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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,
compiled by editors of HealthDay:
About a Third of U.S. Children Live with Smokers
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About a third of American children age 18 or younger live with an adult smoker and are at increased risk for respiratory and other health problems, says the latest News and Numbers report released Wednesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The report, which looked at 2004 data, found that:
- White children (34 percent) and black children (31 percent) were more likely than Hispanic children (24 percent) to live with an adult smoker.
- Children in lower-income homes were nearly twice as likely to live with an adult who smokes than children in higher-income homes -- 40 percent vs. 22 percent.
- Adult education levels affected children's risk of living with a smoker. About 40 percent of children in homes in which no adult had 13 or more years of education were exposed to secondhand smoke, compared with 25 percent of children in homes with an adult who had 13 or more years of education.
- About 36 percent of children in the Midwest and 33 percent of children in the South lived with at least one adult smoker, compared with 28 percent of children in the Northeast and 25 percent of children in the West.
- Children with asthma were as likely as children without asthma to live in homes with smokers.
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FDA Releases Flu Pandemic Preparedness Plan
A pandemic influenza preparedness strategic plan released Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlines steps that have been taken and additional measures the agency is taking to protect public health if there is a pandemic.
The plan coordinates with, and complements, plans developed by other national agencies. The FDA Task Force on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness was established in November 2005.
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