We are all pretty much aware of protecting our skin during the summer season, but the Centers for Disease Control wants us to know that preventing Melanoma is a year-round job.

The Centers for Disease Control recently published a report, “Melanoma Surveillance in the United States,” online at http://www.eblue.org/webfiles/images/journals/ymjd/MelanomaSupplementProof.pdf  [PDF - 15.63MB] and appears in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The supplement was developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Dermatology, the largest dermatology group in the United States.

“Melanoma is a devastating disease that takes an economic toll on individuals, their families, and society in terms of premature death and lost productivity,” said Marcus Plescia, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

“New policies and prevention strategies are needed to address the leading preventable causes of melanoma, enabling people to be healthier, live longer, and continue to be productive.”

Significant findings from articles included in CDC published report:

• A study led by Xiao-Cheng Wu, M. D., M. P. H., New Orleans School of Public Health, examined racial and ethnic variations in melanoma incidence and survival and found that melanoma rates were higher among white females aged 50 and younger, Hispanic females aged 50 and younger, and Asian Pacific Islander females aged 40 and younger, compared to their male counterparts. This study also found that Hispanics, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Asians were diagnosed with melanoma at younger ages than whites and blacks.
• Hannah Weir, Ph. D., CDC, examined melanoma in adolescents and young adults, and found incidence was higher among females compared to males, increased with age, and was higher in non-Hispanic whites compared to Hispanic whites, blacks, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and Asian and Pacific Islanders.
• In 2005, 34 percent of adults had been sunburned in the past year, and in 2004, 69 percent of adolescents experienced sunburn the previous summer according to a study led by David Buller, Ph.D., Klein Buendel, Inc., which examined the prevalence of sunburn, sun protection, and indoor tanning behaviors.
• A study led by Todd Cartee, M.D., Emory University, surveyed a small group of dermatologists and found that many were not aware of reporting requirements, although physicians are required by law to report melanomas to central cancer registries.

The CDC recommends that people take steps to protect themselves from Melanoma by:

• Seeking shade, especially during midday hours.
• Wearing clothing to protect exposed skin.
• Wearing a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
• Wearing sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100 percent of both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as possible.
• Using sunscreen with sun protective factor 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.
• Avoiding indoor tanning.

For information about CDC’s efforts in skin cancer prevention, visit http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/. For more information from the American Academy of Dermatology on skin cancer, visit http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/skin-cancer. Podcasts about the supplement can be accessed at www.cdc.gov/podcasts.

Days are getting longer, which means more time out in the sun. Time to think kid-friendly sunscreens.

Things to look for that would indicate that you are buying the ‘best sunscreens,’ include that it:

• Provides broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
• Has an SPF of at least 15 to 30.
• Is water-resistant. Even if you aren’t going swimming, if your child is outside, he will likely be sweating, so a water resistant might provide better protection than a regular sunscreen.
• Is hypoallergenic and fragrance free, especially if your child has sensitive skin.
• Is in a form that is easy to use on your child, whether that means it is a stick, gel, lotion, spray, or continuous spray, etc.

Kid-Friendly Sunscreens that you would look for to protect your kids from the sun include:

• Aveeno Baby Sunblock lotion, SPF 55
• Badger SPF 30 For Face & Body
• Badger SPF 30 Unscented Natural Sunscreen
• Banana Boat Baby Tear-Free Continous Spray Sunblock, SPF 50
• Banana Boat Baby Tear-Free Sunblock Lotion, SPF 50
• Banana Boat Baby Faces Sunblock Stick, SPF 50
• Banana Boat Kids Dri-Blok Sunblock Lotion, SPF 30
• Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free Sunblock, SPF 50
• Banana Boat UltraMist Kids Spray, SPF 50
• Blue Lizard Australian Suncream, SPF 30
• Bull Frog Kids FastBlast Sunblock Spray, SPF 36
• California Baby Water Resistant, Hypo-Allergenic Sunscreen, SPF 30+
• Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
• Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Continuous Spray, SPF 50
• Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Continuous Spray, SPF 70+
• Coppertone WaterBabies Quick Cover Lotion Spray, SPF 50
• Coppertone WaterBabies Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
• Coppertone WaterBabies Sunscreen Lotion Spray, SPF 50
• Hawaiian Tropic Baby Faces & Tender Places Sunblock Spray, SPF 50+
• Neutrogena Kids Spray Waterguard Sunblock Mist, SPF 70+
• Neutrogena Waterguard Kids Sunblock Lotion, SPF 70+
• Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Lotion, SPF 60+
• NO-AD Sunblock Lotion, SPF 45
• Up & Up Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30(Target)
• Walgreens Sport Continuous Spray SPF 50

Parents should a avoid low SPF sunscreen or suntan lotion, which don’t provide enough sun protection for kids.

