Make Kids' Lunch Interesting

Latest News - Make Kids' Lunch Interesting, Kids may turn thumbs down at many healthy lunch choices, but if parents get creative, they can prepare healthy lunches that their children like.

The American Dietetic Association offers these suggestions for healthy lunches that kids will enjoy:

• Create a colorful wrap, instead of a sandwich on ordinary white bread.
• Stack sandwich fillers on little crackers, instead of bread.
• Pack a veggie- and protein-filled salad topped with nuts, cheese or beans.
• Wrap lunch meat around a cheese stick for a bread-free wrap.
• Make sandwiches in fun shapes using a favorite cookie cutter.

Posted on 2:13 PM / 0 comments / Read More

Walk-to-School Programs Put Kids' Fitness First

Latest News - Walk-to-School Programs Put Kids' Fitness First, Saying "no" to the school bus and walking kids to school instead could be a step -- or more -- toward boosting children's activity levels, a new study shows.

Texas researchers split a group of 149 fourth-graders from eight schools in Houston into active commuters -- those who walked to and from school up to five days a week -- and a control group who were driven by bus or car. At the beginning of the study, both groups had logged similar amounts of moderate to vigorous activity, about 46 to 49 minutes per day.

But over the next five weeks, the kids who walked to school upped their activity slightly -- an average of 7 extra minutes per day of moderate to vigorous exercise. In contrast, those who got driven to school actually lowered their daily activity over the study period, to an average of 41 minutes daily.

While the activity increase for walkers may seem modest, study author Dr. Jason Mendoza said that even small amounts of exercise are meaningful in a country with a 17 percent obesity rate for kids under age 19. About a third of adult Americans are obese, and another third are classified as overweight.

"It's not like they're going to the gym to work out," said Mendoza, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "It's something they can build into their days without a lot of extra effort or equipment."

The study is published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Because of a "car-centric" society that favors wider roads and fewer sidewalks -- as well as a heightened fear of abductions by strangers -- far fewer kids walk to school than was the case four decades ago. According to study authors, 42 percent of children actively commuted (walked or biked) to school in 1969-70, compared to only 13 percent in 2009.

Because of the brevity of the study period, Mendoza's team did not compare differences in the children's body mass indexes (BMIs) over that time, so it's impossible to say that the intervention caused the kids to lose (or at least not gain) excess weight. But all participants came from low-income districts with high numbers of ethnic minorities, groups that tend to have higher levels of childhood obesity.

Study staff members took the helm of "walking school bus" groups of up to a dozen kids or more, Mendoza said, some of whom were also accompanied by parents who wanted to participate in the effort.

Programs like this are supported by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, a national organization that advocates for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools.

However, walking school bus programs are still not exceptionally common, said Dr. Silva Arslanian, chief of the weight management and wellness center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

"The results aren't surprising," she said. "The real question is what happens once you stop the activity. The important thing is to sustain a behavior, and that's always been the difficulty in obesity prevention or treatments programs."

Arslanian wasn't impressed by the fact that only 26 percent of the families who were approached for the walking school bus study decided to participate.

"A 75 percent refusal for any study is extremely high. So, are people averse to the idea of walking?" she said. "Parents are not interested because they themselves are heavy, or have other burdens. It all boils down to role modeling and expectations in your child."

Of course, walking to school versus being driven does require a bit more time -- the study showed a 38 percent jump in relative commuting time between the two groups. But Mendoza believes that parents can make "walking school bus" programs feasible by approaching them as a community endeavor.

"Usually walking school buses split up days, like carpools, so it should save parents time if they get other parents to help," he explained. "There are parents who've decided to leave the car at home and take turns walking the kids to school. It might take a little longer to do it, but they build it into their day. It's good for them and good for the kids."

Another advantage of the program is decreased traffic congestion around schools, where carpool lines can pose dangerous circumstances for kids getting into or out of cars, Mendoza noted.

"I'm hoping policy makers and public health officials consider supporting these programs," he said. "It's a broad-based way to get our children to be more physically active. We could say it's an old-fashioned idea, but what's old is new again. We're adapting it to the reality of today."

Posted on 1:02 PM / 0 comments / Read More

Mandated Report Finds Vaccines Safe for Kids

Latest News - Mandated Report Finds Vaccines Safe for Kids, An exhaustive new report from experts at the Institute of Medicine finds that children's vaccines are typically safe, with bad reactions occurring only rarely and then not causing any lasting medical problems.

