LaFranchi, H. (1999). Woman cracks mexico's 'machismo'. Christian Science Monitor, 91(171), Retrieved from https://www.lib.byu.edu/cgi- bin/remoteauth.pl?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct= rue&db=mih&AN=2083434&site=ehost-live&scope=site">Womancracks Mexico's `machismo.'
This is a news report from 1999 when Amalia Garcia medina was appointed president of the party of the democratic revolution (PRD) in Mexico. This is one of Mexico’s largest political parties and her appointment marks the first time that a woman has been put into such a high position in a political party. The article gives a brief explanation of the history of Mexican sexism and the ideals that are help not just by men but also by women. For instance, in the article it mentions that women are just as likely as men to agree that the traditional role of women (being in the home) is more correct. In other words, women are just as likely as men to elect male officials and leaders than female. The article suggests that despite the fact that Garcia has been elected, “the old thinking is still as strong as green salsa here.” Suggesting that her advancement in position will not make as great of an impact to change “machismo” in Mexico as one might think. The article as well gives statistics on female leadership throughout Mexico. Suffice it to say that there are very few female politicians and leaders throughout Mexico. In addition, the article gives a brief history of a few other women that have made small strides in position throughout Mexican political history. It is also interesting to note that at the end of the article Vicente Fox endorses Garcia (note that at this time he has not been elected President.) Which may show that while the general population continues to support men and not women in higher positions in politics, those with higher levels of education and who are also in higher positions tend to overlook gender when it comes to appointing officials. This is just a hypothesis and cannot be concluded with just one observation.
Neuschwander, T, Cutrone, J, Macias, B, Cutrone, S, & Murthy, G. (2009). The effect of backpacks on the lumbar spine in children: a standing magnetic resonance imaging study. Spine, 1(35), 83-88.
This study attempted to measure the affects of backpack load on spinal posture in children. It was found that backpack loads compressed lumbar disc heights concluding that a significant amount of the back pain that children experience is due to their backpack load. The children in Irapusto Mexico probably also carry heavy loads that could affect their posture and core stability. While in this study it shows that a greater load has a negative effect on the back, in Amy’s proposal she discussed the heavy loads that children in Ghana carry on their heads and indicates that this should increase the children’s core stability in Ghana. I have not seen the results of her study to know whether it did in fact have a positive effect, but if so why? Is it because of the way it is carried? Or are Ghanaians more cautious about the loads they attempt to carry? Or is there another reason?
Jennings-Aburto, N, Nava, F, Bonvecchio, A, Safdie, M, & Gonzalez-Casanova, I. (2009). Physical activity during the school day in public primary schools in mexico city. Salud Publica de Mexico, 51(2),
This study looked mostly at the physical activities that kids engaged in during school. It included observing not only the activities but also the quality of the physical education that the children were given. One of the principle methods was called SOFFIT which is an academically accepted tool for observing physical activity and is used for other similar studies. Using the SOFFIT method includes classifying each type of physical activity by intensity and then calculating the minutes that is spent in each. This method may be very useful for my project as well.
Ozer, E, & Fernald, L. (2008). Alcohol and tobacco use among rural mexican adolecents: individual, familial, and community level factors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.04.014
This study helps me understand a little better the factors that influence health and engagement in harmful activities in Mexico. The study looks at several different factors (personal, familial, and community.) The factors that influenced smoking were age, gender, and stress level as well as higher maternal education and maternal smoking. The factors that influenced alcohol intake included work status and whether the father was present in the home. As far as my study goes- I am not looking at smoking or alcohol intake however it is important to consider the factors that may influence activity level and type. It will be important for me to select students that represent the general population. For instance, if I choose mostly children whose fathers are absent in their home- they may have different tasks and responsibilities that influence their activities or they may even have different attitudes that affect it.
O'Brien, T, Reeves, N, Baltzopoulos, V, Jones, D, & Maganaris, C. (2010). Muscle-tendon structure and dimension in adults and children . Journal of Anatomy, 216. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2010.01218.x
This study attempted to determine if there is a change in muscle length or pennation angle from childhood to adult. The study found that muscle width to length ratio changed where the length was a lot longer but angle pennation did not change. This means that adult muscles are built for greater force production but the joint-moment angle is the same because the angle that the fibers run is the same. So muscle development from childhood to adulthood stays mostly the same except the length which makes it possible to lift heavier things etc. The muscles that were used in this study were mostly the quadriceps which also influence posture by the way they attach to the hips. I will also be interested in the back and abdominal muscles and how they influence posture as well. I feel it is safe to assume that the results from this study will apply to these muscles as well. So this means that any problems in muscle development that occur in childhood would remain in adulthood- giving the opportunity.
Duncan, R. (2009). Children's orthopaedics and fractures (Adobe Digital Version Part 1), Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/tjtp1n3436470622/ doi: 10.1007/978-1-84882-611-3_2
This is basically a textbook that explains body growth and development. For right now I have read and brushed up on skeletal muscle growth during childhood as well as spinal chord development. One thing mentioned in regard to spinal chord development is the problems that can occur from uneven loading. Scoliosis is a particularly common occurrence because of uneven loading. This mostly occurs during early childhood but shows the importance of strengthening the back throughout development in order to prevent uneven development and other injuries that could be associated with it. In addition, it mentions that spinal growth ends at about age 16 which supports the choice of using 10-12 year old in my study who will still be experiencing spinal growth.
Lubans, D, Morgan, P, & Tudor-Locke, C. (2009). A systematic review of studies using pedometers to promote physical activity amoung youth. Preventative Medecine, 48. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.02.014
Pedometers have been used in a variety of different studies. This paper is a meta-analysis of several different studies that used pedometers in an attempt to increase physical activity levels. In my study I will also be using pedometers in order to assess the amount of physical activity that is being done. The kids will be given a pedometer for several days and at the end I will record the number of steps that they had taken during that time. One question that comes from this is whether or not just the fact of having the pedometer will influence the amount of activity that the kids engage in. People act differently when they know that they are being monitored. But hopefully my preliminary observations and measurements will take this into account. In this article, for example, there were 12 studies out of 14 whose results showed a positive increase in physical activity with pedometer use. Of these studies, however, the subjects were also given other engagements such as goals setting or weight awareness plans. So the studies were given to promote healthy activity levels. I just need to make sure that the children who participate in the study know not to change anything about their behavior and that it is not a way to promote better health but to observe what they are already practicing.
Honas, J, Washburn, R, Smith, B, Greene, J, & Cook-Wiens, G. (2008). The system for observing fitness instruction time (sofit) as a measure of energy expenditure during classroom-based physical activity. Pediatric Exercise Science,
The SOFIT method mostly observes energy expenditure so that researchers can assess the amount of physical activity that occurs in the classroom. This is partly what I want to do in my study. I have mentioned before that I want to look at obesity levels in Mexico and see how they compare to the United States, however, my study is not just focused on energy expenditure and BMI. With that said, I feel that one part of my study will take into account the time spent in physical activity as well as body composition of the subjects. So I think that the SOFIT method is a really easy and valid way of observing the amount of time spent in physical activity and the intensity levels of the activities. This study in particular also brings to mind another study that I read in which researchers observed the activities and teaching methods in a rural town called El Bosque. In this study that is cited, the researchers implement new teaching techniques in order to engage the students more fully in physical activities. This means that they try to come up with activities that they can perform while they learn- jumping on letters to learn spelling etc. The study that I found about rural Mexican schools discussed that students in these schools were allowed more freedom to move around and interact with each other more easily. They spent far less time in their seats than do most students in the United States. This will likely be the case in the rural towns outside of Irapuato. With that in mind, I think that it will be a good idea to use the SOFIT method to keep track of the physical activities in the classrooms.
Rowe, D, Mahar, M, Raedeke, T, & Lore, J. (2004). Measuring physical activity in children with pedometers: reliability, reactivity, and replacement of missing data. Pediatric Exercise Science, 16, 343-354.
I had a question before about the reliability of pedometer use to measure physical activity. This study particularly measured the reliability of pedometer data as well as what to do when data is missing or incomplete. They determined that having the children wear the data for 6 consecutive days (with one day as a practice day and two days being a weekend) was the best way to get reliable data. It also suggests that 3 days can suffice with older children. So this is a great source to support the validity of pedometer measurements in activity level. Another question that this study tried to answer is the effecitiveness of a personal activity survey called LTEQ. First this brings to my mind- what kind of survey am I going to give the kids? And should it be something like LTEQ or similar? This study is somewhat inconclusive about LTEQ. It suggests using caution in relying on this data alone. So that means that one of the next things I should do it look up LTEQ and possibly some other types of activity surveys in order to determine what kind I should use. Really I need to figure out what Amy used and then do some research on it to make sure that it is reliable.
