Making Sure Students All Get A Shot

By BRAD GROZNIK
Every school year parents begin a “to do” list that grows faster than things are checked off.

And inevitably, between the Spiderman lunchbox and Hi-tops some important things like vaccinations are passed over. Fortunately, the City’s Department of Health makes it as easy as possible for parents and guardians to know what shots their kids need and where to get them.

Vaccinations are required for all students to attend school in the fall.

At the beginning of each school year, normally in early August, the DOH releases information on vaccinations as well as new requirements that might not already be on your list.

Last school year, the Tdap vaccine, for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, became a requirement for students entering the sixth grade. Moreover, children in day care, pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, or sixth through eighth grade are now required to receive two doses of the varicella vaccine to prevent chicken pox.

Dr. Jane R. Zucker, Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Immunization at the New York City Health Department said in a statement that vaccinations are still the best way to prevent childhood diseases.

“Make sure that your child is up-to-date before school starts,” she said “School vaccination requirements protect your child and all students against preventable, life-threatening diseases. If you don’t have insurance or need a provider, call 311 to find a vaccination clinic.”

The best way to make sure students are ready to start school, having all their shots, is to check with his or her doctor and children older than 4 can receive their vaccinations at Health Department walk-in immunization clinics. Many hospitals throughout the borough also offer vaccinations for the fall school year.
“Getting your children immunized doesn’t only protect them,” said Dr. Oxiris Barbot, Medical Director for the DOHMH Bureau of School Health. “The school vaccination requirements guard all students from possibly life-threatening diseases that can be prevented by immunizations.”

Although it is not required, the health department recommends the HPC (human papillomavirus) vaccine to prevent cervical caner for girls 11 and 12 years old.

Other new vaccines also are recommended to protect people of all ages, the DOH said, including, rotavirus vaccine to protect infants against a severe type of diarrhea and meningococcal vaccine for adolescents.

As always flu shots are suggested for protections against the seasonal bug. The health department said people older than 50, children aged 6 months to 5 years old, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions and all health care workers should get flu shots.

To find more information about your immunization requirements, obtain a copy of immunization record or locate the nearest immunization clinic call 311 or visit www.nycgov/health.


School Lunches, More Than PB&J
By BRAD GROZNIK
Somewhere in Queens a student opened his lunch.

“Carrots,” he said. “Who wants to trade?”

One of the hardest things for parents can be packing a lunch that will incite excitement and, at the same time, be nutritious. But it’s difficult to have them smile while they chomp on their veggies. And while commercials for chewy fruit snacks and chocolate, granola bars pervade commercial breaks, how do you convince them to try hummus?

Chef Herman Linial understands this problem as well as anyone. As part of the City’s “Culinary Concepts” crew, he concocts ways to make healthy food something kids will rave about.

For a couple days this month, Lenial visited MS 158 in Bayside to introduce students to the pita pizza.

Instead of greasy cheese and pepperonis baked on pizza dough, he dressed up pits bread to the delight of the students.

The program, which started in 2004, has chefs, one for each borough, knock their noggins together in hopes of instilling nutritious eating habits in the City’s youth.

Margie Feinberg, spokeswoman for the City’s Department of Education, said the New York school cafeterias have veered away from the unhealthy trappings traditionally found under heat lamps and in coolers.

“Since 2004 the Department of Education has made school meals better for kids and better tasting,” she said.

Feinberg said students are not easily convinced to start eating healthy and there was some fight when the City got rid of fatty whole milk and nutritiously void white bread because that is what tastes good.

“But the kids have really come around,” she said. “They probably won’t go back either.”

Color is also something the City focuses on when introducing healthy foods next to the candy bars. While Lenial made sure to present his pizzas in a colorful and interesting way, the City chooses the reddest apples and yellowest bananas.

Some of the changes in the school were accepted quickly, like when trans fats were eliminated. Instead of French fries dipped into a vat of grease, they are now baked, which Feinberg said makes them taste better anyway.

The next hurdle was the vending machines, Feinberg said because even if the cafeteria is loaded with the best looking, best tasting nutritious foods, students can still order a la carte from the sugar factory.

