We’re compiling a year-end naughty or nice column for 2008. Here’s what we found: Naughty?: Statins are known as a wonder drug for their ability to lower cholesterol and reduce heart attack risk. And now, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended cholesterol testing for kids as young as age 2—and tots can get these [...]
Entries from December 29th, 2008
2008 Health Flashback: Naughty and Nice News to End the Year
December 29th, 2008 by Cindy Atoji · No Comments · Tech Talk, Teen Talk
Tags: Tech Talk·Teen Health Talk
Smoking Gets the Snuff From Teens: Report
December 22nd, 2008 by Karen Feldscher · No Comments · Teen Talk
Amidst all the bad news — the failing U.S. economy, continued violence in Iraq — comes some truly positive news: teen smoking is at its lowest rate since the early 1990s. In fact, teens have been smoking less and less for 12 years now. According to an annual survey of adolescent behavior reported recently in [...]
Tags: Add new tag·smoking·Teen Health
Food For Thought During Girl Scout Cookie Time
December 19th, 2008 by Cindy Atoji · No Comments · Parent Talk, Teen Health Talk
Here’s a fun bite of trivia. It’s almost Girl Scout cookie time. And as part of my many occupational “hats,” I recently interviewed Kace Wilson, product sales manager for the Girl Scouts in eastern Massachusetts. She’s the logistical brain behind coordinating the annual cookie sale for more than 45,000 girls, directing 17,000 volunteers in 178 [...]
Tags: childhood obesity·Current Events·Parent Talk·Teen Health Talk
Sex and Tech Report: A Modern Tale?
December 17th, 2008 by Tara Cousineau, PhD · No Comments · Tech Talk, Teen Talk
There was some buzz in the past week in response to a survey report about teens using cell phones to send sexually explicit content – specifically, nude or partially nude photos of themselves. The report, sponsored by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Cosmo Girl essentially brings to light how common characteristics in [...]
Tags: adolescents·cell phones·nudity·peer pressure·sexuality·Tech Talk·Teen Talk
New Health Rx for Obesity? Take Two Books and Call Me In the Morning
December 12th, 2008 by Cindy Atoji · 1 Comment · Teen Health Talk, Teen Talk
Could reading a book be a possible treatment for childhood obesity? Duke University researchers say yes: the right kind of book can help kids lose weight. And that’s no fairy tale. The Duke researchers asked overweight girls between ages nine to 13 who were already enrolled in a comprehensive weight loss program to read a [...]
Too Much Screen Time Can Lead To Kid Brain Mush: Study
December 9th, 2008 by Karen Feldscher · No Comments · Teen Health Talk, Teen Talk
In a new wide-ranging study, researchers have confirmed that when young people spend too much time in front of screens, this can lead to a slew of negative health effects, ranging from obesity, tobacco, drug and alcohol use, low academic achievement, and early sexual behavior. This latest study was a comprehensive review of 173 existing [...]
Shape Up Somerville
December 6th, 2008 by Karen Feldscher · 1 Comment · Parent Talk, Teen Health Talk
What happens if you beef up bike paths, get rid of fried foods in school cafeterias, and offer twice-a-week salsa classes that cost just $10 for two months? People lose weight. That’s the result in Somerville, Ma., where a five-year-old program called “Shape Up Somerville,” initiated in collaboration with Tufts University, has focused on systemic [...]
Tags: exercise·fitness·food·nutrition·Teen Health
Learning From Teens: Digital Youth Project
December 2nd, 2008 by Tara Cousineau, PhD · No Comments · Tech Talk
Kids are learning new skills in online venues that they don’t get at school – and such activity is often frowned upon by established authoritative institutions. All the worry that parents and teachers have on the amount of time youth spend texting or online may be misplaced – or even create a barrier for children. Today’s [...]
Tags: digital media·Tech Talk