Below are news briefs on studies published in the April issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

For Release: April 5, 2004, 12:01 am (ET)

Television watching at an early age can lead to increased attention problems in later childhood, according to the study, "Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children." In a sample of over 2,500 children ages 1 and 3, researchers measured the hours of television watched per day, and subsequent attention problems at age 7. The study revealed that increases in the number of hours of television watched is associated with an increase in the probability of having attention problems at age 7.

EDITOR'S NOTE: More information on this topic can be found at "Media Guidelines for Parents"

Parents need to be aware of the limitations and potential risks associated with home drug-testing products. The authors of the study, "A Review of Internet-Based Home Drug-Testing Products for Parents," found that none of the eight sites reviewed contained adequate information to help parents properly perform and adequately interpret a drug test. Most of the sites gave conflicting or incomplete information about which drugs are detected by the various types of tests, and only one of the sites clearly stated that teens should not be tested against their will. The authors concluded that parents who suspect their child is using drugs would be best served by seeking a professional assessment. In addition, parents seeking drug information should stick to noncommercial Web sites.

EDITORS NOTE: More information on this topic can be found in the AAP's policy statement on "Testing for Drugs of Abuse in Children and Adolescents" at: http://www.aappolicy.org

Families of young children with disabilities are generally happy with both entry into, and initial experiences with, early intervention services offered under the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, according to the special article, "First Experiences With Early Intervention: A National Perspective." The article's authors surveyed more than 3,300 parents nationwide of young children either with, or at risk of, disabilities. All of the children were under 31 months old and had recently entered an early intervention program because of developmental delays or other problems. The majority of the parents were positive about their involvement with early intervention programs -- leading the study authors to conclude that pediatricians should have more
confidence in referring families for these services.

Children with recurrent abdominal pain are more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression than pain-free children according to the study "Recurrent Abdominal Pain, Anxiety and Depression in Primary Care." Recurrent abdominal pain is defined as three or more episodes of abdominal pain over a period of at least three months that are severe enough to affect a child's activities. Forty-two children with recurrent abdominal pain, between the ages of eight and 15, were evaluated for psychiatric disorders in a pediatric primary care office. Thirty-three of the children (79%) were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 18 (43%) were diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Anxiety problems usually preceded the recurrent abdominal pain, but the cause of recurrent abdominal pain remains unknown.

The study, "Rest-Activity Patterns of Premature Infants Are Regulated by Cycled Lighting," suggests that premature infants who are exposed to constantly dim light in hospital nurseries do not develop regular sleeping habits as quickly as premature infants who are in nurseries with cycling lights that mimic day and night. Over the first several days at home, the infants who had darkened hospital nurseries didn't show distinct day-night differences in activity. However, the infants who had cycling lights in the hospital were more active during the day than the night. The study's authors suggest that rearing premature infants in the dark slows their development and expression of sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms (the body's internal clock).

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 16 not ride in, or drive, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Yet ATV-related injuries in both
children and adults are on the rise. The study "All-Terrain Vehicle Legislation for Children: A Comparison of a State With and a State Without a Helmet Law," looks at whether state laws can reduce ATV-related injuries among children. The study focused on Pennsylvania, which has ATV helmet regulations and age restrictions, and North Carolina, which does not. The results showed that although children were more likely to wear helmets while riding on anATV in Pennsylvania, a significant number of children in both states still died or suffered serious injuries. The study's authors conclude that the data supports the AAP's recommended age limit for children who ride in or drive ATVs.

EDITOR'S NOTE: More information on this topic can be found in the AAP's policy statement on "All-Terrain Vehicle Injury Prevention: Two-, Three-, and Four-Wheeled Unlicensed Motor Vehicles"

Orthodox Jewish children have an extremely high relative risk of paraffin lamp oil poisoning according to the study, "Extremely Elevated Relative Risk of Paraffin Lamp Oil Exposures in Orthodox Jewish Children." The study examined all exposures to paraffin lamp oil reported to the New York City Poison Control Center over a two-year period. Seventy-one percent of the reported cases occurred in children who were Orthodox Jews. Most exposures occurred during the Jewish Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, or on Jewish religious holidays. Paraffin lamp oil is often used as fuel in Sabbath candles, and can cause choking, severe lung injury, and coma if swallowed. The authors conclude that public health authorities and caregivers of Orthodox Jewish children need to be aware of this phenomenon.

These studies were published in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 57,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.