Afghan teenager fatally stabs US soldier

FILE - In this March 28, 2013 file photo, U.S. Army carry team move a transfer case containing the remains of Army Sgt. Michael Cable, 26, of Philpot, Ky., at Dover Air Force Base, Del. An Afghan teenager killed Cable in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children, officials said Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FILE - In this March 28, 2013 file photo, U.S. Army carry team move a transfer case containing the remains of Army Sgt. Michael Cable, 26, of Philpot, Ky., at Dover Air Force Base, Del. An Afghan teenager killed Cable in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children, officials said Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

This undated U.S. Army photo, shows Sgt. Michael C. Cable, 25, of Philpot, Ky. during his deployment in Afghanistan. An Afghan teenager killed Cable in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children, officials said Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

FILE - In this March 28, 2013 file photo, U.S. Army carry team move a transfer case containing the remains of Army Sgt. Michael Cable, 26, of Philpot, Ky., to a transfer vehicle at Dover Air Force Base, Del. An Afghan teenager killed Cable in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children, officials said Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FILE - In this March 28, 2013 file photo, U.S. Army and Air Force officers say a prayer beside the transfer case containing the remains of Army Sgt. Michael Cable, 26, of Philpot, Ky., to a transfer vehicle at Dover Air Force Base, Del. An Afghan teenager killed Cable in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children, officials said Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? An Afghan teenager fatally stabbed an American soldier in the neck as he played with children in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Monday, as the U.S. death toll rose sharply last month with an uptick in fighting due to warmer weather.

Last week's calculated attack shows that international troops still face a myriad of dangers even though they are increasingly taking a back seat in operations with Afghan forces ahead of a full withdrawal by the end of 2014.

Just one U.S. service member was killed in February ? a five-year monthly low ? but the American death toll climbed to at least 14 last month.

Overall, the number of Americans and other foreign forces killed in Afghanistan has fallen as their role shifts more toward training and advising government troops instead of fighting.

But a series of so-called insider attacks on foreign troops by Afghan forces of insurgents disguised as them has threatened to undermine the trust needed to help President Hamid Karzai's government take the lead in securing the country after more than 11 years at war.

The attack that killed Sgt. Michael Cable, 26, of Philpot, Ky., last Wednesday occurred after the soldiers had secured an area for a meeting of U.S. and Afghan officials in a province near the volatile border with Pakistan.

But one of two senior U.S. officials who confirmed that Cable had been stabbed by a young man said the assailant was not believed to have been in uniform so it was not being classified as an insider attack.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the attacker was thought to be about 16 years old. He escaped so his age couldn't be verified.

Cable's brother Raymond Johnston, a 42-year-old waiter in Owensboro, Ky., said the Army told the family the basics of what happened and that his brother was stabbed in the neck from behind.

Johnston said his brother, who also did a tour of duty in Iraq, was "prepared before he left for anything that happened" in Afghanistan.

Cable met individually with Johnston and three other family members before leaving for Afghanistan and had similar conversations with each ? that the deployment was extremely hazardous and that his family and friends should "continue to enjoy life" if he was killed.

"He was able to communicate to the family about if the worst was supposed to happen, what we were supposed to do," Johnston said.

Cable's body was scheduled to return to Owensboro in western Kentucky on Thursday. Visitation was scheduled for Friday with the funeral set for Saturday.

The Afghan and American dignitaries were attending the swearing-in ceremony of Afghan Local Police in Shinwar district in Nangarhar province, senior district official Zalmai Khan said. Afghan Local Police, or ALP, recruits are drawn from villages and backed by the U.S. military.

The soldier was playing with children outside when the attacker came from behind and stabbed him in the neck with a large knife, Khan said. Other guards nearby didn't immediately notice what had happened because there was no gunshot, and the assailant was able to flee to neighboring Pakistan, he added.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid identified the attacker as a 16-year-old local man named Khalid. He said Khalid was acting independently when he killed the soldier but had joined the Islamic militant movement since fleeing the scene.

