Posts tagged as:

health headlines

Health headlines: ATVs, the birthrate and the economy

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on April 11, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

A local family pushes for stricter ATV regulations.

WCVB-TV Channel 5 speaks with Lois Lee, MD, MPH, about ATV-related injuries in kids and a bill that would regulate ATV use by anyone under the age of 14.

mother with newborn Birthrates fell in 2008, and the recession is being blamed. A report from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that the national birth rate dropped 2 percent in 2008 from figures for ’07 and some experts think the economy may have played a part.

Two insurers to resume sales with old rates. The Boston Globe reports that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Tufts Health Plan said they will, as ordered, resume making new policies available for individuals and small businesses.

Hospitals are taking caution when giving blood thinner to infants. After a recent infant death in a hospital in Nebraska involving the blood thinner Heparin, many hospitals are changing procedure for how the drug is administered to infants, and how its effects are monitored.

texting and driving Children’s Isaac Kohane, MD, PhD, and Kenneth Mandl, MD, MPH, of the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program will lead the efforts of a $15 million grant recently announced from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support research and development of a new health care information technology infrastructure.

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Health headlines: Sports injuries, lazy ear and lice

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 13, 2010

Sports injury Other stories we’ve been reading:

Be sure to keep liquid detergent capsules out of your kids’ reach. Scientists find out why Vitamin D is important. [Read how children are at risk of a Vitamin D deficiency.]There’s a jump in kids’ sports injuries due to overuse. [Read about how girls' soccer injuries are preventable.]

Twenty percent of U.S. babies don’t get the hepatitis B vaccine. A Canadian vaccine study proves the idea of “herd community.” [Read about this year's vaccine schedule.] A new drug could help protect against treatment-resistant lice.

Parents can help prevent bullying by modeling kindness and empathy. [Find out how to address bullying.] Girls start bullying at a younger age.

Special needs kids are often uninsured. Can a behavioral optometrist help kids with “issues?”

A consumer groups gives food advertisers an “F” on kids. Taxing soda and pizza could help consumers lose five pounds a year. Schools are serving less sugary drinks. [Read about artificially sweetened beverages.]

A stomach bug can raise a child’s risk of having irritable bowel syndrome. Temporary hearing impairment leads to lazy ear.

Peanut allergies are linked to worse asthma in kids. A family finds success using a pediatric obesity program.

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Health Headlines: Industrial chemicals as dietary supplements, growth hormone therapy and school lunch safety

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 6, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

Adolescents taking a certain anti-psychotic drugs are at an increased risk for diabetes. An industrial chemical is being sold as a dietary supplement for autism treatment. Diabetes drugs are helping dieting teens lose weight. [Read Minnie’s story about living with Type 2 diabetes.]

Loving foster homes improves children’s attention and impulsivity. Girls with ADHD are more likely to develop other mental health risks.

Obese boys are more likely to begin puberty later in life. A Girl Scouts’ survey found that the fashion industry pressures girls to be thin. [Read about unrealistic media images and how one teen feels about them.] Boys are treated with growth hormone therapy much more often than girls.

Babies of mothers who smoke during pregnancy are much more stressed out. [Read how dangerous secondhand smoke is to children.] Black and Hispanic infants are more likely to have HIV. Expectant mothers can receive pregnancy tips through texting.

Girls who bike to school are in better shape than those who walk or get a ride. The USDA is tightening requirements to assure school lunch safety.[Read about our nation’s fight for kids’ food.] Overloaded backpacks set your child up for spine strain. [Read about National School Backpack Awareness Day.]

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Health headlines: Fitness supplements, ecstasy use and tongue-powered wheelchairs

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 30, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

Multi Vitamin Madness More high school athletes are using fitness supplements with knowledge of their harmful effects. Parents don’t have to be fit in order for their kids to be fit – supporting your kids’ physical activity is what motivates them to be physically fit.

Scheduling recess before lunch is helping students and teacher alike. Menus with calorie listings have parents picking healthier options for their kids but not necessarily for themselves.

Parents who feel burned out at work are more likely to have kids who feel burned out at school. If parents use complementary or alternative therapies, their children are more likely to use them too. [Read our blog post on insurance coverage for alternative therapies.] Did you know that your child is more likely to have a mental disorder if you –as a parent – are bipolar?

High cholesterol is putting 20 percent of teens at risk for heart disease. Healthy kids are more likely to die from ecstasy use than regular drug users. If your child smokes cigarettes, it’s much more likely that pot is next.

Toilet seat dermatitis is on the rise. Vaccinating babies against rotavirus could save two million lives a year. [Read our blog post on this year’s updated immunization schedule.] Female teachers might pass on math anxiety to girl students.

Teen pregnancies and abortions are on the rise. Parents shouldn’t be concerned if their children hear voices. There’s a new wheelchair that powered by the user’s tongue.

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Health headlines: Unhealthy cholesterol, parents grade schools and the First Lady’s war on childhood obesity

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 23, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

We discovered this week that Thrive is listed as one of the top 50 early childhood health blogs! The FDA voices some concern over BPA risk. Using the term “concussion” versus “brain injury” garners different responses from parents.

Parents feel traumatic stress after their child’s been injured. Twenty percent of teens have unhealthy cholesterol. Researchers are asking why U.S. birth rates are falling.

Parents get to grade public schools. Children raised by same-sex couples do just as well as those raised by parents of both sexes. First Lady, Michelle Obama is launching a major initiative to fight childhood obesity.

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Health headlines: Psychotherapy, lung infections and tanning beds

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 16, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

Are kids’ films getting better or worse about safety? New studies say that psychotherapy can help teen girls avoid obesity. Young hunters are more likely to incure treestand injuries.

You don’t need a large amount of lead to damage kids’ kidneys. Adult’s breathing troubles can start in childhood. There are more lung infections due to kids’ pneumonia vaccines.

One-fourth of all teen girls have been involved in violence. England wants to keep kids away from tanning beds. Breast feeding could lower your child’s risk of mental health problems.

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Health headlines: Iron fortified rice, teen weight-loss surgery and math skills

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 9, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

The FDA warned Nestle that its health claims on Juicy Juice are against the law. New iron fortified rice reduces anemia. Using kitchen spoons to measure medicine raises risk of dosing errors. Does folic acid during the late stages of pregnancy lead to children with asthma?

Showing kids how fast they eat may help them shape up. When it comes to teen weight-loss surgery, timing is everything. Tiny frogs are causing giant stomach aches in kids. What’s the best way to offer your kids vegetables at dinner?

Kids’ vaccines are making holiday visits less infectious. California has turned up 10 autism clusters in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents. Abused children are much more likely to develop migraines as adults. When it comes to math skills, gender differences are hard to find.

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Health headlines: Playground injuries, a new polio vaccine and the latest anti-soda ad

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on December 19, 2009

Other stories we’ve been reading:

Uganda outlaws female circumcision. A new polio vaccine is going to be used in Afghanistan. Researchers have developed an artificial clotting agent to help stop massive bleeding.

Playground injuries aren’t about fall – it’s the landing. Fifty million shades have been recalled for strangulation risk. Pregnancy spacing matters in babies’ health and STDs are common among sexually active teen girls in cities.

The CDC has a healthy version of the song The 12 Days of Christmas. Watch NYC’s latest anti-soda ad.