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Report rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism

A pivotal report issued today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism. The findings, based on reviews of current scientific evidence, are a significant affirmation of vaccine safety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

19 May 2004

Exposure to nicotine may change adolescents' brains and behavior

The adolescent brain appears to be more responsive to nicotine’s rewarding effects than the adult brain, a UC Irvine Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) animal study has found.

15 May 2004

Faster growing babies are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke

Medical Research Council (MRC) and Institute of Child Health scientists say that babies who grow fast are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke in later life. Because breast-fed babies grow less rapidly than those fed formula milk, the work strongly reinforces the message that breast feeding is best.

14 May 2004

Twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980's

The number of people who are overweight or obese is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. There are nearly twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980.

14 May 2004

Breastfeeding decreases risk of heart disease later in life

A recent UK study of 216 teenagers, published in the Lancet, found that breastfeeding in infancy is likely to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in later life.

14 May 2004

1 in every 10 children worldwide is obese

In a comprehensive dossier revealing how the global obesity epidemic is affecting children, the International ObesityTaskForce says that one in 10 children is overweight, a total of 155 million. Around 30-45 million within that figure are classified as obese - accounting for 2-3% of the world’s children aged 5-17. A further 22 million younger children are also affected according to previous IOTF global estimates based on WHO data for under fives.

13 May 2004

Chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy

A new international study of children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) shows that certain chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy, but that other chromosome abnormalities have no effect on treatment survival.

13 May 2004

New research finds that boys really do have more reading difficulties than girls

New research from the University of Warwick finds that boys really do have more reading difficulties than girls. The study into reading disabilities, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, confirms that boys are much more prone to having trouble than girls, and it's not simply because they're more disruptive.

12 May 2004

Images of violence alter children's attitudes toward aggression

A Johns Hopkins team that included a trauma surgeon renowned for his treatment of gunshot victims has found that exposing at-risk children and teenagers to grizzly videos and photos of these patients' wounds can significantly change the youths' beliefs about the value and consequences of aggression.

12 May 2004

Childhood conduct problems may predict depression among young adults

Preadolescents who reported high levels of conduct problems were nearly four times as likely to have experienced an episode of depression in early adulthood than were children who reported low rates of conduct problems, according to a new University of Washington study.

12 May 2004

Kids will do better with their homework and grades if parents step back

What can parents do to help children doing poorly in school? Two new studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggest that supporting their children’s autonomy and refraining from being controlling will help kids do better on their homework and raise their grades.

12 May 2004

Government of Canada today announced the release of A Canada Fit for Children

The Government of Canada today announced the release of A Canada Fit for Children , its official response to the commitments made on May 10, 2002, at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children.

10 May 2004

Asthma program helps school children improve grades

Detroit public school children living with asthma may have fewer absences and improve their grades with the help of a new comprehensive asthma program.

10 May 2004

Underage drinking mayhem?

As the school year comes to an end across the United States, many teenagers will attend high school proms, celebrate high school or college graduations, and take trips to local beaches for senior week.

10 May 2004

Having an alcoholic stepfather increases risk of behavior problems in girls more than boys

Living with an alcoholic stepfather is associated with a significantly higher risk of behavior problems in girls than boys, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.

10 May 2004

African American children in Los Angeles County more likely to have asthma compared to whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders, or Latinos

African American children in Los Angeles County are more likely to have asthma (16%) compared to whites (9%), Asians/Pacific Islanders (9%), or Latinos (6%), according to a recent survey sponsored by the County's Department of Health Services (DHS).

10 May 2004

British parents ignore skin cancer warnings

Over a third of parents in Great Britain admit their child has been sunburnt, despite the majority knowing that over-exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer.

9 May 2004

Childhood asthma study reveals parental age anomaly

A study of children with asthma conducted by the University's Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and the Children's Hospital at Westmead has found that the age of the children's parents is a key factor in the early diagnosis of the disease.

8 May 2004

Antidepressant drugs prescription to children and adolescents increased 300% in the nineties

The rate at which antidepressant drugs are prescribed for the nation’s children and adolescents increased more than three fold between the early 1990s and 2001, according to a review of medical office survey data completed recently by researchers at Washington State University.

6 May 2004

Embryo testing could produce babies who might aid sick siblings

Parents with a child requiring stem cell transplantation can have genetic testing done on embryos prior to implantation to determine if the tissue type matches and the ensuing offspring could potentially serve as a donor to the affected child, according to a study in the May 5 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

5 May 2004