposure to technology not as worried about its effects, researchers report

By Maureen Salamon

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- Having grown up with gadgets galore, young parents aren't as worried about the potentially corrosive effects of too much screen time on their offspring, a new study suggests.

Surveying more than 2,300 parents of children up to age 8, researchers from Northwestern University found that the vast majority -- 78 percent -- report that their children's media use is not a source of family conflict, and 59 percent said they aren't concerned their kids will become addicted to new media.

"We asked parents what their challenges were as the parents of young children . . . and sometimes media was never mentioned," said study author Ellen Wartella, director of Northwestern's Center on Media and Human Development. "Parents of children this age are concerned about their health, safety, nutrition and exercise, and media concerns are much lower down the list. That was a surprise."

The study is scheduled to be presented Tuesday at the Pew Charitable Trusts Conference Center in Washington, D.C. Research presented at conferences typically has not been peer-reviewed and is considered preliminary.

Wartella and her team identified three different types of media environments parents create: media-centric (39 percent of families), media-moderate (45 percent) and media-light (16 percent). In media-centric homes, children spend three hours more each day with screen media such as TVs, computers and tablets than those in media-light households.

The notion that parents are apt to shush their kids by handing them a smartphone or tablet also appears to be false, according to results. To keep their children quietly occupied, moms and dads said they were more apt to turn to toys or activities (88 percent), books (79 percent) or TV (78 percent). Of parents with smartphones or iPads, only 37 percent reported being somewhat or very likely to turn to those devices.

"Given all I've seen in the popular press, the newfangled technologies of smartphones and tablets would be the go-to tools . . . but we didn't find that," said Wartella, also a professor of psychology and of human development and social policy. In fact, when they were in a restaurant or the car and they needed to calm a child, parents reported they were more likely to turn to the tried-and-true, such as soft, plush toys and coloring books.

"What's compelling is we certainly have a generation of parents now who grew up with technology, and it's very much a part of everyday life for these families," she added. "There are different styles of use, and parenting styles set the agenda and help influence children's styles."

What is concerning to parents, according to the survey, was the negative impact screen time has on kids' physical activity levels. More than 60 percent said video games result in less movement by their children, with similar proportions saying the same about TV, computers and mobile devices.

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Certain Parents Less Likely to Follow Doctors' Advice: Poll

Title: Certain Parents Less Likely to Follow Doctors' Advice: Poll
Category: Health News
Created: 3/25/2013 6:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Busy Parents' Plan for Losing Weight

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Track your way to weight loss success Manage your family's vaccinations Join the conversation See more benefits Sign Up Why WebMD? My WebMD Show Menu My Tools My WebMD Pages My Account Sign Out FacebookTwitterPinterest WebMD Home Health & Parenting Center Raising Fit Kids Healthy Weight and BMI Email a Friend Print Article if (pf_param == "true") {printElements();} Raising Fit Kids: Healthy Nurtition, Exercise, and Weight   This content is selected and controlled by WebMD's editorial staff in collaboration with Sanford Health Systems.False The Best Weight Loss Plan for Busy Parents WebMD Feature

By Camille Peri

Reviewed By Hansa D. Bhargava, MD

So you want to lose weight, get healthier, and set a good example for your kids. That’s fantastic! How do you balance eating right, getting enough exercise, and the demands of being a parent? Here’s how you can break it down and tackle it. There are three rules:

Food: Plan ahead Exercise: Think small Parenting: Get the whole family involved

Time is the most precious commodity for parents. So when you make any change, you want to set yourself up for success -- break it into small goals. With small goals, you’re more likely to be able to make changes, stick with them, and build upon your successes.

With food, you have to eliminate the dilemma of making decisions on the fly. When we’re rushed and stressed, our decision-making abilities can suffer.

We’ve all been there: "Ack! Only 15 minutes before the kids have to be at soccer! ... Well, the kids have to eat. We only have time for a drive-through snack."

Outsmart your unhealthy habits. Make making a healthy decision easier, say experts.

Food: Plan Ahead

"Prepare a list of dinners during the week and shop ahead," says Jessica Crandall, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. "If you plan ahead and make sure there's healthy food around, you're more likely to follow through."

Keep these tips in mind when you're making your grocery list:

Serve a salad before dinner. "It's good nutrition and cuts calories," Crandall says. Grab some prewashed bag or bin salads.

Keep healthy snacks around the house. It’s a lot harder to eat junk food like chips and cookies if they are not in your cupboard. Cut the temptation and stock up on healthy snacks instead.

Keep carrot sticks to dip in cottage cheese spiced with herbs or Ranch flavor. Have half a sliced turkey and veggie sandwich on one slice of whole-grain bread. Make your own trail mix and put 1/4 servings in baggies to grab-n-go. You’ll need: nuts, whole-grain cereal, mini pretzels, and dried fruit. Or whip up some healthy snack bars with whole grains and fruit. These travel well, too.

Plan for your habits.  If you tend to grab something at the drive-through when you're in a rush, try carrying healthier fast food.

Now’s the time for that trail mix or those snack bars to come to the rescue. Fruits and vegetables are also portable and fast. They’re fast and high-fiber, so they will fill you up longer than a lot of processed snacks like chips, says Crandall. When you get home from the store, wash veggies like snap peas or cherry tomatoes and pack them in to-go baggies. Have them instead of fries when you’re craving crunch to avoid unhealthy saturated fats.

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