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New findings on ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a little-understood
condition that affects children, has been pinned to abnormalities in key
parts of the brain's prefrontal cortex.
In the first large study to map cerebral areas that have been linked to
ADHD, US doctors found that in children with this problem two parts of
the brain known as the dorsal prefrontal and anterior temporal regions
of the cortex were smaller than they should normally be.
Two other zones, known as enlarged posterior temporal and inferior
parietal cortices, were larger. These are strongly inter-connected parts
of the brain that help to process working memory, figure out time and
inhibit impulses.
The findings suggest "this action-attentional network is anatomically
disrupted in children who have attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder," the researchers report in next Saturday's issue of the
British medical weekly The Lancet.
Twenty-seven children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD took part in
the study, and their brains were compared with those of 46 healthy
counterparts.
Previous studies have suggested that there is a small reduction in brain
volume, of between three and five percent, among children with ADHD
compared with their counterparts.
But this is the first large-scale research to use magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scanners to get an idea as to where, more precisely, the
problem may lie.
ADHD is a recently defined Neuropsychiactric disorder. Children with it
have trouble concentrating, keeping still and observing discipline, and
often as a result do very poorly at school.
Between three and six percent of American schoolchildren have this
condition, according to the authors, led by Elizabeth Sowell, assistant
professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The cause of ADHD is unclear, but the frequent method of treatment is
psycho stimulants, a class of powerful drugs that is a stimulant in
adults but in children has a calming effect. These medications can also
have big side effects.
One of the useful consequences of the latest research would be to
fine-tune these drugs so that they can specifically target-affected
parts of the brain, said co-author Bradley Peterson, a professor of
psychiatry at New York's Columbia University.
Source
Children growing up as inside people
(Roger Dobson) Remember
those childhood adventures? That den in the woods, the secret tunnel by
the old factory, the bike rides? Chances are that if you were born 30 or
more years ago, you will have some memories of the delights, and
horrors, of playing in the great outdoors from dawn to dusk.
But no such memories await today's British children, it seems. According
to the latest research, the pleasures of outdoor play are being denied
to youngsters, whose childhoods are increasingly being spent inside
watching TV and playing computer games.
A report from the Children's Society (formed in 1881) suggests that
children are being prevented from playing outside by grumpy and
intolerant adults, whose view is that children should be neither seen
nor heard.
Eight out of 10 children told researchers that they had been told off
for playing outdoors, and half said they had been shouted at, with
11-year-olds attracting the most adult hostility.
But is it as simple as that? After all, adults have always been pretty
intolerant of kids, especially other people's, and have tended to be
more comfortable in the company of quiet, unquestioning, ever-grateful
pets.
Yet there is little doubt that other factors are at play. There is
pressure against outdoor play from parents, who are increasingly mindful
of stranger-danger and child molesters and who rest easier when their
children are inside on the computer rather than playing with friends
outside.
Playgrounds, once a Mecca for children, are in decline, often because
councils no longer want to risk claims for injuries incurred on slides
and swings.
The decline of the extended family had an effect too, with far-away
grandparents no longer able to provide an alternative playing haven. And
then, of course, there is the traffic, the sheer volume of which has
restricted the movements of children and prevented them wandering far
from home.
A result of all these societal changes is that children don't get out
any more.
A survey of new American graduates aged 21 to 24 found that many had
parents who would not allow them to play outside because of fears they
would be kidnapped or molested. Similar fears have been reported in
Japan and South America.
The consequences of losing out on outdoor play can last: "When we play
games with other children we learn how to compete, organise groups, be
creative, and develop socially. It also helps to relate to others and to
form relationships," says psychologist James Ryde.
Today's children are facing pressure from two directions. If they stay
inside watching TV or playing on the PC, they risk being labelled as an
obese couch potato, and if they do venture outside they risk incurring
the disapproval of parents and the intolerance of neighbours.
According to the latest research, most are now opting to stay indoors,
denied the opportunities to let off steam and forced into a sedentary
and unhealthy lifestyle that is likely to fuel the growing obesity
epidemic. A survey of British parents found that seven out of 10
children spent more time playing on computers and watching TV during the
summer holidays than anything else, and one in four youngsters spent
seven or more hours a day on such indoor activities.
Children's Society research, based on the responses of 2800 children,
suggests adult intolerance is a significant problem: "Playing outdoors
is a fundamental part of everyone's childhood, but that is being
threatened by a culture of intolerance towards children's play in
public. We are in danger of letting grumpy adults tidy our children
away," says society executive Tim Linehan.
"Children can only roam about half as far as they used to, and that is
how parents respond to the towns and cities where we live. When I was a
boy, if I was told off — and there has always been some tension between
adults and children — we would always go off and play somewhere else.
Now, children don't have as many choices as they used to."
One-off projects for encouraging children to play outdoors abound, but
fail to tackle the underlying problem, that adults now appear more
intolerant of children than they have ever been.
The fear is that unless something is done, more and more children will
end up as unhealthy, overweight adults whose childhood memories will be
of time spent alone in a bedroom with a computer rather than out with
friends.
Source
US kids show early signs of heart disease
Early signs of heart disease have
been found in US children. About one in seven US schoolchildren has
three or more risk factors of "metabolic syndrome" — a precursor to
heart disease and diabetes.
Girls were particularly at risk, being 50 per cent more likely to have
three risk factors. And over half of the children participating in the
new study had at least one of the risk factors predisposing them to
deadly cardiovascular conditions.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which a cluster of risk factors for
cardiovascular disease are present. These include having high blood
pressure, being obese, having low levels of "good" cholesterol, elevated
triglyceride levels, elevated levels of the hormone insulin and glucose
intolerance.
