Saturday, August 31, 2013

Irregular Bedtimes Impair Children's Cognitive Development

Irregular Bedtimes Impair Children's Cognitive Development: Irregular bedtimes throughout early childhood may impair children's cognitive development and have deleterious long-term knock-on health effects throughout life, new research shows.

A large longitudinal study conducted by investigators at University College London in the United Kingdom showed that irregular bedtimes in toddlers were associated with lower cognitive test scores at age 7 years, with girls particularly affected.

Health News - Nutrition During First 1,000 Days of Life Crucial for Childhood and Economic Development

Health News - Nutrition During First 1,000 Days of Life Crucial for Childhood and Economic Development: A new Lancet series on maternal and childhood nutrition finds that over 3 million children die every year of malnutrition—accounting for nearly half of all child deaths under 5. Along with state-of-the-art global estimates on the long-term burden of malnutrition, the series presents a new framework for prevention and treatment that considers underlying factors, such as food security, social conditions, resources, and governance.

Cut the Coffee: Drink Could Cause Early Death

Cut the Coffee: Drink Could Cause Early Death: Too much coffee might give you the jitters, gas or even help cure your hang over. Or it might help wake you up. Or you might just genuinely like the tary taste of a nice dark roast. However, a recent study suggests that too much coffee may also be detrimental to your health.

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Statistics show that coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the United States, with workers running to Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts to consume more than 400 cups of Joe a day.

The How-to Parenting Program improves the mental health of children

The How-to Parenting Program improves the mental health of children: "Did you know that certain ways of talking to your child are more effective? Certain ways of listening make a real difference?" These questions are asked to parents in the How-to Parenting Program. The program is consistent with the findings of recent scientific research in developmental psychology and is designed to help parents know how to react to the painful feelings of their children, cultivate a climate of respect in their homes, facilitate cooperation in their children, firmly express disagreement when necessary, and promote the development of a positive and realistic image in their children.

Depression affects men just as much as women

Depression affects men just as much as women: Around the world, women are typically diagnosed with depression twice as often as men. But a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry looks at these disparities in a new way by considering alternative symptoms of depression typically attributed to men.

The researchers, led by Lisa A. Martin, Ph.D., analyzed data from a national mental health survey of 3,310 women and 2,382 men while also looking for alternative symptoms. They wanted to observe whether the sex differences in depression rates would disappear when these alternative symptoms were considered alongside more conventional ones.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Drinking Soda Linked to Behavioral Problems in Kids | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine

Drinking Soda Linked to Behavioral Problems in Kids | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine: Researchers found that aggression, withdrawal and attention problems were all associated with soda consumption. Children who drank four or more soft drinks per day were more than twice as likely to destroy things, get into fights and physically attack people. They also had more trouble paying attention and acted withdrawn more often.

Religion enhances mobility toward American dream, LDS Church says | Deseret News

Religion enhances mobility toward American dream, LDS Church says | Deseret News: The Newsroom posting refers to Fareed Zakaria's Washington Post column about declining social mobility in America, which is detailed in a new study by economists at Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley. The study confirms recent analysis that many European countries are doing a better job of helping poor people climb out of poverty to economic success.

Monday, August 26, 2013

State of parenting has been in steady decline since the 'Good Old Days' - The Herald Dispatch

State of parenting has been in steady decline since the 'Good Old Days' - The Herald Dispatch: Sometimes, the so-called "good old days" really were better. For example, if the data is correct, then the state of parenting in America has been in slow but steady decline since the 1960s. Child mental health and school achievement were much better back then, when the go-to parenting experts were grandparents.

Family meals crucial to children's development (From Gazette Series)

Family meals crucial to children's development (From Gazette Series): Eating meals as a family is about more than practicality, it's about helping your child's development.

A family sitting round a table eating dinner may seem like a fairly standard scene, but sadly, it's one in decline.

According to new research, by TradeFurnitureCompany, 46% of families no longer share an evening meal together every day, and a quarter of children (26%) don't have daily mealtime chats.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

How to stop bed-wetting for good | Fox News

How to stop bed-wetting for good | Fox News: Got a bed wetter? Sure, it can be frustrating for you and embarrassing for your kid, but it’s actually a common problem with approximately 5 to 7 million children in the U.S who wet the bed at night.

Find out what causes bed-wetting and what you can do to help your child finally stay dry.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Nutritious snacks help keep kids healthy and alert

Nutritious snacks help keep kids healthy and alert: active children require extra calories to fuel their brains, energy and growth. The key is eating the right snacks in the right amount. Give kids smart choices, not carte blanche.

As children go back to school, parents can help them focus on healthy snacking for a healthy body and alert mind.

