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AAP UPDATES GUIDANCE TO HELP FAMILIES MAKE POSITIVE MEDIA CHOICES 
Below is a release on an updated policy statement appearing in the November issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
An updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Media Education,” published in the November print issue of Pediatrics, reflects the dramatic changes in the media landscape over the past decade. When the statement was last issued in 1999, statistics showed children and adolescents spent more than 3 hours per day on average viewing television. Today, with the ubiquitous nature of media in multiple formats, the definition of media use has been expanded, and kids are now spending more than 7 hours per day on average using televisions, computers, phones and other electronic devices for entertainment. The increasing availability of media, including access to inappropriate content that is not easily supervised, creates an urgent need for parents, pediatricians and educators to understand the various ways that media use affects children and teens.
First, excessive media time takes away from other creative, active or social activities. In addition, the content of media must be considered, including entertainment, news and advertising. Particularly important are the effects of violent or sexual content, and movies or shows that glamorize alcohol and tobacco use. Studies have associated high levels of media use with school problems, attention difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity. And the Internet and cell phones have become important new sources and platforms for illicit and risky behaviors.
But media education has the potential to reduce harmful media effects, and careful selection of media can help children to learn. In addition to longstanding AAP advice about limiting, planning and supervising media use, new recommendations include:
- Pediatricians should ask at least two media-related questions at each visit: How much entertainment media per day is the child or adolescent watching? (The AAP recommends that children have less than two hours of screen time per day, and viewing should be avoided for children under 2.) Is there a TV set or Internet access in the child or teen’s bedroom?
- Parents should be good media role models; emphasize alternate activities; and create an “electronic media-free” environment in children’s bedrooms.
- Schools should begin to implement media education in their curricula, and Congress should consider funding universal media education in schools.
- The federal government and private foundations should dramatically increase their funding for media research.
The authors conclude that a media-educated person will be able to limit his or her media use, make positive media choices, develop critical thinking and viewing skills, and be less vulnerable to negative effects of media content and advertising. In addition, simply reducing children’s and adolescents’ screen media use has been shown conclusively to have beneficial health effects.
The embargo on this policy has lifted. To see a copy of the policy, see http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/peds.2010-1636v1
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
ALLERGY TIPS
The following tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Feel free to excerpt the tips or use them in their entirety for any print or broadcast story, with acknowledgment of source: The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Allergies and Asthma.
WHEN TO SUSPECT AN ALLERGY
Here are some common clues that could lead you to suspect your child may have an allergy:
- Repeated or chronic cold-like symptoms that last more than a week or two, or develop at about the same time every year. These could include a runny nose, nasal stuffiness, sneezing, throat clearing, and itchy, watery eyes.
- Recurrent coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and other respiratory symptoms may be a sign of asthma. Coughing may be an isolated symptom; symptoms that increase at night or with exercise are suspicious for asthma.
- Recurrent red, itchy, dry, sometime scaly rashes in the creases of the elbows and/or knees, or on the back of the neck, buttocks, wrists, or ankles.
- Symptoms that occur repeatedly after eating a particular food that may include hives, swelling, gagging, coughing or wheezing, vomiting or significant abdominal pain.
- Itching or tingling sensations in the mouth, throat and/or ears during certain times of year or after eating certain foods.
COMMON ALLERGENS ON THE HOME FRONT
- Dust mites (dust mites are microscopic and are found in bedding, upholstered furniture and carpet as well as other places)
- Furred animal allergens (dogs, cats, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits, etc.)
- Pest allergens (cockroaches, mice, rats)
- Pollen (trees, grasses, weeds)
- Molds and fungi (including molds too small to be seen with the naked eye)
- Foods (cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish)
HOW TO MANAGE ALLERGIC NASAL SYMPTOMS
- Nasal allergy symptoms can be caused by a variety of environmental allergens including indoor allergens such as dust mites, pets, and pests as well as outdoor allergens such as pollens. Molds, which can be found indoors and outdoors, can also trigger nasal allergy symptoms.
- Allergy testing should be performed to determine what, if any, of these environmental allergens your child is allergic to.
