JAMA news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm US Central time on the first 4 Tuesdays of each month. the Archives of Journals news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm Central time on Mondays. We also provide a list of previous news releases.
THIS WEEK'S CONTENTS
ARCHIVES OF PEDIATRICS & ADOLESCENT MEDICINE NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed Until: 3 P.M. (CT), Monday, July 7, 2008)
CHILD CARE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH WEIGHT GAIN IN INFANCY
RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE APPEARS COMMON AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS
EARLY-LIFE NUTRITION MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH ADULT INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING
BIRTH ATTENDANT AND MATERNAL HAND-WASHING ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED NEWBORN DEATH RATE
ARCHIVES OF GENERAL PSYCHIATRY NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed Until: 3 P.M. (CT), Monday, July 7, 2008)
SOME ANTIDEPRESSANTS ASSOCIATED WITH GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING
PREGNANCY ALONE IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR MENTAL DISORDERS
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE NEWS RELEASES IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. JOURNAL ATTRIBUTION IS REQUIRED.
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Please Note: The FOR THE MEDIA website now has a search feature to enable media to find previous JAMA/Archives news releases on specific medical topics. This search feature link is located on the home page at www.jamamedia.org.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, July 7, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Juhee Kim, Sc.D., call Melissa Mitchell at 217-333-5491.
CHILD CARE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH WEIGHT GAIN IN INFANCY
CHICAGO—Nine-month-old infants regularly cared for by someone other than a parent appear to have higher rates of unfavorable feeding practices and to weigh more than infants cared for only by parents, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Almost three-fourths of infants receive some form of child care by persons who are not their parents during the first year of life, according to background information in the article. Child care has been associated with positive development in cognition (thinking, learning and memory), language, social and emotional realms and academics, the authors note. However, no information previously existed regarding the relationship of child care to infants’ weight or to certain feeding practices that may affect the risk of becoming overweight, including breastfeeding and introducing solid foods at an earlier age.
Juhee Kim., Sc.D., of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Karen E. Peterson, Sc.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, analyzed data collected during home visits with 8,150 9-month-old infants. During the visits, which occurred in 2001 and 2002, the infants were weighed and measured and the primary caregiver provided information regarding child care.
A total of 55.3 percent of the infants received regular child care from someone other than a parent. Among those, half were in full-time child care, 40.3 percent began child care at younger than 3 months, 39.3 percent began between 3 and 5.9 months and 20.7 percent began at 6 months or older.
“Infants who initiated child care at younger than 3 months were less likely to have been breastfed and were more likely to have received early introduction of solid foods than those in parental care,” the authors write. Infants in part-time child care gained 175 grams (approximately 0.4 pounds) more weight during nine months than infants who were cared for by parents. Those who were cared for by other relatives gained 162 grams (approximately 0.35 pounds) more weight, had a higher rate of early introduction to solid foods (which was shown to be a risk factor for weight gain) and were less likely to begin breastfeeding.
“Our study results provide new evidence that child care influences both infant feeding practices and risk of overweight at least during infancy,” the authors conclude. “Thus, more research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which these early child care factors and infant feeding practices affect subsequent risk for childhood overweight.”
(Arch Pediatr Adoles Med. 2008;162[7]:627-633. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by the Berkowitz Fellowship of the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, an ECLS-B cohort training grant, the National Center for Education Statistics and Training Grants on Statistical Analysis for Education Policy from the American Educational Research Association. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, July 7, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Christine M. Forke, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., call Juliann Walsh at 267-426-6054.
RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE APPEARS COMMON AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS
CHICAGO—Violence between partners, friends and acquaintances appears prevalent both during and before college, according to results of a survey of students at three urban college campuses published in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The transition from living at home to attending college may increase adolescents’ vulnerability to relationship violence, according to background information in the article. Factors associated with this risk include less parental monitoring and support, isolation in an unknown environment and a strong desire for peer acceptance that can change behaviors toward others.
Christine M. Forke, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues anonymously surveyed 910 undergraduates age 17 to 22 (57.1 percent female) in 67 randomly chosen college classes. The students answered demographic questions about sex, age, race and length of time in school and reported whether and when they had experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence in a relationship.
The researchers found that:
- 407 (44.7 percent) of participants experienced relationship violence either before or during college, including 383 (42.l percent) who were victims of such violence and 156 (17.1 percent) of participants who reported perpetrating violence
- Rates of both perpetrating and being a victim of relationship violence were higher before college than during college
- 53 percent of women and 27.2 percent of men reported victimization
- More than half (130 of 227 reports) of the violence experienced during college was related to a partner rather than a friend or acquaintance
- Emotional violence was most common before college (21.1 percent), while sexual and emotional violence were equally common during college (12 percent and 11.8 percent)
- Men were more likely to perpetrate sexual violence, while women were more likely to perpetrate physical violence
“In conclusion, all forms of relationship violence are prevalent among male and female college students; almost half of the students had experienced relationship violence at some point in their lives, more than one-third had experienced violence before college and one-quarter had experienced violence during college,” the authors write.
