Calendar

Medicare: Speakers from the Ohio Senior Health Insurance and Information Program and Pro Senior will lead a discussion on Medicare at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Jewish Community Center, 7420 Montgomery Road, Silverton. Lunch will follow. Free. Lunch reservations required. 761-7500.

Touch: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will present a program on infant massage at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at its outpatient Mason location, 9560 Children's Drive. $20. Registration: 636-5714.

Mental health: "Maternal depression" is the topic for a mental-health presentation at 7 p.m. March 23 at Barnes and Noble in Kenwood, 7800 Montgomery Road. Sponsors are the Junior League of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Barnes and Noble Booksellers. Free. Information: 871-9339.

Help wanted

Study: University of Cincinnati Medical Center is recruiting women 30 to 65 with type 2 diabetes who use a diabetes medication for a diet study. Information: Dr. Cindy Goody, 558-7513.

Shelf help

Cooking: Great Foods Without Worry (Aventine Press; $12.95) by Loveland's own Cindy Moseley features more than 90 recipes without wheat, eggs, nuts, dairy, soy or gluten for children and adults with multiple food allergies.

Healthy living

Clear vision: Dr. Bruce Rosenthal, chief of low-vision programs for Lighthouse International, says these are the warning signs that you need a low-vision examination:

• Difficulty reading a newspaper or other fine print, even with your glasses.

• Difficulty seeing traffic lights or highway signs.

• Difficulty seeing the curb while walking.

• Difficulty adapting to light when going indoors.

• Difficulty with glare at all times.

Nutrition

Advice: Follow the ABCs in deciding whether a diet plan is safe, says Leigh Ann Kowalsky, a clinical nutrition instructor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas:

• Adequacy: Does the plan include enough nutrients to cover the day's nutrition needs?

• Balance: Are carbohydrates, proteins and fats distributed properly to meet nutritional needs?

• Calorie control: Does the plan offer at least 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 for men?

Research

Numbers: The higher children's systolic blood pressure is, the more likely they are to have hardened arteries in their late 30s and 40s, new research says.

The study, based on analyzing data from the Bogalusa Heart Study, shows the importance of checking children's blood pressure, says lead author Shengxu Li of Tulane University.

It also indicates doctors can start preventing heart disease during childhood, researchers say.

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail, pofarrell@enquirer.com