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☆ More kids are anxious but fewer get the right help, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —More kids, teens and young adults are experiencing anxiety — but fewer are getting the appropriate treatment, according to the latest research. “The burden for treating mental health conditions among young kids is growing,” Chavez said. How to make sure your family gets the right helpWhile there is a larger problem of resources and availability when it comes to mental health care, there are things families can do to get help. Don’t write off chronically anxious behavior as shyness and instead seek out a mental health professional for an evaluation, she said. Families can also find help getting care and resources in the meantime at onoursleeves.org, she added.

Persons: CNN —, Laura Chavez, ” Chavez, Lata McGinn, McGinn, they’re, ” McGinn, Dr, Ariana Hoet, Hoet, ” Hoet, Chavez, “, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Medical, Survey, American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, US National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Child Health Equity, Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Yeshiva University, Cognitive, Behavioral Consultants Locations: United States, Columbus , Ohio, New York City, White Plains , New York, onoursleeves.org

☆ Opinion: LGBTQ Americans are in a state of emergency –and we should all do more about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Opinion Jill Filipovic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —This week, the LGBTQ rights group Human Rights Campaign (HRC) declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ Americans, the first time the organization has ever done so. And frankly, given the state of women’s rights in many of the same states attacking LGBTQ people, women’s groups should do the same. Jill Filipovic Courtesy of Jill FilipovicIn the first quarter of 2023 alone, 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. And no company should have to worry that a display of affirmation for LGBTQ Americans will result in vandalism, threats or harassment of employees. It is unconscionable for any company to require its employees live in states that criminalize abortion or that are attacking LGBTQ rights.

Persons: Jill Filipovic, it’s, –, doesn’t Organizations: Twitter, CNN, Human Rights, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Facebook Sports Locations: New York, United States, Florida

☆ Second Thoughts on ‘Gender-Affirming Care’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Leor Sapir | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As protests erupted outside a Glendale, Calif., school board meeting discussing LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom on June 6, 2023, opponents highlighted their concerns about teachers discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with children. Images: The Orange County Register via AP/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyThe American Academy of Pediatrics said last week that it will commission a systematic review of the evidence for pediatric sex-trait modification, known euphemistically as “gender-affirming care.” This marks a turning point in the battle over the controversial medical protocol. To those who favor evidence-based rather than eminence-based medicine, it is a step in the right direction.

Persons: Mark Kelly Organizations: AP, Zuma, Mark Kelly The American Academy of Pediatrics Locations: Glendale, Calif, Orange

☆ See the States That Have Passed Laws Directed at Young Trans People
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Francesca Paris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Not all the laws passed this year have gone into effect yet. Several states have prohibited only certain parts of gender-affirming care. Advocates for trans care have sued in numerous states over these laws, and other Democratic-led states have passed laws protecting transition care for young people. The bill led some providers of gender-affirming care to temporarily suspend their services to adults. And several states have banned Medicaid from covering transition care for adults.

Organizations: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, Democratic Locations: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Nebraska, West

☆ Texas Governor Signs Bill Banning Transgender Care for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Why It Matters: Texas has one of the largest transgender populations in the country. people, nearly 30,000 transgender people ages 13 to 17 live in Texas, making it one of the states with the largest populations of transgender youth. The law reflects an effort in Texas and in much of the country by Republican elected leaders to restrict transgender rights. In Texas, officials had taken other steps to try to prevent transgender children from accessing medical transition care. According to the bill, minors already receiving prescribed medical treatment would be able “over a period of time and in a manner that is safe and medically appropriate” to “wean” themselves off the medication.

Persons: Abbott, wean, Ken Paxton, John Scott, Paxton Organizations: Williams Institute, Texans, American Academy of Pediatrics, Republican, Senate Locations: Texas, L.G.B.T.Q, United States, Arkansas

June 2 (Reuters) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed a bill that bans transgender healthcare including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, making Texas the largest of the 20 states to have outlawed gender-affirming care. Republican lawmakers across the country have promoted similar bills, saying they mistrust the consensus among major medical associations that endorse gender-affirming care as needed and even life-saving for trans youth after extensive evaluation. Texas, the second most-populous U.S. state, has an estimated 29,800 transgender youth aged 13 to 17, according to the Williams Institute of UCLA. The Texas law creates exceptions for minors who began treatment before June 1 or for those who attended 12 or more sessions of mental health counseling or psychotherapy for at least six months. Groups including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the legislation.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Daniel Trotta, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Williams Institute of UCLA, American Civil Liberties Union, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Republicans, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Texas, U.S

☆ What It’s Like to Be a Queer Teenager in America Today
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

teenagers, high school is a much more accepting place than even a decade ago. Their experiences highlight a “paradoxical finding,” as researchers have described it: Even as social inclusion for young L.G.B.T.Q. To better understand, we took a national poll and talked to two dozen high school students in five states. It’s a different world from when his older sister, Brianna Henderson, attended just seven years ago, when there were very few openly gay students. His home state has passed laws related to restroom use and sports participation for young transgender people.

Persons: ”, Reese Whisnant, They’re, Stephen T, Russell, It’s, Brianna Henderson, Reese Whisnant Barrett Emke, Henderson, Reese, shouldn’t, Gen, Jareth Leiker, Jareth, Ricardo Nagaoka, “, ” Jerry Strohecker, it’s, ” Adrian Soriano, Kansas Barrett Emke, “ Will, Grace ”, Jason Collins, Caitlyn Jenner, Kardashian, Matthew Rivas, Younger, nonbinary, “ You’re, Jeff Jones, “ It’s, I’m, ’ ”, Athena Stiles, Athena Stiles Barrett Emke, I’ve, Shaggy Sargent, Willow Menashe, Eleanor Woosley, Mr, Rivas, Koehl, GLSEN, ” Logan Hortenstine, ” Jayden, Florida Ricardo Nagaoka, ” Isaac Siegel, Wilson, Shelley L, Craig, “ They’re Organizations: Topeka, Republican, University of Texas, Austin, ”, The New York Times, Gallup, United States, Supreme, North, University of Illinois, New York Times, Social Survey, Topeka High, ” Pew Research Center, Centers for Disease Control, Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, University of Toronto Locations: Topeka High, Kansas, Florida , Kansas, Iowa, Oregon, United, Portland ,, ” Jerry Strohecker , Oregon, Cape Coral, Fla, Shaggy Sargent , Iowa, Willow Menashe , Oregon, Southern, West, United States, Europe, ” Logan Hortenstine , Kansas, ” Jayden D’Onofrio, Florida, Portland, Wilson , Oregon, Canada, Beeville , Texas, ”

☆ Weight-loss surgery is becoming more common among children and teens, new research shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Millions of children and teens live with obesity in the United States, and weight-loss surgery is becoming a more common way to treat it, new research shows. The trend held strong in the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, even as the number of weight-loss surgeries among adults dipped. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of weight-loss surgeries among youth jumped 19%. Childhood obesity is more prevalent among certain populations, including Black and Hispanic youth, according to the CDC. The new data shows that weight-loss surgery increased more than twice as much as average among these populations, up 42% among Back youth and 53% among Hispanic youth between 2020 and 2021.

☆ Do No Harm, a group of 'medical professionals' fighting 'woke healthcare,' is behind many anti-trans laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The AP analyzed 130 bills across 40 states, finding common language attributable to a group called Do No Harm. Do No Harm is one of several right-wing organizations advocating against trans inclusion in healthcare. Do No Harm is much newer, launching last year in an effort to shield "patients and physicians from woke healthcare." "We know that woke medical education and research are already impacting healthcare providers, and now federal and state policymakers are forcing woke policies into medicine," Kristina Rasmussen, executive director of Do No Harm, said in an April 2022 press release. Several other medical groups have joined calls to stop anti-trans policies from taking hold across the nation — like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the National Education Association, to name a few.

☆ Texas Legislature Bans Transgender Medical Care for Children
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Montgomery | J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

State police arrested two people amid protests as the bill was being discussed in the Texas House. Even before the legislation passed, Texas officials had taken steps to try to prevent transgender children from accessing medical transition care. Why It Matters: The largest state to ban transition care for minorsAt least 14 other states have enacted bans or restrictions on medical treatments for transgender children. community, nearly 30,000 transgender children between 13 and 17 live in Texas, making up about 1 percent of Texans in that age group. The bans are part of a national effort by Republican elected leaders to restrict medical care for transgender children, discussions on gender in schools, and drag performances.

