Survey: Preventive health counseling for adolescents isn't what it ought to be
December 14th 2005Adolescents under-use primary care and, when they do seek care, rarely receive preventive counseling about healthy behaviors and risky behaviors. Those are two findings from the recently released National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.The two surveys examined US adolescents' use of outpatient care and their likelihood of receiving preventive counseling from their providers. Survey data were collected from 1993 through 2000.
Send a message to parents: Don't let children warm up to antifreeze
December 14th 2005We all need to stay warm at this time of year-and that includes automobiles. The cardinal rule when handling antifreeze (and windshield wiper fluid) is, of course, not to swallow it. Always remember, therefore, to tell parents to keep these two poisons out of reach of children and pets. Other cautions also apply.
Good reason to clean house? Home-based interventions reduce the toll of pediatric asthma
December 14th 2005It's time to learn your airborne allergens! Home-based environmental interventions can improve the health of inner-city children who suffer moderate or severe asthma, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health. Findings of research on a study group of children 5 to 11 years old-sponsored by NIAID and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and published in the November issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology-show that home-based environmental intervention decreases allergen levels in the home and reduce the severity of asthma symptoms. As for the cost of such a program, the data show that, first, the price tag would be substantially lower if these interventions were implemented in a community setting and, second, they are as cost-effective as many drug interventions.
Ankle sprains in young athletes Part 2: How to manage and prevent
December 1st 2005Effective rehabilitation is the key to avoiding long-term problems and recurrent injury. Here's what needs to be done in the immediate aftermath of the injury and over the weeks and months that follow to promote full recovery.
A hairy predicament: "Why is my toddler going bald?"
December 1st 2005The mother of a 3-year-old boy has brought him to the clinic for you to evaluate thinning of his scalp hair over the past month. She reports that the hair loss is occurring "all over" his scalp and that she has not noticed him scratching his scalp or pulling his hair. He was hospitalized four months ago for a rotavirus infection.