***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Asthma self-management programmes have been shown to increase children 's knowledge about asthma and improve their management practice s and health status . However , existing programmes have rarely addressed the unique learning needs of very young children . This study aim ed to develop and assess the effectiveness of a video tape and picture book design ed to teach children about the prevention and management of acute episodes of asthma . The information content of the educational re sources was determined by analysis of relevant medical information and asthma management skills . Social Learning Theory and consideration of the developmental stage of the target population informed the format and style of presentation of the re sources . Eighty children aged between 2 and 5 years who had been diagnosed with asthma by their medical practitioner and who required daily asthma medication participated in a controlled experimental study . The study evaluated the impact of the asthma education re sources on children 's knowledge about asthma , compliance with medication regimens and health status . Children were r and omly allocated to one of three experimental groups . Children in these groups were exposed to either the video tape alone , the book alone or both the video tape and book , or to a control group who viewed material s unrelated to asthma . The results for the three experimental groups were compared with the control group who did not receive exposure to any of the asthma education re sources . The results showed that children in each experimental group had significantly greater gains in asthma-related knowledge than children in the control group and children exposed to both re sources showed the greatest increases in knowledge . Children in each of the three experimental groups also had better compliance and health than children in the control group . These findings indicate that carefully design ed asthma education re sources are useful for providing even the youngest children with information about asthma and its management BACKGROUND Asthma continues to be a substantial cause of morbidity in pediatric population s. New strategies are needed to provide cost-effective educational interventions for children with asthma , particularly those in the inner city . OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of a multimedia educational software program about asthma . SETTING A hospital-based primary care clinic and an affiliated neighborhood health center . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . POPULATION Children 3 to 12 years old with physician-diagnosed asthma . INTERVENTION An interactive educational computer program , Asthma Control , design ed to teach children about asthma and its management . Using a graphic display of a child going through simulated daily events , the game emphasizes : 1 ) monitoring ; 2 ) allergen identification ; 3 ) use of medications ; 4 ) use of health services ; and 5 ) maintenance of normal activity . Control group participants review ed printed educational material s with a research assistant . OUTCOMES Acute health care use ( emergency department and outpatient ) was the primary outcome . Secondary outcome measures included maternal report of asthma symptom severity , child functional status and school absences , satisfaction with care , and parental and child knowledge of asthma . RESULTS A total of 137 families were enrolled in the study ( 76 intervention , 61 control ) . Both intervention and control groups showed substantial improvement in all outcomes during the 12-month follow-up period . Aside from improvement in knowledge after use of the computer program , no differences were demonstrated between the 2 groups in primary or secondary outcome measures . Children reported enjoyment of program use . CONCLUSIONS This trial of an educational software program found that it did not produce greater improvement than occurred with review of traditional written material s. Because both groups showed substantial improvement over baseline , computer-based education may be more cost-effective . Alternatively , improvements in illness severity over time may overshadow the effects of such interventions . Rigorous comprehensive evaluations such as this are necessary to assess new interventions intended to improve management and outcomes of asthma Background Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in developed countries . Sedentary screen-based activities such as video gaming are thought to displace active behaviors and are independently associated with obesity . Active video games , where players physically interact with images onscreen , may have utility as a novel intervention to increase physical activity and improve body composition in children . The aim of the Electronic Games to Aid Motivation to Exercise ( eGAME ) study is to determine the effects of an active video game intervention over 6 months on : body mass index ( BMI ) , percent body fat , waist circumference , cardio-respiratory fitness , and physical activity levels in overweight children . Methods / Design Three hundred and thirty participants aged 10–14 years will be r and omized to receive either an  active video game up grade package  or to a control group ( no intervention ) .  