Heart Association’s Stroke Guidelines Support Clot-Removing Device

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A device that grabs and drags a blood clot out through the blood vessels should be used to treat certain stroke victims, according to new guidelines issued by the American Heart Association.

Nearly nine out of 10 strokes are caused by a blood clot that blocks one of the arteries supplying blood to the brain, the American Heart Association (AHA) said. Standard stroke treatment relies on powerful blood-thinning medications that break up the clot and restore blood flow to the brain.

But when those drugs don’t work, doctors now can turn to a new catheter-based device that will physically remove the blood clot, said Dr. William Powers, lead author of the updated AHA guidelines and chair of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The tool, called an endovascular stent retrieval device, is made up of wire mesh that resembles a tiny ring of chicken wire, Powers said.

Skilled surgeons run the device up through a person’s arteries via a catheter, and then open it smack in the middle of a stroke-causing blood clot.

“If you actually deploy or open one in the middle of a clot, it smooshes out and the clot gets caught in the chicken wire, and then you pull the whole thing out back through the artery,” Powers said.

The new guidelines were published June 29 in the journal Stroke.

The AHA issued its updated guidelines based primarily on the results of six new clinical trials released within the past eight months, Powers said. All of these studies showed that the device can safely and effectively stop a stroke by removing blood clots, he added.

A number of other medical societies have endorsed the AHA’s new guidelines, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology.

As with other stroke treatments, time is of the essence. The procedure must start within six hours of the onset of a stroke, which means that emergency teams and hospitals will have to move fast, Powers said.

The guidelines provide added incentive to quickly transfer stroke victims from a local hospital to a major stroke center capable of advanced treatment, said Powers and Dr. David Kandzari, director of interventional cardiology and chief scientific officer for the Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta.

Local hospitals currently are urged to “drip and ship” people experiencing a major stroke — essentially, start an IV drip of the powerful clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and then ship them by ambulance or helicopter to the nearest comprehensive stroke center for further treatment, Kandzari said.

Stent retrieval devices make that quick hospital transfer even more important, since the gadgets provide a crucial backup for tPA but are more tricky to use.

“These are procedures performed by very specialized individuals,” Kandzari said. “They are not regularly performed by cardiologists or radiologists or neurologists. Hospitals must make plans to get people to other centers that are capable of this catheter-based therapy,” he explained.

Powers said, “I think what’s going to happen is that we will develop systems of rapid triage and rapid transport. A lot of this at this point depends on logistics and manpower. The people who do this are specially trained. You need a lot of special training to get those catheters up into the brain and pull things out.”

The guidelines specifically recommend using a stent retrieval device for people who:

• Didn’t have any significant disability prior to their current stroke.
• Received tPA within 4.5 hours of their stroke onset, and can start the procedure within six hours after stroke symptoms started.
• Are at least 18 years old, as clinical trials have not been conducted with children.
• Have imaging scans that show more than half of the brain on the side of the stroke is not permanently damaged.
• Have a clot blocking a large artery supplying blood to the brain.

That last point is especially important, because the stent retrieval device will not fit into the smaller blood vessels that branch out further into the brain, Powers said.

The major risk of using the device is that it could tear an artery and cause bleeding in the brain, particularly since it will be used on people who have already received very potent blood thinners, Kandzari said.

But clinical trials have shown that the risk of brain bleeding for people who received tPA and then went through mechanical clot removal is no greater than for people who just receive the blood thinner, Powers said.

“The outcomes were uniformly positive in all of the trials,” he said. “It’s really, really good evidence.”

More information

For more about stroke, visit the National Stroke Association.

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Trauma, PTSD May Raise Women’s Odds of Heart Attack, Stroke: Study

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women who have been through a traumatic event or developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, a new large study suggests.

For women with severe PTSD, the study found a 60 percent higher risk of heart attack or stroke compared to women who hadn’t experienced any trauma. The risk was increased 45 percent for women who experienced a traumatic event but didn’t develop PTSD, the researchers added.

“Our study is the first to look at trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms and new cases of cardiovascular disease in a general population sample of women,” said lead researcher Jennifer Sumner, an epidemiologist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

It’s important to note, however, that while this study found an association between trauma and a higher risk of stroke and heart attack, it wasn’t designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship. It’s possible that other factors may explain the increased risk.

The report was published online June 29 in the journal Circulation.

Symptoms of PTSD include: avoiding reminders of the trauma; having nightmares or flashbacks of the trauma; having trouble sleeping; being irritable; or startling easily, Sumner explained.

Some of the women in the study developed PTSD after experiencing traumatic and extremely stressful events, such as unwanted sexual contact, the unexpected death of a loved one and physical assault, she said.

“PTSD is twice as common in women as in men. Approximately one in 10 women will develop PTSD in their lifetime,” she noted. “Research has begun to suggest that rates of cardiovascular disease are higher in people with PTSD. However, almost all research has been done in men.”

Besides being a psychological problem, PTSD also increases the risk of chronic disease, she said.

For the study, Sumner and her colleagues reviewed data from almost 50,000 women who took part in the Nurses’ Health Study II.

Almost 35,000 of the women had been through a traumatic event. Just under 10,000 women had symptoms of PTSD, the study found. During the 20-year follow-up period, 548 women suffered a heart attack or a stroke, the study said.

Women with PTSD should be aware that they may have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, Sumner said. And women with PTSD need to know that engaging in unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking cigarettes and eating an unhealthy diet, may increase this risk even more, she added.

“PTSD is generally considered a psychological problem, but it also has a profound impact on physical health, especially cardiovascular risk,” she said.

Health care providers treating women at risk for PTSD, including primary care physicians, should screen them for risks for heart attack and stroke, Sumner said.

“Psychological treatment for PTSD also needs to consider the long-term health consequences of the disorder. Ultimately, integration of mental and physical health care is key,” she said.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “Prior studies have suggested that a variety of psychological and social stressors are associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.”

Some studies have found that PTSD is associated with excess risk, but many of these studies have been confined to men, he noted.

This study shows that women with PTSD symptoms are also more likely to experience heart attacks and stroke. It also showed that as much as half of the increased risk was related to unhealthy behaviors and risk factors, such as high blood pressure, Fonarow said.

Fonarow said that women who have experienced traumatic events or who have PTSD can cut their risk for heart attack and stroke by controlling traditional risk factors.

“People with increased risk should take proactive steps to lower this risk through adopting heart-healthy behaviors, such as not smoking and achieving healthy levels of body weight, blood pressure and cholesterol,” Fonarow said.

More information

For more on PTSD, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

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Juice fasting for weight loss

Trying to lose weight? Don’t be deceived by the term ‘juice fast'...

Considering a glass or bottle of cold-pressed juice can contain up to 1,000 kJ – a juice cleanse won’t necessarily cause rapid weight loss.

“People on juice diets might be having litres of juice in a day…it’s a little ridiculous,” says WH&F dietitian on speed-dial Melanie McGrice (melaniemcgrice.com.au).

“We actually recommend that people who need to gain weight drink juice because it’s good for you, doesn’t fill you up, and has a high kilojoule content,” she says. Any weight lost during a juice cleanse or detox – think no solids and a few fancy avant-garde powders – is likely to largely comprise water and muscle, not fat.

“There are very few fruits or vegetables that contain enough iron to fulfil your daily needs,” McGrice warns. “It would also be hard to get enough vitamin B12, zinc or calcium, not to mention protein.”

Trade up to a smoothie

A sound way to reconcile the uber-dose of produce made practicable by juicing with macronutrients that favour fat loss is trading up from juices to smoothies.

Not only does the addition of a protein source such as yoghurt guard against catabolism (a.k.a. muscle loss and metabolic slowdown), blended smoothies often contain whole fruit with its full fibre quotient and can accommodate an extra fibre source – think cannellini beans.   

While comparative calorie counts render the swap counterintuitive (on paper, smoothies can contain up to twice the calories in juice), the discrepancy will pay off when the protein and fibre’s satiety merits make snacking redundant. Fibre also slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream, averting carb cravings native to pure fruit juice diets.

