Children's Health:Does heart disease begin in childhood? ♦ Psychoactive 'bath salt' use among U. S. high school seniors alarmingly high ♦ Obesity-related behaviors increase when school's out

Obesity-related behaviors increase when school's out Regardless of family income, children on summer break consume more sugar, watch more television, and eat fewer vegetables than the rest of the year..

Family support more important than preschool care in securing children's well being The government needs to focus as much on supporting deprived and disadvantaged families as it does on increasing the number of hours of free preschool care if it is to secure the best outcomes for young children.

Does heart disease begin in childhood? A 'statistically significant association' between higher vitamin D levels and lower non-HDL cholesterol in kids has been found by researchers. There has been evidence that low vitamin D levels in adults are linked to cardiovascular disease, as well as other health issues such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes. But that link hadn't been studied in children.

Success in adulthood linked to childhood psychiatric health Children with even mild or passing bouts of depression, anxiety and/or behavioral issues were more inclined to have serious problems that complicated their ability to lead successful lives as adults.

Psychoactive 'bath salt' use among U. S. high school seniors alarmingly high 33% of students who used bath salts reported using only once or twice; however, frequent use was also common among users with an alarming 18% of users reporting using 40 or more times in the last year

Reducing Flu in Pre-school Children

Impact of Requiring Influenza Vaccination for Children Attending Licensed Childcare or Preschool Programs — Connecticut, 2012–13 Influenza Season

Preschool-aged children are at high risk for serious consequences of influenza and should be vaccinated against influenza, especially those in settings where transmission is common such as child care facilities.

Effective January 2011, preschool-aged children in Connecticut were required to be vaccinated against influenza to attend licensed child care. Investigators from the Yale School of Public Health and the Connecticut Department of Public Health evaluated the effect of this requirement on vaccination rates and on hospitalizations of young children during the 2012-2013 influenza season. Vaccination rates in Connecticut rose more quickly and were higher than children in the rest of the United States. After the requirement was implemented, hospitalization rates for influenza in young children in Connecticut were lower compared with 10 other sites in the United States with similar monitoring.

Requiring influenza vaccination in children attending child care facilities appears to have contributed to lower hospitalization rates from influenza among young children in Connecticut.