Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Mon, Jul 13 1992 Date: Mon, 13 Jul 92 05:08:08 EDT Message-ID: 07-13 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update July 13, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network NEEDLE PROGRAM TO BE LAUNCHED: An outreach program will be launched in tandem with acontroversial needle exchange program this month, Washington, D.C. health officials say. The outreach program will counsel drug users and distribute bleach to addicts to sterilize needles. Its goal is to slow the spread of AIDS. GYMS FOR KIDS CATCH ON: There's a growing number of gyms for kids. "They're catching on all over the place," says Peg Jordan, editor of American Fitness magazine. Kidsport Fun & Fitness has opened 32 clubs in just three years. Even McDonald's is cashing in, expanding its Leaps & Bounds kids' gym to 15 new sites this year. SCHWARZENEGGER PUSHES HEALTH: Regular exercise can raise self-esteem and make self-destructive habits less appealing, Arnold Schwarzenegger told an Indian Health Service conference Friday. Schwarzenegger, who chairs the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, cited recent studies that show Native Americans suffer high rates of alcoholism and related diseases, suicides and a general lack of well-being. PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES: Americans scored 66.5 out of a possible 100 on the recently released Prevention Index, the annual survey of the country's preventive health behaviors conducted by Louis & Harris Associates for Prevention Magazine. This is the highest score in the history of the study. The survey began in 1984. MORE WOMEN UNDER STRESS: Prevention magazine reports stress levels continue to rise with more women than men reporting they experience great stress at least several days a week, 37% vs. 27%. Also, the number of women reporting they have Pap smears conducted every other year is up six percentage points since 1983, from 75% to 81%. SAFETY POSTER AVAILABLE: Parents, schools, camps and caregivers can make children's outdoor fun a lot safer this season with Good Sports. It's a colorful poster brochure available for free as a public service of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Johns Hopkins Injury Prevention Center. For a copy write to Good Sports, P.O. Box 3744, Washington, D.C., 20007-0244. FOOD POISONING ALERT: The Centers for Disease Control recommends pregnant women avoid eating various soft cheeses and undercooked meats. This reduces the risk of getting a rare but often severe food-borne bacterial infection, listeriosis. The disease can cause flulike symptons, blood poisoning and other complications. If the infection passes to the fetus, it can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. LABOR AND ORGASMS: The contractions that result from orgasm usually won't induce premature labor, but in certain cases they may. The latest Glamour magazine reports women could be at risk if they: Have a history of difficult pregnancies; have already gone into premature labor; have a weak cervix; and have complications such as spotting. COMFORT FOR INFANTS: Many infants undergo painful procedures in the first few days of life - without anesthesia. In a Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University study of 54 newborns, those who were given ordinary sugar water prior to these procedures cried 50% less than infants given none and 50% less than those given plain water. BREAKFAST LINKED TO ATTENDANCE: The Food Research and Action Center reports that students have fewer school absences when they have a nutritious breakfast. For millions of students the solution could be the National School Breakfast Program. However, out of the 3,713 public schools in Pennsylvania that offer the School Lunch Program, only 1,094 offer the School Breakfast Program. PARENTS CAN PLAY A PART: The Food Research Action Center this fall will facilitate in-school breakfast promotions and provide information on the program to parents, teachers and students. Parents interested in having their children participate in the breakfast program should contact their child's school food service manager. If no breakfast program is available, parents should tell the school they want one. TIP TO AVOID ARTHRITIS: People can reduce painful arthritic flareups in finger joints by holding reading materials appropriately. Prevention magazine reports gripping the sides of a book or magazine between fingers and thumbs, as is typically done, puts strain on joints that can lead to inflammation. Instead, rest the text on open, relaxed palms or put one hand on the top and one on the bottom. Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM