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Most children don’t have access to physical education Two-thirds of secondary school children and over half of primary school pupils worldwide don’t receive the required minimum weekly physical education, reveals the unprecedented Global Status of Play Report on Quality Physical Education published by Unesco. The report highlights that only 58 percent countries provide physical education for girls; just 7 percent of schools provide equal physical education time for boys and girls, and that two-thirds of pupils with disabilities are deprived of any physical education. Moreover, the report flags major differences in funding for physical education between countries — two-thirds devote less than 2 percent of their education budget to it while one in 10 allocates more than 7 percent. It also reveals that less than one in two primary school teachers has received specialist training in physical education. “Physical education is a worthwhile investment. It not only improves pupils’ health, but also their academic performance and personal development. Yet it is still often treated as a lesser subject. Unesco is calling on its 194 member states to make it their top priority and to allocate the necessary time, human resources and budget to it,” says Audrey Azoulay, Unesco’s Director-General. Lack of school readiness linked to persistent absenteeism Students who aren’t considered ‘school-ready’ by their teachers are at least twice as likely to become persistently absent at some point in their education, according to a study published in Royal Society Open Science. Researchers from the University of Leeds (UoL) analysed data of over 60,000 children in the 5-13 age group in Bradford district alongside school absence records from 2012-13 and 2019-2020. The study reveals that school readiness assessments can identify academic and non-academic signs that a child is not school-ready. The report also cites previous research “that suggests that such assessments can indicate later ‘vulnerability’. For example, school readiness assessments have been used to identify children at risk of autism and special educational needs (SEN) more generally”. “School is where children develop and flourish, academically, emotionally, socially, and physically. However, as a society, we are edging towards a school absence epidemic, with many pupils missing out opportunities to thrive by not attending every day. This has worsened dramatically since the pandemic,” says lead author Dr. Megan Wood, a post-doctoral research fellow in UoL’s School of Psychology. Pre-teens’ screen exposure at bedtime causes insomnia Screen/online activities such as watching a movie, scrolling on social networks or texting before bedtime affect the quality of sleep of preteens, says a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. University of Toronto and University of California researchers surveyed 9,000 preteens in the 11-12 age group and found that bedtime screen-use behaviours in early adolescents are associated with adverse sleep outcomes, including sleep disturbance and shorter weekly sleep durations. “Our research found that leaving notifications on, even in silent mode, leads to less sleep compared to turning the phone off completely or keeping it outside the bedroom. Ensuring adolescents get enough sleep is vital as it…

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Girl children are starting menstruation early A study published in the Jama Network Open indicates that the average age of menarche — first menstrual period — decreased from 12.5 years (1950-1969) to 11.9 years (2000-2005) in the US, a trend more pronounced among racial minorities and low socio-economic status groups. Moreover the percentage of girl children who experienced menarche before age 11 rose from 8.6 percent to 15.5 percent, and before age 9 increased from 0.6 percent to 1.4 percent. Researchers of Harvard Chan School of Public Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Apple conducted the Apple Women’s Health Study using data from a large, mobile application-based cohort born between 1950 and 2005. “Early menarche is associated with higher risk of adverse health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. To address these health concerns — which our findings suggest may begin to impact more people, with disproportionate impact on already disadvantaged populations — we need much more investment in menstrual health research,” says Zifan Wang, co-author of the study and postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Chan School’s Department of Environmental Health. Half of Indian adults physically inactive: WHO A new World Health Organisation (WHO) study published in Lancet Global Health reveals that an alarming 49.4 percent of adults in India (cf. 31 percent worldwide) don’t meet the recommended level of physical activity — 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or equivalent, per week. The study highlights a disturbing trend of physical inactivity among adults, which has increased by 5 percentage points between 2010 and 2022. According to WHO if this trend continues, global levels of inactivity are projected to further rise to 35 percent by 2030. Disparity in gender continues with physical inactivity more common among women (34 percent) compared with men (29 percent) globally, putting the former at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and breast and colon cancer. “Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases. We need to find innovative ways to motivate people to become more active, considering factors like age, environment, and cultural background,” says Dr Rüdiger Krech, WHO’s Director of Health Promotion. Sleep deprivation linked to hypertension in children Routinely sleep deprived young children and teenagers are at a greater risk of developing high blood pressure aka hypertension, says a study conducted by researchers of the University of Pennsylvania and published in Pediatrics. Researchers analysed data of over 500 children and teens diagnosed with hypertension from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It reveals an association between shorter-than-recommended sleep times and high blood pressure. According to Dr. Amy Kogon, the study’s lead author, as many as a third of elementary school children get less than the recommended amount of sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 10-13 hours per night for children below 6; 9-12 hours for children ages 6-12; 8-10 hours for ages 13-18 and…

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Switching to electric school buses improves human, planetary health Replacing diesel-run school buses with electric vehicles may yield up to $247,600 in climate and health benefits per bus, says a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (May). Researchers at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that benefits, including fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced adult mortality and childhood asthma and associated savings, are highest in large cities and among fleets of old (2005 and before) buses. To assess the health impact of diesel buses, the researchers compared how their respective emissions contribute to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), linked to adult mortality and onset of childhood asthma “Our findings offer strong evidence that accelerating the ongoing transition to electric school buses will benefit individual, public, and planetary health. In a dense urban settings where old diesel buses still comprise most school bus fleets, the savings incurred from electrifying buses outweigh the costs of replacement,” says Dr. Kari Nadeau, senior study author and chair of the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard University. Low carb and high fat diets harm heart health While popular fad keto-like low carbohydrate and high fat (LCHF) diets may precipitate weight loss, they are not good for heart health, says a study published in JACC: Advances. University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers say that LCHF diets are associated with increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) aka ‘bad cholesterol’ and apolipoprotein B levels, and result in significant risk increase of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Apolipoprotein B is a blood test to gauge risk of heart disease. UBC researchers studied a pool of 305 LCHF and 1,220 standard diet participants and found that 11.1 percent of the LCHF cohort had high levels of cholesterol in the blood, as compared to 6.2 percent of standard diet individuals. A review after 11.8 years found that 9.8 percent of LCHF participants experienced a MACE, compared to 4.3 percent on standard diet. “This latest study demonstrates the risk associated with ingesting higher amount of fat resulting in derangement of lipid parameters which can be life-threatening,” says Ashwani Mehta, senior consultant, department of cardiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi. Huge surge in youth procuring diabetes & weight loss drugs Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor (USA), who analysed prescriptions of 12-25 year olds from American pharmacies, have reported rapid surge in youth procuring popular diabetes and weight loss drugs. Between 2020-2023, the number of adolescents and young adults with prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy and related drugs increased by nearly 600 percent (from 8,700 to over 60,000), says the study published in the medical journal JAMA (May). And more than three times as many women in the 18-25 age group bought these drugs than males. “These drugs are meant for continuing use, so we really need to think about the long-term safety and effectiveness of these medications for this age group,” says Joyce Lee, a University of Michigan pediatrician and diabetes expert who led the…

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Bullied teenagers show early signs of psychosis Bullied teenagers exhibit higher chances of experiencing early stages of psychosis, a mental state characterised by being out of touch with reality, reveals a new study. Researchers scanned the brains of nearly 500 bullied teenagers and found lower levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) region known to be crucial to regulate emotions. Glutamate, usually the most abundant neurotransmitter, is involved in wide-ranging functions, including moods moderation. Researchers at the University of Tokyo, Japan, also used questionnaires to track bullying victimisation in survey adolescents and employed formal psychiatric measurement metrics to assess their experiences. The team found that bullying was associated with the teenagers experiencing preclinical psychosis symptoms. “Studying subclinical psychotic experiences is important for us to discern early stage psychotic disorders and for identifying individuals who may be at increased risk for developing clinical psychotic illness later on,” says Naohiro Okada, project associate professor at the University of Tokyo’s International Research Center for Neurointelligence and lead author of the study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Household products linked to rising cancer incidence Widespread use of plastic bottles, tea bags, ovenware, beauty products, e-cigarettes and hookahs in households is contributing to the growth of cancer incidence worldwide, warn health experts on World Cancer Day (February 4). By 2050 new cancer cases are expected to grow by 77 percent touching over 35 million annually, according to the International Agency for Research on Cance of the World Health Organisation. The agency attributes this alarming data to a combination of lifestyle and environmental factors, with tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and air pollution identified as prime factors. “Raising the risk of cancer are plastic tea bags, water bottles and ovenware which contain microplastics, and food items like mayonnaise which contain harmful chemicals like epichlorohydrin,” says Dr. J.B. Sharma, senior consultant, medical oncology at the Action Cancer Hospital, Delhi. Health experts urge the public to refrain from using hair and beauty products which contain carcinogenous toluene, formaldehyde, and acetone. E-cigarettes and flavoured hookahs also contain harmful chemicals such as diacetyl, carbon monoxide, cadmium, ammonia, radon, and methane, increasing cancer risk. Sleep deprivation can affect brain Too much or too little restful sleep is associated with changes in the brain that increase the risk of heart stroke and dementia later in life, says a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. In one of the largest neuroimaging studies undertaken, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) examined brain images of nearly 40,000 asymptomatic middle-aged adults to understand how sleep habits impact brain health. The researchers found that suboptimal sleep duration is significantly correlated with silent brain injuries that clinicians foreshadow with stroke and dementia years before their onset. Long hours of sleep (averaging over nine hours per night) was found to be associated with lower fractional anisotropy and larger WMH (white matter hyperintensities) volume, but not with risk of WMH presence. “These findings add to the mounting evidence that sleep is…

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Women live longer than men, but in poor health A new global study published in The Lancet Public Health (May) says that men are at a higher risk of premature death than women. But though women live longer, they tend to spend more of their lifetime in poor health. Researchers used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, focusing on 20 major causes of disease burden in over 200 countries. Non-fatal conditions that cause illness and disability, such as musculoskeletal problems, mental health issues and headache disorders, particularly affect women, researchers found. At the same time, men are disproportionally affected by conditions that cause premature death, such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory and liver afflictions, Covid-19 and road injuries. “Females have longer lives but live more years in poor health, with limited progress made in reducing the burden of conditions leading to illness and disability. There’s urgent need for greater attention to non-fatal consequences that limit women’s physical and mental function, especially at older ages. Similarly, males are experiencing a much higher and growing burden of disease with fatal consequences,” says Luisa Sorio Flor, researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at University of Washington (USA). Moderate alcohol consumption affects prenatal outcomes Even low to moderate alcohol consumption by pregnant women contributes to subtle changes in their babies’ prenatal development, including lower birth length and shorter duration of gestation, says a study published in Alcohol Clinical & Experimental Research (April). University of New Mexico (UNM) researchers led by Ludmila Bakhirev, assistant dean for Clinical and Translational Research in the UNM College of Pharmacy, also reported some sex-related differences in the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on developing babies. “This study, as well as prior preclinical studies, show that even moderate alcohol use might have negative effects. In exploratory analyses, the adverse effect on gestational age was more pronounced in male infants, and for birth length it actually was stronger in females,” says Bakhireva. The study analyzed three studies conducted at UNM over the course of ten years that followed 281 participants, most of them in the second trimester of their pregnancies and then followed their children, for some time afterward. 78 percent employees in India experience job burnout Nearly 78 percent of employees in India experience some degree of job burnout, leading to physical and emotional exhaustion, according to a ten-nation study conducted by the UKG Workforce Institute based in Lowell, Massachusetts and Weston, Florida (USA). The study which surveyed over 4,000 employees in ten countries, including India, found that globally, managers have a major impact on employees’ productivity and engagement. They create great places to work by building trust, fostering open communication, and caring for employees as individuals. In India, 72 percent said their manager’s support directly motivates them to go above and beyond in the workplace. “There is an emerging culture of promoting trust, transparency, and accountability in workplaces across the world, and managers are the major driving force behind this shift. The study…

