Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Mon, Mar 23 1992 Date: Mon, 23 Mar 92 05:45:26 EST Message-ID: 03-23 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update March 23, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network LIFE FOR KIDS HAS GOTTEN WORSE: More children live in poverty than any other age group, reports the third annual "Kids Count Data Book," prepared by the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington. The study found that 20% of kids were poor in 1990, up from 16% in 1979. In 1989, 8.6% of all births were to single teens, up from 7.5% in 1980. The rate for whites was up 31%; for blacks, it fell 7%. (For more, see special Kids package below.) ALLERGIES ARE HITTING EARLY: Allergy season is arriving early this year in much of the USA, allergists say. Trees in the Pacific Northwest are pollinating ahead of schedule because of a mild winter, and in the South, above average rain has raised mold levels. Hot, dry winds are spreading pollen in California. Counts of seasonal tree, grass and weed pollen in some areas are near high summer levels, allergists say. ALLERGIES MORE COMMON IN WOMEN: More women than men suffer from allergies, reports a new Gallup poll of 750 sufferers. Other findings: Spring allergies occur in 60% of women and 49% of men, and Southerners miss the most work because of allergies. Allergists say tree pollen is the dominant force in spring, while grass reigns from early to mid-summer, followed by ragweed in early fall. OVERTURNING OF GAG RULE URGED: David John Andrews, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Friday urged Congress to overturn the Bush administration's "gag rule" on abortion counseling at federally-funded clinics. The guideline's exception doesn't serve low-income women who depend on the clinics, and the gag rule forces a choice between ethics and federal funds, says Andrews. MICH. JOB-RELATED ILLNESS CITED: Job-related illness will claim the lives of 3,000 Michigan workers in 1992, The Detroit News reported Sunday. Lax inspections, mild fines for safety violations and understaffing were cited. Twenty-one inspectors must police over 185,000 sites. The agency responsible for inspections needs more state resources, an official says. MORE TRANSPLANT PATIENTS DYING: Half of the people waiting for heart trasplants will die, a rise from the one-third who typically lose their lives during the waiting period, Pittsburgh health officials say. Competition has forced centers to search for organs locally, and an aging population has created a small donor pool. SURGERY PROMPTS N.Y. WARNING: The New York Health Department will issue warnings to hospitals to retrain some doctors who perform laparoscopic gallbladder removals, a department spokeswomen says. Six deaths and 22 injuries due to surgical errors were cited for the action. CDC WARNS AGAINST EASTER FOWL: Easter ducklings caused 16 reported cases of salmonella in 1992, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Homes, especially ones with small children, should not keep ducklings and chicks as pets, the CDC recommends. DELIVERY MAY INFLUENCE LIVES: What happens to babies immediately after delivery may play a greater role than once thought, suggests psychologist David Chamberlain in the book, "Birth and Before: What People Say About It in Hypnosis." Chamberlain's subjects, returned to birth through hypnosis, marked resentment at rough treatment, remarks and the environment of the the delivery room. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON KIDS: STUDY REPORTS ON TEEN DEATHS: The number of teens dying from accidents, homicide or suicide rose to 69.3 per 100,000 in 1989, up from 62.4 per 100,000 in 1984, reports a study funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Greenwich, Conn. For blacks, the figure rose 62%; for whites, 4%. The number of kids living with their parents fell during the 1980s, and the real median income for families fell by 5% between 1979 and 1990. INFANT MORTALITY RATE IMPROVES: The study did report some good news. The infant mortality rate improved by 22%, and the death rate for kids age one to 14 improved by 18%. But between 1982 and 1989, the high school graduation rate stalled at just below 70%. North Dakota, New Hampshire and Utah were rated the best for kids. The District of Columbia was last for the third straight year, followed by Mississippi and Louisiana. RESULTS SHOW RACIAL DISPARITY: The study, which did not consider race, unintentionally measures the status of black America. The lowest five states, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama have the largest populations of blacks, in that exact order, according to the Census Bureau. Blacks make of .62% of North Dakota's population, compared to 25% in Alabama and 66% in the District of Columbia. (End of package.) Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (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