High levels of air pollution may increase young children’s risk of developing asthma and persistent wheezing, researchers warn. The findings “support emerging evidence that exposure to air pollution might influence the development of asthma,” according to a report by Torben Sigsgaard, of Aarhus University in Denmark, and colleagues. For the new study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 797,000 Danish children who were born between 1997 and 2014 and followed from ages 1 year up to 15 years of age. Nearly 123,000 of the children developed asthma or persistent wheezing, just before age 2 on average. The researchers then checked data on air pollution levels at the children’s home addresses, parents’ asthma, mothers’ smoking, parental education and income. After accounting for other potentially influential factors, the investigators found higher levels of asthma and persistent wheezing in children of parents with asthma and in children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Lower levels of asthma and persistent wheezing were found in children of parents with high levels of education and high incomes. The researchers also found that children exposed to higher levels of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) were more likely to develop asthma and wheezing than those who weren’t exposed. In people with asthma, the airways become inflamed and produce extra mucus, which makes it difficult to breathe. The study was published online Aug.…  read on >

Back-to-school season can be a time of stress for many kids — even in the best of times. But pandemic fears add to the anxiety many kids will experience with the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, according to David FitzGerald, a child and adolescent psychologist at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn. “COVID-19’s continued presence for this year’s back-to-school season will bring with it more challenges than ever before,” he said in a university news release. “We need to model calm for the kids at all times, and provide as much structure as possible, especially during these unpredictable times.” FitzGerald said parents need to pay close attention to their children’s emotional health and well-being, and give them the support they need for a smooth transition back to class. Here are some tips to help reduce back-to-school and pandemic-associated anxiety, stress and behavior issues: Keep calm: Parents need to lead by example. Slow down and give your family extra time in the morning so you aren’t anxious and rushed. Teach kids to take deep breaths to calm themselves. Start a healthy routine: A nutritious diet, exercise and good sleep are important. Children need a routine and a serene, structured schedule. Keep informed: Parents need to know what is happening with the COVID-19 virus. Consult trusted health organizations and your local school district. Don’t rely on social…  read on >

Child abuse reports have plunged during the coronavirus pandemic, a troubling sign that the constraints of social distancing may mean thousands of cases are being missed, a new survey suggests. The survey, conducted by the Children’s National Alliance, found that children’s advocacy centers across the country reported serving 40,000 fewer children nationwide during the first six months of this year than the same period last year, the Washington Post reported. In 2019, more than 192,000 children were served by the centers while just over 152,000 were helped in 2020, a 21 percent drop, the survey showed. But in no way can the decline be viewed as good news, said Teresa Huizar, executive director of the alliance. “We have absolutely no reason to believe the actual incidence rate has declined,” she said. “What we really believe is that there are 40,000 fewer kids that haven’t been saved from abuse.” “What we were dreading did in fact happen,” Huizar told the Post. And the damage may be even more widespread, since the numbers from the centers, which receive referrals from child protective services departments and law enforcement, do not take into account all child abuse reports nationwide. A full third of U.S. counties don’t even have access to a children’s advocacy center, the Post reported. More than two-thirds of child abuse cases are reported by teachers and…  read on >

People with diabetes face a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19, but a new survey reports they have also suffered more economic fallout from the pandemic. In June, 18% of people with diabetes were out of work compared to 12% of the general population. And one-third of people with diabetes have lost at least some income since the pandemic began versus about 29% of the general population, the survey released by the American Diabetes Association and dQ&A found. That loss of work and income can have immediate and serious consequences for people with diabetes. Nearly one in four people with diabetes — and half of those who’d lost income since the pandemic began — said they had to dip into savings, take out a loan or use their stimulus money to get their diabetes supplies. Worse, one in four people with diabetes have rationed their insulin, other medications or diabetes supplies. (Rationing insulin can lead to serious illness requiring hospitalization, and even death.) “When you lose your job, you lose your health insurance. When you lose your health insurance, you might ration your medicines, and then people end up with poorer outcomes. This was going on well before COVID, but now COVID has cast a very bright light on an existing problem,” said Tracey Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association. The new research…  read on >

