Kids who live in homes with smokers miss more days of school

A new study by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston finds that children who live in homes where at least 1 person smokes inside the house miss more days of school than those who live in non-smoking homes. Researchers found that living with someone who smoked in the home raised a child's likelihood of missing school and living with more than one person who smoked in the home raised that likelihood even higher: Kids living with one adult who smoked in the home had 1.06 more days absent from school per year than kids who lived with none. Kids who lived with two or more adults who smoked in the home missed 1.54 more days than smoke-free kids.

In all, researchers attributed 24% of absences among kids with one smoker in the house to smoking-related illness. For kids living with two or more indoor smokers, that went up to 34% of absences. A child's likelihood of having three or more ear infections in a year went up with the number of people who smoked in the house. Kids with two smokers in the house had more colds.

Black children twice as likely to have food allergies than white children

A recent study that involved 1,100 2 year olds in Boston found that black children were twice as likely to have an immune response to foods such as peanuts, milk, eggs and almost four times as likely to have a sensitization to three or more foods in comparison to white children. In addition, if a child's DNA had more African ancestry, the child was more likely to have a food sensitization to any food, especially that of peanuts. The foods tested included eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, shrimp, walnuts, wheat and cod. Many of the children involved in the study were from an urban area and low-income homes.

Newborn deaths disproportionately high in developing countries

The World Health Organization released a report that noted death rates for infants under a month old decreased from 4.6 million in 1990 to 3.3 million in 2009. Developing nations were still reporting a disproportionate high number of child deaths, with 99% of all newborn deaths occurring in those areas. Countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for half of the numbers. Newborn deaths now account for 41% of all child deaths before the age of five, up from 37% in 1990.

Asthma More Likely Among Children of Overweight Mothers

A recent post in the New York Times Well blog details new research that shows overweight/obese women who become pregnant have a higher rate of their children developing asthma when they grow to be teenagers.

The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Gym class and better grades

A recent article in the New York Times takes a look at studies who looked at children in Rome and the effect exercise/gym had on their school performance. They were then asked to take a written test right after. It seemed that endurance exercises had the most positive effect test performance.

Racial bias in foster care system

According to a recent article in The Chicago Tribune, a forum held at Brown University took a look at the racial bias in the U.S. foster care system. Black children currently account for about 1/3 children in foster care and studies have shown that Black parents are more likely to be reported for alleged neglect. While poverty and racism are often blamed for the disparity, speakers at the conference believe that the over-representation of minorities in the foster care system needs to be addressed.

Baby's Palate And Food Memories Shaped Before Birth

An interesting podcast and story on NPR today discusses how an infant's food preferences can be shaped while still in the womb. While developing, the baby consumes several ounces of amniotic fluid daily which is flavored with the foods and beverages that the mother has consumed within the last few hours.

University of Florida taste researcher Linda Bartoshukuk believes that it might be possible to get a baby used to a healthier diet by exposing to flavors like carrots early on. If those taste experiences are reinforced as the baby grows, it may even promote healthy eating.

Health disparities among poor children

A recent article describes a new report from the National Center for Children in Poverty takes a look at the health of children in poverty. Some findings include:
- Low birth weight babies are highest among African-American children, then White, then Hispanic.
- Twice as many Hispanic children have no place to go for health care when sick compared to poor African-American and White children.

Youth safety program rolled out in six cities

An article in the New York Times describes a youth safety program being rolled out in six cities has been funded by a Department of Justice grant to raise the awareness of youth safety. The grants allow social groups to partner with businesses to provide these youth without temporary assistance during their time of need. In theory, a troubled youth walks into a store, asks for assistance. This sets off a call to a 24-hour hot line that dispatches a counselor to the scene. The counselor will then try to find temporary shelter arrangements and try to set up a reconciliation with the family. If that doesn't happen, the Department of Youth and Family Services is called in.

This program is meant to set up an alternative to the usual police station visit that these at-risk youth often end up facing.

Health clinics @ schools get funding

A recent post in NPR's health blog detailed the Department of Health and Human Services awarding of $95 million in grants to 278-school based health center programs to build, renovate or equip clinics.

1-year pilot program in Michigan and Florida will get more local produce into school meals.

A recent article in the Grand Rapids Press describes how federal agriculture officials have announced a plan to let schools in Michigan and Florida to use federal commodity funds to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from a list of local growers. This pilot is an alternative to the Department of Defense Fresh Food and Vegetable Program from which schools buy food using USDA commodity funds.