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Obesity linked to higher risk of stillbirt Obesity increases the risk of stillbirth as pregnancy progresses to full-term, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (March). Researchers of Dalhousie University analysed data from the Better Outcomes Registry and Network on 681,178 singleton births, 1,956 of which were stillbirths, in Ontario between 2012 and 2018. After adjusting for other stillbirth risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure, they found that pregnant women with class I obesity had double the risk of stillbirth at 39 weeks gestation compared to those with normal BMI (body mass index). “Pregnant women with obesity, especially those with additional risk factors, may benefit from timely referral and greater surveillance closer to term. The presence of additional risk factors may warrant earlier delivery,” says Dr. Naila Ramji, lead author and assistant professor, Dalhousie University. Combination of pollutants inducing asthma in children Exposure to several combinations of toxic atmospheric pollutants is likely to trigger asthma symptoms in children, says a study published in Science of the Total Environment (March). Researchers of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University (WSU) found that 25 different combinations of air pollutants were associated with asthma symptoms among 269 elementary school children diagnosed with asthma in Spokane, Washington. In line with previous research, the study revealed that children from lower-income neighbourhoods were exposed to more toxic combinations. “It’s not just one pollutant that can be linked to asthma outcomes. This study examined the variety and combinations of air pollutants that may be associated with asthma symptoms,” says lead author Solmaz Amiri. While other studies have focused on a limited number of pollutants, Amiri and her colleagues used the data-crunching power of machine learning techniques to analyze the exposure effects of 109 air pollutants and their combinations on asthma outcomes. The researchers examined data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency on toxic pollutants present in neighbourhoods surrounding ten Spokane elementary schools. Venting is not an effective way of dealing with rage Venting might feel good in the moment, but it is least effective in reducing rage, reveals new research published in Clinical Psychology Review (March 11). Researchers led by first author Sophie Kjærvik, a doctoral scholar at Ohio State University, analyzed over 150 studies involving over 10,000 participants and found that what really works to reduce anger is lowering physiological arousal i.e, turning down the heat. Activities that increased arousal overall had no effect on anger, and some activities made it worse — particularly jogging. Kjærvik, now a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, says the study was inspired in part by the rising popularity of rage rooms that promote smashing things (such as glass, plates and electronics) to manage anger. “I wanted to debunk the whole theory of expressing anger as a way of coping with it. We wanted to show that reducing arousal, and actually the physiological aspect of it, is really important,” says Kjærvik. School uniforms are deterring students from exercising School uniform…

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Anti-depressants usage rising among teenage girls post Covid The mental health of young adults and adolescents — particularly girls — worsened post the Covid-19 pandemic, reveals a study published in the journal Pediatrics. According to researchers led by paediatrician Kao Ping Chua from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in the US, the usage rate of anti-depressants among youngsters in the 12-25 years age group rose 64 percent post March 2020. Significantly, the rise in use of antidepressants during the pandemic was driven by females: 130 percent faster among girls aged 12-17 years and 60 percent faster in the 18-25 years age group. “Antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults was already high and rising before March 2020. Our findings suggest these trends accelerated during the pandemic. Multiple studies suggest that rates of anxiety and depression among female adolescents increased during the pandemic. These studies together with our findings suggest the pandemic exacerbated a pre-existing mental health crisis in this group,” says lead author Kao Ping Chua. Mothers’ prenatal stress leads to early puberty in first-born daughters First-born daughters of mothers who suffer high levels of stress during pregnancy are prone to reach early adrenal puberty, says a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Adrenal puberty is characterised by physical changes such as growth of body hair, acne, and manifestations of cognitive maturation, but does not include the onset of menstruation and breast development. University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers examined data from two obstetrics clinics in Southern California. They did not find these correlations between mothers’ stress levels during pregnancy and early maturation signs in boys and daughters who were not first-born. The study adds to research that explores the impact that stress and other factors affecting pregnant mothers have on fetuses and children long after birth. “This is a first-of-its-kind finding and is fascinating to look at through evolutionary lens,” says UCLA anthropologist Molly Fox, who led the study with colleagues from UC Irvine, UC Merced, Chapman and Denver universities. Covid-19 vaccine not death risk for young adults A study by New Delhi’s Indian Council of Medical Research has concluded that Covid-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of sudden deaths among young adults. On the contrary, the study suggests that receiving at least one dose of the vaccine may reduce the likelihood of such fatalities. The research study which spanned two years (2021-2023), covered 47 tertiary care hospitals countrywide and focused on individuals in the 18-45 years age group who had no known comorbidities and died suddenly from unexplained causes. The study concluded that individuals who received two doses of the vaccine had lower odds of experiencing unexplained sudden death, while a single dose did not have the same protective effect. “Over 100 autopsies were performed to establish the exact cause of death, and corelation with Covid-19 infection and vaccine dosage,” says Dr. Sudhir Gupta, head of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. The study, however, identified several other factors that…

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Combine mindfulness with exercise for happier 2024 Lifestyle habits that focus on both physical and mental health are effective in lifting mood and improving overall well-being, says a study published in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity (December). Researchers of the University of Bath reviewed research studies to highlight that combining mindfulness practice with physical exercise has several psychological benefits. The study concludes that mindfulness improves the benefits of physical exercise by motivating people to overcome minor pain, discomfort and feelings of failure when exercising gets hard. Moreover mindfulness is highly effective for reducing worry, stress, anxiety, and helps people live healthier, happier lives. “Mindfulness is an approach that can help us ‘train up’ the psychological strengths we need to exercise and be more in tune with our bodies, as well as make exercising more interesting and help us recognise its benefits,” says Dr. Masha Remskar, study author and behavioural scientist at Bath University, who suggests using apps to practice guided mindfulness. Pet ownership slows decline in verbal memory and fluency “Pet ownership offsets the association between living alone and declining rates of verbal memory and verbal fluency,” says a study published in JAMA Network Open (December). The study conducted by researchers of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, observed 7,945 participants aged 50 years and above to determine the impact on their health of owning a pet. They found pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal cognition, verbal memory and fluency in adults who lived alone without a pet. “Older adults living alone are at high risk of developing dementia. It is worth noting that compared with pet owners living with others, pet owners living alone did not show faster rates of decline in verbal memory or verbal fluency,” say the researchers. The researchers obtained data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), an ongoing, prospective, and nationally representative cohort of community-dwelling UK adults aged 50 or older. In wave five of the study, participants were asked, “Do you keep any household pets inside your house/flat?”. Information relating to cognitive function was obtained from subsequent waves of the study, with the researchers particularly examining verbal memory and fluency. Early breakfast and dinner cuts heart attack risk Delaying eating the first meal of the day is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, with a 6 percent increase in risk per hour of delay, says a study conducted by the French research institute INRAE — National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment On the subject of the last meal of the day, eating late (after 9 p.m) is associated with a 28 percent increase in risk of cerebrovascular disease such as stroke compared with eating before 8 p.m, particularly in women. The study published in Nature Communications (December) found that eating the first meal of the day at 8 a.m and dinner by 8 p.m reduces heart diseases. For the study, INRAE scientists used data from 103,389 participants to examine the association…

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Good quality sleep helps children cope with stress Adequate sleep reduces children’s stress and impulsive behaviour, says a recent study conducted by the University of Georgia. The researchers, led by Linhao Zhang, a doctoral student at the university’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences, studied data from a Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study of 11,858 children aged nine-ten years. Sleep problems, such as sleep latency and impulsive behavior, were checked at multiple time points over the course of two years. When children got less than the recommended nine hours of sleep or took more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, there was a strong link to impulsive behaviour such as “acting without a plan, seeking thrills and lacking perseverance”. “A lot of adolescents don’t have enough time to sleep, and they are sleep deprived. This study shows why it is important to promote longer sleep duration by delaying school start times or establishing routines so that adolescents know, ‘OK, after this event, I’m going to bed,’” says Zhang. Microplastics exposure causes significant behavioural changes Infiltration of microplastics is as widespread in the body as it is in the environment, including food chains, leading to changes in brain activity and human behaviour, reveals a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Science (August). Researchers of the University of Rhode Island, USA, studied neurobehavioural effects and inflammatory responses to exposure to microplastics, and accumulation of microplastics in body tissues, including the brain. They found that microplastic exposure induces behavioural changes and alterations in immune markers in liver and brain tissues. “Given that in this study the microplastics were delivered orally via drinking water, detection in tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract or in liver and kidneys was always probable,” says Jaime Ross, assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences at the Ryan Institute for Neuroscience and College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island. However, she adds that the detection of microplastics in the heart and lungs, suggests that they are going beyond the digestive system and likely undergoing systemic circulation. “The brain blood barrier is supposed to be very difficult to permeate. It is a protective mechanism against viruses and bacteria, yet these particles were able to get in there. They were actually deep in brain tissue,” she says. Adding zinc to soil can prevent childhood stunting Childhood stunting could be prevented by adding zinc to farmland soil, says a study conducted by Stanford University researchers who studied health data from almost 300,000 children and 1 million women in India. The study published in Scientific Reports (August) demonstrates that zinc in soil prevents childhood stunting while iron maintains healthy haemoglobin levels. The researchers found that adding micronutrient-enriched fertilisers to soil resulted in 11 less cases of stunting per 1,000, and concluded that fortifying soil with minerals could be a beneficial health intervention. “Understanding this could help to identify better approaches to solving child stunting in India which is one of the biggest and longest standing challenges in global food security,” says…

