In the news

Listed here are news releases and reports related to adolescent health. Please note that this is provided for informational purposes only and does not indicate an endorsement by the AMA.

Some of the links on this page may take you off of the AMA Web site. AMA is not responsible for content of other Web sites.

Incenter Strategies for the Advancement of Adolescent Health
Incenter Strategies has released the following documents on racial and ethnic disparities in adolescent health.

• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Adolescent Health and Access to Care by Harriette B. Fox, Margaret A. McManus, Matthew Zarit, Gerry Fairbrother, Amy E.Cassedy, Christina D. Bethell, and Debra Read, Washington, DC: Incenter Strategies, 2007.  
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Access to Care among Older Adolescents by Harriette B. Fox, Margaret A. McManus, Matthew Zarit, Amy E. Cassedy, and Gerry Fairbrother, Washington, DC: Incenter Strategies.
  

Public Opinion on Sex Education in US Schools
An article in the Nov. 11 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescents medicine examines US public opinion on sex education in schools to determine how the public's preferences align with those of policymakers and research scientists.

Online program examines food labeling, advertising and childhood obesity   
“Overweight Kids in America: Understanding the role of food labeling and advertising,” a newly released “Health Politics with Dr. Mike Magee” online video, explores how food labeling and advertising, both under federal control, play a much larger role in the obesity epidemic than many realize or are willing to admit.

One-third of U.S. youth not physically fit
Approximately one-third of boys and girls age 12 to 19 in the United States do not meet standards for physical fitness, according to a report in the October 2006 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Fact sheet looks at opportunities to prevent injury
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials has released a fact sheet of statistics on common injury mechanisms among children and adolescents and opportunites for injury prevention.

In Archives: Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence
The July 2006 issue of  Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine includes an article examining whether starting to drink at an early age is associated with developing alcohol dependence at a younger age and chronic relapsing dependence.

Number of children and teens treated with antipsychotics increases sharply
A steadily increasing number of patients younger than age 20 received prescriptions for antipsychotic medications between 1993 and 2002, according to a report published in the June issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

U.S. Surgeon General releases report on secondhand smoke
U.S. Surgeon General, Richard H. Carmona released the report, "The Health Consequences of Involventary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General" that concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Report looks at family environment and adolescent well-being
The National Adolescent Health Information Center and Child Trends released the issue brief, "The Family Environment and Adolescent Well-Being: Exposure to Positive and Negative Family Influences."  This issue brief looks at the influences of parents on their adolescents and adolescents' experiences in their families.

American Medical News: Feb. 6, 2006. Is obesity a disease? Clinicians disagree
Advocates for this designation say it will mean that this problem will be taken more seriously. Those opposed say it will negate personal and societal responsibility.

Alcohol advertising may contribute to increased drinking among young people
Young people who view more alcohol advertisements tend to drink more alcohol, according to a new study in the Jan. 2006 issue of the  Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. 

AAP revises policy statement on culturally effective pediatric care
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committe on Pediatric Workforce (COPW) published its revised policy statement, "Ensuring Culturally Effective Pediatric Care: Implications for Education and Health Policy." The statement uses a broad definition of the term "culture." Also, the AAP believes that "culturally effective pediatric care" is a more inclusive term than "cultural competence," and shifts the focus away from process issues and toward the outcomes of the physician-patient or physician-family interactions. Read this AAP policy statement on the COPW Web site.