June 2008

AMA meeting: Increasing use of Tasers prompts safety review

In response to concerns about the expanding use of Tasers and their possible impact on health, the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health will gather scientific data on injuries and deaths that may be connected to these electronic control devices for a future report, according to policy adopted at the AMA's June meeting.

"There remains controversy around the safety of Tasers," said AMA Board of Trustees member Steven J. Stack, MD. "Further study is in order to ensure that Tasers present the least possible harm to the people being subdued."

Delegates are seeking this report because Tasers are increasingly used beyond law enforcement. "Tasers are being used in some school settings and health care settings without any knowledge of the consequences," said Carol Berkowitz, MD, speaking for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Some people are stunned by the devices as part of the how-to-use training. Background checks are required, but the devices can be legally carried as concealed weapons in many jurisdictions. A version is available to the public in nine colors, including two shades of pink. "I would caution everyone about arming the world with Tasers. We need the science, and I hope we don't end up killing more people than protecting them," said Robert E. McAfee, MD, a former AMA president and general surgeon from Portland, Maine.

More widespread use also means more questions about whether these devices are overused and how dangerous they might be. The Commission for Public Complaints Against The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a government-created independent agency, issued a report last month supporting continued use. But, because of public concern raised by several related deaths, the Canadian report urged Taser use be restricted to experienced officers. The report also found Tasers were most likely to be used on unarmed males aged 20 to 39 who had been drinking alcohol. The document recommended the stunning devices only be used on people who were combative and presented a risk of inflicting death or grievous bodily harm. Medical attention should always be sought afterward.

In the scientific realm, several prospective studies have failed to find any negative cardiac impact, but case reports have documented a handful of associated injuries. A paper in the November 2007 Annals of Emergency Medicine reported details of a police officer who was stunned during training and sustained spinal fractures from the severe, Taser-induced muscle contractions. This possibility is included in the safety information accompanying the device. "We need to let the public know that they are not as undangerous as they think," said Corliss Varnum, MD, a family physician from Oswego, N.Y., and a representative of the Medical Society of the State of New York.

Delegates were particularly concerned about Taser use outside of law enforcement, and the possibility that the devices could be used to control children or the mentally ill. "Tasers have now been implicated in several deaths, and those with mental illness seem to be 'Tasered' with disproportionate frequency," said David Fassler, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist from Burlington, Vt., speaking for the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

"When used properly," said Steve Tuttle, vice president of communications for the manufacturer, TASER International, "medical and law enforcement experts have concluded that Taser technology is among the most effective use-of-force interventions available to law enforcement officers to halt violent situations that pose a safety risk."

Statements on the company Web site indicate that 71 wrongful death and injury lawsuits brought against the company have been dismissed.

Victoria Stagg Elliott,
7 July 2008

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/07/07/prsf0707.htm

____

Brain scientists discover why adventure feels good

Scientists have identified a primitive area of the brain that makes us adventurous -- a finding which may help explain why people routinely fall for "new" products when shopping.

Using brain scans to measure blood flow, British researchers discovered that a brain region known as the ventral striatum was more active when subjects chose unusual objects in controlled tests. The ventral striatum is involved in processing rewards in the brain through the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine. Scientists believe the existence of this age-old reward mechanism indicates there is an evolutionary advantage in sampling the unknown.

"Seeking new and unfamiliar experiences is a fundamental behavioral tendency in humans and animals. It makes sense to try new options as they may prove advantageous in the long run," said Bianca Wittmann of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London.

Being daring, however, also carries risks. Some choices could be dangerous and, in the modern world, selecting the new may, for instance, make consumers susceptible to marketing hype. The positive feedback system in the brain could also contribute to some common vices. "In humans, increased novelty-seeking may play a role in gambling and drug addiction, both of which are mediated by malfunctions in dopamine release," said Nathaniel Daw, now at New York University, who also worked on the study.

The findings were published online in the journal Neuron.

25 June 2008

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2008-06-25T183633Z_01_L25403324_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRAIN-ADVENTURE.xml

____

U.S. battle against teen smoking stalls: CDC

Efforts to reduce teen smoking have stalled in the past five years as states lose funding for anti-tobacco efforts and as companies use new strategies to recruit customers, U.S. health officials said on Thursday.

While fewer youths are trying cigarettes for the first time, overall smoking rates stayed stable at just under 22 percent for students aged 14 to 18 between 2003 and 2007, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Many fewer students have ever tried a cigarette -- just 50 percent, down from 70 percent in 1999. But CDC officials were not celebrating this number.

"We had seen this great progress from 1999 to 2003 and we were turning around this epidemic of increase in the 1990s that had everybody concerned," Terry Pechacek of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health said in a telephone interview. Unfortunately, that progress has not been maintained."

The CDC looked at a regular survey of tens of thousands of high school students done every year by the federal government. The percentage of students who said they had ever smoked a cigarette fell from 70 percent in 1999 to 58 percent in 2003 and 50 percent in 2007, it found. There were also fewer frequent smokers, with just 8 percent of students saying they smoked 20 or more cigarettes in the past month, compared to 16.8 percent in 1999.

