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Leeds project aims to boost parents' confidence in MMR choices as measles rates rise

With several hundred thousand unvaccinated children across the UK, health protection experts are hoping that new research at the University of Leeds will give parents better information about the MMR vaccine and lead to an increase in immunisation.

27 Jul 2008

Breastfed babies get a taste for good food

Danish researchers say babies who are breastfed get a taste for fruit and vegetables from their mother's milk and are more likely to be healthy.

24 Jul 2008

Parliamentarian memo says SCHIP resolution filed too late to be given fast-track status

The Senate Finance Committee canceled a vote scheduled for Wednesday on a resolution to block Bush administration rules limiting the expansion of SCHIP, after being informed by the Senate parliamentarian that the deadline for "privileged" status of the resolution had passed, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 7/22).

24 Jul 2008

Link between small birth size and changes to the CV system that predispose to disease in later life

Researchers have found the first evidence that smaller size at birth is associated with specific alterations in the functioning of the heart and circulation in children and that these changes differ between boys and girls.

22 Jul 2008

Rep. Boustany introduces legislation that would require states to report on SCHIP enrollment, outreach efforts

Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) last week introduced a bill (HR 6506) that would require all states to submit annual reports on SCHIP enrollment, CQ HealthBeat reports.

22 Jul 2008

Penn partnership designed to eliminate childhood obesity wins prize

Students from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Pediatric Acute/Chronic and Oncology Nurse Practitioner program earned first place for their research poster at the 24th Annual Pediatric Nursing National Conference in Las Vegas.

21 Jul 2008

Early exposure to tobacco smoke causes asthma and allergy

Babies exposed to cigarette smoke before birth or during the first months afterwards run a greater risk of developing asthma and allergy. This according to a doctoral thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.

19 Jul 2008

Increased risk for disabilities after preterm birth

Premature birth is associated with various life-long problems. Still, many premature children seem to function very well as adults according to a new large and comprehensive study from Norway.

18 Jul 2008

Selective face processing abnormalities in parents of autistic children

Some parents of children with autism evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us - and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves, according to new research by psychiatrist Dr. Joe Piven of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs, Ph.D., of the California Institute of Technology.

17 Jul 2008

Zinc supplementation for childhood diarrhoea

Zinc supplementation benefits children suffering from diarrhoea in developing countries, but only in infants over six months old, Cochrane Researchers have found. Their study supports World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the treatment of diarrhoea with zinc, although not in the very young.

16 Jul 2008

Malaria prevention in schools reduces anaemia and improves educational potential in Kenyan school kids

Providing preventive treatment for malaria, given once per term, dramatically reduces rates of malaria infection and anaemia among schoolchildren, and significantly improves their cognitive ability, according to new research published in the Lancet.

16 Jul 2008

Children's physical activity drops from age 9 to 15

The activity level of a large group of American children dropped sharply between age 9 and age 15, when most failed to reach the daily recommended activity level, according to the latest findings from a long-term study by the National Institutes of Health.

15 Jul 2008

Closing coal-fired power plants directly improves cognitive development in children

Closing coal-fired power plants can have a direct, positive impact on children's cognitive development and health according to a study released by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

14 Jul 2008

Out-of-pocket health care costs for disabled children vary widely by state

The size of the financial burden on families with disabled children largely depends on which state they live in, according to a new study conducted by the schools of social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

14 Jul 2008

Allergy to road traffic

Allergic diseases appear more often in children who grow up near busy roads. This is the result of a study of several thousand children, now published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

14 Jul 2008

Only 11% of children's food products provide good nutritional quality

Nine out of ten regular food items aimed specifically at children have a poor nutritional content - because of high levels of sugar, fat or sodium - according to a detailed study of 367 products published in the July issue of the UK-based journal Obesity Reviews.

14 Jul 2008

Obesity ranks as top health concern for kids, poll finds

As children's waistlines continue to grow, so have concerns about childhood obesity. According to a report released today by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern for kids in 2008, topping smoking and drug abuse. In 2007, childhood obesity ranked third among parents' top 10 overall health concerns for kids.

14 Jul 2008

How are homeopathic products used in childhood?

Despite recent questions concerning the efficacy of homeopathic medicine, it continues to be one of the most popular forms of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in use today. Jackie Bishop of the Children of the 90s study looks at the use of homeopathic products in the early years of life.

13 Jul 2008

Study reveals potential reasons for truancy and school fear

A questionnaire of Swiss schoolchildren has revealed the extent of truancy and school fear. The research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, links truancy and school fear to life events, parental behaviour and school environment.

10 Jul 2008

Lipid Association responds to new cholesterol guidelines for kids

When the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued its recommendation on July 7 regarding the treatment of children with high cholesterol, it generated a strong response from the community of medical professionals and patients. The National Lipid Association (NLA), a group of healthcare professionals who specialize in cholesterol and heart disease issues, believes that the AAP has acted in the interests of patient care by raising the issue of lipid abnormalities in children.

10 Jul 2008