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Background: Sleep is increasingly recognized as a vital part of health. Screen time has been linked to sleep quality in children. The purpose of this study was to analyze associations between screen time and sleep characteristics among low‐income preschoolers. Methods: A total of 1,700 preschool‐aged children participated in this study at 50 federally and state‐funded preschool centers in Michigan. Baseline measurement for an ongoing longitudinal intervention trial was obtained for cross‐sectional use. At baseline, parents reported the number of hours their child spent engaging in screen time on a typical week day and weekend. An aggregate measure of total screen time was created. Parents reported on the quality of their child's sleep, how often they were tired during the day, and whether they had difficulty falling asleep. A mixed model linear regression was created to analyze data. Results: Controlling for child's age, race, and parental income, children who engaged in more screen time were significantly more likely to have more trouble falling or staying asleep, be tired during the day, and had worse quality of sleep (P values =.004,.006 and.001, respectively). Spearman correlations of screen time, sleep variables and demographics show parents of Black children reported significantly higher weekly screen time than parents of non‐Black children (r = 0.23, P <.001) and that tiredness was associated with Black race (r = 0.15, P <.001), Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (r = −0.14, P <.001), and parental education (r = 0.06, P =.016). Conclusion: This report confirms prior associations between screen time and sleep reported in other pediatric populations. Further research is needed to confirm these results in other populations using more rigorous measures of screen time, sleep, and physical activity, as well as longitudinal assessments. Despite these limitations, findings suggest that interventions to help parents limit children's screen time and impact their sleep health merit investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We assessed the long-term effect of early childhood lead exposure on academic achievement in mathematics, science, and reading among elementary and junior high school children. Methods. We linked early childhood blood lead testing surveillance data from the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion to educational testing data from the Detroit, Michigan, public schools. We used the linked data to investigate the effect of early childhood lead exposure on academic achievement among school-aged children, both marginally and adjusted for grade level, gender, race, language, maternal education, and socioeconomic status. Results. High blood lead levels before age 6 years were strongly associated with poor academic achievement in grades 3, 5, and 8. The odds of scoring less than proficient for those whose blood lead levels were greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter were more than twice the odds for those whose blood lead levels were less than 1 micrograms per deciliter after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusions. Early childhood lead exposure was negatively associated with academic achievement in elementary and junior high school, after adjusting for key potential confounders. The control of lead poisoning should focus on primary prevention of lead exposure in children and development of special education programs for students with lead poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context-African Americans are disproportionately represented among those awaiting a transplant, but many are reluctant to donate their organs. Objective-To test the effectiveness of using lay health advisors to increase organ donation among church members. Design-Churches were pair-matched by average estimated income and size and then randomized to 1 of 2 interventions: one addressing organ donation and the other addressing increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. Setting-Twenty-two African American churches in Southeast Michigan. Patients or Other Participants-Church members were trained to serve as lay health advisors (called peer leaders).Interventions-Peer leaders conducted organ donation discussions with church groups and showed a DVD created for this program that was tailored to African American churches. Main Outcome Measures-The primary outcome was verified registration in the state's donor registry. Participants also completed pre/post questionnaires regarding their attitudes about organ donation. Results-Once clustering, baseline value, and demographics were adjusted for, the intervention and comparison groups did not differ on any of the 3 attitude scales on the posttest. In logistic regression analysis, with baseline donation status, demographics, and church clustering controlled for, the odds of self-reported enrollment at 1-year posttest did not differ by condition (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.87-1.72). A total of 211 enrollments in the state registry from participating churches were verified. Of these, 163 were from intervention churches and 48 were from comparison churches. Conclusions-Use of lay health advisors through black churches can increase minority enrollment in a donor registry even absent change in attitudes. (Progress in Transplantation. 2012;22:161-167) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The transplant waiting list exceeds the number of organs available. One means of increasing the organ pool is to broaden potential donors to include those with chronic diseases., Research Questions: The study tested the effectiveness of using peer mentors to encourage individuals on dialysis to enroll on an organ donor registry., Design: Dialysis units were pair-matched by size and racial composition and then randomized to one of 2 interventions: meetings with a peer mentor (experimental intervention) or organ donation mailings (control). Peer mentors were trained to discuss organ donation with individuals on dialysis during in-person meetings at dialysis units. The primary outcome was verified registration in the state's donor registry., Results: After adjusting for age, gender, race, income, and education and accounting for correlation within the dialysis center, there was a significant intervention effect. Among individuals in the intervention group, the odds of enrolling (verified) on the donor registry were 2.52 times higher than those in the control group., Discussion: The use of peer mentors to discuss donating organs after death with individuals on dialysis can increase enrollment on a donor registry. Dispelling myths about chronic illness and donation can counter widely held misconceptions and help persons make an informed choice about end-of-life decisions and present an opportunity to increase the number of organs and tissues available for transplant.

Introduction: Health education programs can positively impact organ donor designation among African Americans, a disproportionately represented group on the transplant waiting list. Alumni chapters of historically African American sororities and fraternities are a novel setting for organ donation education and research., Research Questions: This study tested the effectiveness of a lay health advisor model to increase donor designation registrations on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry among members of Midwest alumni chapters. The secondary outcome was change in attitudes toward donation assessed by pre-post questionnaire., Design: Sorority/fraternity members were trained to deliver educational presentations during a 12-month period. Follow-up messaging consisted of tailored newsletters and e-mails. A cluster randomized design was utilized with 25 chapters (16 sororities and 9 fraternities) assigned to intervention (organ donation) or comparison (chronic disease)., Results: Odds of signing up for the donor registry were 1.45 times higher for the intervention group than the comparison group. Among those identified as nondonors at baseline, the odds of signing up were 1.58 times higher for intervention than comparison., Discussion: Using lay health advisors in African American sororities and fraternities can increase enrollment in a donor registry. Alumni chapters offer a unique and viable setting for organ donation education and research; relationship building with chapter officials is key to success.