Child Health News and Research

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Early-life respiratory viral infections, atopic sensitization, and risk of subsequent development of persistent asthma

Protecting infants from viral infections may prevent the development of asthma late in childhood, according to new research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).

20 Apr 2007

Australian child health and air pollution study

This is the first nation-wide study of child health in relation to air quality to be conducted in Australia.

19 Apr 2007

Significant rise in childhood obesity

Four-year-old girls are six times more likely to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30 than they were 20 years ago and ten-year-olds are five times more likely, according to research published in the April issue of Acta Paediatrica.

17 Apr 2007

Study suggests there's a role for religious institutions to play in the fight against HIV

HIV-positive people who say religion is an important part of their lives are likely to have fewer sexual partners and engage in high-risk sexual behavior less frequently than other people with the virus that causes AIDS, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.

4 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

Research may explain some of the sex differences in academic and vocational careers

Children in early grades may like a subject in which they don?t feel very competent, or they may feel competent in a subject in spite of poor grades.

3 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

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy directly associated with having an overweight child

Pregnant women who gain excessive or even appropriate weight, according to current guidelines, are four times more likely than women who gain inadequate weight to have a baby who becomes overweight in early childhood.

2 Apr 2007

SCHIP program needs substantial work

When given health insurance through the state children's health insurance program (SCHIP), teens see their doctors more often, racial disparities are eliminated and more preventive care is received.

2 Apr 2007

Discovery of new cell involved with cancer

Scientists have discovered a new type of cell that appears to play a role in the development of cancer – a highly volatile, precancerous stem cell that can either remain benign or become malignant, depending upon environmental cues.

14 Mar 2007

Arsenic in drinking water can lead to miscarriages and sudden infant death

For the first time, researchers have been able to show that mothers who drink water containing arsenic run an increased risk of having a miscarriage or losing their child in its first year. This has been demonstrated by a research team from Sweden and Bangladesh in an article published last Saturday in the Net edition of American Journal of Epidemiology.

14 Mar 2007

Meeting of women Parliamentarians on maternal and newborn health and survival

Influential women from all over the globe have come together in London to urge the world to redouble efforts and boost investments to reduce the global burden of maternal and newborn death.

13 Mar 2007

Response to opinion piece saying global maternal health programs deserve more support

The New York Times on Sunday published several letters to the editor in response to a Feb. 25 Times column by Nicholas Kristof. According to Kristof, maternal health programs should receive support from the U.S. in part because the country knows how to lower maternal mortality and morbidity.

8 Mar 2007

Risks of being a second twin

A nine year study published on the British Medical Journal website concludes that being a second born twin confers a small increased risk of suffering fatal complications during birth.

4 Mar 2007

Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart

Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood vessels.

4 Mar 2007

Global maternal health programs deserve 'far more support' from U.S. government

Maternal health programs "deserve far more support" from the U.S. in part because the country knows "exactly what to do to bring down maternal mortality and morbidity," New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes in an opinion piece.

27 Feb 2007

Trial of Aspirin to aid conception

Researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Utah are beginning a clinical trial to test whether aspirin can improve a woman's chances of becoming pregnant and of maintaining a pregnancy to term.

26 Feb 2007

Teens spending more time in front of the computer and less time being physically active

As they grow older, teenagers are spending more time in front of the computer and television and less time participating in physical activities, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

19 Feb 2007

Horse genome sequence assembled

The first draft of the horse genome sequence has been deposited in public databases and is freely available for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe, leaders of the international Horse Genome Sequencing Project announced today.

7 Feb 2007

Garlic offers hope in cystic fibrosis infection

Garlic has been hailed a wonder drug for centuries and has been used to prevent gangrene, treat high blood pressure, ward off common colds and is even believed by some to have cancer-fighting properties.

31 Jan 2007