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Newborns can detect the beat in music Newborn infants can inherently perceive and detect the beat in music, says a study published in the journal Cognition (November). Researchers from the University of Amsterdam and HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences (TTK), Hungary found that this ability to recognise musical beats is distinct and separate from their statistical learning ability. The study involved 27 newborns and used EEG brain wave measurements to differentiate between beat perception and statistical learning of sound sequences. “There is still a lot we don’t know about how newborn babies perceive, remember and process music. But we found clear indications that babies just a few days old have the ability to hear a regular pulse in music — the beat — a characteristic that is considered essential for making and appreciating music. Our findings suggest that it is a specific skill of newborns and how important baby and nursery rhymes are for the auditory development of young children,” says Henkjan Honing, professor of music cognition at the University of Amsterdam. Nutrient in dairy and red meat helps fight cancer Scientists at the University of Chicago have discovered that a nutrient found in beef and milk could target several different types of cancer by activating tumour-fighting immune cells. According to the study published in Nature (November), the compound, known as trans-vaccenic acid or TVA, activates T cells in the body, which in turn aid the immune system fight cancer. TVA is found in the meat of ruminants such as cows, sheep and other mammals, and their dairy products like milk, cheese, butter and yogurt. “There are many studies trying to decipher the link between diet and human health, and it’s very difficult to understand the underlying mechanisms because of the wide variety of foods people eat. By focusing on nutrients that can activate T cell responses, we found one that actually enhances anti-tumour immunity by activating an important immune pathway,” says Dr Jing Chen, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and a senior author of the study. The researchers concluded that a diet rich in TVA significantly reduced the tumor growth of melanoma and colon cancer cells, and enhanced the body’s ability to infiltrate and attack tumors. Stomach cancer on the rise in India The incidence of stomach cancer in India has risen rapidly over the past decade, says a recent study of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). According to the study, stomach cancer incidence is higher than the Western countries because of Indian dietary practices, notably preference for spicy and preserved foods. “Geographically, higher incidence is noted in regions where dietary patterns include spicy, salty, or preserved foods. Hormonal differences and genetic factors might also play a role, although further research is needed for conclusive evidence,” says Dr. Puneet Dhar, head of department of gastrointestinal surgery, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. Symptoms of stomach cancer include persistent abdominal pain or discomfort, unexplained weight and appetite loss, swallowing difficulty, nausea, and omiting. While early-stage stomach…

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Antibiotics losing their effectiveness “Drugs used to treat serious bacterial infections in children and newborns may be losing their effectiveness in many countries due to “alarmingly high” rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR),” says a study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia (October) journal. Researchers led by Dr. Phoebe Williams, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Sydney, examined bacterial samples from 11 countries including India and found that many antibiotics recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat life-threatening bacterial infections in children are less than 50 percent effective against the microbes that cause these illnesses. The dangerous infections include pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. “This is a big threat for many low- and middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific where healthcare resources and access to new drugs are limited. We urgently need new solutions to stop invasive multidrug-resistant infections and the needless deaths of thousands of children each year,” says Dr. Williams. Children sharing close parental bonding grow up ‘prosocial’ A loving bond between parents and their children early in life significantly increases their tendency to be ‘prosocial’, and act with kindness and empathy towards others, says a recent University of Cambridge study. Researchers used data from more than 10,000 people born between 2000 and 2002 to understand the long-term interplay between children’s early relationships with parents, prosociality and mental health. They found that people who experienced warm relationships with their parents at age three not only tended to have fewer mental health problems during early childhood and adolescence, but also displayed heightened ‘prosocial’ tendencies. This refers to socially-desirable behaviour intended to benefit others, such as kindness, empathy, helpfulness, generosity and volunteering. “Our analysis shows that after a certain age, we tend to be mentally well, or mentally unwell, and have a reasonably fixed level of resilience. A big influence appears to be our early relationship with our parents. As children, we internalise those aspects of our relationships with parents that are characterised by emotion, care and warmth. This affects our future disposition to be kind and helpful towards others,” says Ioannis Katsantonis, lead author and a doctoral researcher at the university’s faculty of education. Excessive pregnancy weight gain increases maternal death risk Pregnant women with body mass index (BMI) in the normal and overweight and excessive weight gain range were associated with a 9 percent and 12 percent increase in all-cause mortality risk respectively, according to a study published in The Lancet (October). The study conducted by the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), University of Pennsylvania and the US National Institutes of Health studied over 46,000 women, and drew a connection between gestational weight gain and loss, and mortality. Excessive weight gain for pregnant women with a pre-pregnancy BMI in the underweight and normal range, led to an 84 percent and 20 percent increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease respectively. Women with a BMI in the overweight range, had a 77 percent increased risk of mortality from diabetes. “Promoting women’s health and achieving…

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Autism and ADHD in children linked to plastic additive Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have a reduced ability to clear bisphenol A (BPA), a common plastic additive, from their bodies, says a study published in the public access journal PLOS ONE (September). BPA is used in everyday objects such as compact discs, dental sealants, water bottles, the lining of canned foods and drinks, medical devices among others. The study showed that for a significant proportion of children with ASD, the ability to add the glucose molecule to BPA to make it soluble is 10 percent less than of the control group of children. For children with ADHD, it’s less than 17 percent. The compromised ability to clear such environmental pollutants from the body is “the first hard biochemical evidence of the linkage between BPA and the development of autism or ADHD,” says lead author T. Peter Stein, professor of surgery at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, USA. Sleep loss in pregnancy causes premature birth Lack of sleep and reduced physical activity during pregnancy is likely to increase the risk of premature birth, reveals a study led by Nima Aghaeepour, associate professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine. The research team used a machine learning (ML) algorithm to detect fine-grained changes in sleep and physical activity patterns of 1,000 women whose data was collected by devices worn by them through pregnancy. The study found that when patients’ sleep and activity levels don’t change on a typical trajectory, it’s a warning sign for premature birth. Sleeping better and being more physically active than usual was linked with a 48 percent reduction in risk for preterm delivery. Conversely, if a woman was sleeping less and being physically inactive than usual for her stage of pregnancy, her risk for preterm delivery was 44 percent higher than for pregnant women with typical sleep and activity patterns. The study, published in NPJ Digital Medicine, also identified several risk factors for premature delivery, including greater levels of inflammation in pregnant woman, specific immune-system changes, higher levels of stress, history of having a preterm birth and certain types of bacteria in the mother’s microbiome. Air pollution exposure increases heart stroke risk Short-term exposure to air pollution significantly increases the risk of heart stroke, says a study conducted by University of Jordan researchers and published in the journal Neurology (September). Researchers reviewed 110 studies that included more than 18 million cases of heart cardiac stroke. The study found that higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were linked to a 28 percent increased risk of stroke; higher ozone levels to a 5 percent increase; carbon monoxide had a 26 percent increase; and sulphur dioxide a 15 percent increase. “There is a strong and significant association between air pollution and the occurrence of stroke as well as death from stroke within five days of exposure. This highlights the importance of global efforts to create policies that…

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Microwaving plastic baby food containers releases toxic particles Microwaving plastic baby food containers releases billions of small toxic plastic particles, says a study published in Environmental Science & Technology (July). Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, found that microwaving plastic baby food containers released over two billion nano plastics for every square centimetre of container. They also found that three-quarters of cultured embryonic kidney cells died two days after being introduced to these particles. The team conducted the experiment with two baby food containers made from polypropylene and a reusable pouch made of polyethylene, both approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The researchers filled the containers with either deionised water or 3 percent acetic acid — the latter intended to simulate dairy products, fruits, vegetables, etc — then heated them at full power for three minutes in a 1,000-watt microwave. “It is really important to know how many micro-and nano plastics we are taking in,” says Kazi Albab Hussain, lead author and a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “Many studies, including ours, are demonstrating that the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics is highly linked to the level of exposure.” Parents of two or more children are physically less active Parents with multiple young children engage in less physical activity compared to parents with fewer or no children, according to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study analysed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2007-2016 and covering 2,034 adults aged 22-65 years. The researchers examined the association between moderate and vigorous physical activities and the number and age of children in households. Adults with two or more children aged 0-5 reported 80 fewer minutes of weekly vigorous physical activity, and those with three or more children aged 6-17 reported 50 fewer minutes of weekly vigorous physical activity compared to households with no children or just one child in this age group. “Parents often face numerous challenges in finding the time and energy to engage in regular physical activity while caring for their children. By understanding these barriers, we can develop targeted interventions to help parents lead healthier and more active lives,” says study co-author Bettina Beech, Chief Population Health Officer at the University of Houston. People avoid foods they are allergic to Researchers from Yale University in the US have found that the immune system recognises allergens and pathogens in the environment and prompts the brain to take defensive measures, such as avoidance. The same avoidance behaviour is exhibited by people who develop food poisoning after eating a certain meal. The study published in the journal Nature (July) explains why people including children, instinctively avoid foods their bodies are allergic to. “We find immune recognition controls behaviour, specifically defensive behaviours against toxins that are communicated first through antibodies and then to our brains,” says Ruslan Medzhitov, professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine and senior study author. The researchers studied mice that…

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Homophobic name-calling harms mental health of teens Homophobic name-calling whether as friendly banter or traumatic bullying has a damaging impact on the mental health of adolescents, says a research study led by Dr. Kai Lin, a sociologist and criminologist at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). “Those who experienced homophobic name-calling, regardless of intention, reported a range of negative psychological and behavioural outcomes. These include depressive symptoms and a decreased sense of belonging at school,” says Dr. Lin. The study, published in the Journal of School Violence (June), covered data from a large sample of students in 36 midwestern middle schools in the US. According to the study findings, 44 percent of teenagers reported being called names such as “homo” or “gay” with 17 percent of homophobic name-calling from friends, which though was not as damaging as when it was from a rival or stranger, it still adversely impacted mental health. Moreover male children who are seen as ‘unmasculine’, regardless of their sexual orientation, were more often the target of homophobic name-calling. Dental problems lead to brain shrinkage Poor dental health can lead to a decline in brain volume, and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, says a study published in the journal Neurology (2023). The study found that gum diseases and tooth loss lead to shrinkage in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory/retention. “Tooth loss and gum disease are very common, so evaluating a potential link with dementia is incredibly important. Our study found that these conditions may play a role in the health of the brain area that controls thinking and memory, giving people another reason to take better care of their teeth,” says Satoshi Yamaguchi of the Division of Aging and Geriatric Dentistry at Tohoku University, Japan. The study which evaluated 172 people found that people with mild gum disease and fewer teeth recorded a faster rate of brain shrinkage in the left hippocampus. However, people with severe gum disease but more teeth had a faster rate of brain shrinkage in the same area of the brain. The study concludes that for people with mild gum disease, the increase in the rate of brain shrinkage due to one less tooth was equivalent to nearly one year of brain ageing. Positive parenting protects children’s brain damage According to a study published in the medical journal PNAS Nexus (June), “positive” parenting — defined by researchers as warm, supportive, validating, and responsive — has a protective effect on children aged 10-17 years who experienced major stress as an outcome of illness, poverty, or the death of a loved one. Stress places children at higher risk of behaviour problems and decreased volumes of hippocampus — a vulnerable tissue in the brain that plays a critical role in learning and memory. Stressed youth, however, who experienced “high levels” of positive parenting didn’t suffer such consequences, according to researchers who surveyed 500 older children and examined MRIs of their brains. On the other hand, children who reported negative parenting didn’t experience any…

