Week of August 26, 2013

The Roundup contains information about all of the latest news, commentary, reports, surveys, issue briefs, charts, and fact sheets related to boys' issues collected by our staff during the preceding week.

Featured Article

Journal Review

  • AAP Recommendations for Male Adolescent, Young Adult Health
    The authors reviewed available literature on young men's health and summarized best clinical practices to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy 2020 objectives for adolescents and young adults. While offering recommendations for overall care of males in this age group, the review especially focuses on gender-specific issues in reproductive and sexual health.
    Medscape
    August 12, 2013

    Pediatrics Abstract

    Note: The principal author, Dr. David Bell, is a co-chair of The Boys Initiative's Ensuring Healthy Futures project's steering committee.  Dr. Breland, a co-author of the review, is a member of the project's advisory council.

News Clips

  • Boys whose fathers work 55 hours plus, more aggressive
    Boys tend to be more antisocial and aggressive if their fathers work extremely long hours -- 55 or more hours a week, researchers in Germany and Australia say.
    upi.com
    August 24, 2013

  • Nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers may raise the risk of turning to heroin use
    A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that people aged 12 to 49 who had used prescription pain relievers nonmedically were 19 times more likely to have initiated heroin use recently (within the past 12 months of being interviewed) than others in that age group (0.39 percent  versus 0.02 percent).
    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
    August 22, 2013

  • prescription bottle

    Baby circumcisions in U.S. hospitals decline over three decades
    The rate of circumcisions performed on newborn boys in U.S. hospitals dropped 6 percentage points over the last three decades, with an especially steep decline in Western states, according to U.S. government data released on Thursday.
    Reuters
    August 22, 2013

  • As circumcision declines, health costs will go up, study projects
     A team of researchers estimates that every procedure not performed could lead to significant increases in lifetime medical expenses because of STDs.
    Los Angeles Times
    August 21, 2013

  • toothbrush

    Study Ties Poor Oral Health to Cancer-Causing Virus
    People with swollen gums, missing teeth and other signs of poor dental health are more likely to be infected orally with the human papillomavirus, researchers reported on Wednesday.
    New York Times
    August 21, 2013

  • Helping minority males complete college helps the Texas economy
    Some of Texas’ major public education institutions � including school districts, community colleges and public universities � rightly are joining forces to combat lagging college completion rates for African-American and Latino males. 
    The Statesman
    August 20, 2013

    Junk food may lead to mental health problems in children
    junk foodDeakin University researchers, working with Norwegian collaborators, have found for the first time that a clear relationship exists between mums' diets during pregnancy, as well as children's diets during the first years of life, and children's mental health.
    Medical Express
    August 20, 2013

  • Bullied kids struggle to keep a job later in life
    Kids who are bullied often face a range of health and personal problems later in life, a new study finds. �
    Futurity
    August 20, 2103

  • School Has Become Too Hostile to Boys
     bulliesAnd efforts to re-engineer the young-male imagination are doomed to fail
    As school begins in the coming weeks, parents of boys should ask themselves a question: Is my son really welcome? A flurry of incidents last spring suggests that the answer is no.
    Time
    August 19, 2013

  • Software Tells Teacher When Kids Space Out
    ExitTicket, software born in a classroom, can tell a teacher if the kids in the back of the class haven't been paying attention.
    Information Week
    August 19, 2013

  • Transgender issues: California parents panicking
    So, at least one parent in California � Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peak � says one of his two teenage sons will not be returning to public school because, ohmygawd! the lad might encounter a transgender person in the washroom or shower room/dressing room.
    Montreal Gazette
    August 18, 2103

  • Research Reveals How Kids Learn From 'Sex-Saturated' Online Culture
    New research from author and clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair has found many teens are turning to Internet videos to educate themselves on topics relating to sexual health, including sexuality, dating, and gender stereotypes.
    Mashable
    August 18, 2013

  • sodasCola 'makes kids as young as five violent': Children who have four fizzy drinks a day are more likely to fight, destroy possessions and attack others
    A study found that boys and girls who had four soft drinks a day were more than twice as likely to get into fights, destroy others’ possessions and physically attack people, compared with those who drank other beverages.
    Mail Online
    August 16, 2013

