Grundy County Health Department
1716 Lincoln / Trenton, MO 64683
PH: 660.359.4196 FAX: 660.359.5470
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Grundy County Health Department 1716 Lincoln / Trenton, MO 64683 PH: 660.359.4196 FAX: 660.359.5470
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Public Health PostJuly - September 2006
Contents National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
Return To The Family DinnerFor many American families, the shared mealtime is less and less common. One in four parents reported that their families eat together four or fewer times per week. One in ten parents admitted that they eat only one or no meals per week with their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends shared dinner times as often as possible as a way to strengthen families and support children’s development. There are many ways that shared mealtimes can benefit families. Regular-shared mealtimes can increase children’s sense of belonging and stability. Children who share meals with their families on a regular basis tend to eat healthier foods than those who do not. They eat less high-fat, high-sugar prepared and packaged foods and more fruits and vegetables. Teenagers who eat frequent meals with their families are less likely to be depressed or use drugs than those who do not. They are also less likely to be violent, have sex and experience emotional stress. Adolescents who eat meals with their families frequently are likely to be more highly motivated in school and have better peer relationships. Family mealtimes promote parent-child communication. Experts agree that open communication with parents is important from a child’s early months through their teen years. Mealtimes may provide a time and place for in-depth talks, relaxation and catching up on family news. Although most families agree it’s important, many families find it difficult to have meals together. Conflicting schedules, the interference of television (50% of families in a recent Gallop poll say their families watch television during dinner), and differences in food preferences, are some of the reasons families find it difficult to come together for a meal. While the barriers are challenging, the benefits lead many parents to try to increase the number of meals that they share with their children. Here are some ideas for getting your family to the table. Make it a family priority to share meals. Every family member should make the commitment and stick to it. Declare shared meals to be "sacred" family time. Set a beginning and ending time and devote the meal to talking and having fun as a family. Eliminate distractions—television, telephones, and newspapers. Be flexible about when, where and what. Shared meals don't have to be fancy. The food can be from the freezer or from a restaurant. If you can't eat together every evening, start with some evenings. Write them on the calendar. If you can’t find evenings, try mornings. Make some meals fun and creative. Create family traditions such as a family picnic night where simple meals can be eaten on the back porch or in a nearby park. Get everyone involved. Children are more likely to eat meals that they help plan or prepare. Young children can wash vegetables, tear lettuce and set the table. Older children may have the responsibility (and freedom) to prepare a simple dish or a complete meal for the family. Encourage relaxed conversation. Let everyone have a turn talking and set a "no bickering" rule (violators might have to wash dishes). Ban topics that are strictly for adults (mortgage rates or work stress). While table manners and courtesy are important, avoid discipline during mealtime. For more suggestions about creating or enhancing your family mealtime, visit http://parenting247.org.
From “Family Rituals and Traditions”, University of Illinois Extension,
New Rotavirus VaccineIn May, 2006 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to recommend a newly licensed vaccine to protect against rotavirus. Rotavirus is a viral infection that can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and dehydration (gastroenteritis) in infants and young children. What Is Rotavirus? "Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide" said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Immunization Program. "Nearly every child in the United States is infected with rotavirus by age five and most will develop gastroenteritis, leading to a large number of physician visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations, with a few deaths. Therefore, this vaccine will help reduce one of our most common and potentially severe childhood illnesses." In developing countries, rotavirus is a major cause of childhood deaths, causing more than half a million deaths each year in children younger than five years of age. When Should My Child Receive The Vaccination? The ACIP recommendation is for infants to receive three doses of the oral vaccine at two, four, and six months of age. Children should receive the first dose of the vaccine by 12 weeks of age and should receive all doses of the vaccine by 32 weeks of age. The new vaccine, RotaTeq (marketed by Merck and Company), is the only vaccine approved in the United States for prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea). Rotavirus vaccine will not prevent gastroenteritis caused by other viruses, but is very effective against rotavirus disease. Studies indicate the vaccine will prevent about 74 percent of all rotavirus cases and about 98 percent of the most severe cases, including 96 percent of rotavirus cases requiring hospitalization. In trials, the vaccine prevented 59 percent of all causes of gastroenteritis hospitalizations, which highlights the important role of rotavirus in severe childhood gastroenteritis. Isn't There Another Vaccine For Rotavirus? In 1999, RotaShield, a different rotavirus vaccine was withdrawn from the market after it was found to be associated with a rare type of bowel obstruction called intussusception. "This is a different vaccine than the vaccine removed from the market because of problems with bowel obstructions," said Dr. Schuchat. "It is made differently and was not associated with intussusception in a large clinical trial. Nevertheless, we will continue to very closely monitor this vaccine to ensure there are no problems. At the same time it’s important to remember that the known benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any known risks." The Grundy County Health Department will offer the RotaTeq oral vaccine according to Federal Vaccines For Children (VFC) guidelines. For more information on rotavirus and the rotavirus vaccine, visit www.cdc.gov. From the Centers For Disease Control
