NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new analysis of data on U.S. teens born during the early 1980s ties slightly higher rates of adolescent smoking, drinking, arrests and thefts to macroeconomic conditions during the first year of life.
What was 'striking for us was it basically went across all socioeconomic strata,' said Dr. Seethalakshmi Ramanathan, the lead author of the study. 'From a national level, it seems like everyone is affected.'
Ramanathan's study focused on babies born around the time of the recessions of 1980-1981 and 1982, when unemployment rates around the nation ranged from 6.6 percent to 11.25 percent, but she said she wouldn't be surprised if the most recent recession also has a lasting impact.
'The mechanisms involved maybe different in intensity and severity, (but) based on the study it seems like there would be some effects,' said Ramanathan, a researcher at State University of New York Upstate Medical University.
Earlier research has suggested that widespread economic strain might negatively impact kids in the short term.
One group of researchers found that the rate of serious physical abuse towards children spiked as the U.S. economy crashed in 2007 (see Reuters Health report of September 19, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/q97xYA).
To get some sense of how recessions might affect children long term, Ramanathan and her colleagues used a 1997 survey of nearly 9,000 children who were born in the U.S. between 1980 and 1984.
The questions asked about drug, alcohol and gun use, arrests, theft and other behaviors.
The researchers were able to determine the economic circumstances for the region in which each kid spent his or her first two years of life.
They found that some of the delinquent behaviors were more common among children who were surrounded by higher unemployment during infancy.
For instance, the teens were nine percent more likely to use marijuana if the region where they celebrated their first birthday experienced a one percent drop in employment during the early 1980s.
This means that instead of 20 out of every 1,000 kids smoking pot, the increased risk in higher unemployment regions would result in 23 pot smokers out of every 1,000 teens.
Such an increase nationwide would result in 115,000 additional pot smokers, the group estimates in its report, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
'That's a big number when you look at it,' Ramanathan told Reuters Health.
The risks for being arrested, joining a gang, stealing, and using alcohol and tobacco also increased between 6 percent and 17 percent among kids who were babies in areas experiencing a spike in unemployment.
The findings held up regardless of whether the kids grew up in wealthy homes or poor ones.
'These results suggest that, irrespective of socioeconomic status, unfavorable economic conditions during infancy may create circumstances that can have an adverse effect on the psychological development of the infant and lead to the development of behavioral problems,' the authors wrote in their study.
Assault, and the use of hard drugs or guns, however, were not affected by employment rates.
Ramanathan said it's not clear why certain behaviors were more likely in regions impacted by the recessions.
'People have talked about how economic stability can help parents invest in the child's development and how economic instability can affect family dynamics and the ability to be an effective parent,' she said.
But she added that this is speculation, and more studies need to unravel the factors that are taking root in infancy and spilling out in teenage delinquency.
'We can't say high unemployment caused the effects. We don't know what the mediating factors are,' Ramanathan said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/P0ZWgD Archives of General Psychiatry, online December 31, 2012.
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Monday, December 31, 2012
Pediatricians say kids need recess during school
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A group of American pediatricians is telling school districts that children need recess and free time during the school day, and it should not even be taken away as punishment.
'We consider it essentially the child's personal time and don't feel it should be taken away for academic or punitive reasons,' said Dr. Robert Murray, who co-authored the new policy statement for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The statement, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, says recess is a 'crucial and necessary component of a child's development.'
Recess helps students develop communication skills, such as cooperation and sharing, and helps counteract the time they spend sitting in class, according to the statement.
'The cognitive literature indicates that children are exactly as we are as adults. Whenever they're performing a complicated or complex task, they need time to process the information,' said Murray, a professor at Ohio State University in Columbus.
'Kids have to have that time scheduled. They're not given the opportunity to just get up and walk around for a few minutes,' he added.
Previous research, according to the statement's authors, found children pay closer attention and perform better mentally after recess.
Last January, a review of 14 studies found kids who get more exercise from - among other things - recess and playing on sports teams tend to do better in school (see Reuters Health story of January 3, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/UcJhV0.)
But a 2011 survey of 1,800 elementary schools found about a third were not offering recess to their third grade classes (see Reuters Health story of December 5, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/UcOqwt.)
Murray told Reuters Health that schools in Japan offer children about 10 minutes of free time after every 50 minutes of class, which he said makes sense.
'I think you can feel it if you go to a lecture that after 40 to 50 minutes of a concentrated activity you need to take a break,' he said.
Currently, the American Heart Association calls for at least 20 minutes of recess every day, but Murray said recess needs depend on the child.
'Most schools - on average - are working on the framework of 15 to 30 minute bursts of recess once or twice a day,' he said.
There is, however, consensus on when in the day children's recess should take place.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture both recommend schools schedule recess before lunch.
Previous studies have found that children waste less food and behave better for the rest of the day when their recess is before their scheduled lunch, the pediatricians' statement notes.
The statement also says schools should not substitute physical education classes for recess.
'Those are completely different things and they offer completely different outcomes,' said Murray. '(Physical education teachers are) trying to teach motor skills and the ability of those children to use those skills in a bunch of different scenarios. Recess is a child's free time.'
The pediatricians also warn against a recess that is too structured, such as having games led by adults.
'I think it becomes structured to the point where you lose some of those developmental and social emotion benefits of free play,' said Murray.
'This is a very important and overlooked time of day for the child and we should not lose sight of the fact that it has very important benefits,' he added.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/HjQ8dI Pediatrics, online December 31, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by TAXES BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
'We consider it essentially the child's personal time and don't feel it should be taken away for academic or punitive reasons,' said Dr. Robert Murray, who co-authored the new policy statement for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The statement, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, says recess is a 'crucial and necessary component of a child's development.'
Recess helps students develop communication skills, such as cooperation and sharing, and helps counteract the time they spend sitting in class, according to the statement.
'The cognitive literature indicates that children are exactly as we are as adults. Whenever they're performing a complicated or complex task, they need time to process the information,' said Murray, a professor at Ohio State University in Columbus.
'Kids have to have that time scheduled. They're not given the opportunity to just get up and walk around for a few minutes,' he added.
Previous research, according to the statement's authors, found children pay closer attention and perform better mentally after recess.
Last January, a review of 14 studies found kids who get more exercise from - among other things - recess and playing on sports teams tend to do better in school (see Reuters Health story of January 3, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/UcJhV0.)
But a 2011 survey of 1,800 elementary schools found about a third were not offering recess to their third grade classes (see Reuters Health story of December 5, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/UcOqwt.)
Murray told Reuters Health that schools in Japan offer children about 10 minutes of free time after every 50 minutes of class, which he said makes sense.
'I think you can feel it if you go to a lecture that after 40 to 50 minutes of a concentrated activity you need to take a break,' he said.
Currently, the American Heart Association calls for at least 20 minutes of recess every day, but Murray said recess needs depend on the child.
'Most schools - on average - are working on the framework of 15 to 30 minute bursts of recess once or twice a day,' he said.
There is, however, consensus on when in the day children's recess should take place.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture both recommend schools schedule recess before lunch.
Previous studies have found that children waste less food and behave better for the rest of the day when their recess is before their scheduled lunch, the pediatricians' statement notes.
The statement also says schools should not substitute physical education classes for recess.
'Those are completely different things and they offer completely different outcomes,' said Murray. '(Physical education teachers are) trying to teach motor skills and the ability of those children to use those skills in a bunch of different scenarios. Recess is a child's free time.'
The pediatricians also warn against a recess that is too structured, such as having games led by adults.
'I think it becomes structured to the point where you lose some of those developmental and social emotion benefits of free play,' said Murray.
'This is a very important and overlooked time of day for the child and we should not lose sight of the fact that it has very important benefits,' he added.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/HjQ8dI Pediatrics, online December 31, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by TAXES BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Poor reading skills tied to risk of teen pregnancy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Seventh grade girls who have trouble reading are more likely to get pregnant in high school than average or above-average readers, according to a new study from Philadelphia.
Researchers found that pattern stuck even after they took into account the girls' race and poverty in their neighborhoods - both of which are tied to teen pregnancy rates.
'We certainly know that social disadvantages definitely play a part in teen pregnancy risk, and certainly poor educational achievement is one of those factors,' said Dr. Krishna Upadhya, a reproductive health and teen pregnancy researcher from Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.
Poor academic skills may play into how teens see their future economic opportunities and influence the risks they take - even if those aren't conscious decisions, explained Upadhya, who wasn't involved in the new research.
Dr. Ian Bennett from the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues looked up standardized test reading scores for 12,339 seventh grade girls from 92 different Philadelphia public schools and tracked them over the next six years.
During that period, 1,616 of the teenagers had a baby, including 201 that gave birth two or three times.
Hispanic and African American girls were more likely than white girls to get pregnant. But education appeared to play a role, as well.
Among girls who scored below average on their reading tests, 21 percent went on to have a baby as a teenager. That compared to 12 percent who had average scores and five percent of girls who scored above average on the standardized tests.
Once race and poverty were taken into consideration, girls with below-average reading skills were two and a half times more likely to have a baby than average-scoring girls, according to findings published in the journal Contraception.
Birth rates among girls ages 15 through 19 were at a record low in the U.S. in 2011 at 31 births for every 1,000 girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that rate is still much higher in minority and poorer girls than in white, well-off ones, researchers noted.
And in general, it's significantly higher than teen birth rates in other wealthy nations.
Teen pregnancies are a concern because young moms and their babies have more health problems and pregnancy-related complications, and girls who get pregnant are at higher risk of dropping out of school.
Upadhya said the answer to preventing teen pregnancy in less-educated girls isn't simply to add more sex ed to the curriculum.
'This is really about adolescent health and development more broadly, so it's really important for us to make sure that kids are in schools and in quality educational programs and that they have opportunities to grow and develop academically and vocationally,' she told Reuters Health.
'That is just as important in preventing teen pregnancy as making sure they know where to get condoms.'
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/TcHB0s Contraception, online December 13, 2012.
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Researchers found that pattern stuck even after they took into account the girls' race and poverty in their neighborhoods - both of which are tied to teen pregnancy rates.
'We certainly know that social disadvantages definitely play a part in teen pregnancy risk, and certainly poor educational achievement is one of those factors,' said Dr. Krishna Upadhya, a reproductive health and teen pregnancy researcher from Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.
Poor academic skills may play into how teens see their future economic opportunities and influence the risks they take - even if those aren't conscious decisions, explained Upadhya, who wasn't involved in the new research.
Dr. Ian Bennett from the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues looked up standardized test reading scores for 12,339 seventh grade girls from 92 different Philadelphia public schools and tracked them over the next six years.
During that period, 1,616 of the teenagers had a baby, including 201 that gave birth two or three times.
Hispanic and African American girls were more likely than white girls to get pregnant. But education appeared to play a role, as well.
Among girls who scored below average on their reading tests, 21 percent went on to have a baby as a teenager. That compared to 12 percent who had average scores and five percent of girls who scored above average on the standardized tests.
Once race and poverty were taken into consideration, girls with below-average reading skills were two and a half times more likely to have a baby than average-scoring girls, according to findings published in the journal Contraception.
Birth rates among girls ages 15 through 19 were at a record low in the U.S. in 2011 at 31 births for every 1,000 girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that rate is still much higher in minority and poorer girls than in white, well-off ones, researchers noted.
And in general, it's significantly higher than teen birth rates in other wealthy nations.
Teen pregnancies are a concern because young moms and their babies have more health problems and pregnancy-related complications, and girls who get pregnant are at higher risk of dropping out of school.
Upadhya said the answer to preventing teen pregnancy in less-educated girls isn't simply to add more sex ed to the curriculum.
'This is really about adolescent health and development more broadly, so it's really important for us to make sure that kids are in schools and in quality educational programs and that they have opportunities to grow and develop academically and vocationally,' she told Reuters Health.
'That is just as important in preventing teen pregnancy as making sure they know where to get condoms.'
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/TcHB0s Contraception, online December 13, 2012.
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Obesity declining in young, poorer kids: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number of low-income preschoolers who qualify as obese or 'extremely obese' has dropped over the last decade, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.
Although the decline was only 'modest' and may not apply to all children, researchers said it was still encouraging.
'It's extremely important to make sure we're monitoring obesity in this low-income group,' said the CDC's Heidi Blanck, who worked on the study.
Those kids are known to be at higher risk of obesity than their well-off peers, in part because access to healthy food is often limited in poorer neighborhoods.
The new results can't prove what's behind the progress, Blanck told Reuters Health - but two possible contributors are higher rates of breastfeeding and rising awareness of the importance of physical activity even for very young kids.
Blanck and her colleagues used data on routine clinic visits for about half of all U.S. kids eligible for federal nutrition programs - including 27.5 million children between age two and four.
They found 13 percent of those preschoolers were obese in 1998. That grew to just above 15 percent in 2003, but dropped slightly below 15 percent in 2010, the most recent study year included.
Similarly, the prevalence of extreme obesity increased from nearly 1.8 percent in 1998 to 2.2 percent in 2003, then dropped back to just below 2.1 percent in 2010, the research team reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Whether kids are obese is determined by their body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - and by their age and sex.
For example, a four-year-old girl who is 40 inches tall would be obese if she was 42 pounds or heavier. A two-year-old boy who is 35 inches tall qualifies as obese at 34 pounds or above, according to the CDC's child BMI calculator. (The CDC's BMI calculator for children and teens is available here:.)
The new findings are the first national data to show obesity and extreme obesity may be declining in young children, Blanck said.
