Community Magazine September 2011

To junior's • Health 78 COmmuNItY mAGAZINe CAR SEATS ARE TOXIC? Over half of children’s car seats in the U.S. contain hazardous chemicals. Of the 150 seats tested by the Michigan- based Ecology Center, 60 percent had indications of polyvinyl chlorate (PVC), a known human carcinogen. PVC releases dioxins into the air, which can cause cancer and harm the immune system. Researchers fear that the heat and UV light in cars can cause these chemicals to be released, and babies are especially vulnerable to their effects. A list of the best and worst car seats can be found on the HealthyStuff.org website. The least toxic seats were Chicco’s KeyFit 30 in the Limonata color, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay and Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche. Among the most toxic were the Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black and Graco Snugride 30 in Asprey. COACHES AFFECT HOWKIDS FEEL Team members who play sports without being compared to each other are more likely to become motivated athletes who continue playing longer. The study found that kids do best when they are told to focus on improving their skills and competency. Kids who play on school or community teams reported enjoying feeling part of a team, and developing their skills, when goals were challenging but attainable. Kids who were focused on developing better abilities and performances compared to their teammates had a negative experience. Parents are advised to find coaches who set goals based on individual skill levels and make practice fun. The study was published in the journal The Sports Psychologist. Kids are more likely to grow positively playing sports involving effort, concentration and enjoyment. The researchers say that kids want to have fun in sports, and prefer participating in a losing team than sitting on the bench of a winning team. MENINGITIS SHOTS RECOMMENDED FOR BABIES A new vaccination against meningitis, a rare but potentially fatal disease in the brain and spinal cord, has recently been approved for infants. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the immunization for children ages 11 to 18, but after the FDA recently approved a vaccine for babies, officials are considering adding it to the standard immunization schedule for young children. This and other additions to the vaccine schedule have evoked anger from parents who believe that vaccines can cause autism, despite the dozens of reputable studies that have found no links. Health officials worry that parents’ refusal to vaccinate their children could lead to a resurgence of rare diseases. Vaccination requirements are decided by state agencies, not the CDC. Between 1,000 and 2,600 people contract meningitis annually, 10 to 15 percent of whom die even with treatment. Survivors are often left with amputations, deafness or nervous system problems. KIDS ARE OKAYWITHWORKINGMOM Kids do best when both parents are employed and live at home with their children, according to research from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study. Moms who work during a baby’s first year do not socially or emotionally harm their kids in the long-term, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Mothers who work were found to be better educated, wealthier and happier. Girls had more problems behaviorally than boys when their father worked and their mother stayed home, compared to when both parents worked. When the moms worked and the fathers did not, boys behaved worse than girls. More behavior problems were found overall when both parents are unemployed, and in single-mother homes. KIDS OBESITY EPIDEMICBEGAN IN THE 90S The epidemic of adolescent obesity began in the 1990’s, and in 2000 the trend began for young adults, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These periods coincide with the increase in computer and TV time, and lengthier post-secondary school education that causes young adults to start families later in life. Young adults tend to live unhealthy lives after they leave home and before starting a family, including poor diets. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about a third of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, with more women than men affected. According to the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, the weight of teens remained stable between 1959 and 1980, and then began rising. The average weight of 18-year-old males rose from 149 pounds to 166 pounds, and the average weight of females increased from 132 to 147 pounds. Doctors fear that early weight gain may lead to earlier symptoms of illnesses such as high blood pressure.