The News Review:
- Sleep Problems Common In Children With ADHD, Study Shows
- Health Tip: Taming a Temper Tantrum
- South Africa: Spectre of Dying Children Renews Call for Action
- … – UNICEF Cautions About The Impact Of Climate Change On The…
- World’s Healthiest Countries
- Too Little Sleep Leads to Too Much Weight for Kids
Sleep Problems Common In Children With ADHD, Study Shows
Science Daily – Science Daily (press release) – Apr 8, 2008
, of the Centre for Community Child Health, Parkville, Australia, and colleagues studied families of 239 schoolchildren (average age 11. 7) with ADHD to determine the prevalence and broad effects of sleep problems in these children. The association of sleep problems with child health-related quality of life, daily functioning, school attendance, primary caregiver mental health and work attendance and family impacts were also noted. Sleep problems affected 175 (73. 3 percent) of the children, with a 28… , of the Centre for Community Child Health, Parkville, Australia, and colleagues studied families of 239 schoolchildren (average age 11. 7) with ADHD to determine the prevalence and broad effects of sleep problems in these children. The association of sleep problems with child health-related quality of life, daily functioning, school attendance, primary caregiver mental health and work attendance and family impacts were also noted. Sleep problems affected 175 (73. 3 percent) of the children, with a 28. 5 percent prevalence of mild sleep problems and 44. 8 percent prevalence of moderate or severe sleep problems.
Health Tip: Taming a Temper Tantrum
Washington Post – Apr 8, 2008
If the tantrum appears to be a way to get attention or to get the child’s way, try to ignore it. Never give in to the child’s demands when expressed this way. Try to anticipate and avoid a tantrum by giving the child a five-minute warning. If the child doesn’t end up where you want the child to be, physically carry the child there. If the child becomes extremely loud or violent, send the child to his or her bedroom for a two-to-five-minute timeout. If your child seems out of control or could cause self-injury, hold the child for about one to three minutes until you feel the child’s body begin to relax. © 2008 Scout News LLC.
South Africa: Spectre of Dying Children Renews Call for Action
AllAfrica.com – Apr 8, 2008
Neglect, bias and discrimination against HIV-infected pregnant women and HIV-infectedchildren can lead to disparities in access to treatment for these particular groups. Poor and unequal treatment is more than asocial degradation: it is a denial of their right to healthcare and results in further inequity and injustice for the worst off groups in our society. A full commitment to and timely implementation of this policy document is needed. Thankfully, the health minister has just established three committees — maternal mortality, perinatal mortality and infant mortality – to investigate these deaths. However, the newly revised guidelines to prevent the transmission of HIV from the mother to the child (PMTCT) do not go far enough in protecting the health of HIV-infected pregnant women and children. Government officials must oversee this process, ensuring that public health is protected, while creating the conditions for fair and equitable access to healthcare.
… – UNICEF Cautions About The Impact Of Climate Change On The…
Medical News Today – Medical News Today (press release) – Apr 8, 2008
The voices of women and children must be heard and their needs assessed as part of the international response to prospective changes to the environment, and they must have access to the knowledge and tools necessary to protect themselves and their communities. About UNICEF UNICEF works in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
World’s Healthiest Countries
Forbes – Apr 8, 2008
Each day they get to take in raw, dramatic landscapes, stunning architecture and world-class shopping. But, more important, they know a thing or two about health and wellness. com has found that the region is home to some of the world’s healthiest countries, including top-ranking… Countries’ success in combating pollution is likely due to a mix of policies addressing the problem, enforcement of standards and the use of clean fuel, says Kiran Pandey, a senior environmental economist for the Global Environment Facility, an organization affiliated with the World Bank, and an author of the research. But some places, such as those located along coastlines, are simply luckier than others, since crosswinds can dilute air pollution, Pandey says. Low infant mortality rates are indications of socioeconomic factors, such as household incomes, which can influence the kind of nutrition and health care a child receives and whether a family is knowledgeable about protection against infection, Kinfu says. The Czech Republic also had one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates. And while a high number of doctors located in an area might not necessarily mean its residents are healthy, due to questions of access, it’s generally a positive sign. Israel has a relatively high doctor density rate, according to the World Health Organization’s World Health Statistics 2007.
Too Little Sleep Leads to Too Much Weight for Kids
Washington Post – Apr 8, 2008
“They suggest that co-sleeping and other uncommon parental behaviors have negative consequences for future sleep and are thus maladaptive. “Sleep problems in schoolchildren with ADHD are extremely common and strongly associated with poorer quality of life, daily functioning and school attendance in the child and poorer caregiver mental health and work attendance,” wrote the researchers, who were headed by Valerie Sung, of the Centre for Community Child Health in Parkville. “Implementation of a sleep intervention in children with ADHD could feasibly improve outcomes beyond treatment of ADHD alone. It is possible that such intervention could reduce the need for medication in some children,” they added. A fourth study, led by Alice M. Gregory of the University of London, found that children who get less sleep are more likely to suffer from symptoms of anxiety, depression and aggression later in life… “The results suggest that children reported to sleep for short periods may be at risk for later difficulties,” the authors concluded. One expert thinks that good sleep behaviors for infants are extremely important and need to be started early. “We have to pay attention to the very early effects of sleep and health and eating in children. It probably does pave the way for a lifestyle, even in early childhood, that is going to be difficult to steer away from,” said Dr. Ann Halbower, medical director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorders Program at Johns Hopkins University Children’s Center in Baltimore. Halbower thinks good sleep behaviors for infants need to be taught to parents before the child is born. “If I meet with moms while they are pregnant and start discussing sleep behaviors, sleep routines, proper sleep habits and safe sleep for their child, they were much more likely to start that pattern than trying to change a behavior after it had become routine,” she said.
