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UNC study links spanking, abuse
Publish On 08-19-2008 , 17:28
Spanking a child could be a prelude to harsher forms of discipline or child abuse, according to a new study by the Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In a survey of more than 1,400 mothers in North and South Carolina, mothers who said they or their partners spanked their children in the past year were nearly three times more likely to say they also doled out harsher punishments than those who said their children weren’t spanked.
Such punishments included behaviors considered physically abusive by the researchers, such as beating, burning, kicking, hitting with an object somewhere other than the buttocks or shaking a child younger than 2.
"In addition, increases in the frequency of spanking are associated with increased odds of abuse, and mothers who report spanking on the buttocks with an object – such as a belt or a switch – are nine times more likely to report abuse, compared to mothers who report no spanking with an object," Dr. Adam J. Zolotor, the study's lead author and an assistant professor in the department of family medicine in the UNC School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Although some studies show a modest decline in spanking over the last 30 years, recent surveys show that up to 90 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 5 are spanked by their parents at least occasionally.
Only 2 percent of the mothers surveyed who reported no spanking reported use of physically abusive punishment, compared with 6 percent of mothers who reported spanking and 12 percent of mothers who reported spanking with an object.
The study concluded that efforts to reduce spanking, especially with an object, through media, educational and legislative means may reduce physical child abuse.
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Sleepless nights can hike teens' blood pressure
Publish On 08-19-2008 , 05:16
Teens who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for high blood pressure regardless of their sex, weight or socioeconomic status, according to a new study released yesterday, Reuters reported.
The Case Western Reserve University study found that teens who slept fewer than 6 1/2 hours nightly more than doubled their risk of high blood pressure and those with troubled sleep more than tripled their risk. The pediatrician who led the study said adolescents need 9 hours of sleep, but teens weren’t getting enough sleep partly because computers, cell phones and music had invaded their bedrooms. She said parents should help their families get better sleep by setting regular times to go to bed and wake up and by keeping bedrooms quiet and dark. For more on this story, click here.
Having trouble getting your kids to bed when they head back to school? Read Carolina Parent's Sleep Smarts in our Back-To-School Guide.
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Study: 'Chilling' hardship rates among families raising disabled kids
Publish On 08-18-2008 , 11:42
Families with disabled children are struggling to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads, and to pay for needed health and dental care. But according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, these challenges are now falling on middle-income households and not just on poor families as previous research has found.
These latest findings show that long-held federal standards for identifying the nation's poor are not capturing everyone in need and should be re-evaluated, especially for the financial effects on disabled
children, said Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., the study's lead investigator and an assistant professor in the UNC School of Social Work.
"The bottom line is that U.S. families raising children with disabilities are reporting severe hardships at rates that are chilling, including families that are solidly middle-class," she said. "We were shocked to find such high rates of hardship among upper-income families."
The study, which is based on 2002 data from the National Survey of American Families, is being published in this month's journal "Exceptional Children." The survey analyzed 28,141 households.
The UNC study found that overall, families across all income levels who are raising disabled children are significantly more challenged by food, housing and health issues compared to families without disabled
children. Many also struggled to pay their phone bills.
Most surprising, Parish said, was data indicating that a significant percentage of those struggling are higher-income households. Yet based on federal poverty guidelines - which have remained unchanged since the 1960s and are used to determine eligibility for many income, food, health and disability-related programs - those same households would not be classified as "poor," she said. They also would not qualify for assistance, despite the higher costs of raising children with disabilities, Parish noted. In 2002, the federal poverty level for a family of four was $18,100.
According to the study, 40 percent of the surveyed families with disabled children who earned between two to three times the federal poverty level (between $36,200 and $54,300 for a family of four, for
example) experienced at least one food hardship, including worrying that food would run out or skipping meals because of a lack of money. Fifteen percent of families with incomes at three or more times the federal poverty level ($54,300 and up for a family of four) experienced housing instability, meaning they were unable to pay their rent or had to move in with others.
"These results suggest that state and federal policies that are in place to help families with disabled children are not going nearly far enough," Parish said. "They are not eliminating deprivation. And these
findings are particularly troubling now when the nation's economy is struggling. Families raising children with disabilities are likely to be hardest hit during this economic downturn."
