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57% of children are not read to daily by a parent or family member

According to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, opportunities for parents to develop their young child’s language development and eventual reading success are being missed – 57% of children are not read to daily by a parent or family member.

6 Jun 2005

Indirect link between income and healthy eating

A new study of 266 African-American women in Detroit concludes that those who shop regularly in supermarkets eat more fruits and vegetables than those who shop in independent neighborhood markets.

2 Jun 2005

Long-lasting depression more common among blacks and Mexican American

While depression seems much more common among whites than blacks or Mexican Americans, the opposite is true when it comes to a milder mood disorder known as dysthemia.

26 May 2005

Mothers ability to mind read important in child's development

For a mother, being able to 'read' her baby's emotions or state of mind can be more important for the child's development than who she is and what she has, according to important new research sponsored by the ESRC.

26 May 2005

Heart disease and stroke burden every region of the world leading to increased inequalities in health

Heart disease and stroke are responsible for 17 million deaths each year, represent a major burden of disease in every region of the world and are contributing to an alarming increase in health inequalities, both within and between countries.

23 May 2005

Guyana Health Minister outlines progress at World Health Assembly

Guyana Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has outlined health progress being made in his country despite high levels of poverty and major floods that affected hundreds of thousands of people earlier this year.

23 May 2005

LeTourneau University engineering students aid disabled Kenyans

Senior engineering students from LeTourneau University are leaving for Kijabe, Kenya, to fit disabled Kenyan children with free prosthetics.

23 May 2005

Genetically modified rice will not eliminate hunger in China

Boosting food production with genetically modified (GM) rice is unlikely to eliminate hunger in China, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

19 May 2005

World Bank and IMF preventing transfer of foreign aid to HIV/AIDS programmes

Multilateral financial organisations that aim to reduce poverty are preventing foreign aid from reaching HIV/AIDS programs in developing countries, states an article in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

19 May 2005

Cardiovascular risk factors among homeless people are under-treated in Canada

The study, the first comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in a representative sample of homeless adults, also found that cardiovascular risks among the homeless may be underestimated due to commonly used risk assessment tools that do not account for cocaine use and the level of smoking exposure.

18 May 2005

Prescription drug affordability woes grow for Americans

More Americans—especially those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and depression-are going without prescription drugs because of cost concerns, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

18 May 2005

HIV/AIDS is the biggest killers in every South African province except the Western Cape

A new report by the Medical Research Council in South Africa has quantified the leading causes of death in each province for the first time, and has found that HIV and Aids are the biggest killers in every province except the Western Cape.

17 May 2005

The Gates Foundation approach to the world's health problems has its critics

A recent article in The Lancet criticized the premise that a Grand Challenge to scientific and technological know-how is the best route to combating malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases that kills millions of people each year.

16 May 2005

Black children are more than twice as likely to die from a traumatic injury as are white children

“Trauma has a far greater impact on minority children than it does on white children,” said Jonathan Groner, the study's lead author and a clinical associate professor of surgery at Ohio State University . “As a group, black children tend to have more serious injuries.”

15 May 2005

Health care resources distributed unevenly in Kansas

At least a third of the state of Kansas resembles an inner city when it comes to local availability of doctors, hospitals, medical personnel and nursing homes. Basically, there's not a lot of medical help to be had in either south Chicago, for example, or Sharon Springs, Kan.

8 May 2005

Obesity no longer the domain of the poor

The perception that poor people are more likely to be fat is rapidly being disputed as figures now indicate that obesity is growing at a much faster rate in those with the highest incomes.

2 May 2005

Health care inequalities in the UK no better under New Labour

Despite government rhetoric about its commitment to tackle the problem, health inequalities continue to widen in the UK, and under New Labour the promises made do not compare with reality.

1 May 2005

School nurses are having to treat pupils of 14 who are HIV positive

Nurses at the Royal College of Nursing conference in the UK, say that school nurses are having to deal with children as young as 14 who are HIV positive, involved in prostitution and addicted to drugs.

27 Apr 2005

Wide variation in access to HIV medications across states

Twenty-one State AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) report limiting access to their programs in some way, including 11 with waiting lists, despite an increase in the national ADAP budget, according to the ninth annual National ADAP Monitoring Project Report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State AIDS Directors (NASTAD).

23 Apr 2005

New research says global food demands threaten to outstrip world water supply

While many of today’s rivers, lakes and groundwater reservoirs continue to be overexploited, a new report launched today by leading scientists at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development warns that unless steps are taken to improve the way water is managed, twice the world’s current water consumption may be needed by 2050 to feed a global population of some 9 billion.

23 Apr 2005