Length of Children's Sleep Duration
Varies; Can Influence Their Weight, Behavior
Children who don't get enough nightly sleep are more
likely to be overweight and have behavioral problems, according to a study
published in the January 1 issue of the journal SLEEP. Children who slept
less than nine hours were more likely to be overweight or obese and to have
a 3.34 percent increase in body fat than those who slept for more than nine
hours. Short sleep duration was associated with a three-fold increased risk
of the child being overweight or obese. Attention to sleep in childhood may
be an important strategy to reduce the obesity epidemic."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/study-length-of.php
Healthy Steps for Young Children Program
in Pediatric Residency Training
Healthy Steps for Young Children---a program designed
to foster closer relationships between health care professionals and parents
in addressing the physical, emotional, and intellectual development of young
children---significantly improves continuity of care practices among pediatricians
in training, say researchers at the University of
Illinois at Chicago.
Healthy Steps, a national initiative launched with support from The Commonwealth
Fund and others, seeks to improve the quality of preventive health care for
infants and toddlers. Incorporating Healthy Steps into practices has been
shown in several previous studies to have positive effects for children and
families.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/healthy-steps-f-1.php
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Public Policy Fails to Address the
Effects of Media Violence on Children
A recent article in Social Issues and Policy Review
summarizes the research on the effects of media violence and convincingly
demonstrates the profound influence that media violence is having in our society.
Despite the abundant research documenting the harmful effects of media violence,
few people seem to get the message. For example, over half of American parents
believe that violence makes children more aggressive, yet only a small percentage
establish rules regarding content for their households.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/public-policy-f.php
New Future for SEE JANE Children's
Media Program as Independent Non-Profit Organization
In order to have more direct influence in Hollywood, See
Jane will now be part of Community Partners, the Los Angeles incubator
for growing nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs with innovative
ideas for building communities. See Jane works with the entertainment industry
to dramatically increase the percentage of female characters and reduce gender
stereotyping in media for children 11 and under. Geena Davis conceived of See Jane in 2003 as an initiative
that would address the huge imbalance between male and female characters as
well as the prevalence of gender stereotypes in gender media.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/new-future-for.php
**Civic Engagement
Kauffman Foundation Announces 2008
Entrepreneurship Dissertation Fellowships
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced today
the 2008 recipients of the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship awards. Sixteen
fellowships in the amount of $20,000 each will be awarded to current Ph.D.
students who are engaged in the study of entrepreneurship at U.S.
universities. "The purpose of the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship Program
is to recognize excellence among a select group of the nation's future entrepreneurship
scholars." The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is
a private, nonpartisan foundation that works with partners to advance entrepreneurship
in America
and improve the education of children and youth.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/kauffman-founda.php
**Community Development
Final Report from the National
Community
Building Network
Building
a Community of Community Builders
--After many accomplishments through the support of our members and supporters,
the NCBN Board has decided to cease operation as an organization effective
at the end of 2007. For twelve years NCBN provided the framework for a diverse
group of community builders across the country to improve conditions in low-income
communities, a venue for them to share their strategies and lessons, and a
platform for collective action. Along the way, NCBN leaders and members learned
a lot about the challenges and potential of community-building efforts. It
was no longer clear that a national organization like NCBN was the best vehicle
for serving today's community builders.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/final-report-fr.php
Federal Housing Subsidies: To Rent
or To Own?
According to the Urban
Institute, a family's
housing can take one of two forms: renting and homeownership. Although both
provide shelter, they differ significantly in their implications for asset
accumulation. Direct outlays made up 87.1 percent of federal rental-assistance
spending in 2006, while tax breaks provided over 98 percent of federal homeownership
subsidies. This breakdown reveals that the federal government places a priority
on homeownership as opposed to rental housing; however, the distribution of
homeownership tax breaks suggests that they provide little benefit to low-income
families.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/federal-housing.php
Analysis of HUD Funding Bill for 2008
Just before Christmas 2007 Congress approved an omnibus
funding bill for FY 2008 that included funding for HUD affordable housing
and community development programs. In a preliminary assessment of the HUD
provisions by the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities
funding reductions were made in the two largest housing block grant programs,
HOME and the Community Development Block Grant program, and in the HOPE VI
program, in comparison to the original conference bill. Generally, this policy
appears to reflect an underlying judgment that it is better to reduce large,
unusable voucher funding reserve balances than to enable agencies to maintain
these balances for possible use in future years.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/cbpp-analysis-o.php
**Economic Security
Advisory Committee on Student Financial
Assistance; Community College Symposium
According to the Center for Law and Social Policy, community colleges play a critical
role in increasing economic opportunity for adults by helping individuals
move out of dead-end, low-wage jobs into careers that can support a family.
