Community Magazine September 2009

92 CoMMUniTy MagazinE MILK FOROLDER TEENS AND TWENTY SOMETHINGS Teenagers and young adults are not getting enough calcium, according to a report by the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. A study of 1500 young adults showed that more than half the males and two-thirds of the women reduced their daily calcium intake to less then the recommended daily amount in their early twenties, just when they need it most. Human bone mass peaks in the early thirties and sufficient intake of calcium, protein and Vitamin D can help prevent osteoporosis and other health issues later in life. The recommended dose for high school-aged teenagers is 1300 mgs daily, and young adults should consume 1000 mgs of calcium a day. The researchers believe that decreased milk consumption is due to an increase in television watching and lactose intolerance. MEDICATION ANDHOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS POSE GREATEST POISONRISK Medications – both prescription and non-prescription – were found to be the most common cause of poisoning among children according to data released in a recent report from New York City’s Health Department. Poisoning is the third leading cause of hospitalizations for injury among young children. New York City’s Poison Control Center (PCC) annually receives approximately 4,000 calls reporting poisonings of children serious enough to require treatment by a health care professional. Seventy-five percent of these calls involve children younger than five. After medications, household cleaning products and pest control chemicals were the next most common poison, followed by cosmetics, vitamins and dietary supplements. According to New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, “Even a relatively low dose of an otherwise harmless substance can cause serious injury.” The report recommends storing chemicals and medications in a place inaccessible to children, carefully following medication dose instructions, and storing all hazardous products in child-resistant containers. The PCC provides 24-hour emergency treatment recommendations and information, in more than 150 languages. YOUNGDRINKERS ENDUP SMOKING TOO Teens who engage in heavy drinking will likely also engage in heavy smoking. Anonymous survey data from 2,450 students in grades 9-12 revealed equal instances of smoking and binge drinking. The new findings suggest that health teachers should address both topics together through education and intervention programs that target the co-occurrence of these two health risks. The research was conducted at Temple University and presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting. The next phase of the research will investigate drinking and smoking rates by grade level to determine exactly when binge drinking and smoking most commonly starts. PHYSICALLY FIT FORBETTERGRADES New York City students who scored in the top 5 percent on a standardized fitness assessment outscored the bottom 5 percent by an average of 36 percentile points on standardized academic tests according to a recent report by NYC’s Health Department and the Department of Education. The figures do not demonstrate a direct causal relationship, but do show a strong association between fitness and academic success. Nearly 40 percent of NYC’s students are overweight or obese. The finding underscores the need to ensure that children receive nutritious meals, high-quality physical education, and ample opportunities for physical activity. Childhood obesity increases a child’s risk of developing diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and cancer during adulthood. CHOLESTEROL CHECKS NOT JUST FORHEAVY KIDS Excess body fat is not, as previously thought, an accurate indicator of high cholesterol in kids. Researchers at the University of Michigan examined the relationship between weight and total and low-density (“bad”) lipoprotein cholesterol, and found that screening all overweight or obese children would identify only about 50 percent of children with abnormal cholesterol levels. It would also result in unnecessary testing for 30 percent of children. The study, which was published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found many overweight and obese kids who had normal cholesterol, and a fair number of healthy-weight kids who had high cholesterol. These findings call into question the guidelines issued in 2008 by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which recommended a cholesterol check for children at increased risk of heart disease, mainly those who are overweight or obese. • Health