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Junk food increases heart attack risk in children Excess consumption of junk food and decreased physical activity are the main reasons why there’s a spike in heart attacks among school children, say Delhi-based paediatricians. “The fast food culture is growing in our country, which I believe is the main reason behind such conditions,” says Dr. Neeraj Aggarwal, a paediatric cardiologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi (IANS, June 7). According to Dr. Aggarwal, sedentary lifestyles are prompting fatigue, high blood pressure and diabetes among children, all of which are high risk factors for heart attack. “The number of heart attacks in children is not very high. But, due to increased obesity and sedentary lifestyles, the risk of children suffering a heart attack has increased,” adds Dr. Amit Misri, associate director, Pediatrics Cardiology, Medanta, Gurugram. The good doctors recommend lifestyle changes with proper exercise (30 minutes-one hour daily) and healthy, home-cooked food low on sugar, carbohydrates, and fats, and high in protein, fresh fruits and vegetables. “Schools also play a major role in promoting a healthy lifestyle. They should proscribe junk food in their canteens,” says Dr. Aggarwal. Atropine drops can arrest myopia progression in children Abreakthrough three-year study — CHAMP (Childhood Atropine for Myopia Progression) — has found that it may be possible to limit myopia progression in children. Published in JAMA Ophthalmology (June), it states that a daily drop of atropine, a drug used to dilate pupils, limits eyeglass prescription changes and inhibits elongation of the eye in nearsighted children aged six-ten years. “This is exciting work for the myopia research community, of which I’ve been part of for 35 years. We’ve talked about treatment and control for decades. And it’s exciting to learn that there could be options in the future for millions of children we know are likely to be myopic,” says lead study author Karla Zadnik, professor and dean of the College of Optometry at Ohio State University. The drug’s safety was assessed in a larger sample of 573 participants which included children as young as three and up to age 16. Both low-dose formulations were safe and well tolerated. Atropine was not associated with any serious ocular adverse outcomes. Helping others improves children’s mental and physical health Children and teenagers who volunteer services tend to progress both mentally and physically, says a recent UTHealth Houston study published in JAMA Network Open (June). The study, led by Kevin Lanza, Ph D, assistant professor of epidemiology, human genetics, and environmental sciences at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, found that children who had volunteered in the past year are in better physical health, had a more positive outlook on life, and are less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, or behavioral problems compared to peers who did not volunteer. “These study results arouse optimism that volunteering could be a win-win, with youth serving society benefiting themselves,” says Lanza. Lanza’s team analyzed parent-reported data from a long-running national survey tracking the health and well-being of American children…

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India in Top 5 countries with highest number of preterm infants India, Pakistan, Nigeria, China and Ethiopia together accounted for 45 percent of all infants born early —before 37 weeks of pregnancy — in 2020, according to a report released last month by the WHO, Unicef and PMNCH, the world`s largest alliance for women, children, and adolescents. The report titled Born Too Soon: A Decade of Action on Preterm Birth describes the incidence of premature birth as a “silent emergency”. It estimates that 13.4 million infants were born prematurely in 2020, with nearly 1 million dying from preterm complications. “Ensuring quality care for these tiniest, most vulnerable babies and their families is imperative for improving child health and survival. Progress is also needed to help prevent preterm births — this means every woman must be able to access quality health services before and during pregnancy to identify and manage risks,” says Anshu Banerjee, director for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, WHO. The report states that preterm birth is now the leading cause of child deaths, accounting for more than one in five of all deaths of children under five years. Mobile phone use linked to high blood pressure Spending 30 minutes or more on a mobile phone per week is linked to a 12 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure or hypertension, says a research study published in the European Heart Journal — Digital Health (May). The study examined data from the UK Biobank which included 212,046 adults aged 37 to 73 years without hypertension. Over a median follow-up of 12 years, 13,984 participants developed hypertension. The study found that those who talked on their mobile phone for 30 minutes or more per week had a 12 percent greater likelihood of new-onset high blood pressure than participants who spent less than 30 minutes on phone calls. The results were similar for women and men. Weekly usage time of 30-59 minutes, 1-3 hours, 4-6 hours, and more than 6 hours was associated with an 8 percent, 13 percent, 16 percent, and 25 percent increased risk of high blood pressure, respectively. “The number of minutes that people talk on their cellphone appears to matter for heart health, with more minutes adding up to greater risk,” says study author Xianhui Qin, a professor at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, adding that the more time participants spent talking on the phone, the higher their risk of developing hypertension. Scientists warn against excessive use of disinfectants Acritical review, published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology (May), has warned against the increased and unnecessary use of antimicrobial chemicals in products such as sanitisers, wipes and disinfectant solutions because of the Covid pandemic. The review authored by over two dozen scientists, says that quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), which are increasingly marketed and used in home, healthcare, education, and workplace settings, lead to health problems, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental harm. “Disinfectant wipes containing QACs are often used on children’s school…

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Poor sleep increases genetic susceptibility to asthma Poor and inadequate sleep bolsters genetic susceptibility to asthma, potentially doubling the risk of being diagnosed with the condition, says a study by Shandong University, China, published in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research (April). Researchers studied data of 455,405 people aged 38 to 73 years from the UK Biobank, of whom 17,836 individuals were diagnosed with asthma over a period of nine years. They found that those with high genetic risk who also reported poor sleep patterns were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma compared to those with healthy sleep and a low genetic risk. A healthy sleep routine decreased risk of asthma by 44 percent in those at low genetic risk, by 41 percent in those at intermediate risk and by 37 percent in those with high risk. The researchers suggested that inadequate sleep may cause an inflammatory response in the body that increases risk of asthma. “This research suggests there is a link between asthma and not getting enough sleep, although it is too early to say that treating poor sleep could reduce someone’s risk of developing asthma,” says Dr. Erika Kennington, head of research and innovation at the charity Asthma and Lung, UK. Positive co-parenting is good for children Children have the best outcomes when both parents regard their co-parenting relationship as highly positive and worst when both parents rated their relationship as poor, says a recent study led by Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, lead author and professor of psychology at The Ohio State University. “The best outcome for children was when both parents saw their co-parenting relationship as positive. But children are almost as well-adjusted when the relationship quality was moderate and mothers were less positive about co-parenting relative to fathers,” says Schoppe-Sullivan, who adds that children are less well-adjusted when fathers are less positive than mothers in co-parenting. The study surveyed 2.915 low-income couples in seven US states. Participants were asked about their co-parenting relationship with their partner — in other words, how they related to each other as parents. Gut microbes linked to ADHD in children The microbial composition of the stomach may affect a child’s susceptibility to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reveals a study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (April). Researchers from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, surveyed 70 children and found that gut bacteria in children with ADHD had higher levels of certain species of fungi. “The human body houses a complex and diverse microbial ecosystem, and findings from this study suggest that dysbiosis of the fungal mycobiome in ADHD can influence patient health,” says Lian-Jen Wang, child psychiatrist at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Dysbiosis is defined as an “imbalance” in the gut microbial community that is associated with disease. The researchers found that in experiments with cells grown in the lab, one species called Candida albicans was in abundance in samples from children with ADHD, which increased the permeability of cells that line the intestine.…

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Childhood obesity in India to rise by 9.1 percent annually The risk of India’s male children becoming obese is likely to rise by 12 percent by 2035 and for girl children by 7 percent, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2023 published by the UK-based World Obesity Federation. In 2020, the obesity risk was 2 percent for girl children and 3 percent for boys. “This year’s Atlas is a clear warning that by failing to address obesity today, we risk serious repercussions in the future. It is particularly worrying to see obesity rates rising fastest among children and adolescents,” says Prof Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation. According to the Atlas, continued failure to prevent and treat obesity will cause a loss of USD 4.32 trillion to the grand economy by 2035 when more than half the world’s population will be overweight. “The main reasons for rising obesity prevalence in lower-income countries include shift to highly processed foods, greater levels of sedentary behaviour, weaker policies to control food supply and food marketing, and less well-resourced healthcare services to assist in weight management and in health education,” says the Atlas report which was presented to UN policymakers on March 6. WHO: High incidence of birth defects in South-east Asia On the occasion of World Birth Defects Day (March 3), the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed to countries globally and in particular in Southeast Asia to strengthen public health systems to prevent, detect, manage and care for birth defects. According to WHO, an estimated 8 million infants are born with birth defects every year with nine out of every 10 born with serious defects living in low and middle-income countries. “In the South-east Asia region, birth defects are the third most common cause of child mortality, and the fourth most common cause of neonatal mortality, accounting for 12 percent of all neonatal deaths. Between 2010 and 2019, birth defects as a proportion of child mortality in the region increased from 6.2 percent to 9.2 percent, and in four countries, birth defects now contribute to more than 20 percent of under-five mortality,” says Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for South-east Asia. Infant screen time impacts school academic performance Viewing electronic digital screens during infancy adversely impacts academic performance in primary school, says a study published in JAMA Pediatrics (February). According to the study which analysed data from GUSTO (Growing Up in Singapore Towards Health Outcomes), Singapore’s most comprehensive birth cohort study, higher screen time during infancy is associated with poorer executive functioning when the child is nine years old. Executive functioning skills are mental processes that “enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.” The study surveyed 437 children who underwent electroencephalography (EEG) scans at age one, 18 months and nine years old. Researchers also asked parents to report each child’s screen time. The study’s conclusions support recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which advises zero screen time for infants until 18 months, with…

