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Above the Influence: Drugs and peer pressure

Above the Influence is an advertising campaign in the United States by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign that advocates against recreational drug use, focusing explicitly on cannabis use by American teenagers. http://ping.fm/boUfp

Father's Involvement During Pregnancy Found to be Critical to Infant's Survival - ParentDish

 

by Honey Berk 

Babies whose fathers are absent during pregnancy are four times more likely to die in their first year of life, regardless of the mother's race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, according to a recent study.

They also are more likely to be born with lower birth weights, preterm and small for their gestational age, according to the study conducted by researchers from the University of South Florida. Additionally, pregnant mothers with uninvolved fathers are more likely to experience obstetric complications such as anemia, chronic high blood pressure, eclampsia and placental abruptio.  Read more…

6-Year-Old Northeast Ohio Girl on 'No Fly' List

Mark Zinni

Alyssa Thomas, 6, is a little girl who is already under the spotlight of the federal government. Her family recently discovered that Alyssa is on the "no fly" list maintained by U.S. Homeland Security.

"We were, like, puzzled," said Dr. Santhosh Thomas. "I'm like, well, she's kinda six-years-old and this is not something that should be typical."  Read more...

 

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Breast milk transmits drugs and medicines to the baby

There is great confusion among the scientific community about whether women who are drug abusers should breast feed their babies. In order to shed some light on this issue, scientists from various Spanish hospitals and research centres are reviewing the methods used to detect substances in breast milk, their adverse effects, and the recommendations that mothers should follow in this month's issue of the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

"The general recommendation is to totally avoid drug abuse while breastfeeding, because these substances can pass directly through to the newborn", Óscar García Algar, co-author of the study and a doctor in the Paediatrics Department at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, tells SINC.

The researcher adds: "This recommendation extends to the prenatal period, because these substances are passed on to the foetus via the placenta, and then in the postnatal period via the environment. If they have exposure through the milk, they will certainly also have had it during the pregnancy, and they can also be in the environment, as is the case with tobacco smoke".  Read more...

More American women not having children: report

By Daniel Lippman Daniel Lippman

More American women are choosing not to have children than three decades ago, according to a new report.

Nearly 20 percent of older women do not have children, compared to 10 percent in the 1970s, the Pew Research Center said.

"In recent decades, social pressure to play traditional roles has lessened in a broad variety of ways and there is more leeway for individual choice. This could play a part in lowering pressure for people to get married and bear children," said D'Vera Cohn, a co-author of the report.  Read more...

Tough New Cigarette Rules Go Into Effect

By Dean Reynolds

Opponents of smoking hailed tough new rules for cigarettes that went into effect Tuesday.

"The most stringent restrictions on marketing to children that this nation has ever seen," said Matthew Myers the president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

Have already ended flavored smokes like midnight berry or mandarin mint, the Food and Drug Administration will now enforce the end of misleading labels with words such as "light," "ultra-light" or "low tar," reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.

"Smokers have been lulled into thinking they were doing something that was not harmful to them," said Robin Mermelstein with the University of Illinois. Read more...

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Agencies criticised over youth gangs strategies

Attempts to tackle gang-related activity among young people are "patchy " and focus too heavily on enforcement over prevention, a report on Wednesday revealed.

A joint report by the inspectorates for prison, probation and police services found initiatives to combat gang culture, while wide ranging, showed a "lack of coordination" and were "at times counter-productive".

The investigation -- which looked at how police, youth offending teams and young offender institutions were dealing with gangs and gang-related crime -- said the agencies "missed significant opportunities".

While police had a "relatively well-developed understanding of gang activity", their policies focused heavily on enforcement -- or "catch and convict" -- the report stated.

Youth offending teams (YOTs) also placed emphasis on enforcement, rather than prevention and rehabilitation, inspectors found.  Read more...

Youth advocates: Girl on girl violence on the rise

By: Lynette Adams

Youth advocates say we're losing young girls to violence. This comes just hours after 19-year-old Leah Johnson was arraigned in connection with the death of Kalynn Strozier.

Police say Johnson stabbed the 16-year-old Tuesday when Strozier confronted her over an ongoing dispute.

Elain Spaull who heads the Center for Youth says youth advocates are more troubled than ever over what she says is increased fighting, violence and aggression among young women in Rochester.  Read more...

Giving back: From aid to trade

By Hedda T. Schupak

Given your civil rights background, do you see any parallels or contrasts between the United States in the 1960s and Africa today?
The ’60s movement [in the United States] was all about self-empowerment. In Africa, it’s through education that people will be able to participate in the economy, not just have the economy serve them. Young people in Africa yearn for education, especially higher education, to empower and advance their society. Education is no longer something reserved for the elite.