  • Indiana launches website to fight Rx drug abuse
    "Whether you are seeking ideas on how to talk to your teenager about whether they are abusing prescription drugs, searching for help for yourself or a loved one or just want to know how to properly dispose of your unwanted medications, this new website serves as a one-stop shop. I believe consumers need to be armed with information and the right resources so we can try to put an end to this epidemic."
    Journal Gazette
    August 16, 2013

  • prescription bottle

    Teen Abuse of Prescription Drugs Skyrockets
    One in four adolescents questioned in 2012 admitted that they had abused prescription drugs at least once, which represented a dramatic 33 percent increase in just four years. 
    Addiction Treatment Magazine
    August 16, 2013

  • Boys also harmed by teen 'hookup' culture, experts say
    According to new research, boys who engage in this kind of sexualized behavior say they have no intention to be hostile or demeaning � precisely the opposite. While they admit they are pushing limits, they also think they are simply courting. They describe it as "goofing around, flirting," 
    Today
    August 15 2013

  • Boosting College Readiness Among Black and Latino Males
    In an effort to improve these outcomes, the Open Society Foundations has partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies and several New York City agencies to create the Young Men’s Initiative, which addresses disparities in education, criminal justice, employment, and health among young men of color.
    Open Society Foundations
    August 15, 2013

  • Boys with allergies, Asthma at higher risk for ADHD
    "ADHD, a chronic mental health disorder, is most commonly found in males, while asthma is also more common in young boys than girls," said Eelko Hak, lead author of the study published in journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 
    Business Standard
    August 14, 2013

  • The struggle to help boys learn
    Everywhere we look, boys are squashed into a narrow idea of what it means to be male. And that doesn't have much to do with school as they know it.
    Online Opinion
    August 14, 2013

  • Most teens have easy access to their prescription drugs
    Three in four teens who were prescribed medication during the last six months had unsupervised access to them at home, likely increasing the risk of overdose, substance abuse and drug diversion, a new University of Michigan study indicates.
    University of Michigan
    August 13, 2013

  • Many Risk Factors for Early Dementia Can Show Up in Teens
    Swedish researchers have identified nine risk factors -- many occurring during a person's teens -- that are tied to early onset dementia. The good news is that several of these symptoms and behaviors can be prevented or treated, experts noted.
    Medline Plus August 13, 2013

  • Boys, Girls and Childhood Obesity
    A new study published in the journal Pediatrics collected health data from more than 1,700 sixth grade students...But there were gender differences, as well. Boys who participated in vigorous physical activity and school sports appeared to be protected against obesity. While for girls, milk consumption appeared to help ward off severe weight problems.
    Medline Plus
    August 12, 2013

  • Use of Antipsychotics in Children Under Investigation by HHS
    An investigation into whether certain antipsychotic drugs are being prescribed too often to treat behavioral problems in youngsters covered by Medicaid is being conducted by federal health officials. The review has been underway for several months and is being conducted by the inspector general's office at the Department of Health and Human Services. In a parallel move, various agencies within HHS are telling state officials to tighten oversight of prescriptions of such drugs to Medicaid recipients who are 17 and younger, the Wall Street Journal reported.
    Healthfinder.gov
    August 12, 2013

  • NIH issues online course on screening youth for alcohol problems
    A new online training course will help health care professionals conduct fast, evidence-based alcohol screening and brief intervention with youth. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, produced the course jointly with Medscape, a leading provider of online continuing medical education.
    National Institutes of Health
    August 12, 2013

  • Sex in a Teenager’s Room: Why Not?
    But what would happen if parents embraced another possibility and actually accepted their teenagers' sex lives, even going so far as to allow teenagers to have their boyfriend or girlfriend sleep over? 
    Slate
    August 12, 2013

  • Study finds that some depressed adolescents are at higher risk for developing anxiety
    Specifically, those who are most vulnerable are those who have a pessimistic outlook toward events and circumstances in their lives; those who have mothers with a history of an anxiety disorder; or those who report that the quality of their family relationships is poor, Kouros said. A depressed adolescent with any one of those circumstances is more at risk for developing anxiety, the researchers found.
    Medical Xpress
    August 9, 2013

  • Outgoing Young People Become Happier Seniors: Survey
    But shy people not doomed to a miserable life, researcher stresses.
    HealthFinder.gov
    August 9, 2013

