Family News

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Family News Jan 2008

news, voices, trends

By OC FamilyPublished: January, 2008

Diabetes tragedy

African-American children most at risk
Medical professionals are attempting to get the word out to African-American families whose children are most at risk of dying from diabetes. However, there is no easy answer, as one of the key causes seems to be lack of health-care access, which is a national challenge. The trend for children ages 1-19 is growing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” U.S. News & World Report recently published the story.

In a 2-year period, 2003-04, 89 American children and teens died from diabetes; African-Americans in this age group died at twice the rate as white children. According to CDC epidemiologist Dr. Laura L. Polakowski, factors may include lack of access to health care, disease education and care once the diagnosis is made.

According to the magazine, “Polakowski’s group did not distinguish between juvenile diabetes, commonly called type 1 diabetes, and adult onset diabetes, often called type 2 diabetes. However, most diabetes deaths among children are caused by short-term complications from type 1 diabetes, Polakowski said. Many of these deaths are due to acute complications, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, in which insulin levels are too low. Those are deaths that are preventable, she says.

For information from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Orange County Chapter, go to jdrf.org/orangecounty.

They’re here!!!

Mom bloggers debut at ocfamily.com
Our website, ocfamily.com, has lots of new entry points, tools, directories and cool ads.

It also has 4 mom bloggers.

Staff Writer Kathleen Crain searched far and wide to find just the right ingredients. You’ll find our Mom of 9 (yes, she’s expecting child No. 9), Busy Mom (2 toddlers, and no time), Orange County Mom (she has a creative perspective, being a MOMS Club member and administrator) and our own Ms. Crain, who is our New Mom (due date: April 28).

We invite you to experience the wit and wisdom of these 4 women (and tell your husbands to click on ocdad, which is written by Executive Editor Craig Reem). We also invite you to help create a special Orange County community by commenting on their thoughts, their actions, and their lives. Just go to their blogs, enjoy the read, and comment.

Remember, parenting is an altogether thing, and OC Family Magazine has just brought your world a little closer.

The 20s

Drinking, other woes afflict post-teens
“I think the 20s are the new teenage years,” USA Today quotes a bartender who serves drinks to that sometimes
inebriated age group.

The newspaper notes in a recent article that in today’s society, the twentysomethings are taking their sweet time to settle down – into marriage and into careers. So, by extension, the teen years go on. And on. Some statistics related to risky behavior among this age group are creeping upward, such as unexpected pregnancies, rape and other violent crimes.

Much is tied to heavy drinking.

Some statistics, which include children still living at home:

> Binge drinking and heavy drinking is highest among those in their 20s, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

> For those age groups in which alcohol is at least a sometime adventure:
12-15: 9.8%

16-20: 42.8%

21-25: 67.4%

26-29: 63.7%

Feeding Orange County

Several thousand go hungry; how families can help
Families helping families is nothing new, and an excellent recent report by the Orange County Register underscores the need for real help, right now. The county’s food banks are stripped bare; some 190,000 adults – many with children at home – are going hungry as they try to make ends meet each month. And, according to the Register, which quoted a UCLA report, the strain to get families needed staples is ongoing and particularly needed as the new year begins.

So, here is a suggestion for a New Year’s Resolution – help out one of the following with food donations:
> Orange County Food Bank – orangecountyfoodbank.com

> Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County – feedoc.org

> South County Outreach – sco-oc.org

> Share Our Selves (SOS) – shareourselves.org

Ripple Kid of the Month

This monthly nomination is about the act of giving back. An Orange County nonprofit, Ripple Kids, Inc., features youths who are changing their community via a “ripple effect.”

We ask parents and schools to nominate these contributors, ages 13 and under. Please contact founder Bridget Belden, who blogs about kids making a difference, at: ripplekids.ocfamily.com. This month’s selection: Audrey, 7, of Tustin. Curious what she’s done? Read all about her online.

Teen alert

Hands off the devices while driving!

Late last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger passed a law that bans teenagers from using electronic devices while driving. The Teen Driver Cell Phone Safety Bill was enacted to lessen distractions faced behind the wheel. Automobile accidents are the No. 1 killer for young people between ages 13 and 19. The bill is not effective until this July.

Among the many rules that parents should focus on: Teens should limit the number of passengers in their vehicle. Every additional person increases the likelihood of an accident by 100%. Teens should put away electronics; using personal devices is equivalent to driving drunk. Always wear a seatbelt. Speak out if they feel unsafe. Either tell the driver to focus on the road or get out of the car.

Be actively involved in teaching your children how to drive responsibly. You cannot expect kids to drive safely if they do not see you practicing good habits. Start talking to your kids. Drugs and alcohol are not killing as many teens as reckless driving.

By Kathleen Crain

family news bites

MOMS GRANT HELPS WOMEN
Maternal Outreach Management System (MOMS) has been awarded a $50,000 grant from The PIMCO Foundation, Pamela Pimentel, RN and chief executive officer of MOMS, announced today.

The grant will support the provisions of women’s health services to 2,000 low-income pregnant and parenting women in Orange County through the “For Her Health” women’s health education program at MOMS. MOMS efforts have resulted in improved infant and maternal health. According to a county report from 2007, statistics showed that more mothers are getting prenatal care than ever before. In Orange County, 92% of mothers received early prenatal care in 2005, compared to 86% statewide.

FUNDRAISER FOR FIRE VICTIMS
A Modjeska Canyon-related nonprofit, Inter-Canyon League, is collecting donations for fire victims who had little or no insurance during November’s fires. Please note where you want the donation to go on your check: Inter-Canyon League, P.O. Box 301, Silverado, CA 92676. The canyon has since been affected by mudslides prompted by a late-November rain.

GOLF TOURNAMENT RAISES MONEY
The first annual “Fore a Cure” Golf Tournament, a benefit for the Cystinosis Research Foundation, raised $240,000 recently at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club. The event drew 138 golfers and raised the money through individual and corporate sponsorships, donations and auctions. Cystinosis is a rare metabolic disorder that afflicts 500 children and young adults in the United States.

FAMILY FIRMS GET THE PRIZE
Five Orange County family firms were honored at the Eighth Annual Family Owned Business Awards Luncheon presented recently by the Orange County Business Journal and Cal State Fullerton’s Family Business Council. Fairmont Private Schools took home the Family Business Award in the Large Business Category. This is the second year that Fairmont, and the Jackson family, have been
nominated for the award.

BAKERY FUNDRAISER
Wonderland Bakery Adventure at South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, recently hosted a special “Tea Party in Wonderland” for young cancer patients who are being treated at the Oncology Center at CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County). These young girls, who varied in ages from 4 to 9, sipped tea, and ate cookies and chocolates, chatted with Executive Chef Allyson Ames, and were showered with gifts from the new Wonderland Adventure Collection. An estimated $3,000 was donated.

– Reported and compiled by the OC Family Magazine editorial staff.