SUNDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) — More than 60 percent of
American teens have at least one profile on a social networking site, and
many spend more than two hours a day on social networking sites, according
to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Like many activities, social networking sites offer both opportunities
and risks for teens, and parents need to help their children use these
sites wisely, the academy advises.

Potential benefits include: staying connected with friends; developing
new social contacts with peers who have similar interests; sharing
self-expression such as music, artwork and political views; and
development and expression of individual identity.

Possible risks include: cyberbullying; sharing too much personal
information; vulnerability to predatory adults; regrets about sharing
certain photos or videos; exposure to large amounts of marketing that may
not be age-appropriate; identity theft and reduced physical activity.

Parents can help children use social networking sites safely and
appropriately and should have an open discussion with their children about
the topic, the academy advised in a news release. Parents should suggest
that children:

• Restrict access to their page to keep control of their
  information.
• Keep their full name, address, telephone number, social security
  number and bank or credit card number to themselves.
• Post only information/photos/videos they are comfortable with everyone
  seeing.
• Talk to their parents before considering a face-to-face meeting with
  anyone they meet online and consider the potential risks of such
  meetings.

Parents need to establish rules about the use of social networking
sites, how Internet usage will be monitored, and what happens if usage
interferes with family time or other social activities, the academy
suggests.

More information

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation offers a

parent’s guide to Internet safety .

Copyright © 2012HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SATURDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) — If you exercise outdoors in
cold weather, you need to take certain steps to stay safe, an expert
advises.

The main issue is hypothermia, which is excessive loss of body heat,
explained Dr. Cedric X. Bryant, chief science officer at the American
Council on Exercise.

Layers of clothing keep you warm and give you the ability to control
your body heat while exercising. A hat or helmet is crucial, because you
can lose about 50 percent of your body heat through your head when the
temperature is at the freezing mark.

Wear gloves and warm footwear. It can be difficult to keep hands and
feet warm when exercising in the cold. Lower air temperatures cause the
body to shift blood away from the extremities to the center of the body to
warm and protect the internal organs, Bryant said in a council news
release.

While superficial warming of the hands will restore normal blood flow,
this does not occur in the feet unless the temperature of the torso is
normal or slightly higher than normal. This means that, to keep your hands
and feet warm, you also have to keep the rest of your body warm at all
times, Bryant explained.

Before you go outside to exercise, check the air temperature and wind
chill factor. If your skin is properly covered, there is little danger
when the temperature is 20 degrees Farenheit, even if there is a 30
miles-per-hour wind, according to National Safety Council data cited in
the release.

However, exposed skin is in danger when the wind chill factor (a
combination of air temperature and wind) falls below minus 20 degrees.

If you’re exercising in the danger zone for skin exposure, you should
wear a scarf or mask over your nose and mouth, to warm the air before you
inhale it, Bryant advised.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about
cold
weather hazards and safety .

Copyright © 2012HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SATURDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) — From buying a Christmas
tree to stringing up lights and wrapping gifts, there are a number of
health and safety issues parents and guardians should consider during the
holidays, according to child health experts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers the following tips to help
keep children and the whole family safe:

Christmas trees

• Make sure, if you select an artificial tree, that it is
  flame-resistant.
• When selecting a live tree, find one that is fresh. Being green,
  having a sticky trunk and having needles that don’t bend, fall off or
  break easily are signs that a tree is fresh and less likely to pose a fire
  hazard.
• Trim a few inches off the bottom of the trunk to help it absorb more
  water and refill the tree stand with water regularly.
• Trees should not be set up in high-traffic areas or near fireplaces,
  radiators or portable heaters.

Holiday lights

• When hanging tree lights, always make sure that each bulb works and
  there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
• To avoid electrocution, electric lights should never be used on a
  metallic tree.
• When decorating with lights outside, check to make sure the lights
  have been certified for outdoor use.
• Hooks and insulated staples should be used to hold lights in place —
  not nails or tacks.
• All lights should be plugged into circuits with ground fault circuit
  interrupters to avoid potential shocks.
• Never leave lights on when you are not home because a short circuit
  could cause a fire.
• When it’s time to take lights down, don’t pull or tug on them.

Decorations

• Only flame-resistant materials should be hung on a tree.
• Choose only plastic or nonleaded tinsel or artificial icicles.
• Open flames, such as lighted candles, should not be placed near a tree
  or in an area where children can touch them or knock them over.
• Avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable — especially if there
  are small children in the home.
• Decorations with small parts or those that look like real candy or
  food should also not be used near small children, who could swallow or
  choke on them.
• Wear gloves and follow directions carefully when using spun glass,
  known as “angel hair,” or fake snow sprays.

Wrappings

• All wrapping papers, bags, ribbons and bows should be removed from
  fireplace areas once gifts have been opened to avoid fire hazards.
• Quickly dispose of plastic bags and long ribbons, which can pose
  suffocation hazards to small children.

Toys

• Be sure to select age-appropriate toys to match the abilities, skills
  and interests of each child, and to avoid potential dangers such as
  choking on small parts or button batteries.
• Give children under the age of 10 years battery-operated toys rather
  than those that must be plugged in to an electrical outlet.
• Strings and ribbons should be removed from toys before they are given
  to young children to avoid strangulation, particularly cords that are more
  than 12 inches long.
• Toys should be kept in a designated location to keep youngsters from
  gaining access to older kids’ toys.