Discussion An overview of the eGAME study is presented , providing an example of a large , pragmatic r and omized controlled trial in a community setting . Reflection is offered on key issues encountered during the course of the study . In particular , investigation into the feasibility of the proposed intervention , as well as robust testing of proposed study procedures is a critical step prior to implementation of a large-scale trial . Trial registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry There is a consensus that interventions to prevent and treat childhood obesity should involve the family ; however , the extent of the child 's involvement has received little attention . The goal of the present study was to evaluate the relative efficacy of treating childhood obesity via a family-based health-centred intervention , targeting parents alone  v.  parents and obese children together .  Thirty-two families with obese children of 6 - 11 years of age were r and omised into groups , in which participants were provided for 6 months a comprehensive educational and behavioural programme for a healthy lifestyle . These groups differed in their main agent of change : parents-only v. the parents and the obese child . In both groups , parents were encouraged to foster authoritative parenting styles ( parents are both firm and supportive ; assume a leadership role in the environmental change with appropriate granting of child 's autonomy ) . Only the intervention aim ed at parents-only result ed in a significant reduction in the percentage overweight at the end of the programme ( P=0.02 ) as well as at the 1-year follow-up meeting . The differences between groups at both times were significant ( P<0.05 ) . A greater reduction in food stimuli in the home ( P<0.05 ) was noted in the parents-only group . In both groups , the parents ' weight status did not change . Regression analysis shows that the level of attendance in sessions explained 28 % of the variability in the children 's weight status change , the treatment group explained another 10 % , and the improvement in the obesogenic load explained 11 % of the variability . These results suggest that omitting the obese child from active participation in the health-centred programme may be beneficial for weight loss and for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle among obese children An interactive multimedia computer game to enhance self-management skills and thereby improve asthma outcomes in inner city children with asthma was evaluated . Subjects aged 6 - 17 were recruited from four pediatric practice s and r and omly assigned to the computer intervention condition or to the usual-care comparison .  The main character in the game could match the subject on gender and ethnicity . Characteristics of the protagonist 's asthma were tailored to be like those of the subject . Subjects played the computer game as part of regular asthma visits . Time between pre- and post-test varied from 4 to 15.6 months ( mean , 7.6 months ) . Analysis of covariance , with pre-test scores , age , and asthma severity as covariates , found that the intervention was associated with fewer hospitalizations , better symptom scores , increased functional status , greater knowledge of asthma management , and better child self-management behavior for those in the intervention condition . Interactions with covariates were found and discussed in terms of variable efficacy of the intervention Overwhelming evidence shows the quality of reporting of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) is not optimal . Without transparent reporting , readers can not judge the reliability and validity of trial findings nor extract information for systematic review s. Recent method ological analyses indicate that inadequate reporting and design are associated with biased estimates of treatment effects . Such systematic error is seriously damaging to RCTs , which are considered the gold st and ard for evaluating interventions because of their ability to minimise or avoid bias . A group of scientists and editors developed the CONSORT ( Consoli date d St and ards of Reporting Trials ) statement to improve the quality of reporting of RCTs . It was first published in 1996 and up date d in 2001 . The statement consists of a checklist and flow diagram that authors can use for reporting an RCT . Many leading medical journals and major international editorial groups have endorsed the CONSORT statement . The statement facilitates critical appraisal and interpretation of RCTs . During the 2001 CONSORT revision , it became clear that explanation and elaboration of the principles underlying the CONSORT statement would help investigators and others to write or appraise trial reports . A CONSORT explanation and elaboration article was published in 2001 alongside the 2001 version of the CONSORT statement . After an expert meeting in January 2007 , the CONSORT statement has been further revised and is published as the CONSORT 2010 Statement . This up date improves the wording and clarity of the previous checklist and incorporates recommendations related to topics that have only recently received recognition , such as selective outcome reporting bias . This explanatory and elaboration document-intended to enhance the use , underst and ing , and dissemination of the CONSORT statement-has also