There are likely to be plenty of ghosts and ghouls about this Halloween, but one thing that may have parents spooked this time of year is candy and dental health. Roughly 30 percent of 5-year-olds in Plymouth, England, were found to have some form of tooth decay, according to a newly released review.

The review examined the 2007-2008 dental records of U.K. children, 211 of whom were Plymouth five-year-olds. This number was just under the national average of 30.9 percent, but other regions were significantly worse.

The United States had similar rates. Almost half of children ages 12 to 15 and about one in four American children aged 2 to 5 is affected by tooth decay. Overall, it affects 4 million children in the U.S. alone. Americans consumed an average of 23.8 pounds of candy each in 2008, and with the holiday season approaching, parents should be on the watch for cavities.

As Halloween approaches, candy consumption is likely to skyrocket, but there are plenty of ways to protect trick-or-treaters from tooth decay. Try these five tips to help reduce the amount of sugar:

1. Choose reduced-sugar or sugar-free candies. Most stores carry equally tasty sugar-free or reduced-sugar versions of Halloween favorites, including chocolate, peanut butter cups and various filled or hard candies. These options won’t completely eliminate the risk of tooth decay, but they can significantly cut sugar intake.

2. Give out unconventional goodies. When it comes to candy, sugar-free gum is your safest bet. Candies that can melt and/or stick to teeth are the worst. Other ideas might include stickers, press-on tattoos, plastic rings, or other small toys.

3. Go to a Halloween program or event. Choosing alternatives to trick-or-treating significantly cuts the candy haul. These events are a great place for adults and children to socialize while enjoying snacks and fun activities.

4. Set a limit. Put a limit on the amount of candy a child is allowed daily. This helps prevent candy binges while reducing sugar consumption. Candy can also be used as a reward for good behavior.

5. Donate excess candy. Many communities have programs that will send it to troops or donate $1 for every pound of candy donated. Candy can also be donated to fire stations, schools (for rewards), or other offices in the community.

Regularly brushing teeth and reducing sugar intake can help prevent cavities. Consuming fewer sweets can also help decrease children’s risk for obesity and diabetes. Dentists and parents alike recommend that candy be consumed in moderation.

Parents often give their infants acetaminophen (Tylenol) after immunizations and booster shots. As it turns out, this may do more harm than good. The medication may actually weaken infants’ immune systems, according to research from the Czech Republic.

Acetaminophen is sometimes given to infants and small children following shots to prevent fever, a common reaction to vaccinations. This study examined the effects of acetaminophen on immune response after initial and booster vaccinations.

Two hundred twenty-six children from 10 different medical centers were randomly selected to receive three doses every six to eight hours for 24 hours after immunizations. Just 42 percent of these children experienced fevers (100.4 degrees F or above), compared to 66 percent of a control group of 233.

When it was time for booster shots, parents were asked to repeat the process. There was a lower incidence of fever in both groups—36 percent for those who took acetaminophen and 58 percent for those who did not.

Children who received acetaminophen , however, had fewer antibodies, indicating more susceptibility to disease. In the studied children, pneumonia, hepatitis B, whooping cough, polio, diphtheria and tetanus antibodies were fewer following vaccinations and boosters with acetaminophen use.

Antibodies are proteins in the immune system (immunoglobulins) that bind to harmful pathogens (viruses) to keep them away from healthy white blood cells. Without these antibodies, the body’s immune system is more susceptible to disease.

When vaccines fail to protect against diseases, the health of the entire community is at stake because viruses are more easily spread.

“This point has implications, especially for Haemophilus influenzae, for which higher and sustained antibody concentrations are needed (to reduce transmission),” says Dr. Robert T Chen of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, “…and for pertussis, the bacterial vaccine-preventable disease that is least controlled.”

Although they’re not entirely sure why children taking acetaminophen had fewer antibodies, doctors plan to explore the issue further. They stress the importance of this information, and advise against unnecessary acetaminophen use.

“(A)dministration of antipyretic drugs at the time of vaccination should nevertheless no longer be routinely recommended without careful weighing of the expected benefits and risks,” wrote lead author Dr. Roman Pryula of the University of Defense in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

The study appears in this month’s online issue of The Lancet.

Prescription drug sharing among teens is becoming a great concern in the United States, where 1 in 3 self-reportedly loan or borrow medication.
According to a survey funded by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), 20.6% of teens reported loaning drugs, most commonly pain relievers and allergy medications, and 19.4% reported borrowing them. Girls were almost twice as likely to give away prescription medications than boys (27.5% of girls, compared to 17.4% for boys).

