safety

The Importance of Masking in Schools

Bastioned by the AAP’s statement1 in support of school reopenings amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, school governing bodies everywhere have established a spectrum of different masking requirements for students. Some may argue that masking could be disruptive to learning and development, particularly in young children. However, the caveat in the AAP’s statement must not be forgotten: that the school reopenings are to be driven by science and safety. Arrangements for social distancing at school are frequently changing, with some schools having greater capacity than others to space out students, and some school districts electing to continue the school year entirely online. Parents and guardians are often constrained by work or other life circumstances, including lack of financial or technological resources, giving them little choice but to send their children back to in-person education. Consistent masking practices for as many children as possible at school will greatly help to mitigate the associated risk of students and staff contracting and spreading COVID-19. Pediatricians are uniquely poised to advocate for this low-cost, minimally invasive intervention that may save countless lives of all ages. 

Without clear scientific guidance indicating that children do not contribute significantly to the spread of the pandemic, we are left to answer the question of how to proceed this academic year.

(more…)
Advertisement

Sports: Healthy Competition vs Performance Anxiety

With school back in full swing, kids are joining their friends and classmates in school sports. Sports can be a great way for growing children to develop fine and gross motor skills. However, it can also be an area of stress and pressure to perform. (more…)

Binge Drinking in Adolescents, a Pediatrician’s Role.

Adolescence is a period of limit testing in which children and young adults are at increased risk of substance abuse. The most frequently used substance by adolescents is alcohol.  Adolescents who drink alcohol have an increased rate of binge drinking compared to adults. Adolescent alcohol abuse is associated with an increased risk of chronic alcohol abuse leading to serious illnesses as adults. Also, alcohol use can be associated with the leading causes of death and serious injury in ages 15 to 24 (unintentional injury, homicide, suicide).

The AAP Committee on Substance Abuse recently released a Clinical Report titled Binge Drinking (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/3/e718.full). In the report, binge drinking is defined and characterized, risk factors are discussed, and neurobiology is addressed.  The authors provide screening guidance for pediatricians.   The report explains that at age 9, children start having positive feelings about alcohol and start thinking that alcohol may not be just for adults. This means that ages 9-15 is a critical period for screening and intervention.   The report recommends that pediatricians should screen every patient for alcohol use starting at age 9.

The NIAAA collaborated with the AAP to develop a quick two-question screening tool that varies by the  patient’s age.  The questions focus about asking the patient about their own alcohol usage and their friend’s alcohol usage.

Here is an image summarizing the screening tool:

Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 4.29.54 PM
In addition to screening patients, pediatricians can support the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1717, S. 728).
This bill will reauthorize an act targeted at reducing underage drinking through research, a highly-visible national media campaign, and grants to public health care providers/community organizations/ and partnerships with higher education institutions.
( https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1717?q={%22search%22%3A[%22sober+truth%22]}&resultIndex=1 )

What YOU can do:

  • Educate yourself about alcohol use in adolescents and it’s health effects.
  • Screen every patient starting at age 9 for alcohol use; intervene as necessary.
  • Talk to your patients and their parents about alcohol-related risks.
  • Contact your federal representatives and ask them to co-sponsor and support  the Reauthorization of the STOP Act.

 

Sources and Resources:
AAP Clinical Report, Binge Drinking. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/3/e718.full
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Practitioner/YouthGuide/YouthGuideOrderForm.htm
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/underage-drinking
http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/Default.aspx
http://www.samhsa.gov/underage-drinking

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1717?q=%22search%22%3A%5B%22sober+truth%22%5D&resultIndex=1)

Paul Teran, MD

Update: Firearm Injuries and Deaths in Children and Adolescents – A Call to Action

Dr. Nancy Kelly authored a policy brief on July 15, 2014 emphasizing the importance of family counseling and legislative advocacy in preventing pediatric injury and death from firearms. Since then, the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) has updated their recommendations regarding keeping our children safe from gun violence. Additionally, new bills have been filed for consideration during the 84th meeting of the Texas Legislature that have the power to impact pediatricians and their patients positively or negatively. Recent tragic events in Boston shed light on the need for increased firearm regulations, especially in health care settings.

  (more…)

Improving the Safety of Child Frame Carriers

The attraction and desire to maintain an active lifestyle even as a parent has led to the development of child care products designed to be an effective mode to transport a child and to allow the parents to continue their favorite activities. However, not all of these products offer the highest level of safety for children. (more…)

Reforming Foster Care in Texas

In the wake of the tragic news that 2 Texas children drowned at Lake Georgetown earlier this month while in the care of their foster family, Texans Care for Children, an organization focused on public policies impacting children, has renewed its call for reform within the Foster Care system and Child Protective Services (CPS). In addition to advocating for higher standards in the foster family screening and training process, improvements in the role CPS plays within the system remains a core issue for the safety of these vulnerable children. (more…)

Distracted driving puts newly licensed teens at risk

A study published in the January 2014 New England Journal of Medicine showed that new teen drivers are significantly more likely than adults to be involved in a crash or near miss when distracted by a cell phone (dialing, texting, reaching for a phone or other object), eating, or looking at a roadside object. This study is in line with previous research involving experienced drivers indicating that cell phone use is associated with a 4x increase in the risk of a crash. (more…)