  • Youth Concussion FAQ
    An estimated 400,000 high school athletes sustained concussions while participating in five major male sports and four major female sports during the 2005-2008 school years. In addition, experts believe that the prevalence of sports-related concussions among young people in all sports is significantly higher than reported.
    National Football League
    August 9, 2013

  • Targeting Disruptive Behavior in Early Childhood Can Reduce Teen Substance Abuse
    Canadian researchers believe early intervention for behavioral problems can reduce or prevent substance use in adolescence.
    Psych Central
    August 8, 2013

  • Most youth who use smokeless tobacco are smokers, too
    Most young people in the U.S. who use newer smokeless tobacco products are smoking cigarettes too, according to new research. "These findings are troubling, but not surprising, as tobacco companies spend huge sums to market smokeless tobacco in ways that entice kids to start and encourage dual use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco," Vince Willmore, vice president of communications at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, told Reuters Health in an email.
    Medline Plus
    August 8, 2013

  • Stimulant-related emergency department visits rise 300 percent among younger adults
    A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that some drug- related emergency department visits increased by 300 percent -- from 5,605 visits in 2005 to 22,949 visits in 2011.  These visits, made by adults aged 18 to 34, were related to the nonmedical use of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. On average, about 30 percent of these visits also involved alcohol.
    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
    August 8, 2013

  • CDC Chief: Doctors: Are You Helping Reduce HPV?
    Just last month we had great news for Americans. Infection with the types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that commonly cause cervical cancer in women has dropped about half in 14- to 19-year old girls since the HPV vaccination program started.
    The vaccine works. It works even better than we had hoped.
    But last week we published a study showing that HPV vaccination coverage hasn't increased at all in the past two study years.
    Huffington Post
    August 5, 2013

Journal Articles

  • Clinical Implications of Substance Use on Suicidality Among Youths
    The major clinical implication from the study is that gathering information about the lifetime number and types of substances used by an adolescent can inform the assessment of suicide risk. Furthermore, understanding the substance use history may help determine the adolescent’s broader risk of health risk behaviors and associated mental illness. This can help guide clinical decision making regarding the level of mental health interventions an adolescent may require.
    Psychiatric Times
    August 22, 2013

  • "Just talk to me": communicating with college students about depression disclosures on Facebook.
    The study found that "In-person communication from friends or trusted adults is the preferred means for raising concerns about a student's signs of depression displays on Facebook. Programs that encourage resident advisors and peers to respond in this manner and encourage treatment may represent a way to improve access to care for depression."
    Journal of Adolescent Health, January 2013

International News

Australia

  • Boys want to look fit to be happy
    Boys as young as eight have decided they want to look fit and sporty - and think they will be happier if they do - a new body image study has found.
    Sydney Morning Herald
    August 11, 2013

Canada

Italy

  • Suicide of homosexual boy triggers concern
    The suicide of a 14-year-old boy in Rome who was bullied because he was gay triggered calls on Monday for quicker government action to pass laws against gay-bashing. 
    Gazetta Del Sud
    August 8, 2013

New Zealand

  • Boys slip further in school's co-ed class
    Teenage boys' attitude to reading is widening the gap between them and their female classmates at a Wairarapa college.
    Rathkeale College in Masterton is a state-integrated boys' school where girls from sister school St Matthew's Collegiate join in years 12 and 13 to form a co-educational senior school.
    Stuff.co.nz
    August 12, 2013

UAE

  • Why are UAE boys dropping out of school?
    Even as the UAE puts impressive and effective measures in place in education to take its knowledge-based economy to higher levels, there is an occurrence that seems to be slowing down the pace � UAE males at the senior secondary level choosing to drop out from school.
    Gulf News
    August 11, 2013

UK

  • Why boys are better at exams, according to Oxford University chief
    Girls may be outraged by this, but the man in charge of admissions at Oxford University believes boys do better in exams like science because they are better at taking risks.
    The Telegraph
    August 18, 2013

  • Boys will be boys: Gender divide is growing fast at A-levels
    Girls shy away from maths and science and fewer boys opt for English and creative subjects
    "We need very good female role models of engineers and scientists to go and talk to students - and we need those who have made a success out of English to go and talk to boys."
    The Independent
    August 16, 2013

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The Boys Initiative is a groundbreaking national nonprofit campaign to shed light on documented trends in recent years pertaining to boys' underachievement and young men's failure to launch. For more information about The Boys Initiative, visit www.theboysinitiative.org.