The education of shelter students

A recent article in the New York Times details how one school in Orange County Florida were working to educate their students, including those that live in the area's homeless shelters. The children in this story lived in a shelter run by the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. In fact, 256 of the 751 at the coalition's shelter were children and in Orange County, 2,953 homeless children attend the area's schools.

The story goes into some detail as to how Fern Creek school has had a proven track record of success when it comes to its students, many of which are affected by poverty. These reasons for success, according to Patrick Galatowitsch, the school's principle:

1. Class size - Florida has mandatory class-size limits.
2. Talented, experienced teachers.
3. Firm yet caring discipline.

Can a mother's diet during pregnancy affect her child's future weight?

A recent post on a Time blog describes new research that has indicated that mothers who had low carbohydrate diets during pregnancy bore children that showed changes in their DNA. The researchers then tied those genetic changes to body fat at age 6 and 9.

The research was published in the journal Diabetes and did not prove a cause and effect relationship. If you'd like to learn more, click here to view the abstract.

Pesticide exposure may affect children's intelligence

According to a recent article in the New York Times, three new studies indicate that pesticide exposure in the womb may affect a child's IQ. These findings were based on three separate studies funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency. All three studies have been published online in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal.

Exergames

A recent article in Time magazine details a new study that took a look at the role of exergames in helping children reach their daily recommended levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Scientists asked children ages 9-13 to play a variety of exergames that included Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Boxing, and Lightspaces' Bug Invasion. Researchers found that when children played with these games for ten minutes, the children expended at least as much energy as they did walking on a treadmill for a comparative length of time.



You can read more of the study, which was published in the March 7th online edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, here.

Mobile dental clinic brings care to poor children

A recent article in the Washington Post describes a mobile dental van project that helps poor children receive dental care. Named in honor of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver, who died of an infection that spread from his tooth to his brain, the three-chair mobile clinic along with volunteer dentists provide dental care to poor children. With the mobile clinic not meant to be a regular site for dental care, 47 "Dentists in Action" have volunteered to provide follow-up care and "dental homes" to children without places to go for regular visits. Teams of school nurses and counselors have also been set up in 20 of Prince George's poorest schools to work with parents.

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published within the last 2 weeks:

Health
1. Many kids who drink get liquor from home: Report, HealthDay/Yahoo News, Feb. 17, 2011

Brief Intro:"About 5.9 percent of 12- to 14-year-olds have used alcohol in the past month," said Peter Delany, director of SAMHSA's Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. "That's a pretty large number."

"And almost all of these kids got that alcohol for free," he said.

In fact, about 45 percent got alcohol from a parent or other family member or they took it from their home without permission, Delany added."

2. Calorie labels don't affect kids' fast-food choices, Health Day/Yahoo News, Feb. 15, 2011

Brief Intro: "Researchers who studied menu choices at four fast-food restaurant chains before and after mandatory labeling took effect in New York City said the legislation did little to lower calorie consumption.

"We didn't notice a change in calories purchased before and after labeling [went into effect]," said study leader Dr. Brian Elbel, assistant professor of medicine and health policy at the New York University School of Medicine and Wagner School of Public Service."

3. 5 Americans: How health care law affects them, AP/Yahoo News, Feb. 4, 2011

Brief Intro:"At a critical time for the nation's new health care legislation, The Associated Press revisited several Americans who first shared their health stories a year ago. Reporters asked: How has the law affected their lives, and how do they see the health care debate now roiling Washington?

Education
1. Incoming LA superintendent announces foundation, AP/Yahoo News, Feb. 18, 2011

Brief Intro"The incoming superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District said Thursday he is forming a new foundation to attract philanthropic donations to help fund the ailing school district.

The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education, based on a similar foundation in New York City, will allow donors to choose exactly what they wish their money to benefit, John Deasy announced during a speech at the Rand Institute in Santa Monica. The interest on investments in the fund will be used for various educational projects of the donors' choice and donors will receive an annual report card on the social return of their investment, Deasy said."

2. Obama's budget proposes a significant increase for schools, New York Times, Feb. 14, 2011

Brief Intro:"President Obama proposed a 2012 Department of Education budget on Monday that would, if approved, significantly increase federal spending for public schools, and maintain the maximum Pell grant — the cornerstone financial-aid program — at $5,550 per college student."

Overweight Kids Who Exercise Improve Thinking, Math Skills: Study

According to a recent article in HealthDay, when overweight/sedentary kids begin to exercise regularly, their ability to think, plan and do math improves. The study took a look at 171 children aged 7-11 who were assigned to groups that did 20 minutes, 40 minutes and no vigorous exercise at all. The researchers found an increase of 3.8 points of scores on cognitive planning skills for children who exercised 40 minutes per day. Increases for those that exercised 20 minutes a day were smaller.