TOP TIP: If you are skolling liquefied produce, favour vegies, watch fruit volume and don’t expect miracles.

NEXT: Metabolism-boosting juice>>

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Many Americans Wait Too Long for Needed Health Care: Report

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Health care wait times vary widely across the United States, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

At best, some people receive same-day service. But others aren’t so lucky. The report found that some people must wait several months to receive the health care services they need.

Delayed access to health care could potentially have negative effects on patients’ health and satisfaction. It could also damage a health care organization’s reputation, the report stated.

“Everyone would like to hear the words, ‘How can we help you today?’ when reaching out for health care assistance,” Gary Kaplan, chair of the study committee that wrote the report, said in an IOM news release.

“Health care that embraces this philosophy is patient- and family-centered and implements the knowledge of systems strategies for matching supply and demand. Care with this commitment is feasible and found in practice today, but it is not common. Our report lays out a road map to improve that,” added Kaplan, who is chairman and chief executive officer of Virginia Mason Health System in Washington state.

It’s particularly important to help patients seeking mental health services get their care in a timely manner, the report said. The longer these patients wait, the less likely they are to go to their appointments. Frustrating delays can also discourage patients seeking mental health services from reaching out for help or following up on their care.

There are many reasons why people seeking health care services face long waits, the report found. Some delays may be attributed to problems with supply and demand, and scheduling that focuses on providers’ needs, as well as financial and geographic barriers.

Patients and their families should be the priority, the IOM report said. The researchers suggested that “systems-based approaches” used successfully in other industries could help patients get a faster response.

Although same-day services aren’t always possible, they often can be achieved, the experts said. The report suggested that the following steps could improve access to health care and help meet patients’ needs:

• Continuous monitoring and realignment of supply and demand,
• Providing alternatives to office visits with a doctor, such as telephone consultations with non-physician clinicians,
• Focusing on patient preference when scheduling health care services.

“There is a need for leadership at both the national level and at each health care facility for progress to be made in improving health care access, scheduling, and wait times,” IOM President Victor Dzau said in the news release.

“Although a lack of available scientific evidence hinders establishing specific standards for scheduling and wait times, systems strategies and case studies can help guide successful practices until more research is completed,” he said.

The IOM committee also advised government officials and professional societies to take an active role in promoting the application of systems approaches to health care delivery.

The Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.

More information

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has more about shortening waiting times for health care services.

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This Trainer’s Before-and-After Selfies Teach a Very Important Lesson About Fitness

Are you routinely amazed by dramatic before-and-after weight-loss photos? Do you despair that you’ll never look like the women who constantly show off their crazy-flat abs on social media? A personal trainer from London has a reassuring message for you: Those fitness pics may not always be as real as they seem.

Sophie Kay, 27, recently wrote a  (now-viral) Tumblr post detailing some major misconceptions about true fitness—including the idea that everyone who posts a hot-looking selfie is actually that buff in real life. As proof, she offered up this shocking set of selfies taken within 3 minutes of each other that shows two drastically different-looking Kays.

RELATED: When Selfies Are Bad For You (And When They’re Not)

Under the photo in her full post, she wrote, “All I did in the 3 minutes between the two photos was to turn off the overhead light, put on underwear that fit better, twist my body slightly to the side to show off my best angle, flex and, of course, add a filter. So don’t pay much attention to those ‘before and after’ shots!”

Kay continues on to dispel other fitness myths in the post, like the belief that you need six-pack abs to be healthy (the truth: nope, and in fact, some people are just more genetically predisposed to develop them).

In her post, Kay says that she was inspired to write after noticing unnecessary pressure in the fitness world to look or act a certain way.

RELATED: Surprise: Snapping Selfies Linked to Narcissism

She writes, “The world of perfect abs, long legs and sweat-free faces on Instagram portrays an image of fitness that is fun, easy and full of happiness. It can be all of these things but it can also be tiring, tough, demoralizing and grump-inducing when you’re getting up and it’s still dark outside. Plus, no one actually looks perfect if they’re working out properly!”

