Want to Learn More About Innovative Research into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?

The latest newsletter from the SAMHSA Center for Excellence in FASD includes summaries of recently published research into these disorders.  You can read these and other important news regarding the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol at 01 – 2010 Center Monthly Update

Can Teen Binge Drinking Cause Brain Damage?

This study states that teen drinking can cause brain damage. Read this article about teen binge drinking and share your thoughts.

Preschool Curriculum: What’s In It for Children & Teachers?

Early childhood is a critical time for cognitive development.  This is a period when children eagerly engage in learning language, arithmetic and want to explore their environments.  A new report from Albert Shankar Institute describes why preschool curriculum are advantageous for children and teachers.  Click Early Childhood 12-11-08 to read the report.

Shaping the Future of Maternal & Child Health

The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is pleased to announce that Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be speaking at AMCHP 2010! Be sure to join us and hear the latest from Secretary Sebelius on national policies and programs related to maternal and child health, health reform, and other HHS priorities.

A workshop will feature the March of Dimes Review of Social Media.  Are You Part of the Conversation? will demonstrate the value of listening to and engaging our constituents as they prepare for pregnancy, complain about pregnancy woes, or face complications and sometimes tragedy, as well as revel in the joy of their newborns.

 The conference is scheduled for March 6-10, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, National Harbor, MD.
Learn more about this conference and register on-line.

The Next Frontier of the ADA: Fitness Facilities

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 remains the most compelling and influential law supporting the rights of people with disabilities. Twenty years later, however, plenty of work remains in getting the fitness industry to reach a similar standard of accessibility as office buildings and public facilities.

You can read more about efforts to make fitness centers more accessible to people with disabilities in the January 2010 newsletter of the National Center of Physical Activity and Disability.

Alcohol a Problem? Online Help!

Do you or anyone you know have a drinking problem? 

 An evaluation of the online screening tool CheckYourDrinking.net found that problem drinkers reduced their alcohol consumption by 30 percent at three and six month followups.  Have a problem or not, find out now.

The State of the State of the Health of our Children

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau is pleased to announce that the The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007 is now available.  The chartbook provides both national and state-level data on U.S. children based on the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health.  

Among the findings which can be found in this report  and at www.childhealthdata.org are:  
·         In 2007, 88.5 percent of children reported receiving a preventive health care visit, up from 77 percent in 2003.  Among children who had no health insurance, however, the rate was far lower: only 72.6 percent of children who were uninsured at the time of the survey had a preventive health care visit.
·         More than 15 percent of U.S. children had no health insurance for all or part of 2007.  
·         Nearly one-third of U.S. children, ages 10 to 17, were overweight or obese. Most significantly, the incidence of obesity continued to rise from 14.8% of U.S. children in 2003 to 16.4% by 2007.

And much, much more.

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