In a statement prepared for a symposium on issues effecting community colleges
hosted by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Senior Policy
Analyst Amy-Ellen Duke focuses on two areas integral to the success of low-income
adults at community colleges.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/statement-prepa.php
Pennsylvania Project Wins National 'Economic Development Deal of the Year' Award
A vital job creation and retention project in southwestern
Pennsylvania
won the Economic Development Deal of the Year award from a national business
magazine for business site selection executives, the Department of Community
and Economic Development said today. The Westinghouse Electric Company project
in Butler County won the
Gold medal in Business Facilities magazine's EDDY awards for 2007. The Gold
medal EDDY award comes on the heels of Pennsylvania's
fourth-place ranking in "insourcing" --
the number of jobs created in-state by companies based abroad -- by the Organization
for International Investment, an association of U.S.
subsidiaries of foreign-based companies.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/pennsylvania-pr.php
The Impact of Late-Career Health and
Employment Shocks on Social Security and Other Wealth
According to the Urban
Institute about
one-quarter of workers age 51 to 55 in 1992 developed health-related work
limitations and about one-fifth were laid off from their jobs before age 62.
Although late-career health and employment shocks often derail retirement
savings plans, Social Security's disability insurance, spouse and survivor
benefits, and progressive benefit formula provide important protections.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/the-impact-of-l.php
**Education
Instructional Leadership, Teaching
Quality, and Student Achievement
Does providing instruction-related professional development
to school principals set in motion a chain of events that can improve teaching
and learning in their schools? The Instructional Leadership Study conducted
by MDRC provides suggestive although not definitive evidence that it does.
The study examines a theory of school change articulated by the Institute
for Learning at the University of
Pittsburgh. The
IFL provides technical assistance to school districts, primarily through strategic
planning, coaching, and professional development for district and school administrators;
it has also enunciated a set of “Principles of Learning” about the ideas and
practices that promote students’ academic achievement.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/instructional-l.php
College Navigator Named One of Top
28 Web Sites by Money Magazine
College Navigator, the US Department of Education’s
Web site for information for students and families about colleges, has been
named by Money magazine as "the best first screen" for researching
colleges. In addition, Money points out that the Navigator, unlike many other
college search tools, is not tied to a marketing department seeking students'
personal information. The magazine also credits the site for being "one
of the simplest to use," for having "a good comparison tool,"
and for providing "a full set of the latest data on expenses, aid, enrollment,
admission and graduation rates, majors, along with a Google map pinpointing
location."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/college-navigat.php
Evolution Education is a 'Must' Says
Coalition of Scientific and Teaching Organizations
A coalition of 17 organizations, including the National
Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Physics, and the National Science
Teachers Association, is calling on the scientific community to become more
involved in the promotion of science education, including evolution. According
to an article appearing in the January 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal, the
introduction of "non-science," such as creationism and intelligent
design, into science education will undermine the fundamentals of science
education. In an age when people have benefited so greatly from science and
reason, it is ironic that some still reject the tools that have afforded them
the privilege to reject them," says Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/evolution-educa.php
**Health
Census Data on Growing Number of Uninsured
Make Clear: National Health Care Strategy Is Needed
According to The Commonwealth Fund, the Census Bureau released the latest
data on the number of Americans without health insurance: in 2006, the number
of uninsured rose to 47 million, from 44.8 million in 2005. If not for coverage
through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP),
even more children would be without coverage. In 2006, an additional 1.3
million working adults were uninsured, of which 1.2 million worked full time.
Both younger adults ages 25 to 34 and older adults ages
45 to 64 experienced major increases in the number of uninsured, a sign of
the difficulty of obtaining health coverage in entry-level jobs and of staying
covered as older adults experience serious health problems. Those particularly
affected by the loss of coverage have incomes between $25,000 and $75,000.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/census-data-on.php
Who Has Insurance and Who Does Not
in the District of Columbia?
