Worth Noting EPA Set to Guide Districts in Building Safer Schools The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been directed to establish guidelines for health and safety in new school construction by the middle of 2009 under a little-noted provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Consultation by the states is voluntary under the act, but states that make use of the guidelines are eligible for grants from the federal government. The EPA is mandated to consult with the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human services and other agencies in drawing up the guidelines. As required by Subtitle E, Healthy High-Performance Schools, the guidelines must take into consideration the unique vulnerabilities children have to hazardous substances and pollution, modes of transportation available to students and staff, the efficient use of energy and the ability of schools to serve as emergency shelters. President Bush signed the law in December. The law authorizes $1 million in expenditures during the current fiscal year and $1.5 million annually through 2013. Additionally the law calls for a joint EPA-Department of Energy study of how sustainable building features can affect "perceived indoor environmental quality stressors" on K-12 students. The entire bill can be found at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h6enr.txt.pdf, with the Healthy High-Performance Schools Subtitle found on pages H.R. 6 – 149-151. -------------------------------- Mumps Outbreak May Require Changes in Policy or VaccineWhen a vaccine for mumps was introduced in 1977, cases of the viral disease that caused fever and inflammation of the salivary glands dropped dramatically. Within a decade, however, the disease had returned in both vaccinated and unvaccinated young adults so a second inoculation was recommended. The disease almost disappeared and health officials hoped they could have it totally eliminated by 2010. Now history is repeating itself. Researchers reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine found a resurgence of mumps in 2006, mostly in eight contiguous Midwestern states, and mostly among college-age adults who received the second shot as school children. The vaccine is commonly administered as part of the measles-mumps-rubella combination (MMR). Three-quarters of the 6584 cases occurred between March and May, 85 patients had to be hospitalized, but no deaths were recorded. The national incidence of mumps that year was 2.2 per 100,000, with the highest incidence in people between 18 and 24 years old. Eighty-three percent of the patients were in college, and almost two-thirds had received both inoculations. "A more effective mumps vaccine or changes in vaccine policy may be needed to avert future outbreaks and achieve the elimination of mumps," the report stated. The full text of the report for subscribers is at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/358/15/1580.pdf. -------------------------------- NIH Lists Psychotherapies Known to Work With Children and Adolescents Researchers sponsored by the National Institutes of Health have listed evidence-based "well established" or "probably efficacious" treatments for mental disorders in children and adolescents. The results of the studies are published in a series of 10 articles in a special edition of The Journal Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse funded the studies. "Well established" is the most stringent criteria; "probably efficacious" means there is considerable scientific evidence to support use of the therapy. One study found two therapies that were well established for ADHD: behavioral parent training and behavioral classroom management. Researchers found five therapies that appeared "probably efficacious" for anxiety disorders: • Individual cognitive behavioral therapy • Group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) • GCBT with parents • GCBT for social phobia • Social effectiveness training for children with social phobia Treatments for other disorders investigated include autism, eating disorders, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. "Even for the most effective interventions, there is substantial individual variability in treatment response," said Benedetto Vitiello, chief of NIMH's Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventative Intervention Research Branch. The study may be found at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=g792213085~tab=toc. -------------------------------- The
following information appeared during the month of April 2008 in the
News Alerts section of the website of the Center for Health and Health
Care in Schools, at www.healthinschools.org. School Nutrition Program Reduces Incidence of Overweight in Students A school nutrition program, The School Nutrition Policy Initiative, organized by the Philadelphia-based Food Trust has reduced the incidence of overweight among students in the target schools, and was particularly effective with African American students according to a report published in the April issue of Pediatrics. The multi-component program included a school self-assessment; nutrition education for students, staff and families; nutrition policy development and related changes in food offerings at the target schools; incentives for students who purchased healthy foods and social marketing that re-enforced healthy decisions; and parent outreach to emphasize nutrition messages and promote physical activity. The authors noted that: "There is some concern that school-wide obesity prevention programs may heighten body image concerns among youth and/or create more underweight children." However, the authors continued, "Although the purpose of the intervention was the primary prevention of overweight and obesity, the emphasis was on eating well and moving more rather than weight control. This emphasis may have mitigated any potential adverse effects." See: Gary D. Foster, et al. A Policy-Based School Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity. Published on-line in PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 4 April 2008, pp. e794-e802 (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1365) pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/121/4/e794. April 10, 2008 NIH and Pediatrics Publish Supplement on the Developmental Nature of Underage Drinking The current issue of Pediatrics contains a supplement, edited and sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on current research into the developmental nature of underage drinking. Health care workers can access reviews and analysis of current research on biological, behavioral, and environmental changes during childhood and adolescence that leads to underage drinking. The institute said that looking at developmental perspectives to determine the risk of alcohol dependence is a relatively new approach and the supplement provides a first-time collection. The supplement includes researchers from a wide range of scientific disciplines, NIAAA said. The report now is posted on the journal’s website at http://xrl.us/bi76k. See also: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/underage.htm. April 18, 2008 Nurses Launch Prescription Abuse Education Video Program The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is launching a school-based prescription drug abuse education program, "Smart Moves. Smart Choices," for middle and high school students. The program is a collaborative between the NASN and PriCara division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The goal of the program is to educate teens about the serious risks of abusing prescription medicines, including painkillers. The program, called "the Medic," is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, includes video with a news-based approach. Access to the program can be found at: www.macneil-lehrer.com/thenews/themedic. April 25, 2008 FDA Issues Warning on Cough Medicine Used for Children The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about health risks from misuse of Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension, a prescription cough medicine. The medicine contains hydrocodone, a semi-synthetic opioid. The medication is approved for children older than 6 and in adults, but should not be administered more frequently than every 12 hours. The FDA says it has received reports of serious adverse effects, including death when the drug was given to children younger than 6 or adults who took more than the recommended dose. In some cases, doctors prescribed it for the younger children or told adults they could ignore the dosage warning. The FDA has ordered the label be changed to make the warning clear. http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/hydrocodone/default.htm |
