Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health,americast.usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Mon, Aug 24 1992 Date: Mon, 24 Aug 92 04:10:13 EDT Message-ID: 08-24 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Aug. 24, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network KIDS WITHOUT DADS DO OK: Children living without a biological dad are likely to be as well-behaved and academically successful in elementary school as traditionally-reared kids. That is according to a three-year study by sociologist Frank L. Mott of Ohio State University, Columbus. The study was presented Sunday to the American Sociological Association meeting in Pittsburgh. (For more, see special Kids package below.) CAMPBELL DROPS HEALTH CLAIMS: Campbell Soup Co. agreed with the government to disclose the sodium content of its soups in advertisements, the Federal Trade Commission says. The agreement settles charges that the company incorrectly claimed that eating its soup helped reduce the risk of heart disease. MOVEMENT SPREADS TO WORKPLACE: Prompted by the equally ubiquitous U.S. urge to self-improvement, a self-esteem movement has been percolating through U.S. society. So it's no wonder that SkillPath, a 3 1:2-year-old company in Mission, Kan., that markets by direct mail seminars on business skills, latched onto the notion late last year of teaching self-esteem. SEMINARS ARE JAMMED: SkillPath's one-day seminars, aimed primarily at women, are sometimes jammed with as many as 400 people. Many psychologists believe low self-esteem is the underlying cause of significant business problems - low productivity, absenteeism and sloppy work. The company's six-cassette program, "The Psychology of High Self-Esteem," has sold more than 100,000 sets at $59.95 each. EX-BOEING WORKER WINS $1.2M: A Seattle jury has awarded $1.2 million to a former Boeing worker who lost the use of both hands because of repetitive strain injury. Although Boeing was not found liable for her injuries, the jury ruled Boeing caused Janice Goodman emotional distress and discriminated against her by not accommodating her request for a transfer. CONDOMS USE HAILED: Wisconsin Division of Health figures show that 14,078 abortions were performed statewide in '91, down from 16,848 in '90, The Milwaukee Journal reported. Cited: Improved birth control programs, including condom use spurred by anti-AIDS campaigns. WORKERS FIGHT FOR HEALTH CARE: Retired employees of Navistar International Corp. filed suit Friday to prevent the truck and bus maker from cutting health-care benefits. The move would save Navistar $90 million annually. The suit was filed by a coalition of unions led by the United Auto Workers union. Navistar filed to reduce benefits for about 40,000 retired workers in late July. FREE INFO ON OSTEOPOROSIS: Osteoporosis is preventable. To find out more about the disease that weakens bones and can lead to painful fractures or disability, call the National Institutes of Health at 800-222-9994. NIH will send callers a free 22-page brochure. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON KIDS: KIDS FOLLOWED FOR THREE YEARS: Sociologist Frank L. Mott followed 1,714 children for three years to see how living without a biological dad affected behavior and academic skills. At the start, 73% of the youngsters, ages 2 to 5, had dad at home; three years later, 60% were still in intact families. He presented findings to the American Sociological Association meeting in Pittsburgh. INCOME MORE OF A FACTOR: When moms' education and income were taken into account, there was no difference in math and reading skills between kids living with and without a father. Also found: Low family income and poor education predicted troubled adjustment far more than parents' marital status. Critics of one-parent families are fingering the wrong culprits, Mott argues. FINDINGS CHALLENGED: Mott's findings were challenged by divorce researcher Judith Wallerstein of Corte Madera, Calif. Because Mott didn't do open-ended interviews with the children, and didn't contact fathers, he easily could have missed emotional trauma inflicted by divorce, she says. Mothers' behavioral reports are often biased, she says. (End of package.) Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM