Hello,
and welcome to As It Is -- VOA’s daily1 show for people learning American English.
I’m Christopher Cruise in Washington.
Today on the program, we tell about the high economic cost2 of heavy3 drinking.
“…a number of people die4 of alcohol-attributable conditions5. And many of those folks6 die in the prime7 of their life.”
But first, we have a report8 on aggression seen9 in children who drink a lot of soda10.
Some Children Who Drink a Lot of Soda Get Aggressive11
I’m Christopher Cruise in Washington.
Today on the program, we tell about the high economic cost2 of heavy3 drinking.
“…a number of people die4 of alcohol-attributable conditions5. And many of those folks6 die in the prime7 of their life.”
But first, we have a report8 on aggression seen9 in children who drink a lot of soda10.
Some Children Who Drink a Lot of Soda Get Aggressive11
A new study found evidence12 of aggressive
Behavior13 in children who have four or more servings14 of soft drinks15 every day.
Bob Doughty reports.
Information for the study came from the mothers of 3,000 five-year-olds16. Researchers17 asked18 the women to keep a record19 of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank20 over21 a two-month period.
Bob Doughty reports.
Information for the study came from the mothers of 3,000 five-year-olds16. Researchers17 asked18 the women to keep a record19 of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank20 over21 a two-month period.
The women were also22 asked to complete a
check list23 of their children’s behavior.
The researchers found that 43 percent of the boys and girls drank at least24 one daily serving of soda. Four percent of the youngsters25 had four or more sodas to drink every day.
Shakira Suglia is with Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health26 in New York City. She worked on the study with researchers from the University of Vermont and Harvard University School of Public Health.
The researchers found that 43 percent of the boys and girls drank at least24 one daily serving of soda. Four percent of the youngsters25 had four or more sodas to drink every day.
Shakira Suglia is with Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health26 in New York City. She worked on the study with researchers from the University of Vermont and Harvard University School of Public Health.
She
says they found that children who drank the most soda were more than two times27 as likely28 as those who drank no soda to show signs29 of aggression.
“For the children who consumed four or more soft drinks per day, we see an association between aggressive behaviors, attention problems and withdrawn30 behaviors.”
“For the children who consumed four or more soft drinks per day, we see an association between aggressive behaviors, attention problems and withdrawn30 behaviors.”
The aggressive behaviors included destroying
possessions belonging to others31, taking part in fights32
and physically33 attacking people.
Shakira Suglia says the researchers identified34
Shakira Suglia says the researchers identified34
the link35 after they considered socio-demographic factors like
the child’s age36 and sex. They also considered other
possible influences, such as37 whether38 the boys and girls
were eating sweets39 or given fruit drinks on
a normal day.
In addition40,
the researchers examined parenting styles41 and other social
conditions that might be taking place42 in
the home.
Doctor Suglia says it is not clear why young children who drink a lot of soda have behavior problems.
“We can’t prove that this is a direct cause and effect relationship44.
Doctor Suglia says it is not clear why young children who drink a lot of soda have behavior problems.
“We can’t prove that this is a direct cause and effect relationship44.
Having said
that, there are
a lot of ingredients in soda,
a lot of ingredients that have not been examined in relation to behavior."
A substance often45 found in soft drinks is
A substance often45 found in soft drinks is
caffeine, which helps to make people
feel energized. Doctor Suglia suggests46 that caffeine could be causing47 the five
year olds to be more aggressive.
The research is part of a larger study called the Fragile48 Families and Child Well being49 Study. It follows50 5,000 poor mothers and their children in 20 American cities.
Earlier studies51 of young adults have found the highest sugar levels52 in those who carry weapons53 and show signs of negative social behavior.
I’m Bob Doughty.
The High Cost to the American Economy of Heavy Drinking
The research is part of a larger study called the Fragile48 Families and Child Well being49 Study. It follows50 5,000 poor mothers and their children in 20 American cities.
Earlier studies51 of young adults have found the highest sugar levels52 in those who carry weapons53 and show signs of negative social behavior.
I’m Bob Doughty.
The High Cost to the American Economy of Heavy Drinking
A new study has found that excessive alcohol drinking costs Americans more than $220 billion a year. That amount54 is equal to almost55 two dollars a drink. But study organizers believe the biggest costs come from a loss56 of worker productivity.
Robert Brewer works for America’s Centers for Disease57 Control and Prevention, a public health agency. He helped to produce a report on the study.
The researchers used findings from 2006 to examine different costs linked to heavy drinking. They looked at results from around the United States and found58 a lot of variation in different parts of the country.
Alcohol-related costs59 include health care60, the cost of trying cases for drinking-related crimes, and property damage61 from road accidents. Robert Brewer says the biggest cost is loss62 productivity. Many people with a drinking problem have lower-paying jobs63. He says they may also be less productive when they are at work.
Vocabulary
1. daily
= diario
2.
cost = custo
3.
heavy = pesado
4.
die = morrer
5. alcohol-attributable conditions =
condições atribuiveis ao alcool
6. folks =
pessoas
7. prime
= principio
8. report =
relato
9. seen =
visto
10.
a lot of soda
= um monte de refrigerante
11.
Get Aggressive = ficar
agressivo
12.
found evidence = encontrou evidencias
13.
behavior = comportamento
14.
servings = porções
15.
soft drink =
refrigerante
16.
five-year-olds
= crianças de 5 anos
17.
Researchers =
pesquisadores
18.
asked = perguntaram
19.
keep a record =
manter um registro
20.
drank = beberam
21.
over = ao longo de
22.
also = também
23.
check list = lista de
verificação
24.
at least = pelo
menos
25.
youngsters = jovens
26.
Public Health = saúde
pública
27.
more than two times
= mais de duas vezes
28.
likely = provavel
29.
show signs =
mostrar sinais
30.
withdrawn = retirado
31.
belonging to others
= pertencendo a outros
32.
taking part in fights
= participando de lutas
33.
physically =
fisicamente
34.
identified =
identificaram
35.
link = ligação
36.
age = idade
37.
such as = tais
como
38.
whether = se ou não
39.
eating sweets =
comendo doces
40.
In addition = além
disso
41.
parenting styles =
estilos parentais
42.
might be taking place =
poderia estar acontecendo
43.
it is
not clear why = não está claro porque
44.
relationship =
relacionamento
45.
often =
frequentemente
46.
suggests = sugere
47.
could be causing =
poderia estar causando
48.
Fragile = fragil
49.
Well being = bem estar
50.
Follows = acompanha
51.
Earlier studies =
estudos iniciais
52.
highest sugar levels =
niveis mais altos de açúcar
53.
carry weapons =
carrega armas
54.
amount = quantia
55.
almost = quase
56.
loss = perda
57.
Disease = doença
58.
found = encontraram
59.
Alcohol-related costs =
custos reacionados ao alcool
60.
health care =
assistencia medica
61.
property damage =
danos a propriedade
62.
loss = perda
63.
lower-paying jobs
= empregos de salaries mais baixos
