@article{WarschburgerKroeller2012, author = {Warschburger, Petra and Kr{\"o}ller, Katja}, title = {"Childhood overweight and obesity maternal perceptions of the time for engaging in child weight management"}, series = {BMC public health}, volume = {12}, journal = {BMC public health}, number = {12}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, issn = {1471-2458}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2458-12-295}, pages = {8}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Background: There is an increasing awareness of the impact of parental risk perception on the weight course of the child and the parent's readiness to engage in preventive efforts, but only less is known about factors related to the parental perception of the right time for the implementation of preventive activities. The aim of this study was to examine parental perceptions of the appropriate time to engage in child weight management strategies, and the factors associated with different weight points at which mothers recognize the need for preventive actions. Methods: 352 mothers with children aged 2-10 years took part in the study. We assessed mothers' perceptions of the actual and preferred weight status of their child, their ability to identify overweight and knowledge of its associated health risks, as well as perceptions of the right time for action to prevent overweight in their child. A regression analysis was conducted to examine whether demographic and weight related factors as well as the maternal general risk perception were associated with recognizing the need to implement prevention strategies. Results: Although most of the parents considered a BMI in the 75th to 90th percentile a valid reason to engage in the prevention of overweight, 19\% of the mothers were not willing to engage in prevention until their child reached the 97th percentile. Whereas the child's sex and the identification of an elevated BMI were significant predictors for parents' recognition of the 75th percentile as right point to engage in prevention efforts, an inability to recognize physical health risks associated with overweight silhouettes emerged as a significant factor predicting which parents would delay prevention efforts until a child's BMI reached the 97th percentile. Conclusion: Parental misperceptions of overweight and associated health risks constitute unfavorable conditions for preventive actions. Feedback on the health risks associated with overweight could help increase maternal readiness for change.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerCarlsohnMuelleretal.2012, author = {M{\"u}ller, Steffen and Carlsohn, Anja and M{\"u}ller, Juliane and Baur, Heiner and Mayer, Frank}, title = {Static and dynamic foot characteristics in children aged 1-13 years a cross-sectional study}, series = {Gait \& posture}, volume = {35}, journal = {Gait \& posture}, number = {3}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Clare}, issn = {0966-6362}, doi = {10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.10.357}, pages = {389 -- 394}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The aim of this study was to acquire static and dynamic foot geometry and loading in childhood, and to establish data for age groups of a population of 1-13 year old infants and children. A total of 10,382 children were recruited and 7788 children (48\% males and 52\% females) were finally included into the data analysis. For static foot geometry foot length and foot width were quantified in a standing position. Dynamic foot geometry and loading were assessed during walking on a walkway with self selected speed (Novel Emed X, 100 Hz, 4 sensors/cm(2)). Contact area (CA), peak pressure (PP), force time integral (FTI) and the arch index were calculated for the total, fore-, mid- and hindfoot. Results show that most static and dynamic foot characteristics change continuously during growth and maturation. Static foot length and width increased with age from 13.1 +/- 0.8 cm (length) and 5.7 +/- 0.4 cm (width) in the youngest to 24.4 +/- 1.5 cm (length) and 8.9 +/- 0.6 cm (width) in the oldest. A mean walking velocity of 0.94 +/- 0.25 m/s was observed. Arch-index ranged from 0.32 +/- 0.04 [a.u.] in the one-year old to 0.21 +/- 0.13 [a.u.] in the 5-year olds and remains constant afterwards. This study provides data for static and dynamic foot characteristics in children based on a cohort of 7788 subjects. Static and dynamic foot measures change differently during growth and maturation. Dynamic foot measurements provide additional information about the children's foot compared to static measures.}, language = {en} } @article{GrossWarschburger2013, author = {Gross, Martina and Warschburger, Petra}, title = {Chronic abdominal pain psychosocial strain and treatment-associated changes in coping}, series = {Verhaltenstherapie}, volume = {23}, journal = {Verhaltenstherapie}, number = {2}, publisher = {Karger}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1016-6262}, doi = {10.1159/000351215}, pages = {80 -- 89}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Background: Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) in childhood is a commonly occurring condition and shows a high stability. Psychosocial dysfunctioning of children, such as increased stress experience, is a burden for children and parents and complicates clinical management. Additional comorbid disorders may develop. To minimize the onset of such disorders, treatment at an early stage and taking psychosocial aspects into consideration is strongly recommended. Through this approach, the cognitive-behavioral, child-centered group program 'Stop the pain with Happy-Pingu' was developed, applied, and subsequently evaluated. What is the psychosocial situation of the affected children? Can the cognitive-behavioral group program be applied to improve psychosocial limitations? Method: The cognitive-behavioral group program comprises 6 weekly sessions for children and 1 single meeting for parents. In a randomized controlled study, the program was evaluated with 29 children aged between 6 and 12 years. The evaluation was based on a comparison between the intervention group (IG) and the waiting list control group (WLC), measured at 3 measurement points: T1 (pre), T2 (post), and T3 (3-month follow-up). Results: Emotional problems in particular can emerge in children with CAP. The program was well received, with a high level of participation through to completion. The results demonstrate that children participating in the IG experience significant stress reduction and improved psychosocial functioning compared to children participating in the WLC. The effect sizes range from medium to high. Conclusions: Drawing upon the above findings, multimodal cognitive-behavioral techniques appear to be suitable to successfully treat children with CAP. However, further controlled studies are required to identify the specific elements of the training that are most effective in reducing pain.}, language = {de} } @article{GrossWarschburger2013, author = {Gross, Martina and Warschburger, Petra}, title = {Evaluation of a cognitive-behavioral pain management program for children with chronic abdominal pain - a randomized controlled study}, series = {International journal of behavioral medicine : the official journal of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine}, volume = {20}, journal = {International journal of behavioral medicine : the official journal of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine}, number = {3}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {1070-5503}, doi = {10.1007/s12529-012-9228-3}, pages = {434 -- 443}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Background Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) in childhood is widely prevalent and has adverse effects on mental health and quality of life. Earlier research emphasized the positive effects of psychological intervention on pain symptoms. This study describes the results of a cognitive-behavioral pain management program for children with CAP. The newly developed cognitive-behavioral group program, "Stop the pain with Happy-Pingu," includes six sessions for the children and one meeting for the parents. Purpose We hypothesized that the training would significantly reduce pain symptoms (frequency, duration, intensity, and pain-related impairment) and increase health-related quality of life compared to wait-list controls, with improvement seen both at the end of treatment and at a 3-month follow-up. Method In all, 29 children were randomized into two groups: 15 in the intervention group (IG) and 14 as the wait-list controls (WLC). An intent-to-treat analysis was performed using two-factorial multivariate analyses of variance with repeated measures. Results Children in the IG experienced both a reduction in pain (primary outcome) and an improvement in health-related quality of life (secondary outcome) as compared to the WLC. The effect sizes ranged from medium to high. Conclusion Cognitive-behavioral methods seem to be appropriate for treating children with CAP.}, language = {en} } @article{BuddPaulmannBarryetal.2013, author = {Budd, Mary-Jane and Paulmann, Silke and Barry, Christopher and Clahsen, Harald}, title = {Brain potentials during language production in children and adults - an ERP study of the English past tense}, series = {Brain \& language : a journal of the neurobiology of language}, volume = {127}, journal = {Brain \& language : a journal of the neurobiology of language}, number = {3}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {San Diego}, issn = {0093-934X}, doi = {10.1016/j.bandl.2012.12.010}, pages = {345 -- 355}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The current study examines the neural correlates of 8-to-12-year-old children and adults producing inflected word forms, specifically regular vs. irregular past-tense forms in English, using a silent production paradigm. ERPs were time-locked to a visual cue for silent production of either a regular or irregular past-tense form or a 3rd person singular present tense form of a given verb (e.g., walked/sang vs. walks/sings). Subsequently, another visual stimulus cued participants for an overt vocalization of their response. ERP results for the adult group revealed a negativity 300-450 ms after the silent-production cue for regular compared to irregular past-tense forms. There was no difference in the present form condition. Children's brain potentials revealed developmental changes, with the older children demonstrating more adult-like ERP responses than the younger ones. We interpret the observed ERP responses as reflecting combinatorial processing involved in regular (but not irregular) past-tense formation.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerMuellerBauretal.2013, author = {M{\"u}ller, Juliane and M{\"u}ller, Steffen and Baur, Heiner and Mayer, Frank}, title = {Intra-individual gait speed variability in healthy children aged 1-15 years}, series = {Gait \& posture}, volume = {38}, journal = {Gait \& posture}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Clare}, issn = {0966-6362}, doi = {10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.02.011}, pages = {631 -- 636}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Introduction: Gait speed is one of the most commonly and frequently used parameters to evaluate gait development. It is characterized by high variability when comparing different steps in children. The objective of this study was to determine intra-individual gait speed variability in children. Methods: Gait speed measurements (6-10 trials across a 3 m walkway) were performed and analyzed in 8263 children, aged 1-15 years. The coefficient of variation (CV) served as a measure for intra-individual gait speed variability measured in 6.6 +/- 1.0 trials per child. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence of age and body height on changes in variability. Additionally, a subgroup analysis for height within the group of 6-year-old children was applied. Results: A successive reduction in gait speed variability (CV) was observed for age groups (age: 1-15 years) and body height groups (height: 0.70-1.90 m). The CV in the oldest subjects was only one third of the CV (CV 6.25 +/- 3.52\%) in the youngest subjects (CV 16.58 +/- 10.01\%). Up to the age of 8 years (or 1.40 m height) there was a significant reduction in CV over time, compared to a leveling off for the older (taller) children. Discussion: The straightforward approach measuring gait speed variability in repeated trials might serve as a fundamental indicator for gait development in children. Walking velocity seems to increase to age 8. Enhanced gait speed consistency of repeated trials develops up to age 15.