Few issues are closer to our hearts or more crucial to our
future than the health of children. As an abundance of
children's health issues hit the media spotlight in 2007, it
was a challenge for many parents to keep track of them
all or determine which matter most. So as we did at the end of 2005
and 2006, the physicians and editors at KidsHealth sifted
through developments affecting kids and families to choose 10
important trends to watch in the year ahead.
Some strike close to home and involve things parents do
routinely to keep their kids safe and healthy. Others, for now at
least, seem to be in the hands of lawmakers or scientists, far
removed from our immediate lives yet no less important to kids'
well being. And at least one might seem to be a world away - so
tragic it's difficult to fathom amid our everyday lives.
This list isn't meant to be comprehensive, nor does
it suggest that other health issues aren't also important.
But we think these 10 subjects will have a lasting impact on
children's health in 2008.
Bullying: Not Just Kids' Stuff
Growing recognition of the impact of bullying has prompted
new urgency to prevent it in schools and communities.
While bullying is nothing new, school shootings at Virginia Tech
and elsewhere highlighted the reach of bullying and how it can
escalate far beyond schoolyard scuffles. One new study showed that
90% of elementary school students have been bullied by peers and
60% of kids admitted to being bullies. Other new research points to
the long-term effects of bullying. One study found that bullies and
their victims are more likely than other kids to be victims of
crime outside of school. At least 32 states had passed laws by the
end of 2007 that prohibit bullying and set up prevention
programs.
What to Watch:
Bullying will continue to move beyond the domain of school
discipline and into the realm of public health and safety, with
more state and local governments attempting to address the issue
through legislation and community programs. Parents will also be
called on to take a more active role in broaching the issue with
their kids.
For Kids:
Dealing With Bullies
What Kids Say About: Bullying
For Teens:
Dealing With Bullying
Internet Safety: Safe Surfing Tips for Teens
How Can I Help Someone Who's Being Bullied?
For Parents:
Helping Kids Deal With Bullies
Teaching Kids Not to Bully
How Can I Help My Child Deal With a Bully?
Overtraining Little Athletes
With many kids playing and training for organized sports with
an intensity once reserved for top-level athletes, doctors are
learning more about the lasting impact sports injuries can have
on kids' health.
Concussions have become a major concern, particularly in high
school football, girls' soccer, and basketball, prompting the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a
program for coaches, parents, players, and doctors to help them
spot signs of concussions. Doctors have also sounded an alarm about
overuse injuries like shin splints and Little-League elbow, which
have emerged as kids continue to specialize in sports at younger
ages. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued prevention
guidelines and recommended, among other things, that kids play a
variety of sports and take adequate time off between seasons and
training sessions.
What To Watch:
With new evidence of how widespread and damaging youth sports
injuries can be, many parents might have to examine whether
they're allowing kids to push too hard to excel at sports. With
this growing awareness, there could be a return to the fundamentals
of youth sports - helping kids learn sportsmanship
and teamwork; helping them develop a lifelong love of physical
activity; and, most important, letting them have fun.
For Kids:
Five Ways to Avoid Sports Injuries
Concussions
Taking the Pressure Off Sports Competition
For Teens:
Sports and Exercise Safety
Dealing With Sports Injuries
Handling Sports Pressure and Competition
Concussions
For Parents:
Concussions
Preventing Children's Sports Injuries
News - AAP Offers Advice for Kids' Sports Safety
The Growing Reach of Retail Health Care
New channels for health care are cropping up, challenging
traditional notions of the ideal doctor
-
patient relationship.
The medical community scrambled to address the growth of
quick-care clinics, which have emerged at superstores, groceries,
and drugstores to serve families looking for convenient and
affordable health care. These outlets, which go by names like Redi
Clinic and Minute Clinic, offer treatment for a range of minor
illnesses, from sore throats to rashes, with the convenience of a
pharmacy just a few steps away. Some family doctors and
pediatricians have objected to these clinics, questioning their
ability to provide quality care without medical history and
follow-up. The traditional providers are concerned about the lack
of historical medical records for kids who go to quick-care
clinics rather than see one doctor consistently over time.
What To Watch:
Whether this new brand of health care endures remains to be
seen. But the concept of a "medical home" will continue
to evolve as health care delivery becomes more fragmented. In the
meantime, parents, confronted with many new options for accessing
health care, will have to be vigilant about keeping track of health
care encounters that occur outside the doctor's office.
