Social Toll of Hearing Loss Could Be Cause for Alarm

Higher rates of hospitalization, illness and depression for seniors reported in study

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Straining to catch the gist of conversations is frustrating enough, but a new study shows that seniors with hearing loss are also at increased risk for hospitalization, illness, injury and depression.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,100 American men and women aged 70 and older with hearing loss, and found that over a four-year period they were 32 percent more likely to have been admitted to the hospital than more than 500 adults with normal hearing.

Hearing-impaired seniors were also 36 percent more likely to have prolonged stretches (more than 10 days) of illness or injury and 57 percent more likely to have extended episodes (more than 10 days) of stress, depression or bad mood, according to the study, published online June 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Hearing loss may have a profoundly detrimental effect on older people's physical and mental well-being, and even health care resources," said study senior investigator Dr. Frank Lin, an otologist and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"Our results underscore why hearing loss should not be considered an inconsequential part of aging, but an important issue for public health," Lin said in a Hopkins news release.

Hearing deficits can lead to social isolation, which in turn contribute to physical and mental declines, Lin said.

Hearing loss affects as many as 27 million Americans over age 50, including two-thirds of men and women aged 70 years and older, according to Lin.

The study doesn't prove that being hard of hearing directly leads to other health problems, but it does show an association between the two. And health policymakers need to consider the broader health impact of hearing loss when making decisions for older people, study lead investigator Dr. Dane Genther, a resident in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, said in the news release.

Genther's recommendations: expanded Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for hearing-related health care services, wider installation of hearing loops in various facilities, and more accessible and affordable approaches for treating hearing loss.

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Social Media May Help Fight Childhood Obesity

Title: Social Media May Help Fight Childhood Obesity
Category: Health News
Created: 12/4/2012 5:19:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 12/5/2012 12:00:00 AM

View the original article here

Social Media, Tweens, and Teens: Pointers for Parents

By Rebecca Felsenthal Stewart
WebMD Feature

Whether or not you're tweeting or sharing your daily thoughts on Facebook, you have to acknowledge it: Interacting with friends online is a fact of life for your children.

"These connections are really integral to the social lives of today's kids," says Caroline Knorr, parenting editor for Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate the world of media and technology.

Besides the benefits, there are also risks. That's where you come in.

"It's a parent's responsibility to parent around the technology", says Shawn Marie Edgington, author of The Parent's Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media.

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all require children to be at least 13 years old to join. That's because of the "Children's Online Privacy Protection Act," which limits companies from collecting personal information about kids under 13. "

Some kids younger than 13 dodge those age limits by faking their birth date and setting up an account, whether their parents know it or not. 

"Parents need to ask their children on a regular basis, ‘Do you have a Facebook account? Do your friends?'" Edgington says. She recommends that when you buy your child a cell phone, one of the conditions is that she can't get a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account until age 13 and you approve it.

If you’re tempted to make an exception for them, you might want to consider the message you're sending if you allow them to break the rules by lying, about whether they're mature enough to behave safely and responsibly, and about what you will do to monitor their activity (such as "friending" them).

Once your child is of age and has your permission, sit down together to set up the account. Use all the privacy restrictions available and don't give unnecessary information like cell phone numbers, Knorr says.

This is also a good time to talk about what not to post, such as your home address, your child's location, and any inappropriate pictures (including those that have "geotagging" that gives away the child's location.)

Instruct her never to "friend" anyone she doesn't know, and never to share her password, Edgington says. Tell her that she can come to you if anything happens online that makes her uncomfortable.

Write a contract for your child about how they behave on social media. Outline consequences: "If you take away a 16-year-old's cell phone, it's worse than taking away his car," Edgington says.

Remind your child that social rules apply online, Knorr says.

Explain that it comes down to how she wants to portray herself to the world, and that once something is online, it's hard to make it go away. "Everything your child posts is about his image and brand because it's going to be there forever," Edgington says. Colleges and employers check social networking sites and do Google searches on applicants. 

Though the concept of long-term consequences may not click with your child right away, keep reinforcing it.

View the original article here

Social Media, Tweens, and Teens: Pointers for Parents

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WebMD Feature Reviewed byHansa D. Bhargava, MD

Whether or not you're tweeting or sharing your daily thoughts on Facebook, you have to acknowledge it: Interacting with friends online is a fact of life for your children.

"These connections are really integral to the social lives of today's kids," says Caroline Knorr, parenting editor for Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate the world of media and technology.

Besides the benefits, there are also risks. That's where you come in.

"It's a parent's responsibility to parent around the technology", says Shawn Marie Edgington, author of The Parent's Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media.

