Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, September 21st, 2012

IUDs, Implants Best for Birth Control, Docs Say
New guidelines from the nation’s leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists advice that all women, including teenagers, should look to IUDs and implants first. (via Today)

More Kids Get Nonmedical Exemptions From Vaccines
In 2011, just over 2 percent of school children were exempt from getting their vaccines for nonmedical reasons, up from about 1 percent in 2006, a new report finds. (via My Health News Daily)

Race Doesn’t Affect Injury Outcomes in Kids
White, black and Hispanic children who got seriously injured were equally likely to survive their hospital stay in a new study – despite past evidence of racial disparities. (via Fox News)

Second-hand Smoke Tied to Memory Problems
Smokers and people who regularly breath others’ cigarette fumes are worse at remembering things on their to-do lists than people with no tobacco exposure, a small study says. (via Reuters)

Wal-Mart, Humana to Offer Healthy Food Discount
Health care giant Humana, Inc. is partnering with Wal-Mart to give shoppers deals on fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy and other health products starting next month. (via ABC News)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Wal-Mart Pulls Formula After Baby’s Death
Wal-Mart has pulled a batch of powdered infant formula from more than 3,000 of its stores nationwide after a Missouri newborn who was given the formula became gravely ill with a suspected bacterial infection and died after being taken off life support, the retailer said Wednesday.

Anti-AIDS Virus Drug Expanded to Include Children, Teens
Approval for the HIV drug Isentress (raltegravir) has been expanded to include children and adolescents ages 2-18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

Twins Born in Brazil with Two Heads, One Heart
Conjoined twins have been born in Brazil with two heads, two functioning brains and two backbones – but a single heart.

Study Links Winning Football and Declining Grades
A University of Oregon study says alcohol consumption and celebrating increased and studying decreased when a team fared well, resulting in lower grade-point averages.

NORAD Santa Trackers Stand By for Another Big Day
Santa already is piling up big numbers on social networking sites this season, so the volunteer Santa-trackers at NORAD are bracing for tens of thousands of calls and emails when their operations center goes live on Christmas Eve.

Daily News Roundup

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Parents: How to raise a creative genius: Exposure to creative pursuits early in life is key to helping children get motivated to do creative things themselves, said Shelley Carson, a psychologist at Harvard University and author of “Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life.” [CNN]

Recall of contaminated celery may expand: Texas health officials shut down the SanGar Produce & Processing Co. plant in San Antonio and ordered a recall of all of the produce that had passed through the plant since January. The plant is linked to contaminated celery that sickened at least six people this year, four of whom died. [MSNBC]

Teachers, students and Facebook, a toxic mix: The New York Post reported this week that three New York City teachers are accused of inappropriate “friending” — and worse. One teacher left comments like, “This is sexy,” under girls’ pictures, school officials told the paper.  Others made lewder comments, and some even used Facebook to initiate real-life relationships with students, it said. All three have been fired. [MSNBC]

A mother’s suicide, more than a father’s, predicts her offspring’s likelihood of attempting suicide: In the life of a child or adolescent, a parent’s sudden death is an event so psychologically devastating, it’s hard to imagine it could get any worse. But when that sudden death is self-inflicted, the psychological fallout definitely does mount, possibly compounded by the effects of genes and a parent’s behavior in the years leading up to his or her suicide. And when the suicidal parent was Mom, there’s an even greater likelihood a child will go on to make a similar attempt than when Dad was the one to kill himself. [Chicago Tribune]

Prosecutor proposes jail time for parents who miss teacher conferences: A county prosecutor in Michigan is proposing a law that could punish parents with jail time for repeatedly missing their children’s parent-teacher conferences. [CNN]

Is that right? Scarrots for trick-or-treaters?: As part of a multi-million-dollar “Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food” campaign, and just in time for Halloween, the carrot farmers — identified as “A Bunch of Carrot Farmers” and led by the big Michigan grower Bolthouse Farms — have packaged baby carrots in multi-bag packages that are purposely reminiscent of trick-or-treat candy packs. These “Scarrots” are available at stores such as Walmart. [Washington Post]

Study: Young people less empathetic [MSNBC]