Food & Drink
FinanceMore kids trapped in sweltering cars are dying
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010Some people should not be parents. Reports of infants and toddlers dying from being trapped inside sizzling automobiles are on the rise. A researcher says 18 children have died of hyperthermia since the beginning of the year, with eight deaths reported since June 13. That’s the largest number of fatalities through the first half of [...]
Cartoon characters tilt kids’ food choices toward junk food
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010Kids are easily swayed. That’s why kids think that snacks taste better when popular cartoon characters like Shrek and Dora the Explorer are plastered on the packages. I think we all know that. Nutrition experts have long argued that such images shouldn’t be used to market junk food to kids, especially with the childhood obesity [...]
Almost Half of Deaths in Kids Under 5 Occur in 5 Countries
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and blood poisoning account for more than two-thirds of the 8.8 million annual deaths in kids under 5 years of age worldwide, according to a new report. Other leading causes of death for include birth complications, lack of oxygen during birth and congenital defects. The report found that infectious diseases [...]
Obese Kids More Vulnerable to Bullies
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010Children in grades three through six who are obese are more likely to be bullied than their normal-weight peers, according to a new study. I think we all knew that already. It turns out that obese children are bullied more often even if they possess qualities that can discourage bullies, such as having good social [...]
Thousands of Kids Poisoned by Tobacco Products Each Year
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010Researchers are concerned that new candy-shaped dissolvable tobacco products could add to children’s risk of accidental tobacco poisoning in the United States. A recent study that investigated reports to U.S. poison control centers from 2006 through 2008 showed that 13,705 children younger than age six were accidentally poisoned by tobacco products. Cigarettes were the most [...]
Playful Kids Make Healthier Adults
Thursday, April 15th, 2010A british study suggests that children who engage in creative and active play may grow up to be healthier adults. Makes sense. Healthy mind, healthy body. The study involved 505 young adults who provided information about their health and their childhood play experiences. Four types of play were found to be associated in different ways [...]
Minority Kids Lack Enough Vitamin D
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem around the world and could be especially severe in the United States among poor black and Hispanic children. About 74 percent of these children had less than optimal vitamin D levels, according to a recent study. “This is one of many studies pointing to the critical need for [...]
Parents have lower blood pressure
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Parents have a stressful job. It isn’t easy raising kids, but new research calls into question some long-held beliefs about physical and psychological effects of having kids. Surprisingly, a new study finds that parents have better blood pressure readings than childless adults. “Women were driving the effect,” says co-author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist at Brigham [...]
General Mills to Cut Sugar in Kids’ Cereals
Friday, December 11th, 2009If you ask, many adults would tell you that kids cereals are very bad for their health. Why? Mostly because they are so sugary. Well, something is finally being done about that. General Mills plans to further cut the amount of sugar in its cereals that it markets to children under 12. The company will [...]
Cords on window blinds can be strangling hazard to kids
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009Consider this a healthy reminder about one of the not so hidden dangers in our homes. The death of a Maryland toddler has prompted federal officials to issue a safety alert about the risks of window cords. The 2-year-old child was strangled in November after his head became entangled in window cords. It happens more [...]