The district official Khan did not provide a name or confirm the Taliban's claim.

The Pentagon said in a statement last week that Cable, died from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces.

The killing comes as the U.S. death toll rose to 14 in March, compared with four in the previous two months of the year, partly fueled by the start of the spring fighting season when the Taliban and other insurgents take advantage of improved weather to step up attacks.

By contrast, at least 67 members of the Afghan security forces were killed last month, compared with 42 in February and 55 in January.

In a success story for the Afghan government, the intelligence service announced that it had foiled a plan to attack the Sulma dam in the western province of Herat.

Agency spokesman Shafiqullah Tahiri said an Afghan man identified as Sayed Gul was arrested with 1,300 kilograms (about 1.5 tons) of explosives. He blamed the Pakistani Taliban for plotting to bomb the dam in a bid to destabilize the country.

___

Associated Press writers Kimberly Dozier, Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez in Kabul, and Brett Barrouquere in Louisiville, Ky., contributed to this report.

Follow Kim Gamel on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kimgamel

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-01-Afghanistan/id-6f911617c5ae4bf8b7a1734e8b71ba3f

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CE Around the State?April Edition | Reference Librarians ...

Phew, April snuck up on me there! ?I must have been distracted by all the sunshine, singing birds, and March Madness. ?Apologies for the short notice on some of these, but here is your continuing education round up for the month of April. ?Be on the lookout for another great RLA-CE program coming up, to be announced.

??

Webjunction hosts So Many Devices, So Little Time on April 3 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.? The webinar will offer practical guidance in helping patrons with a variety of gadgets, hosting one-on-one sessions, and creating instructional materials.? Information here.? FREE!

LACONI hosts TSS: Interviewing & Interdepartmental Communication on April 5 at 9:50am at White Oak Library District in Romeoville.? The Management Association will address the legal aspects of the interview process.? Information and registration here.

Head to Fremont Public Library for Connect, Create, Collaborate: Working in the Cloud with Web Apps on April 6 from 9:00am to 12:00pm.? Information here.? FREE!

Tinker will meet on April 9 from 9:30am to 11:30am at Schaumburg Township District Library.? Tinker is a ?technology networking group for library staff who work?-or want to work?-with children, teens, and technology.?? Information here.? FREE!

Webjunction offers another webinar, Engaging Stakeholders, the First Step to Creating a Digitally Inclusive Community.? Tune in April 10 at 12:00pm.? Information here.? FREE!

As always, Slam the Boards on the 10^th of each month.? Hit your favorite social Q&A sites, answer questions librarian-style, identify yourself as a librarian, and post links to Twitter #slamtheboards.

We all need it sometimes?Positive Responses to Challenging Situations is April 11 from 9:00am to 12:30pm at Matteson Public Library.? Diane Decker will present ?positive approaches to challenging situations, and strategies for developing more productive relationships with bosses, co-workers, and patrons.?? Information here.

Head to Glenwood-Lynwood Public Library on April 11, from 10:00am to 3:30pm for Empowering Library Staff to Meet the Needs of the Spanish Speaking Community.? Information here.? FREE!

Dominican University?s Follett Lecture featuring Mary Minow is April 15 at 6:00pm at the university?s Martin Recital Hall.? Ms. Minow will present ?Copyright in the Digital Age?Some Unexpected Considerations.?? Information here.? FREE!

NISO and RAILS sponsor EPUB3 and the Future of Interoperable E-Books on April 17 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.? This videoconference will be held at the RAILS EAST Peoria location.? More information here.? FREE!

Butler Book Banter meets on the third Thursday of each month to talk children?s literature and network at Dominican University?s Crown Library.? Head over April 18 at 7:00pm.? Register here.? FREE!

LACONI?s Responsive Web Design is April 19 from 9:30am to 12:00pm at Skokie Public Library. Matthew Reidsma will present an intro to responsive design, then walk attendees through creating a simple webpage that looks great across a variety of websites.? Information and registration here.

