Disclaimer:  Pediatric Partners cannot control the content on any outside website links.

K2, a substance made of potpouri and a chemical similar to marijuana is a concern:  Teens and adults seeking a legal high are using a substance called K2.  This can cause serious side effects and is very dangerous.  Parents can learn more here.

Medical information on line:  A survey of about 16,000 people over seven years found many begin searching for health care information on the Internet but then take it to their physician for discussion. The survey found trust in physicians has increased while trust in Internet information has declined slightly. HealthDay News (3/3)

More secondhand smoke problems:  Damage to arteries from secondhand smoke may be measurable in children as young as 13, according to a study by Finnish researchers. Data showed children with the highest blood levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, had artery walls 7% thicker than those with the lowest levels. Reuters (3/2)

Protect hearing:  Audiology experts said hearing loss in children from exposure to loud noise is cumulative and irreversible, so it is important to protect a child's ears during noisy events. "This message needs to be conveyed to parents over and over again," one expert said. The New York Times (3/1)

Stop the Snacks!  Children in 2006 consumed more snack calories per day than in 1977, with snacks accounting for 27.3% of average daily caloric intake. The study says children consume about 2,099 calories a day, 100 more than in 1977, but mealtime calorie intake is declining. Los Angeles Times (3/2)

Mumps in the news: 

The New York Times (2/26, Kaminer) reported on the mumps outbreak among Hasidic Jews in New York, now traced to "a Jewish summer camp in the Catskills," that, after spreading to "the Hasidic enclaves in Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg," led to "more than 900 cases." The "outbreak has written a new chapter in epidemiological history," as "most of the patients in Brooklyn had gotten," a standard vaccine in childhood "and it didn't help them." Dr. Edward Chapnick, director of infectious diseases at Maimonides Medical Center, said, "Two vaccines, which we always thought had a very high effectiveness at preventing this, turns out to have a 75 to 80 percent effectiveness." So "many doctors in the area...now favor three vaccinations."

        Some diseases may return amid declining rates of MMR vaccination. The Chicago Tribune (3/1) editorializes that the 1998 Lancet "article claiming that there may be a link between the MMR vaccine...and the development of autism in children" resulted in declining rates of vaccination from "92 percent shortly before The Lancet article was published to 79 percent in 2003." Since then, measles "has been making an alarming comeback." The Tribune says that "it's understandable that some parents have focused on vaccines as the cause of their child's autism. It is a mysterious disorder. Scientists don't know what causes it. But, if more parents refuse to vaccinate their kids, it is more likely that some nearly forgotten diseases will enjoy a renaissance."

        Many US parents still believe some vaccines may cause autism. The AP (3/1, Johnson) reports that "one in four US parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated." In fact, "most parents continue to follow the advice of their children's doctors, according to a study" published online Feb. 28 and scheduled to appear in print in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.

        The Los Angeles Times (2/28, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that in the "survey of 1,552 parents taken in 2009," 90% "of the parents agreed that vaccines were a good way to protect children from disease." However, "54% said they were concerned about adverse side effects from vaccines, and 12% said they had refused at least one vaccine that the doctor had recommended for their child."

It's Smart to be Fit:  U.S. researchers said physically fit students tend to get better test scores than those who are less fit. The data found scores dropped more than one point for each extra minute middle and high school students took to complete a 1 mile run/walk fitness test. Reuters (2/25)

Beware of advertising to kids:  Yale University researchers said the number of food products with youth-oriented cross promotions, such as using photos of celebrities, toys and games on the package, increased by 78% from 2006 to 2008. The study found just 18% of the products met nutrition standards for foods sold to youth. Los Angeles Times (2/25)

First Lady tries to improve obesity rates:  First Lady Michelle Obama is ramping up her campaign against childhood obesity, urging parents to find new ways to encourage healthy eating and exercise in communities throughout the U.S. Obama plans to provide more details on a comprehensive fitness agenda in coming weeks as part of her "Let's Move" initiative. The Washington Post (2/25)

More tobacco news:  Smokeless tobacco, or "snuff," is just as addictive as smoking cigarettes, and those who do both may be especially nicotine-dependent, Swedish research showed. The study of 800 teenagers found 70% of smokers said they felt addicted to tobacco, compared with nearly 80% of snuff users and 90% of those who used both. Reuters (2/25)

I wish they'd study daytime naps for working moms!  Daytime naps help infant brains retain new knowledge, researchers said. The study of 15-month-olds found daytime nappers were more likely to show an advanced level of learning called abstraction, meaning they can detect a general pattern in new information. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (2/24)

New Vaccine Approved:  The FDA approved Pfizer's Prevnar 13 pneumococcal vaccine for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. The product targets 13 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, including the 19A strain that was not in the original Prevnar. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (2/24) , Bloomberg BusinessWeek/HealthDay News (2/24)

Flu Shots for All!  The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend almost all Americans get an annual flu shot. Infants under 6 months and people with egg allergies or other unusual conditions were exempted from the recommendation, which now goes to the CDC. MSNBC/The Associated Press (2/24)

Residential programs to help obese kids:  Youths struggling with obesity are enrolling at residential weight-loss facilities such as the Wellspring Academy in California. Children there live in residential dorms for at least four months, attending classes, exercising daily and following a special diet created by a Northwestern University Medical Center professor who ran clinical obesity programs. Yahoo!/TIME (2/23)

Only 1 in 5 children see the dentist regularly:  A Pew Center report found one in five U.S. children doesn't get annual dental care and most states don't have policies that ensure access to preventive treatments that can reduce costs. The report gave only six states "A" grades for their dental health policies, while 16 states earned a "D" or "F." USA TODAY (2/23)

Johnson County fairs well in overall health: U.S. researchers have ranked health care for almost every county in the U.S. for the first time in a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin. Healthier counties tend to be urban and suburban, while 84% of the 50 least-healthy counties are rural, the data showed. USA TODAY (2/17) 

Children with chronic conditions:  A U.S. study showed 26.6% of children in 2006 had a chronic health condition, such as asthma, obesity or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, up from 12.8% in 1994. However, researchers said the condition would resolve over time for about half of the children. Reuters (2/16)

Dr. Greene's book on feeding baby:  Pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene's new book offers tips on environmentally conscious parenting. In "Feeding Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition During Pregnancy, Childhood, and Beyond," Green says parents should feed children green vegetables for lunch and dinner at young ages so seeing them on the plate is not a strange occurrence. The New York Times/Well blog (2/12)

Obesity starts as young as 3 months old:  A study of overweight children showed a trend toward weight gain beginning at age 3 months with more than 50% becoming overweight at or before age 2. Researchers said the study is a wake-up call for physicians to begin obesity prevention efforts much earlier. MSNBC/LiveScience.com (2/11)

High blood pressure drug approved for 6 years and up:  The FDA approved Daiichi Sankyo's hypertension drug Benicar for use in children ages 6 to 16. The treatment, which was approved for adults in 2002, could especially benefit obese children, who are at three times the risk of developing hypertension compared with normal-weight children. BusinessWeek/HealthDay News (2/11)

Milk during pregnancy helps prevent Multiple Sclerosis:  Pregnant women who drank four glasses of milk daily and consumed vitamin D appeared to protect their children from developing multiple sclerosis later in life. The study builds on evidence that vitamin D deficiency is linked to MS. HealthDay News (2/9)

Obese children found to have shortened life span:  Children who are obese are more likely to die prematurely, according to a 24-year NIH study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers followed 4,857 American Indian children and found that the heaviest 25% were twice as likely to die early from diseases including cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular disease, compared with children in the lowest 25% according to weight. USA TODAY (2/10)

Third-hand smoke might cause cancer:  Third-hand smoke, the tobacco residue left on indoor surfaces, could combine with airborne compounds to form potentially cancer-causing substances, study data suggested. Researchers said nonsmokers and infants could be at a heightened risk from inhaling smoke-related residue on surfaces and in dust. HealthDay News (2/8)

Simple steps to prevent childhood obesity:  Children who eat dinner regularly with their family, limit TV time and get enough sleep can reduce their risk of obesity by 40% compared with their peers who don't follow these routines, researchers said. The study, in Pediatrics, charted the routines of children from birth to age 4. TIME (2/7)

A book to help obese girls lose weight appropriately:  Pediatric researchers said obese girls ages 9 to 13 were inspired to lose weight by reading a novel from the Beacon Street Girls series by Annie Bryant. The book told the story of an overweight girl who learns to make healthy choices and finds physical activity can be fun. The study was published in Pediatrics. USA TODAY (2/7)

Food allergy alert bracelets:  A group of Tennessee parents created the Food Allergy-Band to help make people aware that their children have dangerous food allergies. The wristbands use cartoon characters to show which specific allergy or allergies a child has, and they can be found online. The Tennessean (Nashville) (2/2)

Lancet retracts study linking autism and MMR vaccine:  A 1998 research paper that suggested a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism and bowel disease was formally retracted by The Lancet on Tuesday after the physician author was discredited. A British disciplinary panel said Dr. Andrew Wakefield was "irresponsible and dishonest" in the way he presented the research. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (2/2), Reuters (2/2)

Potentially dangerous chemical sold as an autism supplement:  An industrial chemical used in mining called OSR#1 is being sold as a dietary supplement for children with autism, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Health experts and researchers said the chemical could be dangerous and hasn't been evaluated in formal clinical trials for safety or efficacy. Los Angeles Times (2/1)

Overweight boys more likely to have delayed puberty:  Overweight or obese boys are more likely than their thinner peers to have delayed onset of puberty, a study found. The opposite has been found for girls and researchers suggested for boys the digestive hormone leptin or the sex hormone estradiol could factor into when puberty is triggered. Los Angeles Times/Booster Shots (2/1)

Metformin might help teens lose weight:  The diabetes drug metformin XR may help overweight teens shed pounds when added to a program that advocates lifestyle changes, researchers said. Study data showed after one year, average body mass index measures for children in the metformin group declined, while increasing for those taking a placebo. HealthDay News (2/1)

Cavities on the rise:  The number of children with dental cavities has increased 4%, according to the latest CDC data, after reaching all-time lows in the mid-1990s. Charleston, S.C., pediatric dentist Melissa Rozas said cavities most often begin when children start school and their diets change. WCBD-TV (Charleston, S.C.) (1/28)

Food allergies might be less than thought:  Physicians say children whose food allergy diagnoses were based on blood or skin tests may not really be allergic to those ingredients. The only sure test is a food challenge in a physician office or hospital, but they are expensive, time-consuming and nerve-wracking for parents who have seen a child in anaphylactic shock. The Wall Street Journal (1/26)

Swimming before age 2 might increase risk of wheezing:  The risk of bronchiolitis is higher for children who start swimming in chlorinated pools before age 2, study data showed. Researchers said young swimmers who develop the infection also have a higher risk of asthma and respiratory allergies by kindergarten. Reuters (1/26)

Printable View