Text Message Safety Warnings

Emergency room doctors, who have seen a rise in injuries related to text-messaging, warn that students need to be more cautious about the places and times they send them.

When young people are busy thinking about what to say in a text message and using their thumbs to type a message–at the same time they are moving around by foot, bicycle or car–they can get hurt. And so can others.

It is important for parents to provide guidelines and serve as good role models.

Click here to read the complete KidsHealth story.

Pay Attention to Your Child’s Food Cues

Parents of young children can help them develop healthy eating habits by watching the clues youngsters give at mealtime about their hunger and fullness. The American Dietetic Association offers these suggestions:

1. Serve a toddler or preschooler small helpings and let the child ask for more.

2. When he or she starts to play with food, becomes restless or sends a signal of “no more,” remove the food. Knowing what it feels like to be full–and when to stop eating–helps children learn not to overeat.

3. No more “clean plate club.” This practice may encourage overeating or a food aversion–habits that could set up a child for weight or eating problems later.

Summer Safety Tips Involving Freshwater Lakes and Ponds

It’s summer, it’s hot and it’s time to head for water. But if you are heading for freshwater lakes and ponds, the Orange County Health Department (OCHD) warns that everyone should be cautious due to the threat posed by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri.

“There is an increased risk of infection by this organism in all freshwater areas in Florida, especially during hot summer months. Every family should understand that the only known way to prevent infection is to avoid water-related activities in warm fresh water,” said Dr. Kevin M. Sherin, OCHD Director.

If you are headed for a lake or river, OCHD recommends you hold the nose shut or use nose clips. It also recommends you avoid digging in or stirring up the sediment in shallow warm freshwater areas.

For more information on these and other summer safety issues, click here.

Millions of Young Teens Home Alone in the Summer

Millions of tweens–children ages 11 to 13–will be left home alone this summer, despite their parents’ concerns they may not have the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe at home, according to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

According to the results of the hospital’s national poll on children’s health, many parents worry that their at-home tweens do not know how to safely use kitchen appliances, where to go to stay safe during a severe storm or that they should not give out personal information on line or over the phone. Yet, one in five parents polled say that they have left tweens home alone for an entire day.

Click here for more information on the survey and information on how to determine if a child can be left alone.

 

Soccer’s a Winner for Building Bone Health in Girls

The sport of soccer gets an A plus when it comes to helping girls prevent low bone density when they get older.

Sports like soccer, which has a combination of weight-bearing exercise and repetitive “impact-loading” activities including jumping and running, help build bone density better than some other sports.

To read the complete HealthDay story and find out other things kids can do to build strong bones, go to the Medlineplus website.

Lip Products May Increase Cancer Risk

Lip glosses may be fashionable, but they don’t provide much in the way of sun protection for lips, and they may do just the opposite.

Dr. Christine Brown, of the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, says those who regularly use lip balm or lip gloss may have a greater risk of developing skin cancer because the products attract sun rays to the lips. Those who use these products should apply a layer of sun protection under lip gloss or lip balm, she said.

Click here to read the complete Medical News Today story.

TV Turnoff Week Good for the Whole Family

Too much TV isn’t good for anyone, especially children and teens who spend more than a couple of hours each day in front of TV and computer screens. That’s why organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are supporting national TV Turnoff Week, April 21-27.

“We know that the more time a child spends in front of the TV or computer, the more likely he or she is to be overweight,” said Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H. “Kids are spending more time sitting in front of screens every day than they do anything else except perhaps sleeping. For Turnoff Week, we are asking parents to turn off the scrreens and get active with their kids.”

Read more on the NIH website.

Childhood Migraines Linked to Sleep Disorders

It’s bad enough to be plagued by migraine headaches, but children who suffer from them are also likely to be troubled by sleep disorders and a lack of sleep, according to new research.

“Sleeping problems can exacerbate the problems migraine causes on a child’s health and may hinder a child’s performance at school,” study author Dr. Martina Vendrame of Temple University in Philadelphia, said in a prepared statement. “Parents and doctors need to be aware of the strong likelihood of sleep disorders in children with migraine and seek appropriate preventions and treatments.”

Read more at the Healthscout website.

It’s National Infant Immunization Week

The Orange County Health Department, in recognition of National Infant Immunization Week, is working to raise awareness of the importance of childhood immunizations.

Each year, thousands of children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented by basic childhood immunizations, and the health department wants to remind parents to check their children’s shot record to make sure it is up-to-date.

For more information, go to the Orange County Health Department website.

Giving is a Key to Happiness

It IS better to give than receive when it comes to personal happiness.

Researchers involved in a study published in the March 21 issue of “Science” magazine concluded that people found it more satisfying to spend money on others than on themselves. And this was something most people didn’t recognize, according to study authors.

Read more about this story by clicking on the Healthfinder website.