The Health Report

Reliable information you can share with your students

When Losers Are Winners

Many people who are overweight or obese find it easy to lose weight. But they have a harder time keeping it off. What are the secrets of staying at a healthful weight? Adult losers who are successful report four behaviors in common:

1. They eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.
2. They monitor their weight by weighing in frequently.
3. They are very physically active and exercise every day.
4. They eat breakfast every day.

Ecstasy Use continues to rise While overall illicit drug use among teens ages 12-18 has declined significantly since 1997, ecstasy use has increased by 71 percent since 1999. Chemically known as MDMA, ecstasy is a psychoactive drug that produces an intense high and strong feelings of love and acceptance. Unfortunately, MDMA can lead to dehydration, hyperthermia, seizures, and heart or kidney failure. It can be fatal. Teenagers view the drug as only slightly more dangerous than alcohol or marijuana and mistakenly believe they can use it casually with no long-term effects. But MDMA can cause brain damage that may be permanent. Brain scans have shown that chronic use of MDMA causes brain damage by harming neurons that release serotonin, which plays a key role in regulating memory. The ability to reason verbally and to sustain attention may be impaired. National Institutes of Drug Abuse and Partnership for a Drug-Free America, February 2002

How Safe Are Schools?

A recently released study of school-associated violent deaths between 1994 and 1999 found that the overall rate of events decreased, but the number of multiple-victim events increased. Even so, school-associated violent deaths represent less than one percent of all homicides and suicides that occur among school-aged children, making schools among the safest places for children to be. The researchers concluded that student homicides and suicides that occur in and around schools can be prevented. They identified trends that schools and communities can use to implement violence prevention efforts. For example, homicide perpetrators often gave potential signals, such as writing a note or making a threat. More than half of all violent death events occurred at the beginning or the end of the school day, or during lunch, suggesting that reduced crowding and increased supervision might reduce the likelihood of conflict. The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. (Note: The total number of homicides and suicides in school-aged children in 1999 was 4,382.)
CDC Office of Communication, December 2001; and The National Center for Health Statistics, March 2002.