Teenage Obesity and Colorectal Cancer Risk
A study of almost 240,000 Swedish males, 16-20 years old were measured for height and weight. After 35 years of follow-up those in the upper overweight (BMI 27.5 to <30) or obese (BMI 30+) at the beginning were more than twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer as those who were normal weight. PositiveTip: Establishing habits of regular physical activity…
Read MoreTeen Age Depression–the “Other” STD
In the U.S. an estimated 20 million new infections of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) occur annually, half of which are shouldered by America's youth. The Centers for Disease Control acknowledge that abstinence is the surest way to prevent these diseases. Dr. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician, suggests teen depression is the "other" STD and urges parents to openly talk with their children about…
Read MoreE-Cig Use Triples
U.S. middle and high school students tripled their use of electronic cigarettes during 2014. The rate of use jumped from 4.5% to 13.4% while cigarettes fell to 9.2%. This increase has sparked concerns that nicotine exposure at these young ages may cause lasting harm to brain development and promote a switch to conventional cigarettes. Hookah, a…
Read MoreTeen Trends
High school students in the U.S. are making better choices in areas like smoking, alcohol use, and fighting. However, 64% of teens reported they had been texting or emailing while driving. Watching TV has dropped dramatically, also. Screen time for computer games or nonschool work more than 3 hours per day has increased by over 22%.…
Read MoreFat Teens Have Shorter Lives
Adults who were overweight or obese during their adolescence were significantly more likely to die before reaching 50 years old than their normal-weight peers. While life-expectancy gains of the last 50 years have been very encouraging, this analysis of more than 2 million Israelis from ages 17 to 50 suggests this progress may be wiped out…
Read MoreThey Go in Easier Than They Come Out!
Kids have always swallowed objects not intended for ingestion! As long as the object was small, smooth, and harmless the standard physician response has been, "This too will pass." Supermagnets have changed these rules. Neodymium magnets attract each other with formidable force. One magnet may indeed be easily passed, two or more can bind across the…
Read MoreAge of First Cigarette Alters Risk of Regular Smoking
Evidence from the U.S. Youth Behavior Risk Survey 2011 suggests strategies to delay the onset of cigarette smoking in teens is an important step in preventing progression from experimentation to regular use. The earlier a child initiates smoking, the higher risk of regular smoking (1.27 times increased risk for each earlier year) regardless of sex or ethnicity.…
Read MoreKids and Caffeine
Kids and teens are consuming about the same amount of caffeine they were a decade ago. Analysis of NHANES data from 1999-2010 reveals the sources have changed dramatically. Soda accounted for 62% of caffeine in 1999, but now only 38%. However, caffeine from coffee jumped from 10% to 24%, and energy drinks now account for 6%…
Read MoreTeen Weight Gain Raises Risk of Diabetes
Gaining weight during the teen years and early 20s has been found to be associated with an increased risk of diabetes in adulthood. This longitudinal cohort study revealed the timing of the weight gain also influenced the risk. PositiveTip: Maintain a healthy weight with healthy eating habits and daily physical activity to reduce risk of diabetes--and other diseases,…
Read MoreHearing Loss and Childhood Obesity
A carefully designed study of almost 1500 teens age 12-19 years has found childhood obesity to be a risk factor for elevated pure tone hearing thresholds, and a 1.85 increase in the odds of unilateral low-frequency hearing loss. These results add to the growing evidence that obesity impacts many health outcomes. PositiveTip: Bend every effort…
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