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Survey
Reveals Insights into Unique Relationship between Mothers and
Pediatricians
Results of a survey released
by iVillage reveal insights into how moms select and
interact with their baby's pediatrician. According to the survey, mothers today
view their pediatrician as a "parenting partner" rather than solely a
healthcare provider. This view has evolved over time with many of today's moms
looking to their pediatricians to act as "partners" and
"counselors" in caring for their children
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/cw-nsr080404.php
Gun Laws Requiring Safe
Storage Prevent Some Youth Suicides
According to a new study
conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, child access prevention laws for firearms enacted by 18 U.S. states significantly reduced suicide rates among
young people 14 to 17 years old.
http://www.jhsph.edu/Press_Room/Press_Releases/PR_2004/Webster_youthsuicide.html
Street Youth more Likely
to Die of Suicide and Drug Overdose
According to a study in the
August 4 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association,
substance use and homelessness are factors associated with death among street
youth in Montreal.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/jaaj-sym072904.php
Adolescents Hospitalized
for Psychiatric Disorders Experience more Emotional Distress in Adulthood
According to an article in
the August issue of The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a
theme issue on mental health and one of the JAMA/Archives journals
, adolescents hospitalized for psychiatric disorders are more likely to
report higher levels of emotional distress as adults, and are less likely to
graduate from high school and complete college or graduate school.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/jaaj-ahf080204.php
Family Meals appear to be
Associated with Adolescents Well-Being
A Minnesota survey suggests that eating family meals may be
associated with improved health and well-being in adolescents, according to an
article in the August issue of The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine, a theme issue on mental health and one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/jaaj-fma080204.php
Achieving 'Adulthood' is
more Elusive; Transition to Adulthood Occurring at a
Later Age
Sociologists in an article in
Contexts magazine, published by the American Sociological Association, find
that adulthood no longer begins when adolescence ends. In the bridge to
adulthood, also referred to as early adulthood, many more young people are
caught between the demands of employment (e.g., the need to learn advanced job
skills) and economic dependence on their family to support them during this
transition. While most young adults are
physically mature and possess the intellectual, social, and physiological
skills needed for adulthood, many lack the economic independence to become a
self-sufficient adult.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/asa-ai072204.php
**Civic Engagement
Children's Defense Fund Announces Emerging Leaders Fellowship Class of
2004
The
Children's Defense Fund's Early Childhood Development Division announced the
acceptance of thirty-six new fellows to its Emerging Leaders Fellowship
Project: A Policy and Advocacy Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Early
Childhood Care and Education. The Emerging Leaders Project provides child care,
early education, and school-age advocates the information, support, and
resources they need to be successful agents of change. The thirty-six fellows in the 2004 class come
from twenty-four states and join an active, ongoing network of more than 170
fellows. The fellows work with local, state, and national children's advocacy
and research organizations, statewide and local Head Start programs, child care
resource and referral networks and programs, child care centers, family child
care providers and networks, school-age programs, community-based
organizations, child care assistance and licensing programs, and state
legislatures.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040802.asp
**Education
Being Overweight when
Entering Kindergarten Linked to Behavior Problems in Girls
According to an article in
the August issue of The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine,
overweight is associated with behavior problems among girls entering
kindergarten, but not boys. According to
the article, psychological problems are among the consequences of being
overweight during childhood, and overweight children may be teased and
ridiculed, leading to low self-esteem. However, most research on overweight and
mental health has focused on adolescents and adults.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/jaaj-bow080204.php
**Health
Primary Care Doctors Who
Treat Blacks May Be Less Able to Provide High Quality Care
A study of primary care
physicians by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the
Center for Studying Health System Change finds that if you are a black Medicare
patient in the United States, you are more likely than a white Medicare patient
to be treated by a primary care physician who reports being unable to provide
consistently high-quality medical care to all patients. The also finds that black and white Medicare
patients are, to a large extent, treated by a different group of physicians who
have unequal access to necessary parts of the healthcare system.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040803.065244&time=14%2002%20PDT&year=2004&public=1
Survey Finds Majority of
African Americans Say U.S. Is Losing Ground on HIV/AIDS
According to a new national
survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, conducted this spring, a majority of
African Americans (56 percent) say the U.S. is losing ground when it comes to the problem of
HIV/AIDS - an 18 percentage point increase since October 2003. By comparison, three in 10 Latinos and 33
percent of whites say the U.S. is losing ground. Young African Americans (age 18-29)
are even more pessimistic with two-thirds (67 percent) saying the U.S. is losing ground.
Overall, the public ranks HIV/AIDS second, behind cancer, as the most
urgent health problem facing the nation, but HIV/AIDS ranks first among African
Americans and, after several years of decline.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040803.155036&time=07%2002%20PDT&year=2004&public=1
Helping HIV affected
Families to Cope Benefits their Children and Saves Taxpayers Money
UCLA AIDS Institute
scientists have found that coping programs for adolescent children of
HIV-infected parents help teens develop into productive young adults while
saving taxpayers significant expenses in government services. Published Aug. 2
in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the UCLA findings
suggest a model for assisting children of parents living with a chronic or
terminal disease.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/uoc--hhf072804.php
Study Shows Impact of
Emotionally Healthy Fathers When Mothers' Poor Mental Health Affects Children
A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study points to the important role fathers play in
their children's emotional and behavioral health. The study shows that a father in good mental
health can substantially reduce the negative influence of a mother's poor
mental health on a child's behavioral and emotional well-being. The study, published in the August issue of Archives
of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, is one of the first and largest
studies to examine the joint effects of mothers' and fathers' mental health
symptoms.
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/
HHS Awards More than $19 Million to Expand Health Center Services, Strengthen America's Health Care Safety
Net
The
Department of Health and Human Services announced more than $19 million in
grants to help 66 of the nation's health centers expand capacity to serve
270,000 more rural and inner-city Americans, including many without health
insurance. The awards support the Bush
administration's five-year initiative to expand the health center system.
Launched in 2002, the initiative will add 1,200 new and expanded health center
sites and increase the number of patients served annually from about 10.3
million in 2001 to 16 million by 2006. Since 2001, HHS' Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the Consolidated Health Center
Program, has added about 500 new or expanded sites that provide health care
services to 2.1 million additional people.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040802.html
**Hunger & Homelessness
President Announces $43
Million in Grants from Compassion Capital Fund
President Bush announced $43
Million in 145 grants to organizations that provide services and support
through soup kitchens, homeless shelters, drug treatment centers, job training
programs, and other compassionate programs. Faith-based and community-based
organizations will receive the federal funding from the Compassion Capital
Fund, which is in its third year of existence.
Intermediaries will assist grass-root, faith and community-based
organizations so they may increase their effectiveness, enhance their ability
to provide social services and create collaborations to better serve those in
need.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040803b.html
**Substance Abuse
$100 Million in Grants to
Support Substance Abuse Treatment
The Department of Health and
Human Services announced $100 million in Access to Recovery grants to provide
people seeking drug and alcohol treatment with vouchers for a range of
appropriate community-based services. By providing vouchers, the grant program
promotes client choice, expands access to a broad array of clinical treatment
and recovery support services, including services provided by faith- and
community-based programs, and increases substance abuse treatment
capacity. The grants are being awarded
to 14 states and one tribal organization. Three-year grants are being awarded
to California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New
Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the
California Rural Indian Health Board. In fiscal year 2005, the Bush
administration has proposed doubling the funding for Access to Recovery to help
even more of those seeking treatment.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040803c.html
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