Tough Laws, Higher Prices Mean Fewer Kids Smoke

(HealthDay News) -- American adolescents who live in states that comply with tobacco sales laws are less likely to pick up a smoking habit than are those who live where the laws are not vigorously enforced, a new study has found.

And raising the price of a pack of cigarettes might have an equal, if not greater, effect, the study also showed.

"Efforts to prevent the sale of tobacco to children pay off," said study author Dr. Joseph R. DiFranza, a professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "It's very effective at reducing the number of kids who smoke."

Since 1992, states have been required to prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco to minors. But in 1996, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued a regulation that, in essence, put some teeth into the legislation that requires states to pass and enforce so-called no-sale laws.

Though there has been some debate about the effectiveness of the congressional mandate, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that enforcing existing laws reduces the number of adolescent smokers.

DiFranza and his colleagues analyzed data from a 2003 survey of 16,244 adolescents, nearly all 15 to 17 years old, to obtain information on smoking habits. In addition, they looked at state-collected data on merchants' compliance with anti-tobacco laws. Then they correlated the data, taking into account such factors as cigarette prices, restaurant smoking policies, anti-smoking campaigns and demographic information that included age, gender, race, ethnicity and parents' education level.

The researchers found that, as merchants more diligently enforced the ban on tobacco sales to minors and as the price of cigarettes rose, the likelihood of teens smoking dropped.

Improved compliance with the laws from 1997 to 2003 was credited with about a 21 percent decline in the likelihood of a teen smoking. Price increases for a pack of cigarettes during that time reduced the odds by about 47 percent, the study found.

The results appear online April 17 in the journal BMC Public Health.

"Cigarette smoking is a major contributor to many of the chronic diseases that we see in society today -- cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and other forms of cognitive decline and low birth weight," said Dr. Ted Schettler, science director at the Science & Environmental Health Network in Ames, Iowa. "And adolescent smoking increases the risk of lifelong smoking."

According to the American Lung Association, about 90 percent of smokers started before age 21, and an estimated 4.5 million U.S. adolescents smoke.

"Up until now, it's been controversial about whether all the effort put into enforcing the law has been worthwhile or not," DiFranza said. "Some people had made halfhearted efforts to obey the law, and those have not worked at reducing either the number of stores that sell tobacco to kids or the number of kids that smoke."

The finding from DiFranza's study mirrors that from a study published this month on the effect of laws targeting the sale of alcohol to minors.

In that study, states that had enacted more punitive laws -- including use-and-lose laws that allow the suspension of a driver's license for any underage alcohol violation and zero-tolerance laws that make it illegal for young people to drive with any amount of alcohol in their system -- had fewer drinking-related fatalities among teens than did states that did not have such laws. The results were published in the April 7 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

"In the past, we've had success in reducing the number of teens who smoke by enforcing these laws in communities, but this is the first study to show that it works at the national level," DiFranza said. "It's important to show that this strategy works across the whole geography of the United States, in rural and urban areas."

Schettler said that it's important to note "that many of these strategies go well beyond just advising people not to smoke and really get into more systemic public health interventions and trying to create, at the societal level, barriers to smoking."

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on teen smoking.

Ridiculous Pregnancy Advice Examined

By Erica Kain

Does anyone receive more unsolicited advice than a pregnant woman? Now that my pregnancy is obvious to any passer-by, I’m getting it from all sides.
Although it may be well-intentioned, most of the advice I receive from anyone but my doctor sounds like bunk.
Here are five of the more bothersome bits of “wisdom” I have been told—and the truth behind them. View the slideshow.

Health Tip: Bonding With Your Premature Baby

(HealthDay News) -- Premature babies -- those born earlier than 37 weeks -- are at higher risk of complications and may need to spend time in the hospital's neonatal intensive care until they are healthy enough to go home.

The American Pregnancy Association offers these suggestions to help you bond with your premature newborn:

• Gently touch or stroke your baby as often as possible.
• Try talking, reading or singing to your baby, who is used to the comforting sound of your voice.
• If allowed, change your baby's diaper yourself.
• Take your baby's temperature when it's time.
• Participate in giving your baby the first bath.

Health Tip: Parenting a Child With ADHD

(HealthDay News) -- Children with Attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) often require special attention to help manage their behavior.
The University of Michigan Health System offers these suggestions for parents of a child with ADHD:

• Pay attention to the good qualities your child has, and tell him or her when you notice good behavior.
• When offering praise, tell your child specifically what was done well and what you liked about it.
• Offer direction in a positive way. Tell the child what you want done, instead of what shouldn't be done.
• Offer immediate and constant feedback throughout the day, keeping it simple and clear.
  Because medications for ADHD can affect appetite, make sure your child has plenty of healthy meals and snacks throughout the day.
• Keep a close eye on your child during play and exercise to prevent injury caused by active, impulsive behavior.