Food

• Keep hot liquids and foods away from the edges of tables and counters
  where they could be easily reached by young kids or knocked over.
• Be sure young children do not have access to microwave ovens.
• Fully cook meats and poultry, and thoroughly wash raw vegetables and
  fruits to avoid harmful bacteria.
• Frequent hand washing and using separate utensils during food
  preparation will also help avoid bacterial infection.
• Thaw raw meat in the refrigerator and put cooked foods away within two
  hours of preparation.

Visiting

• Clean up immediately after a holiday party so that children do not
  face potentially dangerous situations in the morning, such as leftover
  spoiled food or alcoholic beverages.
• Remember that not all homes you visit will be child-proofed, so be
  aware of potential dangers, such as unlocked medicine or cleaning supply
  cabinets.
• Keep a laminated list of important phone numbers, such as the police,
  fire department and pediatrician, that can be accessed in the event of an
  emergency. The Poison Help Line is 1-800-222-1222.
• Traveling and holiday festivities can be stressful for children. Try
  to maintain children’s sleep, nap and eating schedules to help them feel
  more comfortable.

Fireplaces

• Remove all greens and other decorations from fireplace area and be
  sure the flue is open before building a fire.
• Keep “fire salts,” which produce colored flames, away from children.
  They contain heavy metals that can cause intense stomach and intestinal
  irritation and vomiting if swallowed.
• Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides additional
holiday
health and safety tips .

Copyright © 2011HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SATURDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) — From decorative contact
lenses to face paint, experts warn that Halloween costumes may result in a
wide array of potentially serious health issues from falls to allergic
reactions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission provided the following “lucky 13″ guidelines on how kids and
their parents can enjoy a fun and safe Halloween:

• Choose flame-resistant costumes. Store-bought costumes should read
  “flame-resistant” on the label. Homemade costumes should be made out of
  flame-resistant fabrics, like polyester or nylon.
• Glow in the dark. Wear bright colors or costumes with reflectors to
  ensure being visible in the dark. Also, to avoid tripping, make sure
  costumes aren’t too long.
• Avoid masks. Masks can make it more difficult to see properly. Replace
  them with makeup and hats.
• Test makeup. Put a small amount of costume makeup on one arm about two
  days before dressing up. Do not use the makeup if it triggers an allergic
  reaction, which may include a rash, swelling or other sign of irritation.
• Check makeup ingredients. Avoid using any makeup containing additives
  that are not FDA-approved.
• Be cautious about decorative contact lenses. Avoid wearing any costume
  lenses unless you have seen an eye-care professional and been properly
  fitted and instructed on their use.

Halloween safety measures apply to more than just costumes, the experts
noted. When trick-or-treating, kids and parents should keep the following
tips on candy in mind:

• Candy should not be eaten until it has been inspected at home.
• Trick-or-treaters should fill up on a healthy meal or snack before
  they start knocking on doors so they won’t be tempted to eat candy before
  it has been checked.
• Don’t let kids accept or eat any candy or food items that are not in
  unopened store wrappers.
• Very young children should not receive or be allowed to keep any
  choking hazards, such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.
• Inspect all candy to make sure no one has tampered with it. Some signs
  to look for include discoloration, pinholes and small tears in wrappers.
  Toss anything that looks suspicious.

Anyone attending a Halloween party or event, the experts add, should
also consider taking the following precautions:

• Avoid drinking any juice than hasn’t been pasteurized, such as
  packaged juice products that may have been made on site. Typically, the
  juice found in grocery stores in the freezer or refrigerator sections is
  pasteurized as well as any beverages on the shelf in boxes, bottles or
  cans.
• Before bobbing for apples, wash the produce thoroughly to reduce
  exposure to dirt and bacteria.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics also offers Halloween safety tips.

Copyright © 2011HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SATURDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) — Marathons place heavy
demands on the body and runners need to take certain measures to ensure
they stay healthy and are able to cross the finish line, according to a
nutrition expert.

Runners need enough energy to perform at their best and to prevent
injuries, advised registered dietitian Brooke Schantz, of the Loyola
University Health System. She offered a simple guideline for calorie
intake:

• 30 to 60 minutes of activity a day requires 16 to 18 calories per
  pound of body weight.
• 1 to 1.5 hours of activity a day requires 19 to 21 calories per
  pound.
• 1.5 to 2 hours of activity a day requires 22 to 24 calories per
  pound.
• 2 to 3 hours of activity a day requires 25 to 30 or more calories per
  pound.

Runners should consume 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour when
running for more than one hour. Marathon-friendly carbs include gels,
jelly beans, sports drinks, sports bars or a combination of these
products.

Protein is another essential part of a runner’s diet because it
increases lean muscle mass and helps in muscle repair. Endurance athletes
should consume between 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body
weight per day. But don’t exceed more than 1 gram of protein per pound of
body weight per day, Schantz said in a university news release.

And, she added, runners should avoid high-fiber foods the night before
and the morning of a race because they could cause intestinal distress and
cramping during the race.

It’s crucial to drink enough water to stay properly hydrated. Schantz
offered the following fluid-replacement guidelines:

• Two hours before exercise, consume 16 to 20 ounces of water and drink
  another 7 to 10 ounces of water 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.
• Drink 6 to 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
  If you exercise for longer than one hour, consume a sports drink with 4 to
  8 percent carbohydrates.
• After exercise, drink 24 ounces of fluid for every pound lost during
  exercise.

Monitoring the color of your urine is a good way to assess your
hydration status. The clearer your urine, the more hydrated you are,
Schantz said.

More information

The Hospital for Special Surgery has more marathon training tips.

Copyright © 2011HealthDay. All rights reserved.