Who Needs A Mumps (MMR) VaccinationWith the recent mumps outbreaks in Iowa and Kansas, children and adults should check their vaccination status. The Grundy County Health Department recommends the following:
All adults in the following categories who have not had two doses should have one:
New Food Code InformationThe Department of Health and Senior Services has amended the 1999 Food Code for the producers of jams, jellies and honey whose annual sales of those items are less than $30,000. Producers in this category may now use their home kitchen and are no longer required to construct a separate facility to produce these products. The Health Department will not be performing inspections of these operations or regulating them in any way if they meet the following requirements: 1. Food products must be made in the home of the person processing them and sold by the processor directly to the end consumer and not to a reseller. These uninspected food products should not be available on the shelves of the local grocery store unless the store is owned by the jam, jelly or honey producer. 2. During the sale of such jams, jellies and honey, a placard shall be displayed in a prominent location stating the following: "This product has not been inspected by the Department of Health and Senior Services." 3. Annual gross sales may not exceed $30,000. 4. The jam, jelly or honey container must bear the following information: name and address of producer, common name of the food, a list of ingredients of the food, and a statement that the food has not been inspected by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. 5. Violators of these provisions may be prohibited from selling jams, jellies and honey by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. For more information about the Missouri Food Code contact Duane Smith at the Grundy County Health Department.
Group B StrepIf you are pregnant you need to learn about "group B strep." Group B streptococcal bacteria (also called GBS, group B strep, or baby strep) are a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness and death in newborns. Group B strep is the most common cause of sepsis (blood infection) and meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining around the brain) in newborns. Until recent screening guidelines, thousands of cases of disease used to occur each year. The good news is that most cases can now be prevented. An easy screening when a woman is 35 to 37 weeks pregnant (9th month) can show whether she is a 'carrier' for group B strep. About 1 in 4 women are carriers of this type of bacteria—the bacteria are found in their bodies without making them feel sick. It is not a sexually transmitted disease, and it is not spread from food or water. The bacteria can be passed from the mother to the baby during labor. For women whose tests show the bacteria during pregnancy, antibiotics given during labor can prevent group B strep disease in babies. If your test shows that you carry the bacteria, talk with your doctor about a plan for labor. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/groupBstrep.
New Booster Seat LawAlthough most parents know that a child under the age of four must ride in a car safety seat, only 10-20 percent of kids ages four to eight are using booster seats. Moving a child to a safety belt too early greatly increases risk of injury. Children ages two to five who are prematurely graduated to safety belts are four times more likely to suffer serious head injuries in a crash than those restrained in child safety seats or booster seats. In Missouri, booster seats will become mandatory for children aged 4-7 on August 28,. 2006. The new law’s provisions: Children (ages 4-7) who weigh at least 40 pounds but less than 80 pounds, and are less than 4'9" tall must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat appropriate for that child. Children who are at least 80 pounds or children taller than 4'9" shall be secured by a vehicle safety belt or booster seat appropriate for that child. Children less than 4 years old OR less than 40 pounds are still required to use an appropriate child passenger restraint system. The Grundy County Health Department has three Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians that can check the installation of your infant car seat or booster seat and give you more information about the new law.
National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance SystemPublic Health must assess and monitor factors that contribute to death and disease. Although some factors that affect health status, such as environment and heredity, may be imposed, other contributors are chosen risk behaviors. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. These behaviors, often established during childhood and early adolescence, include:
The YRBSS was designed to:
For more information on healthy youth, visit www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/.
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Grundy County Health Department is an Equal Opportunity
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