been extensively revised . It presents the meaning and rationale for each new and up date d checklist item providing examples of good reporting and , where possible , references to relevant empirical studies . Several examples of flow diagrams are included . The CONSORT 2010 Statement , this revised explanatory and elaboration document , and the associated website ( www.consort-statement.org ) should be helpful re sources to improve reporting of r and omised trials BACKGROUND : Interactive Health Communication Applications ( IHCAs ) are computer-based , usually web-based health information packages for patients that combine information with at least one of social support , decision support , or behaviour change support . These are innovations in health care and their effects on health are uncertain . OBJECTIVES : To assess the effects of IHCAs for people with chronic disease . SEARCH STRATEGY : We design ed a four-part search strategy . First , we search ed electronic bibliographic data bases for published work ; second , we search ed the grey literature and third , we search ed for ongoing and recently completed clinical trials in the appropriate data bases . Finally , research ers of included studies were contacted , and reference lists from relevant primary and review articles were followed up . As IHCAs require relatively new technology , the search commenced at 1990 where possible . SELECTION CRITERIA : R and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) of Interactive Health Communication Applications for adults and children with chronic disease . DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS : One review er screened abstract s. Two review ers screened all c and i date studies to determine eligibility , apply quality criteria , and extract data from included studies . Authors of included RCTs were contacted for missing data . Results of RCTs were pooled using a r and om effects model and st and ardised mean differences ( SMDs ) were calculated to provide net effect sizes . MAIN RESULTS : We screened 24,757 unique citations and retrieved 958 papers for further assessment , yielding 28 RCTs involving 4042 participants . One of these had an inadequate method of concealment of allocation , and sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the effects of including or excluding these data in the meta-analyses . Results in the abstract are from the meta-analyses excluding data from this study .IHCAs were found to have a positive effect on knowledge ( SMD 0.49 ; 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 0.14 to 0.84 ) and on social support ( SMD 0.47 ; 95 % CI 0.28 to 0.66 ) . IHCAs were found to have no effect on self-efficacy ( SMD 0.15 ; 95 % CI -0.13 to 0.43 ) or behavioural outcomes ( SMD -0.09 ; 95 % CI -0.49 to 0.32 ) . IHCAs had a negative effect on clinical outcomes ( SMD -0.32 ; 95 % CI -0.63 to -0.02 ) . REVIEW ERS ' CONCLUSIONS : The number and range of IHCAs is increasing rapidly ; however there is a shortage of high quality evaluative data . Consumers who wish to increase their knowledge or social support amongst people with a similar problem may find an IHCA helpful . However , consumers whose primary aim is to achieve optimal clinical outcomes should not use an IHCA at present . Further research is needed to determine the reason for this negative effect on clinical outcomes , whether an optimal IHCA can achieve behaviour change and improved health outcomes , and if so , what are the essential features of such an IHCA , and the extent to which they differ according to patient group or condition OBJECTIVE To evaluate Watch , Discover , Think and Act ( WDTA ) , a theory-based application of CD-ROM educational technology for pediatric asthma self-management education . DESIGN A prospect i ve pretest posttest r and omized intervention trial was used to assess the motivational appeal of the computer-assisted instructional program and evaluate the impact of the program in eliciting change in knowledge , self-efficacy , and attributions of children with asthma . Subjects were recruited from large urban asthma clinics , community clinics , and schools . Seventy-six children 9 to 13 years old were recruited for the evaluation . RESULTS Repeated- measures analysis of covariance showed that knowledge scores increased significantly for both groups , but no between-group differences were found ( P : = 0.55 ) ; children using the program scored significantly higher ( P : < 0.01 ) on questions about steps of self-regulation , prevention strategies , and treatment strategies . These children also demonstrated greater self-efficacy ( P : < 0.05 ) and more efficacy building attribution classification of asthma self-management behaviors ( P : < 0.05 ) than those children who did not use the program . CONCLUSION The WDTA is an intrinsically motivating educational program that has the ability to effect determinants of asthma self-management behavior in 9- to 13-year-old children with asthma . This , coupled with 
    Output:
    
In spite of concerns over the quality of some studies and small study population s , MIs were found useful in educating children about their health , and they demonstrated potential to improve children ’s health-related self-efficacy , which could make them more able partners in face-to-face communications with health professionals .