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Top psychologist says mobile phones will turn kids into 'zombies'

According to a leading Australian psychologist, parents who allow young children to use mobile phones are stupid and allowing such behaviour is insane.

8 Jun 2009

WHO recommends worldwide use of rotavirus vaccine for children

To reduce an estimated half million deaths and two million hospitalizations from diarrhea caused by rotavirus each year, the WHO on Friday recommended that oral rotavirus vaccines be added to national childhood immunization programs, broadening access to the vaccine in the developing world, Reuters reports.

5 Jun 2009

Combination of interventions could reduce childhood pneumonia deaths by 90%, study says

A combination of measures taken to improve nutrition, indoor air pollution, immunization and child pneumonia case management could reduce total child mortality worldwide by 17 percent and global pneumonia deaths by more than 90 percent, according to a study published in the June issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, UPI reports.

4 Jun 2009

Imaginary friends help children learn

According psychologist, Dr. Evan Kidd at Melbourne's La Trobe University, children with imaginary friends are better at learning to communicate than other children because they have a lot of practice at inventing interactions with their friends, which helps them improve their conversational skills.

3 Jun 2009

Childhood health disparities can have life-long health effects

Research indicates that physical and mental stress in childhood may have life-long adverse health effects and policy initiatives are needed to emphasize the importance of starting health promotion and disease prevention early in life, according to an article in the June 3 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on child and adolescent health.

2 Jun 2009

Easier access to media by children increases risk for influence on numerous health issues

With children having easier access to media and a wider variety of content, the possible negative influence on health issues such as sex, drugs, obesity and eating disorders is increased, and warrants monitoring usage and limiting access if necessary, according to a commentary in the June 3 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on child and adolescent health.

2 Jun 2009

Report identifies early childhood conditions that lead to adult health disparities

The origins of many adult diseases can be traced to early negative experiences associated with social class and other markers of disadvantage.

2 Jun 2009

The Simpsons TV show promotes smoking

A recent study by Dr Guy Eslick from The University of Sydney School of Public Health, says popular television shows such as The Simpsons promote tobacco use simply by showing it in so many episodes.

2 Jun 2009

Simple measures could reduce child mortality from pneumonia

Implementing measures to improve nutrition, indoor air pollution, immunization coverage and the management of pneumonia cases could be cost-effective and significantly reduce child mortality from pneumonia, according to a study led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

1 Jun 2009

FDA antidepressant warnings led to unintended changes in depression diagnosis

Government warnings about suicidality among children taking antidepressants appear to be associated with unintended and persistent changes in the diagnosis and treatment of depression in children and adults, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

1 Jun 2009

Language use decreases in young children and caregivers when TV is on

In a new study, young children and their adult caregivers uttered fewer vocalizations, used fewer words and engaged in fewer conversations when in the presence of audible television.

1 Jun 2009

17 million U.S. children live over an hour away from a pediatric trauma center

More than 17 million U.S. children live more than an hour away by ground or air transportation from a life-saving pediatric trauma center, according to a new study by researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. The creation of a national inventory of pediatric trauma centers may help to identify the locations of gaps and greatly improve access to care for U.S. children, the authors said.

1 Jun 2009

Junk food diet influences mental health in young people

According to Australian researchers teenagers who consume plenty of fruit and vegetables have fewer mental health problems.

1 Jun 2009

Sleep disordered breathing in children in a general population sample: prevalence and risk factors

A study in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are consistent, independent risk factors for all severity levels of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children, suggesting that as with adult SDB, metabolic factors are important risk factors for childhood SDB.

1 Jun 2009

When parents have anxiety disorders, children need help too

In what is believed to be the first U.S. study designed to prevent anxiety disorders in the children of anxious parents, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have found that a family-based program reduced symptoms and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder among these children.

1 Jun 2009

Taiwan aims to boost fertility rates

Targeting the issue of low birth rates, the Taiwanese government implemented the Mega Warmth Social Welfare Program (MWSWP) in 2006 after its fertility rates dipped lower than most industrial nations.

1 Jun 2009

Texas Senate passes CHIP expansion bill, avoiding legislative backlog, deadlines

The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that would boost enrollment in the state's version of CHIP, the Houston Chronicle reports.

31 May 2009

Low birth weight linked to psychosis-like symptoms

Low birth weight babies are at greater risk of developing psychosis-like symptoms as they grow up, research suggests. The study, published in the June issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, shows a link between children's size at birth and their mental health at the age of 12.

28 May 2009

Exposure to interparental violence increases likelihood of mental health problems in later life

People with parents who were violent to each other are more likely to have mental health problems when they grow up, reveals research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

27 May 2009

Few food adverts during children's TV are likely to be banned under new regulations

Advertisements shown during children's television before new restrictive regulations were introduced were not any more focused on unhealthy food than adverts shown at other times, according to research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

27 May 2009