Category: Blog

Sidney Bloom, an online-magazine journalist, returns to her hometown to investigate the sudden spike in teenage pregnancies at her old high school. Almost immediately, she comes up against Lorraine Dougan (Nancy Travis), the head of the local conservative values group and mother of Sara, a newly pregnant 15-year-old. Meanwhile, the school nurse tries to convince the school to provide contraception to students to address the pregnancy epidemic but is met with great opposition from the school and community. As the number of pregnant girls climbs to 18, a media firestorm erupts when Time magazine reports that the rise in the number of pregnancies at the school is the result of a “pregnancy pact.” As the mystery unfolds about whether or not “the pact” is real, Sidney soon realizes that all of the attention is disguising the much larger issues that are at the core of the story.

 

**This information has been shared with you by Barb Flis, mother of two and creator of Parent Action for Healthy Kids.

Posted January 18th, 2010

According to a Reuters report from May 2009, a new analysis of data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth for 1992, 1997, and 2002 finds a “dramatic” drop in the percentage of US teens having sex between 1992 and 2002, concurrent with a noticeable rise in contraceptive use by those who were sexually active. But very recent increases in teen pregnancy, after more than a decade-long decline, indicate that improving teens’ reproductive health remains a challenge.

“We need to continue to focus on this issue into the future to help reduce high rates of teen childbirth in the US, especially since things are trending in the opposite direction right now,” said study author Dr. Jennifer Manlove of Washington, D.C.-based Child Trends.

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of family environment, individual characteristics, and relationship types in teen sexual behavior.

According to the researchers, the positive trends – the proportion of sexually experienced 15- to 19-year-olds dropped from 56 percent of girls and 61 percent of boys in 1992, to 47 percent of girls and 46 percent of boys in 2002 – were directly linked to increasing levels of education among parents and a decline in the percentage of teens who had been born to teen mothers.

Other positive trends the analysis showed were an increase in reported contraceptive use at first sex, up from 62 percent of girls and 65 percent of boys in 1992 to 72 percent of girls and 78 percent of boys in 2002. In addition, the data indicated an increasing age at first sex.

The study found no evidence to validate media stories of teens “hooking up” more. “Based on these data we did not see any increases in casual sex,” said Manlove.

The analysis points to what parents can do to help delay teen sex and stop teen pregnancy, the researchers said. While “the sex talk” is important, overall good parent-teen communication is essential, said Manlove. Parents should be clear about their expectations for their teens and encourage them to have goals and aspirations for the future, she said. “I think there’s a lot parents can do,” she said.

The study, “Trends in Sexual Experience, Contraceptive Use, and Teenage Childbearing: 1992-2002,” was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health (2009;44(5):413-423).

 

**This information has been shared with you by Barb Flis, mother of two and creator of Parent Action for Healthy Kids.

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An article in the December 2009 issue of the Health Education and Behavior, indicates that removing low nutrition items from schools decreased students’ consumption with no compensatory increase at home and no differences in students’ reported weight concerns.  Removing low nutrition snacks from schools is controversial. Although the objective is to decrease the consumption of these foods at school, some critics argue that children will compensate by eating more of these foods at home. Others worry that school-based obesity prevention programs will increase student preoccupation with weight. The present study examines these concerns. Three middle schools replaced snacks and beverages that did not meet nutrition guidelines, whereas three comparison schools made no systematic changes. Students were surveyed about dietary intake and weight concerns before and after implementation of the intervention. Findings indicate that removing low nutrition items from schools decreased students’ consumption with no compensatory increase at home. Furthermore, there were no differences in students’ reported weight concerns. These results support the value of strengthening school nutrition standards to improve student nutrition and provide evidence dispelling concerns that such efforts will have unintended negative consequences.

 

**This information has been shared with you by Barb Flis, mother of two and creator of Parent Action for Healthy Kids.

Posted January 12th, 2010

The website http://www.checkyourdrinking.net is a great online tool to evaluate your relationship with alcohol in a realistic and straightforward manner.  The website collects self-reported data on drinking habits and provides users with a report comparing their drinking to national averages, information on drinking risks, an estimation of their annual spending on alcohol, a calculation of how much time the user spends intoxicated each year, and safe-drinking guidelines.  By evaluating our own behaviors as parents, it may open our eyes to the example we are setting for our children. 

**This information has been shared with you by Barb Flis, mother of two and creator of Parent Action for Healthy Kids.

 

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Posted January 6th, 2010

Last month, MTV launched a new campaign called, A Thin Line (www.athinline.org) to address the emerging issues teens face now that the web and cell phones have forever changed how we interact with each other. 

