More Than Half of Teens Who Gave Birth Weren't Using Contraception: CDC (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Slightly more than half of U.S. teenaged girls who had a child between 2004 and 2008 did not use birth control, and a third didn't think they could get pregnant at the time, a new government study finds.

Although the number of teens who get pregnant in the United States has fallen in recent years, the U.S. teen birth rate is still the highest of any developed country, with more than 400,000 births in 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"These are the girls who had risky sex and ended up getting pregnant and giving birth," said study co-author Lorrie Gavin, a health scientist with the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health. "This is the group that we should pay most attention to, because they're the ones who experienced unintended births."

According to the report, 50.1 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 who had an unintended pregnancy were not using any form of contraception when they got pregnant, and 31.4 percent thought they could not get pregnant at the time.

Commenting on the findings, Lawrence Finer, director of domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute in New York City, had this to say: "The fact that they found such a low level of contraceptive use says a number of things about what we need to do to try to improve adolescent reproductive health."

Finer said more teens should be using IUDs and implants because they take the decision-making out of the equation.

"In the past, these methods have been seen as ones for older women, but those methods should be considered first-line methods for adolescents and young adults," Finer suggested. "Historically, it's been condom and pill for young people, but we need to expand our thinking on that."

The girls who didn't think they could get pregnant have misconceptions about pregnancy, Finer added. "That clearly reflects on education and awareness," he said.

The reason some girls think that they can't get pregnant is probably a combination of factors, Finer explained.

"The risk of becoming pregnant from one act of sex is relatively small," he noted. "It may be the case that, for some teens, they had unprotected sex and didn't become pregnant so then they think they won't become pregnant based on their past experience," he said.

"This is a lack of recognition that if you don't get pregnant one time you may get pregnant at another time," Finer pointed out. In addition, some girls may think that either they or their partner is infertile.

Finer said more education about pregnancy and contraception is needed.

Another co-author of report pointed out other scenarios that might explain why these teens did not use contraception.

"Other reasons for not using contraception were their partner did not want to use it, or because they didn't mind getting pregnant," said Ayanna T. Harrison, who is also with the Division of Reproductive Health.

Among teens who got pregnant despite saying they used birth control, 24 percent said they used condoms and 21 percent said they used an IUD, implant or a birth control pill, said Harrison.

"When we looked at age, race and ethnicity, we didn't see a huge difference," Harrison said. However, among those who thought they couldn't get pregnant, 42 percent were Hispanic compared to almost 27 percent of white teens and 32 percent of black teens, she said.

Gavin added that most were not using the most effective methods of birth control, such as IUDs.

"They were using methods that require some kind of ongoing behavior, such as taking a pill every day or using a condom every time you have sex," she said. "We know that consistent use of the pill or a condom is a major problem."

Efforts are needed to dispel myths about becoming pregnant and to increase motivation to avoid pregnancy, Gavin said.

"We need to do a better job for sexually active teens," Gavin said, including providing better access to contraception, encouraging the use of more effective methods and increasing the motivation to use birth control consistently.

"Teen pregnancy is a public health concern because teen mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes, and infants of teen mothers have higher risks for preterm birth, low birth weight and related complications," the authors wrote.

The report was published in the Jan. 20 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

More information

For more on teen pregnancy, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120119/hl_hsn/morethanhalfofteenswhogavebirthwerentusingcontraceptioncdc

andy rooney 60 minutes andre johnson andre johnson arrested development arrested development shannon tweed shannon tweed

PSU board meets for 1st time since firing Paterno (AP)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? Penn State's trustees fired coach Joe Paterno as outrage boiled up over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Now the trustees are the ones being criticized.

The embattled 32-member board meets Friday, its first gathering since November and the frantic first week after child sex abuse charges were filed against Sandusky, Penn State's retired defensive coordinator.

Paterno was dismissed Nov. 9, the same day school President Graham Spanier also departed under pressure. The trustees met two days later, pledging to search for the truth.