'This is very encouraging considering the recent effort made in the field including by several U.S. federal agencies to combat the childhood obesity epidemic,' said Dr. Youfa Wang, head of the Johns Hopkins Global Center on Childhood Obesity in Baltimore.
Blanck said between 2003 and 2010 researchers also saw an increase in breastfeeding of low-income infants. Breastfeeding has been tied to a healthier weight in early childhood.
Additionally, states and communities have started working with child care centers to make sure kids have time to run around and that healthy foods are on the lunch menu, she added.
Parents can encourage better eating by having fruits and vegetables available at snack time and allowing their young kids to help with meal preparation, Blanck said.
Her other recommendations include making sure preschoolers get at least one hour of activity every day and keeping television sets out of the bedroom.
'The prevalence of overweight and obesity in many countries including in the U.S. is still very high,' Wang, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health in an email.
'The recent level off should not be taken as a reason to reduce the effort to fight the obesity epidemic.'
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/JjFzqx Journal of the American Medical Association, online December, 25, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Although the decline was only 'modest' and may not apply to all children, researchers said it was still encouraging.
'It's extremely important to make sure we're monitoring obesity in this low-income group,' said the CDC's Heidi Blanck, who worked on the study.
Those kids are known to be at higher risk of obesity than their well-off peers, in part because access to healthy food is often limited in poorer neighborhoods.
The new results can't prove what's behind the progress, Blanck told Reuters Health - but two possible contributors are higher rates of breastfeeding and rising awareness of the importance of physical activity even for very young kids.
Blanck and her colleagues used data on routine clinic visits for about half of all U.S. kids eligible for federal nutrition programs - including 27.5 million children between age two and four.
They found 13 percent of those preschoolers were obese in 1998. That grew to just above 15 percent in 2003, but dropped slightly below 15 percent in 2010, the most recent study year included.
Similarly, the prevalence of extreme obesity increased from nearly 1.8 percent in 1998 to 2.2 percent in 2003, then dropped back to just below 2.1 percent in 2010, the research team reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Whether kids are obese is determined by their body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - and by their age and sex.
For example, a four-year-old girl who is 40 inches tall would be obese if she was 42 pounds or heavier. A two-year-old boy who is 35 inches tall qualifies as obese at 34 pounds or above, according to the CDC's child BMI calculator. (The CDC's BMI calculator for children and teens is available here:.)
The new findings are the first national data to show obesity and extreme obesity may be declining in young children, Blanck said.
'This is very encouraging considering the recent effort made in the field including by several U.S. federal agencies to combat the childhood obesity epidemic,' said Dr. Youfa Wang, head of the Johns Hopkins Global Center on Childhood Obesity in Baltimore.
Blanck said between 2003 and 2010 researchers also saw an increase in breastfeeding of low-income infants. Breastfeeding has been tied to a healthier weight in early childhood.
Additionally, states and communities have started working with child care centers to make sure kids have time to run around and that healthy foods are on the lunch menu, she added.
Parents can encourage better eating by having fruits and vegetables available at snack time and allowing their young kids to help with meal preparation, Blanck said.
Her other recommendations include making sure preschoolers get at least one hour of activity every day and keeping television sets out of the bedroom.
'The prevalence of overweight and obesity in many countries including in the U.S. is still very high,' Wang, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health in an email.
'The recent level off should not be taken as a reason to reduce the effort to fight the obesity epidemic.'
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/JjFzqx Journal of the American Medical Association, online December, 25, 2012.
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
Violence, fear & suspicion imperil Pakistan's war on polio
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani health worker Bushra Bibi spent eight years trekking to remote villages, carefully dripping polio vaccine into toddlers' pursed mouths to protect them from the crippling disease.
Now the 35-year-old mother is too scared to go to work after masked men on motorbikes gunned down nine of her fellow health workers in a string of attacks this week.
'I have seen so much pain in the eyes of mothers whose children have been infected. So I have never seen this as just a job. It is my passion,' she said. 'But I also have a family to look after ... Things have never been this bad.'
After the deaths, the United Nations put its workers on lockdown. Immunizations by the Pakistani government continued in parts of the country. But the violence raised fresh questions over stability in the South Asian nation.
Pakistan's Taliban insurgency, convinced that the anti-polio drive is just another Western plot against Muslims, has long threatened action against anyone taking part in it.
The militant group's hostility deepened after it emerged that the CIA - with the help of a Pakistani doctor - had used a vaccination campaign to spy on Osama bin Laden's compound before he was killed by U.S. special forces in a Pakistan town last year.
Critics say the attacks on the health workers are a prime example of the government's failure to formulate a decisive policy on tackling militancy, despite pressure from key ally the United States, the source of billions of dollars in aid.
For years, authorities were aware that Taliban commanders had broadcast claims that the vaccination drive was actually a plot to sterilize Muslims.
That may seem absurd to the West, but in Pakistan such assertions are plausible to some. Years of secrecy during military dictatorships, frequent political upheaval during civilian rule and a poor public education system mean conspiracy theories run wild.
'Ever since they began to give these polio drops, children are reaching maturity a lot earlier, especially girls. Now 12 to 13-year-old girls are becoming women. This causes indecency in society,' said 45-year-old Mir Alam Khan, a carpet seller in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
The father of four didn't allow any of his children to receive vaccinations.
'Why doesn't the United States give free cures for other illnesses? Why only polio? There has to be an agenda,' he said.
While health workers risk attacks by militants, growing suspicions from ordinary Pakistanis are lowering their morale. Fatima, a health worker in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said that reaction to news of the CIA polio campaign was so severe that many of her colleagues quit.
'People's attitudes have changed. You will not believe how even the most educated and well-to-do people will turn us away, calling us U.S. spies and un-Islamic,' said the 25-year-old who did not give her last name for fear of reprisals.
'Boys call us names, they say we are 'indecent women'.'
Pakistan's government has tried to shatter the myths that can undermine even the best-intentioned health projects by turning to moderate clerics and urging them to issue religious rulings supporting the anti-polio efforts.
Tahir Ashrafi, head of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, said the alliance of clerics had done its part, and it was up to the government to come to the rescue of aid workers.
'Clerics can only give fatwas and will continue to come together and condemn such acts,' he said. 'What good are fatwas if the government doesn't provide security?'
RISK OF POLIO RETURNING
That may be a tall order in Pakistan, where critics allege government officials are too busy lining their pockets or locked in power struggles to protect its citizens, even children vulnerable to diseases that can cripple or disfigure them.
Pakistani leaders deny such accusations.
Politicians also have a questionable track record when it comes to dealing with all the other troubles afflicting nuclear-armed Pakistan.
The villages where health workers once spent time tending to children often lack basic services, clinics, clean water and jobs. Industries that could strengthen the fragile economy are hobbled by chronic power cuts.
Deepening frustrations with those issues often encourage Pakistanis to give up on the state and join the Taliban.
So far it's unclear who is behind the shootings. The main Taliban spokesman said they were opposed to the vaccination scheme but the group distanced itself from the attacks.
But another Taliban spokesman in South Waziristan said their fighters were behind an attack on a polio team in the northwestern town of Lakki Marwat on Monday. 'The vaccinations were part of 'a secret Jewish-American agenda to poison Pakistanis', he said.
What is clear is the stakes are high.
Any gaps in the program endanger hard-won gains against a disease that can cause death or paralysis within hours.
A global effort costing billions of dollars eradicated polio from every country except Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Vaccinations cut Pakistan's polio cases from 20,000 in 1994 to 56 in 2012 and the disease seemed isolated in a pocket in the north. But polio is spread person-to-person, so any outbreak risks re-infecting communities cleared of the disease.
Last year, a strain from Pakistan spread northeast and caused the first outbreak in neighboring China since 1999.
Oliver Rosenbauer, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said the group had been coming closer to eradicating the disease.
'For the first time, the virus had been geographically cornered,' he said. 'We don't want to lose the gains that had been made ... Any suspension of activities gives the virus a new foothold and the potential to come roaring back and paralyze more children.'
MOURNING FAMILIES
Condemnation of the killings has been nearly universal. Clerics called for demonstrations to support health workers, the government has promised compensation for the deaths and police have vowed to provide more protection.
For women like Fehmida Shah, it's already too late. The 44-year-old health worker lived with her family in a two-room house before gunmen shot her on Tuesday.
Her husband, Syed Riaz Shah, said she spent her tiny salary - the equivalent of just $2 a day - on presents for their four daughters. Even though the family was struggling, she always found some spare money for any neighbor in need.
'She was very kind and big hearted. All the women in our lane knew her,' he said.
'The entire neighborhood is in shock. Pray for my daughters. I will get through this. But I don't know how they will.'
(Additional reporting by Imtiaz Shah in Karachi, Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar, Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Katharine Houreld in Islamabad; Editing by Michael Georgy and Sanjeev Miglani)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Now the 35-year-old mother is too scared to go to work after masked men on motorbikes gunned down nine of her fellow health workers in a string of attacks this week.
'I have seen so much pain in the eyes of mothers whose children have been infected. So I have never seen this as just a job. It is my passion,' she said. 'But I also have a family to look after ... Things have never been this bad.'
After the deaths, the United Nations put its workers on lockdown. Immunizations by the Pakistani government continued in parts of the country. But the violence raised fresh questions over stability in the South Asian nation.
Pakistan's Taliban insurgency, convinced that the anti-polio drive is just another Western plot against Muslims, has long threatened action against anyone taking part in it.
The militant group's hostility deepened after it emerged that the CIA - with the help of a Pakistani doctor - had used a vaccination campaign to spy on Osama bin Laden's compound before he was killed by U.S. special forces in a Pakistan town last year.
Critics say the attacks on the health workers are a prime example of the government's failure to formulate a decisive policy on tackling militancy, despite pressure from key ally the United States, the source of billions of dollars in aid.
For years, authorities were aware that Taliban commanders had broadcast claims that the vaccination drive was actually a plot to sterilize Muslims.
That may seem absurd to the West, but in Pakistan such assertions are plausible to some. Years of secrecy during military dictatorships, frequent political upheaval during civilian rule and a poor public education system mean conspiracy theories run wild.
'Ever since they began to give these polio drops, children are reaching maturity a lot earlier, especially girls. Now 12 to 13-year-old girls are becoming women. This causes indecency in society,' said 45-year-old Mir Alam Khan, a carpet seller in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
The father of four didn't allow any of his children to receive vaccinations.
'Why doesn't the United States give free cures for other illnesses? Why only polio? There has to be an agenda,' he said.
While health workers risk attacks by militants, growing suspicions from ordinary Pakistanis are lowering their morale. Fatima, a health worker in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said that reaction to news of the CIA polio campaign was so severe that many of her colleagues quit.
'People's attitudes have changed. You will not believe how even the most educated and well-to-do people will turn us away, calling us U.S. spies and un-Islamic,' said the 25-year-old who did not give her last name for fear of reprisals.
'Boys call us names, they say we are 'indecent women'.'
Pakistan's government has tried to shatter the myths that can undermine even the best-intentioned health projects by turning to moderate clerics and urging them to issue religious rulings supporting the anti-polio efforts.
Tahir Ashrafi, head of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, said the alliance of clerics had done its part, and it was up to the government to come to the rescue of aid workers.
'Clerics can only give fatwas and will continue to come together and condemn such acts,' he said. 'What good are fatwas if the government doesn't provide security?'
RISK OF POLIO RETURNING
That may be a tall order in Pakistan, where critics allege government officials are too busy lining their pockets or locked in power struggles to protect its citizens, even children vulnerable to diseases that can cripple or disfigure them.
Pakistani leaders deny such accusations.
Politicians also have a questionable track record when it comes to dealing with all the other troubles afflicting nuclear-armed Pakistan.
The villages where health workers once spent time tending to children often lack basic services, clinics, clean water and jobs. Industries that could strengthen the fragile economy are hobbled by chronic power cuts.
Deepening frustrations with those issues often encourage Pakistanis to give up on the state and join the Taliban.
So far it's unclear who is behind the shootings. The main Taliban spokesman said they were opposed to the vaccination scheme but the group distanced itself from the attacks.
But another Taliban spokesman in South Waziristan said their fighters were behind an attack on a polio team in the northwestern town of Lakki Marwat on Monday. 'The vaccinations were part of 'a secret Jewish-American agenda to poison Pakistanis', he said.
What is clear is the stakes are high.
Any gaps in the program endanger hard-won gains against a disease that can cause death or paralysis within hours.
A global effort costing billions of dollars eradicated polio from every country except Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Vaccinations cut Pakistan's polio cases from 20,000 in 1994 to 56 in 2012 and the disease seemed isolated in a pocket in the north. But polio is spread person-to-person, so any outbreak risks re-infecting communities cleared of the disease.
Last year, a strain from Pakistan spread northeast and caused the first outbreak in neighboring China since 1999.
Oliver Rosenbauer, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said the group had been coming closer to eradicating the disease.
'For the first time, the virus had been geographically cornered,' he said. 'We don't want to lose the gains that had been made ... Any suspension of activities gives the virus a new foothold and the potential to come roaring back and paralyze more children.'
MOURNING FAMILIES
Condemnation of the killings has been nearly universal. Clerics called for demonstrations to support health workers, the government has promised compensation for the deaths and police have vowed to provide more protection.
For women like Fehmida Shah, it's already too late. The 44-year-old health worker lived with her family in a two-room house before gunmen shot her on Tuesday.
Her husband, Syed Riaz Shah, said she spent her tiny salary - the equivalent of just $2 a day - on presents for their four daughters. Even though the family was struggling, she always found some spare money for any neighbor in need.
'She was very kind and big hearted. All the women in our lane knew her,' he said.
'The entire neighborhood is in shock. Pray for my daughters. I will get through this. But I don't know how they will.'
