Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions, according to new research

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) — Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions for social and personal reasons, according to research from Rice University and the University at Buffalo -- The State University of New York (SUNY).

The study also found that some atheist scientists want their children to know about different religions so their children can make informed decisions about their own religious preferences.

"Our research shows just how tightly linked religion and family are in U.S. society -- so much so that even some of society's least religious people find religion to be important in their private lives," said Rice sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund, the study's principal investigator and co-author of a paper in the December issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

The researchers found that 17 percent of atheists with children attended a religious service more than once in the past year.

The research was conducted through interviews with a scientifically selected sample of 275 participants pulled from a survey of 2,198 tenured and tenure-track faculty in the natural and social sciences at 21 elite U.S. research universities. Approximately half of the original survey population expressed some form of religious identity, whereas the other half did not.

The individuals surveyed cited personal and social reasons for integrating religion into their lives, including:

Scientific identity -- Study participants wish to expose their children to all sources of knowledge (including religion) and allow them to make their own choices about a religious identity.Spousal influence -- Study participants are involved in a religious institution because of influence from their spouse or partner.Desire for community -- Study participants want a sense of moral community and behavior, even if they don't agree with the religious reasoning.

Ecklund said one of the most interesting findings was discovering that not only do some atheist scientists wish to expose their children to religious institutions, but they also cite their scientific identity as reason for doing so.

"We thought that these individuals might be less inclined to introduce their children to religious traditions, but we found the exact opposite to be true," Ecklund said. "They want their children to have choices, and it is more consistent with their science identity to expose their children to all sources of knowledge."

One study participant raised in a strongly Catholic home said he came to believe later that science and religion were not compatible. He said what he wants to pass on to his daughter -- more than the belief that science and religion are not compatible -- is the ability to make her own decisions in a thoughtful, intellectual way.

"I … don't indoctrinate her that she should believe in God," the study participant said. "I don't indoctrinate her into not believing in God." He said he sees himself as accomplishing this by exposing her to a variety of religious choices, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and others.

Ecklund said the study's findings will help the public better understand the role that religious institutions play in society.

"I think that understanding how nonreligious scientists utilize religion in family life demonstrates the important function they have in the U.S.," she said.

Ecklund is the author of "Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think,"published by Oxford University Press last year.

The paper was co-authored by University at Buffalo SUNY sociologist Kristen Schultz Lee. A grant from the John Templeton Foundation and funding from Rice supported the research.

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Journal Reference:

Elaine Howard Ecklund, Kristen Schultz Lee. Atheists and Agnostics Negotiate Religion and Family. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 50, Issue 4, pages 728%u2013743, December 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01604.x

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Children with HIV/AIDS falling through the cracks of treatment scale-up efforts

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) — Less than one-quarter (23%) of children with HIV/AIDS who need treatment are getting it, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the occasion of World AIDS Day (1 December 2011). Although treatment coverage for adults has been steadily climbing and has now reached approximately half of those in need, coverage for children is lagging far behind, highlighted the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a non-profit research and development organization that has recently launched a new paediatric HIV drug development programme.

'Children with HIV/AIDS are falling through the cracks', said Dr Bernard Pécoul, Executive Director of the DNDi. '250,000 children died of HIV-related complications in 2010 -- that's nearly 700 each day. This is simply unacceptable.'

There are several reasons for this situation -- including lack of access for pregnant women to antenatal care, HIV testing, and antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent mother-to-child transmission and treat expecting mothers, as well as difficulties diagnosing HIV in infants. But one of the most important, and overlooked, is the lack of suitable formulations of ARVs adapted for children, particularly babies and toddlers. The reason for this neglect lies, ironically, with the success of the virtual elimination of HIV among newborns in wealthy countries.

'There's little profit to be made from developing treatments for the millions of children with HIV/AIDS, 90% of whom are the poorest of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, and the lack of market incentive means pharmaceutical companies do not develop ARVs adapted to their needs', Dr Pécoul continued. 'Without treatment, half of the children born with HIV die before their second birthday.'

WHO recommends immediate ART for all HIV-positive children less than two years old, but the safety and correct dosing have not been established in very young children for the majority of ARVs approved for adults. In addition, key existing paediatric ARV formulations taste bad, require impractical multiple liquid preparations and refrigeration, and have undesirable interactions with tuberculosis (TB) drugs.

DNDi's new paediatric HIV programme aims to develop an improved first-line therapy for children under three years of age. Ideally, this ARV combination therapy needs to be easy to administer and better tolerated by children than current drugs, as well as heat stable and easily dispersible (dissolvable in water or breast milk). It must also carry minimal risk for developing resistance and require minimum weight adjustments. Finally, any new formulations must be compatible with TB drugs.

'Given the current funding crisis, we are deeply concerned that children with HIV/AIDS -- who are already invisible and largely voiceless -- will fall even further down on the agenda', said Dr Marc Lallemant, Head of DNDi's Paediatric HIV Programme. 'And while everything possible needs to be done to achieve the long-term goal of "eliminating" new infections among infants, including through scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes, a more serious response is urgently needed for HIV-positive children today.'

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Children suffer unnecessarily from chronic postoperative pain

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Are children suffering needlessly after surgery? UC Irvine anesthesiologists who specialize in pediatric care believe so.

An operation can be one of the most traumatic events children face, and according to a UCI study, many of them experience unnecessary postsurgical pain lasting weeks or months.

Such chronic pain is well understood and treated in adults but has been generally overlooked in pediatric patients, said Dr. Zeev Kain, professor and chair of anesthesiology & perioperative care.

This month, he and his UCI colleagues published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery the first-ever study of chronic postoperative pain in children. Out of 113 youngsters who had procedures ranging from appendectomies to orthopedic surgery, 13 percent reported pain that lingered for months.

While the sample group was small, Kain said, the study's implications are profound. Four million children undergo surgical procedures in the U.S. each year, suggesting that more than half a million of them suffer well after leaving the hospital. This results in more school absences and visits to the doctor and, for parents, days off work.

Kain said the research indicates that physicians need to more effectively manage pain within 48 hours of surgery -- which, in adults, has been shown to minimize the potential for chronic pain -- and that parents should be properly prepared to alleviate their child's pain at home.

"Medical professionals must understand this issue better and learn how to work with parents to care for chronic pain," he said. "We hope this study marks a first step toward long-term, definitive solutions."

UCI pediatric pain psychologist Michelle Fortier led the study -- which involved patients from CHOC Children's Hospital in Orange, Calif. -- and Drs. Jody Chou and Eva Mauer also participated.

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Journal Reference:

Michelle A. Fortier, Jody Chou, Eva L. Maurer, Zeev N. Kain. Acute to chronic postoperative pain in children: preliminary findings. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2011; 46 (9): 1700 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2011.03.074

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