Don’t get us wrong: We’re all for a great before-and-after shot, especially when you worked your butt off, literally, to achieve it! But it’s also important to know that people on social media—and even fitness pros like Kay—aren’t as flawless as they appear to be. That way, we can focus less on trying to take the perfect picture, and more on the bigger, better goal: getting healthy.

RELATED: Weight Loss Before-And-After: Small Steps, Huge Results

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11 Training Tips for Running Your First Half-Marathon

Photo: Getty Images

 

Running a half-marathon is all the rage these days, especially among women. In fact, a recent Running USA Report revealed that 13.1 is the fastest-growing race distance. What’s more, in 2014, the ladies made up 61 percent of the field.

So why are women rushing to the starting line?

“We are seeing an exciting time for women’s running in general,” Knox Robinson, coach at Nike+ Run Club NYC, publisher of the international running culture journal First Run, and co-founder of the Black Roses NYC running collective told Health. “It’s a combination of everything from women having more disposal income as consumers, companies giving more attention to women’s gear, and the ability, through social media, to see women of all shapes and sizes running, which is empowering.”

RELATED: Your Guide to Running at Any Level

Adds Jenny Hadfield, founder of CoachJenny.com: “The training is the new way to socialize and catch up with friends. Plus there are a host of women’s specific races that provide a friendly, non-competitive environment for newbies.”

Thinking of tackling 13.1 in the near future? Consider these tips from top running pros before you lace up.

Know it’s possible

“From the beginning, I try to communicate in all ways— visually, literally and coaching-wise— how possible it is to reach this goal through intelligent training and preparation,” says Robinson who also notes that the half is a manageable distance for everyone to train for and wrap their heads around. “But you have to believe in yourself” to really succeed.

RELATED:  When I Got Divorced, Running Was My Therapy

Be selective about your shoes

Your feet are your foundation, so give them the respect they deserve by investing in a good (good doesn’t always mean super pricey) pair of kicks that are comfy and truly fit your feet. Look to your neighborhood specialty running store for help, advises former Olympic runner John Henwood, founder of TheRun, a boutique treadmill studio in New York City. Here, they’ll perform a gait analysis to help decode what style of shoe is best.

RELATED: 7 Running Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Build your base

A running base is the number of miles and weeks of running you have in the bank before you being training for a race, and it is essential to a successful training season. “It’s like the foundation of a house,” says Hadfield. “The stronger the base, the more easily the body can withstand the demands of a training program.”

Find the right training plan

Before you settle on a regimen, ask yourself what your goals are, and then work back from there. “Long distance running is about being able to run faster, longer and better,” says Robinson, “so your training must be oriented in the same way.” Choosing a plan that suits your style and fitness level is also key. “When you start from where you are, you progress more readily and enjoy the journey,” explains Hadfield.

Give yourself enough time to prepare

Not only does the body need time to adapt to the progression of the mileage, but sometimes life gets in the way, so it’s wise to have a little extra cushion. Look for training schedules that fall between 14 and 16 weeks. “This gives you weeks to play with in case something happens along the way, time to live your life and have vacations and plenty of time to build up the longer runs safely,” says Hadfield. “Plus, the shorter the season, the higher the risk of injuries as well as burn out.”

RELATED: How to Buy the Best Running Shoes

Remember: every run has a purpose

So don’t skip any. The long runs on the weekends are the bread and butter and build your endurance and ability to run far. The shorter, faster workouts build speed and fitness. And the easy mid-week runs bridge the gap between these two. “Get into the habit of training by your breath, like in yoga and tuning into how it responds to the workout on the given day,” says Hadfield. “Some days will feel easier, and some harder, but when you train your body, you’ll always be in the optimal zone.”

Whatever you do, don’t neglect the long run

For some, long runs, for lack of a better word, just suck. Regardless, it’s important to get in a handful of them for the length of time you expect to be out on the course. Just as important as getting comfortable with the amount of time you’ll be on your feet, is training your mind for those miles, too. “The challenge for distance runners is that you have to give your mind something to do,” says Robinson. “Our minds aren’t used to occupying that amount of time, and after an hour or so it begins to wander.” And a idle mind is a breeeding ground for negative thoughts that make the urge to walk or stop that much harder to resist.

