USA Today – Richard Peterson
When put to the test, it’s not quite as easy as you’d think to dole out effective discipline — especially when dealing with a strong-willed child. As young children develop independence and learn more about themselves and their environment, they can easily grow frustrated because they don’t always know how to communicate their feelings or how to think and act rationally. (more)
Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
Childhood obesity is a serious health problem and disproportionately affects children of lower income and racial/ethnic minorities. Contributing factors to childhood obesity include the neighborhood environment, social influences, economic factors, the home environment, parenting behaviors, and child behavioral and biological factors. Previous pediatric obesity prevention interventions have been less effective than expected, perhaps in part due to the multifaceted nature of the problem. (more)
Moms – Joanna Mazewski
With more kids spending time indoors rather than outdoors, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. There’s a new report that says health experts are worried about this generation of children and their lack of daily exercise. Apparently, more and more kids are spending their free time in front of their electronic devices than outside at playgrounds or with their friends. (more)
Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
Exercise in childhood has been shown to promote long-lasting health and can counteract the risk of developing diabetes that comes from having an obese father. That’s according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar levels and people with low insulin sensitivity do not respond to insulin as well as normal, which results in blood sugars levels increasing. This can lead to type 2 diabetes. (more)
The Daily Mail – Sam Blanchard
Spending too much time gawping at screens is making children more likely to be short-sighted, become overweight and get cancer, experts say. A review of 80 studies on more than 200,000 people has ranked smartphones and tablets alongside sugary drinks as one of the biggest risks for childhood obesity. Being overweight can lead to a dozen types of cancer, including breast, colon, kidney, liver, ovarian, pancreas and prostate. (more)