Emphasis switch, price cutting
But the number of students who said they had smoked at least one cigarette in the past month was stable. In 1997, 36 percent of high school students said they had smoked recently. This fell to 21.9 percent by 2003 but has remained stable since, the CDC reported.

Pechacek sees this as a dangerous trend, because even light smoking can lead to addiction. "We are taking the emphases off of youth smoking across the nation," he said. "We have moved on to obesity, we have moved onto other issues."

He said price increases on cigarettes have been proven to reduce teen smoking, but states are not keeping up the effort. "The industry is putting billions of dollars into price cutting. We know that the amount of counter-marketing in our states ... has decreased since 2002-2003 and some of our biggest states have gone offline, like Florida, Massachusetts and Minnesota," he said.

He also said films and video games were often depicting smoking as glamorous. "It's kind of like mercury pollution in our fish. Smoking imagery is all over the place in DVDs, in video games. This visual world of youth is polluted with tobacco imagery. You have to take aggressive action to clean that up."

The CDC report found one area of significant progress -- among black girls. "The prevalence of current cigarette use increased from 11.3 percent in 1991 to 17.7 percent in 1999 and then declined to 8.4 percent in 2007," the CDC report reads. Pechacek said it was not clear what happened, but the trend shows that if black girls can be encouraged to quit in greater numbers, so can other high school students.

Maggie Fox
26 June 2008

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2008-06-26T172808Z_01_N26330998_RTRUKOC_0_US-SMOKING-USA.xml

____

WALES

Beating Bridgend suicides

Almost a million pounds has been made available for a project to support people at risk from suicide in the Bridgend County Borough and Neath Port Talbot areas, where suicide has claimed an estimated 30 young lives in the past year. Called Let’s Talk - Siaradwn Ni, the scheme will establish a network of specially-trained people who will be able to promote suicide prevention techniques both in the local community and across voluntary and statutory sector services.

Bridgend Council have issued the following statement on the suicides:

Following the recent tragic deaths of a number of people in Bridgend County Borough, the Bridgend Local Service Board is reminding local residents that help is close at hand for anyone suffering from stress, depression or anxiety. There are a number of services already in existence that are tailored towards helping people in different ways.

Our message is simple: whatever the problem is, don’t keep it to yourself. Sharing your concerns will help to put things in a different light, and is the first step towards finding a solution. Suicide and unexpected death is a difficult issue which affects all communities in the UK. This is a complex problem that needs to be managed through a co-ordinated approach.

A Suicide Prevention Strategy has been developed by a multi-agency group which includes Adult Social Services, Children’s Services, Education, South Wales Police, Health and the voluntary sector. Almost a million has been made available for a project aimed at supporting people who are at risk from suicide in the Bridgend County Borough and Neath Port Talbot areas. Called Let’s Talk - Siaradwn Ni, the scheme will establish a network of specially-trained people who will be able to promote suicide prevention techniques both in the local community and across voluntary and statutory sector services.

The project will be operated by the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust and will be overseen by co-ordinators skilled in applied suicide intervention and risk management training. They will help staff and communities spot mental health issues and allow earlier intervention so individuals can be encouraged to seek appropriate support. There will be a stronger structure for referrals, support and interagency working. Support groups will also be developed for family and friends who have been affected by suicide.

Funding for the initiative has been provided by the Big Lottery Fund’s Mental Health Matters programme.

Strong links with the Youth Offending Team, After Care team and HMP and YOI Parc are in place, and further suicide reduction training is taking place. An awareness-raising campaign will help people recognise signs of mental distress to allow earlier intervention. As only 25% of all people who take their own life have any contact with mental health services, the wider community also has a role to play in helping to recognise these concerns. We are adopting a common sense approach to de-stigmatise mental distress and create better awareness of the surrounding issues.

A counselling service helps young people aged between 11-25 in schools and the local community. It is a free service and there are no limits on the number of sessions a person can receive. The counsellors offer friendly, confidential support and guidance and there are also initiatives running like the Peer Mentoring Programme, where younger children can talk to older pupils as they would a ‘big brother’ or ‘big sister’, and the Playground Peacemakers anti-bullying scheme. Counsellors are good listeners and are there to support people, not judge them. They help young people identify long and short term goals and develop coping strategies and support networks, promoting the view that in life, things will always change. They also develop a person’s own potential for change and development.

The LEAs educational psychology service has prioritised its support work for schools, briefing teaching staff and governing bodies. Packs and materials have been developed for each comprehensive and information on dealing with bereavement has also been provided.

There are 18 youth/drop-in centres spread throughout the county borough and a community youth shop has been set up in Bridgend town centre. All are run by qualified youth workers who provide advice and guidance about issues such as youth rights and entitlements, suicide prevention, drug awareness and sexual health. They also deal with issues that are specific to each community.

In addition, the council’s Youth Service in partnership with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust provides a mobile information bus staffed with youth workers, a nurse and a youth counsellor which visits all local communities. Detached youth workers also patrol local streets to reach young people who may not visit youth centres, and there are specific projects that are aimed at helping young parents or encouraging young people to take up active lifestyles.