"These were regular, normal kids, but we found risk factors that are
clear danger signs for the future. If nothing is done, a good number of
these children could develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease," warns
Joanne Harrell at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School
of Nursing, who led the study of over 3200 children.
"I want to alert people to the potential dangers and motivate people to
help our youth increase physical activity and avoid obesity," says
Harrell, who presented the findings at the American Heart Association
meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.
"The results of this study are sad but part of a growing trend which is
likely to be reflected in the UK," Belinda Linden, head of medical
information for the British Heart Foundation told New Scientist.
"Obesity and inactivity may be the main culprits, which, along with a
high fat diet, can contribute to high blood pressure, diabetes, and
coronary heart disease."
'Good' cholesterol
The study involved children aged eight to 17 living in rural North
Carolina. The team measured the children's body mass index, blood
pressure, blood lipids and indicators of how well glucose was processed.
Harrell says they studied a rural group because obesity and type 2
diabetes are slightly more common in these communities. One in four of
the children was classed as overweight.
Overall, 58 per cent had at least one of the six metabolic syndrome risk
factors. Over a quarter - 27 per cent - had two or more. And 13.5 per
cent had three or more of the risk factors, predisposing them to heart
disease.
The most common risk factor, seen in 42.2 per cent of the children, was
having low levels of the so-called "good" cholesterol, HDL cholesterol.
Three or more risk factors were seen in 16.3 per cent of girls compared
with 10.7 per cent of boys. The researchers believe this is because more
girls were overweight.
Health time bomb
The team will be following the children for the next three to four years
to see if their symptoms of metabolic syndrome persist into adulthood.
The findings follow a growing trend towards earlier heart disease and
type 2 diabetes in Western populations.
Also on Sunday, the UK Food Standards Agency released a report
highlighting how food manufacturers target children through advertising.
"We already know that many children's diets contain more fat, sugar and
salt than is recommended," warns John Krebs, FSA chairman. He says that
rising levels of child obesity are a "health time bomb".
Source
Mixed-race youths may suffer more health
problems, study shows
(By Connie Cass Washington) — Students who consider themselves of more
than one race are more likely to feel depressed, have trouble sleeping,
skip school, smoke and drink alcohol, a study says.
Based on national surveys of 90,000 middle school and high school
students, the study found that young people of mixed race are at higher
risk for stress-related health problems.
For example, students who described their race as both black and white
reported more difficulties than those who considered themselves solely
black or solely white.
"It did not matter what races the students identified with, the risks
were higher for all of them if they did not identify with a single
race," said Dr. J. Richard Udry, principal author of the study published
Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.
While the study suggests that mixed-race teenagers suffer from more
stress, Udry said, it does not say why. He noted that many smaller
studies have looked at emotional and health issues for teenagers of
mixed race.
"The most common explanation for the high-risk status is the struggle
with identity formation, leading to lack of self-esteem, social
isolation and problems of family dynamics in biracial households," said
Udry, professor of maternal and child health at the University of North
Carolina School of Public Health.
Raul Caetano, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas
School of Public Health, said further research is needed to confirm that
being of mixed race causes stress.
"It may be especially important with adolescents, at this developmental
stage where the development of your own identity is so important — it's
exactly what you're struggling with," said Caetano. "It's already
stressful, and these kids may have an additional layer of stress to deal
with."
The findings were drawn from data compiled in 1994-95 by the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which is based at the
University of North Carolina. Students could give more than one answer
when asked their race.
Unlike Census data, which adults answer for their households, the survey
directly questioned teenagers, who sometimes identify themselves
differently than their parents would. This gives a better picture of how
teenagers' self-concept affects their health, the authors said.
But some students were inconsistent, giving different answers when asked
about their race at different times.
"An adolescent may have problems with ethnic identity the parent may not
be aware of or may minimize," Caetano said.
The study found that mixed-race students, compared with single-race
students who share part of their racial makeup, were more likely to
report having sex at younger ages, having access to guns, getting drunk,
considering suicide and suffering various aches and pains.
Yet in other types of characteristics — including grades, verbal ability
and parents' education — the study found that mixed-race students tend
to fall between the single-race adolescents who shared part of their
background. For example, Asian students had higher grade-point averages
than whites, and children with both Asian and white parents had averages
between those two peer groups.
Source
Exercise off-limits for 75% of teens
(Amelia Hill – The Observer) More than three quarters of British
children between 11 and 16 take no exercise each week, according to a
new survey that will fuel the debate about child obesity.
More than half of all teenagers agreed that young people are fat, lazy
and addicted to computer games, but blame school and councils for
failing to give them opportunities to exercise.
In the survey of more than 300 children and Youth Debate panels held
across the country, teenagers said they spent their time surfing on the
web and playing computer games, but claimed they had no other choice.
“I don't think it's an issue of kids being lazier than children before
us,” said Alexandra, 16, at a north London Youth Debate panel. “Sport
isn't accessible enough. There aren't enough proper facilities for us.”
Teenagers complained that local sports centres and green areas were
being lost to building projects while the gyms springing up in their
place were expensive and far from home.
Almost 70% of the teenagers surveyed by independent research agency
Childwise agreed that young people today are more obese than they used
to be.
The findings back The Observer campaign, which has been pushing for a
boost to school sports to ensure that all children are given at least
two hours' activity a week.
“Panel discussions became very heated as the children talked of
dissatisfaction with sports lessons and a general lack of facilities,”
said Jane Barrett, Specialist Child Focus Group Moderator for Barrett
Marketing. “They felt short-changed by the school and wider community.”
Almost all teenagers criticised how PE lessons were run. “They are
completely useless: we got just two hours every two weeks in years 10
and 11,' said Nico, 16. 'We don't get a say in what sport we play, so
three quarters of the class don't bring their kit because they don't
like the sport chosen.”
Source
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