Emotional violence was the most common type of violence at all ages. “While emotional abuse frequently is not a focus of violence prevention, it can cause poor outcomes and may predispose victims to other forms of violence. Therefore, educational efforts focusing on healthy relationships should begin during childhood,” they conclude.
(Arch Pediatr Adoles Med. 2008;162[7]:634-641. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: This study was supported by the Claneil Foundation, Valentine Foundation, Craig-Dalsimer Fund, Mary D. Ames Chair for Child Advocacy and the Institute for Safe Families. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, July 7, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Aryeh D. Stein, M.P.H., Ph.D., call Ashante Dobbs at 404-727-5692.
EARLY-LIFE NUTRITION MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH ADULT INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING
CHICAGO—Adults who had improved nutrition in early childhood may score better on intellectual tests, regardless of the number of years they attended school, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Schooling is a key component of the development of literacy, reading comprehension and cognitive functioning, and thus of human capital,” the authors write as background information in the article. Research also suggests that poor nutrition in early life is associated with poor performance on cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) tests in adulthood. “Therefore, both nutrition and early-childhood intellectual enrichment are likely to be important determinants of intellectual functioning in adulthood.”
Between 1969 and 1977, Guatemalan children in four villages participated in a trial of nutritional supplementation. Through the trial, some were exposed to atole—a protein-rich enhanced nutritional supplement—while others were exposed to fresco, a sugar-sweetened beverage. Aryeh D. Stein, M.P.H., Ph.D., of the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from intellectual testing and interviews conducted between 2002 and 2004, when 1,448 surviving participants (68.4 percent) were an average of 32 years old.
Individuals exposed to atole between birth and age 24 months scored higher on intellectual tests of reading comprehension and cognitive functioning in adulthood than those not exposed to atole or who were exposed to it at other ages. This association remained significant when the researchers controlled for other factors associated with intellectual functioning, including years of schooling.
“Nutrition in early life is associated with markers of child development in this population, and exposure to atole for most of the first three years of life was associated with an increase of 0.4 years in attained schooling, with the association being stronger for females (1.2 years of schooling),” the authors write. “Thus, schooling might be in the causal pathway between early childhood nutrition and adult intellectual functioning.”
“Our data, which suggest an effect of exposure to an enhanced nutritional intervention in early life that is independent of any effect of schooling, provide additional evidence in support of intervention strategies that link early investments in children to continued investments in early-life nutrition and in schooling,” they conclude.
(Arch Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162[7]:612-618. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and from the National Science Foundation. The National Institutes of Health, the Thrasher Fund and the Nestle Foundation have funded the work of the INCAP Longitudinal Study since its inception. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, July 7, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Catherine M. Gordon, M.D., M.Sc., call James Newton at 617-919-3110. To contact editorialist James A. Taylor, M.D., call Mary Guiden at 206-616-3192.
BIRTH ATTENDANT AND MATERNAL HAND-WASHING ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED NEWBORN DEATH RATE
CHICAGO—Washing hands with soap and water before delivering a newborn infant is associated with a lower rate of neonatal deaths in developing countries, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Although major achievements have been made in reducing mortality in children younger than 5 years, less progress has been made in reducing neonatal mortality,” according to background information in the article. It is estimated that there are approximately 4 million neonatal (newborn) deaths each year, with more than 99 percent occurring in low- and middle-income countries. “About half of these deaths occur at home where mothers receive little or no perinatal care. These neonatal deaths are attributable primarily to infections, prematurity and birth asphyxia [suffocation].”
Victor Rhee, M.H.S., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues obtained data in an observational study of 23,662 newborns through 28 days of life in rural southern Nepal from 2002 to 2006. Mothers of the infants were given questionnaires the day after delivery and two weeks later to identify maternal and birth attendant hand-washing practices.
More than 90 percent of births occurred at home or outdoors while the mother was being transported to a facility. Birth attendants washed their hands before the delivery of 59.2 percent of live births, while only 14.8 percent of mothers washed their hands with soap and water or antiseptic before handling their newborn. The overall mortality rate was 32.1 per 1,000 live births.
“Newborns whose birth attendant washed his or her hands before assisting with delivery had a 25 percent lower risk of death compared with newborns whose birth attendant did not wash his or her hands,” the authors write. “Infants whose mothers washed their hands prior to handling their infant had a 60 percent lower risk of neonatal death compared with those whose mothers did not wash their hands.” Overall, there was a 41 percent lower death rate among newborns exposed to both hand-washing practices.
“In developing countries, where most births take place at home, the concept of washing with soap before delivery to protect against infection is not well understood,” the authors write. “Measures to improve or promote birth attendant and maternal hand-washing could improve neonatal survival rates.”
(Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162[7]:603-608. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, July 7, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Francisco J. de Abajo, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., e-mail fabajo{at}agemed.es.
SOME ANTIDEPRESSANTS ASSOCIATED WITH GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING
CHICAGO—A class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appear to be associated with bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The effects appear increased when antidepressants are combined with other stomach-harming medications and decreased when acid-suppressing agents are used.
Since the early 1990s, case reports have suggested an association between SSRIs and bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, according to background information in the article. “The wide use of this drug class requires research to provide more accurate risk estimates, to identify factors that may further increase the risk and, in particular, to determine whether using acid-suppressing agents may reduce the risk,” the authors write. “It is also important to determine whether venlafaxine hydrochloride, a new antidepressant related to SSRIs, also increases the risk of bleeding, as some individual case reports have suggested.”
Francisco J. de Abajo, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products, and Luis A. García-Rodríguez, M.D., M.Sc., of the Spanish Centre for Pharmacoepidemiologic Research, Madrid, Spain, studied 1,321 patients who had been referred to a specialist or hospitalized for upper GI bleeding between 2001 and 2005. These cases were compared with 10,000 control subjects who were the same age and sex but did not have upper GI bleeding.
Individuals with upper GI bleeding were significantly more likely than controls to be taking SSRIs (5.3 percent vs. 3.0 percent) or venlafaxine (1.1 percent vs. 0.3 percent). The risk of bleeding appeared to be increased further among those taking both SSRIs and other drugs known to be harmful to the GI tract, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, which include pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen) and corticosteroids. Acid-suppressing agents, however, were associated with a reduced risk of upper GI bleeding in those taking SSRIs or venlafaxine.
The researchers estimate that in patients not taking acid-suppressing agents, one individual per year would develop upper GI tract bleeding for every 2,000 patients taking these antidepressants. “When both SRIs [SSRIs and venlafaxine] and NSAIDs are concomitantly used, it would be sufficient to treat 250 patients per year for one case of upper GI tract bleeding to be attributed to such combination, and 500 patients per year if SRIs are concomitantly used with antiplatelet drugs,” the authors write.
(Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65[7]:795-803. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: This study was supported by an unrestricted research grant from AstraZeneca PLC for the validation of cases. Dr. García-Rodríguez has received unrestricted research grants from Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Group. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, July 7, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author Bridget F. Grant, Ph.D., Ph.D., call the NIAAA Press Office at 301-443-3860 or e-mail niaaapressoffice{at}mail.nih.gov.
PREGNANCY ALONE IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR MENTAL DISORDERS
CHICAGO—Pregnancy alone does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of the most prevalent mental disorders, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, post-partum women may have a higher risk of major depressive disorder.
Pregnant women and those who have recently given birth are said to be exceedingly vulnerable to psychiatric disorders, according to background information in the article. Psychiatric disorders in these groups of women have been linked to poor maternal health, inadequate prenatal care and adverse outcomes for their children including abnormal growth and development, poor behavior during childhood and adolescence and negative nutritional and health effects. “For these reasons, accurate information about the mental health status of women during pregnancy and the post-partum period is urgently needed.”
Oriana Vesga-López, M.D., of New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, and colleagues analyzed data from interviews of 43,093 individuals who participated in a survey on alcohol, disorders and related conditions. Of these, 14,549 were women (age 18 to 50) who had been pregnant within the past year. Participants reported psychiatric disorders, substance use and whether they had sought treatment.
“Past-year pregnant and post-partum women had significantly lower rates of alcohol use disorders and any substance use, except illicit drug use, than non-pregnant women,” the authors write. Also, women who were pregnant at the time of the study had a lower risk of having any mood disorder, except major depression, than non-pregnant women. “Age, marital status, health status, stressful life events and history of traumatic experiences were all significantly associated with higher risk of psychiatric disorders in pregnant and post-partum women.”
Women who had been pregnant within the past year had lower treatment-seeking rates for any psychiatric disorder within the past year and within their lifetime. “Most women with a current psychiatric disorder did not receive any mental health care in the 12 months prior to the survey regardless of pregnancy status,” the authors write.
Although pregnancy alone is not associated with an increased risk of the most common mental disorders, “groups of pregnant women with particularly high prevalence of psychiatric disorders were identified,” the authors write. These groups included women age 18 to 25 living without a partner, widowed, separated, divorced or never married and women who experienced pregnancy complications or stressful life events. “Given the critical importance of this life period for mothers and their offspring, urgent action is needed to increase detection and treatment of psychiatric disorders among pregnant and post-partum women in the United States.”
(Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65[7]:805-815. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: Dr. Blanco has received research support from Somaxon, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Olfson has received grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly and Co.; has worked as a consultant for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Co., Pfizer and McNeil; and serves on a speakers’ bureau for Janssen. This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants; a grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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