Other Sunscreens

In addition to traditional sunscreen creams, lotions, and sprays, you can also get extra sun protection with:

• Lip balms with sunscreen
• Sun protection clothing, made with fabric that provides a Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of 15 to 50+

_Source:

 _{About.com Pediatrics}

Here is a study that gives us all something to think about, especially as we are trying to help our young children develop healthy eating habits.

MONDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) — Small children who are given large plates and then allowed to serve themselves take more food and consume more calories, new research finds.

The study used 41 first-graders in a Philadelphia elementary school to test whether adult research on dishware size and food intake also holds true for children.

“We found that children served themselves about 90 more calories when they used the large plate at lunch [compared to a small plate],” said Katherine DiSantis, assistant professor of community and global public health at Arcadia University in Glenside, Penn.

It turns out, however, that the children had a case of eyes-bigger-than-stomach. “They ate approximately half of every additional calorie they served themselves,” DiSantis said.

The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was published online April 8 in the journal Pediatrics and will be in the May print issue of the journal.

Obesity in children is a growing problem in the United States. About 17 percent of children aged 2 to 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In adults, the size of the dinner plate is known to affect how much they put on it and how much they eat,” DiSantis said. Other research has found that kids eat more food when they are served larger portions. But it was not known, DiSantis said, “Whether the use of larger, adult-sized plates would make kids take and eat more food if they served themselves.”

The researchers invited the 41 first graders from two different classrooms at a private elementary school to eat lunch, using a small child’s plate first and then an adult-sized one. The children had their choice of an entree and side dishes (pasta with meat sauce, chicken nuggets, mixed vegetables and applesauce). They all got fixed portions of milk and bread with each meal.

The researchers weighed the portions before and after the children ate and calculated their caloric intake.

“The two factors — plate size and being allowed to take their own food — seemed to work together, DiSantis said. “Overall, the adult-sized dishware by itself did not promote eating more.”

The child’s body-mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight) didn’t seem to predict who would take more food, the researchers found.

It was the child’s liking for the food that predicted what they would serve themselves. Those who liked the entree helped themselves to about 104 calories more at the meal.

DiSantis said, “Children look to their environment for some direction when put in the position of making decisions about how much food to serve themselves.”

“In the study, the differences in calories were not large,” she acknowledged. “But if this went on on a daily basis, it could contribute to the child’s overall energy intake and their weight status,” she said. “Using smaller plates might give children guidance on portion sizes, she added.

A nutrition expert who reviewed the study downplayed the role of plate size, while not dismissing it entirely.

“In the end, it’s the portion that’s served rather than the plate size — and whether or not the child likes the food — that influences how much they eat and how much they serve themselves,” said Marjorie Freeman, associate professor of nutrition, food science and packaging at San Jose State University in California. In her own research, she has found that as portion size increases, so does the amount you eat.

Freeman suggested that parents follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommendations, which suggest filling half the plate with fruits and vegetables.

Parents also can choose plate sizes for serving their children based on what will be on the plate. “For foods you want them to eat a lot of, such as fruits and vegetables, I’d put it on larger plates,” she said.

The fried chicken nuggets, she added, could be served on a small plate.

The study authors noted that the kids in the experiment served themselves more fruit on their large plates, but not more vegetables.

More information

To learn more about how to eat healthy foods, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov.

The USA.gov site, on April 1, reported on  seasonal allergies and their treatments for children in the following post.

Millions of people suffer from allergies every spring, including many children. In fact, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about 40 percent of children in the United States suffer from allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever.

Hay fever is triggered by breathing in allergens, like pollen, commonly found in springtime air. Sneezing and nasal congestion are some of the most common symptoms, but your symptoms can vary depending on the types of plants that grow where you live.

The following tips will help you minimize seasonal allergies in children, and learn more about allergy treatments.

How to Prevent Allergies in Children

If your child suffers from seasonal allergies, there are steps you can take to reduce their symptoms and decrease the use of medications:

• During the spring, keep your children indoors in the evenings because pollen levels are highest during that time of day.
• Keep your home and car windows closed during windy, sunny days.
• Have your children take a shower after spending time outside to remove any pollen residue on their body or in their hair.
• Have your children change their clothes after spending time outside because they will carry pollen indoors on their clothes.
• Dry your clothes indoors instead of on an outdoor clothesline during this time of year.

