Top 5 back-to-school health stories

With children across the United States returning to school, it is important to catch up on all the breaking school-related health news that may have been missed during the summer. Developing stories included the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes among high school students, the effects of smartphones and other bright devices on the sleep patterns of children and teens, the failure of school nutrition programs to increase healthy food consumption, how soda bans increased the consumption of other sugary drinks and the increase in vaccination coverage for children who entered school in 2014.

Infectious Diseases in Children highlights five of the most informative and noteworthy recent stories in school-related news.

“Many teens engage in risky behaviors like unsafe sexual practices that can affect their health and academic performance,” Stephanie Zaza, MD, MPH, director of the division of adolescent and school health at the CDC, wrote in a news release. “School health education, school-linked health services, and safe and supportive school environments can reduce these risk behaviors among young people and have a positive effect on academic achievement.”

E-cigarette use by teens increases odds of smoking tobacco

High school students who use electronic cigarettes are more likely to initiate use of traditional cigarettes than their peers who do not engage in any type of smoking, according to a report in JAMA.

“E-cigarette use is prospectively associated with increased risk of combustible tobacco use initiation during early adolescence,” according to Adam M. Leventhal, PhD. Read more.

Soda bans lead to increase in other sugary beverages

High school students consumed more sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee/tea and other sugar-sweetened beverages if they resided in a state that banned soda but attended a school with vending machines that sold other sugar-sweetened beverages.

“Throughout the United States, schools and policymakers have made progress to remove regular soda from schools; however, evidence suggests that schools and students may be substituting soda with other sugar-sweetened beverages instead,” according to Daniel R. Taber, PhD, MPH. Read more.

Pre-pubertal, mid-pubertal children more sensitive to evening light exposure

Children in early to mid-puberty are prone to evening light sensitivity and suppressed melatonin levels, potentially leading to disrupted sleep patterns after repeated evening light exposure, according to research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

“Our findings show that even a very small amount of light in the evening suppressed melatonin levels in the middle-school-aged adolescents,” Mary Carskadon, PhD, said. Read more.

Fruit, vegetable mandates in schools result in less consumption, more waste

National mandates requiring the distribution of fruits and vegetables as part of school lunches in the United States decreased the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed by 12% and increased the amount of food wasted by 35%, according to a recent report.

“Children consumed fewer fruits and vegetables and wasted more fruits and vegetables during the school year immediately following implementation of the USDA rule that required them to take one fruit or vegetable at lunch,” researcher Sarah A. Amin, PhD, MPH, wrote. Read more.

Vaccine coverage for kindergartners remains high; exemptions stay low

Nationwide vaccination coverage of children entering kindergarten in the 2014-2015 school year remained high, while exemption rates for medical, philosophical and religious reasons remained low for most states, according to a report in MMWR.

“Overall, the news is gratifying,” Anne Schuchat, MD, assistant surgeon general, said. “Though they may not always get the headlines, the overwhelming majority of parents continue to protect their children with recommended vaccinations.” Read more.