Children | Page 184 of 244 | SpiritIndia.com

Teen girls make better health choices with intervention program

For two consecutive years, researchers examined measures of cardiovascular fitness and self-esteem in sophomore girls attending Trenton Central High School and found students are making better health choices with an intervention program. Low Density Lipoprotein levels — the unhealthy cholesterol — also decreased significantly. WHF Teen Esteem is a gender-specific approach to teen girls’ health and wellness and is meant to be a replacement for traditional gymnastics and health classes.

Young children don’t believe everything they hear

Children’s ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy depends on their use of contextual cues. The findings of three studies in 400 children between 3 and 6 years of age examined children’s ability to determine whether information they received was factual or not based in truth. By the age of 4, children were able to determine whether something was real or imaginary based on information that related that thing to a familiar entity.

Helping children resolve past conflicts may be beneficial

A study of conflict resolution in siblings suggests it is beneficial for children to resolve past disagreements even after the conflict is over. This research was conducted with sixty four pairs of siblings ages 4 to 12. The study concludes that encouraging after-the-fact resolution of differences, parents can help their children develop conflict resolution skills. The study also addressed the factors most likely to affect how conflict is resolved between siblings of different ages.

Sibling relationships reflect family dynamics

New research on sibling relationships indicates that efforts to improve relationships among siblings need to take into account how all members of the family relate to each other. This study of 200 white, working- and middle-class families found that changes in parent-child relationships are associated with changes in sibling relationships. Among other findings, the study found that sibling discord peaks when the first-born child is about 13 and the second-born is about 10 years old.

Children’s sleep difficulties: Reports differ from children to parents

Elementary school-aged children report that they have sleep difficulties more often than their parents report think they do. A sample of 300 pairs of eight-year-old twins was studied to examine the genetic and environmental influences on sleep. The research suggests several explanations for the discrepancy between child and parent reported sleep difficulties in children. Overall, the findings reflect that both genetic and environmental influences are factors in a range of sleep problems.

Styles of conflict between parents have different implications for children and families

New research has added to our understanding of how conflict with parents affects children. The current research followed 212 families with six-year-old children across three years. The findings indicate that mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles are affected differently by different types of conflict. Mothers were observed to be less supportive and involved with children when they experienced hostility with their partner, while fathers’ engagement with children was affected by withdrawal between partners.

Teen girls make better health choices with intervention program

Fatigue in women is reduced in stress-related cortisol study

A study of healthy women has harvested results involving fatigue and vigor that eventually may help researchers fine tune efforts to treat a multitude of illnesses and syndromes linked to low levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Artificial cornea offers better results for infants, some blind patients

Infants and adults who are blind due to a cloudy or damaged cornea are seeing some remarkable results thanks to a new version of an artificial implant that takes the place of the cornea, the clear covering of the eye that serves as our window on the world.

Healthier kids just the click of a remote away

Simple strategy could make a world of difference in a child’s health. Looking for a simple way to increase your child’s physical activity level? Try turning off the television, says University of Toronto research.