Adults who were born prematurely may have a higher risk of developing heart problems later on in life, a small new study suggests.


Despite most premature babies growing like any other baby born at full term, the study suggests that there may be underlying health concerns that premature babies face as they grow up. In this new study, published in the journal Circulation, researchers reported that people who were born prematurely are at a greater risk of suffering from heart failure.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Marital conflict causes stress in children, may affect cognitive development

Marital conflict causes stress in children, may affect cognitive development: Marital conflict is a significant source of environmental stress for children, and witnessing such conflict may harm children's stress response systems which, in turn, may affect their mental and intellectual development.






These conclusions come from a new study by researchers at Auburn University and the Catholic University of America. The study appears in the journal Child Development.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Breastfed children are less likely to develop ADHD later in life, study suggests

Breastfed children are less likely to develop ADHD later in life, study suggests: Seeking to determine if the development of ADHD was associated with lower rates of breastfeeding, Dr. Aviva Mimouni-Bloch, of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Head of the Child Neurodevelopmental Center in Loewenstein Hospital, and her fellow researchers completed a retrospective study on the breastfeeding habits of parents of three groups of children: a group that had been diagnosed with ADHD; siblings of those diagnosed with ADHD; and a control group of children without ADHD and lacking any genetic ties to the disorder.

Full Moon 'disturbs a good night's sleep'

BBC News - Full Moon 'disturbs a good night's sleep': Researchers found evidence of a "lunar influence" in a study of 33 volunteers sleeping in tightly controlled laboratory conditions.
When the Moon was round, the volunteers took longer to nod off and had poorer quality sleep, despite being shut in a darkened room, Current Biology reports.
They also had a dip in levels of a hormone called melatonin that is linked to natural-body clock cycles.

Smoking during pregnancy linked to child conduct disorder

Smoking during pregnancy linked to child conduct disorder: Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have children with conduct disorder (CD), according to a study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Leicester in the UK, analyzed the relationship between smoking during pregnancy and the risk of the child developing CD.

3 nutrients linked with a better night's sleep | Fox News

3 nutrients linked with a better night's sleep | Fox News: There could be many reasons for not sleeping well, and stress often plays a role, but quite a few studies have shown that getting the right nutrients can help you get a good night's rest. Why not try eating right, before popping an Ambien?

How adequate nutrition boosts mother, baby development

How adequate nutrition boosts mother, baby development: In fact poor maternal nutrition has been linked to the rising cases of non communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, stroke, heart and kidney failures, mental disorders, violence, and suicidal tendencies in offspring.

New Model Addresses Childhood Obesity - Forbes

New Model Addresses Childhood Obesity - Forbes: Hall’s model is based on the “energy balance principle”, which states that weight fluctuations are the result of a difference between calories consumed and energy expended. It accounts for the metabolic changes which occur when body weight fluctuates and also differentiates between the energy needs of lean muscle mass and fat or adipose tissue. The model additionally accounts for sex-specific differences in growth rates and metabolism. To account for normal growth-related energy requirements between the ages of 5 and 18 years, Hall and colleagues assumed a gradual increase of about 1200 kcal/day for boys and 900 kcal/day for girls. When tested against actual population data, the authors determined that the model accurately reflected cross-sectional data from 292 healthy white children, as well as data from Hispanic and African American children.

Sensitive parenting can boost premature children's school performance

Sensitive parenting can boost premature children's school performance: Children born prematurely are at risk of a variety of neurological impairments which can mean they are more likely to need special educational support when they reach school age.

But a new study led by the University of Warwick shows that parents of very preterm and very low birthweight (VP/VLBW) children can increase their child's academic achievement through sensitive and cognitively stimulating parenting.

Wholehearted parenting: Raising kids with courage and resiliency | MSU Extension

Wholehearted parenting: Raising kids with courage and resiliency | MSU Extension: As anyone who serves in a parenting role knows, parenting is hard work! Parenting requires dozens of day-to-day choices and decisions from birth through adolescence – and even into the role of being a parent with adult children. Many of us find ourselves in need of support, guidance or just a non-judgmental listening ear at times as we navigate the important role we play in the lives of children. What parents don’t need are books and educational efforts that try to blame, shame and guilt-trip them into being “perfect” parents. These well-intentioned but often shame-based approaches can be very destructive to parents doing their best to raise children in a world with increasing risks and demands on families, according to researcher and educator, Brené Brown, Ph.D., “Caring about the welfare of children and shaming parents are mutually exclusive endeavors.”