Book Offers Novel Approach to Weight Loss

(HealthDay News) -- Could a novel with an embedded message about good health help overweight girls develop the motivation to lose a few pounds? New research suggests that it just might, but the results weren't dramatic.

Duke University researchers found that obese girls who read a book featuring a weight-management storyline were slightly more likely to control their weight than two comparison groups.

The research is the first "to show a relationship between reading and making positive, healthy lifestyle changes," said study author Alexandra C. Russell, a fourth-year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine.

The findings were expected to be presented Oct. 4 at the Obesity Society's annual meeting, in Phoenix.

According to federal statistics, 16 percent of American children ages 6 to 19 are either obese or overweight.

"Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic problem in this country," Russell said. "We need to find ways to appeal to a large population in an effective way."

In the study, the researchers assigned 31 severely overweight girls in a weight-management program to read a book called Lake Rescue, part of a series called Beacon Street Girls. The girls were all aged 9 to 13.

The book deals with an overweight girl who worries about going on an outdoor school trip. She ends up making friends, improving her self-esteem and learning about appropriate levels of physical activity, Russell said.

"Kids really enjoyed the book, I think, because the message doesn't hit them over the head," Russell said. "Because there are so many female characters, I think every girl reading it has someone to identify with if they didn't identify with the overweight character. We got only positive feedback."

Another 33 girls in the weight-management program read another book that had no storyline about being overweight; instead it told the story of a girl who searches for a missing cat in Paris. A third group of 17 girls in the weight-management program wasn't assigned to read any books, Russell said.

The researchers then compared the body mass indexes of girls in the three groups up to six months later. On average, the girls who read Lake Rescue gained better control of their weight, moving from the 98th to the 97th percentile in a range of weights, Russell said.

"The book helped," she said. "It either helped them stay at the same weight while they were growing or even helped them lose their weight."

While the difference in percentiles was statistically significant, it's hard to know if it meant much to the girls from a health perspective, Russell said. "These girls need to be followed up to see if there's a difference over a long term, compared to just one to three months," she said.

Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, said embedding weight-management messages in a book is a "very promising idea," but more research is needed.

"Could a cottage industry sprout up in publishing for novels that are ostensibly about some diverting plot, but really about eating well, being active, or losing weight?" he asked. "It's too soon to tell. We don't know how strongly, consistently, or enduringly such books might contribute to weight loss and control, or other health benefits."

More information
Learn more about childhood obesity from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Tip: Help Your Child Develop Healthy Habits

(HealthDay News) -- Healthy habits for regular exercise and a good diet start at home, and they should start at a young age.

The American Heart Association offers these suggestions to help your child stay healthy for life:

• Set a good example by living a healthy lifestyle yourself.
• Make exercise a family activity that involves everyone. Make family time for exercise every day, choosing sports and games that everyone enjoys.
• Set a limit on the amount of time your child spends watching TV, playing video games, or on the computer.
• Set goals for your child, such as a certain amount of daily physical activity or limits on the amount of unhealthy foods allowed.
• Encourage and reward good behavior, but never with food.
• Have a healthy dinner as a family every night.
• Teach your child to read food labels, and to recognize which foods are healthy and which aren't.

Health Tip: Leaving Your Children Alone

(HealthDay News) -- It's important for a child to learn to be independent and care for himself. But how do you know when a child is old and mature enough to stay alone?

In general, a child younger than age 10 probably isn't ready. But when it comes to older children, the Nemours Foundation says the time may be right to forgo a babysitter if your child:

• Feels comfortable with the prospect of staying alone.
• Shows a sense of responsibility with chores, doing homework, and following rules and directions.
• Stays calm in difficult or unexpected situations, and knows how to handle them.
• Clearly understands and regularly follows rules.
• Knows basic first aid.
• Knows and follows rules for staying away from strangers.

Should Smoking Around Kids Be Illegal?

By Scott Mowbray

When I was a kid, a few years after the surgeon general released the original report linking smoking to vast health risks, my Dad—a doctor!—still smoked a pipe and the occasional cigar. I remember him lighting a stogie during a long drive in the family VW. I remember throwing up. It was an effective counterattack. But it’s not practical in all circumstances.

The most recent news about secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is good; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that “detectable serum cotinine” levels are down across the board in nonsmoking Americans. Serum cotinine is a marker in the blood that signals a nonsmoker’s exposure to secondhand smoke, and if levels go down, disease risk also probably declines with it. The CDC speculated that workplace and public-place smoking bans were the likely cause. Read More

Health Tip: When Your Diabetic Child Takes a Trip

(HealthDay News) -- Having diabetes shouldn't cause your child to miss out on the fun of sleepovers and school field trips.