(Additional reporting by Imtiaz Shah in Karachi, Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar, Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Katharine Houreld in Islamabad; Editing by Michael Georgy and Sanjeev Miglani)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, December 21, 2012
IVF Method Linked to Size of Babies
The way in which embryos are prepared during in vitro fertilization may influence the size of the baby that's born, a new study from Finland suggests.
Embryos that spend long periods growing in culture (around five to six days) before being transferred to the mother's womb are more likely to be born heavier than normal for their gestational age, compared to embryos that spend a shorter period in culture (two to three days), the study found. (Gestational age refers to how far along a pregnancy is.)
On the flip side, embryos that spend long periods in culture are less likely to be born small for their gestational age, the researchers said.
Previous studies have shown babies born as a result of IVF treatment are at an increased risk for preterm birth and low birth weight. Factors related to the pregnancy, or to the IVF technique itself, may be responsible for the association. Few studies have looked at the effect of culture time on the baby's birth weight, however.
Still, additional, larger studies are needed to confirm the new findings, the researchers said.
In the study, researchers at the University of Helsinki analyzed information from 1,079 singleton babies (not twins) who were born after their mothers had undergone IVF.
During IVF, eggs from the mother are fertilized in a laboratory, and allowed to grow in culture for about one to six days before they are transferred to the mother's uterus. Typically, embryos are transferred to the uterus after two to three days, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
The Helsinki researchers determined the percentage of babies that were born at a normal weight; that were small for gestational age; or that were large for gestational age. Generally, 10 percent of babies are born small for gestational age, 10 percent are large for gestational age, and 80 percent are normal weight.
The average weight of babies in the study was about 7.7 pounds.
Among embryos that were cultured for two to three days, about 10 percent were small for gestational age, and 10 percent were large for gestational age, as expected.
But among those that spent five to six days in culture, close to 19 percent were large for gestational age, and 3 percent small for gestational age, the researchers said.
Babies born small for gestational age are at increased risk for complications such as low blood sugar, and neurological disabilities. Later in life, babies that were small for their gestational age may be at increased risk for such chronic conditions as heart disease. Large-for-gestational-age babies may be heavier in childhood, and thus at increased risk for adult obesity, the researchers said.
The reason for the finding is not clear. It could be that certain stages of embryo development differ depending upon whether they take place in a laboratory or the womb, the researchers said.
Large-for-gestational-age babies were also more likely to be born to mothers with high body mass index or to women who had previously given birth. The mother's age, cause of infertility or method of fertilization did not affect the results.
The study was published online Dec. 11 in the journal Human Reproduction.
Pass it on: IVF embryos that spend long periods in culture may be at increased risk of being born large for gestational age.
Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Embryos that spend long periods growing in culture (around five to six days) before being transferred to the mother's womb are more likely to be born heavier than normal for their gestational age, compared to embryos that spend a shorter period in culture (two to three days), the study found. (Gestational age refers to how far along a pregnancy is.)
On the flip side, embryos that spend long periods in culture are less likely to be born small for their gestational age, the researchers said.
Previous studies have shown babies born as a result of IVF treatment are at an increased risk for preterm birth and low birth weight. Factors related to the pregnancy, or to the IVF technique itself, may be responsible for the association. Few studies have looked at the effect of culture time on the baby's birth weight, however.
Still, additional, larger studies are needed to confirm the new findings, the researchers said.
In the study, researchers at the University of Helsinki analyzed information from 1,079 singleton babies (not twins) who were born after their mothers had undergone IVF.
During IVF, eggs from the mother are fertilized in a laboratory, and allowed to grow in culture for about one to six days before they are transferred to the mother's uterus. Typically, embryos are transferred to the uterus after two to three days, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
The Helsinki researchers determined the percentage of babies that were born at a normal weight; that were small for gestational age; or that were large for gestational age. Generally, 10 percent of babies are born small for gestational age, 10 percent are large for gestational age, and 80 percent are normal weight.
The average weight of babies in the study was about 7.7 pounds.
Among embryos that were cultured for two to three days, about 10 percent were small for gestational age, and 10 percent were large for gestational age, as expected.
But among those that spent five to six days in culture, close to 19 percent were large for gestational age, and 3 percent small for gestational age, the researchers said.
Babies born small for gestational age are at increased risk for complications such as low blood sugar, and neurological disabilities. Later in life, babies that were small for their gestational age may be at increased risk for such chronic conditions as heart disease. Large-for-gestational-age babies may be heavier in childhood, and thus at increased risk for adult obesity, the researchers said.
The reason for the finding is not clear. It could be that certain stages of embryo development differ depending upon whether they take place in a laboratory or the womb, the researchers said.
Large-for-gestational-age babies were also more likely to be born to mothers with high body mass index or to women who had previously given birth. The mother's age, cause of infertility or method of fertilization did not affect the results.
The study was published online Dec. 11 in the journal Human Reproduction.
Pass it on: IVF embryos that spend long periods in culture may be at increased risk of being born large for gestational age.
Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Chelation doesn't help kids with autism: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Removing heavy metals from the body through a process traditionally used to treat mercury and lead poisoning doesn't help relieve autism symptoms, a new analysis suggests.
During chelation therapy, patients are given injections of a chemical that binds to heavy metals, lowering their concentration in the blood and ultimately allowing the metals to be excreted through urine.
Chelation gained traction as an alternative treatment for autism due to a theory that mercury poisoning might play a role in the developmental disorder. However, evidence hasn't supported that idea and it's been essentially discarded in the scientific community, researchers said.
The procedure also carries safety concerns, including risks of kidney damage and gastrointestinal problems.
Lead researcher Tonya Davis from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, said the study team's goal was not to tell parents which treatments they should or shouldn't seek for their children.
'I see that they want to try everything, and they are well intentioned,' she told Reuters Health.
'But there are risks involved with any treatment choice, and some of those risks are very serious. So far science does not support (chelation) as being an effective treatment, and that's a big risk to take when you have limited resources and limited time.'
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 88 kids in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder.
Davis and her colleagues found five studies that tested the effects of chelation in kids with autism. Those studies each had between one and 41 children, from age three to 14.
Researchers had given the kids chelation therapy - sometimes along with vitamin supplements or other treatments - between one and 12 times a week for up to seven months. They used tests and questionnaires or anecdotal reports from parents to see how symptoms changed over time.
The study with only one child, a four-year-old boy, found chelation had positive effects on autism symptoms based on a parent report. The other four studies all showed mixed results, with some kids improving on some symptom measures.
However, none of the studies provided any certainty that those benefits were due to chelation itself, and not another treatment or just kids getting older, the researchers wrote in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Davis said she and her colleagues were surprised to find so few studies measuring the effects of chelation, given how many families they each knew that were using it. That lack of evidence was a concern, she said, along with the questionable study designs and conclusions.
'I just hope that parents get as much information as they can' before trying a new treatment, Davis said.
A typical package of chelation treatments runs for about $2,000 to $5,000. In addition to treating lead poisoning, chelation has also been used for cancer and heart disease.
But when it comes to autism, even calling chelation an alternative therapy is a stretch, said one autism researcher not involved in the new study.
'There's really no evidence that mercury causes autism or has a place in causing autism, and also we know that chelation can be dangerous as well. Even the underlying theories don't make sense,' said Dr. Joyce Mauk, head of the Child Study Center, an organization that treats kids with developmental disabilities in Fort Worth, Texas.
'Most children with developmental disabilities, what gets them better is a really skilled therapist and lots of work,' Mauk told Reuters Health.
'If you hear about something when all you do is inject something or take a pill, it's unlikely to work.'
SOURCE: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, January 2013.
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
During chelation therapy, patients are given injections of a chemical that binds to heavy metals, lowering their concentration in the blood and ultimately allowing the metals to be excreted through urine.
Chelation gained traction as an alternative treatment for autism due to a theory that mercury poisoning might play a role in the developmental disorder. However, evidence hasn't supported that idea and it's been essentially discarded in the scientific community, researchers said.
The procedure also carries safety concerns, including risks of kidney damage and gastrointestinal problems.
Lead researcher Tonya Davis from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, said the study team's goal was not to tell parents which treatments they should or shouldn't seek for their children.
'I see that they want to try everything, and they are well intentioned,' she told Reuters Health.
'But there are risks involved with any treatment choice, and some of those risks are very serious. So far science does not support (chelation) as being an effective treatment, and that's a big risk to take when you have limited resources and limited time.'
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 88 kids in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder.
Davis and her colleagues found five studies that tested the effects of chelation in kids with autism. Those studies each had between one and 41 children, from age three to 14.
Researchers had given the kids chelation therapy - sometimes along with vitamin supplements or other treatments - between one and 12 times a week for up to seven months. They used tests and questionnaires or anecdotal reports from parents to see how symptoms changed over time.
The study with only one child, a four-year-old boy, found chelation had positive effects on autism symptoms based on a parent report. The other four studies all showed mixed results, with some kids improving on some symptom measures.
However, none of the studies provided any certainty that those benefits were due to chelation itself, and not another treatment or just kids getting older, the researchers wrote in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Davis said she and her colleagues were surprised to find so few studies measuring the effects of chelation, given how many families they each knew that were using it. That lack of evidence was a concern, she said, along with the questionable study designs and conclusions.
'I just hope that parents get as much information as they can' before trying a new treatment, Davis said.
A typical package of chelation treatments runs for about $2,000 to $5,000. In addition to treating lead poisoning, chelation has also been used for cancer and heart disease.
But when it comes to autism, even calling chelation an alternative therapy is a stretch, said one autism researcher not involved in the new study.
'There's really no evidence that mercury causes autism or has a place in causing autism, and also we know that chelation can be dangerous as well. Even the underlying theories don't make sense,' said Dr. Joyce Mauk, head of the Child Study Center, an organization that treats kids with developmental disabilities in Fort Worth, Texas.
'Most children with developmental disabilities, what gets them better is a really skilled therapist and lots of work,' Mauk told Reuters Health.
'If you hear about something when all you do is inject something or take a pill, it's unlikely to work.'
SOURCE: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, January 2013.
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Spending on food advertising to kids fell in '09 - U.S. FTC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Food companies spent considerably less to advertise to children in 2009 than they did in 2006 as they shifted to the Internet, and products pitched to kids got slightly healthier, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a report on Friday.
Cereal makers, fast food restaurants and other food companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier, the FTC said.
But that drop did not come necessarily because companies advertised less, but because they spent less on expensive television advertising and 50 percent more on cheaper online marketing, the FTC said.
Ninety percent of the 48 companies surveyed reported doing some online marketing, the FTC said. The agency did not identify the companies.
The FTC also found 'modest nutritional improvements' in the foods advertised to children, in categories including cereals, drinks and fast-food kids' meals.
Cereals advertised to children had a small drop in sugar content and used more whole grains, while fast-food restaurants advertised fewer unhealthy products, the FTC said.
But beverages remained an issue since the FTC found that drinks marketed to children had an average of more than 20 grams of added sugar per serving. That is slightly less than a candy bar.
The FTC praised the Better Business Bureau's Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative for making 'major strides' in self-regulation, but urged more progress.
The CFBAI has nudged its members to improve foods advertised to children, and said that cereals in particular were better than those several years ago.
'This is an incremental process. As self-regulation has matured, it's gotten more robust but, yes, there's room for improvement,' said CFBAI Director Elaine Kolish.
But health advocates have been unimpressed with the food industry's efforts to reduce fat, sugar and salt in foods.
'Companies still aren't doing nearly enough to support parents and protect kids,' said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
She was particularly critical of industry's decision to allow companies to advertise popsicles and fruit roll-ups to children. 'The overwhelming majority of marketing is for foods that will compromise children's health,' she said.
The issue is a source of concern since about 17 percent of U.S. children and teens are obese and another 15 percent are overweight, according to 2010 data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Obama administration, with its goal of containing healthcare costs, has emphasized children's health. First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' campaign encourages children to eat healthier food and exercise more.
Several government agencies, including the FTC, lost a pitched battle last year to have the companies voluntarily end all advertising to children unless the food being promoted was healthy fare such as whole grains, fresh fruits or vegetables.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Leslie Gevirtz)
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Cereal makers, fast food restaurants and other food companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier, the FTC said.
But that drop did not come necessarily because companies advertised less, but because they spent less on expensive television advertising and 50 percent more on cheaper online marketing, the FTC said.
Ninety percent of the 48 companies surveyed reported doing some online marketing, the FTC said. The agency did not identify the companies.
The FTC also found 'modest nutritional improvements' in the foods advertised to children, in categories including cereals, drinks and fast-food kids' meals.
Cereals advertised to children had a small drop in sugar content and used more whole grains, while fast-food restaurants advertised fewer unhealthy products, the FTC said.
But beverages remained an issue since the FTC found that drinks marketed to children had an average of more than 20 grams of added sugar per serving. That is slightly less than a candy bar.
The FTC praised the Better Business Bureau's Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative for making 'major strides' in self-regulation, but urged more progress.
The CFBAI has nudged its members to improve foods advertised to children, and said that cereals in particular were better than those several years ago.
'This is an incremental process. As self-regulation has matured, it's gotten more robust but, yes, there's room for improvement,' said CFBAI Director Elaine Kolish.
But health advocates have been unimpressed with the food industry's efforts to reduce fat, sugar and salt in foods.
'Companies still aren't doing nearly enough to support parents and protect kids,' said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
She was particularly critical of industry's decision to allow companies to advertise popsicles and fruit roll-ups to children. 'The overwhelming majority of marketing is for foods that will compromise children's health,' she said.