For Kids:
Going to the Doctor
Going to the Hospital
For Teens:
Talking to Your Doctor
Dealing With an Emergency
For Parents:
Finding Your Way in the Health Care System
Your Child's Checkups
Knowing Your Child's Medical History
What You Need to Know in an Emergency
Finding a Doctor for Your Child
Keeping Child's Play Safe
A wave of toy recalls put new questions about toy safety -
and the dangers of lead exposure - in the spotlight.
From Barbie to Thomas the Tank Engine, some of America's
most popular toys were hit by safety recalls. The yanking of
millions of toys from store shelves raised new concerns about how
to choose safe toys and keep unsafe items out of kids' hands.
And since many of the recalls involved concerns about lead
exposure, new attention was also paid to the risks of lead
poisoning - when chronic exposure to lead brings on a host of
behavior, learning, and developmental problems.
What to Watch:
With more and more products coming from overseas, many public
officials are calling on congress to ensure better enforcement of
U.S. safety standards on foreign-made goods sold here, particularly
those for children. Safety scares about popular toys will have
parents on high alert when they're picking out playthings.
For Parents:
Choosing Safe Toys
News - Putting Lead in Perspective in This Holiday Season
News - Toy Recall Update: Mattel Recalls 9 Million Toys
Lead Poisoning
Food Allergies: Outlawing PB&J
As food allergies become more prevalent and more persistent
among kids, the medical community is trying to find
out why -
and how to deal with the trend.
The incidence of food allergies doubled over the last decade and
now affects approximately 3 million school-age children and 1 in
every 17 kids age 3 or younger. Research suggests some food
allergies are lasting longer into childhood than in the past. Food
allergies can have far-reaching effects on every aspect of a
family's home and social life, as parents try to manage
kids' exposure to allergens. Even kids who don't have food
allergies are affected, facing new restrictions on what they can
eat and bring to daycare, schools, summer camp, and even birthday
parties. A recent federal law required food-makers to plainly state
whether their products contain any of the top food allergens (milk,
eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and
soy). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified food
allergies as a public health issue and funded research to learn
what causes them and to develop options for treatment and
prevention.
What to Watch:
As the incidence of food allergies continues to rise among kids,
more families and communities will be contending with them, whether
their kids have allergies or not. With more school lunchrooms
becoming peanut-free zones, staples like PB&J could become
relics of the past.
For Kids:
Learning About Allergies
Food Allergies
For Teens:
Food Allergies
Nut and Peanut Allergy
For Parents:
Food Allergies
All About Allergies
News - Kids Having Allergic Reactions to Peanuts at Much Younger
Age
Lost Childhoods
For most kids, childhood is a time of playing, learning, and
making friends. But in more than 20 countries, thousands of kids
serve as soldiers on the front lines of brutal conflicts.
Child soldiers serve as human mine detectors, messengers, spies,
sex slaves, and combatants toting AK-47s and M-16s. Many of them
have been kidnapped and forced into service; some join out of
desperation. According to human rights groups there are about
300,000 child soldiers worldwide, and for the most part their
plight has received little attention around the world. That changed
in 2007 with the publication of "Long Way Gone," a
best-selling memoir by former child soldier Ishmael Beah that tells
how he was orphaned, drugged, indoctrinated, and forced to
slaughter prisoners by government forces in Sierra Leone's
civil war.
What to Watch:
Experts say that kids continue to be conscripted as soldiers,
especially in Africa, in conflicts that resemble organized plunder
more than ideological struggle, making it difficult for warlords to
inspire the allegiance of adults. That makes children - loyal,
easily manipulated, and in great supply - better recruits. The
recent spotlight on child soldiers has helped create more
awareness, but the exploitation of children in war is far from
over. What remains to be seen is how far the civilized world will
go to end this practice.
For Kids:
Worrying About War
Why I Give: Freddi's Story
For Teens:
When Loved Ones Go to War
For Parents:
How to Talk to Your Child About the News
Getting Kids to Give: Lynda's Story
When a Parent Goes to War
Obesity: Beyond the Body
It's long been known that obesity is linked to such
medical conditions as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and cancer,
but its psychological and social consequences took center stage
this year.
One study showed that overweight kids and teens might be the
target of bias and stereotyping by their peers and teachers, and
even their parents. Another showed that obese girls were less
likely to attend college than their peers. As these social and
psychological aspects become better understood, treatment options
are likely to look beyond diet and exercise and address the mental
components of obesity.
What to Watch:
The fight against childhood obesity will focus on prevention
through fitness and healthy eating strategies that are integrated
into home, schools, and communities. These efforts will take into
account the psychological, social, and emotional issues that play a
role in obesity - and their effects on kids' development.