☆ How a Few Stories of Regret Fuel the Push to Restrict Gender Transition Care
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Missouri legislature last week passed a ban on transition care for transgender youth. As more American teenagers have identified as transgender, it is difficult to say how many will transition medically — many transgender people do not — and precisely how many will later change course. Methodology, demographics and even the definition of detransition vary widely from study to study, which typically show that between 2 percent and 13 percent of people detransition, and not always because of regret. Leading medical groups in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, say transition care should be available to minors and oppose legislative bans. Many experts say policymakers should ensure access to high-quality care, including thorough individual evaluations to determine which treatments are appropriate and at what age.

☆ Missouri Lawmakers Pass Bill to Ban Transition Care for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Background: Transition care was already in flux in MissouriThe vote on Wednesday was not the first attempt to limit transgender care in Missouri this year. Why It Matters: New limits are emerging across the countryThe Missouri bill comes amid a national blitz of Republican legislation targeting transition care for transgender youth. The rapidly changing legal landscape has placed transition care out of reach for many transgender children in the Midwest and South, infuriating L.G.B.T.Q. Several states bordering Missouri — Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma — have passed new limits on transition care for minors this year. An attempt to ban care for minors in Kansas failed when lawmakers did not muster enough votes to override the Democratic governor’s veto.

☆ Parents need not fear adolescent weight gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Michelle Icard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Yet it sends adults into a tailspin of fear around weight, health and self-esteem. Yet weight gain remains a sensitive, sometimes scary subject for parents who fear too much weight gain, too quickly. “About 25 percent of growth in height occurs during this time so as youth grow taller, they’re also going to gain weight. Parents need to work on their own weight bias, but they also need to protect their children from providers who don’t know how to communicate with their patients about weight. “We all have a lot of work to do when it comes to conversations about weight,” Hutchison said.

☆ How to Help a Teen Who Can’t Sleep
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Catherine Pearson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With packed schedules, school days that kick off at 8 a.m. and the lure of screens, it’s little wonder that many adolescents in the United States don’t get enough sleep. And more than one in five adolescents grapple with insomnia, characterized by problems falling asleep, staying asleep or getting sufficient quality sleep (or some combination thereof). “There are two basic things that happen” when teens hit puberty, said Dr. Judith Owens, the director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The first is that there’s a shift in their natural circadian rhythms, so their natural fall asleep time and wake time shift later — by up to a couple of hours. The second thing that happens is their sleep drive slows.” So not only do adolescents want to stay up later, but their bodies are actually capable of doing so, she explained.

☆ A New Breast Pumping Law Has Gone Into Effect. Here’s What It Means.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | Catherine Pearson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last week, expanded protections for nursing mothers, officially known as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, or PUMP Act, went into full effect, giving more workers the right to break time and a private space to pump. Building on a 2010 law, which compelled employers to provide breastfeeding accommodations, the PUMP Act was introduced in Congress in 2021. Support grew last summer amid the baby formula shortage and after the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines that support breastfeeding for two years or more. “Part of the reason for that is that if you’re not emptying your breasts regularly, your milk supply goes down. And if your milk supply goes down, gradually, breastfeeding ceases.”

☆ Judge Rejects Montana Lawmaker’s Effort to Return to House Floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It Matters: States Have Seen a Surge in Transgender LegislationMontana is one of several states where Republican lawmakers have sought this year to prohibit hormone treatments and surgical care for transgender minors. About 1.3 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States identify as transgender, and efforts to restrict what is known as gender-affirming care have thrust them into one of the nation’s most pitched political battles. Republican legislators have characterized transition care as harmful and experimental, saying that people under 18 are not mature enough to make permanent decisions. But major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, support this care and say that bans pose serious mental health risks to young people. Members of the conservative Montana Freedom Caucus accused Ms. Zephyr, who held her microphone aloft in the House chamber as her supporters were ordered to disperse, of “standing in the middle of the floor encouraging an insurrection.”

☆ Lawmakers update Kids Online Safety Act to address potential harms, but fail to appease some activists, industry groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Late last year, dozens of civil society groups warned Congress against passing the bill, warning it could further endanger young internet users in different ways. Blumenthal's office said it did not believe the duty of care would have applied to those sorts of groups, but opted to clarify it regardless. Moreover, parental guidance in minors' online lives is critical, but KOSA would mandate surveillance tools without regard to minors' home situations or safety. The bill also faced criticism from several groups that receive funding from the tech industry. "Protecting young people online is a broadly shared goal.

