Committee Recommends Cancer Shots for Girls

An influential government advisory committee has recommended the routine vaccination of 11 and 12 year old girls against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.  The vaccine is approved for females ages 9 to 26. Health officials estimate than more than 50% of sexually active women and men will be infected with one or more kinds of HPV, human papilloma virus, in their lifetimes. Vaccine proponents say it could dramatically reduce than nearly 4,000 cervical cancer deaths that occur each year in the United States.

++++++++++

Casey Foundation Kids Count 2006 Released on June 27

The 2006 Kids County Data Book provides a state-by-state statistical portrait of the health, education, social and economic condition of American children. Kids count is a valuable resource for people working to improve the well-being of children in America. The Data Book, Pocket Guide, and other related materials can be ordered free of charge from the Annie E. Casey Foundation web site. Click on the link above.

++++++++++

Backpack Clubs for Hungry Kids

On Friday afternoons throughout the school year, members of the Backpack clubs at elementary schools across the country gather to fill their backpacks with food for weekend breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Children carry backpacks that look like the typical backpacks in which children carry books and supplies. They keep children from being teased by their classmates for being poor. The food in each backpack costs between $2 and $3, and when filled weighs between seven to 10 pounds. They provide balanced meals for children for the weekend. Some backpack carriers guard their food and hide it. Others share it with their families.

++++++++++

Incorporating Youth Development Principles into Adolescent Health Programs: A Guide for State-Level Practitioners and Policy Makers

The youth development approach calls for a focus on young people’s capacities, strengths and developmental needs and not solely on their problems, risks or health compromising behaviors. Applying youth development to public health focuses on assessment, policy development and assurance. While this paper is obviously not for everyone, it does have information and resources useful to many and a large number of quality Internet links. 34 page pdf file.

++++++++++

Adolescent Brain Development

Powerpoint presentations from the recent Coalition for Juvenile Justice Conference on the implications of adolescent brain development for juvenile justice are available to look at the CJJ web site. At the  “Conferences & Events” page scroll past the DMC conference information.

++++++++++

The Junk Food Smugglers

The drive to promote healthy eating in schools has created a black market in junk food. This BBC News report is about kids in the UK and the US who are smuggling junk food into school with an eye for a quick profit. Chocolate  bars, fizzy sodas, potato chips are bought in bulk and sold surreptitiously to sugar-craved classmates. Leave it to the kids.

++++++++++

Physically Active Teens Get into Less Trouble

Researchers have found that compared with teens that spend much of their free time in from of the TV; those who are active often have higher self-esteem, better grades and are less prone to risky behavior like taking drugs, smoking, drinking or having sex.  The study highlights the fact that exercise is not only about weight control, but has other benefits.

++++++++++

Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) 1975-2004, with Projections for 2005 – 2006 Report

This report is a composite index of trends in the well-being of America’s children and youth and is packed with statistics.    In the Health Domain, for instance, while improvements have been made in preventing mortality in infants, children, and youth since 1975, levels of obesity have steadily grown at a pace that has negated those accomplishments. The Health Domain today is almost 30% below baseline levels. 24 page pdf file.

++++++++++The Choking Game is Back

A teenager in Virginia died of accidental asphyxiation in March after wrapping a terry-cloth sash around his neck in a variation of the choking game known as autoerotic asphyxiation, which involves masturbation while cutting off the air supply to the brain. Experts estimate that 250 to 1,000 young people die in the US each year from some variant of the choking game. Many are reported as suicides. The game is also known as blackout, gasper, space monkey and suffocation roulette. Here are two web sites with more information:

http://www.deadlygameschildrenplay.com
http://www.stop-the-choking-game.com

++++++++++Massachusetts Becomes the First State to Provide Almost Universal Health Care

A billed passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature this week does what health experts say no other state has been able to do: provide a mechanism for all of its citizens to obtain health insurance. It combines methods and proposals from across the political spectrum to apportion the cost among businesses, individuals, and the government.

