Home » What's New

What's New

A New Generation of Tobacco Products Tempts Youth

"Big Tobacco's Guinea Pigs: How an Unregulated Industry Experiments on America's Kids and Consumers" [link] www.tobaccofreekids.org/productsreport [link] is a new report from the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. The report describes how tobacco manufacturers are finding novel ways to entice young people to take up smoking.

New tobacco products on the market, for example, include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars in candy, fruit, and alcohol flavors. Camel cigarettes now come in more than a dozen flavors, including lime, coconut, toffee and mint, making them more appealing to children.

Smokeless tobacco products now include not only chewing and spit tobacco, but also smokeless tobacco in teabag-like pouches and dissolvable tablets similar to candy. Manufacturers are also using unproven health claims to promote their products. For example, Vector Tobacco's Omni Cigarettes claim to have "Reduced carcinogens. Premium taste." To stop such practices, leading health organizations are urging Congress to pass pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products and their marketing.

New Study of Sex Education in Practice

A new study of sex education teachers in 201 Illinois middle and high schools found that one-third of teachers did not provide comprehensive instruction, defined as teaching abstinence, birth control, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The topics most frequently covered were HIV and STDs, covered by about 96 percent of the teachers. Eighty-nine percent taught the topic of abstinence-until-marriage.

The least frequently taught subjects were homosexuality, abortion, and information on how to use condoms or birth control properly.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago, also found that 30 percent of those surveyed said they had no special training to teach sex education. These teachers were the least likely to teach a comprehensive sex education course.

The study appears in the February 2008 issue of Obstetics & Gynecology.

Eating Salty Snacks Leads Kids to Consume More Soda

Children and teens who eat a lot of salty foods get thirsty and too often quench their thirst with high-calorie sodas, according to a new British study published in the March issue of the online journal Hypertension from the American Heart Association. But the food is not just from salty snacks; about 80 percent comes from manufactured food.

Drawing on data from Great Britain's National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the researchers examined the seven-day food intake records of 1,688 British children between ages 4 to 18. The results suggested that cutting the amount of salt that British children consume-a decrease of about half a teaspoon each day-would lead to an average reduction of about 18 ounces of sugared soft drinks each week.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is currently taking public comment on a proposal to restrict the amount of salt in processed foods. The American Medical Association has urged the government to require labeling of high-salt foods.

"Choking Game" Accounts for 82 Youth Deaths

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reports that at least 82 young people between the ages of 6 and 19 have died since 1995 from the so-called "choking game," in which children make a noose of dog leashes or bungee cords to temporarily cut blood flow to their head. The effect is a floating-in-space feeling as blood rushes back to the brain.

The game is also known as "blackout," "space monkey," and "pass out."

As many as 20 percent of teens and preteens have engaged in the choking game, according to estimates from local studies. Most youngsters play the game in groups; nearly all those who died were playing the game while alone.

The deaths occurred across 31 states. Nearly 90 percent of the deaths occurred to boys, at an average age of 13.

Warning signs that young people are engaging in this dangerous play include bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, frequent and severe headaches, disorientation after spending time alone, and ropes, scarves or belts tied to furniture or doorknobs.

The CDC report may be found in February 15, 2008 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Report.