BREAKFAST CONSUMPTION IMPACTS STUDENT PERFORMANCE — A study in the journal Appetite found that students who skipped breakfast performed worse on Internet-based tests of attention, memory, and reaction time than their peers who had eaten breakfast, with girls bring the most disrupted in their ability to focus without having eaten breakfast. Researchers in the UK asked 1,386 students at 32 schools to take several online performance tests and indicate whether or not they ate breakfast. The vast majority of students (1,202) reported eating breakfast, but 5.6 percent of boys and 7.6 percent of girls said they skipped a morning meal. The students were also tested at different times of the morning, and there were larger differences between the groups when tested after 11:00AM. Source: Wall Street Journal (9/24/12)

NEW JERSEY SCHOOLS TO HAVE DEFIBRILLATORS ON SITE AND ACCESSIBLE — A new law requires all public and private New Jersey schools to keep automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) on site in an unlocked location starting Sept. 1, 2014. The AEDs must be kept near athletic fields and gymnasiums, and schools must develop emergency action plans that detail how they will respond to sudden cardiac events. At least five employees, including coaches and athletic trainers, must be trained to properly use the equipment and identified in the emergency action plan. The plan must also clearly indicate which staff member will be responsible for which type of task if response is needed.

The law comes coincidentally on the heels of a study in the journal Resuscitation that indicates adults on school property after 5 p.m. are more likely to need AEDs than students during the school day. Researchers surveyed 47 schools about such incidents, and found that when an AED was not used at the school, four out of 11 victims survived, while that rate decreased to two of eight when AEDs were not available. Sources: EdWeek.org (10/1/2012), Reuters (9/28/12), Resuscitation (9/20/12)

NEW STUDY FINDS HPV VACCINATION NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED SEXUAL ACTIVITY AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS — A new study in the journal Pediatrics concluded there is no link between the vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to protect against cervical cancer and sexual promiscuity among girls who receive the injection. Researchers in Georgia looked at medical records of 1,398 vaccinated and unvaccinated girls for three years, looking for evidence of sexual activity after receiving the HPV vaccine. Results revealed few of the girls vaccinated at age 11 or 12 sought birth control advice, tests for sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy, or became pregnant by the time they were 14 or 15. Findings of the study also showed no difference in sexual activity-related outcome rates compared with unvaccinated girls. Source: Pediatrics (10/15/12)

NEW REPORT ADVISES ON BEST WAYS TO ASSESS STUDENT FITNESS — Shuttle run tests, Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement, skinfold and waist circumference measurements, handgrip strength tests, and the standing long jump are the most accurate ways to assess student fitness, according to a new report from the Institutes of Medicine (IOM). The authors of Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth determined those assessments are the best indicators of cardiorespiratory endurance (associated with risk factors that can lead to the development of heart disease later in life), obesity (linked to the development of diabetes and other chronic diseases), and musculoskeletal fitness (related tone health and body composition). With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the IOM convened a committee of leading national experts who reviewed CDC literature concerning the fitness of children ages 5-18 from 2000-10 to create the recommendations outlined in the report. The report also provides guidance for interpreting fitness scores and recommendations for future research. Source: Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth (9/27/12)

FEDERAL SEQUESTRATION LIKELY TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS AT ALL LEVELS — The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) reports the looming federal sequester would cut public health programs for all major federal public agencies a combined $2.4 billion. The analysis determined that in addition to subsequent state and local spending cuts, approximately 659,000 fewer individuals would be tested for HIV, and more than 750,000 mothers and infants would be cut from the WIC program. Budget sequestration is slated to go into effect Jan. 2. Source: ASTHO press release (9/24/12)

STUDY: CHILDREN WHO COOK HAVE HEALTHIER EATING HABITS — The best way to get children to eat healthier is to allow them to help prepare their own meals, according to researchers at the University of Alberta. Researchers from the university’s School of Public Health surveyed 5th graders in 151 Alberta schools about the students’ eating habits and food preferences. One-third of children reportedly helped with meal preparation at least once a day; one-third said they helped one to three times per week; one-fourth helped once a month; and just over 12 percent had no cooking experience. Surveyors found children who prepared meals at home frequently were more knowledgeable about the importance of making healthy food choices. In addition, they reported that most of the children liked fruits more than vegetables, but those who helped cook showed a greater preference for vegetables than children who did not. Source: ScienceDaily (6/26/12), Public Health Nutrition (5/11/12)

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE UP 40 PERCENT AMONG ADOLESCENTS — Today’s adolescents abuse prescription drugs at a 40 percent higher rate than previous generations, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Researchers at the University of Colorado–Denver reached this conclusion after studying data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 1985-2009, which provided several explanations for the trend. Since 1991, the number of prescribed narcotics has increased exponentially, thus putting more drugs in homes where they are easily accessible to youth. Researchers believe youth who observe parents using prescribed analgesics are likely to get the impression that they are safe under any circumstances. This is correlated to a review of data from emergency room visits for non-medical analgesic use from 2004-2009, which increased 129 percent. Further, there were more deaths due to accidental overdoses of prescribed medication than deaths caused by overdoses of cocaine and heroin combined. Source: ScienceDaily (10/15/2012), Journal of Adolescent Health

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 TEACHER SURVEY ON STUDENT BREAKFAST REVEALS SOLUTIONS FOR PARTICIPATION BARRIERS — Teachers surveyed about student breakfast participation cite a number of reasons that only 9.7 million students are eating breakfast at school, while 20 million eat free or reduced price lunches. Increasing awareness of breakfast programs, reducing paperwork, and offering universal free breakfast were cited as possible solutions in the Hunger in Our Schools: Share Our Strength’s Teachers Report, produced by Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. The report is also summarized in the infographic that can be viewed here.

FEDS AWARD SEX-ED, SCHOOL MEAL GRANTS — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Guam Department of Education more than $400,000  to help support  sex education on the island to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.

Guam was also joined by 18 states as awardees of a combined $5.2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The states — Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin —  will use the funds to help  meet the new school meal requirements in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, among other needs.

NEW REPORT PROJECTS OBESITY-RELATED STATE HEALTH CARE COSTS — The Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered to produce F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens the Future 2012, which provides state-specific statistics on obesity rates, as well as data on related diseases and health care costs. It also contains analysis that predicts future trends and the associated costs to 2030.

CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN HEALTH AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS DETAILED IN NEW RESOURCE — Thinking Outside the Box: Building and Sustaining School Health Programs in State Health Agencies without Dedicated Funding is a new resource from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors that provides case studies of how state health agencies created school health programs without dedicated funding. It includes lessons about creative use of funding streams and collaborations between state health and education agencies for the creation of school health programs.

JUNK FOOD SOLD AT SCHOOL LEADS TO INELIGIBLE MILITARY RECRUITS — If the nearly 400 billion calories from junk food sold at schools and consumed by students each year were converted to candy bars, it would equal nearly two billion bars and be heavier than the aircraft carrier Midway. This is one of the key points made in Still Too Fat to Fight, released by Mission Readiness, an organization of retired military leaders who advocate for investing in the health of children. The report also discusses the fact that 25 percent of today’s potential military recruits are not healthy enough to be eligible for military service, and how current school nutrition environments may contribute to the problem.