A roundup of recent newspaper stories about children's health...
Monday, Nov. 6:
Column:
Revealing Halloween Costumes Narrow Choices
This Halloween, parents and costume shop owners are seeing an
increase in the number of revealing outfits being sold -- and a decrease
in the average age of those who plan to wear them. Halloween store employees
say the risqué outfits gained popularity last year, so they ordered
more this year. The demand is making it difficult for parents and their
preteens to find appropriate trick-or-treating garb, according to this
column by C.W. Nevius. ( San Francisco Chronicle, 10/28/06, by Nevius)
Report:
Thousands of School-Age Children Homeless
Nearly 100,000 students were homeless in California during the
2005-2006 school year, and roughly two-thirds of those were in elementary
school, according to a report released by the state Senate Transportation
and Housing Committee. Lawmakers are working to provide transitional and
permanent housing to homeless families with school-age children, noting
that a stressful home situation can affect a child's emotional health
and academic success. (Oroville Mercury Register, 10/31/06 , by Rauh)
Study:
Girls More Stressed Than Ever
American girls are more stressed than ever about their weight,
grades, and sex, according to three studies conducted by Girls, Inc.,
a New York based organization that runs empowerment programs for girls.
Nationally, 60 percent of girls in grades 3 through 12 reported feeling
stressed and 33 percent said they often feel sad or unhappy. (SF Chronicle,
10/29/06 , by Lelchuck)
Study:
Internet Programs May Help Prevent Eating Disorders
Internet programs developed to prevent eating disorders just
might work, according to a study of one such Stanford program. Stanford
researchers, led by psychiatrist C. Barr Taylor, assigned the Internet
program to 480 college-aged women. None of the women identified as at-risk
of developing an eating disorder had developed one, but 12 percent of
women in the control group did develop a disorder, the study found.(Washington
Post, 10/31/06, by Boodman)
Fewer
Teens Are Giving Birth, But Cost to Taxpayers Still Steep
Teen childbearing has declined since the early 1990s -- from 62 births
per 1,000 teen girls in 1991 to 41 births per 1,000 teen girls in 2004.
But teen births remain costly to U.S. tax payers -- totaling more than
$9 billion in 2004, according to "By the Numbers: The Public Costs
of Teen Childbearing," a report commissioned by the National Campaign
to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a non-profit advocacy group. ( USA Today, 10/30/06
, by Koch)
Study:
Babies Can Be Too Fat
Babies are growing heavier with every generation, according to
research conducted at Harvard Medical School. While it might take an expert
to recognize the difference between healthy and unhealthy weight at this
age, excess weight gain may be setting children up for obesity, high blood
pre ssure, or even asthma, researchers said. (NPR, 11/02/06 , by Franklin
)
State
Allows Flu Shots with Mercury for Kids
In light of a shortage of mercury-free flu shots for children
under age 3, the California Health and Human Services Agency has decided
to temporarily allow doctors to administer flu shots that include a mercury-laced
preservative that some think is linked to autism. This article notes that
while the state is experiencing a shortage of the vaccines for children,
some local hospitals are not. (SJ Mercury, 11/3/06 , by Wronge and Kleffman)
Federal
Policy Requires Citizenship Before Treatment
Children born to illegal immigrants in the U.S. no longer will
qualify for Medicaid, according to a new federal policy. In order to receive
coverage, the child's parents first must apply for Medicaid and prove
the child's citizenship. Doctors and other health professionals say the
new policy denies newborns necessary health care while they wait for proper
identification. (NY Tim es, 11/3/06, by Pear)
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