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12% of children at risk of undetected/unreported adverse drug reactions

More than 1 in 10 (12%) children are at risk of undetected/unreported adverse drug reactions (ADRs) according to new research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference.

28 Sep 2004

Eating too much in childhood predicts development of bulimia nervosa in adulthood

154 sister pairs were compared. Mothers were sent questionnaires to report on their daughters' childhood feeding experiences. Lifetime diagnosis of eating disorder was obtained with a semi-structured interview.

27 Sep 2004

Grandparents play a key role in the lives of a large proportion of British children

Information was collected from 8752 families in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) on grandparent involvement when children were aged eight, 15 and 24 months.

27 Sep 2004

High calcium intake and vigorous exercise is the key to optimal increases in bone density

Prepubescence is a critical time for building bone mass in children. Strong bones are important for obvious reasons in growth and development. It is widely accepted that calcium intake and physical activity are two ways one can positively impact bone density.

27 Sep 2004

Economic costs of child abuse in Canada tops $15 billion

“Our goal with this research is to contribute to the reduction of child abuse in Canadian society, by increasing the awareness of how the costs and consequences of child abuse affect all Canadians,” says Katherine McKenna, professor in Western’s Centre for Women's Studies and Feminist Research.

26 Sep 2004

CDC reports that too few young children are protected against influenza

A report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that only 4.4 percent of the nation’s children aged 6 to 23 months were fully vaccinated against influenza during the 2002-03 influenza season, the first season CDC encouraged influenza vaccination for healthy children.

26 Sep 2004

Auckland kids are five times more likely than those in other developed countries to need hospital admission for pneumonia

Pneumonia is a major problem in New Zealand. We believe a significant proportion of it is preventable. We want to know what the risk factors are so that we can find ways to reduce the number of children who get so sick they need hospital care

23 Sep 2004

One third of the children had been exposed to illegal drugs

Research, conducted by experts at the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow, involving a survey of 2,318 ten to twelve year olds in Glasgow and Newcastle, reveals a unique insight into the factors behind illegal drug use by preteen children

23 Sep 2004

Whooping cough at epidemic levels in New Zealand

The Ministry of Health's Dr Alison Roberts says "Numbers have been on the rise since June this year, but they really spiked up in August. We have been expecting an epidemic around now.

22 Sep 2004

Tiny babies may face development and behaviour problems

The long term difficulties facing Britain’s “miracle babies” are revealed by a new study following the lives of some of the tiniest infants born in this country.

22 Sep 2004

Abused or neglected children are more likely to develop heart disease as adults

The study is the first to suggest that ischemic heart disease in adulthood may be a possible long-term consequence of childhood trauma.

22 Sep 2004

Whooping cough at highest levels since 1997 in Western Australia

Western Australia is experiencing the highest level of whooping cough (pertussis) notifications since 1997, when more than 1200 cases were notified.

22 Sep 2004

Overweight children up to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke before age of 65

Overweight children are three to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke before they reach the age of 65 warns the World Heart Federation, an NGO dedicated to the prevention of heart disease and stroke, on World Heart Day, Sunday 26th September 2004.

20 Sep 2004

Increase in cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in Indiana

Pertussis is a contagious illness caused by bacteria. It occurs in infants and young children more often than older children and adults. Adults with milder, undiagnosed symptoms can transmit the disease to infants and children.

20 Sep 2004

Nicaraguan deaf children create a new sign language entirely their own

At a school in Managua, Nicaragua, deaf children are speaking a new language entirely their own, which nonetheless has remarkable similarities to the world's other languages. Researchers studying these similarities suggest this week in Science that, in fact, children give language its most fundamental, universal features just by the way they learn it.

18 Sep 2004

Adenotonsillectomy resolves child sleep disorders

Within the last ten years, the primary reason that children have had surgery to remove their tonsils and adenoids is not infection but obstructive sleep apnea.

18 Sep 2004

Hib infection on the rise in children despite vaccination programme

Cases of the Hib infection (haemophilus influenzae type b) among children and adults have risen in recent years, despite a vaccination programme which initially proved successful, say researchers in this week's BMJ.

17 Sep 2004

Two scoops of reading in the morning will improve children's literacy

Adjusting schedules to add reading time before or after breakfast will allow parents to make use of time when children are ready to learn rather than fall asleep, says Claudia McVicker, an assistant professor of elementary education in Ball State's Teachers College.

16 Sep 2004

Current methods of delivering health care to kids are woefully unable to cope with a pediatric disease pendulum

"There's a growing gap between where child health is moving and how we're attempting to deliver health care to kids," said pediatrician and health policy researcher Paul Wise, MD, MPH.

15 Sep 2004

Time spent in same-sex activities may advantage boys but disadvantage girls

Ten-year-olds' free time activities -- as well as whom they spend their free time with -- are linked to gender development, academic interests, school grades and self esteem at age 12, a Penn State study shows.

15 Sep 2004