Researchers from the American Pediatric Society, the Society for
Pediatric Research and the Ambulatory Pediatric Association will present their
findings at the joint annual meeting of the societies in New Orleans May 1-5.
Vaccines and vaccination, genetics and gene therapy, substance use/abuse
and its effects on children, developmental biology, and socioeconomic
disadvantage and its effects on children are among the major themes of more than
1,800 abstracts accepted for presentation at the meeting. More than 4,000
people are expected to attend.
Research being reported on Monday, May 4 includes:
- Cocaine babies do not necessarily suffer birth defects
In one of the first large, comprehensive studies to refute the long-held belief
that cocaine-exposed babies often suffer major birth defects, Dr. Marylou Behnke
and colleagues at the University of Florida College of Medicine found no
consistent pattern of abnormalities in these children. In fact, more than 75
percent of the babies studied had no major problems, the same as a group of
babies who were not exposed to cocaine in utero. Behnke is an associate
professor of pediatrics.
- School-based intervention helps reduce obesity in children
For the first time, a school-based health behavior intervention program has been
shown to reduce obesity in children. The intervention, called Planet Health, was
developed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, headed by Dr.
Steven Gortmaker, a senior lecturer in the Department of Health and Social
Behavior. Planet Health was tested in a two-year, randomized, controlled field
trial in 10 Massachusetts public schools. It was effective in girls; for boys,
however, there was no difference in the prevalence of obesity in the
intervention and control schools. The program reduced television watching by
both boys and girls. Other studies have linked television viewing
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Contact: Jennifer Donovan
jdonovan@oeamail.umaryland.edu
May1-5: 504/670-8502
Pediatric Academic Societies
4-May-1998
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