The Youth Service has launched workshops at local comprehensive schools to make young people more aware about the services available to them and where they can get advice about their entitlements. Over the summer, young people aged between 11-25 can also make use of a counselling service offered throughout the county borough by the council’s Youth Service team. Elsewhere in the community, there are special teams who focus on helping young offenders, prisoners who are nearing the end of their sentences and are about to rejoin society and people who are leaving hospital after long periods of care.

Doctors and GPs can be spoken to in confidence and can tell you about the various health and community services that are available. There are also a number of special telephone helplines available for groups such as The Samaritans or Child Line, and advice for parents, teachers and pupils has been distributed with details about how to tell if someone is suffering from mental distress and what can be done to help them.

Only 25% of people who take their own lives have prior contact with mental health services, so it is important that people realise such help is available.

The Bridgend Local Service Board brings together local organisations and integrates services throughout Bridgend County Borough. It comprises the following organisations: Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations, Environment Agency Wales, South Wales Police, Bridgend Local Health Board, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust, Bridgend County Borough Council and the education partnership, which supports local partnerships.

Our thoughts remain with those who have been affected by the recent deaths.

Editorial Report
24 June 2008

http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Health&F=1&id=14485

____

Teen "pregnancy pact" shocks Massachusetts city

A Massachusetts city is investigating an apparent teenage "pregnancy pact" that has at least 17 high-school girls expecting babies, four times more than last year, including many aged 16 or younger. A high school health clinic in the city of Gloucester became suspicious after seeing a surge in girls seeking pregnancy tests. Local officials said on Thursday nearly half of those who became pregnant appear to have entered into a pact to have their babies together over the year.

"Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine, which broke news of the pact on its Web site. Sullivan was not immediately available to comment. But local officials said at least some of the men involved in the pregnancies were in their mid-20s, including one man who appeared to be homeless. Others were boys in the school.

Carolyn Kirk, mayor of the port city 30 miles northeast of Boston, said authorities are looking at whether to pursue statutory rape charges. "We're at the very early stages of wrestling with the complexities of this problem," she said. "But we also have to think about the boys. Some of these boys could have their lives changed. They could be in serious, serious trouble even if it was consensual because of their age -- not from what the city could do but from what the girls' families could do," she told Reuters.

Under Massachusetts law, it is a crime to have sex with anyone under the age of 16.

National trend
"At the very least these men should be held responsible for financial support, if not put in jail for statutory rape as the mayor has suggested," Greg Verga, chairman of the Gloucester School Committee, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Nationwide, teen pregnancies are showing signs of rising after steadily declining from 1991 to 2005. This trend was highlighted on Thursday when Britney Spears' 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, star of Nickelodeon's popular TV show Zoey 10 gave birth to a baby girl, according to People magazine. "The data seem to be indicating that the declines that we had seen through the 1990s are coming to a close," said David Landry, a researcher at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group focusing on reproductive issues. Birth rates for teenagers aged 15 to 17 rose by 3 percent in 2006, the first increase since 1991, according to preliminary data released in December by the National Center for Health Statistics. Landry cautioned against attributing the trend to Hollywood following the recent hit movie Juno, in which a teenager gets pregnant and decides to have the baby, and Knocked Up, a comedy about a one-night stand. "The trend emerged before those movies," he said.

In Gloucester, the 1,200-student school administered 150 pregnancy tests to students in the past academic year. The school forbids the distribution of condoms and other contraception without parental consent -- a rule that prompted the school's doctor and nurse to resign in protest in May. "But even if we had contraceptives, that pact shows that if they wanted to get pregnant, they will get pregnant. Whether we distribute contraceptives is irrelevant," said Verga.

Jason Szep
20 June 2008

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2008-06-20T054522Z_01_N19386726_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-PREGNANCY-TEENS.xml

____

AUSTRALIA

Turn it down! Warnings on noise induced hearing loss NIHL

What is NIHL?
A recent report by the Federal Government's hearing support and research agency, Australian Hearing, says noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the single most significant cause of hearing loss in Australia.

Sound is measured in decibels. Hearing sounds within a safe level - below 80 decibels - will not damage your hearing, but prolonged exposure to noise above 90 decibels will cause hearing loss. The sensitive structures of the inner ear can be permanently affected by harmful levels of noise. Noise-induced hearing loss occurs when the inner ear is damaged by exposure to a very loud sound or continued exposure to loud sound over a long period. Over time, hearing may become muffled or distorted. As a guide, sounds below 10decibels are almost impossible to hear and normal conversation takes place at about 60-70 decibels. Amplified live music is commonly around 110decibels and an aeroplane taking off about 120decibels.

Temporary hearing loss can occur after exposure to loud noise. A loud concert, for example, may cause tinnitus (ringing in the ears) that typically disappears within a couple of days.