Information for the study was gathered in malls, parks and public streets, in eleven urban and suburban locations in the United States. Researchers obtained data from 594 teens—289 male and 305 female—ages 12-17.

“Prior to our study, no one had asked adolescents how often they shared prescription medications,” said lead author Richard Goldworthy, Ph.D., director for research and development at Academic Edge, Inc.

Researchers first asked participants whether or not they had ever loaned or borrowed prescription medications. Those who responded positively were then asked what type(s) of drugs were borrowed, whether they gave or received written or verbal instructions, and whether or not they had shared to avoid a doctor’s visit—74% of borrowers said yes.

Of the 86 teens trying to steer clear of the doctor’s office, 32.4% ended up going anyway when the problem persisted. Herein lies the danger: 43 of them reported experiencing an allergic reaction or other side effect, but less than half of borrowers (about 40%) reported telling their doctors they had used the medication.

Drug sharing has a number of negative consequences. Conditions often worsen when not taken care of in a timely manner, and using medications improperly only increases the danger. Sharing antibiotics, for example, unnecessarily increases bacterial resistance to treatment.

“Other researchers have studied people selling prescription drugs,” said co-author Chris Mayhorn, an associate professor in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Psychology Program at North Carolina State University. “ but we looked at people with good intentions, trying, for instance, to help a friend who lacked money or transportation.”

Taking a friend’s acne medication may seem innocent to a teen, however, drugs such as Accutane increase risk of depression and can cause serious birth defects in he event of an unplanned pregnancy.

The study has provided a greater incentive to boost educational programs, pushing efforts to reduce the growing drug sharing problem by training both patients and providers about proper drug use.

Melissa Haddow, executive director of the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, says, "This work highlights the diversity of medications being abused this way, which had not been recognized (before)."

More about child health.

It’s not always easy to find time to eat together, but a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health found that frequent family meals improve the eating habits and attitudes of middle school-aged children. Students who dined with their families six or seven times a week consumed fewer soft drinks, ate breakfast more often, ate more healthfully, and exhibited less concern about undue weight gain.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada surveyed more than 3,000 Canadian sixth, seventh, and eighth graders during the 2004-2005 school year. The students completed the web-based Food Behaviour Questionnaire, which included questions about dining frequency, 24-hour food intake, and family meals.

The results showed that family meals became less common as children grew older, and families in rural areas were more likely to eat together than families in urban locales. Children who frequently dined with their families had significantly higher-quality diets than children who rarely ate with their parents and siblings. Diet quality declined when meals were purchased outside of the home or when meals were skipped.

The study also showed that most of the students surveyed had suboptimal diets. The researchers encourage dining as a family to promote healthful eating habits.

Share your healthy family dining tips on the Healia Diet and Nutrition Community and Support Group. Try testing your nutrition knowledge by taking the Healia Diet and Nutrition Quiz. Need more information on healthy eating? Visit the Diet and Nutrition Health Guide.

_{Photo: S Baker, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Researchers report that adding one half cup of bleach to children’s bathwater can help ease skin irritations associated with atopic eczema. A University of Colorado study published in the current issue of Pediatrics found that bleach dilute baths drastically decreased prevalence of bacterial infections associated with the skin disease in patients from 6 to 17 years of age. The study showed that suppressing the growth of the bacterium responsible for the skin irritations helped reduce problems associated with eczema.

Atopic eczema is an allergic skin disease characterized by red, swollen, itchy skin accompanied by flaking, cracking, crusting and blistering. Children often respond by scratching skin raw, until bleeding or oozing occurs. This causes significant discomfort and is often embarrassing to the affected parties.

Conventional eczema treatments include oral antibiotics, which work against bacteria, and topical anti-itch creams, which sooth the skin and combat itchiness. But bacteria often become resistant to these medications, making future treatment even more difficult. Bleach baths might offer more permanent relief.

If you have other tips for relieving eczema symptoms, share them on the Healia Dermatitis Online Health Community and Support Group.

This Easter weekend, health officials are reminding parents not to let young children handle baby chicks and ducklings due to the risk of Salmonella infection. At Easter time, baby chicks, ducklings and other animals, are commonly given as gifts or put on Easter displays. In some areas, there has been a surge of interest in baby chicks as people are increasingly raising them for fresh eggs. Every year, a number of children will become infected with Salmonella after handling baby chicks or ducklings at Easter.

