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The power of McDonald's over tiny tots food preferences

A study with pre-school children has revealed just how potent and effective the power of advertising is.

7 Aug 2007

Fast-food branding influences kids' choices

Preschool children preferred the taste of foods and drinks in McDonald's packaging to the same foods and drinks in unbranded packaging, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

7 Aug 2007

Early-childhood intervention improves well-being through young adulthood

Minority preschoolers from low-income families who participated in a comprehensive school-based intervention fared better educationally, socially and economically as they moved into young adulthood, according to a report by University of Minnesota professors Arthur Reynolds and Judy Temple.

7 Aug 2007

Even young children are swayed by brand preferences

Asked to sample two identical foods from the fast-food giant McDonald's, children preferred the taste of the version branded with the restaurant's familiar "Golden Arches" to one extracted from unmarked paper packaging, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

7 Aug 2007

Inhaled nitric oxide safe for very premature infants

A nationwide study led by researchers at UCSF provides evidence that inhaled nitric oxide is safe and effective for the prevention of the most common type of long-term lung disease of very premature infants.

7 Aug 2007

Promoting child safety with computers

Computer technology that provides parents with customized safety information can be an effective way to help their children avoid injury, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

6 Aug 2007

Intuitive mind-reading in infants

One of the unique characteristics of humans that distinguish us from the animal kingdom is the ability to represent others, beliefs in our own minds.

6 Aug 2007

Living with food allergies

Mealtime should be an enjoyable experience. Yet, for 12 million children with food allergies, eating a meal can be a frightening activity.

6 Aug 2007

7-step guide to understanding tonsils and strep

Fifteen-year-old Kaci Jawegg's family knew the signs and symptoms all too well: It would start with itchy ears, followed by a sore and scratchy throat.

6 Aug 2007

Medications frequently used to treat children with sleep difficulties

WESTCHESTER, Ill. -- Physicians frequently prescribe medications for sleep difficulties in children in U.S. outpatient settings, according to a study published in the August 1st issue of the journal SLEEP.

2 Aug 2007

Breastfeeding from day one could save 1.3 million lives a year

A newly released study has shown that breastfeeding babies from day one reduces the risk of neonatal deaths.

1 Aug 2007

Child abuse and neglect increases when army parents deployed

Confirmed incidents of child abuse and neglect among Army families increase significantly when a parent is deployed to a combat zone, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.

1 Aug 2007

Test scores were stronger before 'No Child Left Behind' was approved in 2002

As Congress reviews federal efforts to boost student performance, new research published in Educational Researcher (ER) reports that progress in raising test scores was stronger before No Child Left Behind was approved in 2002, compared with the four years following enactment of the law.

1 Aug 2007

Displaced adolescent girls benefit from group therapy

Group interpersonal psychotherapy is effective in reducing depressive symptoms among adolescent girls affected by war and displacement, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. However, the same treatment was not as effective in boys.

31 Jul 2007

ADHD drug given to toddlers

Reports in the UK suggest that almost 400,000 youngsters aged between 5 and 19 are being treated with Ritalin and similar drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, regardless of fears about the drugs' serious side-effects such as cardiovascular disorders, hallucinations and even suicidal thoughts.

30 Jul 2007

New WHO report on environmental hazards and child health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says millions of children die each year because of environmental hazards and one in five children in the poorest parts of the world will not reach their sixth birthday, mainly because of environment-related diseases.

30 Jul 2007