++++++++++

• about 34% of young people between 12- and 17-years-old who tried inhalants for the first time came from families that earned at least 200 to 399 percent more than the federal poverty threshold.
  
• 70% were white
  
• First-time users were as likely to be girls as boys – 50.5% female; 49.4% male.
  
• 30% of those who said they tried inhalants for the first time were 12- to 13-years-old; 39.2% were 14 or 15; 30.8% were 16 or 17.

++++++++++
Online Database of Medicaid Benefits

This site contains Medicaid benefits survey data from 2003 and 2004 with information about benefits covered, limits, co-payments and reimbursement methodologies for the 50 states.

++++++++++

Be Careful When You Shred Documents – Kids and Pets Are at Risk

Since 2000, the U.S. Consumer Project Safety Commission has received 50 reports of injuries from home-shredder machines, including lacerations and amputated fingers. Almost two-thirds of the incidents involved children younger than five and some occurred even when there was adult supervision. The agency is aware of at least five incidents in which dogs had their tongues caught in shredders. Some of them had to be euthanized.

++++++++++

Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity is the theme of the latest issue of the online journal The Future of Children. In addition to the journal articles, an executive summary and a policy brief, Fighting Obesity in the Public Schools,  are also available for download.

++++++++++

Making Early Developmental Screening Routine

A growing number of pediatricians see parental observation as a powerful tool for predicting a child’s possible disabilities, developmental delays and other challenges. In support of this cause, the Los Angeles County Early Identification & Intervention Group collaborates with roughly 100 agencies in Los Angeles County in a three-pronged approach to bring to children and their families:

• Early screening using high-quality tools based on parent observation,
• Quick follow-up from health care providers, and
• Help for families in finding and accessing resources they need.

++++++++++Genetic Test for Addiction

A low-cost test for a genetic marker for addiction has been developed by a UCLA researcher. The test is for the A1 allele, which researchers have identified as signaling elevated risk of addiction. The test is still under development and will cost about $35 to administer. It can be a prevention tool as well as a diagnostic tool.

++++++++++

Teenagers Need More Sleep

Teenagers and their parents in Fairfax County, Virginia are pushing to change middle and high school start times. They say teens aren’t made to start their days so early. In recent years several school districts around the country have moved their school day to a later hour. Nine and one-half hours or more sleep a nights is recommended for a typical teenager who is also typically sleepy in the morning and more alert in the evening. Most schools operate contrary schedules.

++++++++++Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule

The link above will take you to two pages of information about immunizing your children in a handy table format.

++++++++++Kidsdata

Two counties in California are using advanced information technology to provide information about foster care and other issues involving child health and wellbeing through the Kidsdata.org web site. San Mateo and Santa Clara counties are tracking 30 health topics and providing analysis about how children are faring in each topic area.

 ++++++++++Heat and Eat: Using Federal Nutrition Programs to Cushion the Shock of Skyrocketing Heating Bills

Here’s a timely document. FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) reviews strategies in food stamps and child nutrition to help low income families avoid the heat-or-eat quandary this winter. The federal government expects this winter’s average monthly natural gas heating bill to jump 41%.

++++++++++National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children

Web site for those concerned about children whose caretakers manufacture, deal drugs, or use them and by doing so physically or psychologically endanger children. Resources here include a national medical protocol and how to start a DEC program.

++++++++++Adolescent Brain Development

The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) web pages include an excellent Issues section with information and resources on a variety of timely subjects. Here are three of the articles from the Brain Development section:

The Relevance of Brain Research to Juvenile Defense – Robert Shepherd

Adolescents, Maturity, and The Law: why science and development matter in juvenile justice – Jeff Fagan.

Brain maturation in juveniles: Some implications for behavior and control - Ruben C. Gur

++++++++++Schools Emphasize More Fitness, Less Sports

Schools districts are engaged in improving their fitness centers in am emphasis on helping young people develop the competence that leads to confidence and enjoyment of a lifetime of physical activity. Schools are teaching all kinds of skills, including rock climbing, martial arts, and fly fishing.

++++++++++