Many parents may not realize that these baby birds often harbor and shed Salmonella bacteria even if they appear clean and healthy. Bacteria from the animal’s intestines can easily contaminate their feathers and the immediate environment. Therefore, children may be exposed to Salmonella by simply handling the birds.

Young children are at higher risk of getting Salmonella infections from animals because they have frequent hand-to-mouth behaviors. In addition, young children, along with the elderly and immune-compromised people, are more likely to develop serious complications from Salmonella infections.

Salmonellosis typically starts with nausea and vomiting within 12 to 72 hours after exposure, and may progress to abdominal pains, diarrhea, fever, chills, or muscle aches. Most people recover without receiving any medical treatment, but severe dehydration may occur and the infection can spread to other organs outside the intestines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), salmonellosis causes about 1.4 million cases of foodborne illness and more than 500 deaths each year in the United States. The CDC has issued the following 5 recommendations to parents about preventing Salmonella infections from baby chicks and ducklings:

• Do not purchase live animals as Easter gifts. Give toy stuffed animals instead.

• Do not let children under 5 years of age handle baby chicks or other young birds. Keep them from coming into contact with packages in which chicks or ducklings arrive.

• If anyone touches the chicks or ducklings or their environment, make sure that they wash their hands immediately afterwards. Pacifiers, toys, bottles or other objects should not touch the baby birds or their enclosures. If these objects do become contaminated, wash them with warm soapy water.

• Do not allow anyone to eat or drink while interacting with birds or their environment. Keep the bird area separate from areas where food and drink are prepared or consumed. Do not allow chicks or ducklings on table surfaces or places where food will be prepared or eaten.

• Talk to your veterinarian, nurse or doctor about possible risk factors.

Salmonella has been a hot topic in the news and parents may be starting to suffer from “Salmonella fatigue” but it’s important to keep their children free from Salmonella this Easter holiday. For more information about Salmonella, read the Healia health guide on Salmonella, or send a question to Healia’s online support group for Salmonella.


_{Photo: Samdogs, Flickr, Creative Commons}

While obesity prevention has long been the focus of figure-conscious adults, a new Harvard Medical School study suggests that parents should also monitor the weight of their infant children. The study, released Monday and published in the April issue of Pediatrics, found that rapid weight gain during the first six months of life may put children at risk for obesity by the age of three.

"At first it may seem implausible that weight gain over just a few months early in infancy could have long-term health consequences, but it makes sense because so much of human development takes place during that period - and even before birth," says Matthew Gillman, M.D., S.M., the study’s senior author, and director of the Harvard Medical School Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention’s Obesity Prevention Program.

Researchers documented the weights of 559 infants at birth, at six months and at three years of age. They then studied the correlation between the children’s initial weight gains during the first six months of life and the children’s weights at age three. The study showed that the children heaviest at birth and those who gained the most weight by six months together were 40 percent more likely to be obese by their third year.

"There is increasing evidence that rapid changes in weight during infancy increase children's risk of later obesity," says the study’s lead author, Elsie Taveras, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Harvard Medical School Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention and co-director of the One Step Ahead clinic, a pediatric overweight prevention program at Children's Hospital Boston. "The mounting evidence suggests that infancy may be a critical period during which to prevent childhood obesity and its related consequences.”

According to a study released in the April 2007 issue of Acta Paediactrica, roughly 20 percent of four year-olds were considered overweight or obese in 2002, compared to just 10 percent in 1982. With such a startling rise in childhood obesity, proper nutrition must be emphasized at an increasingly younger age.

“[The Harvard Medical School study] data clearly shows how the earliest interventions might actually have very long-term benefits," Taveras says.

To learn more about infant and toddler health, join Healia’s Infant and Toddler Health Community Support Group. For more information about obesity, visit the Healia Obesity/Overweight Health Guide.


Sources: HarvardScience Medicine&Health, “Infant weight gain linked to childhood obesity: Early interventions may have long-term benefits.” Web release, 3/30/2009. By: David Cameron, Harvard Medical School. (http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/medicine-health/articles/infant-weight-gain-linked-childhood-obesity)

    “Weight Status in the First 6 Months of Life and Obesity at 3 Years of Age.” Elsie M. Taveras, Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman, Mandy B. Belfort, Ken P. Kleinman, Emily Oken, and Matthew W. Gillman. Pediatrics 2009; 123: 1177-1183.  (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/current.shtml)



_{Photo: iwantBDphotography, Flickr, Creative Commons}

While the percentage of babies born prematurely has risen by one-third since the 1980s, the rate dropped by 1 percent in 2007 compared to the previous year to a rate of 12.7 percent. Premature or preterm babies are defined as those born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Babies born between the 37th and 40th week are considered full-term. This data comes from a recent national vital statistics report from the National Center for Health Statistics, a part of the CDC, called Births: Preliminary data for 2007. The report contains data on all births in the U.S. during 2007, including information on the rates of premature in each state. Several states still have relatively high rate of premature births and the top 10 are listed below, with the percentage of all live births that were premature appearing in parentheses.