The Former NSLS Youth Managers? Meeting is April 19 from 9:30am to 12:00pm at Des Plaines Public Library.? All YS managers in the RAILS area are welcome.? RSVP to Stephanie Spetter, SSpetter@dppl.org.

Head to Gail Borden Public Library for Grow as a Pro: Making the Most of Your Time on April 23, from 9:30am to 1:00pm.? Diane Decker will present on time management and professional development.? Information here.

Academically-inclined folk may want to check out ALA Techsource?s webinar workshop, Teaching Information Literacy with Discovery Tools.? On April 24 at 1:30pm.? More information here.

LACONI will host a Poetry Foundation Tour on April 26 from 9:45am to 12:00pm.? Celebrate National Poetry month with a tour of the Foundation?s new building in Chicago.? Information and registration here.? FREE!

LACONI also hosts Every Child Ready to Read: 2^nd Edition on April 26, from 9:30am to 4:00pm at Schaumburg Township District Library.? Explore early literacy practices in this demonstration and hands-on event.? Information and registration here.

Webjunction closes out the month with a webinar, Extending Access to E-Books for Public Libraries: New Strategies on April 30 at 12:00pm.? The event will explore the big picture of e-books in public libraries, including public policy, data collection, and content creation.? Information here.? FREE!

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Source: http://rlace.info/2013/04/01/ce-around-the-state-april-edition-2/

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Amped Wireless REC10 WiFi range extender is available from today for $80

The second of Amped's early 2013 lineup is making its way into stores, snapping at the heels of the recently released PLA2. The REC10 is a wall socket-mounted WiFi range extender that'll add a further 6,500 square feet of coverage onto your home's wireless network. You can snag the hardware now from the company's website for $80, but if you're the type who wants to sample the goods in the plastic flesh, then you can nab 'em from stores within the next few days.

Filed under: Wireless

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/02/amped-rec10/

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NASA's Swift sizes up comet ISON

Monday, April 1, 2013

Astronomers from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) and Lowell Observatory have used NASA's Swift satellite to check out comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), which may become one of the most dazzling in decades when it rounds the sun later this year.

Using images acquired over the last two months from Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT), the team has made initial estimates of the comet's water and dust production and used them to infer the size of its icy nucleus.

"Comet ISON has the potential to be among the brightest comets of the last 50 years, which gives us a rare opportunity to observe its changes in great detail and over an extended period," said Lead Investigator Dennis Bodewits, an astronomer at UMCP.

Additional factors, including an encounter with Mars followed by a scorching close approach to the sun, make comet ISON an object of special interest. In late February, at NASA's request, a team of comet experts initiated the Comet ISON Observing Campaign (CIOC) to assist ground- and space-based facilities in obtaining the most scientifically useful data.

Like all comets, ISON is a clump of frozen gases mixed with dust. Often described as "dirty snowballs," comets emit gas and dust whenever they venture near enough to the sun that the icy material transforms from a solid to gas, a process called sublimation. Jets powered by sublimating ice also release dust, which reflects sunlight and brightens the comet.

Typically, a comet's water content remains frozen until it comes within about three times Earth's distance to the sun. While Swift's UVOT cannot detect water directly, the molecule quickly breaks into hydrogen atoms and hydroxyl (OH) molecules when exposed to ultraviolet sunlight. The UVOT detects light emitted by hydroxyl and other important molecular fragments as well as sunlight reflected from dust.

The Jan. 30 UVOT observations reveal that ISON was shedding about 112,000 pounds (51,000 kg) of dust, or about two-thirds the mass of an unfueled space shuttle, every minute. By contrast, the comet was producing only about 130 pounds (60 kg) of water every minute, or about four times the amount flowing out of a residential sprinkler system.

"The mismatch we detect between the amount of dust and water produced tells us that ISON's water sublimation is not yet powering its jets because the comet is still too far from the sun," Bodewits said. "Other more volatile materials, such as carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide ice, evaporate at greater distances and are now fueling ISON's activity."

