Research

Signals: Parents who ask their children to buy cigarettes, light them for them or clean out the ashtray are tacitly encouraging their children to become smokers, says a new California study.

Researchers at San Diego State University's Graduate School of Public Health surveyed 292 smoking parents and their seventh- and eighth-grade children and compared data. Parents reported relatively low incidences of smoking prompting behaviors, but the children's responses told a different story: 49.6 percent of children reported being asked to clean out the ashtray, compared with 8.9 percent of parents. And nearly 60 percent of children reported being asked to bring their parents cigarettes, compared with 27.5 percent of parents who reported making the request.

Researchers found that Latino boys who were asked to light their parents' cigarettes were most likely to become smokers as teenagers.

"When a parent asks his child to hold the match to light a cigarette, he is giving tacit approval and even encouragement for the child to smoke as well. We need to establish programs that bring this to parents' attention so they can curb this behavior," said researcher Dr. Rafael Laniado-Laborin.

Hot news

Bad news: Postmenopausal women with Alzheimer's disease who take long-term estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) might make their memory loss worse, say researchers at the University of Arizona.

Researchers used female rats to study the effects of ERT on memory. The findings are applicable to humans because the conditions of the study are equal to the effects found in postmenopausal women who have existing brain inflammation caused by head trauma or Alzheimer's who then undergo ERT.

Researchers found that rats that had had their ovaries removed and received estrogen replacement therapy or that had experienced brain inflammation fared poorly on a water maze test. Results were even worse for rats with both ERT and brain inflammation.

The results suggest that short-term ERT might be helpful, but long-term use can be detrimental.

Calendar

Health checks: Flu shots and health screenings are among the activities planned for the Northern Kentucky Senior Expo 2002 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at Crestview Hills Mall. Information: Northern Kentucky Area Development District, (859) 283-1885.

Eat right: The Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati will present "Eating for Life," a two-hour program on the latest research on preventing cancer through better nutrition, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at the TriHealth Fitness and Health Pavilion in Blue Ash. Cost: $20, or $15 for TriHealth or council members. Registration deadline: Monday. Information: 621-3262.

Siting

Click: Try www.blackwomenshealth.org for health issues affecting African-American women.

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail pofarrell@enquirer.com