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Almost two-thirds of California children have dental disease

A study released today by the Dental Health Foundation found that by third grade, almost two-thirds of California children have dental disease, making it the most prevalent children's health problem in the state.

7 Feb 2006

Poverty early in life may set into motion a consistent pattern of antisocial behaviours

Children in low-income families start off with higher levels of antisocial behaviour than children from more advantaged households. And if the home remains poor as the children grow up, antisocial behaviour becomes much worse over time compared to children living in households that are never poor or later move out of poverty, says new University of Alberta research.

7 Feb 2006

Babies fully breastfed for six months less likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses

Babies fully breastfed for six months are less likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses in their first two years than babies fully breastfed for only four months, according to research conducted by investigators at UC Davis Children's Hospital, the University of Rochester and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Center for Child Health Research.

7 Feb 2006

Teens' healthy food choices foiled by early lunch

Penn State researchers have identified three previously unreported factors that foil the efforts of high school students to make healthy food choices - early lunch, school income from soft drink incentives, and parents who bring fast food to the cafeteria for their kids.

7 Feb 2006

Fluoride varnish prevents tooth decay in young children

Fluoride varnish, a dental preventive treatment, reduces the incidence of early childhood tooth decay in combination with dental health counseling for parents, according to a study by investigators at the UCSF School of Dentistry.

7 Feb 2006

Children who spend more time watching television spend less time interacting with their family and playing creatively

By studying children's activities over 24-hour periods, Dr. Elizabeth Vandewater and her colleagues provide evidence for the first time that supports the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) television viewing recommendations.

7 Feb 2006

Stress related to having asthma might contribute to child behavioral problems

City children with asthma are more likely to have problems with behavior than children without the chronic respiratory problems, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study in this month's Pediatrics.

7 Feb 2006

Children's asthma highlights need for the State Children's Health Insurance Program

Not surprisingly -- but definitely significantly -- children with asthma had fewer asthma-related attacks and medical visits after enrolling in the state children's health insurance program (SCHIP), according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study in Pediatrics this month.

7 Feb 2006

Scientists more likely to have autistic children

According to an expert in the UK, highly analytical couples such as scientists, engineers, physicists and mathematicians, are more likely to produce children with autism.

31 Jan 2006

8 million children born every year with serious birth defects

According to a new report, every year an estimated 8 million children are born with a serious birth defect of genetic or partially genetic origin.

31 Jan 2006

Children with headaches have problems sleeping

According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic children who have frequent headaches often also have sleep problems.

30 Jan 2006

African-American girls have a better chance of survival as premature babies

Extremely premature baby girls, especially those who are African American, are much more likely to survive than extremely premature white boys, according to research published in the January issue of Pediatrics.

26 Jan 2006

Phonics teaching: a child's passport to literacy

Systematic phonics should feature in every child's reading instruction and it should be part of every literacy teacher's repertoire, according to a Government-funded review of research by academics at the Universities of York and Sheffield.

26 Jan 2006

Injection no better than a placebo at preventing influenza in children

U.S. health authorities should have waited for more evidence before recommending routine flu shots for healthy toddlers, according to a new systematic review of studies involving half a million children worldwide.

25 Jan 2006

Booster seat use increased more by carrot than stick

Booster seats significantly reduce the chance of a four to eight year old child sustaining serious injury in a car crash, but many children do not use them. Programs that aim to increase use by educating people, giving away free booster seats, or combining the two do increase use.

25 Jan 2006