Though the study found that children with disabilities were more likely to have health insurance and a usual source of care, they were 61 percent more likely than non-disabled children to have postponed
necessary medical care and 83 percent more likely to have postponed needed dental care. The study didn't examine the causes for those results, but Parish said they likely are related to the expenses of
obtaining care - even with health insurance - and other issues, such as limited transportation.
The research results offer a compelling reason to expand eligibility standards for federal programs designed to assist families with disabled children, Parish said. Though more study is needed to determine how best to assist these families, UNC researchers suggest that increasing the income limits for food stamps, housing assistance and federal Supplemental Security Income, which assists low-income people with disabilities, would probably be a good start. Raising the asset limit for Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid, the federal insurance program for the poor and disabled, so that families are not penalized
for saving money in case of a hardship would also help, Parish said.
"These families struggle to provide adequate care for their disabled children," Parish said, "and stronger supports are vital."
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UNC trial aims to ease severe PMS suffering
Publish On 08-18-2008 , 11:28
A new clinical trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill using a popular low-dose contraceptive could uncover a more effective treatment for the 5 to 10 percent of women who suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
PMDD is much more severe than premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. The disorder interferes with a woman's ability to function effectively several days out of each month, every month. Physical symptoms include bloating, low energy, heart palpitations and joint or muscle pain. Far more disruptive emotional symptoms include irritability, anxiety, depression, mood swings, difficulty focusing and trouble sleeping. For many women with PMDD, five or more of these symptoms occur the week before menstruation starts and disappear a few days after the period begins.
The National Institute of Mental Health awarded UNC a $3 million grant for a five-year clinical trial using a low-dose contraceptive called YAZ (ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone). The trial is based on previous research by David Rubinow, M.D., the Asad Meymandi Distinguished Professor and chair of psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine.
Rubinow discovered it is the change in - not the level of - reproductive hormones that triggers depression in women who are susceptible to PMDD. In other words, women with the disorder don't have abnormal levels of reproductive hormones, but are more sensitive to the shifts in them that occur prior to menstruation. That sensitivity triggers mood symptoms.
"This study will potentially demonstrate that it is the regimen of administration of birth control pills rather than their specific formulation that results in successful treatment of PMDD," Rubinow said. His colleague and fellow co-principal investigator of the trial, Susan Girdler, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, added: "If we can eliminate the hormone cycling, we should eliminate the PMDD symptoms."
There are no other studies of continuous administration of birth control pills, so the ability of the study to identify the role of neurosteroids like allopregnanolone (a metabolite of progesterone) in PMDD is unique.
During the trial, researchers will test three groups of 27 women for a three-month period. One group will take a full 28-day dose of oral contraceptives continuously, while another takes the standard 21-7
regimen each month. A third group will be given a placebo.
After the three months, researchers will measure hormone cycling, as well as metabolites of progesterone, which are involved in activating brain centers. "They're regulators of mood and emotion, so if you can eliminate the metabolites that have been implicated in PMDD you may
create a huge benefit for women with PMDD," Girdler said.
"We believe this trial will help us understand the underlying physiology, which will allow for the development of a range of possible new treatments," Rubinow added.
That's good news for women like Jamie Dilweg of Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dilweg has managed the disease for 22 years. "Initially, I focused on physical symptoms," she said. "I'd gain weight. My face would be puffy. I had horrible cramps. And that would get me mentally down. The symptoms changed as I matured and had children. It gradually became more emotional. Now it also affects my mental acuity and I can still get down sometimes."
Dilweg's symptoms are fairly manageable, but other women can suffer major disruptions. "The impairment and reduction in quality of life for women with PMDD during their premenstrual phase is equivalent to people with major depression, anxiety disorder and even post-traumatic stress
disorder," said Girdler.
While some women try antidepressants like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) to ease the symptoms, a full 40 percent don't respond well to this treatment. "We need other treatment options,"
Girdler said. "If we can show that continuous low-dose contraceptives are effective, that opens up another option that may have a better risk-benefit profile than SSRIs."