If you watch MTV you may have seen the commercials promoting A Thin Line Campaign and website.  The website is a great resource for teens (and parents) to gain information on how to deal with issues they may be facing on a daily basis.  Topics such as sexting, constant messaging, spying, digital disrespect and cruelty are discussed, and solutions of how to “draw your line” are given.  There is also a Facebook fan page for A Thin Line, where they post updates and host discussions on the topic.  A recent post on the Facebook Fan Page is about John Mayer doing a “Digital Cleanse” where he abstains from reading or posting Tweets, or using Facebook, email and other social networking mediums until January 8th. If you have pre-teens, teenagers or young adults, I would encourage you to check out www.athinline.org and share it with your loved ones!

 

**This information has been shared with you by Barb Flis, mother of two and creator of Parent Action for Healthy Kids.

 

 

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In a story reported by the New York Times (5.3.2009), teens can anonymously text a sexual health question and have it answered within 24 hours.  The Durham, North Carolina-based Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (http://www.appcnc.org/BirdsNBees.html) recently launched the Birds and Bees Text Line, a cell phone line where youths ages 14-19 can anonymously text sexual health questions to 36263. Within 24 hours, one of nine APPNC staff members anonymously responds with text message answers, information, and referrals. The staffers have graduate degrees in public health, social work, or years of experience working with teens.

The service reflects a trend in reaching out to teens by using technologies with which they are most familiar. Based partly on a similar service in Alexandria, Va., the Birds and Bees Text Line is supported with a $5,000 state Department of Health and Human Services grant. In programs in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco, teens can text a number and scroll through a menu of frequently asked questions and receive automated replies and referrals. Last month, California began “HookUp 365247,” a statewide service that refers people to local clinics and offers weekly health tips.
“The technology can be used to connect young people to trusted, competent adults who have competent information,” said Sheana Bull, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Public Health and an expert on STDs and technology.
APPNC staff follow a few ground rules: No medical advice – urge clients to visit a doctor; Do not advocate abortion; When necessary, refer questioners to local clinics, Web sites or hot lines; Give reasoned, kind advice; Read answers twice before sending; and No sarcasm.
Sally Swanson, an APPNC staffer who answers text messages, never divulges her age or gender: “I’m a texter. I want them to find someone real to talk to.” Were parents to read some of the teens’ messages, she said, “it would highlight how much disconnected information kids are already getting at younger ages than we did.”

Over nearly the past 30 years, U.S. children and adolescents have dramatically increased their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), including soda, fruit drinks and punches, and sports drinks. Such consumption has been linked to less healthy diets and a number of other negative health consequences, including decreased bone density, dental decay, headaches, anxiety and loss of sleep. A new research synthesis from Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examines the evidence regarding the various health impacts of SSB consumption, presents initial conclusions based on these studies and identifies areas for further research.

Key findings from the research synthesis include:

• In 2004, adolescents consumed an average of 300 calories per day from SSBs, accounting for 13 percent of their daily caloric intake.
• SSB consumption leads to excess caloric intake and weight gain, as well as increased obesity rates among children and adolescents.
• Substituting other beverages, such as water, for SSBs could reduce over-consumption of calories and improve nutrition.

The synthesis is part of a growing body of research that examines the health impacts of sugar-sweetened beverages and the possible public health and economic benefits of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. Additional journal articles, research syntheses and policy briefs that explore the health impacts of SSB consumption, as well as the possible health and economic benefits of taxes on SSBs, are available on the Foundation’s Web site.

Posted December 17th, 2009

Sexting is the new term that has been coined over the past year and its definition is the act of sending, receiving and/or forwarding of naked pictures of oneself and/or friends or classmates via cell phone.  This is happening all over the country, putting adolescents at risk for criminal charges, humiliation and isolation from their peers. 

 Last January, three girls (ages 14 or 15) in Greensburg, Pa., were charged with disseminating child pornography for sexting their boyfriends. The boys who received the images were charged with possession. A teenager in Indiana faces felony obscenity charges for sending a picture of his genitals to female classmates. A 15-year-old girl in Ohio and a 14-year-old girl in Michigan were charged with felonies for sending along nude images of themselves to classmates. Some of these teens have pleaded guilty to lesser charges; others have not. If convicted, these young people may have to register as sex offenders, in some cases for a decade or two. Similar charges have been filed in cases in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

The website, http://www.Thatsnotcool.com is an excellent resource for parents to share with their teens regarding sexting, “textual harassment”, bullying, peer pressure, and abusive relationships and how to deal with these issues.  It has videos, “Call-Out Cards”, and a chat section where teens can share their experiences and advice on related issues.

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