News Related to Health & Parenting

Teen Fatalism Linked to Risky Behavior

June 29, 2009 -- New research challenges the widely held belief that teens underestimate the dangers associated with risky behaviors because they think they are invincible. The study found that adolescents who engaged in risky behaviors such as drug use, fighting, and unsafe sex were more likely to
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Sound the Alarm: It’s Potty Time

June 10, 2009 -- Finally, a ring tone aimed at the toddler set. A new potty training device, which rings when a child wets his diaper, significantly improved training results during a study conducted at Flemish day cares. A total of 39 children in day-care facilities participated in the study, which
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Look Out! Computers Have Unseen Risks

June 10, 2009 -- Gazing at the computer screen may hurt your eyes, but it's what people don't see when they're near the machines that cause the most injuries, new research indicates. Apparently, people don't see monitors, wires, and related gadgets, because there's been more than a sevenfold increas
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Bad Marriages Take a Toll on Kids

June 5, 2009 -- Kids earn better grades in school when they live with both biological parents -- unless mom and dad spend their days squabbling. The children of tense, bickering parents are more likely to binge drink than teenagers from calmer homes, and also tend to smoke more and are more likely t
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TV Reduces Young Kids' Language Skills

June 3, 2009 -- Having a television on within earshot of an infant or young child may interfere with their language development by stifling parent-child interaction and conversation. A new study shows that for every hour spent within earshot of a television, fewer words are spoken by parents to thei
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Teens All Thumbs When Texting and Driving

May 5, 2009 -- Driving while text messaging or fiddling with an MP3 player is dangerous -- even more hazardous than talking on a cell phone, a new study shows. Researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk enlisted 21 teens between the ages
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For Kids' Sake, Make Family Meals a Habit

March 10, 2009 -- Listen up, kids. Sitting down to eat with your parents night after night might seem like a drag, but over the long run, it’ll be good for you, a new study says. Regular family meals improve diet quality during the transition from early to middle adolescence, researchers report. And
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Recession Affects Tooth Fairy Payouts

March 4, 2009 -- It seems that even the tooth fairy business is being affected by the recession. When today's kids put baby teeth under their pillows, they can expect on average $1.88 the next morning, according to a poll of 744 parents. That's down from $2.09 last year. Although kids may be feeling
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Teenage Smokers Prefer 2 Major Brands

Feb.12, 2009 -- Teenage smokers prefer the Marlboro and Newport brands by hefty margins, the CDC says. Data analyzed from the 2004 and 2006 National Youth Tobacco Survey show that 43.3% of established smokers in middle school and 52.3% in high school prefer Marlboro. Newport came in second, favored
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Kids With Chronic Illnesses Stay Active

Jan. 12, 2009 -- Children with chronic diseases often don't see themselves as too sick to take part in physical activity, and that's good, a new study shows. What's more, children who feel good about themselves appear to be influenced by positive attitudes of their parents, Australian researchers sa
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