Children’s research made the Huffington Post’s Top 10 Medical Research Trends to Watch in 2010. We find out exactly how dangerous secondhand smoke is to children. Are American destined to be obese? Two studies show how important a good night’s sleep for your children is. A gene for a devastating kidney disease is discovered. Do you know the dangers of leaving your child in the car alone? Dr. Rich responds to comments on his Call of Duty post. Have Americans finally hit an obesity plateau? The Flu Fighters invade Facebook. Children’s sends a team into Haiti and we offer advice on how to talk to your children about this devastating event.
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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: Fearless toddlers, Viagra for kids and Santa wants his vaccine
- Health headlines: staph infections toughen up, "safe" pipes are a smoke screen and dads at risk for post partum blues too
- Health headlines: School lunches, no television and adaptive sports
- Health headlines: Playground injuries, a new polio vaccine and the latest anti-soda ad
- Health headlines: Premature babies, burn injuries and cherry flavored Tamiflu
A new study co-authored by Children’s obesity expert David Ludwig, MD, PhD, says that the majority of obese Americans will not lose a significant amount of weight unless there are serious societal changes concerning food. The article, published in JAMA, takes a look at the science involved in caloric intake versus physical activity and suggests that fundamental changes in America’s food supply and social infrastructure must take place in order to successfully take on the obesity epidemic.
Read more of what Ludwig has to say on trans-fats, taxing soda and junk food advertisements for kids.
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Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
Children’s obesity expert gives tips on how to change your eating habits for the better. Mark Alexander, MD explores the question of whether or not high school athletes should be screened for heart disease. Children’s injury prevention expert gives tips on how to avoid a winter sports injury. Claire McCarthy, MD lists great resolutions for your family to live by. Do later bedtimes increase risk of teenage suicide and depression? A group of doctors is pushing for routine circumcision. Our Mediatrician discusses teenage boys and first-person shooter video games.
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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.
Related posts:
- Health headlines: Food labels, alcoholism & teen obesity surgery
- Health headlines: Music eases patient stress during surgery and teen “grows” new cheekbones
- Health headlines: Fearless toddlers, Viagra for kids and Santa wants his vaccine
- Health headlines: August 14
- Health headlines: Adoption, school bullies and birth defects
Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Boston Children’s Hospital. Along with her blogs here on Thriving, you can find her at the Huffington Post and Boston.com. Follow her on Twitter @drClaire.
From swine flu to obesity to dangerous plastics, many issues that affect children’s health garnered media attention in the year 2009. Here’s a rundown of the some of the biggest and most important stories:
H1N1
This is the story that caught the most attention—for good reason. Not only is the H1N1 influenza virus very contagious, it appears to particularly affect young people. H1N1 caused more pediatric hospitalizations and deaths than we usually see with the seasonal influenza virus, which is very scary for parents (and pediatricians!). The virus led to countless school closings—sometimes to control the spread, and sometimes because there weren’t enough teachers left to teach! Full story »
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Children’s diet quality has declined to shocking levels, directly fueling the obesity epidemic. There are, of course, many forces affecting the eating habits of children today, such as the widespread availability of junk food, an under-funded school lunch program, and busy, stressed families. However, TV advertising to children has undoubtedly played a major role. Saturday morning children’s shows have seemingly become little more than a continuous food commercial, with beloved, iconic cartoon figures like SpongeBob peddling junk foods during programming as well as ads.
In response to the threat of governmental regulation and legal action, major food companies like Kellogg, General Mills, ConAgra and PepsiCo banded together in 2006 to create a voluntary advertising code of conduct. Called the “Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative,” this policy aimed to “change the landscape of child-directed advertising” by encouraging “Better-for-You” foods. Full story »
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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.
Related posts:
- Health headlines: Premature babies, burn injuries and cherry flavored Tamiflu
- Health headlines: Sports injuries, lazy ear and lice
- Health headlines: Fearless toddlers, Viagra for kids and Santa wants his vaccine
- Health headlines: Psychotherapy, lung infections and tanning beds
- Health headlines: Deafness, IVF and the new flu vaccine
