Parenting Guild - Pediatric News Update

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"Pediatric News Updates" are reported from actual news sources, but do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Families United on the Net, www.thefunplace.com. For the well-being of all children, parents should not try to diagnose their children, but should seek the advice and care of a pediatrician or family physician.

CORRECTIVE SURGERY FOR SLEEP DISORDER LEADS TO HIGHER GRADES IN SCHOOL
Study conducted by: Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans

September 1998 - According to a recent study, sleep disorders, such as apnea (a condition in which breathing stops briefly during sleep and fatigue plagues waking hours), may be linked to low grades in poorly performing first graders. In addition, the study says surgery to remove the children's adenoids and tonsils led to better grades. In this study 300 first graders who's performance was at the bottom of their class were screened for symptoms of sleep apnea. Out of the 300 students fifty-four or 18% had apnea symptoms. Twenty-four out of these fifty-four students underwent surgery to remove their adenoids and tonsils. The result: one year later the children who had the surgery improved their school performance an average of half a letter grade while there was no difference in the grades of children with apnea who did not have the surgery. The medical conclusion: children who are underachievers in school should be medically evaluated and those diagnosed with sleep disorders may benefit from appropriate therapy.

OBESITY UNRELATED TO EARLY INTRODUCTION OF SOLID FOODS
Study conducted by: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, South Dakota Sate University, and Gerber Products Co.

September 1998 - Feeding infants solid foods sooner, as early as three months of age, will not make them fatter, as many people might have believed. Introducing infants to solid foods earlier in life simply replaced formula calories and did not alter growth or body composition. While the debate continues about the best time to introduce solid foods, the authors of this study DO NOT suggest feeding infants as early as three months of age. The medical conclusion: It is important to note that issues of development, food sensitivity, and mineral status may play a significant role in determining the optimal time to introduce solid foods to an infant's diet. NOTE: This study was supported in part by Gerber Products, Co., Inc.

FEWER CHILDREN RESTRAINED IN FATAL VEHICLE CRASHES THAN OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES REPORT
Study conducted by: University of California, Irvine, California

September 1998 - Despite previous observational research showing that a high percentage of parents buckle up their children, a national study of U.S. children who were passengers in fatal car crashes during 1994 reveals that nearly half were not restrained by a car seat or seatbelt. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatal Analysis Reporting System on 4,400 children younger than 10 years of age who were involved in a crash in which an occupant of the car died shows that only 56 percent of this group were restrained at the time of the crash. Among the findings:

Seventy-one percent of 1-year-olds were restrained, while only 47 percent of 9-year-olds were restrained.

Of children in a vehicle with only one occupant, 72 percent were restrained vs. 12 percent who were restrained in a vehicle with nine passengers.

Driver restraint use was the strongest predictor of child restraint use - a driver who drove restrained was three times more likely to restrain a child.

While the highest level of restraint use occurred between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., less than a quarter of all children who were passengers of vehicles that crashed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. were restrained.
The authors conclusion: It is crucial to increase efforts to ensure that all children are restrained at all times and under all conditions when riding in vehicles.

FAMILY IS KEY TO TREATING CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Study conducted by: A committee of pediatric obesity experts convened by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human services.

September 1998 - Parenting skills are the foundation for successful treatment of childhood obesity. Recommended treatments focuses on health eating and increased physical activity. Highlights of the recommendations include:

childhood obesity should be viewed as a chronic disease that can be treated

Physicians should be aware of the signs of rare causes of obesity, and should screen for complications of obesity such as sleep disorders, orthopedic problems, hypertension and insulin resistance

Treatment should involve all family members and caregivers.
Parenting skills needed for successful treatment of obesity include:

Using praise to foster and maintain change in the child's behavior

Using physical activity and time with parents to reward desired behavior rather than using food as a reward

Establishing daily family meal and snack time

offering only healthy options

asking children to "reward" parents for changes in the parents' behavior
The committee advocates treatment that institutes gradual, targeted and permanent changes, and recommends that families derive support from a variety of health professionals, including physicians, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, psychologists and counselors.

TOPPLED TELEVISIONS CAUSE DEATH AND INJURY TO YOUNG CHILDREN
Study conducted by: University of Alabama at Birmingham

September 1998 - Televisions placed on dressers or stands pose a threat of serious injury or death to children. Out of 73 incidents of children ages newborn to 11 injured by falling television sets reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission there were 28 cases resulting in death. The most common injury that resulted in death was an isolated blow to the head. The average age of all the victims that died was 36 months. In 76 percent of the cases the televisions were located on a dresser or stand. Researchers note: Large television sets placed on inadequate supports may present a real danger for children, especially toddlers, who could be seriously injured form this top-heavy arrangement. Conclusion: Injury prevention counseling and other strategies supporting in-home safety should include a secure and child-safe location for television sets.

BREAST MILK MAY REDUCE INCIDENCE OF INFECTIONS IN VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS
Study conducted by: Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., and Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore

September 1998 - Breast milk provided to very low birth weight, preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may decrease the chances of these infants acquiring infections by 53 percent to 57 percent in comparison to those receiving formula. The findings confirm the immunologic benefits of breastfeeding very low birth weight, preterm infants, similar findings have been previously reported among full-term infants. The immunologic components of breast milk, which are known to be higher in mothers of preterm infants than in mothers whose babies are full term, may explain these findings.