Health

ADHD contributes to higher ed learning problems

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By MICHAEL KRANSZ
Capital News Service
LANSING — Nearly 12.8 percent of all Michigan residents ages 4 to 17 are diagnosed with ADHD, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics. ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, is marked by inattention, lack of focus and sometimes hyperactivity, and that can present problems for young learners as they move into higher education, said Adelle Cadieux, a pediatric psychologist at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. That population of ADHD youths has increased by 39 percent since 2003, according to the latest CDC figures. As with other disorders such as autism, growing awareness and identification of ADHD has contributed to the increase of diagnoses, Cadieux said. But, Cadieux said, there are always some practitioners and psychologists who over-diagnose.

Health

Hepatitis is new focus of public health efforts

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By CELESTE BOTT
Capital News Service
LANSING – The state will use a new $1.6 million federal grant to better determine barriers to hepatitis screening, testing and treatment. The grant was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. James K. Haveman, director of the Department of Community Health, said that it was the first time the state received federal funding for the surveillance of this prevalent disease. “Hepatitis affects millions of Americans, and opportunities such as this are critical to detecting and treating those cases,” Haveman said. Hepatitis, a disease that causes inflammation of the liver and eventual liver cirrhosis, requires extensive statewide awareness because according to the department, up to 75 percent of infected people aren’t aware they have it.

Health

To fight childhood obesity, treat boys and girls differently

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By XINJUAN DENG
Capital News Service
LANSING – Programs to curb childhood obesity would be more effective if they were gender-specific, researchers say. Childhood obesity has tripled in the last decades, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is worse, Michigan ranks above the national average, with 12 percent of children considered obese. But if overweight and obese are combined, those numbers jump to 26 percent of girls and 35 percent of boys, according to Kids Count, a data center that tracks the status of children by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The best way to target healthier behaviors may be to have a different message geared toward boys and girls,” said Elizabeth Jackson, assistant professor of medicine at University of Michigan Health System.