I grew up in North Carolina. Schools were segregated, and I didn’t sit in a classroom with whites until my sophomore year of college. Black education wasn’t of the same quality as white education, and as a result, black young people were systematically denied the chance to get ahead. But not anymore. The fact that our president and first lady both went to Harvard signifies how much things have changed. And in Africa, through working with the Diamond Empowerment Fund, I’m very pleased to be able to assist young African people in getting a higher education.  Read more...

McDonald's May Face Suit Over Happy Meal Toys

By Daniel J. DeNoon

Consumer Group Says Toys Lure Kids to Unhealthy Foods; McDonald's Defends Happy Meals

A watchdog group threatens to sue McDonald's, claiming Happy Meals toys lure kids into unhealthy eating habits and break state consumer-protection laws.

"McDonald's is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children," Stephen Gardner, litigation director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), says in a news release.

The CSPI says it will sue McDonald's if the firm doesn't stop its toy-related promotions within 30 days. The group claims that the toys are "unfair and deceptive" marketing that violates laws in Massachusetts, Texas, New Jersey, California, and the District of Columbia.  Read more...

A year later, Jackson fans still out in force

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY

Erin Jacobs once traded her brand new bicycle for tickets to see Michael Jackson. Now, more than 25 years later, it's her time, organizational skills and gas money that she's giving to the King of Pop.

As an organizer of two major fan groups, Jacobs is just one of thousands of supporters keeping Jackson's legacy alive — along with the pursuit of justice for his untimely death a year ago this Friday.  Read more...

WHO creates data base on use of child medicines

The World Health Organization on Friday issued its first-ever guidance on how to use more than 240 essential medicines for children under 13.

The data provide information on use, dosage and side effects of medicines as well as warnings about which children should not take them, the U.N. health agency said. The 528-page document also tells users about common drug interactions.  Read more...

Black Mom and Daughter Author New Cooking Survival Guide For Independent Children

"Like me (and contrary to what most adults may believe), children prefer to munch on great delicious foods after school - not just empty snacks that don't really fill you up. Kids want quick, easy, "no-brainer" meals that they can prepare alone." Tiana North, author of the new book Go - Cook Something! continues, "Kids are smarter these days, more capable, more independent then ever before." Taliba Holliday, Tiana's mother and co-author agrees with her ever maturing, forever hungry teenager, "The Donna Reed days are essentially over. With over 71 million women in the workforce and an estimated 12 million single family households, today our kids must have dinner on the table when we get home."  Read more...

Black Fatherhood and Black Families: What We Must Do Now

By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD

All of this leads to my key point: You don't have to have a child in order to be a parent. There are millions of black children without fathers to guide and support them. When these children cross our paths, we should be ready to step in and fill the shoes of someone who might have been unable or unwilling to do their job. One of my greatest pet peeves in the world are people who can love their own children to death, but not give a rat's butt about someone else's child. Every young person is deserving of our love, and we should willingly share it. If you're in a relationship with someone who has children, then you're now a surrogate parent. When I coached kids in my hometown of Louisville, KY, I knew that if a kid didn't have money for a uniform, I had to go into my pocket to get it. If they were hungry, it was my job to feed them, no questions asked. Read more...

Who's your daddy?

By Lisa Millar

The first time I heard a young African American man talk about his 'baby mama' I was startled.

"Is she your woman?" he'd been asked by someone sitting next to him on the train where they'd been comparing notes about female body parts.

"Nah, she's just my baby mama. My woman is living in Baltimore," was the reply.

That was eight years ago and I can still remember grabbing a pen and scribbling down the conversation. I hadn't heard the term before. Now its ubiquitous.

It's used to define an unmarried young woman who at some stage was having sex (and children) with a man but never reached the gloried heights of being considered a girlfriend or wife.  Read more...

'Breast is Best' Campaign Sends Wrong Message, Advocates Say

by Tom Henderson

A spokesman for the Department of Health tells the London Daily Mail the government does not formally use "Breast is Best" as a slogan. It's just a popular phrase that has been attached to government educational efforts. The department's website actually uses the non-rhyming phrase, "Breastfeeding gives babies the best start in life."

Regardless, groups, including the Breastfeeding Network, find the government's approach trite. Lesley Backhouse, the chair of the organization, tells the BBC the message -- no matter how it is officially phrased -- suggests breast-feeding is something special rather than the norm.

