PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Playing school sports affects youths' smoking

2012-02-08
(Press-News.org) Young people's choices about using drugs and alcohol are influenced by peers—not only close friends, but also sports teammates. A new study of middle schoolers and their social networks has found that teammates' smoking plays a big role in youths' decisions about smoking, but adolescents who take part in a lot of sports smoke less.

The study was conducted at the University of Southern California (USC) and appears in the journal Child Development.

Researchers looked at 1,260 ethnically diverse, urban, middle-class sixth through eighth graders. They asked the students about their own smoking behavior, and they asked them to name friends at school as well as the organized sports they took part in at school. Then, using a social network method they developed, they examined how participation in sports with teammates who smoked affected adolescents' smoking behavior.

They found that youths were more likely to smoke as they were increasingly exposed to teammates who smoked, and that this tendency may be stronger among girls than boys. But they also found that youths who took part in a greater number of sports were less likely to smoke than those who participated in fewer.

"This result suggests that peers on athletic teams influence the smoking behavior of others even though there might be a protective effect overall of increased participation in athletics on smoking," according to Kayo Fujimoto, assistant professor of health promotion and behavioral sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, who led the study when she was at USC.

The study has implications for programs aimed at preventing teens from smoking. "Current guidelines recommend the use of peer leaders selected within the class to implement such programs," Fujimoto points out. "The findings of this study suggest that peer-led interactive programs should be expanded to include sports teams as well."

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Depression forecasts difficulties with peers in middle childhood

2012-02-08
Children who have difficult relationships with their peers can experience more psychological dysfunction, such as depression. But does the depression lead to youths' relationship problems, or do difficulties in the relationships provoke the depression? A new study of children in the middle years of childhood has found that depression forecasts problems in peer relationships, including being victimized by peers and problems being accepted by peers. The study appears in the journal Child Development; it was conducted by researchers at Arizona State University and the University ...

Rothman at Jefferson research suggests abandon convention in diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection

2012-02-08
PHILADELPHIA -- In their search for new, better ways to diagnose periprosthetic joint infection, Rothman Institute at Jefferson researchers have discovered that measurement of C-reactive protein in the synovial fluid is extremely accurate, while measuring a patients’ serum white blood cell count (WBC) and the percentage of neutrophils (PMN%), the conventional method for diagnosis, has a minimal role in the determination of PJI. The synovial fluid is the viscous liquid that lubricates the joints and feeds the cartilage. "This research indicates that we may need to ...

Archive of failed joint replacements provides tips to building a better hip replacement

2012-02-08
A study by Hospital for Special Surgery researchers has provided the first comprehensive look at just how metal-on-metal total hip replacements are failing in patients around the country. Made possible by what is thought to be the largest archive of failed joint replacements, the research should help doctors develop a better hip replacement for future patients. The study will be reported at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Feb. 7-11. "This paper is the first step in what is a path to try to understand what the problems are with ...

Acelloria Launches 'XEstimate' in Beta Platform

2012-02-08
Acelloria.com recently launched the beta version of 'XEstimate' in Canada, an innovative tool that calculates the value of a home based on similar surrounding properties to help with home-related decisions, whether you're buying, selling, renovating or refinancing. Acelloria's XEstimate, generated by an in-house team of experts, is an excellent and easy way we can provide valuable financial information and statistics to buyers who may not have access to such calculations otherwise. Its' main goal is to improve the buying process by educating the buyer in all aspects of ...

New procedure bests standard of care for fixing damaged cartilage

2012-02-08
A new study has demonstrated that a procedure wherein healthy cartilage is transplanted to fix an area of damaged cartilage (osteoarticular cartilage transplantation or OATS procedure) is superior to the standard of care for repairing cartilage defects. It is thought that fixing such lesions may ultimately help to prevent the onset of osteoarthritis, and get athletic individuals back to sporting activities reliably. The study by Hospital for Special Surgery researchers was reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Feb. 7-11. "Studies ...

VLT takes most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula

VLT takes most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula
2012-02-08
Deep in the heart of the southern Milky Way lies a stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula. It is about 7500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Carina (The Keel) [1]. This cloud of glowing gas and dust is one of the closest incubators of very massive stars to the Earth and includes several of the brightest and heaviest stars known. One of them, the mysterious and highly unstable star Eta Carinae, was the second brightest star in the entire night sky for several years in the 1840s and is likely to explode as a supernova in the near future, by astronomical standards. ...

Recognition for Carnival UK's Customer Care Programme at Industry Awards

2012-02-08
The award was in recognition of the innovative customer Care programme he set up, designed and implemented to support customers and crew in times of difficulty. P&O Cruises was also named Favourite Cruise Company for the fifth year running. This award was voted for by readers of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday and was presented at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: "We are all so proud of Andrew for being named the 'unsung hero' - our Care programme was implemented to ensure that ...

CSIC inquiry tests visual intelligence through Facebook

2012-02-08
A team of researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have developed a web application to test the visual intelligence of Facebook users through the social network. The new platform will enable researchers to test different cognitive skills and to obtain large amounts of data that determine what parameters affect the brain's visual capacity. Any Facebook user can download this application (available in both Spanish and English languages), which consists of different tests for measuring visual intelligence and calculation ability. Gonzalo García de ...

New study: Adolescents suffering from depression more likely to be bullied

2012-02-08
TEMPE - A new study provides evidence that adolescents who suffer from depression are more likely to develop difficulty in peer relationships including being bullied at school. It's often assumed that being bullied leads to psychological problems, such as depression, but the study doesn't support this line of thought. "Often the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression. We found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships," said Karen Kochel, Arizona State University School of Social and Family Dynamics assistant research ...

New study sheds light on genetics of rice metabolism

New study sheds light on genetics of rice metabolism
2012-02-08
A large-scale study analyzing metabolic compounds in rice grains conducted by researchers at the RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC) and their collaborators has identified 131 rice metabolites and clarified the genetic and environmental factors that influence their production. The findings provide a natural way to bioengineer improved rice grain varieties by selectively increasing production of useful metabolites, boosting the nutritional value of crops. As one of the most important staple crops, rice plays a central role in supplying the nutrients needed to keep the world ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] Playing school sports affects youths' smoking