Are young people at risk of noise-related hearing loss?
The surge in popularity and convenience of portable music devices such as MP3 players has caused growing concern about noise-induced hearing loss. Young people, in particular, are exposed to loud music through the use of headphones and attending concerts. People may spend hours listening while commuting or studying - and with volume limits of 120decibels or higher, there is considerable potential for hearing damage.

A recent report, Is Australia Listening? Attitudes to Hearing Loss, found that Australians aged 18 to 34 were more likely to experience tinnitus and suffer from it more frequently than older Australians. The survey also found that younger Australians are less likely to avoid noisy places or wear hearing protection.

Some specialists have called for legislation to restrict volume levels on portable music devices. The European Union has introduced laws to place volume limits on MP3 players, but even with a limit of 90decibels continuous listening could still carry a risk of hearing damage. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Audiology launched a "Turn it to the left" campaign to raise awareness of NIHL. It is estimated that up to 5million Americans aged six to 18 suffer from hearing loss and the problem could be alleviated by turning down the volume of their personal music players - turning it to the left. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (UK) has a campaign to reduce music-related hearing loss in young people. The "Don't stop the music" campaign adopts the slogan "Look after your ears now. Enjoy music forever."

Ear buds - the tiny headphones that users tuck into their ears - can also cause problems. Resting on the ear canal, they do little to block out extraneous noise, so users may increase the volume to hear their music above surrounding noise. It's not just music players that pose a risk. Apart from work-related noise, NIHL can come from many sources - mobile phones, TV, movies and shops.

How can hearing damage be avoided?

• Awareness of the consequences of excessive sound exposure is important. Understanding that excessive exposure to sound can cause permanent damage and that hearing damage is cumulative is a good start.

• The louder the sound, the less time it takes to develop NIHL. Portable music devices can play at volumes that are dangerous to your hearing. Set your own limits by turning down the volume or try noise-cancelling headphones - they cut out exterior noise, so you don't need to turn the volume up as loud. Set your volume at a level that allows you to hear someone nearby speaking.

• Using safe-volume ear buds prevents volumes exceeding unsafe levels regardless of the volume setting. iPod users can download software updates from Apple that allow them to set volume limits on their devices.

• Take ringing or buzzing sounds in your ears as a warning sign that the music is loud enough to damage your hearing. Use earplugs in loud venues for protection.

• Be aware of the things around you that pose a threat to your hearing. Many people don't notice a deterioration in their hearing until it is too late. Don't ignore warning signs, have your hearing checked. Noise-related hearing loss is preventable, but damage to your ears is irreversible.

Recent headlines
"Turn it up! Headphone listening threatens hearing"
The Age, June10

"It's the loud crowd"
Herald Sun, June10

"It's your shout"
The Age, April 22

"Budding deafness rocks the iPodset"
The Age, January 9

What people say
"A potentially unsafe level (MP3 volume) is any level that requires somebody else to raise their voice to communicate with you while you're listening," - Harvey Dillon, director of research, National Acoustic Laboratories, The Age June 10

"Ringing in the ears after a gig or dance party are really bad signs for long-term hearing health." - Anthea Green, managing director Australian Hearing, The Australian, May 23

"Almost two in three of those who listen to music through headphones sometimes have the volume so loud that people usually have to shout to be heard, indicating it's too loud and could be causing damage." Is Australia Listening? Australian Hearing's Health Report 2008 www.hearing.com.au

"If young people don't heed our warnings ... they could end up facing premature hearing damage. If you regularly plug in, it is only too easy to clock up noise doses that could damage your hearing for ever."- Dr John Low, Royal National Institute for Deaf People, Herald Sun, December 26, 2007

Vikki Leone
23 June 2008

http://www.theage.com.au/education/turn-it-down-20080622-2uwb.html

____

Disparities seen in young people's health, behaviours

Large disparities in young people's health and health-related behaviours across Europe and North America and strong but complex relationships between adolescent health and the socioeconomic status of families: these are the main findings of a new and unique cross-national study jointly launched today by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the University of Edinburgh.

Based on a survey conducted in 2005/2006 on 204 000 young people (11, 13, and 15 years old) in 41 countries and regions across Europe and in North America, the fourth international report from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study provides the most comprehensive evidence to date on the health and health-related behaviour, and their social contexts, of young people in industrialized nations.

The countries and regions surveyed are Austria, Belgium (Flemish), Belgium (French), Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States and Wales. The study uses the United Nations categories of northern, southern, eastern and western Europe and North America.

The report clearly shows that boys and girls differ in terms of reported health behaviours and health outcomes. Existing data do not, however, universally favour one gender over the other, but show that different issues are of concern for males and females. While boys are still more likely to engage in all risk behaviours, the patterns for smoking support the argument that some equalization may be taking place. Despite more frequent consumption of healthier foods and lower levels of overweight and obesity, girls are more likely to be on weight-reducing diets and to be dissatisfied with their bodies.

Boys from northern Europe report more positive health. Young people in western Europe and boys in northern Europe report poorer relationships with their families; young people in these countries and regions also report more peer involvement than young people in either eastern or southern Europe. While North America stands out as having the lowest rates of smoking, it has among the highest rates of cannabis use, a finding that deserves further exploration. The report also highlights the high levels of obesity in North America, the relatively low consumption of fruits in parts of northern Europe and the higher level of contraceptive pill use in western Europe as compared to eastern and southern Europe.