"We've got to knock breast-feeding off this pedestal," she tells the national broadcasting system. "Breast-feeding is the only case where the biological norm is expressed as the exception rather than the rule."  Read more...

More Than Half of Pediatricians Make Diagnostic Errors, Study Says

by Honey Berk

Fifty-four percent of pediatricians say they make diagnostic errors at least once or twice per month, according to a new survey of more than 700 pediatricians and pediatric trainees.

The data for trainees was even more striking, with 77 percent admitting they make errors at least once or twice per month. And nearly half of the pediatricians surveyed say their errors harm patients at least once or twice per year.  Read more...

The 20 worst kids' foods in America

Here's a pop quiz:

If you have young children at home, which of the following is likely to eat up the larger percentage of your household income?

A. Books and other educational materials
B. DVDs, CDs, music downloads, and trips to the movies
C. Video games
D. Fast food

You're probably not surprised to discover that the right answer is D. But you might be surprised to discover that, if you're a parent, you will most likely spend more on fast food this year than on A, B, and C combined.  Read more....

Most think their child is a healthy weight, study says

By Rachael Rettner

The results show 71 percent of participating parents with overweight or obese toddlers misperceived their child's weight, identifying it as either a healthy weight or lighter than healthy weight. 

The parents were more likely to underestimate their child's weight if a pediatrician had never discussed the issue with them. In fact, fewer than 8 percent of parents reported hearing from a pediatrician that their child was overweight or gaining weight too fast. Read more...

Sex Offender Job Loopholes: Senator Aims to Crack Down on Youth Coaches, Dance Teachers, and More

by Edecio Martinez

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) wants a federal law to further limit the jobs that sex offenders can hold, in both the public and private sectors. 

State laws nationwide currently prohibit sex offenders from working as school teachers and coaches, but most laws don't cover karate instructors, youth coaches, carnival workers, clowns, magicians, or dance instructors in the private sector.  Read more...

Study: Anxiety in youth linked to heart attacks later on

By Amanda Gardner

Men diagnosed with anxiety in their late teens or early 20s are more than twice as likely to have heart disease or a heart attack later in life than their more laid-back peers, according to a new Swedish study.

As many as 28 percent of people are diagnosed with anxiety at some point in their lives, according to an editorial accompanying the study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.  Read more...

Going to an Amusement Park?

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Theme parks are great places for family fun. Take time to plan your trip, and talk to your kids about ways to stay safer before you arrive at the park. A few minutes of advance preparation can make your outing more enjoyable and safer for the whole family.

Before you leave²:

• Make a plan to meet in a specific location should anyone become separated; a good place is the closest Help/Information Center.
  
  
• Pay attention to where kids are and who they are with at all times.
  
  
• Tell kids to check first with you before accepting prizes or gifts from anyone.
  
  
• Tell kids to tell you if anyone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.
  
  
• Teach children to runaway and yell, “this person is not my father (mother)!” if someone tries to take them away.
  
  
• Make sure kids never wear clothing or carry items that display their names.
  

At the park:

• Get a map of the park and immediately show your kids where the Help/Information Centers are located.
  
  
• Give examples of people who can help (park personnel, mothers with children, etc.) if they become lost.
  
  
• Have children carry some form of identification and emergency contact information with them.
  
  
• Accompany young children on rides.
  
  
• Accompany children to restrooms.
  
  
• Report suspicious or inappropriate activity immediately.
  
  
• Immediately report your child missing if you become separated.

Growing Up Online

In Growing Up Online, FRONTLINE takes viewers inside the very public private worlds that kids are creating online, raising important questions about how the Internet is transforming childhood. "The Internet and the digital world was something that belonged to adults, and now it's something that really is the province of teenagers, " says C.J. Pascoe, a postdoctoral scholar with the University of California, Berkeley's Digital Youth Research project.
"They're able to have a private space, even while they're still at home. They're able to communicate with their friends and have an entire social life outside of the purview of their parents, without actually having to leave the house."
As more and more kids grow up online, parents are finding themselves on the outside looking in. "I remember being 11; I remember being 13; I remember being 16, and I remember having secrets," mother of four Evan Skinner says. "But it's really hard when it's the other side."  Read more...

Study is first to show that highly variable sleep schedules predict elevated suicide risk

In actively suicidal young adults, highly variable sleep schedules predicted an elevated risk for suicide at one week and three weeks independent of depression. Time of mean sleep onset varied by three hours, and time of sleep offset varied by 2.8 hours. Sleep irregularity also was the only sleep-related variable to predict greater mood lability, which in turn predicted elevated suicidal symptoms. Participants were 49 actively suicidal undergraduate students from 19-23 years old. Read more...