Now some alumni and former players are wondering whether the trustees have been up front with them, and are questioning why Paterno was ousted with a full airing of the facts.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_sp_ot/us_penn_state_trustees

braves harrys law orioles atlanta braves national coffee day national coffee day paw paw

Amazon Kindle Fire Version 6.2.2 update brings manual e-mail setup fixes, full-screen browsing

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon is pushing out Software Version 6.2.2 for the Kindle Fire over the air, and it's also available for manual installation. Here's what's new:

  • Enhances fluidity and performance.
  • Improves support for manually setting up e-mail providers in the e-mail app
  • Adds full-screen browsing 

The upate is currently pushing out over the air. But if you just can't wait, you can also install it manually. Here's how:

  1. Make sure you have at least 40 percent battery charge.
  2. Download the update-kindle-6.2.2_D01E_3205220 file from Amazon here.
  3. Plug in your Kindle Fire and open a file explorer. Move the update-kindle-6.2.2_D01E_3205220 file to the kindleupdates folder.
  4. Disconnect your Kindle Fire.
  5. Go to the quick settings at the top of the screen. Choose More>Update your Kindle.
  6. Sit back and relax. It'll restart a couple times.

And that's it!

Source: Amazon; More: Kindle Fire Forums

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/m2hYPvcUDGs/story01.htm

reed hastings cujo hpv vaccine hurricane tracking hurricane tracking flat tax flat tax

NJ parents: Disabled girl was denied transplant

(AP) ? The parents of a 3-year-old New Jersey girl say she's being denied a kidney transplant because of her mental disabilities, but experts caution the situation may be much more complex.

The girl's mother, Chrissy Rivera, last week posted a blog entry that described an encounter she claimed happened at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She said she was there to discuss treatment for her daughter, Amelia, who was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic defect that can cause physical and mental disabilities.

Rivera wrote that a doctor, whom she did not name, told her and her husband, Joe Rivera, that Amelia wouldn't be eligible for a transplant because of her quality of life and her mental condition.

"I put my hand up. 'Stop talking for a minute. Did you just say that Amelia shouldn't have the transplant done because she is mentally retarded. I am confused. Did you really just say that?'" she wrote. "I begin to shake. My whole body trembles and he begins to tell me how she will never be able to get on the waiting list because she is mentally retarded."

Rivera's story was seen by Sunday Stilwell, the mother of two severely autistic boys, and she began an online petition last Friday, demanding that the hospital give a transplant to the girl. By Wednesday morning, nearly 25,600 people had signed it.

"I read Chrissy's original blog post, and I just cried. I couldn't believe it," said Stilwell, whose boys are 6 and 9. "I shared it on Twitter with all my followers and on Facebook."

Children's Hospital said in a statement that it "does not disqualify potential transplant candidates on the basis of intellectual abilities."

"We have transplanted many children with a wide range of disabilities, including physical and intellectual disabilities," it said, adding that it is "deeply committed" to providing the best possible medical care for all children, including those with disabilities.

The hospital did not comment further, citing patient confidentiality laws, but noted the debate on its Facebook page.

"We're listening. We hear your concerns and take seriously your posts, emails and phone calls," it wrote, adding, "Please know that you have been heard and that your feedback is appreciated."

Stilwell has been in contact with Rivera daily over the events.

"There's a lot of camaraderie" between parents of special-needs kids, Stilwell said. "Almost all of us, across the board, have experienced some discrimination. I've certainly had some bad run-ins with some certainly ignorant doctors, but nothing like this. That's part of the reason I did it. I couldn't actually believe this was happening."

Messages seeking comment from the Riveras through Facebook and to their home were left Wednesday.

The issue the Riveras face is not simple, said Arthur Caplan, director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics.

For example, the blog notes that Rivera told the hospital that "we plan on donating" the kidney, since they come from a large family.

"Most adults can't donate an organ, because it won't fit" a child, Caplan said. "You're starting to say you're going to use another child as a living donor, and that's ethically really trouble."

The supply of organs for child transplants is "extremely limited," Caplan added.

"So you have hard choices to make," he said. "Dialysis may be a better option."

However, in recent years some hospitals have pioneered ways to use an adult's kidney in a child.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 87,820 people were awaiting kidney transplants as of last February. The National Kidney Foundation, which seeks to enhance the lives of people affected by kidney disease, said 4,573 patients died in 2008 while waiting for kidney transplants.

A 2006 study from Ohio State University on kidney transplants for patients with mental disabilities found that the one- and three-year survival rates for 34 people were 100 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

"The studies reported good compliance with post-transplant medications due to consistent support from family members or caregivers," the paper noted.

The researchers added that previous controversies over mental disabilities and transplants led the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to express concern that many people with disabilities are "denied evaluation and referral for transplantation."

Rivera's blog noted that doctors said Amelia won't need a transplant for six months to a year.