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Parenting more stressful than expected Parenting is a far harder job than expected, say parents surveyed by the US-based Pew Research Center. The study, released in January for which 3,757 parents were interviewed, reports that while eight of ten parents believe parenting is enjoyable most of the time, 62 percent said it was far harder than they thought. But regardless of how hard it is, most parents (64 percent) gave themselves an “excellent” or “very good” rating when it came to assessing their parenting skills with only 4 percent self-assessed as “fair” or “poor.” The Pew parenting study also reveals that mothers are more stressed because of societal expectations to balance work and parenting duties. They were more likely than male parents to say that being a parent is stressful and tiring all or most of the time. Mothers said they do more than their spouses or partners to manage child-care responsibilities and are more likely than fathers to report feeling judged by relatives, friends and other parents in their communities. Moreover, the study found that parents worry about their children for a variety of reasons, with fears about mental health topping the list. Parents using digital devices to unwind, show poor parenting Parents who use digital gadgets/screens to unwind, experience more psychological stress and report poor parenting behaviour such as yelling, nagging, and saying hurtful things to their children, reveals a recent study conducted by University of Waterloo, Canada. Researchers interviewed 549 parents with at least two children between ages five and 18 years. “When kids are showing difficult behaviour, parents often use technology to withdraw. And when you’re absorbed in media, you might have stronger, less patient reactions to your children,” says Jasmine Zhang, lead study author and a graduate student researcher at the University of Waterloo. According to Zhang, such parents are also more likely to “retreat” rather than engage with their children. “If you’re absorbed in your phone, you’re more likely to shy away when a child is throwing a tantrum rather than addressing the situation,” adds Zhang. However not all technology consumption is connected with bad parenting. For instance the study found that using media to maintain social connections — for example by texting, video chatting, and emailing friends — is linked with good parenting. It can cheer your child when she’s sad. Inadequate sleep in adolescence linked to multiple sclerosis Adolescents who sleep less are at higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis, says a study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (January). Conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, the study examined 2,075 adults with multiple sclerosis and 3,164 others (control group). Researchers asked participants about the quality and duration of sleep during their teenage years. They divided sleep duration into three categories: less than seven hours per night (short sleep), seven-nine hours and ten or more hours (long sleep). The researchers discovered that sleeping less than seven hours at night during adolescence was associated with increased risk of developing…

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BMI not linked to behaviour disorders in children

BMI not linked to behaviour disorders in children A new study has found that adverse body mass index (BMI) is unlikely to have a big impact on children’s mood and/or behavioural disorders. Researchers of the University of Bristol, UK, reviewed 41,000 children and their parents in the study published in the online journal eLife (December). They assessed the relationship between children’s BMI — ratio of weight and height — and symptoms of depression, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The analysis found minimal effect of a child’s high adverse BMI and anxiety symptoms. There was also conflicting evidence about whether a child’s BMI induced depressive or ADHD symptoms. Some earlier studies had indicated that obese children are more likely to be diagnosed with depression. “Our results suggest that interventions designed to reduce child obesity are unlikely to make big improvements in child mental health. On the other hand, policies that target social and environmental factors linked to higher body weight, and target poor child mental health directly, may be more beneficial,” says lead author Amanda Hughes, senior research associate in epidemiology at Bristol University. Digital devices increase emotional dysregulation in kids Frequent use of devices such as smartphones and tablets to calm upset children aged three-five years is associated with increased emotional dysregulation, particularly in boys, says a study published in JAMA Pediatrics (December 22). “Using mobile devices to calm a young child may seem like a harmless, temporary tool to reduce stress in households, but there may be adverse long term consequences if it’s a regular go-to soothing strategy. Especially in early childhood, devices may displace opportunities for development of independent and alternative self regulation options,” says lead author Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioural pediatrician at the University of Michigan, USA. Researchers studied 422 parents and an equal number of children, and analysed parent and child responses relating to usage of digital devices as a calming tool and symptoms of emotional reaction or dysregulation over a six-month period. Signs of increased dysregulation includes rapid shifts between melancholia and excitement, sudden mood changes and heightened impulsivity. Depression drugs taken during pregnancy affect infant brains Consumption of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy increases the risk of lifelong neurodevelopmental changes in infant brains, including symptoms linked to autism, reveals a recent study of the University of Virginia (UVA). A team of UVA neuroscientists found that commonly used antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) interact powerfully with inflammations in the mother’s body from infections or other causes. In lab mice, this interaction had harmful impact on the placenta and the decidua — the direct connection between mother and child — and could adversely affect the developing brains of children. “Our findings suggest that (SSRIs) can have deleterious consequences when mixed with infection, inflammation, etc. They might help to explain the rise in autism prevalence over the past 20 years, as this time coincides with the rollout of widespread SSRI usage in the developing world,” says senior researcher John Lukens of the UVA…

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Heart disease kills 78,000 infants annually

Heart disease kills 78,000 infants annually An estimated 78,000 infants born with congenital heart disease die annually in India “due to inadequate healthcare facilities and lack of awareness”, says top cardiac surgeon Dr. Ramakanta Panda, Group CEO, Asian Heart Institute (AHI), Mumbai. In contrast, in advanced Western countries, the number of children dying from heart failure or related problems has dropped by 50 percent. “Paediatric heart failure is a pressing issue as it is a prime cause of death in children under age five the world over. Moreover, children with heart failure face a higher mortality rate in emergency situations compared with adults,” said Dr. Panda, speaking to the media in Mumbai on the eve of Children’s Day (November 14). Dr. Panda advises pregnant women to take several precautions to reduce the risk of children developing heart ailments. Among them: no drinking or smoking including passive smoking; regular vaccinations; managing chronic health issues; checking blood-sugar levels, taking multi-vitamins and consulting a doctor before taking medication. Indian teens face high risk of drug abuse “Teenage children in India are at increased risk of drugs and alcohol abuse because of poor mental and physical health the outcome of violence, exploitation and sexual abuse”, said Billy Batware, programme officer of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), speaking at the International Forum on Children Matter — Right to a Drug-Free Childhood held in Trivandrum on November 16-18. According to Batware, 13.1 percent of the population indulging in drug and substance abuse in India are below 20 years of age. “Nine out of 10 people with drug addiction begin using substances before they are 18 years old,” said Batware. Batware added that UNODC has defined “harnessing the transformative power of youth and children as one of its three cross-cutting commitments”. He called for “stepping up community intervention and establishing preventive mechanisms targeting adolescents”. Also speaking on the occasion, Arun Kandasamy, professor of psychiatry, Centre for Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, said that 70 percent of adolescents indulging in substance abuse have a family history of addiction. “Adolescents, who are a high-risk group for addiction, often come too late to treatment. If they can be identified and treated early, many complications can be addressed,” said Kandasamy. Children have sophisticated ability to forgive others Teaching children to appreciate other perspectives makes it easier for them to learn to forgive, says a recent study conducted by North Carolina State University, USA. The study, led by Kelly Lynn Mulvey, associate professor of psychology at the university, also found that teaching children to render sincere apologies helps them receive forgiveness. Mulvey and her team of researchers interviewed 185 children, between the ages of five and 14 to assess their ‘theory of mind’ skills — the capability to understand other people’s beliefs, intentions and desires different from their own. “We found that children have sophisticated abilities to forgive others. They are capable of restoring relationships with others, and are usually interested in doing so. One of the biggest implications…

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Digital media consumption-low quality parenting link

Digital media consumption-low quality parenting link Parents who don’t control their digital media consumption tend to practise lower-quality parenting, says a study published in Computers and Human Behaviour (August). The study conducted by University of Waterloo, Canada found that parents suffering anxiety are more likely to binge watch television and/or digital media for relaxation. This, in turn, led to negative parenting practices such as nagging and yelling at children. “It’s not just children who are often on devices. Parents resort to digital media for many reasons, and this indulgence can impact their children,” says Jasmine Zhang, lead author of the study. However, not all media consumption is correlated with negative outcomes. Maintaining social connections through digital channels results in lower levels of anxiety and depression and higher levels of positive parenting practices. For this study University of Waterloo researchers surveyed 549 parents with at least two children between the ages five-18. Reasons for gamer rage among children complex Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have found complex explanations for outbursts of rage among children playing digital games. A recent study concludes that rage outbursts are linked to their performance in digital games. “Repeated or last-minute in-game failures, losing to a beginner, causes annoyance and rage. In digital gaming, competitiveness and social factors play a major role,” says Juho Kahila, project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. Children often compare their performance to other players. Frustrating actions by other players, such as cheating or losing a game due to incompetent teammates, causes rage. In addition, out-of-game interruptions, such as having to do chores or homework, and technical glitches, such as a poor internet connection, are identified as sources of rage. Gamer rage manifests verbally and physically. Children not only yell and curse, but also kick, beat and threw items on hand, such as gaming equipment or pieces of furniture. Teens with parents who smoke are more likely to try e-cigarettes Teens with parents who smoke are 55 percent more likely to try electronic cigarettes, says a recent study of Irish teenagers. Conducted by researchers of the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland (TFRI), Dublin, the study examined data of 6,216 17-18-yearolds with parents who smoked tobacco while they were growing up. The sample teenagers were asked whether they smoked or used e-cigarettes. The study data showed that teenagers whose parents smoked were 55 percent more likely to have tried e-cigarettes and 51 percent more likely to have smoked cigarettes. The proportion of teens who tried e-cigarettes increased from 23 percent in 2014 to 39 percent in 2019. “It’s a plain truth that parents and friends influence teenagers’ decisions to try e-cigarettes. This conclusion is important because parents can try to change. However, governments need to play their part by making laws to protect children and young people,” says Salome Sunday, doctoral researcher, TFRI. 8 million children lost a parent/ primary caregiver to the pandemic A new international study indicates that from January 1, 2020, to May, 1, 2022, nearly 8…

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Infants develop sense of taste in utero

Infants develop sense of taste in utero What pregnant women consume influences babies’ taste preferences after birth and potentially have implications for establishing healthy eating habits, says a study published in Psychological Science (September). Researchers of Durham University’s Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, UK, examined 4D ultrasound scans of 100 pregnant women to draw inferences on how their unborn babies responded after being exposed to flavours from foods eaten by their mothers. While humans experience flavour through a combination of taste and smell, in fetuses, this may happen through inhaling and swallowing the amniotic fluid in the womb. “A number of studies have suggested that babies can taste and smell in the womb, but they are based on post-birth outcomes while our study is the first to see these reactions prior to birth. As a result, we think that this repeated exposure to flavours before birth could help to establish food preferences post-birth, which could be important when thinking about messaging healthy eating and the potential for avoiding ‘food-fussiness’ when weaning,” says Beyza Ustun, lead author of the study. Melatonin not advisable for children According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, during the period 2012-2021, the number of cases reported to poison control centers and visits to the emergency room involving children ingesting over-the-counter sleep aid melatonin rose by 530 percent. By 2020, melatonin was the most common substance that children ingested in the US. This is mostly because young children and teens are accidentally ingesting more of the supplement than is safe, according to CDC. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has advised parents to consult a doctor before giving children melatonin. “The availability of melatonin as gummies or chewable tablets makes it more tempting to give them to children and more likely for them to overdose,” says Dr. Muhammad Adeel Rishi, a critical care specialist at Indiana University Health. “Instead of resorting to melatonin, parents should work on encouraging their children to develop good sleep habits, by setting a regular bedtime and waking hours, establishing a bedtime routine, and limiting digital screen time as bedtime approaches,” advises Rishi. Beware of children ingesting storage batteries A new study conducted in the US by researchers at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Worldwide indicates that storage battery-related emergency room visits have doubled in the past decade compared with previous two decades. On average, a child visits the hospital every 1.25 hours for a battery-related accident. The study also revealed that 84 percent of patients in the past decade were five years of age or younger and tended to suffer more severe injuries than older children. “We’re seeing more and more of these injuries come into our ERs and hospitals around the country. Children are at risk of serious injury and death if they ingest button batteries,” says Kris Jatana, lead project researcher at Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and co-author of the study. “The biggest danger is while it’s lodged in…

