Family Health-related Quality of Life in Pediatric Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship of disease characteristics and child anxiety symptoms to family health-related quality of life (FHRQoL) in youth with cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS). METHODS: Forty-two parents of youth ages 8 to 18 years diagnosed with CVS completed the Family Impact Module of the PedsQL, a measure of the impact of the child's illness on the family. We evaluated the relationship of disease characteristics and child and parent proxy reports of anxiety symptoms on the Screen for Childhood Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders to FHRQoL. RESULTS: Parent report of child anxiety symptoms and missed school days (mean = 11.93, standard deviation = 14.62) were the strongest predictors of FHRQoL (r = 0.33, df = 1.39, F = 8.51, P = 0.006). Other disease characteristics, including frequency, duration, chronicity of CVS episodes, and delay in initial CVS diagnosis were not significantly associated with the FHRQoL total score. Child anxiety symptoms by either parent and/or child report were associated with subscales of the FHRQoL, including family physical functioning, family communication, and family daily activities. CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL for the families assessed in this study was associated with anxiety symptoms to a greater extent than disease characteristics, indexing the importance of a biopsychosocial approach to CVS management. Screening for anxiety symptoms and support for school absences due to illness are indicated to help lessen the impact of CVS on the family as a whole.

Food-related advertisements and food intake among adult men and women.

Television viewing may contribute to obesity via promotion of sedentary behavior and exposure to food-related commercials. However, the mechanisms by which food-related commercials promote food intake are not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of television advertisements on food intake according to sex and transportability, or the tendency to become engrossed in what one is viewing. Eighty-three undergraduate students, free of disordered eating symptoms, were stratified by sex and randomly assigned to one of three conditions (food-related advertisements, neutral advertisements, or no advertisements). They were then identified as high or low in transportability according to a median split. A significant interaction was found between advertisement condition and transportability such that those high in transportability ate more in the food than other advertisement conditions. A second interaction was found between sex and transportability with women high in transportability eating more food than women low in transportability irrespective of advertisement condition. No significant main effects of advertisement condition, sex, or transportability were found. Results suggest the importance of studying the impact of individual difference variables on the relationship between food-related advertising and food intake.