Women with severe premenstrual symptoms who are medically healthy and not currently taking psychotropic medicines for PMDD are invited to enroll in the trial. "Many women in our previous studies felt better knowing they were contributing to furthering our knowledge about this disorder and informing subsequent treatment options," Girdler said.
And even those who are not accepted will derive benefit from participating. "We can give them a gold-standard diagnosis if they do have PMDD; and if they have something else we can help them find
treatment for it," Girdler added.
That knowledge can provide comfort to women struggling with the disorder. "Now that I've got the diagnosis," Dilweg said, "I know what to do and where to go. I have all the information and I know help is
there. There's such a peace of mind from that."
There is also hope. "The more we understand, the better we can treat it, and the better for everyone," Dilweg said. "There is so much lost productivity in women with PMDD. Just think how much more a woman could accomplish if she didn't have to lose so much of herself and her energy
every month."
The trial is currently enrolling subjects. Interested women can call (919) 966-2547 or visit www.womensmooddisorders.org.
NOTE: To see a video related to the trial and Rubinow and Girdler's research, go to: http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/pmdd_relief0814.
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Tough economy hits school kids
Publish On 08-18-2008 , 05:04
As kids return to school amid a shaky economy and high food and gas prices, they’re finding belt-tightening measures everywhere, The Associated Press reports.
Across the U.S., some kids have to walk farther to the school bus while others are getting used to skipping classes on one day and working longer classes on other days to save fuel. As schools look for places to save money now being drained by high fuel prices, some field trips are being cancelled, and the cost of some cafeteria food also is expected to rise. But even as parents try to spend less by shopping for back-to-school bargains, in some states they’re being asked to donate more financially at cash-strapped schools.
For more on this story, click here.
Interested in more back-to-school issues? Read Carolina Parent’s Back-To-School Guide.
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Wake County hosts Cultural Arts Festival
Publish On 08-15-2008 , 05:41
The 29th annual Cultural Arts Festival, cosponsored by United Arts Council and Wake County Public School System, kicks off Saturday, Aug.16, at 8:30 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. at Raleigh’s Wakefield High School, on 2200 Wakefield Pines Drive. The festival is a day-long, trade-show-format event that allows school representatives to see firsthand a sampling of the artists available through United Arts Council’s Artists Resource Directory.
Giant puppets, stories from other lands, pottery and batik residencies, and writing residencies are just some of the arts events available to schools, communities and presenters through the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.
The festival provides school and community representatives an opportunity to meet the artists and watch them showcase segments of their programs throughout the day. The event features artists who participate in the United Arts Council’s Artists in the Schools (AIS) Program. AIS offers funding to Wake County public, private and charter schools to bring artists into schools for performances, workshops and residencies.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the teachers and PTA reps to spend time with a large number of artists, experience their performances and have all their questions answered,” said Eleanor Oakley, President and CEO of United Arts. “This festival has a long history and is a very unique opportunity.”
Last year’s event had more than 400 attendees, with more than 100 artists, and it generated more than $400,000 in revenue for artists. United Arts, along with school PTAs, helped bring more than 300 arts events--including performances, residencies and workshops--to 131 Wake schools in 2007-2008. To date, more than 150 parents and teachers have committed to volunteering as cultural arts representatives, committed to oversee their school’s cultural arts programming. United Arts is proud to partner with Wake County PTAs from schools throughout the county. In addition to school representatives from Wake and Johnston counties, arts presenters and teachers from other nearby counties and throughout the state also attend the festival to see high quality artists demonstrate programs for school and youth audiences.
The Artists Resource Directory includes artists from across the country who present educational arts programs designed specifically for young audiences. In addition to youth programming, many of these artists also present performances that would be suitable for adult/all-ages audiences at low to moderate costs. Community members and families are welcome to attend this event at no charge.
For more information about this event, or to order a Directory ($40 plus $5 shipping), please contact Jamie Katz at 919-839-1498 x233 or jkatz@unitedarts.org.
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Bush signs bill banning lead from children's toys
Publish On 08-15-2008 , 05:01
President Bush on Thursday signed a sweeping consumer-safety bill into law, banning both lead from children's toys as well as phthalates, a chemical that is used in plastic products such as baby bottles, The Associated Press reports.
