Adolescents News and Research

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Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study examines childbirth practices and the relationship between these practices and maternal and perinatal outcomes in nine Asian countries, as assessed by a WHO global survey. Based on the analysis of over 107,000 deliveries, the authors conclude, "To improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, caesarean section should be done only when there is a medical indication" (Lumbiganon et al., 2/6). These findings "should help us to prioritise our strategies to reduce unnecessary interventions in childbirth," write the authors of a Lancet comment.

5 Feb 2010

Defective chromosome cause of severe obesity

A new cause of obesity due to a defect on chromosome 16 has just been discovered. It is thought to explain close to 1% of obesity cases. For carriers of the defect, the risk of becoming overweight is 50 times higher. This research is the result of close cooperation between the team of Professor Froguel, a CNRS researcher, in Lille, and colleagues at Imperial College in London and Vaudois University Hospital in Lausanne, with the support of ten other European research groups. The findings of the study are to be published in Nature on February 4, 2010.

4 Feb 2010

Regular physical activity prevents chronic illness: Surgeon General urged to make outdoor time a health priority

National Wildlife Federation (NWF), more than 200 health, conservation, youth, and other organizations, and 16,300 Americans are urging the new surgeon general to make time outdoors a health priority for children.

4 Feb 2010

GKAS volunteers provide free dental care for children

With an economy that might cause some parents to postpone regular dental visits for their children and tooth decay being the most prevalent chronic disease in America's children, the American Dental Association (ADA) is mobilizing dental professionals for the eighth consecutive year in a national campaign to extend necessary care to children and adolescents from low-income families.

4 Feb 2010

Public policy implications in abstinence-only programs

Study focused on young African American preteens in an urban area: This is a legitimate public health study and it did show that a certain type of abstinence only program can help some very young adolescents (average age 12) delay sexual initiation for up to 24 months.

3 Feb 2010

BioBehavioral Diagnostics completes $10M Series B financing round

BioBehavioral Diagnostics (BioBDx), a privately held company which manufactures and markets the Quotient™ ADHD System, a tool that aids in the objective and accurate assessment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), announced today the first close of a $10 million Series B financing.

1 Feb 2010

Study shows nutritional deficiency, stunted growth and obesity are common among Cameroonian teenagers

There are major differences in how well nourished Cameroonian teenagers are. Differences between city/countryside, boys/girls, and among individuals with high and low socio-economic status are described by Léonie Nzefa Dapi in the dissertation she is defending at Umeå University in Sweden.

1 Feb 2010

Whole grain intake prevents diabetes, heart diseases, and excess weight gain

Three daily servings of whole grains are recommended for prevention of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and excess weight gain. Yet few adolescents or young adults follow these guidelines, according to national survey data. In a study published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota report that young people are consuming less than 1 serving of whole grains per day. The study took an in-depth look at influencers, modifiable factors, and interventions that are critical for successfully addressing this gap.

1 Feb 2010

GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal XR Extended-Release Tablets receive FDA approval

laxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Lamictal®XR™ (lamotrigine) Extended-Release Tablets as once-a-day, add-on therapy for epilepsy in patients ages 13 years and older with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

29 Jan 2010

Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing: Research news

Bridging a Cultural Healthcare Gap—Like other new immigrant groups, Korean Americans' health risks—diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer—increase after arriving in the U.S. Unfortunately, too many also miss out on needed healthcare services until they are seriously, often chronically ill.

29 Jan 2010

Annual spring conference to focus on behavioral health services for children, youth and young adults

Developing comprehensive behavioral health services for children, youth, young adults and families will be the subject of the annual spring conference of Community Care, a nonprofit behavioral health managed care organization that is part of UPMC and based in Pittsburgh.

29 Jan 2010

Study shows guilt feelings are more pronounced in older women

Although changing social and cultural contexts mean guilt has less power today than it once did, a new study has shown that in the West this emotion is "significantly higher" among women. The main problem, according to the experts, is not that women feel a lot of guilt (which they do), but rather that many males feel "too little".

28 Jan 2010

Indoor tanning: FTC prohibits ITA from making false health and safety claims

The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) applauds the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial.

28 Jan 2010

Study finds sexual minority youth are bullied more than heterosexual youth

The act and victimization of bullying continues to be a problem among today's youth. While many children are experiencing this form of violence, it is more prevalent in children that are different from the social norm.

28 Jan 2010

AAN guideline finds diazepam drug is effective for treating children with cerebral palsy

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society finds botulinum toxin type A to be an effective treatment for spasticity, muscle tightness that interferes with movement, in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, but poses some risk.

27 Jan 2010

Obese children face increased risk of stroke and heart disease

By as early as 7 years of age, being obese may raise a child's risk of future heart disease and stroke, even in the absence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

27 Jan 2010

Ambidextrous children more likely to have ADHD symptoms

Children who are mixed-handed, or ambidextrous, are more likely to have mental health, language and scholastic problems in childhood than right- or left-handed children, according to a new study published today in the journal Pediatrics.

25 Jan 2010

Physicians take measures to treat ADHD on college campuses across the country

In college, students with attention deficit/hyperactive disorder face an array of challenges—long days and nights of classes, studying and activities, all of which require increasing amounts of concentration.

22 Jan 2010

Vitamin D insufficiency associated with higher risk of relapse attacks in patients with MS

Low vitamin D blood levels are associated with a significantly higher risk of relapse attacks in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who develop the disease during childhood, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.

22 Jan 2010

Australian scientists discover cells that cause a common type of childhood leukaemia

Scientists at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne in Australia have discovered the cells that cause a common type of childhood leukaemia - T cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (T-ALL). Targeting of these cells may lead to improved treatments for this disease and help prevent relapse.

22 Jan 2010