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Mums who eat apples decrease likelihood of kids having asthma

Eating apples while pregnant may give new meaning to an apple a day keeping the doctor away.

7 Apr 2007

Liposuction and tummy tucks are not the answer for obese kids

In light of recent media coverage on teenagers seeking surgical options to lose weight, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) cautions that liposuction and tummy tucks are inappropriate procedures for weight loss.

5 Apr 2007

Positive impact of parents as teachers

Today, new research was unveiled on the outcomes of Parents as Teachers participation on children's school readiness and how these effects are sustained through third grade.

5 Apr 2007

Weaker performance of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders do not perform as well on tests of social and communication development compared with siblings of children without developmental problems at ages as young as 12 months, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on autism spectrum disorders.

4 Apr 2007

Less children and teens taking antidepressants

The number of children and teenagers prescribed antidepressant medications appears to have decreased following public warnings about suicidal behavior potentially associated with the drugs, according to a report published in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Apr 2007

Year-old babies who don't respond to their names may be at risk for developmental disorders

Year-old babies who do not respond when their name is called may be more likely to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or other developmental problem at age 2, making this simple test a potential early indicator for such conditions, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on autism spectrum disorders.

4 Apr 2007

Number of children worldwide with hearing impairment is increasing

Although newborn babies in rich countries routinely have their hearing tested, the major global health agencies, such as the World Bank and Unicef, have not prioritized funding for newborn hearing tests in poor countries, writes Dr Bolajoko Olusanya (University of Lagos, Nigeria and University College London, UK) in PLoS Medicine.

4 Apr 2007

Child maltreatment declines in the U.S.

Several forms of child maltreatment decreased from 2004 to 2005, adding to more than a decade's worth of declines, according to University of New Hampshire researchers who analyzed the latest data released Monday from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

3 Apr 2007

Harvard presents to Motion Picture Association of America on depiction of smoking in movies

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) is releasing materials presented to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in a scientific briefing requested by the MPAA last February 23, 2007 in Hollywood on the health impact of youth smoking and the behavioral influence of films that depict tobacco use.

3 Apr 2007

Children who get frequent infections may have immunodeficiency

Children who get frequent infections, such as ear infections, sinusitis or pneumonia, may have a more severe condition called immunodeficiency, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

3 Apr 2007

Millions of children living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries need immediate access to treatment

There is an immediate need for the provision of antiretroviral therapy developed for children, including smaller pills and combination therapies, as well as enhanced medical training to provide care to HIV-positive children in developing countries, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement published on Monday in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

3 Apr 2007

Congress should expand SCHIP, says Baucus

Congress this year should reauthorize and expand SCHIP, which will expire on Sept. 30 without congressional action, because, when a "child gets sick, the main focus needs to be on getting them healthy, not on how to pay for it," Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) writes in a Billings Gazette opinion piece.

3 Apr 2007

Dingell introduces bill that would expand dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid, SCHIP

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) last week introduced a bill (HR 1781) that would help improve the delivery of dental services to low-income children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP, CQ HealthBeat reports.

3 Apr 2007

Infants understand other people's emotional states at a very young age

Little children never cease to amaze. University of Washington researchers have found that 18-month-old toddlers engage in what they call "emotional eavesdropping" by listening and watching emotional reactions directed by one adult to another and then using this emotional information to shape their own behavior.

3 Apr 2007

Self-regulation plays major role in early child achievement

Although intelligence is generally thought to play a key role in children's early academic achievement, aspects of children's self-regulation abilities, including the ability to alternately shift and focus attention and to inhibit impulsive responding--are uniquely related to early academic success and account for greater variation in early academic progress than do measures of intelligence.

3 Apr 2007

Chronic reading problems and depression appear to be related, especially among low-income children

A new study done by researchers at the University of Delaware and West Chester University of Pennsylvania found that low-income children who take part in reading assistance programs in fifth grade are more depressed, anxious, and withdrawn than their peers, especially when they have chronic reading problems.

3 Apr 2007

Policies aimed at increasing preschool teacher education alone are unlikely to improve quality or children's learning

Policymakers are increasingly requiring that public preschool teachers have at least a bachelor's degree, preferably in early childhood education.

3 Apr 2007

Quality of child care early in life can have a lasting impact later development

The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.

2 Apr 2007

Findings from long-term study of child care in the United States

The latest installment of a long-term study of child care in the United States has found that children who spent more time in center-based settings from birth through school entry have somewhat more problems with aggressive and disobedient behavior through sixth grade than children who spent less time in centers, regardless of the quality of care.

2 Apr 2007