RELATED: Stretching: The Secret to Running Better, Faster, and Longer

Hit the weight room regularly

You may think you just need to pound the pavement to prepare, but keeping your body strong through weight training is a big factor in your success. Stronger muscles improve not only your running skills, but help ward off injuries too. Build strength days into your training one to two times per week, along with another day of cross-training in some form of cardio, such as spinning,” advises Henwood. And don’t forget to work that core; a strong one can improve running biomechanics, making you more efficient at pounding that pavement.

Get on a Roll

All that running (and strength-training!) can leave muscles super tight; loosening them up with daily self-massage can go a long way in terms of keeping you injury-free, says Henwood. In fact, research shows that it can boost tissue repair, increase mobility and decrease soreness. So grab a foam roller and get down to business; your muscles will thank you on your next run.

RELATED: How Running Faster Can Actually Protect Your Knees

Mix it up

You may feel a sense of comfort sticking to the same route day in and day out, but it could lead to burn out and overall resentment of those miles. For the sake of your sanity, and to keep things fresh, Henwood suggests opting for a change of scenery or surface (track, trail, treadmill) every once in a while. Other ways to hit refresh : creating a new playlist or buddy-ing up if you are typically a solo strider.

Have fun

“Running is an emotional experience; it’s a whole body experience,” notes Robinson “Take time to have fun, as you build toward your goals.”

RELATED: 15 Running Tips You Need to Know

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Supreme Court Backs Use of Drug Implicated in ‘Botched’ Executions

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In its latest ruling on capital punishment, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld the use of a controversial drug that had raised concerns that it didn’t perform as intended — to put an inmate into a coma-like sleep before execution.

In the case that began on behalf of three death-row inmates in Oklahoma, the justices voted 5-4 that the sedative midazolam can be used in executions without violating the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, the Associated Press reported.

The drug was used in executions in Arizona, Ohio and Oklahoma in 2014 that took longer than usual. Four states have used midazolam in executions — Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma. Also, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Virginia allow the use of midazolam but have not used it in executions, the AP reported.

The use of midazolam for executions began after drugmakers in Europe and the United States refused to sell states the barbiturates traditionally used to leave an inmate unconscious.

The April 2014 execution of Clayton Lockett was the first time Oklahoma had used midazolam. Lockett writhed, moaned and clenched his teeth for several minutes before prison officials tried to halt the process. He died after 43 minutes, the AP reported.

Similar situations occurred in Arizona and Ohio when midazolam was used, the news service said.

Despite the recent headline-grabbing legal challenges and reports of “botched” executions, most Americans still support the death penalty, according to a HealthDay/Harris Poll released earlier this month.

The online poll, of more than 2,000 adults, found that 61 percent said they believed in the death penalty, while only 17 percent opposed it.

Opinions were more mixed, however, when it came to some drug companies’ refusal to supply the drugs used for lethal injections. This refusal has left several states scrambling for replacement drugs and, reportedly, botching several executions.

Twenty-seven percent of Americans said they supported the drug companies’ stance, while 30 percent opposed it.

The current drug shortage got its start several years ago. In 2011, the sole manufacturer of the anesthetic sodium thiopental — part of the drug cocktail used in lethal injections — stopped producing the drug. That decision followed months of pressure from death-penalty opponents.

Soon after, the European Union banned the export of a range of drugs that could be used in executions.

In the years since, some drug-makers elsewhere in the world have followed suit, and U.S. states that allow lethal injections have been on the hunt for alternative drugs, such as midazolam.

While U.S. public opinion may be holding firm on the death penalty, change is happening elsewhere.

In March, the American Pharmacists Association issued a policy discouraging pharmacists from providing drugs for lethal injections. In doing so, the group joined other medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and American Board of Anesthesiology, that already discourage their members from participating in executions.

More information

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics has information and publications about capital punishment in the United States.

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Diabetes Rates Fall in Neighborhoods With Healthy Food, Parks and Gyms

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Neighborhoods with easy access to healthy foods and safe places to exercise may help residents reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

The study found that the risk of developing diabetes was 12 percent lower in neighborhoods with access to healthy foods. The researchers also found a 21 percent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in areas with greater opportunities for physical activity.