As the school year begins across America under the shadow of COVID-19, a new survey shows most parents are feeling overwhelmed and abandoned. Just 1 in 7 parents said their children would be returning to school full time this fall, and most children need help with remote schooling, The New York Times survey released Wednesday found. Yet, 4 in 5 parents said they would have no help in that endeavor, whether from relatives, neighbors, nannies or tutors. As well, more than half of parents said they will be taking on this burden while still holding down paid jobs. Of course, when both parents are wage earners who need to work outside the home, they cannot be in two places at once. But three-fourths of these parents said they will be overseeing their children’s education, and nearly half plan to handle child care, according to the survey of more than 1,000 parents polled between Aug. 4 and Aug. 8. Of the parents who are both working remotely during the pandemic, 80 percent will also handle child care and education, the survey showed. One in five are considering hiring a private teacher or tutor to help with remote learning. “All the choices stink,” Kate Averett, a sociologist at the University at Albany in New York who has been interviewing parents since the spring, told the Times. “There…  read on >

Some of the leading hotspots in the United States are on track to become even more sweltering in the coming decades — thanks to a combination of greenhouse gas emissions, urban development and population growth. In a new study, researchers estimate that over the course of this century, the biggest relative increases in extreme heat will hit cities in the Sunbelt — including Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Miami and Orlando, Fla. And lest Americans outside those areas breathe a sigh of relief, the study also warns of rising temperatures in major metropolises like New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. That is, at least, if no efforts are taken to counter the trend. The projections are based on a “business-as-usual” model, explained lead researcher Ashley Broadbent. He’s an assistant research professor at Arizona State University, in Tempe. “We’re imagining what would happen if we keep going along as we are,” said Broadbent, who noted that’s not an unrealistic assumption. “But,” he stressed, “there are things we can do.” The biggest and broadest would be tackling greenhouse gas emissions — heat-trapping gases that are spewed into the air when fossil fuels (like coal, oil and natural gas) are burned. But on the local level, Broadbent said, greenhouse gases are not the only contributor to rising temperatures and people’s actual experience of heat. There are also factors…  read on >

In a potential harbinger of what could unfold on college campuses across the United States this fall, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said Monday it will revert back to online teaching after testing showed a rapid spread of coronavirus among students. The university was one of the largest schools in the country to bring students to campus for in-person teaching, The New York Times reported. Officials announced the abrupt change just a week after classes began at the 30,000-student university, the newspaper said. Online instruction for undergraduate students will take effect Wednesday. Why the switch? Out of hundreds tested, 177 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed among students, the Times reported. Another 349 were in quarantine because of possible exposure to the virus, officials said. Clusters of coronavirus cases have already popped up in three residence halls and a fraternity house. “We understand the concern and frustrations these changes will raise with many students and parents,” UNC-Chapel Hill’s Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Robert Blouin said in a statement, the Times reported. “As much as we believe we have worked diligently to help create a healthy and safe campus living and learning environment, we believe the current data presents an untenable situation.” On Monday, a new report highlighted another untenable situation: COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents have jumped nearly 80% this…  read on >

Women with early-stage breast cancer whose surgery has been postponed during the coronavirus pandemic need not worry about the delay, new study findings suggest. A longer time from diagnosis to surgery doesn’t affect overall survival of women with early-stage tumors, the researchers found. They also said a delay didn’t lower survival among women with estrogen-sensitive, early-stage breast cancer who received neoadjuvant endocrine therapy before their surgery. “Usually we take these patients with very small tumors directly to surgery, so it is a big change in practice to first put those patients on tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor,” said lead study author Dr. Christina Minami, an associate surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “What we can say from our findings is that despite the delay in surgical therapy, because you were on neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, we do not think that your survival will at all be impacted,” she added in a news release from the American College of Surgeons. For the study, her team used data on nearly 379,000 women. One group had ductal carcinoma in situ — the earliest form of breast cancer. The other group had small invasive tumors — stage 1 and 2 — that had not spread to lymph nodes and were estrogen receptor-positive. The researchers wanted to know if waiting up to one year from diagnosis to surgery affected…  read on >