The IOM committee also agreed that there is no evidence supporting a connection between certain vaccines and the later onset of conditions such as autism or type 1 diabetes in kids.

The purported link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, especially, has been hotly contested, both in the media and the courts in recent years. In 2010, the British researcher behind a 1998 study that was pivotal in suggesting such a link was accused of fraud and the journal that published it has since retracted the research.

In its review, the IOM committee examined more than 1,000 studies, looking for problems possibly related to vaccines, such as seizures, inflammation of the brain and fainting, as well as longer-term issues.

"We looked at eight different vaccines and a number of adverse effects, and what we found is that there is very little evidence that vaccines cause adverse events," said committee chair Dr. Ellen Wright Clayton, professor of pediatrics and law, and director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University.

"And most of the adverse events that there is evidence for tend to be time-limited," she said.

The report was requested by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide a scientific base for deciding on compensation for people claiming injury from any of the eight vaccines covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The program was set up in 1988, and last February the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 1986 law that created the program.

The report found evidence that in rare cases the MMR vaccine can lead to fever-triggered seizures, but these tend not to have long-term consequences, Clayton noted.

Also in rare cases, the MMR vaccine can cause brain inflammation in people with severe immune system deficiencies, she added.

In a very few children, the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine can cause brain swelling, pneumonia, hepatitis, meningitis or shingles. Most of these problems affect people with immune system deficiencies that increase susceptibility to the live viruses used in MMR and varicella vaccines, the report noted.

In addition, the MMR, varicella, influenza, hepatitis B, meningococcal and tetanus vaccines can cause a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis shortly after injection. In general, vaccine injections can result in fainting and inflammation of the shoulder, the committee said.

The evidence for other problems linked to vaccines is less clear, the report found.

The MMR vaccine might cause short-term joint pain in some women and children. Some people can have an allergic reaction after receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine against cervical cancer, and some flu vaccines have resulted in a mild, temporary breathing problems.

Clayton noted that the "MMR vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) do not cause type 1 diabetes, and the MMR vaccine does not cause autism."

In addition, the flu shot does not cause Bell's palsy or worsen asthma, Clayton said.

But not everyone is convinced by the IOM's findings. Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, which has argued for more caution on the immunization of children, said the research is inadequate to determine whether vaccines are safe or not.

"You don't have enough studies that are methodologically sound," she said. "Whether the big increases in asthma and ADHD and other brain and immune system disorders among children is wholly or partly due to the fact that they are getting three times as many vaccines as children in the 1970s and early 1980s is a question that can only be answered by methodologically sound science. We are still left with the big question: Why are so many of our highly vaccinated children so sick today?"

Fisher disagrees with the committee's finding on the MMR and DTaP vaccines, and said she believes they can cause autism and type 1 diabetes. And she believes that parents should have the right not to have their children vaccinated.

"Vaccines should be available as a preventive health care option for all who voluntarily want to use them," she said. But people should not be required to vaccinate their children, she added.

But Clayton countered that it's important to remember what the vaccination of children and adults has achieved.

People who are critical of vaccines "don't remember the diseases that vaccines prevent such as polio, measles and chickenpox," Clayton said. And on the other hand, "a lot of the things that people worry about either don't happen, or there is not enough evidence to make a conclusion," she said.

Another infectious disease expert agreed. Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University, New York City, said that "current vaccines are safe and the benefits of protecting against the diseases way outweigh the risk of the vaccines."

Siegel also noted that vaccines not only protect an individual, but also protect the general population through what is called "herd immunity."

Research is needed to clarify how many vaccines should be given over what period of time and "if they are all necessary," Siegel said. "That's something that needs to be considered," he added.

Posted on 4:15 PM / 0 comments / Read More

Making Child Care Choices Count for Your Family

Latest News - Making Child Care Choices Count for Your Family, For more and more parents, making the child care decision is not a simple choice. Along with weighing your child’s needs, there are three main types of child care to think about. There is no simple formula for choosing the right child care provider for your child. However, learning as much as you can about your options can help you decide what is best for your family.

What Type for Your Child?

There are three basic types of child care:

• In-home care: A caregiver comes into your home and supervises your child there.
• Family child care: Child caregivers provide their service out of their own homes.
• Center-based care: Child care organizations feature structured activities and programs, as well as a trained staff.

Choosing the right option for your family comes down to thinking about the pros and cons of each type.

In-Home Care

For some families, the most convenient option is having the caregiver come to your own home. In some cases, caregivers may even live in the family home. The advantages to this approach include the potential for your child to receive more individual attention, limited exposure to seasonal ailments such as colds and the flu, and your child’s comfort level with a familiar place.