However, Feinberg said vending machines in school now do not sell any sodas or high-calorie treats as before only juice, water and whole grains.

Feinberg added that 75 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches through a federally funded program and for more information parents and guardians should contact the school.

But maybe that’s not enough. Packing a lunch is as old as lunchboxes and there is no reason to fight tradition.

Dr. Mary L. Gavin of kidshealth.org said to brainstorm with kids about what they like to eat and what they don’t like to eat, that way it’s less likely it will be traded for a Snickers bar.

She suggests to buy lower-fat deli meats, such as turkey, use light mayonnaise or mustard and throw in baked chips, trail mix or yogurt.

Avoid prepackaged lunches, which normally are more unhealthy than lunches packed by yourself.

There are a myriad of ways to introduce kids to the wonders of veggies, like the age old peanut butter and celery recipe.

Overall, the goal is simple, Gavin writes on the Web site, good habits should be started young.


QC Offers Saturday Kids Fitness Class

By Juliet Werner
The new fitness center at Queens College’s Fitzgerald Gym isn’t just for undergrads. Each Saturday, children aged 5 to 16 participate in the Head Start Children’s Fitness Program. The program, which started last month, is headed up by QC Fitness Center Director Robert Twible.

“I knew our state-of the art fitness center and highly trained staff could make a difference for the children in the community,” Twible said.

A total of 36 kids from ages five to 16 participate in the Queens College fitness class.

The staff is comprised of Twible and six physical education and nutrition majors. There are currently 36 students participating.

“Grouped according to age, they take part in weight training; aerobics, including treadmill, spin bike, sprint and obstacle course work; stretching and plyometrics, a reflexive form of power training; and indoor games,” QC News Services Deputy Director Phyllis Cohen-Stevens said.

In addition, students are required to keep nutritional and activity logs in order to track their progress outside of class.

Twible said the log-keeping isn’t intrusive.

“We don’t get into concrete details of what they’re eating,” Twible said.

According to a 2005 survey put out by the Center for Disease Control, 11 percent of New York high school students are overweight and 17 percent are at risk for becoming overweight. In addition, 78 percent failed to meet recommended levels of physical activity.

Over the past 20 years, childhood obesity rates have doubled for children aged six to 11 and more than tripled among adolescents aged 12 to 19.

“The CDC’s recommendations are clear,” Cohen-Stevens said. “Increased physical activity and better diets are essential in helping children combat the risk of obesity.”

Christopher Leal, 16, is one of the first students to have participated.

“It turned out very good,” Oscar Leal said of his son’s experience. “He needed some exercise and realized he needed to get in shape…Now he’s a member of Queens College’s gym.”

Whereas sports teams require multiple practices a week, the Head Start class only meets once a week. According to Twible, this distinction has rendered the QC program more convenient for many parents.

“So far, the response has been strong and the feedback extremely positive,” he said, adding that he has plans to expand the Head Start model into QC’s Summer Camp programming.

Head Start classes are held on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. from February through May 2008. The cost is $99 for an eight-week session. For more information, call the Queens College Fitness Center at (718) 997-2740 or email Robert Twible at robert.twible@qc.cuny.edu.

Learning Traits Of Childhood Depression
By Liz Skalka
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

In the past several years, the issue of childhood and adolescent depression and mental illness has gained more attention in the media due to violence in schools and concerns over anti-depressant medication increasing suicidal thoughts in this age group.

Joan Swirsky, a Long Island-based psychotherapist, journalist and author of “Mommy, I Want to Kill Myself,” said childhood depression can either be caused by environmental or genetic factors. Though Swirsky pointed out she believes a family history of mental illness plays a major role in the onset of childhood depression.

“It’s always valuable where you came from as a parent,” Swirsky said. “There are a lot of families that have mental illness in the background that was never discussed.”

The symptoms of childhood depression are similar to those of adult depression. “You notice either a subtle or significant change,” she noted.

Swirsky said parents will notice a change in their child’s facial expressions and changes in eating, sleeping and school behavior. A child may be upbeat and then that changes over time.

“It’s very similar to what you could detect in a friend of yours,” Swirsky said.
Swirsky stressed that parents are the best judges of whether a child is depressed. She said parents often don’t have enough faith in their ability to determine if their child is suffering from depression.

