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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Study Finds Living Near Fast Food Outlet Not A Weighty Problem For Kids
A new study by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) researchers contradicts the conventional wisdom that living near a fast food outlet increases weight in children and that living near supermarkets, which sell fresh fruit and vegetables as well as so called junk food, lowers weight.
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Blogs Comment On Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings, Health Reform, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Judge Sotomayor Provides Important Testimony on the Constitutional Right to Privacy and Its Application to Reproductive Rights," Marcia Greenberger, Womenstake: "One major line of questions, asked repeatedly throughout the hearings" for President Obama"s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was her "views on the constitutional right to privacy," Greenberger writes, adding, "Given that this right is central to women"s lives, protecting" such "decisions involving whether to bear children ... and having consensual adult sexual relations, it is important to analyze Judge Sotomayor"s answers carefully." According to Greenberger, because Sotomayor "had not ruled directly on the right to privacy as a federal judge, her testimony in this area warrants particular attention." Following questions from senators such as Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sotomayor portrayed a "clear agreement with the right to privacy and strong description of the court"s current precedents regarding Roe and women"s health," which "lend[s] further support to the view from her legal record that she would not undermine Roe v. Wade if confirmed to the Supreme Court" (Greenberger, Womenstake, 7/16). ~ "Major Steps Forward for Health Care Reform," Thao Nguyen, Womenstake: Nguyen, outreach manager for the National Women"s Law Center, reports that the health care reform legislation passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is "particularly important for women because of the critical headway it makes towards women"s ability to secure access to quality, affordable health care throughout their lives." The bill "works towards confronting many of the particular obstacles faced by women in our current health care system," such as banning the "discriminatory" practice of basing insurance premiums on gender, even when maternity benefits are excluded, Nguyen writes. The bill also bans insurance companies from rejecting patients based on medical history, which has prevented many domestic violence survivors and women who have had caesarean sections from obtaining coverage. Nguyen concludes that "the momentum for health care reform could not have come at a more needed time" because women and their families "need quality, affordable and comprehensive health more than ever" (Nguyen, Womenstake, 7/15).~ "Democrats for Life of America Ousts Member Who Supports Contraception," Feministing: Feministing reports that Democrats for Life of America removed Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) from its advisory board because he supports efforts to improve access to contraception. According to Ryan, he was dismissed from the board after four years after attempting to persuade the group to support contraceptive use as a way to avoid unintended pregnancies. According to the blog, "This is why we call anti-choicers "anti-choice": because they"re not just about making abortion illegal." It adds, "They don"t want women to have access to contraception either -- something that 98% of American women will use at some point in their lives" (Feministing, 7/15). ~ "Umpires, Perspective and the Supreme Court," Jim Wallis, Sojourners" "God"s Politics": "During his opening remarks for his own confirmation hearing in 2005, Chief Justice [John] Roberts made" an analogy between judges and umpires "that has gotten a lot of play in the media and has already been used quite a few times during" Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, Wallis writes. He adds that "nothing in the world would frustrate me more than an umpire who would call the game differently based upon the color of the jersey that" players were wearing. "But I haven"t seen that happen," Wallis writes, adding, "In fact, the biggest problem we face isn"t an umpire that has favored one team over the other, but umpires who make mistakes in their rulings and judgment because of their lack of perspective." He adds that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and "others w
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Parents' Influence On Children's Eating Habits Is Small, New Study Finds
The popular belief that healthy eating starts at home and that parents" dietary choices help children establish their nutritional beliefs and behaviors may need rethinking, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An examination of dietary intakes and patterns among U.S. families found that the resemblance between children"s and their parents" eating habits is weak. The results are published in the May 25, 2009, issue of Social Science and Medicine.
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Nation's First Children's Hospital-Based Safety Store Focuses On Child Injury Prevention

The Riley Safety Store at Riley Hospital for Children, the first of its kind in the nation, serves as a model for children"s hospitals across the nation. Recently expanded, the Riley Safety Store provides space to showcase safety products for children and families, as well as offer different "zones" that simulate home settings and provide families with the opportunity to practice installation and use of child safety products prior to purchase. The Riley Safety Store serves all children, including children with disabilities or special health care needs, and offers access to a broad inventory of low-cost or free child safety products and injury prevention education. The Riley Safety Store is a blueprint for children"s hospitals nationwide, with 11 children"s hospitals having been trained to launch Safety Stores in the last two years by Riley Hospital"s Safety Store Team in partnership with the National Association of Children"s Hospitals and Related Institutions. Hospitals which received training are: * The Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) * Rainbow Babies and Children"s Hospital (Cleveland, OH) * Texas Children"s Hospital (Houston, TX) * Children"s Hospital of Michigan (Detroit, MI) * St. Louis Children"s Hospital (St. Louis, MO) * Rady Children"s Hospital (San Diego, CA) * A.I. duPont Children"s Hospital (Wilmington, DE) * University of Iowa Children"s Hospital (Iowa City, IA) * Legacy Emanuel Children"s Hospital (Portland, OR) * Monroe Carell Jr. Children"s Hospital at Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN) * Children"s Hospital of Orange County (Orange, CA) "Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death of American children ages 1 to 14 years, and many parents and caregivers are unaware of the risks around the home and on the road that present a danger to their children," said Jeffrey L. Sperring, MD, chief medical officer, Riley Hospital for Children. "By offering the Safety Store to our community and partnering with other hospitals, we are actively promoting the message, statewide and nationally, that child injury prevention needs to be an important priority for all children and their families," said Dr. Sperring, who is an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Since opening in 2005, the Riley Safety Store has served over 8,100 families who have purchased safety products and/or received free products through the Riley Safety Store"s pioneering program, Safe Escape. Annually, the Riley Safety Store receives over 10,000 visitors. Currently, there are eight Riley Safety Stores in Indiana: Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis; Children"s Museum of Indianapolis; Decatur County Memorial Hospital, Greensburg; Morgan Hospital and Medical Center, Martinsville; Tipton Hospital, Tipton; Schneck Medical Center, Seymour; Howard Regional Health System, Kokomo; and Clarian West, Avon. "Our expanded and newly renovated Safety Store further demonstrates Riley Hospital"s commitment to innovation, leadership and our community by making safety affordable and accessible to all children and families, especially in these difficult economic times," said Cara Fast, MSW, Riley Safety Store manager. "We want families to keep safety top-of-mind and the Riley Safety Store is one way we can help accomplish that goal." Funding for the Riley Safety Store expansion and renovation was made possible by support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency"s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Prevention and Safety Grants program and the Riley Children"s Foundation. Cindy Fox Aisen Indiana University


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