School Health News

Boys scored significantly higher than girls in relational aggression perpetration and lower than girls in relational aggression victimization, according to recent study data.

Despite FDA warnings, caregivers of children aged younger than 6 years still use cough and cold medicines to treat them, according to study data published in Clinical Pediatrics.

Student access to sugar-sweetened beverages through competitive venues such as vending machines and snack bars decreased, and the percentage of students who could purchase only doctor-approved beverages increased, according to the AMA.

From 2000 to 2011, current cigarette use among middle school and high school students declined significantly, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Pediatric hypertension-related hospitalizations in the United States nearly doubled from 1997 to 2006, according to study results from the American Heart Association. Mean hospitalization charges for children with hypertension also rose by 50%, accounting for an estimated $3.1 billion in inpatient health care charges during the same period.

Overall white infant mortality rates in Appalachian counties were significantly higher than in non-Appalachian counties during a 20-year period, according to study results.

The total number of deaths worldwide in children aged younger than 5 years decreased from 2000 to 2010 by approximately 2 million, but preventable infectious diseases caused nearly two-thirds of all deaths in that age group in 2010, according to researchers who conducted a systematic analysis of worldwide child mortality.

Secondary school students who use methamphetamine and MDMA are at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms, according to recent study results. The resulting data were consistent with previous studies that suggest synthetic drug use is tied to long-term negative effects.

People have often wondered what unsanitary horrors might be lurking in public bathrooms, widely considered the quintessential bacterial breeding ground. According to findings recently published online in PLoS One, researchers used novel genetic sequencing methods, revealing an overabundance of bacteria in a survey of public restrooms — from the doors and the floors to the faucet handles and toilet seats — with potential public health implications.

As part of this year’s “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week,” from Nov. 14-20, the CDC is launching a new antibiotic tracking system that allows hospitals to monitor antibiotic use electronically.