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Pediatric chronic disease poses future health and welfare challenges

The increased incidence of chronic conditions among American children predicts serious strains on health care and social welfare systems in the future, caution investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

27 Jun 2007

Children with serious complex illness more likely than before to die at home than in the hospital

Children who die of a chronic illness are more likely to spend their final days at home compared to children who died two decades ago.

27 Jun 2007

Childhood cancer survivors at increased risk of severe health problems as adults

A substantial proportion of childhood cancer survivors experience serious health problems as young adults, particularly those who received radiation treatment, according to a study in the June 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on chronic diseases of children.

27 Jun 2007

Does playfulness in young children encourage creativity and confidence?

That was the key question posed by Anita Bundy; Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University's the Faculty of Health Sciences, when she and her colleagues carried out an activity study of children aged five to seven at a Sydney primary school.

26 Jun 2007

Fine particulate matter from traffic may influence birth weight

After the scientists had investigated the effects of the exposure of adults and children to particulate matter in the past, they are now first focussing on the risks to unborn life in this recent study.

26 Jun 2007

Vitamin D deficient rickets in infants

The message about preventing vitamin D deficient rickets in children is not getting through, warn senior doctors in this week's BMJ.

23 Jun 2007

Pulmonary function testing in children aged 2 to 6

The ATS and European Respiratory Society (ERS) published a new statement on pulmonary function testing in preschool children.

23 Jun 2007

New risk marker for overweight children

A study of 40 overweight children in Edmonton has revealed they all share something in common aside from being heavy: each one of them has high levels of apoB48, a structural protein found in intestinal cholesterol.

23 Jun 2007

Review of the routine monitoring of growth in children of primary school age to identify growth-related conditions

No sound evidence supports weight monitoring to identify and treat obese children, according to a review of worldwide research published this month in the United Kingdom.

23 Jun 2007

Minority segregated schools hinder reading skills

Children in families with low incomes, who attend schools where the minority population exceeds 75 percent of the student enrollment, under-perform in reading, even after accounting for the quality of the literacy instruction, literary experiences at home, gender, race and other variables, according to a new study.

23 Jun 2007

Research links childhood social skills and learning abilities

While federal programs such as No Child Left Behind emphasize the importance of academic skills to school success and achievement, there is growing interest in how social skills develop and how they contribute to learning.

23 Jun 2007

Requiring HPV vaccination for school-age girls for upcoming school year 'too soon,' researcher says

It is premature to require middle-school age girls to receive Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil for the upcoming school year, Doug Lowy -- head of the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Cellular Oncology and one of the scientists responsible for the development of the vaccine -- said on Wednesday, CQ HealthBeat reports (Bartolf, CQ HealthBeat, 6/20).

22 Jun 2007

Children as young as 11 use drugs to win at sport

According to French researchers athletes as young as eleven admit to using drugs to enhance their sporting performance.

21 Jun 2007

Many kids using performance enhancing drugs in sport

More than one per cent of eleven year olds admit using performance enhancing drugs to do better in sports reports a study published online ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

20 Jun 2007

Early drug use a predictor of violent and delinquent behavior

John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, has released a new Special Report showing that teens who use drugs are more likely to engage in violent and delinquent behavior and join gangs. Early use of marijuana -- the most commonly used drug among teens -- is a warning sign for later gang involvement.

20 Jun 2007

Child obesity epidemic

The obesity epidemic has become a major public health problem in both industrialized countries and the developing world.

20 Jun 2007

Children who have at least one parent who smokes have 5.5 times higher levels of cotinine

Having a mother that smokes was found to have the biggest independent effect on cotinine in the urine , quadrupling it. Having a smoking father doubled the amount of cotinine, one of chemicals produced when the body breaks down nicotine from inhaled smoke to get rid of it.

20 Jun 2007