Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:53:57 -0500

From: Becky Smith <BSmith@AAHPERD.ORG>

Subject: InfoSource November 2006

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AAHE InfoSource

American Association for Health Education

November 2006

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Call for Papers/Presentations

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The International Scientific Program Committee of the 19th IUHPE World=20

The deadline for submission of abstracts will be midnight, Friday, 24th November 2006!

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For questions contact canada2007@iuhpeconference.org=20

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Updated 5 A Day Website

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Health Professionals can find research, resources and tools, and information about the 5 A Day program in the For Health Professionals Section. This section also contains information just for coordinators including the coordinator calendar, upcoming events, resources, and links to the WebBoard. The website features a tool in which consumers can determine how many fruits and vegetables they need daily based on their age, sex and activity level. Consumers can then find examples of what a cup and a half cup of fruits and vegetables looks like, as well as helpful tips for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. The recipe database contains over 600 healthy recipes which each contain at least one 1/2 cup serving of fruit or vegetables. The health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables are also presented. The Fruit and Vegetable of the Month pages are also available.

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KIDS COUNT Series

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Vitamin D May Cut Pancreatic Cancer Risk by Nearly Half

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The American Association for Cancer Research announced that consumption of Vitamin D tablets was found to cut the risk of pancreatic cancer nearly in half, according to a study led by researchers at Northwestern and Harvard universities. The findings point to Vitamin D's potential to prevent the disease, and is one of the first known studies to use a large-scale epidemiological survey to examine the relationship between the nutrient and cancer of the pancreas. The study, led by Halcyon Skinner, Ph.D., appears in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

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The study examined data from two large, long-term health surveys and found that taking the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin D (400

IU/day) reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43 percent. By comparison, those who consumed less than 150 IUs per day experienced a

22 percent reduced risk of cancer. Increased consumption of the vitamin beyond 400 IUs per day resulted in no significant increased benefit.=20

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In addition to Vitamin D, the researchers also measured the association between pancreatic cancer and the intakes of calcium and retinol (Vitamin A). Calcium and retinol intakes showed no association with pancreatic cancer risk, although retinol is an antagonist of Vitamin D's ability to influence mineral balances and bone integrity. For that reason, further research is necessary to determine if Vitamin D ingestion from dietary sources, like eggs, liver and fatty fish or fortified dairy products, or through sun exposure might be preferable to multi-vitamin supplements, which contain retinol.

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The potential benefits of vitamin D for pancreatic cancer were only recently established by other laboratory studies. Normal and cancerous pancreas tissue contain high levels of the enzyme that converts circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D into 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the vitamin's active form. Other studies have shown an anti-cell proliferation effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, potentially inhibiting tumor cells. "In concert with laboratory results suggesting anti-tumor effects of Vitamin D, our results point to a possible role for Vitamin D in the prevention and possible reduction in mortality of pancreatic cancer. Since no other environmental or dietary factor showed this risk relationship, more study of Vitamin D's role is warranted," Skinner said.

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The Future of Children: Opportunity in America

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The Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution are pleased to announce the release of the newest volume of their jointly published journal, The Future of Children, "Opportunity in America"

=3D388485> (Vol. 16, No. 2)

=3D388485). The nine articles in this issue focus on the extent to which children's chances of success depend on the circumstances into which

they are born. [the Executive

Summary.

=3D388485).

This issue is accompanied by a policy brief, "Opportunity in America:

The Role of Education,"

=3D388485). authored by Isabel Sawhill, senior editor and co-director of the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution.

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Parents Against Junk Food

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Disaster Preparedness for Schools

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The Fall 2006 Issue of Cable in the Classroom's Threshold: Exploring the Future of Education was produced in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers. This issue titled, Are Schools Ready?

Included in this issue is an article called "Top Priorities" which contains an emergency planning matrix that school and community groups may find helpful.

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Depression and Youth

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Approximately one in ten American children and youth experience a behavioral, emotional, or mental health disorder that could be identified and treated. Stigma associated with mental illness can dissuade young people and their families from seeking help. Staff at the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health at Portland State University collaborated with the polling firm, Harris Interactive, to produce two surveys focusing on perceptions of mental health difficulties and the associated stigma among children and youth aged 8-18. A nationally representative sample of more than 1,300 U.S. children and teenagers responded to one survey, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive(r) this June. An additional survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(r) in August, gathered similar information from more than 3,600 adults.=20

LONGER REPORT=20

sNews2006_v5_iss08.pdf=20

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2005 SMART BRFSS Data and Prevalence Tables Now Available

The CDC's Behavioral Surveillance Branch in the Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, is pleased to announce the release of the 2005 SMART BRFSS data and prevalence tables.=20

SMART BRFSS (Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) began with the analysis of data from the 2002 BRFSS. It now includes data from 2002 through 2005, with prevalence estimates for over 170 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MMSAs), as well as many counties within those areas.=20

There are 29 additional MMSAs with data available for 2005, including San Diego, California; Flint, Michigan; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Buffalo, New York; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Spartanburg, South Carolina. As with the past data, the Web site includes both the data sets and the prevalence tables for MMSAs and counties, as well as pre-set Quick View charts which compare county, MMSA, and state data for seven select risk factors in an easy-to-print PDF format.=20

For more information, please contact Lina Balluz, Sc.D., M.P.H. at

770-488-2466 or lib7@cdc.gov.=20

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Tips for Using Action for Healthy Kids'=20

New Report on School Wellness=20

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The new Action for Healthy Kids report, A Mission Becomes a Mandate:

Campaign for School Wellness, outlines an urgent need and the bold steps we must take to achieve healthier school environments across America.

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Teen Sexual Activity

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Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program

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The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program provides U.S. primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with the opportunity to participate in three-week study visits to Japan and to return home with a follow-on plan designed to introduce Japanese culture to American students. Next year, up to 400 teachers and administrators, including participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, will be selected to participate in the JFMF program. The JFMF Program features an orientation to Japan followed by visits to primary and secondary schools, teacher training colleges, cultural sites, and industrial facilities. Meetings with Japanese teachers and students and a home stay with a Japanese family are also key components of the program.

1-888-527-2636 with any questions or to request printed materials.

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Narcolepsy

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Excessive sleepiness, which is a primary symptom of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders, can have obvious dangerous effects such as impaired performance and an increased risk of accidents for adults, but the risks may be just as great for children who suffer from these disorders. In a new study, a team of researchers set out to determine the psychosocial effects of narcolepsy and excessive sleepiness on children.

Using questionnaire surveys, they assessed children aged 4 to 18 years and found that those with narcolepsy and excessive sleepiness showed significantly higher rates of behavior problems and depression and had poorer quality of life and more education problems. Interestingly, the children with narcolepsy and those with excessive sleepiness were indistinguishable on these measures, suggesting to the researchers that clinicians should be mindful to detect and treat these problems in children as early as possible.

* Read the complete study

* How sleepy are you? Find out now

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