The law also shores up the beleaguered Consumer Product Safety Commission, which critics have blamed for unsafe toys reaching store shelves. Under the legislation, the agency’s budget will double to $136 million by 2014, and it will gain power to oversee testing procedures and to penalize violators.
For more on this story, click here.
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College Board to debut 8th-grade PSAT exam
Publish On 08-14-2008 , 06:16
Possibly coming in 2010 to a middle school near you: The 8th grade PSAT.
The College Board, which owns the SAT, PSAT and other tests, is planning to offer eight-graders the choice of taking a college assessment exam, the Los Angeles Times reports. The test would be designed to identify talented students and get them into college prep classes early.
Although voluntary, the test would add to the pressures on students considering college and is simply a marketing ploy to boost the College Board’s revenue, critics say. Last year, 3.4 million students took the PSAT, which is also a voluntary test.
On the other hand, supporters of the 8th-grade assessment say it will help focus teachers and families on what students need to succeed academically.
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Stay-at-home moms hug home
Publish On 08-13-2008 , 06:11
Some stay-at-home moms are finding that hard economic times, particularly high gas prices, have curtailed their travel and entertainment, forcing them to remain at home, an often isolating and frustrating experience, the Associated Press reports.
Some of the moms who stay at home want to return to work, if they could find the right job, but many don’t. Recent labor statistics reveal that the poor economy has hurt women in the labor force, where their participation, which had been growing steadily for decades, has slowed recently. And no one is really sure why: Are women “opting out” to care for children or have they been hit by hard times? For more on this story, click here. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
If you're interested in why women leave the workplace, attend Carolina Parent's Women@Work Breakfast, Wednesday, Sept. 17, when you'll hear insight from our Keynote speaker: Pamela Stone, author of Opting Out? Why women really quit careers and head home.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Study: Cheerleading accounts for more severe injuries than had been thought
Publish On 08-12-2008 , 06:13
A new report on severe sporting injuries among high school and college athletes shows cheerleading appears to account for a larger proportion of all such injuries than previously thought.
The latest annual report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-based National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research shows high school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all catastrophic sports injuries among high school females over the past 25 years.
Previously, the figure was believed to be 55 percent, but new data included in this year's survey indicates that the true number of cheerleading injuries appears to be higher.
The story is the same for college participants as well. At that level, the new data shows cheerleading accounted for 66.7 percent of all female sports catastrophic injuries, compared to past estimates of 59.4
percent.
The difference is due to a new partnership between the UNC center and the National Cheer Safety Foundation, a California-based not-for-profit body created to promote safety in the sport and collect data on injuries, which provided the center with previously unreported data. The addition of new information compiled by the foundation saw the inclusion of an additional 30 injury records from high schoolers and college students. Beforehand, the number of direct catastrophic injuries in all sports totaled 112.
The center's director, Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., professor of exercise and sports science in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, who has authored the report since it was first published in 1982, said catastrophic injuries to female athletes have increased over the years.
"A major factor in this increase has been the change in cheerleading activity, which now involves gymnastic-type stunts," Mueller said. "If these cheerleading activities are not taught by a competent coach and keep increasing in difficulty, catastrophic injuries will continue to be a part of cheerleading."
Between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast majority (67) occurring in cheerleading. No other sports registered
double-figure tallies; gymnastics (9) and track (7) had the 2nd and 3rd highest totals, respectively.
Among college athletes, there have been 39 such injuries: 26 in cheerleading, followed by three in field hockey and two each in lacrosse and gymnastics.
In 2007, two catastrophic injuries to female high school cheerleaders were reported, down from 10 in the previous season, and the lowest number since 2001. However, there were three catastrophic injuries to
college-level participants, up from one in 2006.
Mueller said catastrophic sporting injuries may never be totally eliminated, but collecting and constantly analyzing reliable injury data can help reduce them dramatically.
According to the report, almost 95,200 female students take part in high school cheerleading annually, along with about 2,150 males. College participation numbers are hard to find since cheerleading is not an NCAA sport. The report also notes that according to the NCAA Insurance program, 25 percent of money spent on student athlete injuries in 2005 resulted from cheerleading.
The report is available online at: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/AllSport.htm.
