1 June 2020
MONDAY, June 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As if the childhood obesity epidemic isn't bad enough, new research warns that over one million more American boys and girls stand to become obese if coronavirus-related school closures continue through the end of the year.
The culprit: a steep rise in sedentary behavior following the spring shutdown of school and afterschool sports and activities across all 50 states.
"If school closures continue to the end of 2020 -- due to unsubdued community transmission of COVID-19 -- the childhood obesity rate in the U.S. might further increase by 2.4%," said study author Ruopeng An. He's an assistant professor with the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
That translates into 1.27 million new childhood obesity cases by March 2021.
In...
1 June 2020
MONDAY, June 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. children and teenagers are still downing too many "empty calories" -- primarily from sugary beverages, sweets and pizza, a new government study finds.
The study, based on a long-running federal health survey, did turn up some good news: In recent years, kids have been eating fewer empty calories, versus a decade before.
The bad news is, by 2016, those sources still accounted for more than one-quarter of kids' total calories.
The term "empty" generally refers to food and drinks that provide a lot of calories but little to no nutrition. In this study, empty calories were defined as those coming from added sugars or "solid" fats (like butter and shortening).
Sugary drinks, the study found, have consistently been a top source of U.S. kids'...
1 June 2020
MONDAY, June 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Preschoolers may spend more time on smartphones or tablets than their parents realize, and some use apps intended for teens and adults, researchers report.
A new study tracked mobile device use among 350 children aged 3 to 5 over nine months and compared their findings with parents' estimates of their use.
Preschoolers with their own smartphones or tablets averaged two hours of screen time a day. Nearly three-quarters of their parents underestimated it.
More than half of kids used devices for an hour or more, including 15% who spent at least four hours a day on mobile devices. Thirty-four percent of kids in the new study had their own digital device, according to the findings published recently in the journal Pediatrics.
Kids in the study...
31 May 2020
SUNDAY, May 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If you're off to college in the fall and have allergies or asthma, it's not too soon to figure out how you'll manage them.
"There are many arrangements to be made as you head off to college for the first time, and your allergies and asthma should not be put on the back burner," said Dr. J. Allen Meadows, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
"It's important to start managing your health issues well before you leave for school, because there are many details to nail down to ensure you stay well as you study," he said in an ACAAI news release.
Here's his advice:
Meet with your allergist before school starts. If you're going to a school far away, request a referral to an allergist close to campus. Find out...