by Kristin Cantu on January 10, 2010
by Claire McCarthy on December 29, 2009
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 »
by David Ludwig, MD, PhD on December 21, 2009
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 »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on December 16, 2009
by Jenny Kinne MS, RD, LDN, CLC, clinical nutrition specialist in Gastroenterology/Nutrition.
It’s beginning to look and feel a lot like the holiday season! With celebrations of all sorts just around the corner many people find themselves asking, how do you balance healthful eating with all the tempting treats and fun foods? Here are some tips to keep up healthful habits but also enjoy your holiday favorites. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on December 13, 2009
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
Why are suicide clusters more common in teens? Children’s Global Fellow Stephen Sullivan, MD, MPH, addresses the global burden of surgical diseases. KABC in Los Angeles interviewed Children’s Hanno Steen, PhD, about a urine test that quickly identifies cases of appendicitis. Children’s Center for Young Women’s Health youth advisor, Erica, writes a compelling review of the movie, Precious. The HealthMap team gives us our final H1N1 update. David Ludwig, MD, PhD, director of Children’s Optimal Weight for Life Program, just published a commentary in JAMA expressing concern about the widespread use of artificial sweeteners in soft drinks. Our Mediatrician talks about how negative portrayals of black women in movies affects teens. We give a roundup on all of the news this week on the fight for what our children should be eating and drinking.
by Kristin Cantu on December 11, 2009
The fight for what our kids eat continues to rage on. The battle has moved from the home to school lunch rooms, fast food restaurants and grocery store shelves. Fresh versus frozen. Organic and local versus imported produce. Natural versus artificially sweetened beverages.
There’s no denying that we all care about what our kids consume. Yesterday, Children’s director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program, David Ludwig, MD, PhD, wrote a piece expressing concern about the widespread use of artificial sweeteners in soft drinks. (The Washinton Post recently featured Dr. Ludwig on this topic. Also read more of Dr. Ludwig’s articles on children’s health here.)
Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on December 5, 2009
Other stories we’ve been reading:
Are your children nervous about getting shots? This cartoon and iPhone app helps kids with 
vaccine fears. A new study shows that children who are vaccinated against chicken pox have an increased protection against shingles too.
Contrary to negative media stories about adoption, it turns out that most adopted children are healthy and happy. School bullies are also likely to bully their siblings. Baby boys are more likely to have a birth defect from a mother’s bug spray use and obese children may be at a higher risk for back pain.
by Kristin Cantu on November 30, 2009
Yoga has long been touted for its healing powers. It’s been said to reverse aging, increase flexibility and improve your mental health. But can yoga fight eating disorders? Some yoga practitioners seem to think so and there are even yoga classes geared toward people with eating disorders. A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health suggests that yoga is a successful tool in fighting eating disorders. Full story »
