Adolescents News and Research

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Childhood obesity impacts musculoskeletal system

An epidemic of childhood obesity can have a devastating impact on a child's musculoskeletal system, the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade says. Extra weight stresses growing bones, causing pain and interfering with normal growth and development.

15 Oct 2010

Study: Characteristics of children with OCD could help predict personalized medicine approach

New research from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center may help clinicians better predict how a child with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) will respond to some of the most commonly used treatment approaches. The findings, published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, could help guide important clinical decisions about the best intervention for children with this often debilitating anxiety disorder.

15 Oct 2010

Researchers report prevalence data on mental disorders among U.S. adolescents

Mental disorders in children are often difficult to identify due to the myriad of changes that occur during the normal course of maturation. For the first time, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have reported on the prevalence data on a broad range of mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents, which show that approximately one in five children in the U.S. meet the criteria for a mental disorder severe enough to disrupt their daily lives.

14 Oct 2010

Nurses can advocate for better healthcare and services for LGBTIQ teenagers

Five American teenagers, all bullied because they were gay, have committed suicide over the past few weeks. The deaths have caused a media storm and raised a critical question: Did the social or healthcare system fail these adolescents? "Absolutely," says Concordia University Professor Deborah Dysart-Gale. "Bullying and such resulting suicides are avoidable. Healthcare workers have tools that can help queer teens - no one needs to die because of their sexual orientation."

13 Oct 2010

10% of children have serious mental health condition, but only one-third receive treatment

One in ten children has a mental health condition that causes significant impairment and more than half of all lifetime cases begin by age 14, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported today, but only one-third get the help they need..

13 Oct 2010

The Partnership at Drugfree.org issues statement on FDA approval of VIVITROL for opioid dependence

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Alkermes' opioid dependence medication (VIVITROL) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence following opioid detoxification is positive news for families of young adults and all those who are struggling to overcome opioid addiction. Addiction, a disease of the human brain, is a chronic illness while opioid dependence is frequently characterized by relapse.

13 Oct 2010

Parents rate research on safety of vaccines and medications given to children as most important

Each year, hundreds of millions of public and private dollars are spent on medical research to improve the health of children – yet parents have little input regarding how those dollars should be spent.

12 Oct 2010

Teen Art Show shares teenagers' emotions in artistic fashion

With the help of the Child Life Program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 22 new pieces of art were revealed from 19 talented adolescent patients during the Teen Art Show. The artwork is on display in a hospital hallway that was transformed permanently into the Teen Art Gallery.

12 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate 'friendly bacteria' to kill bone cancer cells

Children and young people who are diagnosed with bone cancer could benefit from better treatment in the future thanks to new research at The University of Nottingham. The Bone Cancer Research Trust launches Bone Cancer Awareness Week today and has funded a new project at the University which is testing a theory that 'friendly bacteria' can be used to kill bone cancer cells.

12 Oct 2010

Yoga decreases anxiety in childhood cancer patients and their parents

A new study reports that yoga can reduce the stress of cancer diagnosis and treatment experienced by childhood cancer patients and their parents. The findings were published in the September/October 2010 edition of Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, published by the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON).

11 Oct 2010

Portrait painting may help children with craniofacial problems

A group of artists, young people and medical experts are involved in a groundbreaking project at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that uses the intimate process of portrait painting to help children and young people with craniofacial problems see themselves in a different light.

8 Oct 2010

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center named Centers of Excellence for Molecular Hematology

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has been named one of five national Centers of Excellence for Molecular Hematology to find new gene and cell therapies for inherited diseases affecting blood cells.

8 Oct 2010

N.Y. officials seek to ban purchase of sugary drinks with food stamps

"New Yorkers on food stamps would not be allowed to spend them on sugar-sweetened drinks under an obesity-fighting proposal being floated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson. Bloomberg and Paterson planned to announce Thursday that they are seeking permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the nation's food stamp program, to add sugary drinks to the list of prohibited goods for city residents receiving assistance. If approved, it would be the first time an item would be banned from the federal program based solely on nutritional value" (Kugler Frazier, 10/7).

8 Oct 2010

Children who have asthma are less likely to smoke during teen years

Giuseppe Verlato, an epidemiologist at the University of Verona, asked participants to recall whether they smoked between the ages of 11 and 20 and if they had suffered from asthma as young children.

8 Oct 2010

Hizentra therapy effective for primary immunodeficiency patients

Hizentra (IgPro20) provides primary immunodeficiency (PI) patients with a safe and effective alternative to other immunoglobulin therapies when given in equivalent doses, according to Phase III pivotal trial data presented today at the XIVth Meeting of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID).

7 Oct 2010

Vitamin D deficiency may impact orthopaedic procedure outcomes

Forty-three percent of patients scheduled to undergo orthopaedic surgery have insufficient levels of vitamin D and two out of five of those patients had levels low enough to place them at risk for metabolic bone disease, according to a study published this month in the October 6th issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS).

7 Oct 2010

NBF's Brilliance in Bipolar Initiative receives Congressman Kennedy's endorsement

Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a long-time advocate for people living with mental illness, and Marc Kullman, co-founder of the National Bipolar Foundation, joined efforts to help reduce the stigma associated with bipolar disorder. The Brilliance in Bipolar Initiative is a national and collaborative effort to draw attention to and develop a better understanding of bipolar disorder.

6 Oct 2010

Religion fading in the eyes of Gen Y: Study

A new study by the Church of England including people born after 1982 shows that religion in its traditional form is largely irrelevant to the young Briton. Results show that less than one in five young people believes in a God “who created the world and hears my prayers”. Most adolescents were more likely to believe in the “nicer” parts of religious doctrine than the devil and punishment.

5 Oct 2010

NSSHB study provides update on contemporary Americans' sexual behaviors

Findings from the largest nationally representative study of sexual and sexual-health behaviors ever fielded, conducted by Indiana University sexual health researchers, provides an updated and much needed snapshot of contemporary Americans' sexual behaviors, including a description of more than 40 combinations of sexual acts that people perform during sexual events, patterns of condom use by adolescents and adults, and the percentage of Americans participating in same-sex encounters.

5 Oct 2010

Study: 18% of children with ADHD suffered from depression as adolescents

Children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at ages 4 to 6 are more likely to suffer from depression as adolescents than those who did not have ADHD at that age, according to a long-term study published in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Although it was an uncommon occurrence, the children with ADHD also were somewhat more likely to think about or attempt suicide as adolescents.

5 Oct 2010