Some experts said that if Rivera's claims are accurate, the hospital's actions are very disturbing.

"Everyone deserves an equal chance to these organs, regardless of your mental capacity," said Charles Camosy, a professor of Christian Ethics at Fordham University.

Camosy said that while it's true that there are shortages of kidneys and other organs, the criteria used to make transplant decisions "should not ever devalue those that are mentally disabled."

"This is a growing movement that transcends liberal or conservative that says this kind of life, because it's so vulnerable, it deserves special protection," he said.

Whatever the medical details of Amelia's situation, her mother's blog captured the anger of parents with disabled children who don't want outsiders to decide life and death issues.

"Do not talk about her quality of life," Rivera wrote of her exchange with the doctor last week. "You have no idea what she is like. We have crossed many, many road blocks with Amelia and this is just one more. So, you don't agree she should have it done? Fine. But tell me who I talk to next."

Mary Beth Happ, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center whose research focuses on communication with non-vocal patients, said that the issue of severe mental disability and kidney transplants has been a source of contention for nearly two decades.

"Co-existing health problems such as weakened immune system and/or heart disease, which are prevalent in (Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome), are an additional risk that transplant centers and parents must consider," Happ wrote in an email.

But Happ and Caplan noted that it's virtually impossible to have a full discussion of Amelia's case because of medical privacy laws.

"We're seeing this more and more where very private, difficult medical decisions are debated in the media without the full facts," Happ said, adding that while the general discussion can be good, the risks of one side or another inflating the situation is "really problematic."

Caplan said he has heard of cases in which other transplant programs considered severe mental disability as a factor in transplants.

"With scarcity, social factors do count, with every transplant," he said.

___

Begos reported from Pittsburgh.

___

Follow Matt Moore at www.twitter.com/mattmooreap

___

Online:

Rivera's Blog: http://bit.ly/xAmRaV

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-01-18-Disabled%20Child-Transplant/id-3426c96a37c340cc9e06f8ed5fdc75fd

jesse james pearl harbor day discovery channel lea michele michael buble michael buble teddy roosevelt

Acting deputy police chief admits to ?pocket dial? on golf course

Curtis Rush Police Reporter

Acting Deputy Police Chief Jeff McGuire was guilty once of a ?pocket dialed? 911 call, which left him apologetic and embarrassed.

He admitted to that at a news conference Monday as police across the GTA launched a safety campaign warning cellphone users to ?lock it before you pocket.?

A couple of years ago, McGuire said, he dropped his phone into his golf bag while on the course during his vacation.

?Unbeknownst to me, a 911 call was placed,? he said. ?About an hour later, I discovered that the OPP communications centre had been trying to get in touch with me. I called back and learned what the error was and apologized.?

The acting deputy chief said he was ?incredibly embarrassed? for wasting the police resources.

?My negligence resulted in a delay for other people with real emergencies,? McGuire said. ?I learned my lesson. My phone has been locked ever since.?

More than 2 million calls, to both 911 and the non-emergency number 416-808-2222, were placed to the communications call centre in Toronto in 2011 ? a 7 percent increase over the year before. Of the more than one million 911 calls, there were some 227,000 misdials ? about 18 percent of the total.

Police say pocket dialed 911 calls are an international problem.

Here are some reasons why, as reported by 911 call-takers:

??? Last year, the OPP got a garbled call at the Orillia communication centre that appeared to be coming from 5 kilometres out on Georgian Bay. Police thought perhaps a boater was in trouble. So an AC-130 Hercules aircraft was dispatched from Trenton. A couple of hours later, it was confirmed the caller was skiing in Collingwood.

???A lot of calls come from women who store their phones in a purse, where a wallet or lipstick can easily bump against the phone and put through a call.

???Parents often let their kids play games on their cellphones, say on a long road trip. Misdials from children playing with the phone can be made while the parents are totally unaware.

???It?s common to get 911 calls from the entertainment district on weekend nights, inadvertently placed from a purse, pocket, or even a hand. The call-takers can hear music, but it?s so loud they can?t hear the people and the people can?t hear the call-takers.

