Children Need Dirt and Bacteria to be Healthy

Parents who are paranoid about cleanliness and infection could be damaging their children's immune systems in early life, according to a new survey. Scientists believe today's children, known as the "Playstation generation", could also be weakening their immune system because they no longer play outside. Six out of 10 people told the ICM poll they believed children should be protected from all bacteria, not realising that some exposure is crucial to building up the immune system. Parents are obsessed by keeping their children in a "sterile bubble" of anti-bacterial wipes, sprays and antibiotics, according to the poll.

Only 1% of mothers breastfeed for the recommended 6 months

A recent survey has revealed that only 1 in every 100 mothers breastfeed their babies for at least six months, which is the current minimum length of time recommended by midwives and other healthcare professionals. Data shows that while three quarters of mums start by breastfeeding their newborn, very few maintain it. Older mothers and clerical/professional career women (white collar) are more likely to continue to breastfeed than younger mums and those not working, or in more "blue collar" roles. Studies have shown breastfed children to have greater immunity later in life, and it is generally agreed that breastfeeding is best for baby. Although 6 months is the recommended minimum, continuing to breastfeed for the first year has been shown to provide health benefits to both mother and child.

Watching too much TV can be bad for children

According to researchers at the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Centre in Seattle, children under two years old should not be allowed to watch TV for any length of time, whereas older children should not watch TV for more than two hours a day. This is because according to the research, every hour a child spends watching TV can contribute to a 10% increase possibility of a child developing attention deficit disorder. The researchers have observed 1345 children watching TV for three hours a day and concluded it led to a 30% increased changes of developing attention deficit disorder. According to Dr Dimitri Christakis the brains of newborn babies are constantly developing at a very rapid rate during the first two to three years of life, therefore television can over stimulate the brain of newborns, as it releases too much information during a short period of time. Over stimulation of the brain at a young age through television can lead to future problems at school, as school activities and homework require much less stimulation, which the child is not used to, as television programs for young children change image very quickly in order to keep children interested. The research involved asking parents how often their children watch television, then the children’s behaviour at age seven was compared to the diagnose of attention deficit disorders. The children who watched most television at a very early age had 10% more chance of developing concentration problems, impulsiveness, restlessness as well as being easily confused. The researchers of the University of Washington say that it is not clear how much television children under three can watch safely, but each hour spent in front of the television increases the risk of a child developing attention deficit disorder. The number of children with attention deficit disorder in the US is between 3 and 5 percent, but the researchers confessed that it is hard to tell if children with attention problems are more prone to be attracted to the television anyway. Also parents’ views of their children behaviour may not be absolute accurate, which can affect the outcome of the research. Source: BBC website

Steroid dose warning in children

Today the BBC reports on expert advice that Children with allergic conditions such as asthma may be receiving too high a dose of steroids. "A Scottish study found almost one in 10 children prescribed corticosteroids for asthma were also given the drugs for other conditions such as hay fever. They risk adverse effects from cumulative steroid doses from inhalers, creams and nasal sprays, the British Pharmaceutical conference heard. " "It is not uncommon for children with asthma to also suffer from hay fever or eczema. Some children with severe conditions may receive both in inhaled corticosteroids to control their asthma and nasal corticosteroids for hay fever, resulting in high overall doses of steroids. Dr James McLay, senior lecturer in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Aberdeen looked at the records of 345,221 children from 304 general practices in Scotland. Among those with a repeat prescriptions for an inhaled corticosteroid for asthma, one in 11 were also prescribed at least one other steroid preparation such as nasal corticosteroids." Adverse effects: "Corticosteroids are a class of drugs which help to control inflammation. The potential long-term toxicity of chronic corticosteroid use in children is unclear, but there have been concerns about the impact on child growth. In rare cases, very high doses can be fatal. This research shows that a significant number of children are prescribed more than one corticosteroid preparation for an allergic condition," said Dr McLay. "If a child is prescribed corticosteroid treatment for one condition at the maximum or near the maximum dose, then another steroid prescription would tip them into over-exposure. And in children you can really get some dramatic adverse effects." Different GPs would be treating children for different conditions and computer alerts needed to be introduced to flag up high cumulative doses from different preparations. "We therefore recommend that all healthcare professionals or parents under the direction of a healthcare professional check for this issue," he added. It is very easy to accidentally overdose on medication, and if you think that you, or your child, have been prescribed steroids in several forms, then it is strongly advisable that you consult your family GP or healthcare professional

Traffic pollution may boost the risk of children getting asthma

More bad news for those raising families in urban areas - traffic pollution poses serious risk to child health and can lead to the development of asthma. "Traffic pollution may boost the risk of children getting asthma - if they have genes which make them vulnerable, a study says. The University of Southern California team studied the health records and genetic profiles of 3,000 children. Those with a gene variation were slightly more at risk but if they lived near a main road, the risk rose more, the Thorax journal reported. But UK asthma experts said the link remained unclear. Scientists exploring how respiratory diseases, including asthma, develop have highlighted the importance of genes which control key body chemicals linked to "clean-up" functions in the body. " Although genetics does play a role in determining the likelihood of developing asthma, living close to busy, polluted roads can increase the chances of childhood and long term asthma.