For Kids:
Kids' Nutrition & Fitness Center
What Being Overweight Means
For Teens:
When Being Overweight Is a Health Problem
About Overweight and Obesity
5 Ways to Reach a Healthy Weight
For Parents:
Overweight and Obesity
Nutrition & Fitness Center
News - The Role Relationships Play in Obesity
News - New OTC Diet Pill Not for Kids
News - The Emotional Toll of Obesity
News - Lack of Sleep Tied to Obesity
Covering Kids' Health Needs
Until recently the debate over what to do about uninsured
Americans had largely focused on adults, particularly the
elderly. Now the focus has shifted to helping parents find
affordable insurance for kids.
As the year ended, politicians continued to grapple with how to
cover millions of uninsured kids, especially those of the working
poor who don't qualify for Medicaid or can't afford private
insurance. But legislation that would renew federal funding for the
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) stalled. As
lawmakers debated how much to spend on the program, they confronted
new questions about issues like covering pregnant women, and
whether the benefits should include things like dental and mental
health care services.
What to Watch:
As the number of uninsured kids grows and the debate about SCHIP
continues, the question of how to ensure that all kids in the
United States get the health care they need is likely to be a
prominent issue in the presidential race. The well-being of
children and families is a perennial issue for those in political
life - but will it finally be solved? Or after elections, will it
be forgotten once again?
For Parents:
Finding Your Way in the Health Care System
Financial Management During Crisis
Battling the Superbug
Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) made frequent headlines as the so-called
"superbug" and put the spotlight on the growing threat
posed by drug-resistant bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has for
years called antibiotic resistance one of the world's most
pressing public health problems. Overuse of antibiotics is a major
reason that bacteria have evolved and developed resistance to
drugs. The virulent strain of bacteria that resists many
antibiotics has long been a serious issue in hospital settings,
which is still where the vast majority of cases appear. But when
MRSA started showing up more frequently in the general community it
became front-page news. The infections typically spread by contact
with infected skin or objects and often occur among people prone to
scrapes and cuts, as well as those in crowded living conditions and
people with poor hygiene. Kids and athletes across the country were
given crash courses on lowering their risk of contracting MRSA or
spreading it.
What to Watch:
The push to promote better hand washing habits and other basic
hygiene practices will continue as doctors, public health
officials, and parents continue to stress how effective they are at
preventing staph infections. What's not clear is whether the
new precautions will stick once the headlines about a
"superbug" fade. And the bigger question is, will people
begin showing more care in the use of antibiotics - parents by not
pressuring pediatricians to prescribe them and doctors by resisting
when they do? And if they don't, will even more persistent
virulent bacteria appear on the horizon?
For Kids:
Why Do I Need to Wash My Hands?
What Are Germs?
For Teens:
Should I Worry About MRSA?
Hand Washing
For Parents:
News - Making Sense of MRSA
Why Is Hand Washing So Important?
Making Sense of Medical News
Rethinking a Pill for Every Ill
New questions about the safety and effectiveness of cough and
cold medicines marketed to kids put the spotlight on the fact
that many of the medications marketed for kids have not been
tested in children.
In October, drug-makers pulled 14 popular cough and cold
medicines labeled for babies and toddlers from the market to keep
parents from misusing and accidentally overdosing their children on
these over-the-counter (OTC) drugs found in many households. One
week later, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory
panel said children under 6 years old also should not use cough and
cold medicines such as decongestants and antihistamines because
their effectiveness has not been studied in kids and the risks
outweigh their benefits. The withdrawal of widely used
children's medicines challenged parents' assumptions that
the remedies on store shelves that promise to soothe sick kids are
actually safe and effective for them.
What to Watch:
Some pediatricians see a bright side to the development: With
new questions about OTC drugs for kids, parents might be a little
more reluctant to reach for a pill for every ill, and a little more
willing to handle everyday sicknesses with remedies that are always
within reach (or not sold in stores) - patience, rest, and a little
tender care. And the large scale of this recall could prompt a
louder call for more testing of drugs in kids before they're
marketed for them.
For Kids:
What to Do If You Get the Flu
Flu
Who Needs a Flu Shot?
For Teens:
What to Do If You Get the Flu
Who Needs a Flu Shot?
For Parents:
Tips for Treating the Flu
News - OTC Infant Cough and Cold Meds Pulled By Makers
Too Late for a Flu Shot?
News - Health Officials Urge Flu Shots for All Kids Who Need
Them
Reviewed by:
Neil Izenberg, MD
Date reviewed: December 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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