|
|
NEWS
BRIEFS
Below are news releases and briefs on statements appearing in the February ssue
of Pediatrics,
the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP).
For Release: March 3, 2008, 12:01 am (ET)
HAVE THE SEX TALK, OVER AND OVER
A one-time discussion about sex may not be the best way for parents to provide sexual education to their children. In the study, "Beyond the ‘Big Talk’: The Roles of Breadth and Repetition in Parent-Adolescent Communication about Sexual Topics," researchers found teens who talked repeatedly about sexual topics with their parents felt closer to their parents and perceived their discussions about sex were more open. A total of 312 adolescents in grades 6 to 10, along with their parents, participated in the study in southern California. Over the course of a year, the teens completed four surveys on whether they had discussed each of 22 sex- related topics with their parent. Repetition of topics was consistently associated with adolescents’ having positive perceptions of their relationship and communication with their parents. The authors suggest this repeated sexual communication provides parents an opportunity to reinforce and build on what they’ve taught their children. For more information, contact Warren Roback at 310-451-6913.
BREAKFAST HABITS AND WEIGHT CONTROL IN ADOLESCENTS
Over the past two decades, rates of obesity have doubled in children and nearly tripled in adolescents. Fifty-seven percent of adolescent females and 33 percent of males frequently use unhealthy weight-control behaviors, and an estimated 25 percent of children regularly skip breakfast. The study, "Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents: Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)" examined the association between breakfast frequency and 5-year body weight change in more than 2,200 adolescents. Results indicate that daily breakfast-eaters consumed a healthier diet than breakfast skippers, such as lower intakes of saturated fat, and breakfast-eaters were more physically active than skippers. The daily breakfast eaters tended to gain less weight have lower body mass index levels – an indicator of obesity risk – compared to breakfast skippers. The current study findings support the importance of promoting regular breakfast consumption among youth. Additional experimental studies are needed to determine whether improving breakfast habits can lead to healthier lifestyles and lower obesity risk. For more information, contact Mark Pereira, PhD, at 612-624-4173, map@umn.edu or Molly Portz at 612-624-5100 or 612-625-2640.
PERTUSSIS RATES HIGHEST AMONG YOUNG INFANTS
Before distribution of the pertussis vaccine in the 1940s, pertussis (whooping cough) was a leading cause of childhood death. In "Pertussis Hospitalizations Among Infants in the United States, 1993-2004," researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined hospitalization discharge databases and national disease surveillance data to describe recent rates of pertussis hospitalization among infants. Rates peaked for infants 1 month of age at 260 hospitalizations per 100,000 live births. By 3 months of age, the rate dropped to 103 hospitalizations per 100,000 live births, a 60 percent decline. The first dose of diphtheria/tetanus/acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine is recommended at 2 months of age. These data suggest even one dose of DTaP vaccine provides protection against hospitalization with pertussis. The authors suggest new vaccination strategies should be evaluated to protect infants as early in life as possible. For more information, contact Curtis Allen at 404-639-8487, callen@cdc.gov
PEDIATRIC DRUG STUDIES PROVIDE IMPROVED DOSING
Legislation passed over the last decade has resulted in a significant increase in the number of pediatric studies conducted to evaluate the safe and effective use of drugs in pediatric patients. The study, "Improving Pediatric Dosing Through Pediatric Initiatives: What We Have Learned," reviewed pediatric drug studies for 108 products submitted to the Food and Drug Administration from July 1998 through October 2005. The authors were interested in the impact increased pediatric drug trials have made on drug labeling and dosing for children. They concluded that these studies have resulted in significant changes in pediatric drug labeling and unique pediatric dosing recommendations. These changes have created more concise drug labeling, allowing physicians to prescribe more beneficial dosages, while reducing the risk of harmful or ineffective results. The authors conclude that a long-term commitment, starting early in drug development, to gaining knowledge regarding pediatric patients is of utmost importance for developing therapies in this unique and vulnerable patient population. For more information, contact Susan Cruzan or Sandy Walsh, 301-827-6242 or susan.cruzan@fda.hhs.gov
MANAGING ADOLESCENT OBESITY VIA THE INTERNET
The trend of overweight children and adolescents has been steadily increasing, with 34 percent of adolescents (12-19 years of age) meeting criteria for being overweight or at risk of overweight. The study, "Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Internet-Facilitated Intervention for Reducing Binge Eating and Overweight in Adolescents," found a 16-week online program that includes education, behavioral modification, journaling, discussion and motivational messages can achieve short-term weight loss and reduce binge eating. Weight maintenance is preferred over weight loss in adolescents due to the assumption that as children grow taller, their body mass index (BMI) will decrease. In addition to significantly lower BMIs, high school students who participated in the program had less concern about their weight and shape, suggesting the program also reduced risk factors for eating disorders. The authors conclude weight management and prevention of eating disorders can be achieved simultaneously with an easily disseminated online program. For more information, contact Megan Jones, MS, at 650-380-7223, meaganjones@stanford.edu or Kristen Luce, PhD, at 650-498-4315, kluce@stanford.edu
VACCINATION REQUIREMENT REDUCES RACIAL DISPARITIES
In 1997, the Illinois Department of Public Health mandated hepatitis B vaccination before students entered 5th grade. Before this requirement, black and Hispanic students were less likely than white students to be immunized against hepatitis B. The study, "Effect of a School-Entry Vaccination Requirement on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hepatitis B Immunization Coverage Levels Among Public School Students," documents how the vaccine mandate significantly reduced ethnic and racial disparities among students in Chicago public schools. After the requirement was enacted, Hispanic students were almost as likely as white students to have been vaccinated by 5th and 9th grades, and black students had similar vaccination coverage levels by 9th grade. By 12th grade, immunization rates exceeded 90 percent for white, black and Hispanic students, exceeding the Healthy People 2010 objective of 90 percent coverage levels. The authors’ findings are particularly relevant given the recent addition of several new vaccines targeted at adolescents. For more information, contact Tim Hadac at 312-747-9805, hadac_tim@cdph.org.
CONTINUITY OF CARE IMPROVES SCREENING OF INFANTS
Infants are more likely to be screened for lead exposure, anemia and tuberculosis if they are seen by the same primary care practitioner consistently. Preventive health care, including such screenings, is essential to children’s healthy development. Lead toxicity in early life can lead to lowered IQ later. Anemia can cause problems with movement and damage a child’s sight or hearing. Tuberculosis, while becoming less common, can have serious complications for children. Yet the children who are at increased risk, such as those from urban, low-income families, often don’t receive proper screening. This study of 1,564 infants enrolled in Medicaid demonstrates that those who saw the same practitioner at each doctor visit were up to 2 times more likely to be screened for these three conditions in the first 24 months of life. This finding applied to all office visits, not just "well child" visits. Such continuity of care is a fundamental part of primary care as defined by the Institute of Medicine. The authors conclude that attempts to improve continuity of care should focus not only on increasing the number of visits to a primary care provider, but should decrease the number of providers from whom a patient receives care. For more information, contact Juliann Walsh at 267-426-6054, walshj1@email.chop.edu.
The
American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 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.
|
|
|