You can review this report in the January issue of Health Psychology.

Friday Roundup

Here is a list of articles of interest published within the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. Does ADHD come from foods?, CNN.com, February 3, 2011
Brief Intro:"A team of scientists from the Netherlands set out to demonstrate in a study, published in the Lancet, that there could be a connection between what children eat and their ADHD-like behaviors. They go as far as to say that the standard of care for ADHD should include a restricted diet."

2. Starting solid foods early linked to obesity risk, MSNBC.com, February 7, 2011
Brief Intro:"Babies raised on formula who start eating solid foods before they are 4 months old may be more likely to become obese than those who start later, suggests a new study."

3. Processed food linked to lower kids' IQs, CNN.com, February 7, 2011
Brief Intro:"The study authors suggest their study found some evidence that when 3-year-old children eat a diet rich in foods that are high in fat, high in sugar and are processed, their IQ may find a small decrease in their IQ five years later. On the flip side, this new study suggests eating a healthy, nutrient rich diet may be associated with a small increase in IQ."

Race
1. Counting by race can throw off some numbers, NYT.com, Feburary 7, 2011
Brief Intro:"In the process, however, a measurement problem has emerged. Despite the federal government’s setting standards more than a decade ago, data on race and ethnicity are being collected and aggregated in an assortment of ways. The lack of uniformity is making comparison and analysis extremely difficult across fields and across time."

Education
1. Schools use celebrity wake-up calls to battle truancy, NYT.com, February 10, 2011
Brief Intro:"If the phone rings one morning and you hear a cheery “good morning” from Magic Johnson on the other end of the line or the R&B singer Trey Songz telling you to “get your education,” don’t hang up and roll over, bury yourself under your blanket and go back to sleep. This is no prank call. It’s the city’s latest attempt to get students who persistently skip class to start showing up more often.

The campaign, appropriately named “Wake Up! NYC,” rolls out next week. It will focus on the 6,500 students who have been absent for 10 or more school days in a single year and attend one of the 25 schools whose principals volunteered to join the effort. If it yields results, it will be expanded citywide, where roughly 250,000 students miss at least one month of school in a given year, officials said."

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles of interest published within the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. Bill Gates gives another $100 million to fund polio vaccination, PC World, February 2, 2011
Brief Intro:"At last week's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Gates pledged an additional US$100 million to a global effort that seeks to wipe out wild polio virus transmissions by the end of next year."

2. Americans not doing enough to control cholesterol and blood pressure, All Headline News, February 2, 2011
Brief Intro:"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says two out of three U.S. adults with high cholesterol and half of those with high blood pressure are not being treated properly.

Heart attacks, strokes and other vascular diseases kill about 800,000 Americans every year. Of these, 150,000 are younger than 65 years old. Cardiovascular disease costs the United States about $300 billion every year.

3. California ranks near bottom in kids' health care, SFGate, February 2, 2011
Brief Intro:"The study, by the Commonwealth Fund, ranked the state 44th in comparison with the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. The study found California especially inadequate in delivering affordable care for children. The scorecard was based on 20 measures, including access to care, prevention and treatment."

4. EPA to set limits on chemicals in drinking water, Cnn.com, February 2, 2011
Brief Intro:"The Environmental Protection Agency will set a limit on the amount of the chemical perchlorate, as well as other "toxic contaminants," in drinking water, it announced Wednesday.

The national regulation on perchlorate will reverse a 2008 decision made by President George W. Bush's administration, the agency said in a statement. It comes after EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson ordered agency scientists to review "the emerging science of perchlorate."

Race
1. Readers debate the concept of race, NYT.com, January 31, 2011
Brief Intro:"Is race an imaginary category that should be thrown out? “Yes,” proclaimed many readers who commented on Susan Saulny’s article about the increasing number of Americans who identify as mixed-race. "

2. More young Americans identify as mixed-race, NYT.com, January 29, 2011
Brief Intro:"The crop of students moving through college right now includes the largest group of mixed-race people ever to come of age in the United States, and they are only the vanguard: the country is in the midst of a demographic shift driven by immigration and intermarriage.

3. Census shows big gains for U.S. minorities, MSNBC.com, February 3, 2011
Brief Intro:" U.S. racial minorities accounted for roughly 85 percent of the nation's population growth over the last decade — one of the largest shares ever — with Hispanics accounting for much of the gain in many of the states picking up new House seats."