Study links sleep apnea in children and teens to lower academic grades

Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea was linked to lower academic grades and behavioral concerns expressed by parents and teachers. Students with moderate to severe OSA averaged a half-letter grade lower than those without sleep-disordered breathing, and none of the students with moderate to severe OSA had an "A" average. OSA was particularly associated with inattention and poor study skills in real-world situations. Participants were 163 children and adolescents, 10 to 17 years old. Read more

Gestational age at delivery has relationship with the risk of special educational needs

Research published this week in PLoS Medicine shows that there is an association between gestation of a baby at delivery and the risk of special educational needs in later life. Read more...

Internet-Addicted Chinese Youth Break Out of Boot Camp

John Funk

A group of young internet addicts stuck at a "boot camp" to help cure them of their habit staged a daring jailbreak, fleeing home (where their parents promptly sent them back).

China has struggled with internet addiction lately, blaming the 'net for what it does to the nation's youth. According to the China Youth Association for Network Development, 24 million Chinese suffer from some degree of internet addiction. Of course, the camps designed to help rehabilitate them of their addiction aren't necessarily any better - last August, a 15-year-old boy was

beaten to death at one of the unofficial camps in Guanxi province.  Read more...

Fewer young criminals push states to close prisons

By TODD RICHMOND

After struggling for years to treat young criminals in razor wire-ringed institutions, states across the country are quietly shuttering dozens of reformatories amid plunging juvenile arrests, softer treatment policies and bleak budgets.

In Ohio, the number of juvenile offenders has plummeted by nearly half over the last two years, pushing the state to close three facilities. California's closures include a youth institution near Los Angeles that operated for nearly 115 years. And one in Texas will finally go quiet after getting its start as a World War II-era training base.  Read more...

Report to Congress: Media Literacy, Not Fear, Can Protect Youth Online

Larry Magid

Youth Safety on a Living Internet (PDF), the final report by the Online Safety Technology Working Group (OSTWG), found that the best way to assure youth safety on the Internet "points to the growing importance of online citizenship and media-literacy education, in addition to what has come to be seen as online safety education, as solutions to youth risk online."

Before I go on, I have to say that I was a member of the Task Force and Chair of the Education Subcommittee and Anne Collier, my co-director at ConnectSafely.org, was co-chair of the Task Force itself along with former MySpace chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam.  Read more...

Third of kids don't finish troubled-youth program

By Brian Witte

More than a third of kids failed to complete a treatment program at a center for troubled youth that reopened last year after a resident died in 2007, Maryland's juvenile justice watchdog group said this week.

Since the reopening in July 2009 under new management, three students have successfully completed the program at the Silver Oak Academy in Carroll County, the Maryland Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit said in a report covering January to March.  Read more...

June is National Internet Safety Month; Educate Yourself and Your Kids

The Internet offers an array of entertainment and educational resources for children but also presents some risks.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is committed to helping all audiences — from kids to parents and guardians to law-enforcement officers and educators — learn the aspects of Internet safety.

You can't watch kids every minute, but you can use strategies to help them benefit from the Internet and avoid its risks.

NCMEC urges you to do one of the single most important things to promote safety — talk to kids about the rewards and risks of Internet use.

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Keeping Kids Safer on the Internet

Code Adam

Code Adam is a powerful search tool for lost and possibly abducted children currently used in tens of thousands of establishments across the nation. The program is simple to learn and to implement: a special Code Adam alert is issued on the premises when a customer reports a missing child. Read more ....

Go Daddy Joins Flight to Eliminate Child Pornography on the Internet

Go Daddy, the world’s largest Internet domain name registrar has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and leading financial institutions and Internet Service Providers to stop the sale of child pornography online.  Read more ....

Valassis Launches New Hispanic Missing Children Initiatives

Expanding upon a successful 25 year partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and U.S. Postal Service to find missing children, Valassis, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, is launching two new missing child efforts targeted at the Hispanic community.  Read more ....

Alcohol use and smoking are associated with headaches in high schoolers

A novel study by German researchers reported that alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were associated with increased migraines and tension-type headaches in high school students. Coffee drinking and physical inactivity were associated specifically with migraines. Results of this study, the first to investigate modifiable risk factors for different types of headaches in a youth population, appear online early in Headache, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Headache Society. Read more...