Influenza Update
Federal health officials are applauding the progress made in the first year of vaccinating children between the ages of 6 months and 23 months. As of mid-December, nearly 37% of children in that age group had received the vaccine, according to Julie Gerberding, M.D., director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We're considering this a very excellent coverage rate for the first year out,” Dr. Gerberding said at a press conference on the influenza vaccine. Dr. Gerberding also addressed charges that officials at the Health and Human Services Department had inappropriately used state immunization grant funds to purchase additional nonpediatric influenza vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline in Germany. The money was taken from there, Dr. Gerberding said, because it was the only money available at the time, and it was important to close the deal to procure more vaccine quickly. She added that the children's vaccine money is only available for use by states annually through the end of the calendar year and that $14 million still remained in the fund during the final days of December.
Teens Delaying Sexual Activity
Sexual activity among younger teenagers declined significantly between 1995 and 2002, while use of contraception increased, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among never-married teenage girls aged 15-17 years, 30% of those surveyed in 2002 had ever had intercourse, compared with 38% in 1995. Among boys who were the same age, the percentage dropped from 43% in 1995 to 31% in 2002. The numbers were more mixed among teens aged 18-19; the percentage of boys in that group who had ever had sex dropped from 75% to 64%, but the percentage among the girls actually went from 68% to 69%. More than three-quarters used contraception when they began having intercourse. “More teenagers are avoiding or postponing sexual activity, which can lead to sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, or emotional and societal responsibilities for which they are not prepared,” according to a statement by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Abstinence Education Evaluated
Federally funded abstinence-only education programs contain errors and misinformation on the effectiveness of condoms, the risks of abortion, and the transmission of disease, according to a recent report from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). The report reviewed school-based sex education curricula used by federally funded programs. For example, one curriculum states that data do not support the claim that condoms help prevent the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases. In another case, a curriculum states that 5%-10% of women who undergo abortions will become sterile. “Serious and pervasive problems with the accuracy of abstinence-only curricula may help explain why these programs have not been shown to protect adolescents from sexually transmitted diseases and why youth who pledge abstinence are significantly less likely to make informed choices about precautions when they do have sex,” the report said.
Fewer Children Are Smoking
Smoking among preteens is down—but the majority of children who do smoke are getting cigarettes from people they know, a national survey indicated, according to a research presented in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Am. J. Prev. Med. 2004; 27:267-76). The survey polled 58,911 children from grades 8 through 12, between 1997 and 2002. During this time period, the number of eighth graders who smoked every day dropped from 8.3% to 4.8%. Among 10th graders, the smoking rate dropped from 18.3% to 9.6%, while among 12th graders it fell from 23.3% to 14.5%. The number of kids smoking occasionally also dropped in all grades. There's a greater perception among children that cigarettes are dangerous, and there's more peer disapproval, said Lloyd D. Johnston, Ph.D., lead researcher of the report. Yet 65% of the children in each grade said they had friends or relatives who bought them cigarettes.
AMA Tackles Children's Issues
The American Medical Association approved several measures at its 2004 interim meeting to protect the health and welfare of children.
Among the measures were one to encourage the development of a strong adolescent immunization program in the United States and one to support legislation that would prevent the over-the-counter sale of dextromethorphan products to individuals under the age of 18.
In a statement, the AMA opposed NASCAR's decision to advertise hard-liquor brands. In a national poll conducted by Reducing Underage Drinking Through Coalitions Initiative, “63% of respondents agreed that marketing hard liquor on racecars sends the wrong message to children and teens about drinking and driving,” said AMA President-elect J. Edward Hill, M.D.