Good Parenting Really Works

University of Washington researchers have found new evidence to support the idea that parents can prevent or delay their children from using alcohol or marijuana. These findings were recently published in the American Journal of Public Health.

“We found that good parenting can make a big difference in preventing early alcohol and marijuana use. Good parenting includes having clear family rules, knowing where your kids are and who they are with, rewarding good behavior and having consistent and moderate discipline,” said Rick Kosterman, a research scientist with UW’s Social Development Research Group and lead author on the journal article.

According to the study, at age 10 1/2, 25 percent of the children in the study reported trying alcohol while 3 percent had tried marijuana. By age 13, 64 percent of the teens had tried alcohol and by age 18, 88 percent of children in the study had tried alcohol. In contrast, marijuana use remained relatively flat through age 13 with 13 percent trying it, while usage increased in the mid- to late teen years with another 37 percent sampling marijuana by age 18, for a total of half of children trying it before age 18.

Data for the article came from a large ongoing study that began in 1985 with more than 800 Seattle school children.

The researchers emphasized the importance of parents “not giving up on clear standards and good parenting, even if teenagers express anger, or distance in response to their parents’ efforts to influence them toward healthy behaviors.” These efforts can help reduce the amount of influence peers, siblings and others who use substances have on children and teens.

* Keep kids cool: The American Academy of Pediatrics has revised its recommendation regarding activities during very high temperatures and humidity. The academy has changed its recommended amount of time children can spend safely exercising under these conditions. The recommendations vary greatly depending on the child’s size and age. But overall, children have a greater surface area-to-body mass ratio and lower sweating capacity than adults, making children especially vulnerable to heat stress.

Recommendations include: Keep children’s outdoor activities to a minimum during hot and humid weather; when they are outside, make sure children are well-hydrated even if they are not thirsty; and make sure their clothing is absorbent, light-colored and lightweight.

* You are what you eat: If you’re a pregnant mother, you and your baby are both what you eat. “As You Eat, So Your Baby Grows,” a prenatal nutrition guide written in 1977 by Nikki Goldbeck, has been revised.

The 2000 edition has been updated to include recommendations on vitamins and a new section on dietary fat. Single copies of the guide are available for $2.50 plus $1 postage and handling.

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