Can students, peer pressure be the link to help protect kids from bullying?
Here's a look at some of the top health news being talked about around the U.S. and the world today:
• Growing nationwide concern about bullying in schools - which in recent months has led to reports of dangerous school violence and teen suicides - is prompting schools around the country to look at dealing with bullying in their own schools.
In Jackson, some school staff believe peer pressure and other kids might be the ingredient to changing the culture against bullying and started a new "Be a Hero" program. Reported in the Jackson Citizen Patriot, the program allows students to anonymously nominate a peer for intervening during bullying and report those who are bullies and, so far, it seems to be working.
• Doctors who get perks like "speaking fees, five-star meals and other compensation" from pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies will have their name listed on the Web in the future per a new federal law, Kaiser Health News is reporting. By September 2013, a searchable database on the Web will record any compensation to doctors from corporations worth more than $10.
• Scientists are closely watching a mysterious and deadly fungus in the northwest region of the U.S. which is spreading among animals and people, Reuters is reporting. The fungus appears to infect people who are otherwise healthy people and has killed about 25 percent of those people infected with it.
Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.
Comments
RuralMom
Mon, Apr 26, 2010 : 12:49 p.m.
Jackson School's "Be a Hero", is nothing more than what I taught my children from the begining, if you see someone bullying someone else and you do or say nothing, then you are just as guilty as if you openly participated. Its start with parenting, you either want to raise reasonable happy, healthy, positive contributors to society or you don't. You have to give them ample opportunity to "practice" being good stewards, it begins in childhood.
amccauley
Mon, Apr 26, 2010 : 12:05 p.m.
Why is it that staff and doctors want to push medication on hard to deal with children? Pills will not stop the bullying! The first place to start is with the parents of these bullies, then the bully, then the school staff and then a group session with all of the above to find out what is causing the bullying. Children are not born to be bullies... they are taught! Where are they learning it from? Sadly, a lot of children learn it from home. For instance, a family that has parents that fight and argue around their children. A parent that physically abuses the other parent and/or the children. Some kids learn from those children who grew up thinking it was "ok" to bully those that are weaker because that is how they were raised. PILLS ARE NOT THE ANSWER!!!