Health Tips ... from UPI

SUPERVISION CAN PREVENT CHILDHOOD INJURY

Childhood injuries from some play activities can be avoided with a few simple precautions, pediatricians say. Dr. Robert Bernstein, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said children should not use trampolines without adults watching and should not do risky jumps or jump with other kids. Broken bones from bicycling injuries can interfere with healthy growth, so younger children should avoid night riding and busy streets. Bicycling teens should use reflectors and lights and wear bright clothes at night, Bernstein said. Above all, kids should wear properly fitting helmets. Kids on roller blades should wear wrist guards, and knee and elbow pads and should know how to stop and cushion a fall. Adults should supervise kids at playgrounds to prevent serious falls, he said.

MANY UNAWARE OF CALIFORNIA CONTRACEPTION PROGRAM

A 2-year-old program in California to give women easier access to emergency contraception is off to a slow start, a recent survey shows. As the Food and Drug Administration debates over-the-counter access to emergency contraception, California has had a program in place since January 2002 that gives women access to the drugs through participating pharmacies without first contacting a doctor. In a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 1,151 California females and males ages 15 to 44, only one in 10 women knew of the state program. Four in 10 of the women surveyed did not know that emergency contraception was available in the United States. Emergency contraception prevents a pregnancy from occurring, but half of adult women who had heard of it mistakenly thought it was the "abortion pill" or RU-486, which is used to terminate a pregnancy.

LOW MAGNETIC FIELD DOSES MAY DAMAGE BRAIN

Long-term exposure to low-level magnetic fields in household appliances and electric blankets may cause cumulative damage to brain cell DNA, researchers say. A University of Washington study found rats exposed to a 60-hertz magnetic field for 24 hours showed significant DNA damage, while those exposed for twice as long showed even more breaks in brain cell DNA. People are exposed to similar levels from blow dryers and razors every day, but for a few minutes at a time, said Professor Henry Lai. While exposure to high doses of magnetic fields is known to cause damage, the latest results show duration can be as damaging as intensity, he said. The damage may be caused by the higher iron content of brain cells.

INACTIVE FLU VACCINE MAY BE SAFE FOR KIDS

Inactivated or "killed" influenza vaccine may be a safe and effective way to reduce flu risk in children as young as 6 months, a review of studies shows. Unlike the live virus vaccine, which contains a weakened form of the virus, the killed or split-virus influenza vaccine contains an inactive form of the virus that has been found to be safe even for children with high-risk conditions such as asthma, immunodeficiency or chronic heart and lung conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to recommend the killed vaccine for children aged 6-23 months by fall 2004.

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(EDITORS: For more information about SUPERVISION, contact Kelli Hanley at (310) 423-3674 or kelli.hanley@cshs.org. For CONTRACEPTION, Rob Graham or Heidi Hess at (650) 854-9400. For MAGNETIC, Rob Harrill at (206) 543-2580 or rharrill@u.washington.edu. For VACCINE, Diana Olson at (703) 299-0201 or dolson@idsociety.org)