Lifestyles

The new system, released by Concord Camera Corp., combines a digital watch with a 110 decibel emergency alarm and SOS signal that can be activated by children in the event of an emergency or an uncomfortable situation. Packaged with the watch is an educational DVD hosted by family safety expert Bob Stuber, who offers specific advice and actions kids can take when in unsafe situations.

The watch also comes with three interchangeable decorative faceplates and a small clip-on flashlight, so kids can personalize the watch.

OnGuard is available in a children's watch for boys and girls ages 5-8 and a preteen version for older kids. Cost is about $40.

For more information, visit www.onguardkids.com.

Just say no to R-rated films, videos

Here's an easy, nag-free action that may minimize the likelihood your elementary or middle-school age children will experiment with tobacco or alcohol: Ban R-rated movies and videos.

Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School who surveyed 2,600 children ages 9-12 and their parents found that kids whose parents did not let them watch R-rated films were 40 percent less likely to consider using cigarettes or alcohol than those with more-permissive parents. Previous studies have found that teenagers are more likely to try a cigarette if their favorite movie stars smoke -- one reason anti-smoking programs have sought to reduce on-screen puffing.

The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute and published in Pediatrics magazine, is one of the first to assess movie viewing and its possible links to risky behavior among preteens.

Study takes look at sibling rivalry

Sibling rivalry may be as old as the hills (think Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Lisa and Bart, George and Jeb), but there's new science to it. The worst ages for strife, according to a study in the November-December issue of Child Development: When the older child is about 13 and the second around 10. Those most likely to view the relationship with their sibling in a positive light? Girls in a sister-sister pair. When the wars often cool? Late adolescence.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania base these findings on their look into the relationship between first- and second-born siblings (mostly preteen and adolescent) in 200 white, working- and middle-class families in urban and rural Pennsylvania.

The researchers asked siblings to rate their relationship with each other on two scales -- one measuring "positivity," or intimacy, and the other measuring conflict. Researchers then asked each child's parents to do the same thing. The results show that sibling relations are largely defined by the context of the whole family. When conflict between children and their fathers either increased or decreased, similar changes were reported between the siblings. Findings also linked a mother's warmth and acceptance of her children with the intimacy of siblings, researchers said.

Lead study author Ji-Yeon Kim, a research associate at the university, said that she chose to study siblings because their relationship is one of the longest-lasting in people's lives. She acknowledged her findings might not apply to a more ethnically diverse group of participants. "Further, in single-parent families, I would speculate that the significance of parent-child relationships and sibling relationships would not be the same."

Environmental poster contest planned

The Allegheny County Health Department is sponsoring its eighth annual environmental poster contest for students in sixth through eighth grades.

The theme is "Shedding Light on Mercury," and is intended to help students learn about the harmful health effects of mercury, its sources in the environment and how to reduce human exposure to it.

Contestants can get information about mercury by visiting the Health Department's Web site or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Web site.

The entry deadline is Feb. 16. Teachers who would like to have their classes participate should contact the Health Department. For more information, call the Health Department at 412-687-ACHD or send e-mail to Jayme Graham.

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