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UNC study links spanking, abuse
Publish On 08-19-2008 , 17:28
Spanking a child could be a prelude to harsher forms of discipline or child abuse, according to a new study by the Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In a survey of more than 1,400 mothers in North and South Carolina, mothers who said they or their partners spanked their children in the past year were nearly three times more likely to say they also doled out harsher punishments than those who said their children weren’t spanked.
Such punishments included behaviors considered physically abusive by the researchers, such as beating, burning, kicking, hitting with an object somewhere other than the buttocks or shaking a child younger than 2.
"In addition, increases in the frequency of spanking are associated with increased odds of abuse, and mothers who report spanking on the buttocks with an object – such as a belt or a switch – are nine times more likely to report abuse, compared to mothers who report no spanking with an object," Dr. Adam J. Zolotor, the study's lead author and an assistant professor in the department of family medicine in the UNC School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Although some studies show a modest decline in spanking over the last 30 years, recent surveys show that up to 90 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 5 are spanked by their parents at least occasionally.
Only 2 percent of the mothers surveyed who reported no spanking reported use of physically abusive punishment, compared with 6 percent of mothers who reported spanking and 12 percent of mothers who reported spanking with an object.
The study concluded that efforts to reduce spanking, especially with an object, through media, educational and legislative means may reduce physical child abuse.
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Sleepless nights can hike teens' blood pressure
Publish On 08-19-2008 , 05:16
Teens who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for high blood pressure regardless of their sex, weight or socioeconomic status, according to a new study released yesterday, Reuters reported.
The Case Western Reserve University study found that teens who slept fewer than 6 1/2 hours nightly more than doubled their risk of high blood pressure and those with troubled sleep more than tripled their risk. The pediatrician who led the study said adolescents need 9 hours of sleep, but teens weren’t getting enough sleep partly because computers, cell phones and music had invaded their bedrooms. She said parents should help their families get better sleep by setting regular times to go to bed and wake up and by keeping bedrooms quiet and dark. For more on this story, click here.
Having trouble getting your kids to bed when they head back to school? Read Carolina Parent's Sleep Smarts in our Back-To-School Guide.
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Study: 'Chilling' hardship rates among families raising disabled kids
Publish On 08-18-2008 , 11:42
Families with disabled children are struggling to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads, and to pay for needed health and dental care. But according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, these challenges are now falling on middle-income households and not just on poor families as previous research has found.
These latest findings show that long-held federal standards for identifying the nation's poor are not capturing everyone in need and should be re-evaluated, especially for the financial effects on disabled
children, said Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., the study's lead investigator and an assistant professor in the UNC School of Social Work.
"The bottom line is that U.S. families raising children with disabilities are reporting severe hardships at rates that are chilling, including families that are solidly middle-class," she said. "We were shocked to find such high rates of hardship among upper-income families."
The study, which is based on 2002 data from the National Survey of American Families, is being published in this month's journal "Exceptional Children." The survey analyzed 28,141 households.
The UNC study found that overall, families across all income levels who are raising disabled children are significantly more challenged by food, housing and health issues compared to families without disabled
children. Many also struggled to pay their phone bills.
Most surprising, Parish said, was data indicating that a significant percentage of those struggling are higher-income households. Yet based on federal poverty guidelines - which have remained unchanged since the 1960s and are used to determine eligibility for many income, food, health and disability-related programs - those same households would not be classified as "poor," she said. They also would not qualify for assistance, despite the higher costs of raising children with disabilities, Parish noted. In 2002, the federal poverty level for a family of four was $18,100.
According to the study, 40 percent of the surveyed families with disabled children who earned between two to three times the federal poverty level (between $36,200 and $54,300 for a family of four, for
example) experienced at least one food hardship, including worrying that food would run out or skipping meals because of a lack of money. Fifteen percent of families with incomes at three or more times the federal poverty level ($54,300 and up for a family of four) experienced housing instability, meaning they were unable to pay their rent or had to move in with others.
"These results suggest that state and federal policies that are in place to help families with disabled children are not going nearly far enough," Parish said. "They are not eliminating deprivation. And these
findings are particularly troubling now when the nation's economy is struggling. Families raising children with disabilities are likely to be hardest hit during this economic downturn."