Bryan, L, & McLaughlin, H. J. (2005). Teaching and learning in rural mexico: a portrait of student responsibility in everyday school life. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(1), 33-48.
This article discusses the methods used in rural schools in Mexico and the way that students learn. The purpose was to figure out what works for the Mexican students in order to implement similar techniques in American schools tailoring the education to the immigrants there. Some things that were very interesting to note were that the schools were much smaller- usually they are just one roomed schools with children of all ages in the classroom. This means that many times the older students help the younger students. As far as my project goes- this also means that this is a lot more time spent standing and walking around the classroom. Very little time is spent sitting. I think that this will be something that would affect the differences in posture etc for the kids that I will be observing. I’m not sure if this is how children interact in the villages that I will be in, but I’m sure that there will be a lot of similarities.
Uauy, R, Albala, C, & Kain, J. (2001). Obesity trends in latin america: transisting from under- to overweight . Journal of Nutrition, 131, 893s-899s.
This study reports obesity trends in Latin America. It specifically discusses Chili, Peru, Uruguay, and Mexico. It specifically mentions the changes that occur in cultures that were originally aboriginal as they change to be more industrial. First, though, this article and many other articles and reports that I have found suggest that there is an increasing number of obese children and adults in these Latin countries. The changes in lifestyle seem to be at fault, or at least correlate significantly to the obesity trends. SO while my hypothesis is that children in Mexico will have increased core stability versus children in the US- it seems as though this may not be the case. Still, the children that I am going to be testing are in rural areas of Mexico. They are still going to have a more indigenous lifestyle similar to what most of Mexico and “aboriginal” cultures experienced before this modern age. So I think that I can still hold to my hypothesis. If the activities of the Mexican children, however, are like those of children in the United States, then I should expect the results to be the same.
Saulny, S. “Students Stand When Called Upon, and When Not.” The New York Times. 24
February 2009. 25 February 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/us/25desks.html?em>.
This is a newspaper article reporting a new type of desk developed by a school teacher after she noticed her students shifting weight in their desks and being generally fidgety. The desks allow students to sit or stand and as such, allow for more movement during the day. As well, in the article it talks about students shifting weight from one side to another- this can help with balancing spinal and vertebral loads on the back. I’m sure that this type of thing would create a difference in spinal strength and position as well as core stability. The desks have only been used in this classroom for two years, but they seem to be affective so far. Along, with the first study discussed with this bibliography- the schools in rural Mexico may also have a similar result with their students. They do not necessarily have stand up desks, but the students stand more and move around the classroom more than students normally do in the United States. It seems more natural for young children to prefer to move freely rather than sit at a desk for such a long period of time.
McGill, S, & Karpowicz, A. (2009). Exercises for spine stabilization: motion/motor patterns stability progressions, and clinical technique. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 90, 118-126.
The results of this study are not really what I am looking at. It is the methods that they use that are of interest to me. The researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of different types of core stabilizing exercises. Some of these exercises are the same or similar to one that I will implement in my study. In order to be accurate in my measurements I need to be sure that I can explain clearly and accurately the correct way to perform these exercises. This article describes the joint angles needed as well as appropriate positioning of the extremities, etc to make sure that the exercises are in fact exercising those core stabilizer muscles. It is interesting to note that some of the exercises, particularly the side-bridge which I will use in my study showed a very high effectiveness in core strengthening. This shows that it is a valid method to use to test core strength that already exists.
Urquieta-Salomon, J, Tephichin-Valle, A, & Tellez-Rojo, M. (2008). Poverty and gender perspective in productive projects for rural women in mexico: impact evaluation of a pilot project. Evaluation Review, 33(1), 27-53.
This article discusses a series of different interventions attempting to improve education and poverty among indigenous and rural Mexican women. The results vary. Some of the programs were effective and some were not. For instance, the intervention did not seem to have a monetary impact on the incomes of the families. It is discussed that while efforts are made for instance to grow food to sell, impoverished families inevitably use that food to feed their own families instead sell it to increase income. In addition, the interventions only allowed women to participate and while they were given new “projects” to work on, they retained their normal household responsibilities. These responsibilities were not redistributed and so the women became over loaded and were not interested in continuing the new projects. The article discusses how the already unequal distribution of gender responsibilities in the home is one of the reasons for the continuing chasm between the sexes and inequality that is seen. The introduction of these new programs does not shift these gender roles and so does not allow women the greater freedom that they would need in order to succeed in the new “projects.” Findings did show that with increased education, women were more likely to succeed in “capacity building