News & Tips Blog

Those small, round button batteries found in a wide range of electronic gadgets are sending more and more children to the emergency room.

According to a study in the June 2012 issue of “Pediatrics,” the number of emergency department visits by children under age 18 years associated with batteries doubled to roughly 66,000 during the 20-year study period. Children brought to the emergency room had placed batteries in their mouths, ears or noses, but most frequently—especially among children aged five and younger–they had swallowed them.

Swallowing button batteries is dangerous because they can easily lodge in the esophagus and can lead to severe injuries and even death in less than two hours.

Study authors urge child caretakers make sure battery compartments are taped shut.

Click here to read more.

Older adults who drank coffee — caffeinated or decaffeinated — had a lower risk of death overall than others who did not drink coffee, according a study by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and AARP.

Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer. These results from a large study of older adults were observed after adjustment for the effects of other risk factors on mortality, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

Researchers caution, however, that they can’t be sure whether these associations mean that drinking coffee actually makes people live longer.

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Load up on sun tan lotion, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day” in hopes of reminding people to protect their skin while enjoying the sun.

Here’s why. Skin cancer is on the rise in the United States; the American Cancer Society estimates that one American dies every hour from skin cancer. In 2012 alone, the American Cancer Society estimates there will be more than 76,250 new cases of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

Click here for more information on how to protect yourself and your family.

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition hopes to inspire inactive kids to get moving by offering an active video games challenge.

The President’s Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have announced a partnership to promote children’s health with their Active Play Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+) Challenge.

Using a new website launched at www.presidentschallenge.org/ActivePlayPALAChallenge, participants can log their video gaming activity for bragging rights and for motivation. The program recommends around 60 minutes of active play for youngsters per day and 30 minutes a day for adults. There is also a nutritional component to the program that can be used to help lose weight and stay healthy.

Click here for more information.

The Harvard School of Public Health has launched the Obesity Prevention Source website to provide timely information about obesity’s global causes, consequences, prevention, and control, for the public, health and public health practitioners, business and community leaders, and policymakers.

The Obesity Prevention Source, a website maintained by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, offers an in-depth resource for all who seek to understand—and reverse—the obesity epidemic. Its goal is to inform and empower the public as well as health and public health practitioners and policymakers about what can and must be done to stop and turn back obesity’s spread.

It outlines global obesity prevalence, consequences, and costs; reviews the research on key causes of the obesity epidemic; and highlights the most promising individual and environmental strategies for obesity prevention and control.

Click here for more information.

New, nationally projectable survey results released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation found that past-month marijuana use – particularly heavy use – has increased significantly among U.S. high school students since 2008.

The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, sponsored by MetLife Foundation, found that nine percent of teens (nearly 1.5 million) smoked marijuana heavily (at least 20 times) in the past month. Overall, past-month heavy marijuana use is up 80 percent among U.S. teens since 2008.

“These findings are deeply disturbing as the increases we’re seeing in heavy, regular marijuana use among high school students can spell real trouble for these teens later on,” said Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “Heavy use of marijuana – particularly beginning in adolescence – brings the risk of serious problems and our data show it is linked to involvement with alcohol and other drugs as well. Kids who begin using drugs or alcohol as teenagers are more likely to struggle with substance use disorders when compared to those who start using after the teenage years.”

Click here to read more.

Reusable grocery totes are a great idea ecologically, but only 15 percent of Americans regularly wash their bags, creating a breeding zone for harmful bacteria, according to a survey by the Home Food Safety program, a collaboration between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) and ConAgra Foods.

“Cross-contamination occurs when juices from raw meats or germs from unclean objects come in contact with cooked or ready-to-eat foods like breads or produce,” says registered dietitian and Academy spokesperson Ruth Frechman. “Unwashed grocery bags are lingering with bacteria which can easily contaminate your foods.”

“Food poisoning can easily be prevented with practical steps, such as cleaning grocery totes and separating raw meats from ready-to-eat foods when shopping, cooking, serving and storing foods,” Frechman says.

Click here to read more.

Take time to join the Orange County Public Schools system in promoting the character trait of the month—perseverance—with your children.

The definition–pursuing worthy objectives with determination and patience while exhibiting fortitude when confronted with failure.  Activity maintained in spite of difficulties.

Teaching and modeling positive character helps children learn how to handle life issues effectively and equips them with constructive life-long skills, according to OCPS officials.

Click here to learn more.

The annual Coordinated Youth Initiative (CYI) Surveys go home with report cards on April 6 and must be completed and turned in – or completed online – by April 23 if you want a chance to win one of three Kindle Fire full-color e-readers.

The Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) has offered the free school-based health and wellness programs that make up the CYI—CHILL, School-Based Health Centers, the School Nursing Initiative, Healthy School Teams, the Healthy Kids Today website and the Healthy Kids Today newsletter—since 2000, representing grant awards exceeding $12.5 million.

To make sure the services are the best they can be, the WPHF each year invites parents from all 12 schools in the Winter Park Consortium, including Winter Park High School and its elementary and middle feeder schools, to provide feedback through a survey.

If you need a paper copy of the survey, please contact your school or Lynn Carolan at the WPHF at 407-644-2300, ext. 234. If you’d like to complete the electronic version of the survey, go to www.healthykidstoday.org, and click on the survey button.

Have you and your family members taken the 3:30:3 pledge to be active 3 times a week for 30 minutes a day for the next 3 months? Hundreds of Central Floridians have, and more are signing up daily.

The pledge is part of the Healthy Central Florida (HCF) initiative, founded by Florida Hospital and the Winter Park Health Foundation, to make the local community the healthiest in the nation.

Find out more about HCF—and download a copy of the pledge card–by going to www.healthycentralflorida.org  Look for fun and healthy activities for you, your family and friends at www.findfactivefun.org  developed by HCF.

Those who take the pledge also are encouraged to post a sentence or two about what they pledge to do on the Healthy Central Florida Facebook page (Go to http://www.facebook.com/HealthyCentralFlorida.)  Pictures are welcome as well—feel free to brag about family activities!

Join us!