School Health News

Researchers in Italy found that the Mycoplasma tuberculosis transmission rate in school settings from smear-negative index cases were very low, particularly in those aged younger than 5 years, according to findings published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

More than two-thirds of surveyed sales attendants at health food and vitamin supplement stores endorsed creatine and testosterone boosters for teenage customers, despite explicit recommendations against pediatric use by both the AAP and American College of Sports Medicine.

Public school prekindergarten programs enhanced the academic performance, social skills and English-language proficiency of low-income Latino children compared with center-based care, per a study published in Child Development.

Among children and adolescents who experienced an acute concussion, physical activity within 7 days of the injury was associated with reduced risk for persistent postconcussive symptoms compared with no physical activity, according to data published in JAMA.

Data published in Pediatrics showed that “return to learn” guidelines have not been widely implemented nationwide to improve support systems for children returning to school after experiencing a concussion.

Children exposed to anesthesia for surgery prior to age 4 years had a slightly greater risk for lower academic performance and intelligence quotient scores in adolescence than children who had not been exposed to anesthesia until age 16 years, according to recent findings from Sweden.

Children who drank whole milk had lower BMI and higher vitamin D levels compared with children who drank low-fat or skim milk, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers observed low rates of handwashing compliance among personnel at a child care facility in Northwest Arkansas.

Decreased lung function and increased asthma symptoms in children were associated with elevated levels of mouse allergen in urban elementary and middle schools, according to a recently published study.

The release of the 2011 AAP practice guidelines for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was associated with an end to an increasing trend in diagnosis of preschoolers, according to data recently published in Pediatrics. Rates of prescribing stimulants remained steady.