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Sleep disordered breathing in children in a general population sample: prevalence and risk factors

A study in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are consistent, independent risk factors for all severity levels of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children, suggesting that as with adult SDB, metabolic factors are important risk factors for childhood SDB.

1 Jun 2009

When parents have anxiety disorders, children need help too

In what is believed to be the first U.S. study designed to prevent anxiety disorders in the children of anxious parents, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have found that a family-based program reduced symptoms and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder among these children.

1 Jun 2009

Taiwan aims to boost fertility rates

Targeting the issue of low birth rates, the Taiwanese government implemented the Mega Warmth Social Welfare Program (MWSWP) in 2006 after its fertility rates dipped lower than most industrial nations.

1 Jun 2009

Texas Senate passes CHIP expansion bill, avoiding legislative backlog, deadlines

The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that would boost enrollment in the state's version of CHIP, the Houston Chronicle reports.

31 May 2009

Low birth weight linked to psychosis-like symptoms

Low birth weight babies are at greater risk of developing psychosis-like symptoms as they grow up, research suggests. The study, published in the June issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, shows a link between children's size at birth and their mental health at the age of 12.

28 May 2009

Exposure to interparental violence increases likelihood of mental health problems in later life

People with parents who were violent to each other are more likely to have mental health problems when they grow up, reveals research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

27 May 2009

Few food adverts during children's TV are likely to be banned under new regulations

Advertisements shown during children's television before new restrictive regulations were introduced were not any more focused on unhealthy food than adverts shown at other times, according to research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

27 May 2009

Music played to premature babies may help to reduce their pain and improve feeding habits

Music played to premature babies may help to reduce their pain and encourage better oral feeding, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

27 May 2009

Research assesses the benefits of different ways of treating tooth decay in children

New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme will assess the benefits of different methods of managing tooth decay in children's teeth. Dental decay is one of the most common childhood diseases, with over 40 per cent of children in the UK already experiencing obvious decay in their primary (baby) teeth by five years of age, and this statistic has remained largely unchanged for the past 20 years.

27 May 2009

Strict maternal control over eating habits not linked to child weight gain

A new study published online in the journal Obesity provides further evidence that strict maternal control over eating habits - such as determining how much a child should eat and coaxing them to eat certain foods - during early childhood may not lead to significant future weight gain in boys or girls. Instead, this behavior may be a response to concerns over a child's increasing weight.

26 May 2009

Poor attention in kindergarten predicts lower high school test scores

As thousands of students nationwide prepare to leave high school, a UC Davis study appearing online today in the June issue of the medical journal Pediatrics shows a clear link between attention problems early in school - as early as kindergarten - and lower high school test scores.

26 May 2009

Private well water should be tested yearly to reduce health risks to children

Private well water should be tested yearly, and in some cases more often, according to new guidance offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

26 May 2009

Unvaccinated children 23 times more likely to get infected with whooping cough

Children of parents who refuse vaccines are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared to fully immunized children, according to a new study led by a vaccine research team at Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Institute for Health Research.

26 May 2009

New easier way to identify kids' high blood pressure

Pediatricians now have a new and simple way to diagnose a serious problem facing our nation's children - thanks to David Kaelber, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., MetroHealth System pediatrician, internist, and chief medical informatics officer and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher and faculty member. Nearly 75% of cases of hypertension and 90% of cases of prehypertension in children and adolescents go undiagnosed.

26 May 2009

Inositol protects against the development of neural tube defects

Women of childbearing age can reduce the risk of having a child born with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida by eating enough folate or folic acid. However, folate prevents only about 70 percent of these defects.

25 May 2009

Pedometers - a great way to tackle obesity in the young!

New research by Australian scientists has revealed that pedometers are as equally as effective in children as they are in adults in encouraging more physical activity.

24 May 2009

Life is tough for IVF twins early on

Australian researchers have found that twins conceived as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) do it tough, especially early in life.

22 May 2009

Parent’s trust in doctor is key for black asthmatic children

Children under 12 with persistent asthma need highly motivated parents if they are to get the benefits of regular steroid inhaler treatments and have fewer asthma attacks. That motivation starts with a good relationship between parent and doctor.

22 May 2009

Iowa Gov. signs bill that extends health insurance coverage to more children

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) on Tuesday signed into law a health care bill (SF 389) that among other provisions increases income eligibility for Hawk-I, the state's CHIP program, from 250% to 300% of the federal poverty level, the Des Moines Register reports.

22 May 2009

New insights into mental health problems in Pakistan

This exploratory study highlights the importance of socio-economic determinants of child mental health problems and points out the necessity of planning and establishing service networks to meet children's mental health needs in Pakistan.

21 May 2009