???After Christmas, children who got cellphone gifts often take those phones to school and mistakenly call 911. Call-takers say they can hear a teacher talking in the background and hear children?s voices but can?t get through to the children.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/1112495--acting-deputy-police-chief-admits-to-pocket-dial-on-golf-course

ncaa bowl schedule occupy dc trisomy 18 farrah abraham whats going on venus williams bowl projections

Analysts: Gadget sales to top $1 trillion in 2012

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Developing countries like China and India will drive global sales of consumer electronics above $1 trillion this year for the first time, even as cash-strapped shoppers in the U.S. and Western Europe ease off spending for high-tech gear, industry analysts said Sunday.

Developing countries will account for 46 percent of global gadget sales in 2012, up from 37 percent four years ago, according to GfK Boutique Research and the Consumer Electronics Association.

The groups presented their forecast ahead of the massive International Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Their estimate of 2012 global electronics sales, at $1.038 trillion, represents growth of 5 percent from last year. That compares to growth of 8 percent from 2010 to 2011.

Consumers in China and other developing Asian countries, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe are snapping up high-tech goods as they climb toward a middle-class lifestyle. Meanwhile, gadget sales in the U.S., Japan and Western Europe are stagnant, unable to command a higher share of consumer spending.

Separately, NPD Group said Sunday that U.S. sales of consumer electronics fell 5.9 percent this past holiday season, as smartphones cannibalize sales of standalone gadgets like cameras, camcorders and GPS navigation devices.

The firm, which tracks retail sales, said electronics sales excluding phones totaled $9.5 billion in the five weeks ending Dec. 24.

Camcorder sales plunged 43 percent, and sales of digital picture frames fell 38 percent. GPS units slumped 33 percent. PC and TV sales slipped just 4 percent, bolstered by sales of TVs bigger than 50 inches.

Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics retailer, said Friday that December sales lagged because of weak traffic. Sales at stores open a year fell 1.2 percent for the month. However, sales were strong for smartphones, tablet computers and e-readers.

The CEA and GfK expect smartphones and tablets to be the hot products globally as well, to the exclusion of other devices.

"We'll see most product categories slowing down or going into contraction," said Steve Bambridge, research director at U.K.-based GfK. Smartphones and tablets are "sucking up consumer spending" he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-08-Gadget%20Show-Electronics%20Sales/id-23028aafa294484aa1974df2a0e0b00d

where do i vote wheel of fortune today show smokin joe conrad murray verdict tappan zee bridge jessica chastain

Asian economies look to keep Iranian oil flowing

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000 file photo, an Iranian oil worker repairs a pipe at an oil refinery in Tehran, Iran. The latest U.S. sanctions to be imposed on Iran have not only unveiled the depth of the country's economic woes, but exposed new fault lines within the government just two months before parliamentary elections that should bolster the control of the ruling clerics. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000 file photo, an Iranian oil worker repairs a pipe at an oil refinery in Tehran, Iran. The latest U.S. sanctions to be imposed on Iran have not only unveiled the depth of the country's economic woes, but exposed new fault lines within the government just two months before parliamentary elections that should bolster the control of the ruling clerics. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

(AP) ? China, the biggest buyer of Iran's oil, has publicly rejected U.S. sanctions aimed at Tehran's energy industry while American allies Japan and South Korea are scrambling to find a compromise to keep critical supplies flowing.

Beijing is buying less Iranian crude this month, but analysts say China is unlikely to support an oil embargo. Instead, they say, the smaller purchases might be a tactic aimed at obtaining lower prices as the West squeezes Tehran.

The sanctions approved by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve have highlighted the importance of Iranian oil supplies to East Asia's energy-hungry economies. They have led to a clash of interests between Washington and key commercial and strategic partners over efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program.

"We are considering our response and are closely discussing the matter with the U.S.," a Japanese Foreign Ministry official, Kazuhiro Kawase, said Friday.

A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said this week Seoul is in talks with Washington aimed at "minimizing the negative impacts" of sanctions. South Korea imports 97 percent of its oil and depends on Iran for up to 10 percent of its supplies.

China's foreign ministry rejected the sanctions this week and called for negotiations, leaving unclear whether Beijing might defy Washington, straining relations between the world's biggest and second-biggest economies.

"Sanctioning is not the correct approach to easing tensions," said a ministry spokesman, Hong Lei. "China opposes the placing of one's domestic law above international law and imposing unilateral sanctions on other countries."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is due to visit Beijing and Tokyo next week for talks that officials say will include the sanctions.

China could be the toughest part of Washington's thorny diplomatic challenge as it tries to enforce the sanctions. The fast-growing Chinese economy is the world's biggest energy consumer and imports half its oil.