The issue is a source of concern since about 17 percent of U.S. children and teens are obese and another 15 percent are overweight, according to 2010 data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Obama administration, with its goal of containing healthcare costs, has emphasized children's health. First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' campaign encourages children to eat healthier food and exercise more.
Several government agencies, including the FTC, lost a pitched battle last year to have the companies voluntarily end all advertising to children unless the food being promoted was healthy fare such as whole grains, fresh fruits or vegetables.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Leslie Gevirtz)
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
FDA approves Roche's Tamiflu for infants with new flu symptoms
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday expanded the use of Tamiflu, the flu drug from Roche, to children as young as two weeks old who have shown flu symptoms for no more than two days.
The FDA said the drug cannot be used to prevent flu infection in this age group. The drug is currently approved as both a flu treatment and preventative flu drug for children ages 1 and older, and adults. It aims to help lessen the length and severity of the flu.
Tamiflu was approved in 1999 and is distributed in the United States by Genentech, part of Roche. It was co-developed by Gilead Sciences. Its most common side effects include vomiting and diarrhea.
The FDA said its expanded use is based on extrapolating data from previous study results in adults and older children, and supporting studies by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Roche.
Tamiflu, which had peak sales of $3 billion in 2009 because of the H1N1 swine flu epidemic, is approved by regulators worldwide but some researchers claim there is little evidence it works and have asked Roche to hand over data so they can study its effectiveness.
(Reporting By Caroline Humer; Editing by Grant McCool)
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
The FDA said the drug cannot be used to prevent flu infection in this age group. The drug is currently approved as both a flu treatment and preventative flu drug for children ages 1 and older, and adults. It aims to help lessen the length and severity of the flu.
Tamiflu was approved in 1999 and is distributed in the United States by Genentech, part of Roche. It was co-developed by Gilead Sciences. Its most common side effects include vomiting and diarrhea.
The FDA said its expanded use is based on extrapolating data from previous study results in adults and older children, and supporting studies by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Roche.
Tamiflu, which had peak sales of $3 billion in 2009 because of the H1N1 swine flu epidemic, is approved by regulators worldwide but some researchers claim there is little evidence it works and have asked Roche to hand over data so they can study its effectiveness.
(Reporting By Caroline Humer; Editing by Grant McCool)
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Spending on food advertising to kids fell in '09-US FTC
(Reuters) - Food companies spent considerably less to advertise to children in 2009 than they did in 2006, although the foods that were pitched were only slightly more nutritious, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a report released on Friday.
Cereal makers, fast food restaurants and other food companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier, the FTC said.
But that drop came not necessarily because companies were advertising less but because they were switching from more expensive television advertising to cheaper online marketing, the FTC said.
Spending on online, mobile and viral marketing increased by 50 percent, the FTC said.
The FTC also found 'modest nutritional improvements' in the foods advertised to children, in categories including cereals, drinks and fast-food kid's meals.
By category, cereals advertised were slightly more nutritious because of a drop in sugar content, and fast-food restaurants advertised fewer unhealthy products, the FTC said.
But beverages remained an issue since the FTC found that drinks marketed to children had an average of more than 20 grams of added sugar per serving. That is slightly less than a candy bar.
The issue is a source of concern since about 17 percent of U.S. children and teens are obese and another 15 percent are overweight, according to 2010 data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Cereal makers, fast food restaurants and other food companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier, the FTC said.
But that drop came not necessarily because companies were advertising less but because they were switching from more expensive television advertising to cheaper online marketing, the FTC said.
Spending on online, mobile and viral marketing increased by 50 percent, the FTC said.
The FTC also found 'modest nutritional improvements' in the foods advertised to children, in categories including cereals, drinks and fast-food kid's meals.
By category, cereals advertised were slightly more nutritious because of a drop in sugar content, and fast-food restaurants advertised fewer unhealthy products, the FTC said.
But beverages remained an issue since the FTC found that drinks marketed to children had an average of more than 20 grams of added sugar per serving. That is slightly less than a candy bar.
The issue is a source of concern since about 17 percent of U.S. children and teens are obese and another 15 percent are overweight, according to 2010 data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Firms spend less to pitch to kids, foods slightly better: U.S. FTC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Food companies spent considerably less to advertise to children in 2009 than they did in 2006, although the foods that were pitched were only slightly more nutritious, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a report out on Friday.
The FTC, in a survey of data from industry, found that companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier.
But that drop came not because companies were advertising less, necessarily, but because they were switching from more expensive television advertising to online marketing, the FTC said.
The FTC also found 'modest nutritional improvements' in the foods advertised to children, in categories including cereals, drinks and fast-food kid's meals.
(Reporting By Diane Bartz)
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The FTC, in a survey of data from industry, found that companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier.
But that drop came not because companies were advertising less, necessarily, but because they were switching from more expensive television advertising to online marketing, the FTC said.
The FTC also found 'modest nutritional improvements' in the foods advertised to children, in categories including cereals, drinks and fast-food kid's meals.
(Reporting By Diane Bartz)
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Kids given healthier snacks eat fewer calories
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids given a combination of cheese and vegetables will eat only about a quarter as many calories as those given potato chips, according to a new study.
'Like it or not, children like foods that are energy-dense and not those that are nutrient-rich. That is because children are still growing. That is basic physiology,' said Adam Drewnowski, director of the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington, who was not part of the study.
The findings may not be surprising, but they suggest that swapping out potato chips for cheese or vegetables then might help reduce the amount of calories kids eat at snack time, said Adam Brumberg, one of the authors of the study and the deputy director of the Food and Brand Laboratory at Cornell University.
'If you put into the rotation (healthier snacks) you can have a significant impact on weekly caloric intake,' he suggested.
The study, which was funded in part by the cheese maker Bel Brands USA, involved 183 kids in 3rd through 6th grade.
Each of the kids was put in a room to watch TV and eat a snack - 45 kids were given potato chips, 36 were offered cheese, 59 were given raw vegetables and 43 were given cheese and vegetables.
After 45 minutes the researchers measured how much food the children had eaten.
They found that kids in the chip group ate by far the most calories - 620 on average.
Kids ate 200 calories of cheese, 60 calories of vegetables and 170 calories of the combination cheese-and-vegetables snack.
'Children tend to eat the foods they like - and one measure of preference is the amount eaten. So chips and cheese beat raw vegetables hands down. Why am I not surprised?' said Drewnowski in an email to Reuters Health.
The findings might be obvious, but they also reveal that kids felt full after eating fewer calories of the cheese and vegetables than after eating the potato chips.
'One thing that was crucial about this study is there was no restriction on the quantity. No one in the snacking conditions ate everything,' said Brumberg.
In other words, the kids ate until they felt full, and for the potato chip group that meant eating a lot more calories than the cheese-and-veggies group.
To put those 600 potato chip calories into perspective, a moderately active eight-year-old boy should eat about 1400 to 1600 calories a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ROLE OF RESTRICTION?
Brumberg said there's a lot of conflicting information regarding nutrition and ways to get kids to eat healthy, but restricting kids' diets to only the healthiest of foods might not be the right approach.
'We think that for most people restrictions are setting up an opportunity for you to fail,' he said.
For some families, restricting snacks to only the healthiest ones is not even possible.
Drewnowski pointed out that children from low income families are affected the most by obesity, and 'red bell peppers at $3.99 per pound are not going to solve that problem.'
Brumberg suggested that parents should still let kids have the foods they prefer, but limit them.
'The most effective way, we believe, is to put (healthy snacks) in the rotation. Don't take away everything that they love, but reduce calories over the week,' he said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/ZVutRp Pediatrics, online December 17, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
'Like it or not, children like foods that are energy-dense and not those that are nutrient-rich. That is because children are still growing. That is basic physiology,' said Adam Drewnowski, director of the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington, who was not part of the study.
The findings may not be surprising, but they suggest that swapping out potato chips for cheese or vegetables then might help reduce the amount of calories kids eat at snack time, said Adam Brumberg, one of the authors of the study and the deputy director of the Food and Brand Laboratory at Cornell University.
'If you put into the rotation (healthier snacks) you can have a significant impact on weekly caloric intake,' he suggested.
The study, which was funded in part by the cheese maker Bel Brands USA, involved 183 kids in 3rd through 6th grade.
Each of the kids was put in a room to watch TV and eat a snack - 45 kids were given potato chips, 36 were offered cheese, 59 were given raw vegetables and 43 were given cheese and vegetables.
After 45 minutes the researchers measured how much food the children had eaten.
They found that kids in the chip group ate by far the most calories - 620 on average.
Kids ate 200 calories of cheese, 60 calories of vegetables and 170 calories of the combination cheese-and-vegetables snack.
'Children tend to eat the foods they like - and one measure of preference is the amount eaten. So chips and cheese beat raw vegetables hands down. Why am I not surprised?' said Drewnowski in an email to Reuters Health.
The findings might be obvious, but they also reveal that kids felt full after eating fewer calories of the cheese and vegetables than after eating the potato chips.
'One thing that was crucial about this study is there was no restriction on the quantity. No one in the snacking conditions ate everything,' said Brumberg.
In other words, the kids ate until they felt full, and for the potato chip group that meant eating a lot more calories than the cheese-and-veggies group.
To put those 600 potato chip calories into perspective, a moderately active eight-year-old boy should eat about 1400 to 1600 calories a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ROLE OF RESTRICTION?
Brumberg said there's a lot of conflicting information regarding nutrition and ways to get kids to eat healthy, but restricting kids' diets to only the healthiest of foods might not be the right approach.
'We think that for most people restrictions are setting up an opportunity for you to fail,' he said.
For some families, restricting snacks to only the healthiest ones is not even possible.
Drewnowski pointed out that children from low income families are affected the most by obesity, and 'red bell peppers at $3.99 per pound are not going to solve that problem.'
Brumberg suggested that parents should still let kids have the foods they prefer, but limit them.
'The most effective way, we believe, is to put (healthy snacks) in the rotation. Don't take away everything that they love, but reduce calories over the week,' he said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/ZVutRp Pediatrics, online December 17, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Benghazi Report and Parents of Children With Mental Illness: Today's Qs for O's WH, 12/20/12
TAPPER: Has the president read the Accountability Review Board report?
CARNEY: I don't know. I haven't - I know he has been briefed on it. I don't know if he's read it word for word, but he's a voracious reader, so he may have.
TAPPPER: The - I believe one person has resigned and three have been - stepped down from their current duties but are still State Department employees. There might - there might have been an update for that since I last read about that. Is that sufficient for the president? Is that - is that enough accountability from the Accountability Review Board?
CARNEY: I think by every measure, the report has been assessed to be - to have been sharply critical and very blunt and clear-eyed about both problems that exist, problems that need to be fixed and the need for accountability, and actions are - already have been taken, as you just - as you just noted.
TAPPER: I'm not questioning the report. I'm -
CARNEY: Well, again, I think -
TAPPER: I'm wondering: is that enough?
CARNEY: I think independent experts here, Admiral Mullen and Ambassador Pickering, oversaw a - Accountability Review Board which I think everyone is judging to have been quite - and the recommendations that they have made are being adopted in full, and there has already been, in this very short period of time, actions that demonstrate accountability is being upheld.
I don't - I mean I haven't had a discussion with the president, but I think he is both appreciative of Ambassador Pickering and Admiral Mullen for the service they provided to the nation here, for the depth that they delved into in this report and the seriousness of the recommendations, the speed with which they acted; and, you know, he intends to make sure that the administration, as the secretary of state has said, begins implementation of all of these recommendations before the next secretary of state takes office.
Some of this has to do - some of it will have to do with working with Congress to ensure that Congress provides the necessary funds to allow for enhanced security at our diplomatic missions around the world. So there is obviously more action that needs to be taken, but this is a very serious report and the president has indicated that he expects it to be implemented fully.
TAPPER: Again, I'm not disparaging the report. I'm just wondering if -
(Cross talk.)
CARNEY: Again, I think - I don't have another answer for you. Four people have already, in one way or another, been held accountable, fairly senior people, so -
TAPPER: Is that sufficient for the president? That's the only question.
CARNEY: I believe the president believes that the recommendations and the actions taken have been the right ones.
TAPPER: O.K., one other thing I wanted to ask about the mental health ramifications following Sandy Hook, and that is there have been some interesting personal stories in the media about parents - a lot of them single parents, but not exclusively - struggling with children who are mentally ill, some of them violently so, most of them not, who do not have enough help from society. They fall through some holes, some cracks in the system. I'm just wondering if the president has seen any of these, have read any of the - of the essays that have been written, and caught any of them on television, because it's been - it's actually been - it's been remarkable to hear, because normally you don't hear stories like this.
CARNEY: Well, I haven't had that discussion with him. He is someone who reads widely, and it would surprise me if he hasn't read or seen some of the reports that you're talking about, probably more likely to have read rather than seen, with all due respect to the broadcast media.
But the fact is that he believes very strongly that mental health is one of the major areas that needs to be addressed as we take a kind of comprehensive approach to this problem. It's why - setting aside the issue of gun violence - but the issue of mental health in general is extremely important to - in the president's view, to our - what our overall approach to health care in this country ought to be, which is why, as you know, he made sure that the health care law that he passed with Congress will ensure 30 million more Americans have access to mental health services, and that will also - makes recommended mental health services available without a co-pay or a deductible - again, part of the effort here to make it clear that issues of mental health are as important, both for the individual and for the society, as issues of physical health.
So - but as it relates to the gun violence there is no question that this is something that needs more exploration and likely more action, which is why the president has taken the action that he has.
