Influenza Immunization Recommendations

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has released its recommendations for the prevention and control of influenza with vaccines.  Get the latest word on vaccinations here at MMWR-Immunization-Recommendations.

Is There a Link between Vitamins and Kids’ Bad Behavior?

A bad diet may lead to bad health for many inner-city kids. And it may also lead to bad behavior.

That’s the conclusion of some public health experts who are advocating for vitamins and other nutritional supplements to curb youth violence and to increase learning. The controversial idea is getting a fresh hearing in Baltimore, where advocates for the disadvantaged are considering testing it on city kids.

If it’s proven that a tablet a day can tick up test scores and dial down violence, it could be a cheaper and easier means of improving a lot of young lives than costly and labor-intensive treatments, according to the Abell Foundation, which wants to determine whether a Baltimore study would be worthwhile.

You can read the full report here at Vitamins and Violence

Visit CDC’s New Disability and Health Website

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new Disabilities and Health website.   The site offers much information about disabilities, resources, and health data.  You can visit the wibsite at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/index.html

Child Health and System Performance Profile

The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health now provides an online tool for researchers, policymakers, health officials, and others to collect and compare national, regional, and state-level measures of health status and data on a variety of topics relating to child health and well-being.  With access to data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, users may also create custom profiles of children’s health and system performance.  The profile in full is available at:
http://nschdata.org/indicators/Indicator_Report.aspx?rid=4&gid=0

Child Summer Safety Tips from AAP

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers a series of online tips to help protect families, including infants and children, from summer hazards.  Highlighting recommendations for sun safety, protection from intense heat, as well as pool, playground and bicycle safety, the AAP provides this resource free-of-charge to communities and health organizations.  More summer safety tips from the AAP are available in detail at: http://aap.org/advocacy/releases/summertips.cfm

Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs

Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs,  the new set of national standards describing evidence-based and expert consensus on best practices in nutrition, physical activity, and screen time for early care and education programs are now AVAILABLE. Access them at http://nrckids.org/CFOC3/PDFVersion/preventing_obesity.pdf. These updated standards will be a part of the comprehensive Caring for Our
Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Pro­grams, Third Edition (CFOC, 3rd Ed.) to be released in 2011. The standards are for all types of early care and education settings – centers and family child care homes.
 
Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs contains practical intervention strategies to prevent excessive weight gain in young children. The standards detail opportunities for facilities and caregivers/teachers  to work with families beginning on day one of an infant’s enrollment to prevent childhood obesity by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.
Areas of coverage:
·         General Nutrition Requirements
·         Meal and Snack Patterns
·         Requirements for Infants and Support Breastfeeding of Infants
·         Requirements for Toddlers and Preschoolers
·         Meal Service and Supervision
·         Food Brought from Home
·         Nutrition Education
·         Active Opportunities for Physical Activity
·         Outdoor and Indoor Play Time
·         Caregivers/Teachers’ Encouragement of Physical Activity
·         Screen Time Limits
·         Policies on  Infant Feeding, Food and Nutrition Services, and
Physical Activity

Caring for Our Children standards are developed through a public-private partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). Funding for the pre-released selected standards was provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau.
 
Preventing Childhood Obesity is available at http://nrckids.org/CFOC3/PDFVersion/preventing_obesity.pdf.
Additional Caring for Our Children and related health and safety resources can be found at http://nrckids.org.

Child Safety Leads to Recall of Window Shades

Smith+Noble has added its name to the retailers joining the voluntary
recall announced in December 2009 of ALL Roman shades and roll-up blinds.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Roman and Roller shades

Units: About 1.3 million (1,160,000 Roman shades and 115,000 roller
shades)

Distributor: Smith+Noble, of Corona, Calif.

Hazard:

Roman Shades: Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck
between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the shade
or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck.

Roller Shades: Strangulation can occur if the shade’s continuous loop cord
is not attached to the wall with the tension device provided and a child’s
neck becomes entangled in the free-standing loop.

Incidents/Injuries:

Roller Shades: CPSC and Smith+Noble have received a report of a 5-year-old boy in Tacoma, Washington who became entangled in an unsecured continuous loop bead cord on a roller shade in May 2009. No medical treatment was required.

Roman Shades: None.

Description: This recall involves all roller shades that do not have a
tension device attached to the continuous loop cord and all custom,
made-to-order Roman shades. Brand names include Smith+Noble, Christopher Lowell by Smith+Noble, Jessitt Gold, Shop Blinds and Window Elements.

Sold exclusively at: Smith+Noble online at www.smithandnoble.com and
through catalog sales nationwide from 1998 through April 2010 for between
$100 and $1,600, depending on custom size and options.

Manufactured In: China, Mexico and United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the Roman shades and
contact the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) for a free repair kit at
(800) 506-4636 anytime or visit www.windowcoverings.org. Consumers should check the roller shades to make sure the tension device provided is
attached to the continuous loop cord and installed into the wall. If not
attached, consumers should attach the tension device securely to the wall.
If they no longer have the tension device, consumers should immediately
stop using the roller shades and contact WCSC to receive a free
replacement tension device.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Smith+Noble
toll-free at (877) 228-7683 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT Monday through
Friday and between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Saturday and Sunday, or visit the
firm’s website at www.smithandnoble.com/productrecallinformation

Note: Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Make sure there are no
accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. CPSC
recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where
children live or visit.

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled
products and their hazards, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10307.html

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