Allergy Medicine for Children

Medicine can help alleviate allergy symptoms in children, but with any medication you give your child, be sure you’re using the right medication for your child’s age and weight. Follow the instructions carefully to be sure your child gets the correct dosage.

Over-the-counter, generic allergy medication is effective for many people and can cost less than prescription allergy medications. If you have any questions about what medications are right for your child, ask your family doctor.

Some common allergy medications include:

• Nasal decongestants to relieve a stuffy nose.
• Antihistamines to relieve sneezing, and an itchy, runny nose.
• Nasal corticosteroids are also often used, but are available only by prescription.

Other Treatments

For children who have allergy symptoms that are difficult to control, doctors will often give your child an allergy test to learn the exact cause of the allergy. Your doctor will recommend a special treatment based on the results of the allergy test.

The following important message about the safety of temporary tattoos is from the Food and Drug Administration. It appears on FDA’s Consumer Update page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products, March 25, 2013

Spring break is on the way, or maybe summer vacation. It is time to pack your swim suit, hit the beach, and perhaps indulge in a little harmless fun. What about getting a temporary tattoo to mark the occasion? Who could it hurt to get a temporary tattoo?

It could hurt you, if you actually get one. Temporary tattoos typically last from three days to several weeks, depending on the product used for coloring and the condition of the skin. Unlike permanent tattoos, which are injected into the skin, temporary tattoos marketed as “henna” are applied to the skin’s surface.

However, “just because a tattoo is temporary it doesn’t mean that it is risk free,” says Linda Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors. Some consumers report reactions that may be severe and long and outlast the temporary tattoos themselves.

MedWatch, FDA’s safety information and adverse event (bad side effects) reporting program, has received reports of serious and long-lasting reactions that consumers had not bargained for after getting temporary tattoos. Reported problems include redness, blisters, raised red weeping lesions, loss of pigmentation, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and even permanent scarring.

Some reactions have led people to seek medical care, including visits to hospital emergency rooms. Reactions may occur immediately after a person gets a temporary tattoo, or even up to two or three weeks later.

Not Necessarily Safe

You may be familiar with henna, a reddish-brown coloring made from a flowering plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. Since the Bronze Age, people have used dried henna, ground into a paste, to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. This decoration—sometimes also known as mehndi—is still used today around the world to decorate the skin in cultural festivals and celebrations.

However, today so-called “black henna” is often used in place of traditional henna. Inks marketed as black henna may be a mix of henna with other ingredients, or may really be hair dye alone. The reason for adding other ingredients is to create tattoos that are darker and longer lasting, but use of black henna is potentially harmful.

That’s because the extra ingredient used to blacken henna is often a coal-tar hair dye containing p-phenylenediamine (PPD), an ingredient that can cause dangerous skin reactions in some people. Sometimes, the artist may use a PPD-containing hair dye alone. Either way, there’s no telling who will be affected. By law, PPD is not permitted in cosmetics intended to be applied to the skin.

You may see “black henna” used in places such as temporary tattoo kiosks at beaches, boardwalks, and other holiday destinations, as well as in some ethnic or specialty shops. While states have jurisdiction over professional practices such as tattooing and cosmetology, that oversight differs from state to state. Some states have laws and regulations for temporary tattooing, while others don’t. So, depending on where you are, it’s possible no one is checking to make sure the artist is following safe practices or even knows what may be harmful to consumers.

A number of consumers have learned the risks the hard way, reporting significant bad reactions shortly after the application of black henna temporary tattoos.

• The parents of a 5-year-old girl reported that she developed severe reddening on her forearm about two weeks after receiving a black henna temporary tattoo. “What we thought would be a little harmless fun ended up becoming more like a nightmare for us,” the father says. “My hope is that by telling people about our experience, I can help prevent this from happening to some other unsuspecting kids and parents.”
• The mother of a 17-year-old girl agrees. “At first I was a little upset she got the tattoo without telling me,” she says. “But when it became red and itchy and later began to blister and the blisters filled with fluid, I was beside myself.” She explains that as a nurse, she’s used to seeing all manner of injuries, “but when it’s your own child, it’s pretty scary,” she says.
• And another mother, whose teenager had no reaction to red henna tattoos, describes the skin on her daughter’s back as looking “the way a burn victim looks, all blistered and raw” after a black henna tattoo was applied there. She says that according to her daughter’s doctor, the teenager will have scarring for life.

If you have a reaction to or concern about a temporary tattoo or any other cosmetic, in addition to recommending that you contact your health care professional, FDA asks you to contact MedWatch, the agency’s problem-reporting program. You can also call 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone, or contact the nearest FDA consumer complaint coordinator in your area.