Also Read
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Early Language Skills Help Kids Manage Anger
The ability to use words as a toddler may affect the way a child manages anger later in life, a new study suggests.
Children with good language skills at age 2 expressed less anger during frustrating situations at age 4 than did those 4-year-olds with less advanced language skills, according to the study's findings.
Children whose language skills developed quickly also expressed less anger at age 4.
While previous research suggested a link between language skills and the expression of anger in young children, few studies had followed children over time. [See Kids' Tantrums As Disorder Concern Doctors.]
The new study followed 120 children from 18 months old until they were 4. Children periodically underwent tests that assessed their language skills and their ability to cope with frustrating tasks. One task asked children to wait for eight minutes before opening a present while their mother finished work.
Two aspects of language appeared to help children rein in their anger. First, more-developed language skills allowed kids to ask for support from their parents during a frustrating situation (for instance, asking the mother whether she was finished with her work). Children also used language to occupy or distract themselves from becoming angry. (One child dealt with the waiting task by counting for a full minute.)
'Better language skills may help children verbalize rather than use emotions to convey needs and use their imaginations to occupy themselves while enduring a frustrating wait,' said study researcher Pamela Cole, a professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University..
The study appears today (Dec. 20) in the journal Child Development.
Pass it on:Toddlers with good language skills are better able to manage anger when they enter preschool.
Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
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Children with good language skills at age 2 expressed less anger during frustrating situations at age 4 than did those 4-year-olds with less advanced language skills, according to the study's findings.
Children whose language skills developed quickly also expressed less anger at age 4.
While previous research suggested a link between language skills and the expression of anger in young children, few studies had followed children over time. [See Kids' Tantrums As Disorder Concern Doctors.]
The new study followed 120 children from 18 months old until they were 4. Children periodically underwent tests that assessed their language skills and their ability to cope with frustrating tasks. One task asked children to wait for eight minutes before opening a present while their mother finished work.
Two aspects of language appeared to help children rein in their anger. First, more-developed language skills allowed kids to ask for support from their parents during a frustrating situation (for instance, asking the mother whether she was finished with her work). Children also used language to occupy or distract themselves from becoming angry. (One child dealt with the waiting task by counting for a full minute.)
'Better language skills may help children verbalize rather than use emotions to convey needs and use their imaginations to occupy themselves while enduring a frustrating wait,' said study researcher Pamela Cole, a professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University..
The study appears today (Dec. 20) in the journal Child Development.
Pass it on:Toddlers with good language skills are better able to manage anger when they enter preschool.
Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- 11 Tips to Lower Stress
- Typical Toddler Behavior, or ADHD? 10 Ways to Tell
- 10 Ways to Promote Kids' Healthy Eating Habits
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Family Meals Help Kids Eat More Fruit & Veggies
One or two family meals a week may help kids eat more fruits and vegetables, a new study suggests.
In the U.K. study, children whose families always ate meals together consumed 4.4 ounces (1.5 portions) more fruits and vegetables a day compared with children whose families never ate together.
And kids who had family meals just once or twice a week consumed 3.4 ounces (1.2 portions) more produce a day.
'Modern life often prevents the whole family from sitting round the dinner table, but this research shows that even just Sunday lunch round the table can help improve the diets of our families,' said study researcher Meaghan Christian, of the University of Leeds.
Family meals may provide an opportunity for children to learn healthy eating habits from their parents or siblings, and are also an incentive to plan meals, the researchers said.
Cutting fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces also appeared to increase consumption. Children ate half a portion more of fruits and vegetables (1.4 ounces) if their parents said they always cut up these foods.
The majority of children in the United States, Europe and Australia don't consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables (five servings a day), the researchers said. [See 10 Ways to Promote Kids' Healthy Eating Habits].
Previous research has shown that children who dine with their families are less likely to be obese and more likely to eat healthy foods.
The new study's findings are based on information from 2,000 elementary school children in London, with an average age of 8. Parents answered questions about their child's food consumption over the last day, as well as how often the family ate meals together. Sixty-three percent of the kids did not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Because the results are based on parents' reports of their kids' food intake, they may be subject to bias, the researchers noted. Parents may overreport the amount of fruits and vegetables their child eats because a healthy diet is socially desirable. But the parents of children in the study did watch a DVD to learn how to properly report their child's food intake, the researchers said.
The study is published today (Dec. 19) in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Pass it on:One or two family meals a week may increase a child's fruit and vegetable intake.
Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
In the U.K. study, children whose families always ate meals together consumed 4.4 ounces (1.5 portions) more fruits and vegetables a day compared with children whose families never ate together.
And kids who had family meals just once or twice a week consumed 3.4 ounces (1.2 portions) more produce a day.
'Modern life often prevents the whole family from sitting round the dinner table, but this research shows that even just Sunday lunch round the table can help improve the diets of our families,' said study researcher Meaghan Christian, of the University of Leeds.
Family meals may provide an opportunity for children to learn healthy eating habits from their parents or siblings, and are also an incentive to plan meals, the researchers said.
Cutting fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces also appeared to increase consumption. Children ate half a portion more of fruits and vegetables (1.4 ounces) if their parents said they always cut up these foods.
The majority of children in the United States, Europe and Australia don't consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables (five servings a day), the researchers said. [See 10 Ways to Promote Kids' Healthy Eating Habits].
Previous research has shown that children who dine with their families are less likely to be obese and more likely to eat healthy foods.
The new study's findings are based on information from 2,000 elementary school children in London, with an average age of 8. Parents answered questions about their child's food consumption over the last day, as well as how often the family ate meals together. Sixty-three percent of the kids did not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Because the results are based on parents' reports of their kids' food intake, they may be subject to bias, the researchers noted. Parents may overreport the amount of fruits and vegetables their child eats because a healthy diet is socially desirable. But the parents of children in the study did watch a DVD to learn how to properly report their child's food intake, the researchers said.
The study is published today (Dec. 19) in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Pass it on:One or two family meals a week may increase a child's fruit and vegetable intake.
Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- 9 Snack Foods: Healthy or Not?
- 4 Tips for Sneaking 'Health' into Your Kids' Food
- 9 Meal Schedules: When to Eat to Lose Weight
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Experts: Kids are resilient in coping with trauma
WASHINGTON (AP) - They might not want to talk about the gunshots or the screams. But their toys might start getting into imaginary shootouts.
Last week's school shooting in Connecticut begs the question: What will be the psychological fallout for the children who survived?
For people of any age, regaining a sense of security after surviving violence can take a long time. They're at risk for lingering anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder.
But after the grief and fear fades, psychiatrists say most of Newtown's young survivors probably will cope without long-term emotional problems.
'Kids do tend to be highly resilient,' said Dr. Matthew Biel, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
And one way that younger children try to make sense of trauma is through play. Youngsters may pull out action figures or stuffed animals and re-enact what they witnessed, perhaps multiple times.
'That's the way they gain mastery over a situation that's overwhelming,' Biel explained, saying it becomes a concern only if the child is clearly distressed while playing.
Nor is it unusual for children to chase each other playing cops-and-robbers, but now parents might see some also pretending they're dead, added Dr. Melissa Brymer of the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
Among the challenges will be spotting which children are struggling enough that they may need professional help.
Newtown's tragedy is particularly heart-wrenching because of what such young children grappled with - like the six first-graders who apparently had to run past their teacher's body to escape to safety.
There's little scientific research specifically on PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, in children exposed to a burst of violence, and even less to tell if a younger child will have a harder time healing than an older one.
Overall, scientists say studies of natural disasters and wars suggest most children eventually recover from traumatic experiences while a smaller proportion develop long-term disorders such as PTSD. Brymer says in her studies of school shootings, that fraction can range from 10 percent to a quarter of survivors, depending on what they actually experienced. A broader 2007 study found 13 percent of U.S. children exposed to different types of trauma reported some symptoms of PTSD, although less than 1 percent had enough for an official diagnosis.
Violence isn't all that rare in childhood. In many parts of the world - and in inner-city neighborhoods in the U.S., too - children witness it repeatedly. They don't become inured to it, Biel said, and more exposure means a greater chance of lasting psychological harm.
In Newtown, most at risk for longer-term problems are those who saw someone killed, said Dr. Carol North of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who has researched survivors of mass shootings.
Friday's shootings were mostly in two classrooms of Sandy Hook Elementary School, which has about 450 students through fourth-grade.
But those who weren't as close to the danger may be at extra risk, too, if this wasn't their first trauma or they already had problems such as anxiety disorders that increase their vulnerability, she said.
Right after a traumatic event, it's normal to have nightmares or trouble sleeping, to stick close to loved ones, and to be nervous or moody, Biel said.
To help, parents will have to follow their child's lead. Grilling a child about a traumatic experience isn't good, he stressed. Some children will ask a lot of questions, seeking reassurance, he said. Others will be quiet, thinking about the experience and maybe drawing or writing about it, or acting it out at playtime. Younger children may regress, becoming clingy or having tantrums.
Before second grade, their brains also are at a developmental stage some refer to as magical thinking, when it's difficult to distinguish reality and fantasy. Parents may have to help them understand that a friend who died isn't in pain or lonely but also isn't coming back, Brymer said.
When problem behaviors or signs of distress continue for several weeks, Brymer says it's time for an evaluation by a counselor or pediatrician.
Besides a supportive family, what helps? North advises getting children back into routines, together with their friends, and easing them back into a school setting. Studies of survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks found 'the power of the support of the people who went through it with you is huge,' she said.
Children as young as first-graders can benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, Georgetown's Biel said. They can calm themselves with breathing techniques. They also can learn to identify and label their feelings - anger, frustration, worry - and how to balance, say, a worried thought with a brave one.
Finally, avoid watching TV coverage of the shooting, as children may think it's happening all over again, Biel added. He found that children who watched the 9/11 clips of planes hitting the World Trade Center thought they were seeing dozens of separate attacks.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE - Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
Last week's school shooting in Connecticut begs the question: What will be the psychological fallout for the children who survived?
For people of any age, regaining a sense of security after surviving violence can take a long time. They're at risk for lingering anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder.
But after the grief and fear fades, psychiatrists say most of Newtown's young survivors probably will cope without long-term emotional problems.
'Kids do tend to be highly resilient,' said Dr. Matthew Biel, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
And one way that younger children try to make sense of trauma is through play. Youngsters may pull out action figures or stuffed animals and re-enact what they witnessed, perhaps multiple times.
'That's the way they gain mastery over a situation that's overwhelming,' Biel explained, saying it becomes a concern only if the child is clearly distressed while playing.
Nor is it unusual for children to chase each other playing cops-and-robbers, but now parents might see some also pretending they're dead, added Dr. Melissa Brymer of the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
Among the challenges will be spotting which children are struggling enough that they may need professional help.
Newtown's tragedy is particularly heart-wrenching because of what such young children grappled with - like the six first-graders who apparently had to run past their teacher's body to escape to safety.
There's little scientific research specifically on PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, in children exposed to a burst of violence, and even less to tell if a younger child will have a harder time healing than an older one.
Overall, scientists say studies of natural disasters and wars suggest most children eventually recover from traumatic experiences while a smaller proportion develop long-term disorders such as PTSD. Brymer says in her studies of school shootings, that fraction can range from 10 percent to a quarter of survivors, depending on what they actually experienced. A broader 2007 study found 13 percent of U.S. children exposed to different types of trauma reported some symptoms of PTSD, although less than 1 percent had enough for an official diagnosis.
Violence isn't all that rare in childhood. In many parts of the world - and in inner-city neighborhoods in the U.S., too - children witness it repeatedly. They don't become inured to it, Biel said, and more exposure means a greater chance of lasting psychological harm.
In Newtown, most at risk for longer-term problems are those who saw someone killed, said Dr. Carol North of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who has researched survivors of mass shootings.
Friday's shootings were mostly in two classrooms of Sandy Hook Elementary School, which has about 450 students through fourth-grade.
But those who weren't as close to the danger may be at extra risk, too, if this wasn't their first trauma or they already had problems such as anxiety disorders that increase their vulnerability, she said.
Right after a traumatic event, it's normal to have nightmares or trouble sleeping, to stick close to loved ones, and to be nervous or moody, Biel said.
To help, parents will have to follow their child's lead. Grilling a child about a traumatic experience isn't good, he stressed. Some children will ask a lot of questions, seeking reassurance, he said. Others will be quiet, thinking about the experience and maybe drawing or writing about it, or acting it out at playtime. Younger children may regress, becoming clingy or having tantrums.
Before second grade, their brains also are at a developmental stage some refer to as magical thinking, when it's difficult to distinguish reality and fantasy. Parents may have to help them understand that a friend who died isn't in pain or lonely but also isn't coming back, Brymer said.
When problem behaviors or signs of distress continue for several weeks, Brymer says it's time for an evaluation by a counselor or pediatrician.
Besides a supportive family, what helps? North advises getting children back into routines, together with their friends, and easing them back into a school setting. Studies of survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks found 'the power of the support of the people who went through it with you is huge,' she said.
Children as young as first-graders can benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, Georgetown's Biel said. They can calm themselves with breathing techniques. They also can learn to identify and label their feelings - anger, frustration, worry - and how to balance, say, a worried thought with a brave one.
Finally, avoid watching TV coverage of the shooting, as children may think it's happening all over again, Biel added. He found that children who watched the 9/11 clips of planes hitting the World Trade Center thought they were seeing dozens of separate attacks.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE - Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Kids Lead Crowd-Funded Scientific Mission to Nicaragua: Science Education Is the Tide That Lifts All Boats
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.
Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
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Kids Lead Crowd Funded Scientific Mission to Nicaragua: Science Education is the Tide that Lifts All Boats
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.
Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Newtown Shooting: Young Kids Cope With Horror
Witnesses at Sandy Hook Elementary School reported horrific scenes as a shooter took 27 lives today -- the shattering sounds of gunshots, children locked in the bathrooms and parents crying outside in the parking lot.
Experts say that the young children who saw events first-hand can have lasting psychological scars, but those whose home lives are stable and supportive will have fewer long-term scars.
'It was horrific,' said Kaitlin Roig, a 29-year-old teacher, who was in a morning meeting when the gunman entered the school.
'Suddenly, I heard rapid fire, like an assault weapon,' the first grade teacher told ABC. She rounded up her 14 students and locked them and herself in the bathroom. 'I helped kids climb on the toilet dispenser [so they could all fit in].
'I thought we were going to die.'
CLICK HERE for more on the Newtown, Conn., School Shooting.
Children in such a situation 'are terrified, and they don't have the cognitive or emotional capacities to make sense of this,' said Dr. Nadine Kaslow, professor and vice chair of the department of psychiatry at Emory School of Medicine.
'Not that any of us can make any sense of this,' said Kaslow. 'It's truly inconceivable.'
At least 27 people, mostly children under the age of 10, were shot and killed at the K-to-4 school this morning, federal and state sources tell ABC News.
The massacre drew SWAT teams to the school and the town of Newtown locked down all its schools, authorities said today.
According to federal sources, the gunman was identified as Adam Lanza, 20. His mother, who worked at the elementary school, was one of the victims.
CLICK HERE for more photos from the scene.
One mother named Christine who has a child at Sandy Hook told ABC about the chaos that ensued when she arrived at the school this morning.
'When I got there, there were just parents running into the firehouse because they were directing us there. That's where children had been evacuating to, and we went in and people were just grabbing their children and hugging and crying. There were lots of children crying.'
She said another parent who had been at the school at the time was 'pretty broken up.' Many parents didn't know where their children were.
In 1996 in Dunblane, Scotland, 15 children and a teacher were killed in a similar massacre.
Parents and caregivers play the most important role in a child's recovery from a traumatic event, according to Dr. Gene Beresin, director of training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
'Children need to know that they are safe,' he said. 'Are people taking care of me? How is this going to affect my life? They need to be reassured.'
'Thinking about kids in all disasters, you think about the airlines -- when the oxygen mask drops, you put your mask on first and then help the child next,' said Beresin.
'Parents need to take care of themselves first. [The children] need to know you are calm and in control,' he said.
Adults and community support is critical, according to Beresin.
Young children who witness violence can have acute or post-traumatic stress disorder. 'The immediate reaction is shock and horror,' he said.
After events like this, communities typically set up crisis centers in a church or other public place where people can seek professional and spiritual help.
Turn the television off, say experts, but answer your children's questions. Don't disregard an older sibling who is watching the news unfold and is worried. They need assurance, too, he said.
According to Beresin, young children may not have 'discreet memories' of the event, but they can still have an emotional reaction, experiencing nightmares or, conversely, emotional numbing, said Beresin.
'Some kids shut down,' he said. 'They may actually turn off and not want to be hugged or cuddled -- that's a normal response. Some kids are clingy, and others will withdraw.'
Kids can also regress in the aftermath of a traumatic event.
Parents should not force a child to open up, but 'don't let them be alone,' he said.
One way young children can work out problems are through reenactment. 'They may be playing a game about shooting and dying, and parents should not stop that,' said Beresin. 'Let them do it.'
Young children can also ask questions that don't directly relate to the event, according to Rahill Briggs, assistant professor of pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
'They can ask directly or less directly about guns, or heaven or death or about a pet that died,' she said.
In studies of 9/11 one of the findings -- not a surprising one -- after the terrorist attacks was that those who were most directly affected 'suffered the most,' according to Briggs. Coping with grief long-term depended on the cohesion of the child's family -- 'how well the caregiving system responds to distress. When it is proactive, by definition the children do better.'
'What was the most incredibly predictive five years out was how everyone was doing before the incident,' said Briggs. 'It is the same for mental health in general, those who are coping well in their lives before a trauma are the most likely to cope well afterwards -- even if they saw the towers fall.'
Also Read
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Experts say that the young children who saw events first-hand can have lasting psychological scars, but those whose home lives are stable and supportive will have fewer long-term scars.
'It was horrific,' said Kaitlin Roig, a 29-year-old teacher, who was in a morning meeting when the gunman entered the school.
'Suddenly, I heard rapid fire, like an assault weapon,' the first grade teacher told ABC. She rounded up her 14 students and locked them and herself in the bathroom. 'I helped kids climb on the toilet dispenser [so they could all fit in].
'I thought we were going to die.'
CLICK HERE for more on the Newtown, Conn., School Shooting.
Children in such a situation 'are terrified, and they don't have the cognitive or emotional capacities to make sense of this,' said Dr. Nadine Kaslow, professor and vice chair of the department of psychiatry at Emory School of Medicine.
'Not that any of us can make any sense of this,' said Kaslow. 'It's truly inconceivable.'
At least 27 people, mostly children under the age of 10, were shot and killed at the K-to-4 school this morning, federal and state sources tell ABC News.
The massacre drew SWAT teams to the school and the town of Newtown locked down all its schools, authorities said today.
According to federal sources, the gunman was identified as Adam Lanza, 20. His mother, who worked at the elementary school, was one of the victims.
CLICK HERE for more photos from the scene.
One mother named Christine who has a child at Sandy Hook told ABC about the chaos that ensued when she arrived at the school this morning.
'When I got there, there were just parents running into the firehouse because they were directing us there. That's where children had been evacuating to, and we went in and people were just grabbing their children and hugging and crying. There were lots of children crying.'
She said another parent who had been at the school at the time was 'pretty broken up.' Many parents didn't know where their children were.
In 1996 in Dunblane, Scotland, 15 children and a teacher were killed in a similar massacre.
Parents and caregivers play the most important role in a child's recovery from a traumatic event, according to Dr. Gene Beresin, director of training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
'Children need to know that they are safe,' he said. 'Are people taking care of me? How is this going to affect my life? They need to be reassured.'
'Thinking about kids in all disasters, you think about the airlines -- when the oxygen mask drops, you put your mask on first and then help the child next,' said Beresin.
'Parents need to take care of themselves first. [The children] need to know you are calm and in control,' he said.
Adults and community support is critical, according to Beresin.
Young children who witness violence can have acute or post-traumatic stress disorder. 'The immediate reaction is shock and horror,' he said.
After events like this, communities typically set up crisis centers in a church or other public place where people can seek professional and spiritual help.
Turn the television off, say experts, but answer your children's questions. Don't disregard an older sibling who is watching the news unfold and is worried. They need assurance, too, he said.
According to Beresin, young children may not have 'discreet memories' of the event, but they can still have an emotional reaction, experiencing nightmares or, conversely, emotional numbing, said Beresin.
'Some kids shut down,' he said. 'They may actually turn off and not want to be hugged or cuddled -- that's a normal response. Some kids are clingy, and others will withdraw.'
Kids can also regress in the aftermath of a traumatic event.
Parents should not force a child to open up, but 'don't let them be alone,' he said.
One way young children can work out problems are through reenactment. 'They may be playing a game about shooting and dying, and parents should not stop that,' said Beresin. 'Let them do it.'
Young children can also ask questions that don't directly relate to the event, according to Rahill Briggs, assistant professor of pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
'They can ask directly or less directly about guns, or heaven or death or about a pet that died,' she said.
In studies of 9/11 one of the findings -- not a surprising one -- after the terrorist attacks was that those who were most directly affected 'suffered the most,' according to Briggs. Coping with grief long-term depended on the cohesion of the child's family -- 'how well the caregiving system responds to distress. When it is proactive, by definition the children do better.'
'What was the most incredibly predictive five years out was how everyone was doing before the incident,' said Briggs. 'It is the same for mental health in general, those who are coping well in their lives before a trauma are the most likely to cope well afterwards -- even if they saw the towers fall.'
Also Read
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
C-section babies more likely to become overweight
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children born via cesarean section are slightly more likely than babies delivered vaginally to become heavy or obese, according to a new review of studies.
The results don't prove that c-sections cause kids to put on weight, but Dr. Jianmeng Liu, one of the authors of the study and a professor at Peking University Health Science Center in China, said the link between the delivery and obesity is important to keep in mind.
'The potential health burden of obesity and other diseases associated with c-section births should not be neglected, even if its impact is modest, particularly given' how often births happen that way, Liu told Reuters Health in an email.
Previous research has tied c-sections to a variety of untoward health outcomes in children, including asthma, allergies and diabetes (see Reuters Health reports of February 5, 2009 here: http://reut.rs/js7tcW and September 18, 2008 here: http://reut.rs/m5Kpji).
Liu said that the relationship between the type of delivery and obesity among kids hasn't been as clear (see Reuters Health reports of January 30, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/xxjBgo and May 12, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/mv2kS5).
The research team collected the results from nine studies that included more than 200,000 people.
People were 33 percent more likely to be overweight or obese if they were born by c-section, researchers report in the International Journal of Obesity.
Nearly 70 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. A 33 percent increase from that number would mean that 93 percent would be heavy.
The risk for childhood obesity in particular was somewhat higher - about a 40 percent increase over kids born vaginally.
Nearly one in five kids aged six to 11 is obese in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Liu said the increase in risk was modest, but that it persists into adulthood. When the researchers looked just at the studies on adults, they found that those who were born surgically were 50 percent more likely to be obese than those who were born vaginally.
WHY THE LINK?
It's not clear why c-section births are tied to a better chance of being heavy.
One possibility relates to the bacteria babies are exposed to when they are delivered vaginally, which might affect the way they process and store food, said Liu.
Additionally, Liu added, researchers have suggested that c-sections are linked with a lower concentration in the umbilical cord of a hormone important in regulating weight and with a reduced rate of breastfeeding, 'both of which are reported to be associated with an increased risk of later obesity.'
Babies who are larger than normal are also more likely to be born via cesarean, but most of the studies Liu's team analyzed took into account birth weight.
Cesareans have become increasingly popular, and in the U.S. now one in four babies is born through a c-section.
Liu said there's been concern that some of these are unnecessary, and given the potential negative impacts on children the unneeded ones should be curbed.
'In clinical practice, (the) potential adverse impact of c-section should be considered by medical staff, and non-medically indicated elective c-section should be somewhat avoided, where possible,' Liu said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/XcjOMh International Journal of Obesity, online December 4, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
The results don't prove that c-sections cause kids to put on weight, but Dr. Jianmeng Liu, one of the authors of the study and a professor at Peking University Health Science Center in China, said the link between the delivery and obesity is important to keep in mind.
'The potential health burden of obesity and other diseases associated with c-section births should not be neglected, even if its impact is modest, particularly given' how often births happen that way, Liu told Reuters Health in an email.
Previous research has tied c-sections to a variety of untoward health outcomes in children, including asthma, allergies and diabetes (see Reuters Health reports of February 5, 2009 here: http://reut.rs/js7tcW and September 18, 2008 here: http://reut.rs/m5Kpji).
Liu said that the relationship between the type of delivery and obesity among kids hasn't been as clear (see Reuters Health reports of January 30, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/xxjBgo and May 12, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/mv2kS5).
The research team collected the results from nine studies that included more than 200,000 people.
People were 33 percent more likely to be overweight or obese if they were born by c-section, researchers report in the International Journal of Obesity.
Nearly 70 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. A 33 percent increase from that number would mean that 93 percent would be heavy.
The risk for childhood obesity in particular was somewhat higher - about a 40 percent increase over kids born vaginally.
Nearly one in five kids aged six to 11 is obese in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Liu said the increase in risk was modest, but that it persists into adulthood. When the researchers looked just at the studies on adults, they found that those who were born surgically were 50 percent more likely to be obese than those who were born vaginally.
WHY THE LINK?
It's not clear why c-section births are tied to a better chance of being heavy.
One possibility relates to the bacteria babies are exposed to when they are delivered vaginally, which might affect the way they process and store food, said Liu.
Additionally, Liu added, researchers have suggested that c-sections are linked with a lower concentration in the umbilical cord of a hormone important in regulating weight and with a reduced rate of breastfeeding, 'both of which are reported to be associated with an increased risk of later obesity.'
Babies who are larger than normal are also more likely to be born via cesarean, but most of the studies Liu's team analyzed took into account birth weight.
Cesareans have become increasingly popular, and in the U.S. now one in four babies is born through a c-section.
Liu said there's been concern that some of these are unnecessary, and given the potential negative impacts on children the unneeded ones should be curbed.
'In clinical practice, (the) potential adverse impact of c-section should be considered by medical staff, and non-medically indicated elective c-section should be somewhat avoided, where possible,' Liu said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/XcjOMh International Journal of Obesity, online December 4, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Monday, December 10, 2012
C-Sections Save Kids and Moms in Tanzania
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Iron may prevent behavioral issues in small babies
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Iron supplements may help boost brain development and ward off behavioral problems in babies who are born a bit on the small side, a new study from Sweden suggests.
Low birth-weight babies are more likely to end up iron deficient, researchers said. They need more of the nutrient for catch-up growth and haven't stored as much as other babies if they're also born premature.
For that reason, very early-term and very small babies are often put on iron - but less research has looked at babies born just shy of normal weight, to see if they are also at risk.
'I think this further solidifies the evidence that it's a very good idea to give these (marginally low birth-weight) children iron supplements,' said Dr. Magnus Domellof, from Umea University, who worked on the study.