☆ Florida surgeon general appointed by DeSantis cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Associated Press | Sarah Gray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study, per multiple reports. Ron DeSantis in 2021 to head the Florida Department of Health. The nonbinding recommendation made by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo last fall ran counter to the advice provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ladapo said that the risk of men ages 18 to 39 having cardiac complications outweighed the benefits of getting the mRNA vaccine. "(The vaccine) has done a lot to advance the health of people of Florida and he's encouraging people to mistrust it."

☆ Sleep gummies: Possibly harmful doses of melatonin, CBD found
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Testing of over two dozen melatonin “gummies” sold as sleep aids found some had potentially dangerous amounts of the hormone that helps regulate sleep, according to a new study. “Four of the tested products contained levels of CBD that were between 4% and 18% higher than on the label,” Cohen said. “We choose gummies over other products because we thought parents would chose edibles to give to their children,” Cohen said. Gummies sold as sleep aids had much higher levels of melatonin than stated on the label, as well as CBD, according to the study. “However, that doesn’t mean melatonin products are going to work or they’re a good idea to take.

☆ Montana House Cancels Session Amid Standoff With Transgender Lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jim Robbins | Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This year, 11 states have passed laws prohibiting such care for young people. Few of those legislatures have had to debate those laws with a transgender lawmaker as a member. But she added that she is now serving her third term — and watching transgender candidates in other states win elections, too. Ms. Zephyr, 34, said she ran for office on a campaign platform of affordable housing, health care, human rights and climate justice. But it is her clash with Republican lawmakers over transgender issues that has rapidly raised her profile.

☆ Kids under 6 ingesting illicit substances rose after Covid-19 outbreak, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The outbreak of Covid-19 presented many dangers for children, and a new study suggests increased illicit substance ingestions were among them. Those numbers grew by 1.8% more per month than they did before the pandemic, the study said. The results could be skewed if health care providers were on the lookout for ingestions, Dodington added. There was no association between medicinal or recreational cannabis legalization and the rate of cannabis ingestion encounters, according to the study. Safer storageIngesting drugs and alcohol are particularly dangerous for young children, Dodington said.

☆ More Kids Get Weight-Loss Surgery to Treat Obesity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sarah Toy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A bariatric surgery can benefit children as young as 13, according to guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Photo: Luis Robayo/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesMore children are getting stomach surgery to help them lose weight, the most drastic of measures doctors are recommending to confront relentlessly rising obesity rates. Many of the young people who undergo bariatric surgery didn’t lose weight through diet, exercise or weight-loss drugs. Bariatric surgery can be a faster, more lasting fix for patients with severe obesity, researchers and pediatricians said.

☆ EU backs use of Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug in adolescents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency said on Friday its committee has recommended expanding the use of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) weight loss drug in adolescents aged 12 years and older. Novo's Wegovy, a semaglutide-based drug, activates GLP-1, a hormone that triggers the feeling of fullness in the body after eating. It has been approved in the U.S. and European Union for treatment of obesity in adults. The company did not indicate a timeline for its plans to launch the drug, already available in Denmark and Norway, in other EU countries. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommended use of weight-loss drugs in children aged 12 years or older.

☆ Dirty Dozen list: Which fruits and vegetables could contain pesticides
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Each year, a rotating list of produce is tested by USDA staffers who wash, peel or scrub fruits and vegetables as consumers would before the food is examined for 251 different pesticides. Kale, collard and mustard greens contained the largest number of different pesticides — 103 types — followed by hot and bell peppers at 101. Concerned consumers can consider choosing conventionally grown vegetables and fruits from the EWG’s Clean 15, a list of crops that tested lowest in pesticides, the report said. When last tested in 2014, blueberries contained over 50 different pesticides. Testing in 2020 and 2021 found 54 different pesticides — about the same amount.

Persons: nutritionists, Kale, collard, ”, Jane Houlihan, Houlihan, Ian Berry, Alexis Temkin, ” Temkin, we’re, ” Chris Novak, ” Novak, Bryan Hitchcock, Temkin, “, “ Steer Organizations: CNN, Environmental, Produce, US Department of Agriculture, USDA, Environmental Protection Agency, Healthy, American Academy of Pediatrics, Futures, EPA, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, CropLife, Food Technologists, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: CropLife America

☆ A South Dakota mom says she has to drive 230 miles to seek gender-affirming care for her 13-year-old trans kid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill that bans gender-affirming health care for trans youth. To get gender-affirming care for her son, she now has to drive more than 230 miles out of state. South Dakota Gov. The family also has deep ties to South Dakota, and their 7-year-old child is comfortable and settled in the state.

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