U.S. AIDS-Relief Plan a Success, Report Finds

Title: U.S. AIDS-Relief Plan a Success, Report Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 2/21/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/22/2013 12:00:00 AM

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'Smarter Lunchroom' May Lead to Healthier Choices

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A few simple and inexpensive changes to school cafeterias can help encourage children to eat healthier foods at lunch, a new study finds.

The changes included improving the convenience and attractiveness of fruits and vegetables (such as placing fresh fruit in nice bowls or tiered stands next to the cash register) and having cafeteria staff prompt children to choose fruits and vegetables by asking them questions such as, "Would you like to try an apple?"

The "smarter lunchroom" makeover took no more than three hours in one afternoon and cost less than $50, according to the researchers at the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs, in Ithaca, N.Y.

The program was tested in the cafeterias of two junior-senior high schools (grades 7 to 12) in western New York. After the makeover, students were 13 percent more likely to select fruits and 23 percent more likely to take vegetables, according to the study, which was published Feb. 22 in the Journal of Pediatrics.

When researchers recorded what was left on trays after lunch, they found fruit consumption had increased 18 percent and vegetable consumption rose 25 percent. The likelihood that students would eat whole servings of fruits or vegetables increased 16 percent and 10 percent, respectively, they said.

This low-cost, effective approach could help combat rising rates of childhood obesity in the United States, said study author Andrew Hanks. Last year, the U.S. government introduced regulations to make school lunches more nutritious. But children can't be forced to eat these healthier lunches.

The "smart lunchroom" makeover "not only preserves choice, but has the potential to lead children to develop lifelong habits of selecting and consuming healthier foods even when confronted with less healthy options," Hanks noted.

These changes could also prove effective in the cafeterias of hospitals, retirement homes, businesses and other organizations, he suggested.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about children and healthy eating.

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Plastics Chemical BPA Common in 'Preemie' ICU: Study

Title: Plastics Chemical BPA Common in 'Preemie' ICU: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 2/22/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/22/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Medical Groups Warn About Unnecessary Tests

Dozens of types of tests and treatments are too often recommended by doctors when patients don't need them, according to a warning issued Thursday by a coalition of leading medical groups in the United States.

This unnecessary care wastes time and money and sometimes causes harm to patients, according to the organizations that represent more than 350,000 doctors, the Associated Press reported.

The Choosing Wisely Coalition said patients need to ask their doctors, "Do I really need that?". The coalition was formed by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation.

Too many people "think that more is better, that more treatment, more testing somehow results in better health care," Dr. Glen Stream, former president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, told the AP. "That really is not true."

The academy contributed to this year's list of 90 examples of potentially needless care, which adds to 45 examples included on last year's list. Among the newly-added warnings:

Don't screen for a clogged neck artery in healthy people with no stroke signs. It could lead to risky surgery for a blockage that would cause no harm.Don't try feeding tubes in people with advanced dementia. Helping them eat is a better approach.Don't routinely give heartburn medicine to infants with reflux. This treatment hasn't been proven effective in babies and could cause side effects.Don't prescribe opioid painkillers for migraines except as a last resort. Opioids can carry the risk of addiction and can actually worsen migraines. Instead, use more migraine-specific drugs.Don't induce labor if a pregnant woman misses her due date and both mother and baby are doing fine.

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Blood Thinners May Boost Survival for Prostate Cancer Patients: Study

Title: Blood Thinners May Boost Survival for Prostate Cancer Patients: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 2/21/2013 2:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/22/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Health Tip: Help Prevent Constipation

Title: Health Tip: Help Prevent Constipation
Category: Health News
Created: 2/22/2013 8:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/22/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Flu Vaccine Fell Short for Seniors This Season: CDC

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The flu vaccine has fallen markedly short of expectations for older Americans this winter, offering this vulnerable population protection against the most virulent strain of flu virus just 9 percent of the time, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

Even among the general population, the vaccine's effectiveness was just 56 percent, which is considered slightly below average, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Complicating matters, the 2012-13 season has turned out to be one of the more severe flu seasons in recent years because of the presence of the H3N2 virus -- a strain associated with severe bouts of influenza.

"This was really a worse-than-average flu season," said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. "It hit the elderly particularly hard. We saw a lot of hospitalizations and, unfortunately, a lot of deaths of the elderly."

"For reasons we don't fully understand, the efficacy rate in those 65 and older against H3N2 was lower than what we would like," he said.

This makes it even more important for the elderly, even if they've been vaccinated, to seek treatment early with antiviral drugs like Tamiflu when they come down with the flu, Skinner said.

Dr. Marc Siegel, associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, agreed that it's "not an ideal vaccine, but it offers a public health advantage -- it's worth taking."

"The reason this vaccine is not that effective for the elderly is because it's hard for the elderly to mount an immune response," he added.

The vaccine is most effective against influenza B viruses, reaching a level of 67 percent protection both overall and among seniors, the CDC report showed.

"The message is we need better vaccines," Skinner said.

Skinner noted that vaccination is still the best protection against the flu, because even if you get sick the vaccine may make the illness milder.

"If people use these numbers not to get vaccinated, I think that will be a tragedy," Skinner said. "Some protection is certainly better than no protection at all."

The findings were published Feb. 22 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

This flu season has caused high hospitalization rates, with seniors accounting for 50 percent of all those admitted for the flu.

"This is the highest hospitalization rate [for seniors] since 2003, and may be the highest ever," Siegel said.

Also, nearly 10 percent of deaths up to Feb. 9 have been attributed to the flu or pneumonia associated with the flu. Again, the elderly were hit the hardest, Skinner said.

Sixty-four children have died from flu this season. That number is precise, because the federal government keeps track of pediatric flu deaths. No such count is kept on adults. Typically, approximately 25,000 Americans die from the flu every year, according to the CDC.

Skinner said this year's flu season started early, but seems to be winding down. "But we'll see if that trend continues," he added.

More information

For more on the flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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