As children grow and develop, important changes can be observed in terms of their risk behaviours, the social influences that surround them and the health outcomes that they experience. Children’s ratings of their health decline with increasing age. Younger children are more likely to report a wide variety of positive health behaviours but engagement in these health behaviours declines as children enter adolescence.

The clear association between family affluence, positive health and health-promoting behaviours confirms previous HBSC analyses on self-rated health, daily fruit eating, consumption of soft drinks, tooth brushing and physical activity. The new survey also supports previous studies, which identified inconsistent relationships between socioeconomic status and tobacco use and alcohol consumption in adolescence. Associations with family affluence varied in direction and between countries and regions.

The survey provides comparable and detailed data on health outcomes, health behaviours, risk behaviours and social contexts, including for instance on perceived health and well-being, smoking and cannabis use, alcohol drinking, sexual health, physical activity , eating habits, overweight, body dissatisfaction, dieting and weight control, oral health, bullying and fighting, injuries, relations with parents and young people’s life circumstances.

An international network of research teams has conducted HBSC studies since 1983 in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe. These surveys provide foundational information to assist in the development of further research. Results are used by teams of interdisciplinary policy-makers, health promotion practitioners, education system specialists, youth group representatives and communications experts to inform policy and practice, identify priorities for action and define strategies to reduce health inequalities.

Source: WHO Regional Office For Europe
19 June 2008

http://www.emaxhealth.com/22/23150.html

____

Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study

Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

In a small study, the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy. The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation.

As expected, they lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and saw other health improvements. But the researchers found more profound changes when they compared prostate biopsies taken before and after the lifestyle changes. After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes -- including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off. The activity of disease-preventing genes increased while a number of disease-promoting genes, including those involved in prostate cancer and breast cancer, shut down, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research was led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a well-known author advocating lifestyle changes to improve health. "It's an exciting finding because so often people say, 'Oh, it's all in my genes, what can I do?' Well, it turns out you may be able to do a lot," Ornish, who is also affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a telephone interview. "'In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live?' That's pretty exciting," Ornish said. "The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."

Ornish said the men avoided conventional medical treatment for prostate cancer for reasons separate from the study. But in making that decision, they allowed the researchers to look at biopsies in people with cancer before and after lifestyle changes. "It gave us the opportunity to have an ethical reason for doing repeat biopsies in just a three-month period because they needed that anyway to look at their clinical changes (in their prostate cancer)," Ornish said.

Will Dunham
18 June 2008

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2008-06-17T012132Z_01_TON704834_RTRUKOC_0_US-GENES-LIFESTYLE-refile.xml

____

SPAIN: TIP OF ICEBERG?

Children, 12 and 13, treated for addiction to mobile phones

Two Spanish children are being treated for addiction to mobile phones, in what is thought to be first case of its kind in the country. The children, 12 and 13, were admitted to a mental health clinic by their parents because they could not carry out normal activities without their phones. The children were failing at school and, behind their parents' backs, were deceiving relatives to try to get money to pay for the phone cards. Both spent an average of six hours a day on the phone, talking, texting or playing video games.

Dr Maite Utgès, director of the Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Lleida, north-east Spain, where the children are being treated, said: "It is the first time we have used a specific treatment to cure a dependence on the mobile phone. "They both showed disturbed behaviour and this exhibited itself in failure at school. They both had serious difficulties leading normal lives." She added: "When it reaches such a level of dependency it is not easy for children of this age to suddenly stop using the phone."

Before they started treatment both had their own phones for 18 months and were not controlled by their parents. "One paid for their phone by getting money from the grandmother and other family members, without explaining what they were going to do with it," said Utgès.

The children have been learning to live without their phones for the past three months, but Utgès, a child psychiatrist, said they might need at least a year of treatment to get them off the "drug". Dr José Martìnez-Raga, an expert in addictions at a centre near Valencia, said the cases may be the "tip of the iceberg".

"The parents have been very brave in getting the children treated. Like video-game addiction and other substance addictions, it is what is called a silent disease, as no one says anything about the problem," he said. "This could definitely be a danger in the future." He said in cases like this children failed at school, were irritable, withdrawn and antisocial. "They only live for video games or, in this case, mobile phones. It also means they start hunting around for money, like drug addicts. They might steal or lie to pay for their addictions."

Fears of mobile phone "dependency" have emerged in several countries. Japan has warned parents to limit phone usage because of side effects in children who overuse them. At least two cases have been reported in Britain of young people obsessed by their phones who became depressed when incoming calls or messages dropped off. "I get about one or two calls a month from parents about this," Mark Griffiths, a chartered psychologist at Nottingham Trent University, said. "A lot of modern things are not genuine addiction, it's habitual behaviour. Not having access gives short-term withdrawal symptoms."

