Xbox or Wii: Which is Better for Sedentary Kids?
Playing video games isn’t exactly demanding on the body, but some newer versions may get children moving enough to keep them healthy. (via Time)
Pregnancy Generates Maternal Immune-Suppressive Cells That Protect the Fetus
A new study suggests it may be possible to develop vaccines to prevent premature birth and other pregnancy complications. (via ScienceDaily)
Black Youths Exposed to More Alcohol Advertising, Study Finds
New research suggests that African Americans ages 12 to 20 see far more alcohol ads on television and in magazines than youths in general. (via FairWarning)
Voluntary Recall Expanded Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination
Sunland, Inc. has expanded its voluntary recall to include all of the products manufactured at its peanut butter and nut manufacturing plant in New Mexico. (via CNN)
Social Aggression Plagues Most Kids’ Shows
Children between the ages of 2 and 11 are viewing social aggression on television at rates far greater than what parents may realize, new research indicates. (via ABC News)
For the past few years, it seems like all the major networks have been playing with the wacky-family formula to try to find the right mix for the next Modern Family. A dash of parental dysfunction here; a splash of kid snark there. This season, the main ingredient seems to be single moms. There’s at least one new series with a single-mom character in the lead on most channels this fall. Check out a few of the shows:
Study: Breast-Feeding Keeps Women Thinner, Even Decades Later
While breast-feeding is touted partly as a way to help new mothers lose weight, it may help keep their weight down even decades later, a new study from England suggests. (via MSNBC)
Strength Training Key in Preventing Alzheimer’s
Studies presented at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference found that resistance training was particularly beneficial for improving the cognitive abilities of older adults. (via CNN)
Adopt These Three Habits to Lose Weight
Three habits are key to weight loss and sustained weight control, a new study finds. Women in the study who were most successful at losing weight kept track of their food intake in a journal, didn’t skip meals and avoided eating out, especially for lunch. (via MSNBC)
Questionnaire Completed by Parents May Help Identify One-Year-Olds at Risk for Autism
A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers found that 31 percent of children identified as at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at 12 months received a confirmed diagnosis of ASD by age 3 years. (via CNN)
Study: More TV Linked to Larger Waists and Weaker Legs for Kids
The more television a child watches, even in the first years of life, the more likely he or she is to be thicker around the middle and less muscularly fit, according to a new study. (via ABC News)
Record Year for Whooping Cough; Health Experts Say “Get the Shot”
The U.S. is on course for a record year for whooping cough, health officials said this week. And while vaccinating kids is clearly the most important defense, health experts say adults may not realize they’re supposed to be getting regular shots, too. (via MSNBC)
Math Makes Girls More Anxious Than Boys
A new English study has found that girls suffer from mathematics anxiety more than boys, confirming some previous research. The analysis also found that high math anxiety was a stronger predictor of poor test performance for girls than boys. (via Live Science)
HPV Vaccine Benefits Even Women Who Don’t Get the Shots
The human papillomavirus vaccine provides a benefit to women even if they are not vaccinated, via a phenomenon known as herd immunity, a new study suggests. Among the women in the study, there was a decrease in the percentage who were infected with the four HPV strains included in the vaccine (HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18) in the years after the vaccine was introduced, compared with earlier years. (via MSNBC)
Facebook Use Leads to Depression? No, Says Study
A study of university students is the first evidence to refute the supposed link between depression and the amount of time spent on Facebook and other social-media sites. (via Science Daily)
Sit Less Than 3 Hours a Day, Add 2 Years to Your Life, Study Says
Reducing the daily average time that people spend sitting to less than three hours would increase the U.S. life expectancy by two years, the study found. And reducing the time spent watching TV to less than 2 hours daily would increase life expectancy by 1.4 years. (via MSNBC)
Using Brain Activity Patterns to Identify Autism in Kids as Young as 2
In a large new study, researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital used EEG to identify specific patterns of brain activity that can distinguish children with autism. (via TIME)
‘Big Brother’? No, It’s Parents