- An important step in managing allergy symptoms is avoidance of the allergens that trigger the symptoms.
- If your child is allergic to pets, the addition of pets to your family would not be recommended. If your child has allergy symptoms and is allergic to a pet that lives with your family, the only way to have a significant impact on your child’s exposure to pet allergens is to find the pet a new home.
- If your child is allergic to pests, professional extermination, sealing holes and cracks that serve as entry points for pests, storing foods in plastic containers with lids and meticulous clean up of food remains can help to eliminate the pests and reduce allergen levels.
- Dust mites congregate where moisture is retained and food for them (human skin scales) is plentiful. They are especially numerous in bedding, upholstered furniture, and rugs. Padded furnishings such as mattresses, box springs, and pillows should be encased in allergen-proof, zip-up covers, which are available through catalogs and specialized retailers. Wash linens weekly and other bedding, such as blankets, every 1 to 2 weeks in hot water. (The minimum temperature to kill mites is 130 degrees. If you set your water heater higher than 120 degrees, the recommended temperature to avoid accidental scald burns, take care if young children are present in the home.)
- If your child is allergic to outdoor allergens, it can be helpful to use air conditioners when possible. Showering or bathing at the end of the day to remove allergens from body surfaces and hair can also be helpful. For patients with grass pollen allergy, remaining indoors when grass is mowed and avoiding playing in fields of tall grass may be helpful. Children with allergies to molds should avoid playing in piles of dead leaves in the fall.
MEDICATIONS TO CONTROL SYMPTOMS
Your child's allergy treatment should start with your pediatrician, who may refer you to a pediatric allergy specialist for additional evaluations and treatments.
- Antihistamines – Ones taken by mouth can help with itchy watery eyes, runny nose and sneezing, as well as itchy skin and hives. Some types may cause drowsiness.
- Nasal Corticosteroids - Highly effective for allergy symptom control and are widely used to stop chronic symptoms. Safe to use in children over long periods of time. Must be used daily.
- Allergy Immunotherapy - Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, may be recommended to reduce
your child's allergy symptoms. Allergy shots are only prescribed in patients with confirmed allergy. If allergen avoidance and medications are not successful, allergy shots for treatment of respiratory allergies to pollen, dust mites, cat and dog dander, and outdoor molds can help decrease the need for daily medication.
- Ask your doctor about additional therapies.
COMMON TRIGGERS OF ASTHMA:
- ALLERGIES (molds, pollen, dust mites, cockroaches, animals--especially cats, dogs, and mice)
- INFECTIONS (viral respiratory infections, colds, sinus infections)
- INDOOR AIR POLLUTION (aerosol sprays, cooking fumes, odors, smoke: cigarettes/tobacco, wood fires, wood-burning stoves)
MANAGING ECZEMA (ATOPIC DERMATITIS):
- Steroid creams are very effective. When used sparingly and at the lowest strength that does the job, they are very safe.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory creams or ointments can be used for itching and redness and decrease the need for steroid creams.
- Antihistamine medication may be prescribed to relieve the itching, and help break the itch-scratch cycle.
- Long-sleeved sleepwear may also help prevent nighttime scratching.
- Soaps containing perfumes and deodorants may be too harsh for children’s sensitive skin.
- Use laundry products that are free of dyes and perfumes and double-rinse clothes, towels and bedding.
- Lukewarm soaking baths are good ways to treat the dry skin of eczema. Gently pat your child dry after the bath to avoid irritating the skin with rubbing. Then, liberally apply moisturizing cream right away.
- Eczema, particularly when severe, may be associated with food allergies (e.g., milk, egg, peanut).
- Launder new clothes thoroughly before your child wears them. Avoid fabric softener.