The sanctions target financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank by barring them from opening or maintaining correspondent operations in the United States. It would apply to foreign central banks only for transactions that involve the sale or purchase of petroleum or petroleum products.

Japanese and South Korean institutions, with a bigger U.S. presence, would be more exposed to such penalties. But Chinese institutions also do business in the United States and Beijing might see such restrictions as interference in its foreign affairs.

About 11 percent of China's oil imports in 2011 came from Iran, or about 560,000 barrels per day, a flow that increased in the latter half of the year, according to oil industry analysts Argus Media. The daily average for November was 617,000 barrels, close to a third of Iran's total oil exports of 2.2 million barrels a day, Argus said.

Analysts say China would have a tough time replacing that supply.

"China is the biggest buyer of the Iranian oil. How could China stop buying just because of the sanctions?" said Zhu Feng, a Peking University specialist in international relations.

This month, Chinese buyers have reduced daily purchases of Iranian crude, though that apparently stems from price negotiations and a payment dispute that began last year, according to a Singapore-based trader.

The two Chinese state-owned companies that buy Iranian oil reduced purchases by about 5,000 to 15,000 barrels per day, the trader said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly for his company.

It is "within the realm of possibility" that a small reduction in Chinese purchases might be "a shrewd attempt to squeeze the Iranians on pricing," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst for Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.

"As the pressure gets more intense on Iran and Iran wants to ensure its oil revenue, I'm sure Iran will be eager to keep China as a customer and China will be in a good position to negotiate a good price," Shum said.

Iran is China's third-biggest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia and Angola.

The importance of Asian sales makes it unlikely Tehran will make good on threats by some officials to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which Gulf oil flows, said Shum.

That would "really hurt Iran's important customers in Asia ? namely China, Korea and Japan," he said. "No supplier wants to anger its key customers."

Japan is especially dependent on imported oil and natural gas, one-third of it from the Gulf, after shutting down nuclear reactors following last year's tsunami, said Koichiro Tanaka, director of the JIME Center at the Institute of Energy Economics Japan in Tokyo.

Japan's foreign minister will be visiting major oil exporters Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the next few days on a previously scheduled trip, but Tanaka said it was unclear whether he would get directly involved in trying to line up additional oil supplies.

"There are some thorny issues between the U.S. and Japan, but since we're so dependent on the U.S. forces for our national defense, I don't think we have any other choice but to follow the lead of Washington," Tanaka said.

On Friday, Japan's industry minister acknowledged its dilemma in trying to balance economic and diplomatic demands.

"This is a very important issue that could affect international crude oil prices," Yukio Edano said at a news conference in Tokyo. "The Iranian nuclear issue is also a very important one."

___

Associated Press researchers Yu Bing and Zhao Liang in Beijing and writers Alex Kennedy in Singapore and Malcolm Foster in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-06-AS-Asia-Iran-Oil/id-be0bbefd66b048bfa2fdcf94cd9782b6

brining a turkey brining a turkey who won dancing with the stars 2011 five iron frenzy wild horses lyrics sweet potato recipes green bean casserole recipe

Japan to Shut Nuke Plants at 40 Years

But no injuries, damage reported

(AP) - A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck under the sea south of Japan today, shaking buildings in the capital but causing no apparent damage or tsunami. The quake struck near the uninhabited island of Torishima in the Pacific Ocean, about 370 miles south of Tokyo, and its epicenter was about 230 miles below the sea, the Meterological Agency said. Buildings in the Tokyo area shook, but no damage or injuries were reported, and no abnormalities were reported at power plants. More?

Source: http://www.newser.com/story/137043/japan-to-shut-nuke-plants-at-40-years.html

mike wallace is jon bon jovi dead jon bon jovi jon bon jovi kim jong il died warren hellman survivor south pacific

abcgrandstand: Graeme Smith has hit out at critics after South Africa secured its first home series win in three years http://t.co/pBch7vJh #cricket

  • Passer la navigation
  • Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
  • Passer cette ?tape
  • Connexion
Loader Twitter.com
  • Connexion
Graeme Smith has hit out at critics after South Africa secured its first home series win in three years bit.ly/x15Gr4 #cricket abcgrandstand

ABC Grandstand

Pied de page

Source:

immaculate conception immaculate conception rule 5 draft lindsay lohan playboy cover lindsay lohan playboy cover shooting at virginia tech shooting at virginia tech