Comet ISON is now approaching the inner solar system. Discovered last year, the comet remains unusually active for its distance from the sun. If current trends continue, ISON could rank as one of the brightest comets in decades when it makes its close approach to the sun in late Nov. This animation shows the comet's approach and departure from the inner solar system from various perspectives. Credit: Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

At the time, the comet was 375 million miles (604 million km) from Earth and 460 million miles (740 million km) from the sun. ISON was at magnitude 15.7 on the astronomical brightness scale, or about 5,000 times fainter that the threshold of human vision.

Similar levels of activity were observed in February, and the team plans additional UVOT observations.

While the water and dust production rates are relatively uncertain because of the comet's faintness, they can be used to estimate the size of ISON's icy body. Comparing the amount of gas needed for a normal comet to blow off dust at the rate observed for ISON, the scientists estimate that the nucleus is roughly 3 miles (5 km) across, a typical size for a comet. This assumes that only the fraction of the surface most directly exposed to the sun, about 10 percent of the total, is actively producing jets.

An important question is whether ISON will continue to brighten at the same pace once water evaporation becomes the dominant source for its jets. Will the comet sizzle or fizzle?

"It looks promising, but that's all we can say for sure now," said Matthew Knight, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., and a member of the Swift and CIOC teams. "Past comets have failed to live up to expectations once they reached the inner solar system, and only observations over the next few months will improve our knowledge of how ISON will perform."

Based on ISON's orbit, astronomers think the comet is making its first-ever trip through the inner solar system. Before beginning its long fall toward the sun, the comet resided in the Oort comet cloud, a vast shell of perhaps a trillion icy bodies that extends from the outer reaches of the planetary system to about a third of the distance to the star nearest the sun.

Formally designated C/2012 S1 (ISON), the comet was discovered on Sept. 21, 2012, by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok using a telescope of the International Scientific Optical Network located near Kislovodsk.

The first of several intriguing observing opportunities occurs on Oct. 1, when the inbound comet passes about 6.7 million miles (10.8 million km) from Mars.

"During this close encounter, comet ISON may be observable to NASA and ESA spacecraft now working at Mars," said Michael Kelley, an astronomer at UMCP and also a Swift and CIOC team member. "Personally, I'm hoping we'll see a dramatic postcard image taken by NASA's latest Mars explorer, the Curiosity rover."

Fifty-eight days later, on Nov. 28, ISON will make a sweltering passage around the sun. The comet will approach within about 730,000 miles (1.2 million km) of its visible surface, which classifies ISON as a sungrazing comet. In late November, its icy material will furiously sublimate and release torrents of dust as the surface erodes under the sun's fierce heat, all as sun-monitoring satellites look on. Around this time, the comet may become bright enough to glimpse just by holding up a hand to block the sun's glare.

Sungrazing comets often shed large fragments or even completely disrupt following close encounters with the sun, but for ISON neither fate is a forgone conclusion.

"We estimate that as much as 10 percent of the comet's diameter may erode away, but this probably won't devastate it," explained Knight. Nearly all of the energy reaching the comet acts to sublimate its ice, an evaporative process that cools the comet's surface and keeps it from reaching extreme temperatures despite its proximity to the sun.

Following ISON's solar encounter, the comet will depart the sun and move toward Earth, appearing in evening twilight through December. It will swing past Earth on Dec. 26, approaching within 39.9 million miles (64.2 million km) or about 167 times farther than the moon.

Whether we'll look back on ISON as a "comet of the century" or as an overhyped cosmic dud remains to be seen, but astronomers are planning to learn the most they can about this unusual visitor no matter what happens.

###

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center: http://www.nasa.gov/goddard

Thanks to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127532/NASA_s_Swift_sizes_up_comet_ISON

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By keeping the beat, sea lion sheds new light on animals? movements to sound

Apr. 1, 2013 ? Move over dancing bears, Ronan the sea lion really does know how to boogie to the beat.