Though the study found that children with disabilities were more likely to have health insurance and a usual source of care, they were 61 percent more likely than non-disabled children to have postponed
necessary medical care and 83 percent more likely to have postponed needed dental care. The study didn't examine the causes for those results, but Parish said they likely are related to the expenses of
obtaining care - even with health insurance - and other issues, such as limited transportation.
The research results offer a compelling reason to expand eligibility standards for federal programs designed to assist families with disabled children, Parish said. Though more study is needed to determine how best to assist these families, UNC researchers suggest that increasing the income limits for food stamps, housing assistance and federal Supplemental Security Income, which assists low-income people with disabilities, would probably be a good start. Raising the asset limit for Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid, the federal insurance program for the poor and disabled, so that families are not penalized
for saving money in case of a hardship would also help, Parish said.
"These families struggle to provide adequate care for their disabled children," Parish said, "and stronger supports are vital."
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UNC trial aims to ease severe PMS suffering
Publish On 08-18-2008 , 11:28
A new clinical trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill using a popular low-dose contraceptive could uncover a more effective treatment for the 5 to 10 percent of women who suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
PMDD is much more severe than premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. The disorder interferes with a woman's ability to function effectively several days out of each month, every month. Physical symptoms include bloating, low energy, heart palpitations and joint or muscle pain. Far more disruptive emotional symptoms include irritability, anxiety, depression, mood swings, difficulty focusing and trouble sleeping. For many women with PMDD, five or more of these symptoms occur the week before menstruation starts and disappear a few days after the period begins.
The National Institute of Mental Health awarded UNC a $3 million grant for a five-year clinical trial using a low-dose contraceptive called YAZ (ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone). The trial is based on previous research by David Rubinow, M.D., the Asad Meymandi Distinguished Professor and chair of psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine.
Rubinow discovered it is the change in - not the level of - reproductive hormones that triggers depression in women who are susceptible to PMDD. In other words, women with the disorder don't have abnormal levels of reproductive hormones, but are more sensitive to the shifts in them that occur prior to menstruation. That sensitivity triggers mood symptoms.
"This study will potentially demonstrate that it is the regimen of administration of birth control pills rather than their specific formulation that results in successful treatment of PMDD," Rubinow said. His colleague and fellow co-principal investigator of the trial, Susan Girdler, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, added: "If we can eliminate the hormone cycling, we should eliminate the PMDD symptoms."
There are no other studies of continuous administration of birth control pills, so the ability of the study to identify the role of neurosteroids like allopregnanolone (a metabolite of progesterone) in PMDD is unique.
During the trial, researchers will test three groups of 27 women for a three-month period. One group will take a full 28-day dose of oral contraceptives continuously, while another takes the standard 21-7
regimen each month. A third group will be given a placebo.
After the three months, researchers will measure hormone cycling, as well as metabolites of progesterone, which are involved in activating brain centers. "They're regulators of mood and emotion, so if you can eliminate the metabolites that have been implicated in PMDD you may
create a huge benefit for women with PMDD," Girdler said.
"We believe this trial will help us understand the underlying physiology, which will allow for the development of a range of possible new treatments," Rubinow added.
That's good news for women like Jamie Dilweg of Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dilweg has managed the disease for 22 years. "Initially, I focused on physical symptoms," she said. "I'd gain weight. My face would be puffy. I had horrible cramps. And that would get me mentally down. The symptoms changed as I matured and had children. It gradually became more emotional. Now it also affects my mental acuity and I can still get down sometimes."
Dilweg's symptoms are fairly manageable, but other women can suffer major disruptions. "The impairment and reduction in quality of life for women with PMDD during their premenstrual phase is equivalent to people with major depression, anxiety disorder and even post-traumatic stress
disorder," said Girdler.
While some women try antidepressants like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) to ease the symptoms, a full 40 percent don't respond well to this treatment. "We need other treatment options,"
Girdler said. "If we can show that continuous low-dose contraceptives are effective, that opens up another option that may have a better risk-benefit profile than SSRIs."