“Most of the efforts to prevent type 2 diabetes focus on individuals,” said lead researcher Paul Christine of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Mich. “Our study points to the need to consider neighborhood environments as targets that could complement individual-based intervention programs,” he said.

A greater availability of places to exercise included gyms and pleasant places to walk, Christine said.

And, while the availability of healthy food was important, “simply having more supermarkets or fruit and vegetable markets in one’s neighborhood did not translate into a lower risk for diabetes,” Christine said.

Other factors that played a role included the cost of healthy food and the ability of residents to afford it, he said.

The report was published in the June 29 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine.

For the study, Christine’s team collected data on more than 5,000 people who didn’t have type 2 diabetes at the start of the study. The participants’ health was followed from 2000 to 2012.

The researchers collected data on the neighborhoods the participants lived in, particularly on the availability of healthy food and safe places to exercise.

During the study period, 12 percent of the participants developed type 2 diabetes, the investigators found.

Type 2 diabetes was more likely to be diagnosed in people who were black or Hispanic, or who had low incomes or less education, the study found. People who developed type 2 diabetes were also more likely to be overweight or obese and have a family history of type 2 diabetes. Those who ended up with diabetes were also less likely to exercise or to have a healthy diet, the researchers said.

Nancy Adler, a professor of medical psychology and director of the Center for Health and Community at the University of California, San Francisco, said that although dealing with the medical aspects of type 2 diabetes is important, social and behavioral conditions play a much greater role in determining who will become ill.

“People’s ability to engage in behaviors that will reduce their risk of diabetes is limited by their personal resources, like income, as well as by the resources available in their neighborhoods,” said Adler, who’s also the co-author of an accompanying editorial in the journal.

Even in neighborhoods where resources are available, people have to have the ability to take advantage of them, Adler said.

“It is not enough simply to expand resources, such as food markets in neighborhoods, without understanding and addressing the barriers individuals may face in using them,” she said.

Christine believes that changing neighborhoods can help lead to healthier residents. “Modifying neighborhoods in ways that promote healthier behavior, in particular ensuring the availability of physical activity resources, may help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes,” he said.

This, he admitted, is not an easy task. Communities would need to think about the health of their residents when making zoning decisions, he explained. “I am not sure this is always done,” Christine said.

Still, he added, “We should be thinking about neighborhoods for potential public health action to aid in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”

Although the study found an association between type 2 diabetes rates and access to healthy food and safe exercise, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

For more about type 2 diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.

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U.S. Kids Suffer High Rates of Assault, Abuse, Study Finds

By Tara Haelle
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than one-third of U.S. children and teens have been physically assaulted — mostly by siblings and peers — in the past year, a new study finds.

And one in 20 kids has been physically abused by a parent or another caregiver in the same time period, the researchers said.

“Children are the most victimized segment of the population,” said study author David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. “The full burden of this tends to be missed because many national crime indicators either do not include the experience of all children or don’t look at the big picture and include all the kinds of violence to which children are exposed.”

The implications of these results are substantial in terms of children’s lives long-term, Finkelhor said.

“Violence and abuse in childhood are big drivers behind many of our most serious health and social problems,” Finkelhor said. “They are associated with later drug abuse, suicide, criminal behavior, mental illness and chronic diseases like diabetes.”

The findings were published online June 29 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The researchers analyzed the results of telephone interviews about the experiences of 4,000 children and teens. Children aged 10 to 17 answered questions about their exposure to violence, crime and abuse, while the caregivers answered questions for children aged 9 and younger.

Just over 37 percent of the children in the study had been physically assaulted in the past year, usually by siblings or peers, and 9 percent had been injured from an assault.

But 15 percent had been mistreated by a parent or other caregiver, including 5 percent who were physically abused by a parent or other caregiver. This mistreatment included physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect or interfering with a child’s custody arrangements, such as refusing to let a child see another parent or talk to them on the phone. Another 6 percent saw a physical fight between their parents.