}, language = {en} } @article{WarschburgerCalvanoBeckeretal.2014, author = {Warschburger, Petra and Calvano, Claudia and Becker, Sebastian and Friedt, Michael and Hudert, Christian and Posovszky, Carsten and Schier, Maike and Wegscheider, Karl}, title = {Stop the pain: study protocol for a randomized-controlled trial}, series = {Trials}, volume = {15}, journal = {Trials}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, issn = {1745-6215}, doi = {10.1186/1745-6215-15-357}, pages = {11}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background: Functional abdominal pain (FAP) is not only a highly prevalent disease but also poses a considerable burden on children and their families. Untreated, FAP is highly persistent until adulthood, also leading to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. Intervention studies underscore the efficacy of cognitive behavioral treatment approaches but are limited in terms of sample size, long-term follow-up data, controls and inclusion of psychosocial outcome data. Methods/Design: In a multicenter randomized controlled trial, 112 children aged 7 to 12 years who fulfill the Rome III criteria for FAP will be allocated to an established cognitive behavioral training program for children with FAP (n = 56) or to an active control group (focusing on age-appropriate information delivery; n = 56). Randomization occurs centrally, blockwise and is stratified by center. This study is performed in five pediatric gastroenterology outpatient departments. Observer-blind assessments of outcome variables take place four times: pre-, post-, 3- and 12-months post-treatment. Primary outcome is the course of pain intensity and frequency. Secondary endpoints are health-related quality of life, pain-related coping and cognitions, as well as selfefficacy. Discussion: This confirmatory randomized controlled clinical trial evaluates the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral intervention for children with FAP. By applying an active control group, time and attention processes can be controlled, and long-term follow-up data over the course of one year can be explored.}, language = {en} } @article{WarschburgerKuhne2014, author = {Warschburger, Petra and Kuhne, Daniela}, title = {Psychosocial determinants of quality of life in parents of obese children seeking inpatient treatment}, series = {Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation}, volume = {23}, journal = {Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation}, number = {7}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0962-9343}, doi = {10.1007/s11136-014-0659-y}, pages = {1985 -- 1995}, year = {2014}, abstract = {To examine and identify predictors of parental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of obese and very obese children participating in an inpatient program for treating obesity.}, language = {en} } @article{KochPollatos2014, author = {Koch, Anne and Pollatos, Olga}, title = {Cardiac sensitivity in children: Sex differences and its relationship to parameters of emotional processing}, series = {Psychophysiology : journal of the Society for Psychophysiological Research}, volume = {51}, journal = {Psychophysiology : journal of the Society for Psychophysiological Research}, number = {9}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0048-5772}, doi = {10.1111/psyp.12233}, pages = {932 -- 941}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In adults, the level of ability to perceive one's own body signals plays an important role for many concepts of emotional experience as demonstrated for emotion processing or emotion regulation. Representative data on perception of body signals and its emotional correlates in children is lacking. Therefore, the present study investigated the cardiac sensitivity of 1,350 children between 6 and 11 years of age in a heartbeat perception task. Our main findings demonstrated the distribution of cardiac sensitivity in children as well as associations with interpersonal emotional intelligence and adaptability. Furthermore, independent of body mass index, boys showed a significantly higher cardiac sensitivity than girls. We conclude that cardiac sensitivity in children appears to show weaker but similar characteristics and relations to emotional parameters as found in adults, so that a dynamic developmental process can be assumed.}, language = {en} } @article{Warschburger2015, author = {Warschburger, Petra}, title = {SRT-Joy - computer-assisted self-regulation training for obese children and adolescents: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial}, series = {Trials}, volume = {16}, journal = {Trials}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, issn = {1745-6215}, doi = {10.1186/s13063-015-1078-2}, pages = {10}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Background: Obesity is not only a highly prevalent disease but also poses a considerable burden on children and their families. Evidence is increasing that a lack of self-regulation skills may play a role in the etiology and maintenance of obesity. Our goal with this currently ongoing trial is to examine whether training that focuses on the enhancement of self-regulation skills may increase the sustainability of a complex lifestyle intervention. Methods/Design: In a multicenter, prospective, parallel group, randomized controlled superiority trial, 226 obese children and adolescents aged 8 to 16 years will be allocated either to a newly developed computer-training program to improve their self-regulation abilities or to a placebo control group. Randomization occurs centrally and blockwise at a 1:1 allocation ratio for each center. This study is performed in pediatric inpatient rehabilitation facilities specialized in the treatment of obesity. Observer-blind assessments of outcome variables take place at four times: at the beginning of the rehabilitation (pre), at the end of the training in the rehabilitation (post), and 6 and 12 months post-rehabilitation intervention. The primary outcome is the course of BMI-SDS over 1 year after the end of the inpatient rehabilitation. Secondary endpoints are the self-regulation skills. In addition, health-related quality of life, and snack intake will be analyzed. Discussion: The computer-based training programs might be a feasible and attractive tool to increase the sustainability of the weight loss reached during inpatient rehabilitation.}, language = {en} }