Are mobile phones and tablets ruining your child's development? - Health - DNA

Are mobile phones and tablets ruining your child's development? - Health - DNA: When the internet was introduced to the public around 10 years ago, it was considered a way that the world will come closer – opening multiple opportunities for people to learn, form relationships and in general create a better connected, more informed world. Though the internet still retains its good qualities, with the increasing use of gadgets in children’s lives in addition to no controls on internet usage, the net is becoming the root cause of a lot of behavioural, emotional and psychological problems in children. It has become a vehicle which allows children to download age-inappropriate games, spend a lot of time on social networking sites, even allows them access to pornography and this led them to forgoing spending on things like school work or playing outdoors.

Great Recession onset spurs harsh parenting

Great Recession onset spurs harsh parenting: The onset of the Great Recession and, more generally, deteriorating economic conditions lead mothers to engage in harsh parenting, such as hitting or shouting at children, a team of researchers has found. But the effect is only found in mothers who carry a gene variation that makes them more likely to react to their environment.

Nutritious snacks help keep kids healthy and alert

Nutritious snacks help keep kids healthy and alert: A childhood ritual — snacking — is getting a bad rap.

Sure, bags of chips and microwavable globs of processed cheese share the blame for the nation’s childhood-obesity epidemic. A 2010 National Survey on Children’s Health reported that nearly 32 percent of America’s kids are overweight or obese.

But not all snacks are bad, and active children require extra calories to fuel their brains, energy and growth. The key is eating the right snacks in the right amount. Give kids smart choices, not carte blanche.

Mom's Self Image May Affect Child's Brain Development : Mental Health : Counsel & Heal

Mom's Self Image May Affect Child's Brain Development : Mental Health : Counsel & Heal: Previous studies have tied objective socioeconomic factors like parental income or education to child health, achievement and brain function. However, the latest study is the first to link brain function to maternal self-perception.

Researchers found that children of mothers who saw themselves as having a low social status were more likely to have higher cortisol levels. These children also had less activation of their hippocampus, a structure in the brain responsible for longer-term memory formation and reducing stress responses.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Meaning Is Healthier Than Happiness - Emily Esfahani Smith - The Atlantic

Meaning Is Healthier Than Happiness - Emily Esfahani Smith - The Atlantic: It seems strange that there would be a difference at all. But the researchers, who looked at a large sample of people over a month-long period, found that happiness is associated with selfish “taking” behavior and that having a sense of meaning in life is associated with selfless “giving” behavior.

"Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desire are easily satisfied, and difficult or taxing entanglements are avoided," the authors of the study wrote. "If anything, pure happiness is linked to not helping others in need.” While being happy is about feeling good, meaning is derived from contributing to others or to society in a bigger way. As Roy Baumeister, one of the researchers, told me, "Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily make us happy.”

Educational Apps May Actually Hurt Your Child's Development

Educational Apps May Actually Hurt Your Child's Development: The group alleges that despite some of the skills that some of these apps and programs claim to provide children, youths who spend too much time with these apps may suffer “detrimental” harm. While the benefits may be unproven, young children who are using these apps may not be developing by spending time with adults and having hands-on time with toys that promote infant learning.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Camping may help retrain your body rhythm | Fox News

Camping may help retrain your body rhythm | Fox News: Research has shown that our bodies are most in synch with the environment when we’re exposed to a lot of natural light during the day and not exposed to artificial light at night. The daylight keeps our circadian rhythm “entrained” to the sun’s rhythms. When the sun sets, it then triggers the release of melatonin, which makes us sleepy. But since we spend most of our days indoors, we’re not getting enough sun exposure to adequately entrain our circadian rhythm. We bask in electric lights and the glow of the TV and our bright devices at night, which delay the release of melatonin.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Video games boost visual attention but reduce impulse control

Video games boost visual attention but reduce impulse control: A person playing a first-person shooter video game like Halo or Unreal Tournament must make decisions quickly. That fast-paced decision-making, it turns out, boosts the player's visual skills but comes at a cost, according to new research: reducing the person's ability to inhibit impulsive behavior. This reduction in what is called "proactive executive control" appears to be yet another way that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior.

Maternal 'junk food diet' may alter baby's brain development

Maternal 'junk food diet' may alter baby's brain development: Eating a junk-food filled diet during pregnancy may affect the development of brain pathways in developing babies, permanently altering responses to foods that are high in fat and sugar, say researchers

Playing with smartphones hinder toddler's brain development

Playing with smartphones hinder toddler's brain development: Using smartphones as a learning tool for kids can impede early development in areas that would impact the child for the rest of their lives, experts have claimed.

It has been revealed that about 25 percent of kids 2 years old and younger have their own smartphones, CBS News reported.

According to the experts, using this type of technology is same as putting a child in front of a television, where kids don't learn but are just get distracted.