The BIG Little Newsletter for the Familial StudyOn the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents Vol. 4 No.1 (Spring 2009)

How many are you? Where do you live? To find out the final number of families taking part in the Study

and where they live, see page 3 of the newsletter...

1

Why Study Tobacoo Use among Youth? According to the Canadian Community Health Survey conducted in 2007, 12% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years smoke cigarettes occasionally or every day. In Quebec, the proportion of smokers was found to be among the highest in the country. During the period they smoke youth are exposed to more than 4 000 chemicals con‑tained in cigarette smoke, many of which are known to cause cardiovascular and other diseases. Tobacco smoking among youth is an unhealthy habit that remains too widespread and continues to be a major public health concern.

Symptoms of nicotine dependence occur early in the smoking process. Indeed, it is not uncommon that young teenagers who do not smoke regularly have cravings and other symptoms associated with smoking cessation (anxiety, irritability and fatigue). Unfortunately, once these symptoms have developed, it becomes more dif‑ficult to quit smoking.

We know little about how to help young smokers to quit. What is known is that :

Many young smokers want to quit but they are • unable to do so.

Youth think that they will be able to quit before • becoming addicted and that it will be easy to do.

Most youth do not want to ask health care professionals •for help, participate in traditional smoking cessa‑tion programs, take medications to reduce symptoms associated with smoking cessation or use telephone help lines. In short, they want to quit smoking by themselves.

Health care professionals, teachers and parents are •unaware that youth can become addicted to tobacco very rapidly.

Our research team believes that intervening much earlier in the smoking process, that is before nicotine addiction has been established, will increase the number of people who successfully quit smoking and will increase the duration of smoking cessation. We are studying the smoking process among youth to find out what factors make it easier or harder to quit smoking. This will allow us to develop interventions specifically for youth who have just started smoking.

The NDIT team

Note: The NDIT team collaborates with our study team. The NDIT team is funded by the Canadian Cancer Society. To find out more about the NDIT Study, visit the Website www.nditstudy.ca.

2

Questions For DR. QUALITY – nutrition

Question from Nicolas, Vaudreuil: What is the best meal to eat before doing a physical activity?

Congratulations! You understood that eating well before you do physical activities will provide you with the required energy to perform well, stay focused and have a maximum of fun during your physical activity!

FOCUS ESPECIALLY ON: Carbohydrates (sugars). They are like fuel for your muscles. But be careful, I am not speaking of sweets and candy. These contain a type of sugar that your body absorbs very quickly and you could run out of energy before the end of the game or workout. Instead, I mean the sugar you can get especially in fruits and whole grains like cereals, bread or whole wheat spaghetti.

AVOID:Fats found in deep fried foods and pastries... you will likely have a hard time digesting your meal and your body will not be as strong when playing.

It is best to eat a substantial meal 3 to 4 hours BEFORE doing exercise to allow your stomach time to properly digest. Your body can then concentrate on working your muscles. Choose foods that you know and that your body tolerates well. This is not the time to experiment with unfamiliar foods, you could have unpleasant surprises! Here are some examples of balanced meals:

Whole wheat breakfast cereals, milk, blueberries, •brown almonds, waterSandwich (whole wheat pita bread, turkey and • vegetables), carrot sticks, milk and a granola bar Whole wheat submarine sandwich with roast beef, •fruit salad, yogurt, fig cookies, juice or waterWhole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, milk •and desert with fruitsGrilled chicken (without skin), oven baked potato •(with skin), steamed vegetables, rice pudding, milk or juice

1 to 2 hours BEFORE doing exercise: eat a snack, it provides energy and prevents feeling of hunger

Crackers, cheese, juice •Yogurt, oat cookie, fruit•Humus and whole wheat pita bread •Granola bar, soy drink•A small homemade muffin, unsweetened apple sauce•

DURING exercise, especially for a physical activity that lasts more than one hour: drinking sips of sports drinks, unsweetened juice diluted with water, or eating a cereal bar or orange sections can help you maintain your energy level.

Psst!!! Before and during exercise, it is important that you drink a lot. Water is the best choice to quench your thirst. Be careful with energy drinks such as Red Bull, Hype or Guru and soft drinks. These drinks can decrease your performances and harm your health. It is possible that you do not feel thirsty while doing exercise but it is still important to drink because you lose a lot of water in your sweat. Sweating allows

your body to cool down during exercise.

A special thank you to Marie-Ève Saint-Louis, one of the dieticians of the Study!

These are her references:

1. Extenso www.extenso.org,

2. Dietitians of Canada www.dietetiste.ca,

3. Passeport santé www.passeportsante.net,

3

Where do you live?The families in the Study

We now know that the number of families participating in the QUALITY Study is 633!

While great efforts were made to recruit many families, we will now double the effort to make sure that as many families as possible return for follow‑up.

So far, 90% of families have returned for their 2nd visit. We look forward to seeing you on your next visit‑ because that will be when we really start to see and understand how health evolves and how lifestyle habits of family members change over time. We would even say that this is when it becomes more interesting for you and for us!

How many hills will you climb by bike? Did your bone density change since the last visit? What about the health of your mouth, is it still good? These are just some of the questions that we will be able to answer!

What does “QUALITY” mean?Investigators like to give nicknames to studies, in the same way you say “Kathy” to your sister Katherine. The nickname of this study is “QUALITY” which comes from:QUebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth

Thanks to our funding agencies and sponsor

To contact the newsletter team and the research team:Tel.: (514) 345‑7751 or toll‑free at 1‑877‑326‑8596

Website: www.etudequalitystudy.ca

4

The Star of the spring issue of The BIG Little newsletter is... Sabrina, 8 years old, from La Prairie!

www.pro-actif.ca

A Bit of Humour!1) Riddle From Nicolas, Vaudreuil What might we call Caillou when he’s all grown up?

2) Joke from the quality team What is yours, but your friends use it more than you do?

3) Riddle from Élizabeth, Montréal What is a green smurf?

Answers: 1) Rocky! 2) Your name ! 3)A smurf that has yellow fever

Why did you participate in the study? To prevent heart diseases.

What is your favourite food? Macaroni with sausages.

What is your claim to fame? At ‘arbre en arbre’ I threw myself from the top of a tree (Phew….She was secured with a harness!).

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Be the owner of a pet store.

What would you say to other youth who might want to

participate in the study?

The nurse pricks you but you don’t feel anything because

she freezes you before!

Continue to fill and send us the newsletter’s notepad that you received during your hospital visit. We really enjoy reading your letters!

Let’s get to know her better with a few Quiz questions…