Missouri Children's Trust Fund

Use of Fans May Lower SIDS Risk

A new study, published in October's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, suggests that using a fan to circulate air and improve ventilation seemed to lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  More research is needed, but the results from the California study found that the risk of SIDS for infants in rooms with a fan was 72 per cent lower than those who slept in rooms without a fan.  In addition, opening a window also reduced the risk by 36 per cent, the researchers said.  Since 1999, the incidence of SIDS in the United States has decreased by more than half to about 2,100 in 2003 as more parents followed the "Back to Sleep" campaign and placed infants on their back to sleep.  Experts also recommend a firm mattress, removing toys and pillows from cribs, and keeping infants from getting too warm.

[Full story - CBS News Online] 
[Related - CBC News Online]
[More from SIDS Resources]

Early Neglect Can Predict Aggressive Behavior in Children

A new longitudinal study conducted by the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Public Health reveals that children who are neglected before their second birthday display higher levels of aggressive behavior between ages 4 and 8. The research has been published in  Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  According to the Administration for Children and Families, neglect accounts for nearly two-thirds of all child maltreatment cases reported in the United States each year.  For purposes of the study a child was considered neglected if his parents or caregivers did not provide adequate supervision or failed to meet the child’s minimum physical needs for food, clothing and shelter.
[Read UNC News Release]

New Study Shows 1 in 50 Infants Abused or Neglected

A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) shows that about 1 in 50 U.S. infants are victims of nonfatal child abuse or neglect in a year.  The study, believed to be the first to focus on infants, found nearly a third of those who had been abused or neglected were one week old or younger when the abuse or neglect occurred.  Researchers, drawing upon a national database of cases verified by protective service agencies in 45 states, counted more than 91,000 infant victims of abuse and neglect in a 12-month period.
[Full story-CNN Health online]
[Pain Processing in Brain Affected by History of Abuse - ABC News, April 4, 2008]

Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect Staggering

An economic impact analysis released today estimates the costs of child abuse and neglect to the United States were nearly $104 billion last year, and a companion report highlights the unavailability of federal child welfare funding for programs and services known to be effective at reducing incidences of child abuse and neglect.

Study Urges Efforts to Target Fathers in Child-Abuse Education

A new study published in Child Abuse and Neglect has found that fathers are far more likely than mothers to break or fracture their children's bones, and that young infants are often the target of this type of abuse. According to Suzanne Starling, a forensic pediatrician for the Child Abuse Program at Children's Hospitals of the King's Daughters, Norfolk, Virginia, "If prevention efforts remain targeted primarily at women, a large proportion of perpetrators will not be reached. Alternative prevention efforts must be sought." Broken and fractured bones are the second most common physical symptom of child abuse in the United States. [More]

What Is All That Crying About?

This month's edition of the Bulletin of the Centre of Excellence For Early Childhood Development focuses on crying behavior of infants at various developmental stages.  Entitled "What Is All That Crying About" by Ronald G. Barr, Canada Research Chair, Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, B.C., the article also focuses on how caregivers respond to crying and strategies to help parents cope with the frustration it can often evoke.  This issue also contains helpful information regarding preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Excerpt from article - "For parents of newborns, the increased and often inconsolable crying of their infants during the first few months of life can be a frustrating and stressful experience. Understanding these inconsolable bouts of crying is key to helping parents cope with the situation and develop appropriate responses, thus promoting the healthy social and emotional development of their children."

Access additional information at Centres of Excellence For Children's Well-Being - Early Childhood Development. 

Effective parenting programs, home visiting evaluated

In a recent report reviewing 150 studies of parenting programs for at-risk parents, home visiting programs held the most promise for parents of young children.  The study, conducted at the University of California at Berkeley Center for the Study of Social Services Research (CSSR), concluded that parents who are at risk for child maltreatment may benefit from different parent education and training programs targeted for the age of the children, the type of abuse or neglect that has placed the families at risk, or certain parental or family characteristics. 

In addition to programs serving parents of young children, the researchers looked at programs which were more effective with parents of older children, with ethnic minority families in low-income communities, with substance-abusing parents, and with parents at risk of neglecting their children.  The report, Assessing Parent Education Programs for Families Involved With Child Welfare Services: Evidence and Implications, offers some guidance to child welfare agencies and staff in trying to identify the right program for a particular family by discussing specific promising programs and providing program descriptions, outcomes, estimated costs, and contact information for each.

In addition, the report (Download PDF) places its findings in context by describing what is understood to be effective parenting, as well as parenting issues for families at risk for maltreatment. 

Who is the typical school-age meth user?

Jamie Myers (Prevention Consultants of Missouri) points us to interesting data that clearly shows that teen meth users are primarily part of a group that is also abusing other substances such as marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco. It is also interesting to see that nearly 1/3 of the users believe their parents are okay with their use.

"The typical student user of methamphetamines is a 17-year old white male who lives with both parents, first tried meth at age 12.6 years, under performs in the classroom, and does not view the drug as harmful to the health, according to data collected by Pride Surveys from more than 3,000 self-reported users of meth in grades 6-12." More results from this survey.

Still on the topic of meth...Colleagues for Children have produced a useful guide titled: "Methamphetamine: What Child Welfare Workers Should Know" Download the guide (PDF)