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The multidimensional assessment of self-esteem in childhood and adolescence proves to be very useful in the research field and has important implications in clinical practice. The Five-Scale Test of Self-Esteem for Children questionnaire is widely used in international research, examining four sub-dimensions of general self-esteem: academic, body, family, and social self-esteem. This study aims to illustrate the psychometric characteristics and the calibration of the Italian version of the questionnaire and to investigate whether factors such as age, gender and socio-demographic family variables have an effect on the sub-dimensions of self-esteem. The present cross-sectional study involved a sample of 1004 children and adolescents ranging from 8 to 20 years of age (mean age 12.71 ± 3.13, males 49.3%). The Five-Scale Test of Self-Esteem for Children questionnaire showed good psychometric properties (factorial analysis and internal consistency). Males reported higher levels of general and body self-esteem than females. Primary school children scored higher than older students on every dimension, except for social self-esteem. Academic self-esteem is the dimension most affected by socio-demographic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The first years of life are crucial to start preventive interventions that can have an impact on lifestyle and later overweight and obesity. Under the Italian National Health System (INHS), children are cared for by family pediatricians who perform health balances at regular intervals. The Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics (SIPPS) has designed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of family pediatricians for the prevention of childhood obesity in preschool children. We report the rationale and protocol of such trial, named the "Mi voglio bene" ("I love myself") study. Methods "Mi voglio bene" is a parallel-arm RCT. Family pediatricians willing to participate to the trial will be randomly assigned to a control group and to an experimental group. The control group will provide the usual standard of care while the experimental group will implement 10 preventive actions (promotion of breastfeeding, avoidance of solid foods, control of protein intake, avoidance of sugar-sweetened beverages, avoidance of bottle, active means of transportation, identification of early adiposity rebound, limitation of television viewing, promotion of movement, and teaching portion size) at 10 time points during a 6-yr follow-up. The main outcome measures is the prevalence of overweight and obesity at 6 years of age. The experimental intervention is expected to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity from 25% to 20% and the study requires a total of 3610 children. Each pediatrician will enroll 30 consecutive newborns into the study so that a total of 120 pediatricians will participate to the study. Discussion "Mi voglio bene" is expected to provide important information for the INHS and possibly other institutional child care settings about the effectiveness of a pediatrician-based approach to the prevention of childhood obesity. We published this study protocol with the aim of opening a discussion with all people interested in fighting childhood obesity and to receive useful criticisms.

Abstract Background Melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R) mutations represent the most frequent genetic cause of non-syndromic early onset obesity. Children carrying MC4R mutations seem to show a particular phenotype characterized by early onset, severe obesity and high stature. To verify whether MC4R mutations are associated with this particular phenotype in the Italian pediatric population, we decided to screen the MC4R gene in a group of obese children selected on the basis of their phenotype. Methods To perform this study, a multicentric approach was designed. Particularly, to be enrolled in the study subjects needed to meet the following criteria: Body mass index ≥ 3 deviation scores according to age and sex, familiar history of obesity (at least one parent obese), obesity onset before the 10 years old, height ≥ 2 deviation scores. The coding region of MC4R gene was screened in 240 obese children (mean age 8.3 ± 3.1, mean BMI 30.8 ± 5.4) and in 200 controls (mean age 8.1 ± 2.8; mean BMI 14.2 ± 2.5). Results Three mutations have been found in five obese children. The S127L (C380T), found in three unrelated children, had been described and functionally characterized previously. The Q307X (C919T) and the Y332H (T994C) mutations were found in two patients. Functional studies showed that only Q307X impaired protein function. Conclusion The low prevalence of MC4R mutations (1.6%) in this group of obese children selected according to the obesity degree, the tall stature and the family history of obesity was similar to the prevalence observed in previous screenings performed in obese adults and in not phenotypically selected obese children.

This intervention aims to highlight some aspects concerning the inclusion of mindfulness in psychotherapeutic practice. First of all, it is pointed out that the use of mindfulness in psychotherapy is not something so innovative. For several decades, mindfulness has been an important element of various psychotherapeutic approaches, including behavior therapy, deemed to be «first generation». Furthermore, mindfulness is only one of the eight components that make up the path offered by the Buddhist discipline to overcome suffering. So, despite the proliferation of writings on the applications of mindfulness in the clinical setting, the concept of mindfulness that is presented is rather limited and does not reflect the complexity that this practice has in Buddhism and its connection with morality. This may also have hindered the use of its full potential in clinical practice. Finally, we want to point out how the commercialization to which mindfulness has gone is something extraneous to the spirit of mindfulness itself. This commercial drift has been facilitated by the fact that in the West morality has not been given that centrality it has in the Buddhist discipline from which the practice of mindfulness has been extrapolated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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If disruptive emotional reactions prevail, this will tend to characterise children's academic life, thus making unsatisfactory relationships with their peers and also with their teachers. Over the past two decades there has been an increased awareness of the importance to foster the social and emotional growth of children starting from the beginning of school. The need for emotional literacy is obvious if we consider the increase rate of violence, depression and suicide among the youths. Rational emotive education can train children to learn those abilities that are essential to emotive intelligence. Independently from which approach is applied, teaching the philosophy of the rational thinking with the intent to use it for helping oneself and others is an effective way to foster socio -emotional development in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is constantly increasing among children. Since treatment for obesity on outpatient bases often fails, we evaluated whether camps may help to improve eating habits. Forty-one children, 21 males and 20 females (BMI > 97 degrees percentile, weight excess > 30%, Tanner stage I) agreed to participate to a 8 day camp. After 1-year follow-up, measurements carried out by plicometry, bioelectrical impedance, metabolic and hormonal evaluations, showed a significant reduction of skinfolds, as well as glycemic and insulinemic response to the oral glucose tolerance test. These results suggest that camps may help to improve nutritional and physical education and psychological outcome of obese children.