Getting Started

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all require children to be at least 13 years old to join. That's because of the "Children's Online Privacy Protection Act," which limits companies from collecting personal information about kids under 13. "

Some kids younger than 13 dodge those age limits by faking their birth date and setting up an account, whether their parents know it or not. 

"Parents need to ask their children on a regular basis, ‘Do you have a Facebook account? Do your friends?'" Edgington says. She recommends that when you buy your child a cell phone, one of the conditions is that she can't get a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account until age 13 and you approve it.

If you’re tempted to make an exception for them, you might want to consider the message you're sending if you allow them to break the rules by lying, about whether they're mature enough to behave safely and responsibly, and about what you will do to monitor their activity (such as "friending" them).

Once your child is of age and has your permission, sit down together to set up the account. Use all the privacy restrictions available and don't give unnecessary information like cell phone numbers, Knorr says.

This is also a good time to talk about what not to post, such as your home address, your child's location, and any inappropriate pictures (including those that have "geotagging" that gives away the child's location.)

Instruct her never to "friend" anyone she doesn't know, and never to share her password, Edgington says. Tell her that she can come to you if anything happens online that makes her uncomfortable.

Setting Ground Rules

Write a contract for your child about how they behave on social media. Outline consequences: "If you take away a 16-year-old's cell phone, it's worse than taking away his car," Edgington says.

Remind your child that social rules apply online, Knorr says.

Explain that it comes down to how she wants to portray herself to the world, and that once something is online, it's hard to make it go away. "Everything your child posts is about his image and brand because it's going to be there forever," Edgington says. Colleges and employers check social networking sites and do Google searches on applicants. 

Though the concept of long-term consequences may not click with your child right away, keep reinforcing it.

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Social Media May Help Fight Childhood Obesity

BySalynn Boyles
WebMD Health News Reviewed byLouise Chang, MD

Dec. 4, 2012 -- Kids and teens increasingly keep in touch through social media, and all that texting, tweeting, and online networking can be a powerful tool for combating childhood obesity, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

In a newly released statement, the group calls for more research to help doctors and health policy makers incorporate social media into existing obesity prevention and management programs.

“Almost all kids have Internet access and many have smartphones,” says Duke University chief of pediatric cardiology Jennifer S. Li, MD. “We need to take advantage of social networking to connect with them because it is the way they are connecting with their friends.”

Social Networking Can Fight Fat

An AHA committee led by Li evaluated the research on Internet-based interventions designed to promote weight loss, physical activity, and healthy eating.

The group concluded that the studies have been mixed, and more research is needed to develop strategies for optimizing the use of Web-based interventions in the fight against childhood obesity.

Greater involvement by parents, counselors, and peers was linked to better weight loss outcomes among overweight children and teenagers who participated in one online program, Li says.

She adds that the traditional methods of attempting weight loss, such as seeing a doctor or joining a support group, lack the immediacy of going online.

But the statement warned of potential downsides to social media, including possible exposure to cyber bullying, privacy issues, and spending too much time in front of the screen.

“Because of their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer pressure, adolescents can be at risk as they navigate social media,” the AHA writing group noted.

The report was published Dec. 3 online and it will appear in the Jan. 15 issue of the journal Circulation.

Half of Teens Use Social Media Daily

According to a recent survey of 13- to 17-year-olds, 9 out of 10 teens have used social media, and more than half (51%) use it daily.

Seattle pediatrician Robert Pretlow, MD, created the web site Weigh2Rock more than a decade ago to help children and teens struggling with weight issues. He says the site averages between 50,000 and 100,000 hits a month.

Last May, he discussed the potential power of social networking to help children and teens lose weight and stay active at the European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France.

“What most kids who are overweight can’t do in the real world is talk about their weight with anyone,” he says. “They don’t talk about it at school, or with their friends, or at home because they are too embarrassed. They don’t want to call attention to it. Ever.”

He says the kids and teens who visit Weigh2Rock seem to like the anonymity of the site, which offers online forums, chat rooms, success stories, and tips for healthy eating and weight loss.

He adds that more than 99% of visitors never post on the site but are content to view the postings of others.

But that doesn’t mean that these "lurkers," as he calls them, don’t benefit.

“Kids who are overweight often feel like they are all alone,” he says. “When they go on the site and see post after post from kids who have the same experiences and problems they have had, it makes them realize this isn’t true. Even if they never post a word, this can be very powerful.”

View Article Sources

SOURCES:

Li, J.S. Circulation, Jan. 15, 2012.

Jennifer S. Li., MD, division chief of pediatric cardiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.

Robert Pretlow, MD, pediatrician, Seattle, Wash.

News release, American Heart Association.

Common Sense Media: "Social Media, Social Life: How Teens View Their Digital Lives."

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