Home » What's New

What's New In Health

Early Protection Key to Preventing Hearing Damage from MP3 Players

The American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) has started a new consumer awareness campaign to promote safe music listening to children. The program called "Listen to Your Buds," is aimed at parents and students to be aware of long-term hearing loss caused by loud music. According to ASHA, any noise over 85 decibels can potentially cause hearing loss. Many earpieces made for MP3 players do not filter out background noise. People may try to counteract the background noise by turning up the volume to unsafe levels. Noise cancelling earpieces and headphones, products made to reduce or cancel out background noise, allow listeners to enjoy music without the distraction of background noise. ASHA offers some other recommendations about how adults and children alike, can reduce the risk for hearing loss:

If you can hear an MP3 player from three feet away, it is too loud.
Check your MP3 player manual to adjust the volume settings. Some brands allow you to limit the maximum volume on your player.
If your MP3 player does not have a volume control indicator, turn the volume all the way up, and then turn it back to the halfway mark or lower. This should be a safe listening level.
Take frequent breaks from listening to loud music or loud noises. This gives the ear time to recover.
Use earplugs to protect your ears from loud noises.

For more information about hearing loss prevention, visit ASHA at www.asha.org

Five Ways to Help Children Get Fit

According to Jim Liston, adviser of FitSchools, the secret for getting children involved in physical activity is having fun. FitSchools, is a program designed by Men's Health magazine to fight against childhood obesity by bringing health knowledge to schools around the United States. "Making sure children enjoy being active is the key to keeping them healthy for life," Liston says. He offers five guidelines for parents, teachers, and coaches to get children active and enjoying physical fitness:

Do not compare children with others. Children develop differently. If the child isn't ready to progress to a more difficult skill, keep working on the basics.
Do not use food as a reward. Occasional treats are ok, but don't reinforce good behaviors with unhealthy eating habits.
Know when to praise. Praise should be specific, such as "good job dribbling the basketball down the court." Offer instruction and encouragement when he or she makes a mistake. Look for teachable moments. Avoid telling a child what he or she "should" have done.
Show. Don't tell. Show or model the activity first. Then let the child try it. Tell him what he did correctly, and repeat the process. Children learn by repetition.
Keep it fun. Don't make an activity too rigid. Be flexible and facilitate play. Do not dictate it. As long as children are having fun and being active, they are improving their fitness levels.

To learn more about the FitSchools program, go to www.MensHealth.com/fitschools

Internet Addiction Linked to ADHD, Depression in Teens

According to a new study, children and teens are more likely to become addicted to the internet if they are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or social phobia.

The study, conducted by Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, surveyed more than 2,000 seventh-grade Taiwanese students about their internet activities. Ten percent of students surveyed scored high on the survey, which indicated internet addiction. Symptoms of an addiction include spending more time on the internet than intended, an inability to reduce internet usage, preoccupation with online games and activities, and symptoms of anxiety, boredom or irritability after not having access to the internet.

Researchers followed the students for two years and found that ADHD and hostility were linked to internet addiction in children. The study also found that boys were at a higher risk of developing an internet addiction than girls, as were children who used the internet every day, 20 hours a week, and for gaming purposes.

Doctors involved with the study are not shocked by the findings. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD thrive on the constant stimulation of fast-paced video games and social networks. Children with depression or social problems may find the internet therapeutic by using social networks to connect with others who experience the same issues.

Dr. Dimitri Christakis of the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, in Seattle, cautions that, "...if at-risk children are not monitored, internet addiction could become one of the most chronic childhood diseases in America."

Because children cannot simply avoid computers, it is important to identify high-risk children early on and monitor their computer usage. Parents and teachers can help make the internet a healthy part of learning by placing computers in public places where access can be monitored regularly.