An array of surveillance software now exists to let parents keep tabs on their children’s activities online, raising questions about appropriate parenting. (via NY Times)
Parents—Not TV—May Determine Whether Kids Are Active or Couch Potatoes
Researchers at Oregon State University have examined how parenting style—whether a strict but loving parent or a less-involved and more permissive parent—was associated with sedentary behavior, and have confirmed that children are becoming increasingly sedentary. (via Science Daily)
Swallowed Magnets Growing Problem for Kids, Docs Warn
In a new study, researchers at a U.K. hospital report two cases of children who required surgery after ingesting multiple magnets, and experts say parents should be aware of the risks. (via Fox News)
Midwife Mania—More U.S. Babies Than Ever Are Delivered by Midwives
A recent report showed that a greater proportion of women are choosing to rely on midwives in what experts think is a direct reaction to rising rates of C-section births. (via TIME)
Court Bars Mandatory Life Without Parole for Kids
he Supreme Court on Monday threw out mandatory life in prison without parole for juveniles. The ruling continued its trend of holding that children cannot be automatically punished the same way as criminal adults without considering their age and other factors. (via AP)
Paternity Blood Tests That Work Early in a Pregnancy
Now blood tests are becoming available that can determine paternity as early as the eighth or ninth week of pregnancy, without an invasive procedure that could cause a miscarriage. The testing requires a blood sample from at least one of the possible fathers. (via NY Times)
Chemicals in Baby Shampoos Lead to False Marijuana Positives
Commonly used baby soaps and shampoos, including products from Johnson & Johnson, Aveeno and CVS, can trigger a positive result on newborns’ marijuana screening tests, according to a recent study. Just 0.1 milliliters or less of the cleansing products were found to cause a positive result. (via TIME)
Health Groups Criticize Allergy Drug Promotion
Public health advocates on Wednesday accused the drug company Merck of improperly marketing an over-the-counter allergy medicine directly to children using animated characters from the movie “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.” (via NY Times)
Dogs Can Help Prevent Childhood Asthma
The microbes living on your pet dog may help to strengthen your immune system and prevent childhood asthma, according to a new study. (via msnbc.com)
Watching Violence Makes for Angry Kids, Study Shows
Children exposed to violence in video games and on TV display similar reactions to those who witness war and acts of violence in real life, according to an Australian study. (via Fox News)
Cutting Compulsion Affects Kids as Young as 7, Study Finds
A sobering new study of 665 kids between the ages of 7 and 16, found that a full 9 percent of girls and almost 7 percent of boys surveyed have engaged in self-injurious behaviors such as cutting, banging their heads or hitting themselves.
Stepfather Beating Boy in Video Facing Charges
A video showing a man whipping his stepson with a belt has gone viral, resulting in felony child abuse charges. The video was shot by an outraged neighbor who also confronted the man.
More U.S. Teens Diagnosed With Kidney Stones
The research, which followed Minnesota children from 1984 to 2008, found that the rate of kidney stones climbed six percent each year among teenagers.
Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill
At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students to abuse stimulants.
TV Content Ratings System Set to Expand to Web
The black labels that tell families what to expect from network television shows will start to appear on the Internet streams of those shows, too.
In Choosing a Sperm Donor, a Roll of the Genetic Dice
In households across the country, children conceived with donated sperm are struggling with serious genetic conditions inherited from men they have never met.
Birth-Defect Risk Seen in Assisted Conception
An Australian survey of about 300,000 pregnancies, with more than 6,000 resulting from fertility treatments, found that treatment was associated with a 28 percent greater risk for birth defects.
Watching TV Linked to Poor Diet in Students
A national survey of more than 12,000 students in grades 5 to 10 has found that television viewing is associated not only with unhealthy snacking while watching, but also with unhealthy eating at all times.
First Lady Has Plan to Get Kids Involved in Sports
The first lady is partnering with the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Partnership for a Healthier America, U.S. Paralympics and numerous national governing bodies that have pledged their time and resources toward introducing young people to their sports over the course of the summer.