A California sea lion who bobs her head in time with music has given scientists the first empirical evidence of an animal that is not capable of vocal mimicry but can keep the beat, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

The study's authors suggest that their findings challenge current scientific theories that an animal's ability to synchronize its movements with sound are associated with the same brain mechanisms that allow for vocal mimicry in humans and some birds such as cockatoos, parrots, and budgerigars. The findings were published online April 1 in APA's Journal of Comparative Psychology.

"Understanding the cognitive capabilities of animals requires carefully controlled, well-designed experiments," said study co-author Colleen Reichmuth, PhD, with the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "This study is particularly rigorous because it examines, step-by-step, the learning conditions that supported the emergence of this complex behavior."

Ronan, a 3-year-old sea lion, demonstrated her ability to bob to the beat in six experiments led by doctoral candidate Peter Cook at the Long Marine Lab at UCSC.

"Dancing is universal among humans, and until recently, it was thought to be unique to humans as well," said Cook. "When some species of birds were found to have a similar capability for rhythmic movement, it was linked to their ability to mimic sound. Now we're seeing that even mammals with limited vocal ability can move in time with a beat over a broad range of sounds and tempos."

Ronan's first musical "dance" lesson was to the tune of a simplified section of John Fogerty's "Down on the Corner," the study said. Once Ronan was trained to bob her head to music, the researchers tested her with two pop songs, "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys, and "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind and Fire. Without any prior exposure to the songs, Ronan was able to bob to the beat of both songs over the course of multiple trials, according to the study. She then showed that she could follow along to five different tempos of "Boogie Wonderland."

Ronan's bobbing skills markedly improved over the course of the trials and apparently endured, the study found. The researchers gave her a follow-up test a few weeks after the final session and she was successful in keeping the beat with each of the sounds previously used, maintaining a minimum of 60 consecutive bobs to each of the various beats.

At the beginning of the experiments, Ronan was first trained to move in time to a hand signal, which was replaced by a simple non-musical sound signal. When she successfully completed tests by bobbing her head to various rhythmic sounds, she was rewarded with a fish, the study said.

The researchers varied the types and speed of the sounds to verify that she was actually following the rhythm by bobbing her head. To rule out that she wasn't simply bobbing her head in response to the previous beat, they tested her using two computer-generated, metronome-like ticks -- one that did not miss a beat and the other that did. Ronan kept the beat going even when the metronome missed a beat, according to the study.

A video of Ronan can be watched at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yS6qU_w3JQ

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Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Peter Cook, Andrew Rouse, Margaret Wilson, Colleen Reichmuth. A California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) Can Keep the Beat: Motor Entrainment to Rhythmic Auditory Stimuli in a Non Vocal Mimic.. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2013; DOI: 10.1037/a0032345

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/h6tZBb2HCsQ/130401143149.htm

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IRL: IOGEAR GearPower GMP10K, SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming Controller and the Metabones Speed Booster

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

Anyone out there a fan of Sony's mirrorless cameras? How about Canon's premium glass? Good. We knew there'd be some of you. In any case, with this week's IRL, we'll be sharing everything you ever wanted to know about the Metabones Speed Booster, which fastens your full-frame EF lenses onto Sony's E-mount NEX cameras. And, of course, what would an IRL column be without an external battery pack? (Seriously, we can't live without 'em.)

Filed under: Misc

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/31/irl-iogear-gearpower-gmp10k-steelseries-free-mobile-gaming-controller-metabones-speedbooster/

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Is guided self-help effective in treating childhood obesity?

Public release date: 1-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Debra Kain
ddkain@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego

It is known that family-based treatment that combines nutrition and exercise education, along with behavior modification, is a good approach to help children lose weight. But clinic-based weight-control programs for childhood obesity are not accessible to many families, due to issues such as cost or time commitment.

Initial studies at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine indicate that a self-help treatment program for overweight children and their parents, guided by clinical experts, may be an effective solution. The study, led by Kerri Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a program will be published in the journal Pediatrics on April 1.