The research was led by his colleague, Dr. Staffan Berglund. Their team followed 285 infants born between 4 pounds, 7 ounces and 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
When the babies were six weeks old, the researchers randomly assigned them to get iron drops - either one or two milligrams per kilogram of body weight - or iron-free placebo drops each day until their six-month birthday.
Then at age three and a half, Domellof's team brought the kids back for IQ tests and surveyed parents about their behavioral issues. The researchers compared kids in the iron- and placebo-drop study groups with another 95 children who were born at normal weight.
There were no IQ differences based on whether the smaller-than-average babies had been put on an iron regimen. All three low birth-weight groups had average scores between 104 and 105. ('Cognitive impairment' in this study was considered an IQ under 85.)
However, significantly more babies given placebo drops had behavioral problems, as reported by their parents. The issues included problems managing emotional reactions, anxiety and depression, as well as sleep and attention problems.
Almost 13 percent of the placebo-group babies scored above the cutoff for clinical behavior problems, versus about 3 percent of kids who'd taken iron drops and kids from the normal-weight comparison group.
That suggests iron deficiency in infancy may be a direct cause of behavioral problems later in childhood, the researchers wrote Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
They are continuing to monitor the same group of kids as they get older, to see if new cognitive or behavioral problems develop or old ones get better as the children head into grade school.
Domellof said he and his colleagues didn't see any extra stomach problems in kids or delayed growth linked to the use of iron drops. Some research has suggested giving excessive iron to young kids who aren't deficient may stunt their development.
But, 'I would not be afraid of recommending this to all children (born) below 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces) at this dose,' Domellof told Reuters Health.
'Here's where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,' said Dr. Michael Georgieff, a child development researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who had reviewed the study as part of Berglund's dissertation committee.
He told Reuters Health that it's important for all parents to know their baby's iron requirements when they leave the hospital.
'The issue with these marginally low birth-weight infants is, people really haven't paid a lot of attention to them, but the evidence is accumulating that they are at risk for behavioral problems and less than ideal cognitive function,' said Dr. Betsy Lozoff, who studies the effects of iron deficiency in infants at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
For most babies in the United States, extra iron is recommended starting at four to six months, either through supplements if the mother is breastfeeding or through formula. Very small or premature babies typically have their iron monitored from birth.
But Lozoff, who wasn't involved in the new research, said that in many places, there are no recommendations for how to treat babies who are just below a normal birth weight.
'This would suggest that it should just be a routine supplementation, and it can be at a low level of iron,' she told Reuters Health.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online December 10, 2012.
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Low birth-weight babies are more likely to end up iron deficient, researchers said. They need more of the nutrient for catch-up growth and haven't stored as much as other babies if they're also born premature.
For that reason, very early-term and very small babies are often put on iron - but less research has looked at babies born just shy of normal weight, to see if they are also at risk.
'I think this further solidifies the evidence that it's a very good idea to give these (marginally low birth-weight) children iron supplements,' said Dr. Magnus Domellof, from Umea University, who worked on the study.
The research was led by his colleague, Dr. Staffan Berglund. Their team followed 285 infants born between 4 pounds, 7 ounces and 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
When the babies were six weeks old, the researchers randomly assigned them to get iron drops - either one or two milligrams per kilogram of body weight - or iron-free placebo drops each day until their six-month birthday.
Then at age three and a half, Domellof's team brought the kids back for IQ tests and surveyed parents about their behavioral issues. The researchers compared kids in the iron- and placebo-drop study groups with another 95 children who were born at normal weight.
There were no IQ differences based on whether the smaller-than-average babies had been put on an iron regimen. All three low birth-weight groups had average scores between 104 and 105. ('Cognitive impairment' in this study was considered an IQ under 85.)
However, significantly more babies given placebo drops had behavioral problems, as reported by their parents. The issues included problems managing emotional reactions, anxiety and depression, as well as sleep and attention problems.
Almost 13 percent of the placebo-group babies scored above the cutoff for clinical behavior problems, versus about 3 percent of kids who'd taken iron drops and kids from the normal-weight comparison group.
That suggests iron deficiency in infancy may be a direct cause of behavioral problems later in childhood, the researchers wrote Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
They are continuing to monitor the same group of kids as they get older, to see if new cognitive or behavioral problems develop or old ones get better as the children head into grade school.
Domellof said he and his colleagues didn't see any extra stomach problems in kids or delayed growth linked to the use of iron drops. Some research has suggested giving excessive iron to young kids who aren't deficient may stunt their development.
But, 'I would not be afraid of recommending this to all children (born) below 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces) at this dose,' Domellof told Reuters Health.
'Here's where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,' said Dr. Michael Georgieff, a child development researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who had reviewed the study as part of Berglund's dissertation committee.
He told Reuters Health that it's important for all parents to know their baby's iron requirements when they leave the hospital.
'The issue with these marginally low birth-weight infants is, people really haven't paid a lot of attention to them, but the evidence is accumulating that they are at risk for behavioral problems and less than ideal cognitive function,' said Dr. Betsy Lozoff, who studies the effects of iron deficiency in infants at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
For most babies in the United States, extra iron is recommended starting at four to six months, either through supplements if the mother is breastfeeding or through formula. Very small or premature babies typically have their iron monitored from birth.
But Lozoff, who wasn't involved in the new research, said that in many places, there are no recommendations for how to treat babies who are just below a normal birth weight.
'This would suggest that it should just be a routine supplementation, and it can be at a low level of iron,' she told Reuters Health.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online December 10, 2012.
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Disability expected to rise as more premature babies survive
LONDON (Reuters) - Little progress has been made in improving the long-term health of extremely premature babies, and with pre-term births on the rise across Europe, rates of serious disability are likely to increase, doctors said on Wednesday.
A decade of advances in medicine mean more babies born at between 22 and 26 weeks gestation manage to survive, but rates of severe health complications remain as high as they were in 1995, according to research by neonatal specialists in Britain.
The findings of two separate studies published in the British Medical Journal suggest the number of children and adults with disabilities caused by premature birth will rise in coming years.
Babies born before 27 weeks of gestation - 13 weeks before they would be considered full term - face a battle for survival. Many of those who do survive face problems such as lung conditions, learning difficulties and cerebral palsy.
Rates of premature birth are rising in many European countries and are particularly high in Britain and the United States.
'As the number of children that survive pre-term birth continues to rise, so will the number who experience disability throughout their lives,' said Neil Marlow, of University College London's Institute for Women's Health, who worked on both studies and presented the results at a briefing in London.
He said this was 'likely to have an impact on the demand for health, education and social care services.'
The two studies, led by Marlow and Kate Costeloe of Queen Mary, University of London, compared a group of babies born in the UK between 22 and 26 weeks' gestation in 2006 with those born between 22 and 25 weeks over a 10-month period in 1995.
The first one looked at the immediate survival rates and the health - until they went home from hospital - of extremely premature babies born in 2006 and compared them with 1995 rates.
Researchers found the number of babies born at 22 to 25 weeks and admitted to intensive care increased by 44 percent during this period. The number of babies who survived long enough to go home from hospital increased by 13 percent.
There was no significant increase in survival of babies born before 24 weeks - the current legal limit for abortion in Britain - and the number of babies who had major health complications was unchanged over the decade.
Costeloe said what while survival rates for babies born at less than 27 weeks gestation were moving in the 'right direction', there was still room for improvement.
'We can't be complacent, because the fact of the matter is, that in 2006 if at this gestation you were alive at the end of the first week, you had no greater chance of going home (from hospital) than you would have done had you managed to survive the first week of life in 1995.'
The second study looked at the health of the 2006 babies when at three years old and compared this with 1995. It found that while 11 percent more babies survived to three without disabilities the proportion of survivors born between 22 and 25 weeks with severe disability was about the same - at 18 percent in 1995 and 19 percent in 2006.
The researchers also found a link between gestational age and the risk of disability, with babies born earlier more likely to have serious health complications at three years of age.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Rosalind Russell)
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A decade of advances in medicine mean more babies born at between 22 and 26 weeks gestation manage to survive, but rates of severe health complications remain as high as they were in 1995, according to research by neonatal specialists in Britain.
The findings of two separate studies published in the British Medical Journal suggest the number of children and adults with disabilities caused by premature birth will rise in coming years.
Babies born before 27 weeks of gestation - 13 weeks before they would be considered full term - face a battle for survival. Many of those who do survive face problems such as lung conditions, learning difficulties and cerebral palsy.
Rates of premature birth are rising in many European countries and are particularly high in Britain and the United States.
'As the number of children that survive pre-term birth continues to rise, so will the number who experience disability throughout their lives,' said Neil Marlow, of University College London's Institute for Women's Health, who worked on both studies and presented the results at a briefing in London.
He said this was 'likely to have an impact on the demand for health, education and social care services.'
The two studies, led by Marlow and Kate Costeloe of Queen Mary, University of London, compared a group of babies born in the UK between 22 and 26 weeks' gestation in 2006 with those born between 22 and 25 weeks over a 10-month period in 1995.
The first one looked at the immediate survival rates and the health - until they went home from hospital - of extremely premature babies born in 2006 and compared them with 1995 rates.
Researchers found the number of babies born at 22 to 25 weeks and admitted to intensive care increased by 44 percent during this period. The number of babies who survived long enough to go home from hospital increased by 13 percent.
There was no significant increase in survival of babies born before 24 weeks - the current legal limit for abortion in Britain - and the number of babies who had major health complications was unchanged over the decade.
Costeloe said what while survival rates for babies born at less than 27 weeks gestation were moving in the 'right direction', there was still room for improvement.
'We can't be complacent, because the fact of the matter is, that in 2006 if at this gestation you were alive at the end of the first week, you had no greater chance of going home (from hospital) than you would have done had you managed to survive the first week of life in 1995.'
The second study looked at the health of the 2006 babies when at three years old and compared this with 1995. It found that while 11 percent more babies survived to three without disabilities the proportion of survivors born between 22 and 25 weeks with severe disability was about the same - at 18 percent in 1995 and 19 percent in 2006.
The researchers also found a link between gestational age and the risk of disability, with babies born earlier more likely to have serious health complications at three years of age.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Rosalind Russell)
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
After parent's cancer death, one in five kids self-injure
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in five teens who lost one of their parents to cancer cut or burn themselves, compared to one in ten teens with two living parents, according to a new Swedish study.
'We were very surprised to find that so many did it,' said lead researcher Tove Grenklo, a behavioral scientist at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.
Cutting and burning is thought to be how some troubled teens express their emotions, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Those teens may hurt themselves if they can't talk about their feelings, are upset or have low self esteem.
Earlier this year, a study found that children start harming themselves as early as third grade. (see Reuters Health article of June 11, 2012. http://reut.rs/Kveo8v)
The study's researchers write in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine that past research showed children with one dead parent are already more likely to have - among other things - psychiatric problems, depression, drug and alcohol abuse and anxiety.
Grenklo and her colleagues wanted to see if they were also more likely to hurt themselves.
For the study, they used Sweden's national death databases to find and survey teens who lost one of their parents to cancer between 2000 and 2003, when they were between 13 and 16.
They then found teens who still had two living parents for a comparison group.
Of the 851 teens who lost a parent, 622 returned their survey, as did 330 of the 451 teens in the comparison group.
Overall, about 20 percent of the teens with only one surviving parent said they hurt themselves, compared to about 10 percent of teens with both parents living.
'WE SHOULD TALK WITH EACH OTHER'
'This study is one of the first to establish that (losing a parent to cancer) might be a unique risk factor for this behavior,' said Stephen Lewis, who was not involved with the new study but has studied self-injury at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
Lewis added that the study's findings seem to be in line with other estimates of how many teens injure themselves.
The researchers say teens may be driven to self-injure after their parents' deaths by an increased sense of emotional distress and numbness.
Another possible explanation for the increase is that the teens lost a caretaker who would notice their emotional suffering and prevent self-injury, they add.
As for prevention, both Grenklo and Lewis emphasized communication.
'I'm a strong believer that we should talk with each other,' said Grenklo. 'Children need to know the facts of what happened and why. And that it's OK to be sad and talk about the diseased parent.'
'We know one of the reasons people self injure is that they use injuring as a way to release their emotions,' said Lewis, who added that it's important for parents, family members and teachers to know how to talk about self-injury and how to prevent it.
Lewis said information on preventing and handling self injury can be found at SIOutreach.org - a Web site where he is co-director.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/TLILN8 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, online December 3, 2012.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
'We were very surprised to find that so many did it,' said lead researcher Tove Grenklo, a behavioral scientist at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.
Cutting and burning is thought to be how some troubled teens express their emotions, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Those teens may hurt themselves if they can't talk about their feelings, are upset or have low self esteem.
Earlier this year, a study found that children start harming themselves as early as third grade. (see Reuters Health article of June 11, 2012. http://reut.rs/Kveo8v)
The study's researchers write in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine that past research showed children with one dead parent are already more likely to have - among other things - psychiatric problems, depression, drug and alcohol abuse and anxiety.
Grenklo and her colleagues wanted to see if they were also more likely to hurt themselves.
For the study, they used Sweden's national death databases to find and survey teens who lost one of their parents to cancer between 2000 and 2003, when they were between 13 and 16.
They then found teens who still had two living parents for a comparison group.
Of the 851 teens who lost a parent, 622 returned their survey, as did 330 of the 451 teens in the comparison group.
Overall, about 20 percent of the teens with only one surviving parent said they hurt themselves, compared to about 10 percent of teens with both parents living.