© 2010 - American Academy of Pediatrics
Abstracted from the American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Allergies and Asthma
ON-TIME IMMUNIZATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES
A comparison of children vaccinated on time with children whose vaccinations were delayed or incomplete found no benefit in delaying immunizations during the first year of life, according to the study, “On-time Vaccine Receipt in the First Year Does Not Adversely Affect Neuropsychological Outcomes,” in the June print issue of Pediatrics (published online May 24). The study of data on more than 1,000 children born between 1993 and 1997 looked at their vaccination schedules up to 1 year of age, and studied their performance 7 to 10 years later on 42 different neuropsychological outcomes. Timely vaccination was associated with better performance on numerous outcomes. The less-vaccinated children did not do significantly better on any of the outcomes. For parents who are concerned that children receive too many vaccines too soon, these data may provide reassurance that timely vaccination during infancy has no adverse effect on long-term neuropsychological outcomes, say the authors.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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Reducing Disease Transmission
In many child care programs, as well as public and private schools, parents are contacted right away when their child shows signs of even a mild illness, like a cold. In others, a child is allowed to stay at the facility as long as he doesn’t have a fever and can take part in most activities. Either way, be certain that the school or caregiver has a way to reach you at all times—make your phone numbers at home and work available, as well as your cell phone number.
In many child care facilities and schools, the staff simply cannot care for a sick child, although in others, the child is kept comfortable in a separate area so a cold, a cough, or diarrhea doesn’t spread throughout the facility. In these programs, a staff member is trained to care for ill children, often in a “get-well room” where they won’t pass the disease to others. There may also be a place to lie down while remaining within sight of a staff member if a youngster needs to rest. In some communities, special sick child care centers have been established for children with mild illnesses who should be kept apart from healthy youngsters.
You can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases by keeping your contagious child home from school or child care until he can no longer spread his illness to others. Children should be kept home when they have
- Diarrhea or stools that contain blood or mucus
- An illness that caused vomiting 2 or more times during the previous 24 hours, unless the vomiting is known to be caused by a condition that’s not contagious
- Mouth sores with drooling, unless caused by a noncontagious condition
- Impetigo (a skin infection with erupting sores) until 24 hours after treatment has been started
- Head lice (until after proper treatment has been given)
- Scabies (an itchy skin condition caused by mites) until after treatment has been given
- Conditions that suggest the possible presence of a more serious illness, including a fever, sluggishness, persistent crying, irritability, or difficulty breathing
Even with all these safety measures, it is likely that some infections will be spread in the child care center. For many of these infections, a child is contagious a day or more before he has symptoms. That is another reason why it is important to wash your and his hands frequently. You never know when your child or another child is passing a virus or bacteria.
Fortunately, not all illnesses are contagious (eg, ear infections). In these cases there’s no need to separate your sick youngster from the other children. If he’s feeling well enough to be at child care or school, he can attend as long as a staff member can give him any medication he’s taking. Sometimes your child will become sick while at child care and need to go home. You will need to have a plan so someone can pick him up.
Measures Promoting Good Hygiene
To reduce the risk of disease in child care settings as well as schools, the facility should meet certain criteria that promote good hygiene. For example
Are there sinks in every room, and are there separate sinks for preparing food and washing hands? Is food handled in areas separate from the toilets and diaper-changing tables?
- Are the toilets and sinks clean and readily available for the children and staff? Are disposable paper towels used so each youngster will use only his own towel and not share with others?
- Are toys that infants and toddlers put in their mouths sanitized before others can play with them?
- Are the child care rooms and equipment cleaned and disinfected at least once a day?
- Is breast milk labeled and stored correctly?
- Are children and their caregivers or teachers instructed to wash their hands throughout the day, including
- When they arrive at the facility
- Before and after handling food, feeding a child, or eating
- After using the toilet, changing a diaper, or helping a child use the bathroom (Following a diaper change, the caregiver’s and child’s hands should be washed and the diaper-changing area should be sanitized.)
- After helping a child wipe his nose or mouth or tending to a cut or sore
- After playing in sandboxes
- Before and after playing in water that is used by other children
- Before and after staff members give medicine to a youngster
- After handling wastebaskets or garbage
- After handling a pet or other animal
Make sure your own child understands good hygiene and the importance of hand washing after using the toilet and before and after eating.
- Last Updated
- 3/1/2010
- Source
- http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/prevention/pages/Prevention-In-Child-Care-or-School.aspx
- Adapted from Immunizations & Infectious Diseases: An Informed Parent's Guide (Copyright © 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics)
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