There are challenges to having an inhome caregiver, however. For starters, skilled in-home providers are not easy to find. If you do find one, realize that both the caregiver and child need clear rules about what your expectations are. These rules should include how to discipline the child in your absence; how much TV time (if any) is OK; what activities you want your child to take part in (reading, playtime, etc.); and when it’s OK to take your child on an outing.

An in-home caregiver should be willing to provide a complete daily schedule and report of your child’s activities, and to make use of positive, effective methods of discipline. Even so, it’s not easy to know for sure what your child’s caregiver is doing when you’re not there. That’s why frequent, unannounced visits from friends or family members are a good idea.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to have a backup plan in place for those times when your child’s caregiver is sick, needs personal time, or is on vacation.

Family Child Care

Some child care providers work out of their own homes, often supervising other children alongside their own. These family child care providers are usually not as convenient for parents as in-home care. But they can sometimes provide a more focused, home-like environment than center-based care and are usually easier to find than in-home caregivers.

If you are thinking about a family child care situation, there are some questions you will want to ask:

• What are the caregiver’s policies and qualifications? Is he or she licensed or registered with the state, or accredited by a recognized child care organization?
• What kind of program does the caregiver provide, and what condition is the caregiver’s home in?
• Are there other children, teens, or adults in the home besides the caregiver? If so, who are they, what are their backgrounds, and how will they be involved in the care of your child?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a family child care business have no more than six children per adult caregiver (including the caregiver’s own children), with no more than two of those children younger than 2 years old. However, be aware that state regulations often allow for more children per caregiver. Also, make sure that you have a backup plan. If your caregiver is sick or unavailable, or in case of emergencies, you’ll need a fallback option since usually only one adult is providing the care. Ask the provider if he or she belongs to a local network that can provide support if needed.

Center-Based Care

Child care centers are widely available. Some are independently owned, while others are sponsored by churches, employers, schools, or government agencies or programs, such as Head Start. Whether it’s called a child care center, preschool, nursery school, learning center, or something similar, it serves the same basic function: providing care for children at a central location.

Regardless of who sponsors it or what it is called, a child care center should be licensed and inspected on a regular basis for health, safety, cleanliness, staffing, and program content. Many states license child care centers, but these regulations set only the minimum standards for operating — and some types of child care operation may be exempt under the law. Either way, be sure that what the center offers meets not only the state’s standards but also your expectations for appropriate care for your child.

As with family-based care, written policies and safety guidelines should be available for your review.

What You Need to Consider

A good place to start your search for a quality child care option is to contact a reliable information resource, such as Child Care Aware (1-800-424-2246). This organization can provide helpful information and contacts to steer you toward locally available child care in your community.

Get a list of child care providers in your community, then call them and ask for information about who they are and what they offer. As you review those materials, write down the questions you want to ask them when you call them back.

Here are a few things you want to think about in choosing a child care provider:

• Location: Is the provider near your home or workplace? Can a parent get there quickly in case of emergency?
• Hours: When is the operation open to parents? What is their policy regarding parents who are late picking up their children?
• Licensing and accreditation: Is the facility licensed with the state, or accredited by a recognized professional child care association?
• Inspections and consultations: Does the program have a qualified health professional such as a doctor or a nurse who serves as consultant? Keep in mind that the national standard is for centerbased child care facilities to be visited by a health professional at least monthly, with all others to receive quarterly visits.
• Policies: Does the provider welcome parent visits during normal operating hours, including after enrollment? Can you inspect the areas your child will use? What is the sick child policy? Are the center’s policies available in writing, and are they consistent with your own?
• Staff: What is the caregiver’s educational and professional background? Has he or she received any outside training from qualified experts in the past year? Is CPR/First Aid training required of the staff? How many trained adults are available for the children there? Are there enough staff members per number of children, and is the staffing sufficient to cover absences?
• Availability: Does the center keep reasonable hours, given your schedule? Do you have access to the caregiver during the day or by phone on a regular basis?

Once you’ve narrowed your list down, visit the providers you’re considering and notice how they operate. Note any concerns you have about:

• How children are treated
• How clean the facilities are
• Whether the food seems to be nutritious and well prepared
• How safe the rooms are
• How much space is available for activities
• Whether the children and caregiver(s) there seem happy
• Any other such measures of quality child care
• With some very worthwhile homework, you can rest assured that you’ve made the right child care decision for your child and your family.

Posted on 12:47 PM / 0 comments / Read More