Health Bits
Put Milk Back in the Game
A good diet is no game — or is it? The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has added games to its “Milk Matters” Web site (www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/kidsandteens) to mix fun with learning. The site features games, puzzles and mazes. “Most girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 19 don’t get the daily calcium they need,” says the institute’s director, Duane Alexander, M.D. That could raise their risk for broken bones in childhood and osteoporosis later in life. “Milk Matters” seeks to spread the word about the role of calcium in kids’ diets.
What kind of milk is best?
One percent milk or less is recommended to realize the nutritional benefit without the saturated fat. One percent or skim milk has little or no fat. In comparison, whole and 2 percent milk are among the biggest contributors of saturated fat to Americans’ diets:
- 8 oz. whole milk = five strips of bacon
- 8 oz. 2% milk = three strips of bacon
A Spray May Keep the Flu at Bay
There’s hope for parents who fear the flu and kids who hate shots. Doctors now have a nasal spray flu vaccine for children ages 5 and up. “We should be able to increase coverage with this vaccine, since so many kids don’t like getting the shot,” says Paul Glezen, M.D., a Baylor College of Medicine professor who ran the central Texas trials of the vaccine. Younger kids still face shots, though. The nasal vaccine isn’t approved for children under age 5. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges flu vaccinations for all children ages 6 months and above.
Kids’ Smoking Linked to Asthma
Childhood smoking and secondhand smoke account for about 15 percent of asthma cases among seventh- and eighth-graders, says a survey by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness,” notes co-author Jesse J. Sturm, M.D. Of the asthma cases tied to tobacco, the survey of 128,568 North Carolina kids blamed about 7 percent on youths’ smoking and the rest on secondhand smoke. The link between youths who smoke and asthma had never been shown, the authors say. They urge efforts to curb smoking in children of all ages.
Teens’ Speeding Warns of Other Ills
Teens who break the speed limit are more prone than non-speeding teens to gamble, use drugs or drink alcohol, according to a study conducted by the University of Florida. Researchers based their findings on phone interviews with more than 1,000 Florida teens ages 13 to 17 about gambling, alcohol and drug use, mental health and speeding. “The implications for parents are great,” says Kapi‘olani behavioral health specialist Anthony Guerrero, M.D. “Parents tend to view speeding as a single unrelated event, rather than to say that it is a clue to other behaviors that could help them save their child’s life. Everyone should remember that accidents are the number one cause of teen deaths in this country. Second is homicides and third is suicides,” adds Dr. Guerrero.