Women with severe premenstrual symptoms who are medically healthy and not currently taking psychotropic medicines for PMDD are invited to enroll in the trial. "Many women in our previous studies felt better knowing they were contributing to furthering our knowledge about this disorder and informing subsequent treatment options," Girdler said.
And even those who are not accepted will derive benefit from participating. "We can give them a gold-standard diagnosis if they do have PMDD; and if they have something else we can help them find
treatment for it," Girdler added.
That knowledge can provide comfort to women struggling with the disorder. "Now that I've got the diagnosis," Dilweg said, "I know what to do and where to go. I have all the information and I know help is
there. There's such a peace of mind from that."
There is also hope. "The more we understand, the better we can treat it, and the better for everyone," Dilweg said. "There is so much lost productivity in women with PMDD. Just think how much more a woman could accomplish if she didn't have to lose so much of herself and her energy
every month."
The trial is currently enrolling subjects. Interested women can call (919) 966-2547 or visit www.womensmooddisorders.org.
NOTE: To see a video related to the trial and Rubinow and Girdler's research, go to: http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/pmdd_relief0814.
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Tough economy hits school kids
Publish On 08-18-2008 , 05:04
As kids return to school amid a shaky economy and high food and gas prices, they’re finding belt-tightening measures everywhere, The Associated Press reports.
Across the U.S., some kids have to walk farther to the school bus while others are getting used to skipping classes on one day and working longer classes on other days to save fuel. As schools look for places to save money now being drained by high fuel prices, some field trips are being cancelled, and the cost of some cafeteria food also is expected to rise. But even as parents try to spend less by shopping for back-to-school bargains, in some states they’re being asked to donate more financially at cash-strapped schools.
For more on this story, click here.
Interested in more back-to-school issues? Read Carolina Parent’s Back-To-School Guide.
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Wake County hosts Cultural Arts Festival
Publish On 08-15-2008 , 05:41
The 29th annual Cultural Arts Festival, cosponsored by United Arts Council and Wake County Public School System, kicks off Saturday, Aug.16, at 8:30 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. at Raleigh’s Wakefield High School, on 2200 Wakefield Pines Drive. The festival is a day-long, trade-show-format event that allows school representatives to see firsthand a sampling of the artists available through United Arts Council’s Artists Resource Directory.
Giant puppets, stories from other lands, pottery and batik residencies, and writing residencies are just some of the arts events available to schools, communities and presenters through the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.
The festival provides school and community representatives an opportunity to meet the artists and watch them showcase segments of their programs throughout the day. The event features artists who participate in the United Arts Council’s Artists in the Schools (AIS) Program. AIS offers funding to Wake County public, private and charter schools to bring artists into schools for performances, workshops and residencies.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the teachers and PTA reps to spend time with a large number of artists, experience their performances and have all their questions answered,” said Eleanor Oakley, President and CEO of United Arts. “This festival has a long history and is a very unique opportunity.”
Last year’s event had more than 400 attendees, with more than 100 artists, and it generated more than $400,000 in revenue for artists. United Arts, along with school PTAs, helped bring more than 300 arts events--including performances, residencies and workshops--to 131 Wake schools in 2007-2008. To date, more than 150 parents and teachers have committed to volunteering as cultural arts representatives, committed to oversee their school’s cultural arts programming. United Arts is proud to partner with Wake County PTAs from schools throughout the county. In addition to school representatives from Wake and Johnston counties, arts presenters and teachers from other nearby counties and throughout the state also attend the festival to see high quality artists demonstrate programs for school and youth audiences.
The Artists Resource Directory includes artists from across the country who present educational arts programs designed specifically for young audiences. In addition to youth programming, many of these artists also present performances that would be suitable for adult/all-ages audiences at low to moderate costs. Community members and families are welcome to attend this event at no charge.
For more information about this event, or to order a Directory ($40 plus $5 shipping), please contact Jamie Katz at 919-839-1498 x233 or jkatz@unitedarts.org.
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Bush signs bill banning lead from children's toys
Publish On 08-15-2008 , 05:01
President Bush on Thursday signed a sweeping consumer-safety bill into law, banning both lead from children's toys as well as phthalates, a chemical that is used in plastic products such as baby bottles, The Associated Press reports.
