As U.S. teen birthrate reaches 70-year low, Ky. still 7th highest

The teenage birth rate nationwide is the lowest in nearly 70 years, but Kentucky's rate is much higher than the national average — 46.2 births per 1,000 compared to 34.3 across the U.S.

That ranks it seventh highest in the nation, but the figure is down from 53.1 per 1,000 in 2007. Nationwide, the number is down from 61.8 per 1,000 in 1991. "Young people are being more careful," Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, told Sharon Jayson of USA Today.

In 2010, a total of 367,752 infants were born to mothers ages 15 to 19. Mississippi had the highest rate, with 55 teen births per 1,000 and New Hampshire had the lowest with 15.7, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Girls who are having sex for the first time are much more likely to use contraception than their predecessors, notes Laura Lindberg, a senior research associate with the non-profit Guttmacher Institute in New York. She credited the lower teen-birth rate to "the elimination of pelvic exams before receiving prescriptions for hormonal methods, as well as use of long-acting methods such as IUDs." (Read more)

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Writer weighs in on morning-after pill decision in provocative way, looking at both sides but ultimately saying it protects girls

Freelancer Mariam Williams writes a provocative piece in The Courier-Journal about a federal official's recent rejection of a proposal to allow girls 16 and under to obtain the morning-after pill without a prescription.

Williams speaks to girls who fall in this age group and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of the decision, which was made last week by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, despite a recommendation to the contrary by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"Her decision will come at a cost to me and every other adult woman of child-bearing age," Williams writes. "It will set a precedent for every time someone wants to ignore science and embrace an ideology that not everyone else believes. Her actions will tell them that's OK, and when a pharmacist denies a grown woman's request for the morning-after pill, or when people who believe a fertilized egg is a person can't give any scientific reason for the laws they want to pass, they'll point to Kathleen Sebelius.

"But I believe you and girls younger than you are worth the danger her decision put all of us in. She did this to protect you where the adults in your life have failed you, to push you to talk to an adult if you're having sex or if you've been sexually assaulted so that you can get the information you need to be as safe as possible. So I hope you take your behavior seriously. We women do." (Read more)

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Morning-after pill should not be available to young girls over the counter, HHS secretary says, reversing FDA

Contrary to the recommendation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, girls younger than 17 won't be able to get the "morning-after pill" without a prescription. The FDA was overruled by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday.

"Right now, girls age 17 and older can get the emergency contraceptive without a prescription, but a prescription is required for girls age 16 and younger," reports Darla Carter of The Courier-Journal.

Teva Women's Health requested that the drug, known officially as Plan B One-Step, be available to all girls of child-bearing age. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg was in favor of the request, saying she felt there was "adequate, reasonable, well-supported, and science-based evidence that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective."

But Sebelius disagreed and directed the FDA to write a letter denying Teva's request. "She cited insufficient data to support the company's application, plus cognitive differences between older adolescents and younger girls, such as 11-year-olds," Carter reports. (Read more)

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Teens don't need sports drinks unless they are playing sports, and shouldn't consume energy drinks, experts say

Though teens are increasingly consuming sports and energy drinks, the beverages don't offer them any benefits, a report contends. In fact, teens should only consume sports drinks like Gatorade if they're actually playing sports and avoid caffeinated energy drinks like Red Bull entirely, reports Alice Park of Time magazine's Healthland. "Water, not sports drinks, should be the major source of hydration for adolescents," said Dr. Marcie Schneider said.

The report was compiled by the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Nutrition and its Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. It found many teens consume sports drinks (Getty Images photo) in the school cafeteria, in part because sodas are increasingly being taken out of school vending machines. Sports drinks have extra carbohydrates and electrolytes, which can be beneficial after intense workout sessions. "But outside that setting — and honestly most of our teens and children are way outside that setting — they don't need sports drinks," Schneider said. The extra carbs are just extra calories. They also can erode enamel from teeth and cause dental problems.

Energy drinks are similar to sports drinks, but have the added ingredient of caffeine, which kids also don't need. "We know that caffeine raises heart rate, blood pressure, speech rates and motor activity, and affects how much acid your stomach secretes, your body temperature and how much you sleep or don't sleep" Schneider said. These drinks can make children who are already anxious have more anxiety and rev up kids with attention deficity hyperactivity disorder even more. "Do these kids really need caffeine as part of their lives? The answer is no." (Read more)

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Pediatrics academy tells parents to monitor kids' online activities

A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses children's physicians can play a vital role in educating parents about setting limits for kids when it comes to technology like texting and Facebook.

"Pediatricians are in a unique position to help families understand these sites and to encourage healthy use," the report says. The academy recommends that parents communicate often with their kids about time spent on computers, both to make sure it is not harmful to them and it doesn't conflict with family time. "I think even in the tween years, this has to be happening because ... more and more, pop culture is percolating down to tweens," Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, a North Carolina pediatrician and co-author of the report, told The Courier-Journal's Darla Carter.

Parents should look for signs of sleep deprivation and "Facebook depression," which can happen when children spend a lot of time on social media sites. Parents should also have a plan regarding when electronics should be allowed to be used at home, during dinner or at bedtime, for example. Parents should also talk to their children about how to be a "responsible digital citizen," Clarke-Pearson said, which involves talking about subjects like sexting, cyberbullying or posting inappropriate matter or comments.

Kids and teens can be influenced by social media and other websites to try risky behavior, such inhaling chemicals or trying the choking game, experts say. "The mantra basically is it's not going to happen to me, so they will do these things because everybody else is," Dr. Hatim Omar, a pediatrics professor at the University of Kentucky, told Carter.

Earlier this year, the academy reported about one in five teens log onto their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half log on more than once a day. "It also notes that 75 percent of teens own cell phones and 25 percent use them for social media while 54 percent use them for texting and 24 perfect use them for instant messaging," Carter notes. (Read more)

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