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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A recent study conducted by Rice University, USA, which could be surprising and revealing for parents fretting about the time their children spend on the Internet, indicates that more time spent on the Internet improves academic performance of students, especially in math, reading, writing, and social studies.
Rice University researchers, who published the study in […]
Increasing students’ sense of ‘belongingness’ in school is critical for motivating them academically, says an Ohio State University study which surveyed more than 1,600 students over two years. The study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (March) found that students’ motivation to learn improved in the second year. For example, the percentage of students […]
Parents who micromanage and over-regulate children’s activities do more harm than good, says a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology (March). Lead researcher, Jelena Obradović, associate professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and her team studied a group of 102 children aged four-six years and their primary caregivers over the course […]
Children who are exposed to air pollution are likely to develop heart disease and other ailments in adulthood, says a study published in Nature Scientific Reports (February). The study conducted by Stanford University, USA contends that even brief exposure (as little as one day) to air pollution such as smoke and car exhaust, can change […]
Providing students positive encouragement reduces disruptive classroom behaviour and improves learning outcomes, says a new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (February). For the study, University of Missouri researchers implemented CHAMPS, a classroom behaviour management training intervention, in a school classroom over the period of five years. According to lead researcher Keith Herman […]
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