Community Magazine November 2009

TEENDRINKINGSAFEST AT HOME Kids are safer when they consume a limited amount of alcohol under parental supervision, rather than seeking it out on their own outside the home, new research suggests. While no one advocates offering alcohol to minors, the study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, found that kids got into trouble more often when they purchased their own cheap alcohol. Among teens polled, one- third had experienced violence when drunk and 12.5 percent reported negative intimate encounters. As previous research suggests, parents who permit their teenagers who drink, to do so at home, can limit the harm by restricting consumption. The researchers also advised increased government legislation to reduce access to alcohol by children and to increase the price of cheap alcohol products. BPA LEADS TO AGGRESSION INGIRLS Higher levels of aggression and hyperactivity has been found among girls exposed to high levels of a common chemical called bisphenol A (BPA). Research tracked 249 pregnant women and their children’s behavior two years later. Among the young girls, higher BPA levels were linked to “externalizing behaviors” like hyperactivity and aggression. The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives. The researchers plan to study whether the effects last over time. BPA is found in plastics such as water bottles, food containers, infant bottles and medical devices, and in the lining of canned foods. About 93 percent of people have detectable levels of BPA in their urine. Animal studies have linked BPA to adverse effects on the developing brains of fetuses and newborns, and the new research provides further evidence that people should reduce BPA exposure during pregnancy. PREVENTABLEDEHYDRATIONDEATHSSTILL COMMON Dehydration due to diarrhea is still the second leading cause of death among children across the world, even though life-saving techniques and low-cost treatments are available. In a bulletin of the World Health Organization, researchers suggest that osmolarity oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc supplements are simple remedies to diarrhea, but most countries are unable to develop and maintain the recommended supplies. The recommended treatments are inexpensive, safe and easy to use, and have the potential to reduce more than three-quarters of all diarrhea-associated deaths, which accounting for 18 percent of childhood deaths and 13 percent of all disability-adjusted life years. Researchers found a significant gap between policy change and effective program implementation. CHILDHOOD STRESS AFFECTS ADULT HEALTH Astressful childhood may take decades off a person’s life, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Their study found that those who had experienced at least six of eight different bad childhood experiences had an average age at death of about 61, compared to 79 among people who didn’t suffer any of these experiences as children. The stressors include frequent verbal or physical abuse, living with a mentally ill person, molestation, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing or incarcerated person in the household, or separated or divorced parents. The research found links between childhood stressors and heart disease, lung disease and liver disease. The research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, suggests that childhood stress may affect brain development, and thus individuals who’ve experienced it may be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and may be more prone to deal with stress in unhealthy ways, such as by drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. PARENTS TOBLAME FOR KIDS’ WEIGHT Parents, often unknowingly, are contributing to the growing trend of overweight young children leading to overweight teens and overweight adults. In the United States, infants up to 6 months old are 59 percent more likely to be overweight than were babies 20 years ago, according to a study published in Obesity . Infants who gain weight quickly early in life face weight problems by the time they’re toddlers, according to research in Pediatrics . Research published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that babies between ages 6 and 12 months gained more weight when they were fed eight times a day rather than seven, or if their mothers were less able to tell when they were full. The research urges parents to learn more about their baby’s hunger cues, pay more attention to them when feeding, and check in with their pediatrician about the baby’s weight gain. Research published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal found that women who start pregnancy at a normal weight but gain more than 25 to 35 pounds increase their child’s risk for being overweight at age 3. • Health 70 Community magazine