DC fares better than the nation as a whole in the share
of its population that is uninsured. Lower rates of employer-sponsored coverage
are more than offset by higher rates of public coverage. The District's relatively
generous Medicaid eligibility standards, and the DC HealthCare Alliance, a
locally funded coverage program, contribute to the high share of publicly
insured residents. These are among the findings of this data brief from the
Urban
Institute on insurance
status in DC by age, employment, income, family status, and health status.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/who-has-insuran.php
Health of Previously Uninsured Adults
after Acquiring Medicare Coverage
Health care coverage leads to dramatic improvement in
health trends for previously uninsured older individuals, particularly those
with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported
study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The article
presents the strongest evidence to date that health improves significantly
when people gain health insurance. For example, for every 100 uninsured adults
with heart disease or diabetes before age 65, the researchers found that with
Medicare coverage they had 10 fewer major cardiac complications, such as heart
attack or heart failure, than would be expected by age 72.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/health-of-previ.php
A Toll of Poverty and Neglect in Kentucky's Teeth
Dr. Smith, who runs a free dental clinic at a high school
in one of Kentucky’s
poorest counties, has a rare window on a state with the highest proportion
of adults under 65 without teeth, where about half the population does not
have dental insurance. He struggles to counter the effects of the drastic
shortage of dentists in rural areas and oral hygiene habits that have been
slow to change. While Kentucky
may have some of the worse oral health problems in the nation, it is by no
means alone. Residents in neighboring states across the region suffer similar
dental problems for many of the same reasons --- inadequate access to dental
care or the inability to pay for a dentist, widespread use of chewing tobacco
and a pervasive assumption that losing teeth is simply part of growing old.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/12/a-toll-of-pover.php
Mom's Obesity during Conception Phase
May Set the Stage for Offspring's Obesity Risk
The number of overweight and obese Americans continues
to grow rapidly. Research studies have found that pregnant women who are
overweight/obese are more likely to give birth to
heavier babies, and the risk of overweight children becoming obese adults
is nearly nine times greater than for children who are not overweight. Inheritance
studies show that a child's body mass index (BMI) correlates more closely
with the mother's BMI than with it's father's, suggesting that an interaction
of both genetic and intrauterine influences, may contribute to later-life
obesity risk in the offspring.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/moms-obesity-du.php
Blacks, Hispanics Less Likely to Get
Strong Pain Drugs in Emergency Rooms
Despite increases in the overall use of opioid drugs to relieve severe pain, black and Hispanic patients
remain significantly less likely than whites to receive these pain-relievers
in emergency rooms, according to a new national study. "Studies in the
1990s showed a disturbing racial or ethnic disparity in the use of these potent
pain relievers, but we had hoped that the recent national efforts at improving
pain management in emergency departments would shrink this disparity,"
said Mark Pletcher, MD, a UCSF assistant professor
of epidemiology and biostatistics and lead author of the study. Blacks were
prescribed opioids at lower rates than other groups
for almost every type of pain-related emergency department visit, including
back pain, headache, and abdominal pain.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/blacks-hispanic.php
**Seniors
Tips to Prevent Adverse Drug Events
in Older Adults
Adverse drug events are more common in older adults
because they are prescribed more drugs and are affected differently by these
drugs than their younger counterparts. A review article written by Tufts
University School of Medicine clinicians, published in American Family Physician,
summarizes steps that physicians and other healthcare providers can take to
avoid overuse, misuse, and underuse of medication in older adults. "About one in
three older persons taking at least five medications will experience an adverse
drug event each year, and about two-thirds of these patients will require
medical attention.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/tips-to-prevent.php
**Substance Abuse
Smoking Rate among New York City Teens Was Lowest on Record in 2007
The New York Health Commission and Consumer Affairs
Commission released new data from the 2007 New York City Youth Risk Behavior
Survey showing that cigarette smoking among New York City
teens declined by 20 percent between 2005 and 2007. The reduction in teen
smoking we've achieved in New York City
will eventually prevent at least 8,000 premature deaths. The city’s Youth
Tobacco Enforcement and Prevention Program has conducted
more undercover inspections than ever. n FY07, 89 percent of businesses were in compliance for not
selling cigarettes to teens, while in November alone, 93 percent of businesses
--- an all-time record high --- stopped selling cigarettes to kids after being
issued a violation.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/smoking-rate-am.php
Children Are Introduced to Sipping
and Tasting Alcohol in the Home
Very little is known about alcohol use by children.
Sipping and tasting reflect exposure to parental alcohol use in the home and
do not reflect a proneness to engage in delinquent behavior or other problem
behaviors. "Almost all of the limited scientific literature on alcohol
use in children has focused on drinking, not sipping or tasting alcohol,"
said John E. Donovan, an associate professor of psychiatry and epidemiology
at the University of
Pittsburgh.
"Local community studies seem to show that drinking by children -- not
sipping -- correlates with higher levels of disinhibition, more positive alcohol expectancies, more peer
alcohol use, and lower school grades, just as it does in adolescence."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/children-are-in.php
