Top Stories

• CDC report finds continued decline in U.S. teen birth rate
  The teen birth rate in the U.S. declined by 8% between 2010 and 2011, with just over 3% of teens ages 15 to 19 giving birth during the study period, a CDC study found. Rates of premature birth and low birth weight continued to drop, but the infant mortality rate remained unchanged, researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics. Reuters (2/11)     

• Exposure to secondhand smoke drops for youths with asthma
  Among 4- to 19-year-olds with asthma who did not smoke themselves, 53% were exposed to secondhand smoke between 2005 and 2010, down from 89% of children with asthma between 1988 and 1994, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers said fewer asthmatic children and teens were exposed to cigarette smoke in their homes, and secondhand smoke exposure was more prevalent among low-income youths than others. DailyRx.com (2/10)     

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3D echocardiography improves pediatric outcomes Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, under the leadership of Girish Shirali, MBBS, is spearheading the use of live 3D echocardiography to advance understanding of pediatric heart structures. Three-dimensional echocardiography produces images that more closely correlate to real life, and Dr. Shirali intends to push the technology in new directions. Read more.

Pediatric Health Care

• Review looks at efficacy of childhood trauma treatments
  Few psychological treatments showed potential in helping children age 17 and younger who were exposed to traumatic events, U.S. researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics. None of the 6,647 research abstracts included in the study showed how psychological and pharmacological therapies may impact child development in the long term. The findings underscore "how limited our good clinical trial information is on the subject," study author Adam Zolotor said. USA Today (2/11)     

• Teens with diabetes have more sedentary lifestyles
  Overweight teens with type 2 diabetes were less active and spent more time sitting compared with their obese counterparts who did not have diabetes, researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics. Overweight teen girls with diabetes also showed lower heart and respiratory fitness levels than obese girls without diabetes. DailyRx.com (2/10)     

• Most children with type 1 diabetes are above target HbA1C levels
  U.S. researchers looked at 13,316 type 1 diabetes patients and found that 64% of those younger than 6 met the American Diabetes Association's hemoglobin A1C target of less than 8.5%. They said that only 43% of patients age 6 to younger than 13 years and 21% of those age 13 to younger than 20 years met their respective HbA1C targets. The findings appear in the journal Diabetes Care. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News (2/8)     

• School environment may influence risk for teen depression
  High-school students whose schools were ranked lower in terms of socioeducational environment during eighth grade had a slightly greater risk of having depressive symptoms in 10th and 11th grades, a study showed. The influence of school environment was slightly more prominent among teenage girls than boys, researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics. DailyRx.com (2/10)     

• Prenatal intake of omega-3s may not boost brain development
  Data from 11 clinical trials on the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy on a child's brain development showed that such supplements had neither a positive nor negative effect on visual or neurological capacity. Since a majority of the trials had very few participants, excluded difficult pregnancies and failed to monitor the children long enough, Australian researchers said that more research is needed. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Reuters (2/8)     

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Advancing pediatric oncology, improving outcomes What are we doing to make pediatric cancer medications safer and more effective? Can we target leukemia cells and avoid damage to normal cells? Get these answers and more in the pediatric oncology SmartBrief sponsored by Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City.

Trends & Technology

• CDC: Flu season appears to be waning
  CDC officials report that in much of the U.S., flu season is starting to wind down, according to data from the week ending Feb. 2. Widespread flu activity was reported in 38 states, down from 42, and mortality attributed to influenza also was down. Nineteen states recorded high levels of flu activity, the agency said. USA Today (2/8), U.S. News & World Report (2/8)     

• Study: Early adopters make up more than half of private practices
  Data from a WhiteSpace Health Care study showed 55% of private practice managers and doctors say their practices follow an "early adopter" approach to operating decisions. Researchers also found 23% of respondents perceived their practices as "innovators," while 19% felt they were "late adopters" and 3% reported being "laggard" practices. BeckersHospitalReview.com (2/8)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AAP SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Magazine recognizes best pediatric hospitals across U.S. (The Huffington Post)

• Scarlet fever may not have caused Mary Ingalls' blindness (USA Today)

• Diabetes drug for adults may help obese youths lose weight (Reuters)

• Agencies unveil EHR format for children (BeckersHospitalReview.com)

• Study tracks bullying of LGB youths over time (The Washington Post)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

The Last Word - News from the AAP

• Raising awareness of congenital heart defects
  The AAP is a founding member of the CHPHC, a group of organizations with the mission to prevent the occurrence of congenital heart defects and to enhance and prolong the lives of those with congenital heart defects. Visit the CHPHC website for resources, tools and suggestions for sharing information and increasing awareness.     

• Reducing the Risk of SIDS in Child Care
  Tell your families about a free, online course that educates child care providers about safe-sleep environments. It’s available in English and Spanish. AAP members can also take the course, which qualifies for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). (Grant funding limits free access to child care providers only.)     

Editor's Note

• When do you most often read AAP SmartBrief?
  

At the end of the day or in the evening.

Lunchtime.

When I can find time between patient visits.

First thing in the morning.

I typically catch up on this reading over the weekend.

SmartQuote

The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. ... The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them." --George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright