Physical Activity And School Performance May Be Linked

On January 2, 2012, in Health | Fitness, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
children in class

A systematic review of previous studies suggests that there may be a positive relationship between physical activity and the academic performance of children, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study was undertook by Amika Singh, Ph.D., of the Vrije Universiteit University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues.

Maltreated Children Show Same Pattern Of Brain Activity As Combat Soldiers

On December 28, 2011, in Brain Imaging, Mental Health, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
MRI of the brain

Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, new research has shown. In the first functional MRI brain scan study to investigate the impact of physical abuse and domestic violence on children, scientists at UCL in collaboration with the Anna Freud Centre, found that exposure to family violence was associated with increased brain activity in two specific brain areas (the anterior insula and the amygdala) when children viewed pictures of angry faces.

Quality Of Mother-Toddler Relationship Linked To Teen Obesity

On December 28, 2011, in Family | Social, Health | Fitness, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Sarah E. Anderson, PhD

The quality of the emotional relationship between a mother and her young child could affect the potential for that child to be obese during adolescence, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed national data detailing relationship characteristics between mothers and their children during their toddler years. The lower the quality of the relationship in terms of the child’s emotional security and the mother’s sensitivity, the higher the risk that a child would be obese at age 15 years, according to the analysis.

Group Programs To Prevent Childhood Depression Prove To Be Effective

On December 7, 2011, in Depression, Psychotherapy, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
a troubled teenage girl

Psychological interventions to prevent depression in children and adolescents can be useful and with protective effects that last for up to a year, finds a new systematic review. According to research cited in the new review, in 2002, depression ranked second greatest cause of disability in developed countries and first in many developing ones. The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

Children With Behavior Problems Are More Likely To Have Thoughts Of Suicide

On December 6, 2011, in Mental Health, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
childhood bully

Children who show early signs of problem behavior are more likely to have thought of killing or harming themselves, suggests new research in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Past research indicates that about 20 percent of adolescents have suicidal ideation, which includes having thoughts of suicide or some level of suicide planning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks suicide as the fourth leading cause of death in children between ages 10 and 13 from 1999 to 2007.

Few Parents Recall Being Told By Doctors That Their Child Is Overweight

On December 5, 2011, in Health | Fitness, Healthcare, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Dr. Eliana Perrin

A new analysis of national survey data finds that less than one-quarter of parents of overweight children recall ever being told by a doctor or other health care provider that their children were overweight. And although that percentage has increased over the last 10 years, more improvement is needed, said Eliana M. Perrin, MD, MPH, associate professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, pediatrician at North Carolina Children’s Hospital, and lead author of the study.

State Policies Mandating Physical Education And Recess Associated With Increase In Overall In-School Physical Activity Among Children

On December 5, 2011, in Health | Fitness, Political | Legal, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
children playing soccer

State and school district-level policies mandating minimum requirements for in-school physical education and recess time are associated with increased odds of schools in those states and districts meeting physical activity recommendations for students, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Low Vitamin D Levels May Contribute To Development Of Type 2 Diabetes

On December 5, 2011, in Diabetes, Health | Fitness, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Vitamin D

A recent study of obese and non-obese children found that low vitamin D levels are significantly more prevalent in obese children and are associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes. This study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

3D-TV Does Not Appear To Increase The Risk Of Seizures In Susceptible Children

On December 4, 2011, in Brain Imaging, Epilepsy, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
television

Certain visual patterns and flashing images can provoke seizures in susceptible individuals, particularly among children and adolescents. Some media reports on the recent introduction of 3D-television sets suggest that this new technology may cause seizures in some viewers. Children who have epilepsy are somewhat more vulnerable to the provocative stimuli than their peers. But there has been no systematic examination of the potential effects 3D-TV may have on patients with epilepsy.

Parent Child Interaction Psychotherapy Intervention Shows Promise In Treating Depression Among Preschoolers

On November 21, 2011, in Depression, Psychotherapy, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
sad boy

A new psychosocial approach shows promise in helping preschoolers with symptoms of depression function better and learn to regulate their emotions, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print October 31, 2011, in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Background Recent studies have shown that symptoms of clinical depression can arise in [...]

Page 1 of 3512345...102030...Last »