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Parents should be banned from smoking while driving with children

Parents should be banned from smoking while driving with children in their vehicle, the Australian Medical Association (WA) said yesterday.

16 Mar 2005

Baby talk helps learning

Adults may feel silly when they talk to babies, but those babies will learn to speak sooner if adults talk to them like infants instead of like other adults, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor Erik Thiessen published in the March issue of the journal Infancy.

15 Mar 2005

Weight status of children ages 8 to 15 predicts obesity and high blood pressure in adulthood

New research shows that children between 8 and 15 years old who are in the upper half of the normal weight range are more likely than their leaner peers to become obese or overweight as young adults.

14 Mar 2005

U.S. children undervaccinated

Approximately one-third of U.S. children were undervaccinated for more than six months and one-fourth experienced delays in receiving many of the recommended vaccinations during their first 24 months of life, according to a study in the current issue of JAMA.

9 Mar 2005

Todays kids good at media multi-tasking

The increasing amount of time using "new media" like computers, the Internet and video games spent by children and teenagers is not affecting the time they spend with "old" media like TV, print and music, according to a new study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

9 Mar 2005

Body image a worry - even when you're only 5!

Researchers at Adelaide's Flinders University have found that girls as young as six are already worrying about their weight and thinking about diets.

9 Mar 2005

Pediatric obesity is now recognized as a major medical and health problem all over the world

A consensus statement on childhood obesity was published today in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, one of the four journals of The Endocrine Society.

8 Mar 2005

American teenagers are in a calcium crisis

American teenagers are in a calcium crisis, the milk and milk products they need to help form healthy bone is often missing from their diet; about 15 percent of adult height is added at this time and half of all bone is formed March, National Nutrition Month®, the time when health professionals encourage all of us to look at what we eat and make informed food choices, is even more important for kids and teens who are still growing.

7 Mar 2005

Children should not operate motorbikes until they are old enough to obtain a driver's license

The use of motorbikes among children and adolescents is dangerous, on the rise and leading to a greater number of injuries, according to a new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study.

7 Mar 2005

3 million newborn babies' lives could be saved for less than $1 per child

3 million newborn babies' lives could be saved for less than $1 per child, with interventions such as tetanus immunization during pregnancy, exclusive breastfeeding, clean delivery and antibiotics to treat illness.

4 Mar 2005

Lancet neonatal survival series

Three million of the four million newborn babies who die worldwide each year could be saved by low-tech and low-cost interventions, concludes a landmark series of articles published online by The Lancet (Thursday March 3, 2005).

3 Mar 2005

Virtual reality games can help alleviate pain in children

Virtual reality games can help alleviate pain in children being treated for severe injuries, according to research published today in the Open Access, peer reviewed journal BMC Pediatrics.

2 Mar 2005

Children with imaginary companions are quicker to develop language skills

A post-graduate student from The University of Manchester’s School of Psychological Sciences is investigating the theory that children with imaginary companions are quicker to develop language skills and retain knowledge.

From The University of Manchester 28 Feb 2005

Several causes for concern regarding children's health in general practice in Britain

An editorial in this weeks BMJ highlights several causes for concern regarding children's health in general practice in Britain. Once greatly admired, the British model of general practice raises concern over the future of children's health.

27 Feb 2005

Proof that vaccinating children against influenza in the hope of reducing disease spread is inconclusive

Proof that vaccinating children aged 6 to 24 months against influenza in the hope of reducing disease spread is inconclusive. These conclusions are based on a small number of studies based on a large dataset of reasonable quality.

27 Feb 2005

Childhood obesity is a serious health problem in Australia

Professor Michael Booth, co-director of the University of Sydney's Centre for Overweight and Obesity, said teenagers were already showing signs of serious illness caused by their weight.

24 Feb 2005

More girls than boys experienced mental pressure

The latest findings echo a trend identified by policymakers, researchers and practitioners throughout the province which shows a growing number of young people developing mental health problems.

22 Feb 2005

Cesarean delivery is associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma hospitalization in premature infants

Cesarean delivery is associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma hospitalization in premature infants, but not in full-term infants, according to a report published in this month’s Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

22 Feb 2005

Good Behavior Game dramatically reduced aggressive behavior and helped children stay on task in the classroom

When Laura Bush visited an inner city Baltimore classroom earlier this month, she observed first-grade students playing a game that promotes good behavior as they worked on a reading assignment. The First lady’s words of praise for the “Good Behavior Game” shined the national spotlight on a classroom management technique little known outside academic circles.

21 Feb 2005

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables if they are exposed to tailored, practical messages about nutrition, a University of Wisconsin-Madison nutritional scientist announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C.

20 Feb 2005