Top Stories

CDC: Most U.S. kindergartners are current on their vaccinations
CDC officials reported Thursday that the vaccination coverage for diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, polio and hepatitis B among kindergartners during the 2011-2012 school year met the targeted rates of 95% or higher. However, they found that vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella, as well as chickenpox, were slightly below the federal recommendations. The findings appear in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Reuters (8/23) MyHealthNewsDaily.com (8/23)

Socioeconomic status impacts soda, junk-food intake in children
A Canadian study in Public Health Nutrition showed 54.5% of children from poorer areas drank at least one soda per week, compared with 40.8% of those living in higher-income communities. Children from lower-income neighborhoods were also more likely to consume junk foods and sweets than those from higher-income areas, researchers noted. CANOE (Toronto)/Sun News Network/QMI Agency (8/22)

Pediatric Health Care

Maternal emotional health, education may affect teens' oral health
The overall emotional health, educational attainment and knowledge of mothers when their children were at ages 3 and 8 can influence oral health during adolescence, regardless of accessibility to dental care. The findings appear in the Journal of Dental Research. MedicalDaily.com (8/22)

Musical training in childhood improves later listening skills
Adults who attended music lessons as children had better listening skills and brain responses to complex sounds compared with those who had no musical training, according to a study in the Journal of Neuroscience. U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (8/22)

Study assesses quality of dietary-intake-methods reporting
Reporting of dietary-intake methods in child and adolescent obesity intervention trials needs improvement, particularly in transparency and consistency, Australian researchers reported in the journal Obesity Reviews. They rated 52% of 31 studies in their systematic review as having a poor quality of reporting. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News (8/23)

IDM Group recalls CareBears pacifiers over choking risk
IDM Group voluntarily recalled an estimated 119,000 of its CareBears pacifiers because the nipples could detach and choke young children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. The company has not yet received any injury reports. Examiner.com (8/23)

Trends & Technology

CMS picks 500 providers to test care delivery, payment models
The CMS has chosen 500 practices from seven areas across the country to take part in the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, which aims to test a payment scheme and service delivery model. The practices, selected partly because of their use of EHRs and other IT systems, will start offering the enhanced Medicare services this fall. Government Health IT online (8/22)

Newborn screening cards offer epigenetic clues, but obstacles remain
Newborn blood screening cards could offer a way to study how conditions in the womb contribute to the development of the epigenome, according to a study published in Genome Research. While the cards offer an epigenetic snapshot after birth and before the onset of illnesses later in life, ethical and privacy concerns have been raised about their use in studies. Nature (8/22)

Health Policy & Regulations

CMS releases final stage 2 EHR meaningful use requirements
The CMS on Thursday issued the final rule on stage 2 EHR meaningful use, which features two additional "core objectives" -- electronic messaging adoption among physicians and automatic medication tracking among hospitals. The rules become effective in early 2014. Modern Healthcare (free registration) (8/23)

Medicare spending growth slows, but doesn't stop
Despite a slowdown in growth, Medicare spending will continue to rise as a percentage of gross domestic product, with federal spending growing from 3.7% of GDP in 2013 to 4.3% in 2022, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Politico (Washington, D.C.) (8/22)

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The Last Word - News from the AAP

Relationships promote early brain and child development -- New link
Safe, stable, and nurturing relationships build healthy brains. Sharing the "5 Rs" of early literacy with families will build the critical social-emotional-language skills that support healthy brain development. Read more about the AAP's work to assist pediatricians in fostering the relationships that build healthy brains and forge brighter futures.

Call for Workshops: International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health
The biennial IMICH focuses on innovative clinical care models and community-based public health approaches for children and youth in indigenous communities internationally. Participants share model programs and research, learn about prevalent health problems and acquire practical skills for use in community settings. The meeting will be held April 19 to 21, 2013, in Portland, Ore. Its theme is "Strong Communities, Healthy Children." Workshop proposals are now being accepted. For more information, visit the AAP website.

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