“Parents are usually the very best judges of their child’s wellbeing,” Swirsky said. “Parents really don’t have the same confidence in themselves as they should.”

If a parent notices changes in their child’s behavior, it’s important for them to become familiar with the signs of childhood mental illness through research, reading and talking to professionals.

“I believe that knowledge is power,” Swirsky said. “The more you know the better equipped you are to discuss.”

If a parent then believes the problem requires professional attention, they should seek the guidance of a pediatrician who could then refer the child to another professional.

Swirsky pointed out, however, that there is a subtle line between what could be just a stage for a child and what could be mental illness needing to be addressed.

“If a child has mental illness there’s no X-ray for it, no blood test for it,” she said. “Its symptoms can be more subtle and elusive.”

Once again, Swirsky noted, an informed parent is often the best judge of what’s wrong with their child.

Additionally, it’s important for parents not to fall into the trap of believing their child’s mental illness is somehow their fault. Growing up, children face a variety of environmental factors that could trigger depression or exacerbate an underlying genetic condition, including not fitting in well at school or problems at home.

“The most important thing to a child is to fit into his or her peer group,” Swirsky said, “and not feeling accepted and not feeling liked can be a cause of tremendous distress and even depression in children.”

For more information about Swirsky’s books, visit www.joanswirsky.com.


Phys Ed Widely Ignored In Queens Schools
By Juliet Werner
Public schools are required to offer physical education classes. State law mandates that students in grades K through three have daily physical education and that students in grades four through six have a minimum of three gym classes or 120 minutes a week. Not only are these regulations widely ignored, there is no system in place to enforce them.

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan

“With 43 percent of New York City students overweight or obese, it is unacceptable that more resources are not put toward their physical education,” Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said at a Jan. 31 Assembly hearing. “We must work together to help implement better physical activity programs in our schools and ensure that all schools comply with state-mandated measures for physical education.”

Gotbaum said the schools play an important role in setting the City’s children on the right track.

“[F]or many children in our sedentary culture, physical education at school may be their only opportunity for physical activity during the day and their only preparation for an active lifestyle,” Gotbaum said. “Regular physical activity for children has significant health and wellness benefits, and has been associated with increased academic performance, and improving self-esteem and mental health.”

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood), who held the hearing, agreed with the Public Advocate.

“We know physical activity improves academic performance by contributing to overall health and by teaching children valuable concepts like teamwork and problem solving,” Assemblywoman Nolan said. “The challenge is that despite a law requiring schools to provide physical education, many students in New York State do not receive instruction, and that is a shame.”

With 43 percent of New York City students overweight the City mandates schools should schedule 120 minutes of phys ed a week.

According to InsideSchools.org Director Pamela Wheaton, a lack of physical education is typically linked to limited space on campus, caused by overcrowding. In Queens, restricted space is also the result of placing schools in converted buildings.

“With so much emphasis on academics and test scores, I think physical education and the arts have taken backseat,” Wheaton said.

PTA president Laura Del Greco said students at Flushing’s PS 21 only get one gym class a week.

“We’re always emphasizing more exercise,” DelGreco said, adding she was unaware of the state regulations.

The public advocate’s last report on the matter, titled, “All Work and No Play,” was released in 2004 following a survey of 100 public elementary schools selected at random. The survey found that 20.6 percent of the public elementary schools surveyed lacked regular access to physical education classes, all elementary schools surveyed were in violation of the New York State regulations requiring daily physical education for students in third grade, 79.3 percent of the schools with students in grades four were in violation of New York State regulations mandating at least 120 minutes of physical education for those students and only four percent of all schools surveyed had an athletic team.

The public advocate is currently working to update the 2004 report. Preliminary results show an improvement in access to physical education for third graders.

In his Jan. 9 State of the State address, Governor Eliot Spitzer declared his commitment to improved regulating.

“We will ask Comptroller [Thomas] DiNapoli to help enforce the State’s strong, but widely ignored, physical education requirements by including them in his regular school district audits,” Spitzer said. “And I have directed the Department of Health, which has now begun gathering data, to report to me annually on our progress.”