The law also shores up the beleaguered Consumer Product Safety Commission, which critics have blamed for unsafe toys reaching store shelves. Under the legislation, the agency’s budget will double to $136 million by 2014, and it will gain power to oversee testing procedures and to penalize violators.
For more on this story, click here.
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College Board to debut 8th-grade PSAT exam
Publish On 08-14-2008 , 06:16
Possibly coming in 2010 to a middle school near you: The 8th grade PSAT.
The College Board, which owns the SAT, PSAT and other tests, is planning to offer eight-graders the choice of taking a college assessment exam, the Los Angeles Times reports. The test would be designed to identify talented students and get them into college prep classes early.
Although voluntary, the test would add to the pressures on students considering college and is simply a marketing ploy to boost the College Board’s revenue, critics say. Last year, 3.4 million students took the PSAT, which is also a voluntary test.
On the other hand, supporters of the 8th-grade assessment say it will help focus teachers and families on what students need to succeed academically.
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Stay-at-home moms hug home
Publish On 08-13-2008 , 06:11
Some stay-at-home moms are finding that hard economic times, particularly high gas prices, have curtailed their travel and entertainment, forcing them to remain at home, an often isolating and frustrating experience, the Associated Press reports.
Some of the moms who stay at home want to return to work, if they could find the right job, but many don’t. Recent labor statistics reveal that the poor economy has hurt women in the labor force, where their participation, which had been growing steadily for decades, has slowed recently. And no one is really sure why: Are women “opting out” to care for children or have they been hit by hard times? For more on this story, click here. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
If you're interested in why women leave the workplace, attend Carolina Parent's Women@Work Breakfast, Wednesday, Sept. 17, when you'll hear insight from our Keynote speaker: Pamela Stone, author of Opting Out? Why women really quit careers and head home.
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Study: Cheerleading accounts for more severe injuries than had been thought
Publish On 08-12-2008 , 06:13
A new report on severe sporting injuries among high school and college athletes shows cheerleading appears to account for a larger proportion of all such injuries than previously thought.
The latest annual report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-based National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research shows high school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all catastrophic sports injuries among high school females over the past 25 years.
Previously, the figure was believed to be 55 percent, but new data included in this year's survey indicates that the true number of cheerleading injuries appears to be higher.
The story is the same for college participants as well. At that level, the new data shows cheerleading accounted for 66.7 percent of all female sports catastrophic injuries, compared to past estimates of 59.4
percent.
The difference is due to a new partnership between the UNC center and the National Cheer Safety Foundation, a California-based not-for-profit body created to promote safety in the sport and collect data on injuries, which provided the center with previously unreported data. The addition of new information compiled by the foundation saw the inclusion of an additional 30 injury records from high schoolers and college students. Beforehand, the number of direct catastrophic injuries in all sports totaled 112.
The center's director, Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., professor of exercise and sports science in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, who has authored the report since it was first published in 1982, said catastrophic injuries to female athletes have increased over the years.
"A major factor in this increase has been the change in cheerleading activity, which now involves gymnastic-type stunts," Mueller said. "If these cheerleading activities are not taught by a competent coach and keep increasing in difficulty, catastrophic injuries will continue to be a part of cheerleading."
Between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast majority (67) occurring in cheerleading. No other sports registered
double-figure tallies; gymnastics (9) and track (7) had the 2nd and 3rd highest totals, respectively.
Among college athletes, there have been 39 such injuries: 26 in cheerleading, followed by three in field hockey and two each in lacrosse and gymnastics.
In 2007, two catastrophic injuries to female high school cheerleaders were reported, down from 10 in the previous season, and the lowest number since 2001. However, there were three catastrophic injuries to
college-level participants, up from one in 2006.
Mueller said catastrophic sporting injuries may never be totally eliminated, but collecting and constantly analyzing reliable injury data can help reduce them dramatically.
According to the report, almost 95,200 female students take part in high school cheerleading annually, along with about 2,150 males. College participation numbers are hard to find since cheerleading is not an NCAA sport. The report also notes that according to the NCAA Insurance program, 25 percent of money spent on student athlete injuries in 2005 resulted from cheerleading.
The report is available online at: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/AllSport.htm.
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