Login
Rates of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Finds
The risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, especially in 2021, according to a new study led by researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine.
Monthly increases in SUID in 2021 coincided with a resurgence of seasonal respiratory viruses, particularly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), suggesting that the shift in SUID rates may be associated with altered infectious disease transmission.
They published their findings today, Sept. 26, in JAMA Network Open.
MCAS Results: Students Have Not Bounced Back Academically Since Pandemic
Students are yet to recover academically from pandemic-era learning loss, state officials said, according to newly released state testing results from this spring.
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education heard an analysis of the results of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System results, also known as the MCAS, during a meeting Tuesday.
The results show a general decline or little change in all subjects, according to the testing of third through eighth graders and 10th graders.
The 10th graders must pass the MCAS to receive their diplomas — a requirement that faces a ballot question to remove it this November.
Alarming Surge: Global Crisis of Childhood Overweight and Obesity
Since 1990, the rise in childhood overweight and obesity has surged across every continent, almost doubling in prevalence. While the U.S. has the highest prevalence, other nations are not far behind.
In Southern Europe, including Greece, Italy and Spain, 10 to 15% of children are obese, while Eastern European countries have somewhat lower rates, but are experiencing a rapid increase that may soon match Southern Europe.
Globally, Asia has nearly half of all overweight children under the age of five, and Africa has one-quarter of such children.
In Latin America, about 20% of children under 20 are overweight.
Many developing countries face the dual challenge of both overweight/obesity and malnutrition in their children.
The deleterious consequences of this epidemic are already evident: childhood hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, among others.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine and colleagues sound the alarm and discuss both challenges and potential solutions in a commentary published in The Maternal and Child Health Journal.
“Pediatric overweight and obesity have reached epidemic levels in the U.S. and are becoming a pandemic globally.
These conditions lead to high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, which contribute to metabolic syndrome.
Suicides Steady Near Highest Level Recorded: CDC
Suicides in the U.S. remained at about the highest level in history last year, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.
According to the provisional data, just more than 49,300 suicide deaths were reported in 2023, though the number could increase if investigations are concluded.
The CDC said in 2021 and 2022, suicide was the 11th-leading cause of death among all age groups in the U.S. It was a higher cause of death among people aged 10-34.
In 2018, there was a peak in suicide rates, which declined through 2020 — but new data shows it increased after the pandemic into 2022.
From 2002-22, the CDC found the suicide rate for males was three to four times the rate of females, though both increased over time.
Myopia Will Affect 740m Children and Teenagers by 2050, Research Suggests
More than one in three children and teenagers worldwide are shortsighted, according to the largest study of its kind, prompting calls to discourage screen time and increase physical activity.
Shortsightedness, or myopia, is an eye condition where someone cannot see objects far away clearly. It is usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
Experts are unsure why it occurs but studies have shown that children who use computers or smart devices for long periods are at greater risk. Some say that spending more time outdoors can help.
The most comprehensive global analysis to date reveals a dramatic increase in myopia over the last 30 years, with the toll of myopia among children and teenagers set to top 740m cases by 2050.
‘Many Parents Don’t Know:’ More Children, Teens in Houston Developing Liver Disease
Children and teens are increasingly developing fatty liver disease.
“This is a problem that is everywhere, and many kids don’t even know they have it.
Many parents don’t know,” explained Dr. Sanjiv Harpavat, assistant professor with the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.
“One in 10 children, one in four adults. So many of these children, they develop it over time and then when they hit adulthood, one in four.
So, this disease, it’s not really how common is it everywhere. It is a fact. It is a part of our life.”
Kids most at risk, include:
-
- Kids with a body mass index (BMI) Above the 85th percentile
- Central obesity (around the abdomen)
- Insulin resistance
- Prediabetes or type 2 diabetes
- Family history of fatty liver disease
While most people with fatty liver disease do not have symptoms, some kids experience pain in the upper-right part of their abdomen.
“The good news is, this is the only disease that we can give or diagnose children with, the only liver disease I know of, where they can control the course of the disease and solve the disease on their own without us,” Dr. Harpavat said.
A Closer Look at Predicting Psychosis in High-Risk Young People
University of Adelaide researchers have taken a closer look at how to predict transition to psychosis in young people who meet a specific set of subthreshold psychotic symptoms and syndromes, also referred to as ultra-high risk (UHR) criteria.
Associate Professor Scott Clark, Head of the Discipline of Psychiatry, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Simon Hartmann analyzed the data of 1,245 UHR adolescents from 1995 to 2020 to create a transition to psychosis model.
Their findings are published in the journal World Psychiatry.
“Youth mental health is currently a major global concern with increasing numbers of young people struggling,” said Associate Professor Clark.
“Early intervention has shown to improve outcomes for young people with emerging mental health illnesses.
“As part of our research, we try to find data-driven methods to better identify those at risk of a mental health illness to assist with early intervention.
Mark Zuckerberg Says There’s ‘No Causal Connection’ Between Social Media and Teen Mental Health
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pushing back on the idea that social media directly harms teen mental health.
During an interview with The Verge’s Alex Heath, Zuckerberg said that “the majority of the high-quality research out there suggests that there’s no causal connection at a broad scale between these things.”
This echoes the statement Zuckerberg gave in front of Congress in January during a hearing about child safety, where he argued that existing research hasn’t shown a causal link between social media and poor teen mental health.
As my colleague Adi Robertson pointed out at the time, it’s difficult to prove causal links, and research shows social media could cause both negative and positive impacts on an adolescent’s mental health.