A study last year by the children's ombudsman in Madrid found that 30% of children between the ages of 11 and 17 felt "extremely oppressed" when their phone was taken away from them. Another study by the Spanish Institute for National Statistics last year found that 65% of children between 10 and 15 had a mobile phone. In 2004 the figure was 45.7%.

Utgès said parents should not allow their children to have mobile phones until they were at least 16.

Graham Keeley in Barcelona
13 June 2008

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/13/spain.mobilephones

____

Activity can help boys deal with grief

The Boy Scouts who survived a tornado that killed four of their fellow Scouts will face a complicated grief, but adults and the community can help, grief experts said. "This is not only grief, it's traumatic grief," said Joy Johnson, co-founder of the Omaha-based Centering Corp., North America's oldest and largest bereavement resource center.

Stress-induced adrenaline probably will stay for a while, but when it drops, the boys may need physical activities to deal with their many emotions, she said. "Physically, boys need activity with grief, they need to build things," she said. "Girls are more verbal."

Talking is part of grieving for boys, too, Johnson said. But Scout leaders and parents may face a challenge in getting boys to express themselves this way. "A lot of times boys do not have permission to talk," she said, "and it's helpful to talk to each other." How boys talk about tragedy is different from girls, too. "For them, telling the story of what happened is how they heal," she said. "For girls, it's how they felt."

The boys' coping may be complicated by being called heroes, Johnson said. Although praising that behavior is good, the label also can send a wrong message. "This is the big hero syndrome — you have no feelings, you're tough," Johnson said. "They need to also back down from that and be told, 'You are a hero, what you did is terrific, but you're also a kid. And you need to be kid. It's OK to cry alone, it's OK to laugh, it's OK to get back to your regular stuff.'"

Parents also need to be aware that children take cues from parents and how they're doing. Kids sometimes try to take care of parents because they don't want them to worry or be upset.

Although each boy is going to react differently, boys have behavioral stages in which some grief reactions may be common. Johnson notes what to expect with 11-year-olds and teens in her book Children Grieve, Too:

• Anger.
• Feelings of unfairness.
• Acting out.
• Philosophical talk with friends.
• Search for spirituality.
• Risky behavior.

To help teens with grief:

• Talk openly about feelings.
• Encourage talking to a teacher or school counselor.
• Encourage them to journal or draw.
• Create rituals of memory.
• Tell them what you need.
• Let them tell you what they need.

Johnson said people should never tell anyone grieving how to feel and should acknowledge what happened. "We have this fake myth that we don't want to bother them. We bother them by having them all alone. A phone call, a card, all those help," she said. "Keep on checking in."

The community had immediate assistance available. The Boy Scouts and some schools had counselors available Thursday. The Millard Public Schools contacted the Centering Corp. for crisis and grief support Thursday, and the grief group's staff will make literature available to funeral directors for families, Johnson said. Ongoing support also is available through Ted E. Bear Hollow, a center for grieving children and teens. "Grief isn't over in a week or two, " said executive director Nancy Hemesath.

Johnson added: "This is going to be with these kids literally all their life. How they deal with it, by talking about it with adults they trust, their own attitude, is vital."

Christine Laue
13 June 2008

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10356651

____

Juvenile Court honors Kennewick man for dedication to children

It only takes a little time to make the community better, a longtime volunteer says. For nearly four decades, Frank Larson has spent his free time helping out in various ways. He served two years in the Peace Corps, he often can be found refereeing at youth basketball, volleyball and baseball games, and for at least 15 years he's been working with kids in the juvenile court system. "I do it because it needs to get done," the 58-year-old Kennewick man said.

It's that selflessness, along with his energy and dedication, that led the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Court to select him as Volunteer of the Year. "He's always here. He's so reliable … and so energetic," said probation counselor Kristi Wright. "He's very dedicated and loyal to working with kids in the community on so many levels. It's incredible."

Larson's volunteer work at juvenile court began in the diversion program on the community accountability board. The board typically meets with first-time minor offenders and their families to determine what actions need to be taken to hold the youth accountable while making sure he or she remains crime-free. He then worked with a now-retired juvenile justice center staff member to develop a program called PASS, Positive Alternative to Shoplifting and Stealing.

Once a month for a decade, Larson has given up part of his Saturdays to work with kids caught shoplifting or stealing. The goal for the kids is to learn and apply what they learn in the class to their personal lives and to share it with others, Larson said. "It's not a lecture-style workshop," he said. "It's a cooperation style, guided conversation. We know where we want to go, but we want the kids to get there." They role play to practice what they learn so they "can hear it, can see it and can actually do it," he said.

They also talk about peer pressure and about what a true friend is. A friend who pressures someone to shoplift isn't a real friend. "It's about getting them to think about what they're doing," he said. "We sit for five seconds so they know how long that is and ask, 'If you had waited five seconds, would you still make the same decision?' "

About 24 to 30 kids go through the PASS class each month, said Raynee Miller, a probation counselor who runs the diversion program. Miller said Larson was so dedicated to the community accountability board and worked so well with kids, moving to the PASS class was natural. "He does just an amazing job working with those kids," she said. "Even though they make a big mistake and he confronts them on that, he values them also for what they can be. He builds them up, but at the same time holds them very accountable and just has a knack for doing it."