The top 10 states with the highest rates of preterm births are:

Mississippi (18.3%)
Alabama (16.6%)
Louisiana (16.5%)
South Carolina (15.5%)
Kentucky (15.2%)
Delaware (14.3%)
Nevada (14.3%)
Tennessee (14.2%)
Arkansas (13.9%)
West Virginia (13.9%)


For more information about birth, join the Healia Online Community for Pregnancy or the Healia Online Support Group for Childbirth. Find out more about pregnancy by reading the Healia Health Guide to Pregnancy.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National vital statistics reports, Births: Preliminary data for 2007, Web release 03/09; vol 57 no 12. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf

_{Photo: César Rincón, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Researchers in the UK report finding that young children who watch more than two hours of television a day nearly double their risk of developing asthma by the time they are teenagers. According to scientists, time spent watching TV may be a proxy measure of a sedentary lifestyle, which may be the root cause of the increase in asthma risk.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, tracked the health of over 3,000 children in the UK from birth to age 11½. As part of the study, parents were asked to report on the time their kids spent watching TV starting from age 3½. The parents were also asked about symptoms of wheezing among their children and whether their child had been diagnosed with asthma. None of the children involved in the study had symptoms of asthma as infants and toddlers.

By the time the children had reached almost twelve years of age, 6% had developed asthma. The children whose parents reported that they watched TV for more than two hours a day were nearly twice as likely to have been diagnosed with asthma as those who watched less TV.

Among the children diagnosed with asthma, 2% did not watch TV, 20% watched TV for less than one hour a day, 24% watched 1-2 hours of TV a day, and 44 % watched more than two hours of TV daily.

The researchers believe that inactivity is the cause of the increase in asthma risk instead of TV watching per se. Kids who watch more TV tend to have a more sedentary lifestyle and get less overall physical activity. Other studies have found a relationship between asthma risk, lack of activity, and being overweight. It may be that physical activity, which requires deeper breathing, somehow stretches and conditions the lungs, protecting the airways. Scientists have found some evidence that breathing patterns may affect the responsiveness of smooth muscles in the lung airways, muscles that become hyper-responsive in those with asthma. Perhaps failure to stretch these muscles in childhood can increase the likelihood that these muscles will become hyper-responsive.

The study authors note that it is unlikely that the children who developed asthma simply watched more TV because they had breathing problems and could not perform physical activity, because none of the children involved in the study had any asthma symptoms at the study’s outset. Also, there was little difference in the exercise levels of those with asthma and those without at age 11½.

For more information on asthma prevention, read "How Can I Prevent Asthma?" in the Healia Health Guide to asthma. Share your own experiences with asthma at the Healia Health Community for Asthma.

_{Photo: Axel Buhrmann, Flickr, Creative Commons}

More than 50 new Healia Health Information Guides have just been launched. The Health Guides are original, consumer-friendly health information guides that provide trusted information about common health topics. Each Health Guide, written by a medical writer and reviewed by a physician, provides essential information about symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and risk factors and prevention.

Available Health Information Guides include the following topics:

• Acid Reflux
• Alcoholism
• Allergies
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Anemia
• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autoimmune Diseases
• Back Pain
• Breast Cancer
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Celiac Disease
• Chickenpox
• Childhood Vaccines
• Chlamydia
• Dementia
• Depression
• Ear Infection
• Excessive Sleepiness
• Fibromyalgia
• Genital Herpes
• Genital Warts
• Graves' Disease
• Heart Disease
• Heart Palpitations
• Hepatitis B
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Lupus
• Lyme Disease
• Menopause
• Menstruation
• Migraine
• Mono
• Obesity / Overweight
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Pink Eye
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Pregnancy
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Ringworm
• Salmonella
• Sinusitis
• Stress Management
• Tuberculosis
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Uncontrolled Asthma
• Vaccines
• Weight Management