Boarding Schools for Girls

Osteoporosis, a disease that is marked by a weakening of the bones, is most closely associated with women over the age of 50. But because the majority of a girls bone mass is developed within the first 18 years, adolescence is an important time in the effort to prevent the disease.

In an effort to educate girls between the ages of 9 and 14 about osteoporosis prevention, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Womens Health (OWH) has launched a campaign called Best Bones Forever!

The following information is from the campaigns website:

HHS recommends girls look for foods with calcium and vitamin D, which is necessary to help bones absorb calcium. One recent study found 70 percent of kids in the U.S. had below-normal levels of vitamin D, with deficiencies increasing as kids age from childhood to adolescence.

The federal government recommendation for daily calcium consumption increases from 1,000 milligrams (mg) to 1,300 mg at age nine. The guidelines for physical activity for kids are 60 minutes daily, including three days of bone-strengthening activity. &

Along with calcium and vitamin D, physical activity is key to building strong bones. Luckily, it's also a lot of fun! You need 60 minutes of physical activity every day  and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week.

Labels: health, osteoporosis, awareness, adolescents

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A study led by Dr. Kassandra L. Munger of the Harvard School of Public Health has revealed that girls who are obese during adolescence may be at increased risk for developing multiple sclerosis (a disorder of the central nervous system) as adults.

A Nov. 20 Reuters Health article included the following information about the findings:

Munger and her colleagues studied women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II over a 40 year period. Participants answered questions throughout the study about weight, height, body size, smoking and exercise habits, and disease status.

Among the more than 200,000 participants in the two groups, there were 593 cases of MS.

The study found no association between MS risk and having a large body size at ages 5 and 10 or as an adult. However, obesity at age 18 was associated with a greater than twofold increased risk of MS and a large body size at age 20 was associated with a 96% increased risk of MS, the study team found.

Labels: health, obesity, girls, adolescents

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In her research into relational aggression among adolescent girls, Dianna Murray-Close, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Vermont, has discovered that the prevalence of this behavior peaks during middle childhood, and can cause significant social and emotional damage to girls who are involved.

According to an Oct. 7 article on the UVM website, Murray-Close hopes that her studies can lead to techniques that can significantly improve the lives of young girls:

In an article in the International Journal of Psychophysiology, Murray-Close used results of tests she conducted on heart rate assessment, blood pressure and sympathetic nerve system activity among 5th graders to show that heightened cardiac reactivity to provocation is associated with relational forms of aggression among girls.

She's convinced that if girls can control their reactions at the point of increased cardiac activity, they can prevent committing acts of relational aggression.

"We have girls re-live a stressor and measure how their body reacts," she says. "One of the arguments here is that if you are someone who gets very physically worked up, this may be apre -disposition to then respond to aggression. Ultimately, I'd like to develop some coping skills for girls. There's been a lot of research on physical aggression, especially among boys, but not much on what to do about relational aggression. You'd like to think your research will ultimately help children."

Labels: aggression, adolescents, research

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A rattled mother wrote to an advice column in the Calgary Sunasking for help with her adolescent daughter's question about birth control. The woman's 14-year-old daughter had just asked to be put on the pill because she’d heard it makes "that time of the month" less uncomfortable. The mom was unsure how to respond.

The advice columnist advised the mother that the most important concern isn't the specific topic of the conversation, but the overall quality of the relationship she has with her daughter -- a relationship that can be improved by not over-reacting to what might at first feel like an unsettling question:

The most important thing here is the relationship you have with your daughter. The best thing you can do is first educate yourself, so that as a parent, you help her make decisions based on your knowledge and understanding, while ensuring you are still (somewhat) holding the reins of your not-yet-adult child.

The columnist suggested that daughter and mother visit the family doctor together, where the daughter can ask questions and get more information -- not just about the pill, but about other concerns related to teen sexual activity, such as teens and sexually transmitted diseases.

Labels: parenting, sex, adolescents, contraception

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According to an April 13 article by Houston Chronicle writer Cindy George, many Texas parents are turning to medical professionals to provide their daughters with the health information that students aren't getting in school. As George put it, increasing numbers of parents are asking the family gynecologist to have "the talk" with their adolescent daughters:

These are the conversations that establish an early doctor-patient relationship, building trust with young women so they're comfortable calling or visiting the gynecologist as they get older.

"I want to meet these young women before they really, really, really need me," said Dr. Tammy Vu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at West Houston Medical Center. ...

Providing medically accurate information can enlighten girls [who are] receiving limited information at school, hearing possibly outdated advice from their parents, and trading whispers with friends often riddled with misinformation.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that teens visit a gynecologist for the first time at age 13, 14, or 15 for preventive health appointments that don't usually involve an internal pelvic exam.

Even pre-teens are now making visits to gynecologists' offices, George reports, as experts recommend that girls receive Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, between the ages of 11 and 12.

Labels: health, sex-education, girls, adolescents, HPV

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