Overall, boys were assaulted by adults about twice as often as girls were: 6.9 percent of boys and 3.3 percent of girls had been physically abused, and boys were more likely to be assaulted by peers as well.

The survey also found that 2 percent of girls overall had been sexually abused or assaulted within the year, which included 4.6 percent of those aged 14 to 17.

“The dizzying array of statistics from this study are sobering and depressing to me as a parent and pediatrician, and they should be of great concern to public health experts and policy makers nationwide,” said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York.

“These statistics should prompt public health experts and policy makers nationwide to commit greater resources to insure that, going forward, children and adolescents are neither exposed to — nor the victim of — so many different forms of violence,” he said.

“On the positive side,” Adesman added, “when the investigators looked for significant increases or decreases across a large number of variables, there were no significant increases in any of the variables examined. “On the other hand, there were also exceedingly few decreases in the reports of exposure to violence, crime or abuse.”

Various programs can help prevent abuse, Finkelhor said. These include parent education and support programs that can prevent family abuse, school-based programs that reduce bullying and dating violence programs that reduce interpersonal relationship violence.

“The challenge is to get children and families access to these programs, and make such education more comprehensive and integrated into the curriculum,” he added.

According to Mayra Mendez, an early childhood specialist at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, Calif., programs that teach positive parenting strategies, such as positive discipline, effective communication and developmental guidance are particularly important.

“A primary factor in preventing child abuse results from creating safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments for children and caregivers,” Mendez said.

For children who have been abused, Mendez said that counseling, play therapy, art or music therapy, supportive play groups, family therapy and sometimes medication can help treat their mental health problems and trauma.

More information

For more on preventing child abuse and maltreatment, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Millennials More Accepting of Working Moms Than Past Generations

MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Young Americans are more accepting of working mothers than previous generations were, a new study finds.

Researchers say the views of millennials — those born roughly between 1980 and 2000 — reflect growing gender equality and tolerance in the United States. These attitudes are more consistent with a culture that focuses on individualism rather than adherence to social rules.

“This goes against the popular belief that millennials want to ‘turn back the clock’ or that they are less supportive of working moms because their own mothers worked. Instead, they are more supportive,” study author Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, said in a university news release.

Nearly 600,000 people responded to two national surveys taken between 1976 and 2013. One survey involved 12th graders in the United States, the other included adults. By comparing the results, researchers hoped to gain a better understanding of how views on American women’s role in the workplace and the family have changed over the past few decades.

Americans entering adulthood around 2000 are more supportive of working moms than previous generations were at that age, the analysis revealed. In the 1970s, the researchers said, 59 percent of high school seniors believed that preschoolers would suffer if their mother worked outside the home. By the 2010s, less than one-quarter of 12th graders felt that way.

Millennials aren’t alone in their acceptance of working mothers. Views have also changed among older adults in the United States. In 1977, more than two-thirds of adults surveyed felt “a preschool child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works.” In 1998, that number dropped to 42 percent, and by 2012, roughly one-third of adults held this view, according to the study published June 29 in Psychology of Women Quarterly.

“In recent years, Americans have become much more supportive of men and women holding the same roles and responsibilities in the workplace as well as in child-rearing,” said the study’s lead researcher, Kristin Donnelly, who was a graduate student at San Diego State when the research was conducted.

“These results suggest a convergence onto a common gender role for both genders as equal parts provider and caretaker, flexibly switching between the two without regard for traditionally gendered conceptions of duty,” Donnelly said in the news release.

Millennials with a more patriarchal view of marriage are among a growing minority, however, the researchers found. The percentage of 12th graders who thought it best for a man to work and a woman to nurture the family rose from 27 percent in the mid-1990s to nearly one-third by 2010-2013. Meanwhile, 14 percent of students thought the husband should make key family decisions in 1995-1996, compared to 17 percent in 2010-2013.

“Millennials might see marriage as only for certain types of people,” said Twenge. “With the marriage rate at an all-time low, today’s young people may believe that marriage is a traditional choice involving more rigid gender roles,” she suggested.

More information

The U.S. Department of Labor provides statistics on women in the workforce.

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