'WE SHOULD TALK WITH EACH OTHER'
'This study is one of the first to establish that (losing a parent to cancer) might be a unique risk factor for this behavior,' said Stephen Lewis, who was not involved with the new study but has studied self-injury at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
Lewis added that the study's findings seem to be in line with other estimates of how many teens injure themselves.
The researchers say teens may be driven to self-injure after their parents' deaths by an increased sense of emotional distress and numbness.
Another possible explanation for the increase is that the teens lost a caretaker who would notice their emotional suffering and prevent self-injury, they add.
As for prevention, both Grenklo and Lewis emphasized communication.
'I'm a strong believer that we should talk with each other,' said Grenklo. 'Children need to know the facts of what happened and why. And that it's OK to be sad and talk about the diseased parent.'
'We know one of the reasons people self injure is that they use injuring as a way to release their emotions,' said Lewis, who added that it's important for parents, family members and teachers to know how to talk about self-injury and how to prevent it.
Lewis said information on preventing and handling self injury can be found at SIOutreach.org - a Web site where he is co-director.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/TLILN8 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, online December 3, 2012.
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Saturday, December 1, 2012
How Aggressive Hyena Moms Give Their Kids a Boost
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Gay Men, Moms Sue NJ Conversion Therapists for Fraud
Four gay men and two of their mothers filed a lawsuit today against a New Jersey conversion therapy group that claims to rid men of same-sex attractions and turn them straight.
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of New Jersey Hudson County, alleges that methods used by the Jersey City-based Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing (JONAH) do not work and constitute fraud under the state's consumer protection laws.
Arthur Goldberg, JONAH's co-director, and Alan Downing, a 'life coach' who provides therapy sessions, were also named in the suit.
The plaintiffs include Michael Ferguson, Benjamin Unger, Sheldon Bruck and Chaim Levin, all of whom used the services of JONAH when they were in their teens or young 20s.
Two of the men's mothers, Jo Bruck and Bella Levin, who paid for therapy sessions that could cost up to $10,000 a year, were also plaintiffs.
One of the plaintiffs alleges that therapy sessions that involved a virtual 'strip tease' in front of an older male counselor, as well as reliving abuse and homophobia were 'humiliating.'
They are seeking declaratory, injunctive and an undisclosed amount of monetary relief, as well as court costs, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have received legal help from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which claims in the lawsuit that conversion therapy is a dangerous practice that has been 'discredited or highly criticized' by every major American medical, psychiatric, psychological and professional organization.
Three of the young plaintiffs are from an ultra orthodox Jewish background; Ferguson came from a Mormon background and met Downing at a 'Journey Into Manhood' retreat, according to the lawsuit.
JONAH appears to cater to orthodox Jews, but its methods 'do not have a strong religious aspect,' according to SPLC lawyer Sam Wolfe.
The lawsuit alleges that some of the methods used included: telling boys to beat a pillow, the 'effigy of the client's mother,' with a tennis racket; encouraging 'cuddling' between younger clients and older male counselors; and even instructing attendees to remove their clothing and hold their penis in front of Downing.
Attendees were also subjected to ridicule as 'faggots' and 'homos' in mock locker room and gym class role playing, according to the lawsuit.
'It's definitely cruel and unusual and doesn't work,' said Wolfe. 'They are peddling bogus techniques that have no foundation in science and are basically ridiculous and even harmful.'
Wolfe paraphrased JONAH's message as: 'All you have to do is put in the work to overcome your sexual attractions. If you follow our program your true orientation emerges and will turn you into a straight person.'
'Often if what the conversion therapist tells them doesn't work, it's their fault,' Wolfe added.
In 2008, when the plaintiffs were seeking help from JONAH, the cost of an individual therapy session was $100 and for a group session, $60. JONAH also 'strongly pushed' attending weekend retreats that could cost as much as $700, said Wolfe.
Arthur Goldberg said he 'knows nothing about the lawsuit,' which was filed this morning, and referred ABCNews.com to JONAH's website.
'We have a lot of people who were a success and were healed,' he said of JONAH's 14 years in service. 'Hundreds of the clients we serve are satisfied ... Our therapy is very conventional.'
When asked about the group's practices, he said, 'I can't tell you about the methodology.' Goldberg admitted he had 'no background specifically in counseling.'
'I am the administrator,' he said. 'I used to teach family law.'
When asked about instructing boys to take off their clothes, he said, 'I know nothing about that.'
Goldberg also said he had 'no idea' how to reach Downing because he was an 'independent contractor.'
According to JONAH's mission statement on its website, the nonprofit group is 'dedicated to educating the world-wide Jewish community about the social, cultural and emotional factors which lead to same-sex attractions.'
'Through psychological and spiritual counseling, peer support, and self-empowerment, JONAH seeks to reunify families, to heal the wounds surrounding homosexuality, and to provide hope,' the statement reads.
JONAH's Goldberg, who runs the business side of the nonprofit, says on the website that 'change from homosexual to heterosexual is possible . homosexuality is a learned behavior which can be unlearned, and that healing is a lifelong process.'
According to the lawsuit, JONAH cites the 'scientific' work of Joseph Nicolosi, one of the primary proponents of conversion therapy and Richard A. Cohen, who was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association in 2002 for 'multiple ethical violations.'
Nicolosi's methodology is based on the belief that a weak father-son relationship and a dominating mother contribute to homosexuality. He advocates 'rough and tumble games,' as well as father-son showers, according to the lawsuit.
Cohen uses a technique called 'bioenergetics' that include having male patients beat a pillow, which represents their mother, as a way of stopping same-sex attraction, according to the lawsuit. Conversion therapists also cite child abuse and bullying as a 'primary cause' of homosexuality, according to the lawsuit.
Chaim Levin, the most vocal of the plaintiffs, is now 23 and a gay rights advocate who writes a blog, Gotta Give 'Em Hope.
He grew up in a Jewish an ultra orthodox community in Brooklyn where religious leaders threw him out of the Hebrew-speaking yeshiva at the age of 17, when they learned he was gay.
Levin told ABCNews.com that he had been abused as a boy and that he was 'confused' by his sexuality and took a rabbi's advice and began 18 months of gay conversion therapy at JONAH.
[Levin filed a civil lawsuit against his cousin in July, alleging he was abused for three years from the time he was 6.]
When Levin met co-director Goldberg, he said the defendant told him JONAH could change his sexual orientation, 'as long as I tried hard enough and put enough effort into it.'
'He told me, 'You will marry a woman and have a straight life,'' said Levin.
'Given where I came from, with three older siblings who were married with kids and not knowing any gay people or English, I was sure I could change,' he said. 'That was the theology.'
Levin first did a retreat with Downing, then saw him weekly at therapy sessions in Jersey City.
'A lot of the therapy involves reliving the experience,' he said. Levin alleges he was forced to relive the sexual abuse by his cousin, 'with no counseling afterwards.'
But the most 'humiliating' experience, the one that Levin alleges made him quit therapy, was being asked by Downing to take off his clothes, article by article and told to touch his 'private parts' -- to hold his penis in front of a mirror to 'be in touch with my masculinity.'
'I told him I wasn't comfortable, but I desperately wanted to change and was ready to do anything,' said Levin. Afterward, he said he felt 'degraded and violated.'
Today, Levin no longer identifies as orthodox, but said his parents have been 'supportive' of the lawsuit.
Some Jewish denominations and many congregations are inclusive of homosexual congregants, and even New York's orthodox communiities are more open-minded now, according to Levin.
'I had gone for help and they had misrepresented themselves,' he said.
Also Read
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The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of New Jersey Hudson County, alleges that methods used by the Jersey City-based Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing (JONAH) do not work and constitute fraud under the state's consumer protection laws.
Arthur Goldberg, JONAH's co-director, and Alan Downing, a 'life coach' who provides therapy sessions, were also named in the suit.
The plaintiffs include Michael Ferguson, Benjamin Unger, Sheldon Bruck and Chaim Levin, all of whom used the services of JONAH when they were in their teens or young 20s.
Two of the men's mothers, Jo Bruck and Bella Levin, who paid for therapy sessions that could cost up to $10,000 a year, were also plaintiffs.
One of the plaintiffs alleges that therapy sessions that involved a virtual 'strip tease' in front of an older male counselor, as well as reliving abuse and homophobia were 'humiliating.'
They are seeking declaratory, injunctive and an undisclosed amount of monetary relief, as well as court costs, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have received legal help from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which claims in the lawsuit that conversion therapy is a dangerous practice that has been 'discredited or highly criticized' by every major American medical, psychiatric, psychological and professional organization.
Three of the young plaintiffs are from an ultra orthodox Jewish background; Ferguson came from a Mormon background and met Downing at a 'Journey Into Manhood' retreat, according to the lawsuit.
JONAH appears to cater to orthodox Jews, but its methods 'do not have a strong religious aspect,' according to SPLC lawyer Sam Wolfe.
The lawsuit alleges that some of the methods used included: telling boys to beat a pillow, the 'effigy of the client's mother,' with a tennis racket; encouraging 'cuddling' between younger clients and older male counselors; and even instructing attendees to remove their clothing and hold their penis in front of Downing.
Attendees were also subjected to ridicule as 'faggots' and 'homos' in mock locker room and gym class role playing, according to the lawsuit.
'It's definitely cruel and unusual and doesn't work,' said Wolfe. 'They are peddling bogus techniques that have no foundation in science and are basically ridiculous and even harmful.'
Wolfe paraphrased JONAH's message as: 'All you have to do is put in the work to overcome your sexual attractions. If you follow our program your true orientation emerges and will turn you into a straight person.'
'Often if what the conversion therapist tells them doesn't work, it's their fault,' Wolfe added.
In 2008, when the plaintiffs were seeking help from JONAH, the cost of an individual therapy session was $100 and for a group session, $60. JONAH also 'strongly pushed' attending weekend retreats that could cost as much as $700, said Wolfe.
Arthur Goldberg said he 'knows nothing about the lawsuit,' which was filed this morning, and referred ABCNews.com to JONAH's website.
'We have a lot of people who were a success and were healed,' he said of JONAH's 14 years in service. 'Hundreds of the clients we serve are satisfied ... Our therapy is very conventional.'
When asked about the group's practices, he said, 'I can't tell you about the methodology.' Goldberg admitted he had 'no background specifically in counseling.'
'I am the administrator,' he said. 'I used to teach family law.'
When asked about instructing boys to take off their clothes, he said, 'I know nothing about that.'
Goldberg also said he had 'no idea' how to reach Downing because he was an 'independent contractor.'
According to JONAH's mission statement on its website, the nonprofit group is 'dedicated to educating the world-wide Jewish community about the social, cultural and emotional factors which lead to same-sex attractions.'
'Through psychological and spiritual counseling, peer support, and self-empowerment, JONAH seeks to reunify families, to heal the wounds surrounding homosexuality, and to provide hope,' the statement reads.
JONAH's Goldberg, who runs the business side of the nonprofit, says on the website that 'change from homosexual to heterosexual is possible . homosexuality is a learned behavior which can be unlearned, and that healing is a lifelong process.'
According to the lawsuit, JONAH cites the 'scientific' work of Joseph Nicolosi, one of the primary proponents of conversion therapy and Richard A. Cohen, who was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association in 2002 for 'multiple ethical violations.'
Nicolosi's methodology is based on the belief that a weak father-son relationship and a dominating mother contribute to homosexuality. He advocates 'rough and tumble games,' as well as father-son showers, according to the lawsuit.
Cohen uses a technique called 'bioenergetics' that include having male patients beat a pillow, which represents their mother, as a way of stopping same-sex attraction, according to the lawsuit. Conversion therapists also cite child abuse and bullying as a 'primary cause' of homosexuality, according to the lawsuit.
APA Calls Gay Conversion Therapy Risky
The American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization, among other mental health groups, have cited the potential risks of reparation therapy, including 'depression, anxiety [and] self-destructive behavior,' according to the lawsuit.Chaim Levin, the most vocal of the plaintiffs, is now 23 and a gay rights advocate who writes a blog, Gotta Give 'Em Hope.
He grew up in a Jewish an ultra orthodox community in Brooklyn where religious leaders threw him out of the Hebrew-speaking yeshiva at the age of 17, when they learned he was gay.
Levin told ABCNews.com that he had been abused as a boy and that he was 'confused' by his sexuality and took a rabbi's advice and began 18 months of gay conversion therapy at JONAH.
[Levin filed a civil lawsuit against his cousin in July, alleging he was abused for three years from the time he was 6.]
When Levin met co-director Goldberg, he said the defendant told him JONAH could change his sexual orientation, 'as long as I tried hard enough and put enough effort into it.'
'He told me, 'You will marry a woman and have a straight life,'' said Levin.
'Given where I came from, with three older siblings who were married with kids and not knowing any gay people or English, I was sure I could change,' he said. 'That was the theology.'
Levin first did a retreat with Downing, then saw him weekly at therapy sessions in Jersey City.
'A lot of the therapy involves reliving the experience,' he said. Levin alleges he was forced to relive the sexual abuse by his cousin, 'with no counseling afterwards.'
But the most 'humiliating' experience, the one that Levin alleges made him quit therapy, was being asked by Downing to take off his clothes, article by article and told to touch his 'private parts' -- to hold his penis in front of a mirror to 'be in touch with my masculinity.'
'I told him I wasn't comfortable, but I desperately wanted to change and was ready to do anything,' said Levin. Afterward, he said he felt 'degraded and violated.'
Today, Levin no longer identifies as orthodox, but said his parents have been 'supportive' of the lawsuit.
Some Jewish denominations and many congregations are inclusive of homosexual congregants, and even New York's orthodox communiities are more open-minded now, according to Levin.
'I had gone for help and they had misrepresented themselves,' he said.
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