Activists seek bill to roll back Rhode Island HPV vaccine mandate

A group of activists is pushing legislation to remove a requirement that Rhode Island school children receive the HPV vaccine before entering the seventh grade. Rhode Island and Virginia are the only two states that require school children to get the vaccine that blocks common strains of human papillomavirus, which can lead to certain cancers later in life. Rhode Island parents can now get an exemption based on religious or medical reasons, but the activists want to further roll back the mandate because the sexually transmitted virus cannot be passed on through normal school activities. Shawna Lawton of the Rhode Island Alliance for Vaccine Choice said she has been working with state Rep. Justin Price, a Richmond Republican, to introduce legislation that would eliminate or weaken the mandate and also limit the authority of the state Department of Health to issue vaccine mandates without public input.

Fox, January 18, 2016

Guilamo-Ramos works with families in the Bronx, New York City's poorest borough.  There, nearly 8 percent of 15- to 19-year-old girls get pregnant every year. That's nearly twice the rate of Manhattan. Economists disagree about whether these pregnancies cause high dropout rates and poverty, or whether teen parents were at risk of dropping out of school anyway. "Unfortunately, teen pregnancy often gets framed as being a girls' issue," Guilamo-Ramos said, explaining that programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy often focus on mothers and daughters. "Well, boys are 50 percent of the equation."

Marketplace, January 18, 2016

"They have rarely had an opportunity to learn about sex and relationships because of lack of education, or they were in a school system that lacks sex education. The need for knowledge from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and condoms to abortion rights, equality, law and LGBT rights is acute,"   Ljungros and Andersson wrote.

Rt.com, January 18, 2016

Research released as long ago as 1978 confirmed the dangers in believing boys are not socialized differently growing up than girls are. The biggest danger is in our society not acknowledging that males, while a minority of our population, are facing a serious crisis in 2016. Among the risks are not just depression and the very real possibility of suicide, but the increased likelihood that a man is more drawn to violence. While FBI statistics show that levels of violent crime in the United States, including murder, have steadily declined since 1991, acts of murder and non-negligent manslaughter still claim  about 15,000 lives a year .

The Examiner, January 17, 2016

Men make up between 10 percent and 20 percent of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa cases across the nation. They are also responsible for about 40 percent of all binge eating disorders, according to the National Association of Men with Eating Disorders. But experts say these numbers only scratch the surface of the problem.

Las Vegas Review-Journal, January 17, 2016

White House highlights new priorities in Dialogue on Men's Health

During an unprecedented Dialogue on Men's Health on Friday, Jan. 8, the White House outlined new health priorities for men in America, enlisting the help of dozens of public and private sector organizations to fulfill those goals. Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson joined U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on to lead the Dialogue.

Econotimes.com, January 15, 2016

"This is not about educating just parents, but also the medical community," said Maggie Hall, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. "We need nurses, doctors, patient-care technicians, and people in schools to remind people to get this vaccine."

Tampa Bay Times, January 15, 2016

Indeed.  Studies  have shown that youths in father-absent households have the highest odds of being incarcerated and higher levels of behavioral problems in schools and are more likely to be suspended from school.  Research  by Princeton University sociology professor Sara McLanahan notes that a father's absence increases anti-social behavior such as drug use and reduces a child's chances of employment. And in his report " Growing Up Without Father: The Effects on African American Boys ", Cory Ellis found that father-absence was the strongest indicator of delinquency, even more so than low socioeconomic status or peer pressure. There is also evidence that fatherless children have lower self-esteem, a greater risk for mental illness and suicide, and increased risk of depression.

The Root, January 15, 2016

The likelihood of an American teen using or carrying weapons varies according to race and gender, new research contends. Using data from a national survey conducted during the mid-1990s, when violent crime rates were falling in the United States, researchers found that 13 percent of black students, 10 percent of Hispanic students and 7 percent of white students had been involved with weapons.

Healthfinder.gov, January 15, 2016

Teen girls in poor or predominately Hispanic communities are more likely to receive at least one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine than those in other communities, a new study finds.

Healthfinder.gov, January 14, 2016

Increased clinician education and the development of evidence-based tools are needed to improve quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4) implementation rates in a primary care setting, according to a survey conducted by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Clinical Advisor, January 14, 2016

There's no proof that over-the-counter sexual enhancement supplements for men work, and some are potentially dangerous, a new study reports. Many men seeking medical help for sexual health issues report using dietary supplements. But with little regulation of dosage or ingredients, the health effects of these products are unknown, the researchers said in background notes.

Healthfinder.gov, January 13, 2016

According to a report prepared by adolescent friendly health centres (AFHCs) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government in most districts, all is not well with the sexual health of adolescent boys in the Rohilkhand region. In shocking details that have come to light, 22% of them are on the verge of becoming impotent, while another 19% do not nurse any sexual desire. According to experts, hormonal imbalance, adulterated food, depression and watching too much porn in formative years are said to be the reasons behind this.

The Times of India, January 11, 2016

The Weekly News Roundup is produced by The Partnership for Male Youth and is released every Monday. 

For more information contact Dennis J. Barbour, JD. News Roundup editor and President/CEO of the Partnership, at dbarbour@partnershipformaleyouth.org.

The  Partnership for Male Youth is a collaboration among 23 national organizations and representation from six federal agencies. It is led by a multidisciplinary and multispecialty steering committee and advisory council. The Partnerships's flagship effort, released in January 2014, is  The Health Provider Toolkit for Adolescent and Young Adult Males.