Whilst technology has been blamed for the rise in childhood obesity – the lure of video games mean children are exercising less – it is now being used to help obese children in American lose weight, reports the Times. In a trial being carried out by the University of Southern California, 50 teenagers are to read more »

Researchers in Canada have announced that playing music to babies born prematurely may have them grow, reports the BBC. Premature babies are those born before 37 weeks. Premature birth can be caused by a number of factors, including infections, or smoking. Music appeared to help the babies gain weight quicker, reduce pain and help encourage read more »

Children who have a less active lifestyle are more likely to develop asthma, a new study has shown. 3,000 were tracked from birth to age 11, and parents were asked to track any symptoms of wheezing, as well as their television viewing habits, according to the BBC website. By the end of the study, 6% read more »

Amidst the recent controversy over drinking during pregnancy, a study has shown that drinking during the first three months will cause damage that won’t be repaired by giving up during the second and third trimesters, reports The Independent. Drinking heavily or binge drinking in the first trimester could more than double the risk of a read more »

A survey of parents has found that more than one third of children with ADHD have been excluded from school. The survey was carried out on 526 families as part of the first national ADHD awareness week. ADDISS (the Attention Deficit Disorder Information Support Service) said the survey highlighted a lack of resources and support read more »

According to a survey conducted by the GP magazine, Pulse, 1,092 premises out of more than 7,000 across the UK were below minimum standards. “The problem is getting worse and putting key policies such as moving care into the community in jeopardy”, the survey revealed. According to the government, the premises were getting better as read more »

A new study has investigated ways in which our cognitive skills as humans have been shaped by our primate ancestry – new findings show that human infants display the same preferences as all the other great apes in their strategies for remembering where things are, but apparently these preferences shift as humans develop. The study read more »