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Teen brains tune out mom’s voice

Teen brains tune out mom’s voice At around age 13, teenagers’ brains no longer find their mother’s voices uniquely rewarding, and begin to tune into unfamiliar voices, says a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience (April). Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, California used functional MRI brain scans to understand adolescent children’s neurological activity while they listened to recordings of either their mother’s voice or unfamiliar female voices. They found that teens reward circuits and brain centers are more activated by unfamiliar voices than by their mothers. “Just as an infant knows to tune into her mother’s voice, an adolescent knows to tune into novel voices. As a teen, you don’t know you’re doing this. You’re just being you: You’ve got your friends and new companions and you want to spend time with them. Your mind is increasingly sensitive to and attracted to unfamiliar voices,” says lead author Daniel Abrams, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, who adds that the study gives the first detailed neurobiological explanation for how teens begin to separate from their parents. Witnessing domestic violence increases depression risk in children Witnessing domestic violence increases the risk of mental health problems including depression within children, says a national survey of 17,700 Canadian adults, published in the Journal of Family Violence (April). According to the survey, 22.5 percent of adults who witnessed chronic parental discord as children, suffered major depression at some point in their lives. Fifteen percent had an anxiety disorder and nearly 27 percent substance abuse problems. “Our findings underline the risk of long-term negative outcomes of chronic domestic violence on children, even when the children themselves are not abused,” says study author Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course and Ageing, at the University of Toronto. Adds co-author Deirdre Ryan Morissette, a graduate of the university’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work: “Many children who are exposed to their parent’s domestic violence remain constantly vigilant and perpetually anxious, fearful that any conflict may escalate into assault.” Sleep loss makes new moms cranky Nearly 85 percent of new mothers suffer sleep deprivation and feel tired and cranky by the end of the day, says a recent survey conducted by Centuary Mattress, and Momspresso — a mother’s community — covering Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. On average new mothers get only four hours of sleep per night during the first year of their child’s life, much less than the recommended eight hours. Bengaluru mothers were the most sleep deprived following birth of their first child. Ninety-one percent of moms agreed that having a separate mattress for their baby can help them sleep better. According to the report, sleep deprivation has an emotional impact on mothers making them irritable, cranky and adversely impacts their daily functions. Thirty-one percent of mothers in Mumbai and Hyderabad reported being unable to complete their daily duties due to lack of sleep. “The survey highlights that new moms need help and are often overwhelmed,…

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Sleeping under lights harmful for health

Sleeping under lights harmful for health Exposure to lighting during night sleep can harm cardiovascular functions and increase insulin resistance the following morning, say researchers at Northwestern University, USA. The study, published in the journal PNAS, tested the effect of sleeping with 100 lux (moderate light) compared to 3 lux (dim light) in participants over one night. The researchers found that moderate light exposure caused the body to go into a higher alert state called sympathetic activation. In this state, heart rate increases as also the force with which the heart contracts. “The results from this study demonstrate that just a single night of exposure to moderate room lighting during sleep can impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation, which are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It’s important for people to avoid or minimize the amount of light exposure during sleep,” says Dr. Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at the university’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Sharing memories sets children on a path of better well-being Infants whose mothers received special coaching in talking about memories, grew into adolescents with better mental wellbeing, reveals a recent research study conducted by the University of Otago, New Zealand. The study found that 15-year-olds told more coherent stories about turning points in their lives if their mothers had been taught new conversational techniques 14 years earlier. Published in the Journal of Personality (2022), the study is a follow-up of a reminiscing intervention in which 115 mothers of infants were assigned to either a control group or trained in elaborative reminiscing for a year. Elaborative reminiscing involves having open and responsive conversations with youngest children about everyday past events. Prof. Elaine Reese, project lead, says adolescents whose mothers had participated in the coaching sessions narrated difficult events from their lives — such as parental divorce or cyber-bullying — with greater clarity and insights. “Our findings suggest that brief coaching sessions with parents early in children’s lives can have long-lasting benefits, for the way adolescents process and talk about difficult life events and for their well-being,” says Reese. WHO calls for better maternal and postnatal care On March 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first ever global guidelines to support women and newborns in the postnatal period — the first six weeks after birth. Currently three in ten women and infants worldwide don’t receive any postnatal care in the first few days after birth — the period when most maternal and infant deaths occur. “The need for quality maternity and newborn care doesn’t stop once a baby is born. Indeed, the birth of a baby is a life-changing moment… Parents need strong healthcare and support systems, especially women, whose needs are too often neglected when the baby comes,” says Dr. Anshu Banerjee, director of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and ageing at WHO. In its guidelines WHO recommends breastfeeding; provision of high quality care in health facilities/hospitals for women and infants for at least 24 hours after birth; encouragement of…

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Insomnia in childhood impacts sleep in adulthood

Insomnia in childhood impacts sleep in adulthood Children who don’t get good quality, restful sleep are likely to suffer insomnia in adulthood, says a recent study of the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine. Researchers followed over 500 children from childhood, adolescence through young adulthood. The sample respondents and their parents answered questions about sleeping patterns and overall quality of sleep. This first-of-its-kind longitudinal study concluded that 43 percent of those who suffered insomnia symptoms during childhood had persistent symptoms in young adulthood as well with 20 percent experiencing spikes in symptoms as adults. “The key finding of this study is that insomnia symptoms in childhood are much more likely to persist over time than we previously believed. Those with insomnia symptoms and laboratory-measured short sleep duration are much more likely to evolve to develop a clinical condition in early adulthood, and not just to persist with the symptoms,” says Dr. Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine. Lockdown didn’t impact infants’ language development An international consortium of scholars from 13 countries recently released its findings on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic-related social isolation upon 2,200 infants aged between eight and 36 months. Their findings provide insights into the effects of lockdown on language acquisition in youngest children. A study led by the University of Oslo and published in the journal Language Development Research has found that children who were read to more frequently during the lockdown were reported by caregivers to have learned more words, compared to their peers who were read to less frequently. A second study on the impact of increased screen-time on language development, led by the University of Göttingen and published in Scientific Reports, highlights that children with increased exposure to digital screens learned to say fewer words, compared to their peers with less screen time. However, overall, the studies concluded that children learned more words than expected during lockdown, relative to pre-pandemic levels. “Relatively short isolation did not detrimentally impact language development in young children,” says Natalia Kartushina, associate professor, University of Oslo. Green spaces reduce oxidative stress in children A study of over 300 Italian children by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (IS Global) has found that increased exposure to green spaces reduces oxidative stress in children. Oxidative stress is defined as “a disturbance in the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species and anti-oxidant defences”. Symptoms include fatigue, memory loss, muscle and/or joint pain, decreased eyesight and headache. The researchers found that exposure to green spaces also increased Vitamin D synthesis — vital to combat the ill effects of oxidative stress. “Increased exposure to green areas may contribute to children’s immune development by bringing them into contact with organisms that tend to colonise natural environments,” says lead author Judith Garcia-Aymerich, researcher and head of the Non-Communicable Diseases and Environment Programme at ISGlobal. Positive parenting reduces children’s obesity risk Children exposed to positive parenting are at reduced risk of obesity, reveals a study published in…

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BPA chemical exposure impacts fetal brain growth

BPA chemical exposure impacts fetal brain growth Scientists at the University of Missouri, USA have found that transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a pregnant mother to her unborn child through the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. BPA is an industrial chemical used in many household items such as plastic water bottles and food containers, and the epoxy coating of metal food cans. Exposure can occur during the simple act of microwaving food inside polycarbonate plastic food containers. “The placenta is only a temporary organ that aids in the exchange of nutrients and waste between mother and child during pregnancy, but how the placenta responds to toxicants like BPA during pregnancy can lead to long-term health consequences,” says Cheryl Rosenfeld, professor of biomedical sciences in the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine. For the study, the researchers exposed female mice to BPA two weeks prior to conception until day 12.5 of pregnancy. At this point, they collected their fetal placentas and isolated their RNAs for sequencing. Analyses indicated that BPA induces small RNAs in mice placenta and that these may affect fetal brain development through the secretion of MicroRNAs. Infants born to vaccinated mothers have high antibody levels Infants born to mothers vaccinated against Covid-19 during pregnancy have more antibodies than babies born to unvaccinated or Covid-infected mothers, says a recent study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), USA. At two months, 98 percent of infants born to vaccinated mothers had detectable levels of protective Immunoglobulin G (IgG), the most common antibody found in blood, and at six months, 57 percent still had detectable IgG. In contrast only 8 percent of infants born to Covid-infected mothers had IgG. “The durability of the antibody response shows vaccination not only provides lasting protection to mothers but also antibodies that persist in a majority of infants to at least six months of age. We hope these findings will provide further incentive for pregnant women to get vaccinated, especially with the emergence of new variants like Omicron,” says Andrea Edlow, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at MGH. School uniforms don’t improve student behaviour School uniforms don’t improve primary school children’s behaviour or attendance, reveals a study published in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly (December 2021). The study conducted by Arya Ansari, assistant professor of human sciences at Ohio State University, USA (OSU), Michael Shepard, a graduate student in human sciences at OSU, and Michael Gottfried, associate professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania, surveyed data of 6,300 kindergarten-class V children in 1,000 schools across all 50 states of the US. “A lot of the core arguments about why school uniforms are good for student behaviour don’t hold up in our sample. We didn’t see much difference in children’s behaviour, regardless of whether the schools had a uniform policy or not,” says Ansari. However the study found that class V students who attended schools mandating uniforms reported lower levels of “school belonging” than those in schools without uniforms. “When students can’t show their…

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Teens slept longer and better during lockdown