Boutelle and colleagues enrolled 50 overweight or obese children between the ages of 8 and 12 and their family members in a low-intensity, 5-month long treatment for childhood obesity, measuring the effects on a child's weight (measured as body mass index or BMI) immediately post-treatment and six months later. The researchers also evaluated whether the intervention promoted improvements in eating behavior and physical activity among children and parents. The results of the guided, self-help intervention program showed a significant decrease in BMI immediately after completing the 5-month treatment, losses that were maintained six months later.

According to the UCSD researchers, such a program may be an improvement over current methods, especially because the program is designed to fit a busy family's schedule.

"The guided self-help treatment includes offering structure along with a self-help program to help families stick to the program," said Boutelle. "Parents and their children are given a manual, and each week they read a chapter and try to apply the skills at home. Every other week they come in to our clinic at UC San Diego School of Medicine for 20 minutes and discuss how things were going with an interventionist. This is very different than traditional weight control programs where parents and kids come in every week for an hour-and-a-half-long group-based program."

"Importantly, the initial results of this study showed that that a self-help program, guided by professionals, may be as effective in helping kids to lose weight as a traditional, clinic-based weight loss program," Boutelle concluded.

###

Those interested in enrolling their family in such a program, or finding out more about weight-loss programs for kids and teens should email kidsweight@ucsd.edu, call 855-827-3498 or visit the Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research (CHEAR) Web site at obesitytreatment.ucsd.edu

Additional contributors to the study include Gregory J. Norman, Cheryl L. Rock, PhD, and Kyung E. Rhee, MD, MSC, of UC San Diego; and Scott J. Crow, MD, University of Minnesota.

This project was funded by grant #DK080266 from the National Institutes of Health.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 1-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Debra Kain
ddkain@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego

It is known that family-based treatment that combines nutrition and exercise education, along with behavior modification, is a good approach to help children lose weight. But clinic-based weight-control programs for childhood obesity are not accessible to many families, due to issues such as cost or time commitment.

Initial studies at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine indicate that a self-help treatment program for overweight children and their parents, guided by clinical experts, may be an effective solution. The study, led by Kerri Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a program will be published in the journal Pediatrics on April 1.

Boutelle and colleagues enrolled 50 overweight or obese children between the ages of 8 and 12 and their family members in a low-intensity, 5-month long treatment for childhood obesity, measuring the effects on a child's weight (measured as body mass index or BMI) immediately post-treatment and six months later. The researchers also evaluated whether the intervention promoted improvements in eating behavior and physical activity among children and parents. The results of the guided, self-help intervention program showed a significant decrease in BMI immediately after completing the 5-month treatment, losses that were maintained six months later.

According to the UCSD researchers, such a program may be an improvement over current methods, especially because the program is designed to fit a busy family's schedule.

"The guided self-help treatment includes offering structure along with a self-help program to help families stick to the program," said Boutelle. "Parents and their children are given a manual, and each week they read a chapter and try to apply the skills at home. Every other week they come in to our clinic at UC San Diego School of Medicine for 20 minutes and discuss how things were going with an interventionist. This is very different than traditional weight control programs where parents and kids come in every week for an hour-and-a-half-long group-based program."

"Importantly, the initial results of this study showed that that a self-help program, guided by professionals, may be as effective in helping kids to lose weight as a traditional, clinic-based weight loss program," Boutelle concluded.

###

Those interested in enrolling their family in such a program, or finding out more about weight-loss programs for kids and teens should email kidsweight@ucsd.edu, call 855-827-3498 or visit the Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research (CHEAR) Web site at obesitytreatment.ucsd.edu

Additional contributors to the study include Gregory J. Norman, Cheryl L. Rock, PhD, and Kyung E. Rhee, MD, MSC, of UC San Diego; and Scott J. Crow, MD, University of Minnesota.

This project was funded by grant #DK080266 from the National Institutes of Health.

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uoc--igs032713.php

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