Prepare your diabetic child for time away from home with these recommendations from the American Diabetes Association:

• Pack a bag with everything your child will need, including insulin, syringes, a meter, test strips and a log book. Pack extras of everything.
• If traveling for several hours, pack several snacks, juices and glucose tablets.
• If your child will be changing time zones, talk to your doctor about how to adjust the insulin schedule accordingly.
• Make sure your child wears a medical ID bracelet that notes diabetes.
• Make sure your child checks glucose levels more frequently away from home.
• Make sure that any adults accompanying your child understand diabetes and how to manage it.

A World Of 'Pushy Parents'

The Hartford Courant, Connecticut - July 10, 2008
Jul. 10--What's wrong with parents today?

We try too hard. We are so anxious for our children to be successful, to be good athletes or musicians, to get into good colleges and to have good careers and to be happy that we overreach and plant the seeds of incompetence, frustration, unhappiness, even mental and emotional disorders.

That's the sobering news from the latest crop of books on parenting.

Carl Honore, author of "Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children From the Culture of Hyper-Parenting" (HarperOne, $24.95), says he was inspired to take on the topic when he saw himself becoming one of those parents. At a parent-teacher conference, his 7-year-old's art teacher told him that his son was "incredibly imaginative," that he was indeed "a gifted young artist."

Elated at the news, Honore charged home and spent the evening surfing the Internet looking for the right art course to nurture his son's talent. The next morning on their walk to school, Honore floated the idea of art lessons. His son wasn't interested.

"I don't want to go to a class and have a teacher tell me what to do -- I just want to draw," his son said firmly. "Why do grown-ups have to take over everything?"

Honore said the reply opened his eyes. "My God, he's right. I am trying to take over. I'm one of those pushy parents," he said.

That epiphany prompted Honore to embark on a 2-year investigation of child-raising approaches around the world. What he found everywhere he went among middle-class and affluent families was that despite the best intentions or perhaps because of them, kids are over-scheduled, over-stimulated and over-indulged.

This micromanagement of kids' lives has different names in different countries, Honore found. Often in the U.S., we call it "helicopter-parenting" because Mom and Dad are hovering. "Scandinavians joke about 'curling parents' who frantically sweep the ice in front of their child. 'Education mothers' devote every second to steering their children through the school system in Japan."

"I'm not convinced that this kind of micromanaging is equipping anybody" to be successful, said Honore. Continue Reading >>

Asthma's Course Differs by Gender

(HealthDay News) -- Boys may be more likely to have childhood asthma than girls, but they are also more likely to grow out of it, a new study says.

The report, published in the second August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that boys also have fewer asthma occurrences in the post-pubertal years.

The study tracked more than 1,000 children, ages 5 to 12, with mild to moderate persistent asthma over nine years. Each child received an annual spirometric testing with methacholine challenges to quantify their airway responsiveness (AR).

After an average of 8.6 years, boys became increasingly tolerant over time to larger and larger doses of methacholine, which provokes airway constriction, suggesting a possible decrease in disease severity. By age 16, it took more than twice as much methacholine to provoke a 20 percent constriction in the boys' airway on average as it did with the girls'.

Over the years, the girls' reactivity did not change markedly. By age 18, only 14 percent of the girls showed no significant degree of airways responsiveness, compared to 27 percent of boys.

"While our results were not unexpected, they do point to intriguing potential mechanisms to explain the gender differences in asthma incidence and severity. Especially intriguing is that the differences in gender begin at the time of transition into early puberty," the lead researcher, Dr. Kelan G. Tantisira of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said in a news release issued by the journal's publisher.

More information
The National Institutes of Health has more about asthma.

Health Tip: Don't Do Your Child's Homework

(HealthDay News) -- A proper home atmosphere for doing homework is important for learning and keeping up in school.

The Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions:

• Create an area at home just for homework. It should be well-lit, with all of the supplies that your child needs.
• Set aside a certain time every day -- such as before a snack or after dinner -- to study and do homework.
• Minimize distractions during homework time, including music, television and phone calls.
• Don't do your child's homework. The child won't learn from mistakes if they're yours. But offer help when needed. Praise your child for doing well and trying hard.
• Be involved in your child's school work, and set a good example by reading and working at home, too.

Living with autism in college

Many students with autism face new challenges in a college setting. It's a problem colleges and universities are "very aware" of as the first big wave of children with diagnosed autism-related disorders moves beyond high school, says the executive director of an organization of student affairs administrators. full story

Smiling Babies Make Moms Happy

By Kate Rope

Pop quiz: That headline is a) printed on a T-shirt I picked up in a Tokyo novelty shop last week, b) a really freakin’ obvious statement, or c) the results of a study published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics.

If you went with b) and c), you’re a genius! Yes, it’s true; scientists have confirmed what we new moms already know—when we see our smiling babies, it makes us happy.
I called up the lead author of the study to ask, “When I read the press release about your study, the first thing I thought was, ‘Duh!’ So why is this news?” Read More