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Study Finds 37% Increase in Deliberate Self-Poisonings Among Girls During COVID-19 Lockdowns
A new study reveals a 37% increase in deliberate self-poisonings among female children and adolescents over the last four years. The increase is strongly correlated with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, the study found rates of deliberate self-poisoning were 84% higher among those aged 5–14 years, and 36% higher among those aged 15–19 years between March 2020 and Dec. 2023 compared to 2018–19. There were only minor changes among males and older Australians.
Within the 5- to 14-year-old cohort, self-poisonings rose particularly among adolescent females aged 11 to 14. The researchers say the rise in self-poisoning by adolescent females appeared to be driven by lockdowns rather than COVID-19 infections.
Violence on Social Media Making Teenagers Afraid to Go out, Study Finds
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers are afraid to go out because of the violence they see on their social media feeds, a major study of children in England and Wales has found. One in four teenagers who see real-life violence, including fist fights, stabbings and gang clashes, online are being served the clips automatically by algorithmic recommendation features, according to the study done by the Youth Endowment Fund and shared with the Guardian. Only a small minority actively searched for the violent content.
TikTok is the most likely place for teenagers to encounter real-life violent content, followed by X, according to the survey of more than 10,000 13- to 17-year-olds. New laws are to come into effect from next spring under which tech companies will face large fines if they fail to deploy age checks to prevent children seeing harmful or age-inappropriate content, including serious violence.
Increases in Myopia Progression in Kids Tied to the COVID Pandemic
An increase in myopia progression was observed among Chicago-area children early in the COVID-19 pandemic, reported researchers, who suggested that closure of schools and cancelling of activities may have played a role.
In the overall cohort of over 2,000 children in this retrospective observational study, the change in mean spherical equivalent from 2020 to 2021 was 2.2 times greater than the change from 2019 to 2020 (0.42 D vs 0.19 D), reported Rebecca Mets-Halgrimson, MD, of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
“This study confirms what other studies have found,” Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD, of the Ohio State University in Columbus, told MedPage Today. “The fact that the refractive error of the sample changes more than twice as much after the pandemic as it does before almost certainly indicates the pandemic affected the change in refractive error in children.”
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FDA Approves Nerivio for Migraine Treatment in Children Aged 8 Years and Older
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the age indication for Theranica’s Nerivio, making it the first and only remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) wearable for migraine treatment for children aged 8 years and older.
The approval marks the first FDA-cleared, nondrug therapy for acute treatment of migraine in children and the only prescribed preventive treatment of migraine for children in this age group.
The approval is based on real-world data showing the safety and efficacy of REN for migraine treatment in children aged 6 to 11 years. Two hours posttreatment, participants reported significant pain relief and functional disability relief, with no adverse events.
“The options for treating migraine in children under 12, especially ones that are safe, drug-free, and can be used for both acute and preventive treatment, have been very limited until now,” Alon Ironi, CEO and cofounder of Theranica, said in a statement.
New Pediatric Fluoride Laws Aim to Improve Dental Health in New York Kids
Governor Kathy Hochul signed new legislation on Saturday that aims to provide greater access to fluoride treatments for pediatric dental patients. The new legislation allows registered dental assistants and licensed practical nurses to apply topical fluoride varnish to teeth, which was previously not the case.
“Fluoride is scientifically proven to prevent cavities and protect our kids’ teeth,” Hochul said in a press release posted to the Governor’s Office website. Peoples-Stokes was quoted in the same release as saying: “Good dental health is a critical component of overall health and I will continue to explore ways to ensure as many children as possible receive dental fluoride treatments.”
More licensed professionals will be allowed to provide fluoride treatments in dental offices with the goal of increasing availability and efficiency.
Previously dental assistants and licensed practice nurses weren’t authorized under state law to administer fluoride but were allowed to select and pre-fit provisional crowns and orthodontic bands, remove orthodontic archwires, take impressions of teeth, and several other procedures.”This is a meaningful step toward breaking down barriers to care and addressing the disparities that have plagued underserved communities for far too long. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill and prioritizing the health of New York’s children.”
Walking Pneumonia Cases on the Rise
As the season change and temperatures drop, it’s also a time when sickness is more common. Parents especially are noticing that walking pneumonia is on the rise this year. Walking pneumonia, or what many doctors call atypical pneumonia, is common this time of year, especially in school-age children. While it may be increasingly spreading this year, there are things you can do to take action and keep your family healthy.
“The problem is in different years there’s more or less of it — we think quite a bit of it is caused by an unusual bacterial germ called microplasma pneumoniae. And microplasma seems to be increased this year,” Dr. Geoffrey Weinberg, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Golisano Children’s Hospital, said.
The microplasma bacteria is most commonly spread through cough droplets, meaning that heavily populated areas like schools are common places for it to spread. In most cases, if it’s contracted, it likely is not a serious concern.“The danger of it is much less than other forms of pneumonia. Now there are rare children and we’ve had several in the hospital lately — there are rare children that will have other complications that we think are caused by microplasma,” Weinberg said. “But that’s balanced against hundreds and hundreds who just get better without treatment and possibly thousands more who have had microplasma and didn’t even know it and got better.”
Probiotic May Counteract Fire-Retardant Chemical Damage
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are fire-retardant chemicals that are found everywhere — upholstery, carpets, curtains, electronics, and even infant products. Known to disrupt hormones and persist in the environment, these pollutants have been detected in water, soil, air, food products, animals, human tissues, and even breast milk.
A University of California, Riverside, mouse study published last week in Archives of Toxicology reports that probiotic supplementation can reduce the negative impacts of PBDEs on neurodevelopment, behavior, and metabolism. “Exposure to PBDEs during the perinatal period produces autistic-like behavior and metabolism syndrome in mice,” said Margarita C. Curras-Collazo, a professor of neuroscience who led the study. “These compounds also disrupt the gut microbiome, which has been linked to brain and metabolic health. Our study shows supplementing the maternal diet with the probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri can help prevent these negative effects.”
L. reuteri, or LR, typically resides in the digestive tract, where it generates lactic acid. Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut. It is frequently included in yogurts and other dairy products and, therefore, is readily accessible.
