NEWS CLIPPINGS / SNIPPETS
|
Home |
School health programme started in 21 states (Lok
Sabha reply to a question )
Twenty-one states in the country have started School Health
Programme to improve the health of children and prevent recurrence
of diseases.
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare
Panabaka
Lakshmi
informed Lok Sabha on 12 March 2008 (Wednesday)
that the common diseases that occur among schoolchildren are
measles, diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis,
chickenpox, worm infestations and sepsis.
'The steps taken by the government to prevent diseases among
schoolchildren is to provide support for School Health
Programmes in each and every district of the country based on
the specific proposals prepared as part of the District Health
Action Plans,' she said.
Currently 21 states have initiated the programme and they
have taken key steps, which will help improve the health of
schoolchildren and prevent recurrence of such diseases, she
added.
The states that have started the programme are Daman and
Diu,
Dadra and
Nagar
Haveli, Delhi,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Himachal
Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur,
Meghalaya,
Kerala,
Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh,
Orissa, Rajasthan, Assam,
Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu and
Tripura.
Under the programme, children are taught about good nutrition
practices and health education, regular health check-ups,
provision for corrective action and provision of secondary and
tertiary care help, if required.
Also, medicines for de-worming and vitamin A supplements are
arranged.
|
|
Home |
Ramadoss keen on
introducing yoga in schools Tuesday,
February 26, 2008 (IANS)
New Delhi: Union Health Minister
Anbumani
Ramadoss
wants children
to learn yoga and is keen to make it compulsory in schools.
Speaking at a National Yoga Week in the National Capital on
Monday, the Health Minister said that he would meet Human
Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh to request him to make
yoga compulsory in schools.
Ramadoss, known for his strong views against tobacco use and
alcohol, said that he would take up the issue of making health a
subject in schools so that children are make aware of health
conditions like diabetes and hypertension and their prevention.
Ramadoss is also keen to introduce a National School Health
Programme under which children will be screened for sight and
hearing defects, dental problems,
anaemia, malnutrition and
cardiovascular health.
Ramadoss said that it has been scientifically validated that yoga
helps reduce hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis,
stress and mental disorders. The health ministry had earmarked Rs
8 billion for alternative medicines under the Five Year Plan, and
asked for allocation of Rs 50 billion under the 11th Five Year
Plan (2007-12), he said.
He said that the IT sector should imbibe the concept of yoga as
many youngsters straight out of college join these set-ups and end
up facing many health problems. "If the IT sector doesn't pull up
its socks, there will be health-related problems (faced by its
employees)," the minister said.
Citing alcohol as the biggest problem rather than tobacco,
Ramadoss quoted a study which found that people as young as 19
were consuming liquor, and said that youngsters as young as 15
would soon start taking to it if preventive steps are not taken.
He said that he has written to the Information and Broadcasting
Ministry to put a ban on the sudden surge in surrogate
advertisements on tobacco and alcohol.
|
|
|
|
Home |
Global school-based student health survey (GSHS)
.WHO Website
The Global school-based student health survey (GSHS) is
collaborative surveillance project designed to help countries
measure and assess the behavioural risk factors and protective
factors in 10 key areas among young people aged 13 to 15. The GSHS
is a relatively low-cost school-based survey which uses a
self-administered questionnaire to obtain data on young people's
health behaviour and protective factors related to the leading
causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adults
worldwide. To access information on the GSHS, to read about where
the survey has been implemented, to review specific results from a
country, etc
Survey topics
The key topics addressed by the survey are:
Alcohol and other drug use
Dietary behaviours
Hygiene
Mental health
Physical activity
Protective factors
Respondent demographics
Sexual behaviours
Tobacco use
Violence and unintentional injury
India Coordinator
India (CBSE)
Dr. Cherian Varghese MD, DNB, MNAMS, M
Phil., PGDHHM, Ph.D.
National Professional Officer (Non
Communicable Diseases and Ment |
|
Home |
|
BREAKFAST HABITS AND WEIGHT CONTROL IN ADOLESCENTS (
American Paediatrics Journal)
Over the past two decades, rates of obesity have doubled
in children and nearly tripled in adolescents. Fifty-seven percent
of adolescent females and 33 percent of males frequently use
unhealthy weight-control behaviors, and an estimated 25 percent of
children regularly skip breakfast. The study, "Breakfast Eating
and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents:
Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)" examined the association between
breakfast frequency and 5-year body weight change in more than
2,200 adolescents. Results indicate that daily breakfast-eaters
consumed a healthier diet than breakfast skippers, such as lower
intakes of saturated fat, and breakfast-eaters were more
physically active than skippers. The daily breakfast eaters tended
to gain less weight have lower body mass index levels an
indicator of obesity risk compared to breakfast skippers. The
current study findings support the importance of promoting regular
breakfast consumption among youth. Additional experimental studies
are needed to determine whether improving breakfast habits can
lead to healthier lifestyles and lower obesity risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
|
Dogbite injuries in children
S Afr Med J 2007; 97: 597-600.
Dog bites are a major cause of preventable
traumatic injury in the paediatric population. This study aimed to
determine the epidemiology of dog bite injuries in a group of
South African children with a view to developing potential
preventive strategies. A retrospective review was done of patients
presenting with dog bite injuries to the trauma unit at the Red
Cross War Memorial Childrens Hospital in Cape Town over a
13.5-year period. Dog bites accounted for 1.5% of all trauma unit
presentations. Male children accounted for 68% of the patients.
Children under 6 years of age were more likely to have sustained
injuries to the head, face or neck, while children older than 6
years more commonly received injuries to the perineum, buttocks,
legs or feet. Younger children were more likely to be attacked at
home and older children outside the home. The most frequent
injuries were superficial, and the majority of patients were
treated with simple medication, dressing or suturing. There were
no dog bite-related fatalities. S Afr Med J 2007; 97: 597-600.
Comments: The relationship between the
geographical location of dog attacks on children and the age
groups attacked suggests that strategies to prevent dog bites
should target both parents supervising younger children at home,
and older children who encounter dogs outside the home
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