Larson, who received a volunteer service award from Gov. Chris Gregoire last year for his work with a Pasco School District literacy program, also officiates Special Olympics basketball games once a year. "Our community works better when we're all involved," he said. "I truly believe in community involvement. It only takes a little bit of time, but it makes for a better community."

Larson's a full-time salesman for Frito Lay and a certified teacher. When he retires, he wants to teach oversees. He and his wife, Gloria, spent two years in the Peace Corps in the '70s and have been volunteering in their communities ever since. Gloria is a school nurse for the Pasco School District and volunteers at Grace Clinic, a free clinic on Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick. She also works part time at juvenile court as a Spanish interpreter, which is how her husband started volunteering there.

The juvenile justice center has lots of volunteer opportunities for community members. The main requirement is they just have to want to work with kids, like kids and know kids are valued in the community, Miller said. In the diversion and truancy divisions, volunteers are needed who mirror the kids they're working with. Bicultural and bilingual volunteers are in high demand, but volunteers can have any background and education level. Volunteers need to be 21 and have to pass a criminal background check. College students taking criminal justice courses can be 19, Miller said. "It would be a good way to gain experience," she said. "Having youth on the (accountability) board - people of all ages, color and background - is sometimes easier for them to relate, easier for them to share their stories."

Truancy boards, which deal with kids who skip school, run every week during the school year, while diversion boards convene twice a month in Kennewick and once a month in Pasco and Prosser. Volunteers can also help out in detention or as Court Appointed Special Advocates, who work with abused and neglected children in the foster care system. "The people who stay … are the people who really are fulfilled from volunteering and working with kids," Miller said. "There isn't a paycheck. There isn't a lot of kudos. There isn't a pat on the back. It's about personal fulfillment."

Paula Horton
9 June 2008

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/901/story/207167.html

____

Anorexia nervosa may not stunt growth, short term

Adolescent girls with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa may reach normal height once they recover from the disease, new research suggests. However, growth may be permanently stunted in girls who suffer from anorexia for longer than about 2.5 years, according to the research conducted by Dr. Rajani Prabhakaran of Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues.

Studies on the impact of anorexia on growth and stature have yielded mixed results. While anorexia might be expected to cause short stature, and some studies suggest that girls with the eating disorder are indeed shorter than normal, other research suggests they may reach their full height potential, or even be taller than average. During normal puberty, levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) rise, triggering a growth spurt, Prabhakaran and colleagues explain in the journal Pediatrics. Growth slows and eventually stops as estrogen levels rise. It's possible, they say, that this process of growth and bone aging is delayed in girls with anorexia, giving them a chance to reach their full potential height after they recover.

To investigate, the researchers looked at 110 12- to 18-year-old girls with anorexia and 98 healthy controls of the same age. They followed a subset of both groups for a year, and also tested hormone levels over a 12-hour period in some of them. They estimated the girls' potential adult height based on the heights of their parents.

They found that girls with anorexia had lower levels of IGF-1 than the healthy girls, although most had levels of the hormone within the normal range. They had relatively high levels of GH, suggesting that they had become resistant to this hormone's effects. Girls with the lowest IGF-1 levels and those with anorexia for the longest period of time were the shortest. And while GH levels predicted height in the healthy girls, GH levels weren't related to height in the girls with anorexia, suggesting that the hormone didn't influence bone growth in girls with the condition. Girls who had been sick for 32 months or longer were shorter than average, while those who had the condition for at least 29.5 months had a lower-than-average predicted adult heights Among girls with anorexia who hadn't yet reached puberty, a greater delay in bone aging was linked to faster growth during follow-up.

"It is possible that previous reports of short stature with anorexia were from studies in children with a prolonged duration of anorexia and delayed diagnosis," the researchers say. "In such situations, a delay in bone aging may not be sufficient to protect against statural deficits that arise from very low and sustained IGF-1 levels consequent to severe and prolonged undernutrition."

They call for long-term, larger studies to further investigate whether girls with more severe anorexia and those who have had the condition for a longer time are indeed at greater risk of stunted growth.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, June 2008.
6 June 2008

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2008-06-06T172001Z_01_COL662341_RTRUKOC_0_US-ANOREXIA-NERVOSA.xml

____

UK

Parents to take key role in curbing teen boozing

Families in England are to get government guidance on the health risks of teen drinking, in a bid to curb the boozing culture among young people and shift some of the responsibility for tackling children’s problem behaviour back to parents. Although the proportion of regular drinkers aged 11 to 15 years has fallen, the average number of units they drink has doubled from 5 in 1990 to 11 in 2006. The guidance, which will be produced by Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, is part of a package of measures announced jointly yesterday by the Departments of Health, Children Schools and Families and the Home Office in the Youth Action Plan.

Government figures indicate that of the 11 to 15 year olds who said they drank 14 or more units in the previous week, almost half claimed to have been given alcohol directly by their parents, and 42% said they took it without their parents’ consent.

