Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Summer brings new activities and new challenges for keeping kids healthy. A selection of studies, products and services designed to prepare for safe summer fun:

· Baseball players are at risk for head, face and dental injuries, according to a new study in Pediatrics. Pitchers, infielders and batters should wear helmets with face shields, or at least mouth guards and eye protection. The authors reviewed high school data, but the advice is prudent for players of all ages, says Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

· A second study in Pediatrics recorded nearly 36,000 bunk-bed injuries annually in the United States, based on a review of 16 years of data. A quarter of the falls resulted in head and neck injuries; 20 percent led to fractures. At camp, make sure ladders used to reach top bunks are secured to the bed, says Smith, the lead author of the study.

· The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently lowered the recommended age for Menactra, a vaccine given to protect against a form of meningitis that spreads rapidly in dormitory settings. Doctors now routinely include the vaccine during the checkup for 11- or 12-year-olds, rather than for college-bound teens. Check with your doctor if your camper is 11 or older and hasn't yet had the shot.

· Mulling over a medicine-free summer for a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder? Check with the doctor first to see if drug-free weekends leading up to the camp departure date would be good practice, says Lee Beers, a physician at National Children's Medical Center. Or consider switching to a drug given once daily, such as Adderall XR. Vyvanse, another once-a-day ADHD drug, was approved last July.

· Don't bother packing one of those new bug spray/sunscreen combos, dermatologists say. Sunscreen needs to be applied every two hours, and after swimming; bug spray typically just once a day and after an evening shower if kids are then headed to an outdoor activity.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers more summer safety advice at http://www.aap.org.

-- Francesca Lunzer Kritz