Teens slept longer and better during lockdown A recent study of the University of Zurich (UZH) has found that learning from home during the pandemic lockdown has had a positive effect on the sleep habits and overall health and well-being of adolescents. “Students got about 75 minutes more sleep per night during the lockdown. At the same time, their health-related quality of life improved significantly and their consumption of alcohol and caffeine went down,” says Oskar Jenni, professor of developmental paediatrics, UZH and the study’s co-leader. For the study UZH researchers interviewed 3,664 high school students in the Canton of Zurich about their sleep patterns and quality of life during the lockdown. They then compared the answers with a 2017 survey of 5,308 young participants. The comparison showed that during the three months schools were closed, adolescents woke up 90 minutes later on school days because they didn’t have to commute to school, and went to bed only 15 minutes later on average. Consequently, their sleep duration increased by about 75 minutes per night. Pandemic babies score low on development tests Researchers of Columbia University, USA have found that infants born during the pandemic’s first year scored lower on a developmental screening test of social and motor skills at six months of age compared with children born pre-pandemic. They studied 255 infants born at the New York Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Allen Hospital between March and December 2020. The study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics (2022) also reveals that infants scored lower on developmental tests irrespective of whether their mothers had contracted Covid-19 during pregnancy. “We were surprised to find absolutely no signal suggesting that exposure to Covid-19 while in utero was linked to neurodevelopmental deficits. Rather, being in the womb of a mother experiencing the pandemic was associated with slightly lower scores in areas such as motor and social skills, though not in others, such as communication or problem-solving skills. The results suggest that the huge amount of stress experienced by pregnant mothers during these unprecedented times may have played a role,” says Dani Dumitriu, assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Columbia University. Increased letter spacing in texts increases reading speed Increased letter spacing and coloured overlays in printed books minimise reading errors for dyslexic and non-dyslexic children, says a study published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities (December 2021). The study conducted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), UK, found that increased letter spacing between words improved the reading speed of children. On average, the dyslexia group of children showed a 13 percent increase in reading speed, while the comparison group of non-dyslexic children showed a 5 percent improvement. “We found that extra-large letter spacing increases the reading speed of children both with and without dyslexia, and significantly reduces the number of words that dyslexic children skip when reading. We believe that extra-large letter spacing works by reducing what is known as the ‘crowding effect,’ which can hamper the recognition of letters and reduce…

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Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted children

The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected children on an unprecedented scale, making it the worst crisis for children Unicef has seen in its 75-year history. In a recently released report Preventing a Lost Decade: Urgent Action to Reverse the Devastating Impact of Covid-19 on Children and Young People, Unicef highlights numerous ways in which the pandemic has set back decades of progress on key childhood challenges such as poverty, health, access to education, nutrition, child protection and mental well-being. It warns that almost two years into the pandemic, the widespread impact of Covid-19 continues to deepen, intensifying poverty, entrenching inequality and threatening the rights of children to an unprecedented extent. “Throughout our history, Unicef has helped to shape healthier and safer environments for children across the globe, with great results for millions,” says Henrietta Fore, executive director, Unicef. “These gains are now at risk. The pandemic has been the biggest threat to progress for children in our 75-year history. While the number of children who are hungry, out of school, abused, living in poverty or forced into marriage is going up, the number of children with access to health care, vaccines, sufficient food and essential services is going down.” Children can learn the art of forgiveness Teaching children to understand other people’s perspectives makes it easier for them to learn how to forgive people, says a recent study conducted by psychologists of North Carolina State University, USA. The study also says that teaching children to make sincere apologies prompts them to seek forgiveness from others. “Forgiveness is important in children and adults for restoring relationships and limiting future conflicts,” says Kelly Lynn Mulvey, lead author of the study and an associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. Mulvey and her team who surveyed 185 children, between the ages of five and 14, concluded that children are more likely to forgive someone if they apologise. “We found that kids have sophisticated abilities to forgive others. Children are capable of restoring relationships with others, and are usually interested in doing so,” says Mulvey. Male children face more abuse than girls when playing sports Three-quarters of children experience abuse when playing games and sports with male children more likely to be victims than girls. A study of more than 10,000 children in six European countries — The Child Abuse in Sport: European Statistics (CASES) — released in November, says that nearly two-thirds of children polled had suffered psychological abuse and 44 percent experienced physical violence. “Our findings are obviously of great concern. We have seen a number of high-profile cases of child abuse in sport in recent times, but this research helps us to understand the scale of the problem more clearly,” says Prof. Mike Hartill, lead author and professor at Edge Hill University, UK. The highest incidence of abuse is among children who compete internationally — 84 percent have experienced some form of abuse. Mental health of parent and children deeply inter-connected Asecondary analysis of the Fragile Families and Child…

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Parental stress negatively impacts children’s eating habits

The high parental stress experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted children’s eating habits, says a study conducted by University of Houston College of Education and published in Current Psychology (October). When stay-at-home mandates were ordered and school went online during the pandemic, millions of parents had to suddenly discharge the roles of caregiver, employee and educator. Leslie Frankel, associate professor of human development and family studies at University of Houston College of Education, says all these responsibilities took a toll on “parents’ mental health, and in turn, what and how much their children were consuming”. “These parents do not have the time, energy or emotional capacity to engage in optimal feeding behaviors, so they resort to maladaptive feeding such as using food as reward, or pressuring their kids to eat. As a result, their children are not able to self-regulate what or how much food they are putting into their bodies, which could have harmful consequences in the long run,” says lead researcher Frankel. For the study surveying how parental stress negatively impacts children’s eating habits, researchers surveyed 119 mothers and fathers of children aged two-seven between April and June 2020. Mothers reported experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. Less sleep in infants linked with obesity New born infants who sleep longer and wake up less through the night are less likely to be overweight in infancy, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital. For the study published in the journal Sleep (October 2021), researchers monitored the sleep patterns of 298 infants using ankle actigraphy watches while parents kept sleep diaries, recording their children’s sleep and wake episodes. They found that just one additional hour of sleep correlated with a 26 percent decrease in infants’ risk of being overweight. “This study underscores the importance of healthy sleep at all ages. Parents should consult their pediatricians about best practices to promote healthy sleep, like keeping consistent sleep schedules, providing a dark and quiet space for sleeping, and avoiding having feeding bottles in bed,” says study co-author Susan Redline, senior physician in the division of sleep and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Also read: Preventing childhood obesity Breastfeeding improves women’s postmenopausal cognitive power Researchers at UCLA Health, Los Angeles, have found that women aged 50-plus who had earlier breastfed their children performed better on cognitive tests compared to women who had never breastfed. The study, published in Evolution, Medicine and Public Health (October 2021), confirms that breastfeeding has a positive impact on postmenopausal women’s cognitive capabilities with long-term benefits for brain health. “While several studies have found that breastfeeding improves a child’s long-term health and well-being, our study is one of very few that has looked at the long-term health effects of women who had breastfed their babies. Our findings, which show superior cognitive performance among women over 50 who had breastfed, suggest that breastfeeding may be ‘neuroprotective’ later in life,” says Molly Fox, lead author of the study and assistant professor, UCLA.…

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Indian children are hesitant to request mental health support

Indian children are most hesitant about soliciting professional support and counseling for mental stress and disorders. According to a 2021 survey conducted by Unicef and Gallup among 20,000 children and adults in 21 countries, Indian children are hesitant to request mental health support. A mere 41 percent of Indian children and youth between 15-24 years has a positive attitude towards seeking support for mental health problems, compared to an average of 83 percent of 20 countries. The survey results published in State of the World’s Children 2021 also found that 14 percent of 15-24-year-olds in India — or 1 in 7 — reported often “feeling depressed or having little interest in doing things”. Across 21 countries, the median was 1 in 5 young people. The report says that the Covid disruption of routines, education, recreation, as well as anxiety about family income and health, has adversely impacted young people making them afraid, angry, and pessimistic about the future. Unicef’s rapid assessment adds that only 60 percent of children in India could access digital classrooms in 2021. Digital screen time linked to children’s myopia A recent study undertaken by researchers and eye health experts from Singapore, Australia, China and the UK, reveals that prolonged viewing of electronic screens leads to higher risk and severity of myopia, or short-sightedness in children and young adults. The researchers examined more than 3,000 studies investigating electronic devices exposure and myopia in children and young adults aged between three months and 33 years. After analysing and statistically combining the studies, the researchers found that prolonged focus on electronic screens, mobile phones included, results in 30 percent higher risk of myopia and, when combined with excessive computer use, that risk rises to 80 percent. “This research comes at a time when our children have been spending more time than staring at screens for long periods, due to schools closure. It is clear that urgent research is needed to further understand how exposure to digital devices can affect our eyes and vision. We also know that people underestimate their own screen time, so future studies should use objective measures to capture this information,” says Dr. Rupert Bourne, professor of ophthalmology in the Vision and Eye Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, UK. Fruits & vegetables improve children’s mental well-being A fruits and vegetables-rich diet results in better mental well-being among children, especially secondary school students, says a study conducted by UEA Health and Social Care Partners and Norfolk County Council, and published in ScienceDaily (October). The researchers analysed data of 9,000 children in 50 schools across Norfolk, UK (7,570 secondary and 1,253 primary schoolers), and found that children who consumed five or more portions of fruits and vegetables per day had the highest scores for mental well-being. “As a potentially modifiable factor at individual and societal levels, nutrition represents an important public health target for strategies to address childhood mental well-being. Public health strategies and school policies should be formulated to ensure that good quality nutrition is available…

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Children gained weight during the pandemic

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (August) has found that children gained excess body weight during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those in the five-11 years age group. “When we compared the weight gain among children from 2019 to 2020, we found that there was more weight gained during the pandemic for youth of all ages,” says lead researcher Corinna Koebnick of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Department of Research & Evaluation. Researchers analysed the electronic health records of 191,509 children in the five-17 age group from March 1, 2019, to January 31, 2021. They found that children between five-11 years gained 5.07 pounds additional weight during the pandemic than during the same time period before Covid-19, while 12-15 year-olds and 16-17 year-olds gained an excess of 5.1 pounds and 2.26 pounds, respectively. “As children go back to school it will be important to focus on health and physical activity to help children not carry unwanted extra weight into adulthood. We need to immediately begin to invest in monitoring the worsening obesity epidemic and develop diet and activity interventions to help children achieve and maintain healthy weight,” says Koebnick. Green living cuts heart disease risk Living in a green neighbourhood lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, says a study presented at the ESC Congress 2021. The study highlighted that residents of “high greenness blocks” had 16 percent less chance of developing new cardiovascular conditions compared to those living in “low greenness blocks”. For the study, researchers studied 243,558 US Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who lived in the same area of Miami from 2011 to 2016. Participants were categorised based on whether they lived in low, medium or high greenness blocks. Greenness is a measure of trees, shrubs and grass assessed by NASA imaging of the Earth and other technologies. “We found that areas with better air quality have higher greenness, and that higher greenness in turn, is related to lower rates of deaths from heart disease,” says William Aitken, a cardiology fellow at the University of Miami. Bed-sharing doesn’t improve mother-child bonding Bed-sharing has no impact on infant attachment and/or maternal bonding, says a recently published research paper in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (May). Many parents share their bed with infants for reasons such as practicality and breastfeeding, or because they believe in ‘attachment parenting’. However this study conducted by University of Kent, UK, which analysed data of 178 infants and their parents at birth, three, six and 18 months of age, found no correlation between bed sharing during the first six months and infant-mother attachment or infant behavioral outcomes. Similarly, sharing a bed had no impact on maternal bonding and sensitivity in interacting with infants at any of the assessment stages. “A lot of people believe that bed sharing is necessary to promote secure attachment with infants. However, there is little research in this area and quite mixed evidence. More investigation of outcomes of bed sharing is required to…

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Children recover fast from Covid-19

Most children infected with the Covid-19 virus recover in less than a week, and rarely experience long-term symptoms, says a peer-reviewed study by scientists of King’s College, London, published recently in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Journal. The study analysed data provided by parents on the UK Zoe Covid Study app. It covered 1,734 children, aged between five and 17 years, who tested positive for the Coronavirus between September 2020-February 2021. King’s College researchers found that only one in 20 children (4 percent) experienced Covid-19 symptoms for four weeks or more, with one in 50 (2 percent) exhibiting symptoms for more than eight weeks. The most common symptoms reported were headaches, tiredness, sore throat and loss of smell. “Our research confirms that a small number do have a long illness duration with Covid-19, though these children too usually recover with time. We hope our results will be useful for doctors, parents, and schools caring for these children – and of course affected children themselves,” says senior author Emma Duncan, professor of clinical endocrinology at the college’s School of Life Course Sciences. Alcoholic parents cause mental health issues in children Children of heavy alcohol drinkers are at higher risk of developing mental health disorders, serious injuries or illness and criminal behaviour, says a report published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (July). The authors reviewed data from 91 studies, 79 of which focused on the effects on children of heavy parental drinking. The report concluded that the progeny of parents who consume large amounts of alcohol are more likely to develop mental health problems. Children whose mothers drink heavily are also at higher risk of mood disorders such as depression and stress-related conditions including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, aka ADHD. Moreover such children are also more likely to report lower academic achievement, experience abuse or neglect and be placed in foster care. The study was conducted by researchers of Aarhus University, Denmark. Teens open up to attentive parents Engaged listening techniques such as eye contact, nodding and praising openness prompt teenagers to admit aberrant behaviour and share hurt feelings with their parents, says a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology (June). University of Reading (UK) researchers asked over 1,000 teens aged 13-16 years to watch a staged conversation between a parent and teenager about a difficult situation, with the parent adopting differing body language and listening behaviour in the same conversation. Adolescents who participated were unanimous that instances where the parent was visibly attentive would prompt them to admit wrongdoing and vent their sentiments. “This study shows that in parent-teenager relationships, lending a patient ear to teens while communicating through body language that they are valued and appreciated has a powerful effect on their willingness to open up,” says Dr. Netta Weinstein, associate professor of clinical and social psychology at the University of Reading, who co-led the study. 1.5 million children worldwide lost a parent/caregiver to Covid-19 More than…

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Larger vegetable meal servings increase children’s veggie intake

Adding more vegetables to children’s meal servings results in increasing their vegetables intake, says a study conducted by Penn State University, USA and published in the journal Appetite (June). According to university researchers, when they doubled vegetable servings from 60 to 120 gms, children ate 68 percent more vegetables, or an additional 21 gms. Seasoning the vegetables with butter and salt, however, made no difference in consumption. The study sample covered 67 children aged three-five years. “The increase we observed is equal to about one third of a serving or 12 percent of the daily recommended vegetable intake for young children. Using this strategy may be useful to parents, caregivers and teachers trying to encourage children to eat the recommended amount of vegetables throughout the day,” says Hanim Diktas, graduate student in nutritional sciences at Penn State. Teens at risk of self-harming can be identified a decade earlier Researchers at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, have identified two subgroups of adolescents who self-harm, and say it is possible to predict individuals at greatest risk almost a decade before they begin self-harming. The study published in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (May) identified adolescents who reported self-harm at age 14, from a nationally representative UK birth cohort of approximately 11,000 individuals. They discovered significant risk factors present as early as age five, nearly a decade before they reported self-harming. The first group showed a long history of poor mental health, as well as bullying before they self-harmed. For the second group, however, self-harming behaviour was harder to predict early in childhood. But one of the key signs was a greater willingness to take part in risk-taking behaviour, which is linked to impulsivity. “Our results suggest that boosting younger children’s self-esteem, making sure that schools implement anti-bullying measures, and providing advice on sleep training, could help reduce self-harm levels years later,” says Ducan Astle, programme leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. Mindfulness training helps children sleep better Children who learn techniques such as deep breathing and yoga sleep longer and better, says a Stanford University study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (July). According to university researchers, at-risk children gained more than an hour of sleep per night after participating in mindfulness curriculums at their elementary schools. Children in the study lived in two low-income, primarily Hispanic communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. The study is the first to use polysomnography techniques, which measure brain activity, to assess how school-based mindfulness training changes children’s sleep. The curriculum taught children how to relax and manage stress, but it did not instruct them on how to get more sleep. “The children who received the curriculum slept 74 minutes more per night on average, than they had before the intervention. That’s a huge change,” says the study’s senior author, Ruth O’Hara, Ph D, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford. Children who overload on sugar develop health problems…

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Study finds link between C-sections and allergies in children

A study published in the journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (April) has found a causal link between caesarean section birth, low intestinal microbiota and peanut allergy in infants. Researchers of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry analysed the gut bacteria of 1,422 infants of three-four months age and again when they were one year old. They identified four trajectories for bacterial development, including one in which infants had persistently low levels of bacteroides, critical for immune system development. This profile was most common in infants born by caesarean section. The infants were also given skin prick tests at one and three years of age to assess their reaction to a variety of allergens, including egg, milk and peanut. Infants with low bacteroides levels exhibited a threefold increase in their risk of developing peanut sensitivity by age three with the risk eight times higher for babies born to mothers of Asian descent. “It’s important to know what predicts or increases risk of food sensitivities because they identify which infants will go on to develop asthma and other types of allergies,” says Anita Kozyrskyj, pediatrics professor at Alberta University. Also read: Infants born to older men at risk of premature birth

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Harsh parenting harms children’s brain development

Harsh parenting practices such as repeatedly getting angry, hitting, or yelling at children have long-term repercussions on their brain development, says a study published in Development & Psychology (May). The study, conducted by Université de Montréal and CHU Sainte Justine Research Centre in partnership with researchers of Stanford University, found that the brain size of adolescents repeatedly subjected to harsh parenting — even though the children did not experience serious acts of abuse — had decreased. “These findings are new and significant. It’s the first time that harsh parenting falling short of serious abuse has been linked to decreased brain structure and size. This is common in victims of serious acts of abuse. Therefore it is important for parents and society to understand that the frequent use of harsh parenting practices can harm a child’s brain development,” says Dr. Sabrina Suffren, Ph D, of the Université de Montréal. Also read: Pros and cons of popular parenting styles

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New mothers suffer post-natal depression during lockdown

Almost half (47.5 percent) of first-time mothers in the UK with infants aged six months or younger were diagnosed with post-natal depression during the first Covid-19 lockdown — more than double the average rate for Europe — reveals a recent study conducted by University College London (UCL). Researchers surveyed 162 new mums in London between May and June 2020 who reported feelings of isolation, exhaustion, worry, inadequacy, guilt, and increased stress. However the study found that the more contact new mums had with people, either remotely or face-to-face, the fewer depressive symptoms they reported, suggesting reduced social contact during lockdown may have increased the risk of post-natal depression. “It really does take a village to raise a child, especially in a crisis when everyone is dealing with increased demands and stress. Our survey shows that lockdowns leave new mothers more vulnerable to post-natal depression, and that digital solutions might help but they are not the answer. Policy makers must take this into account as we continue to deal with Covid-19, for the sake of mothers, infants and families,” says Dr. Sarah Myers, senior teaching assistant at UCL. Also read: Depression in new male parents caused by relationship insecurities

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Over 1,000 children call govt Covid-19 helpline

From complaints of loneliness to dealing with anxiety after parents contracted the virus during the past eight months, over 1,000 children have reached out to a government helpline seeking aid and advice. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ recently introduced tele-counselling SAMVEDNA (Sensitising Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance) toll-free helpline is becoming popular for providing psycho-social mental support to Covid-affected children. This tele-counselling service is available on a toll-free number 1800-121-2830 from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 8 pm. The service is provided to children in three categories: children in quarantine/isolation/Covid care centres; those with Covid positive parents or family members, and children who have lost their parents to the pandemic. Also read: Coping with pandemic anxiety

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News Bytes

Teens spanked as children, likely to suffer mental health problems Adolescents who were spanked as children are likely to suffer mental and physical health problems, and display defiant behaviour, says a study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (April). For the study, University of Manitoba researchers interviewed 1,883 adolescents aged 14- 17 years. They were asked how often their caregivers had spanked their bottoms or slapped their hands in childhood. Moreover they were asked whether they had experienced emotional, sexual, or physical abuse, physical neglect, and/or exposure to violence during childhood. The researchers found that adolescents who had experienced three or more spanking/slapping punishments during childhood are more likely to suffer mental and/or physical health disorders compared to those who had reported being spanked or slapped twice or less. “There is a considerable body of evidence that indicates that spanking is harmful. Conversely there are no studies showing its beneficial impact. Despite this, some parents continue to spank children to discipline them,” says study author Tracie O. Afifi, a professor at the University of Manitoba. Screen time adversely affects children’s eating habits The time children and adolescents spend on digital entertainment — computers, mobile phones, television and video games — adversely affects their eating habits, says a study conducted by EpiPHAAN (Epidemiology, Physical Activity, Accelerometry and Nutrition) research group of the University of Malaga (Spain). The study, which analysed physical activity and obesity levels of more than 3,800 children and adolescents, aged 8-16, from 245 schools across Spain, found that children who spent long hours on-screen tend to consume less fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish and nuts and eat more sweets, candies and fast food. Julia Wärnberg, study lead author, researcher and nutrition expert at the University of Malaga, recommends that children and adolescents follow the Mediterranean diet to maintain good eating habits. “The Mediterranean diet is one of the most complete, balanced and healthy diets, as it prevents obesity and provides life-long assurance against cardiovascular ailments,” says Wärnberg. Snoring-child behavioural problems connection A recent study published in Nature Communications has uncovered evidence that behavioral problems in children who snore may be associated with changes in the structure of their brain’s frontal lobe. Researchers led by Amal Isaiah of the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine studied data of over 11,000 nine-ten-year-olds to examine the connection between snoring, brain structure, and behavioral problems. The study found that children who snore regularly are likely to have thinner gray matter in several regions of frontal brain lobes. These areas of the brain stimulate higher reasoning skills and impulse control. “The brain matter of children who snore is similar to what’s observed in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Such children suffer loss of cognitive control which is associated with disruptive behavior,” says study lead author Amal Isaiah, associate professor at UMSOM. Girls spend longer hours on household chores during lockdown During last year’s pandemic lockdown in India, adolescent girl children experienced greater pressure to get married, spent longer hours doing household chores,…

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