The guidance will include the age at which children and young people should start to drink alcohol, how much it is sensible to drink; and how far young people’s drinking should be supervised by parents. It will be backed up with public and school education campaigns and a stronger focus on family intervention projects to tackle substance abuse.

The proportion of 11 to 15 year olds who drink in public increased from 21% in 1999 to 31% in 2006, and the government plans to address this by giving the police new powers to tackle unsupervised drinking in public by under 18s. Persistent and serious offenders will be criminalised. Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said: “Tougher enforcement powers are needed to tackle under-age binge drinking but enforcement measures alone are not the solution. We need a culture change about drinking with everyone from parents, the alcohol industry and young people all taking more responsibility.”

Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, added: “Young people drink, we know that. And instead of turning a blind eye or preaching at them, we must equip them and their parents with the information they need to stay healthy.”

But the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Faculty of Public Health thinks the government needs to take a much tougher stance. The two bodies have jointly launched a position statement today, calling for, among other things, above inflation price hikes, a clear system of alcohol content labelling, and much tighter regulation of the drinks industry. They also suggest that patients should be opportunistically screened for alcohol misuse in primary care and hospitals and strategies to tackle older age drinkers, who tend to be forgotten amid the focus on youth drinking.

OnMedica News
3 June 2008

http://www.onmedica.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=bc13d95b-2c3c-4c98-9a98-b93b3bc1efa7

____

"You need to diet." Telling teenagers just backfires, researchers say

If you want your overweight teenagers to slim down, whatever you do, don't tell them to go on a diet. That most likely will make matters worse, according to a new study published today.

University of Minnesota researchers who study adolescent health found that parents who correctly perceived their kids as overweight tended to use only one strategy -- advising them to diet. But five years later, those kids were far more likely to still be too heavy than were overweight kids whose parents had no idea they were fat and did nothing. In short, it's a technique that seems certain to backfire, said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor of epidemiology at the university and the lead author of the study published in the journal Pediatrics. "My concern is that if parents know their kids are overweight, they are going to do things that lead to further weight gain over time," she said.

Neumark-Sztainer said she decided to research the issue because of the growing practice of schools evaluating kids' weight and sending the results home to parents. In some places it's called an obesity report card. It began because parents often don't know whether their kids are at a healthy weight, and some experts believe telling them is one way to fight skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity.

Some places, it's the law
The practice was recommended for schools by the federal government's health advisory agency, the Institute of Medicine. It's a law in some states, and this year was proposed in Minnesota, though the legislation did not pass. But it's highly controversial because it can be embarrassing and stigmatizing to adolescents and teenagers.

"When my son became overweight in middle school, they used to measure body fat and send [the result] home with him," said Anne Fletcher, a Mankato, Minn., mother and the author of "Weight Loss Confidential," a book that examines how teenagers, including her own son, successfully lost weight. "It was devastating. He said, 'Don't they know I already know I'm fat?'"

Neumark-Sztainer said she wanted to find out whether parents would use that information wisely. She and her co-researchers looked at survey results for 300 adolescents and some of their parents taken in 1998 as part of an ongoing adolescent health study at the university called Project EAT. The kids, all from Minnesota middle and high schools, reported heights and weights that put them in the overweight category. They found that 46 percent of girls' parents and 60 percent of boys' parents incorrectly thought their kids' weights were about right. Of the parents who knew their kids were too heavy, about 60 percent encouraged them to diet.

Five years later, about 200 of the kids were surveyed again. Those who had been encouraged to diet were much more likely to still be overweight -- about 74 percent of boys compared with 52 percent of those boys not encouraged to diet. For girls, the difference was 66 and 44 percent, respectively. Both groups reported about the same eating patterns, including the frequency of fast food meals, and the quantity of fruits and vegetables at home.

Parents need better advice
Neumark-Sztainer said public health experts have known for years that adolescents and teenagers who say they diet are the ones who are most likely to have weight and eating disorder problems that can last for years. Now this study also shows that just informing parents that their kids are overweight is counterproductive, she said. "If you are going to talk with parents about their children's weight, you need to specifically help them make positive changes at home," said Neumark-Sztainer, who has written a book for parents on the subject called I'm Like So Fat.

Fletcher said that when she talked to teenagers for her book, they said the worst thing their parents could do was pressure them. "Nagging, preaching, coercion does not work," she said. "Let the kid be in charge. It's up to the teen to decide if and how he or she wants to lose weight." That, of course, can be very difficult for parents. "There seems to be a fine line between helpful and harmful parenting," the researchers said in their study.

Fletcher said she found out when she talked to her son for her book that she made mistakes, too. He would often take a whole box of crackers to his room to eat after school, and she would always say, "Why don't you have some fruit with that?" Later he said, "Mom, I got it the first time. But you said it over and over again."

The best thing parents can do to be role models, said Neumark-Sztainer, is to provide and eat healthful food, have regular family meals, and do physically active things with their kids. "Do more. Talk less," she said.

Josephine Marcotty
1 June 2008

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/19443819.html?location_refer=Movies