ParentDish

Cellphones Don't Raise Risk of Brain Tumors in Kids, Study Finds

Lesley Kennedy — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens, Health

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Put down that cell phone, child! It'll rot your brain and give you cancer!

No reason to put the fear of God into your iPhone-loving kid. We can't comment on the brain rot, but a new study does show that children who use cell phones have no greater risk of getting brain cancer than kids who don't use them, Reuters reports.

Researchers looked at brain tumor patients ages 7 to 19, to gauge their risk of getting cancer from cellphones, and found the patients weren't any more apt to be phone fanatics than the control subjects who were cancer-free, according to the news service.

"If mobile phone use would be a risk factor, you'd expect cancer patients to have a higher amount of usage," Professor Martin Roosli, who conducted the study, published this week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, tells Reuters. The research was partly funded by cellphone operators, the news service adds, although they had no part in the study's design, analysis or interpretation of data.

The World Health Organization said in May that cellphone use could increase the risk of some types of brain tumors, Reuters reports. But this study didn't find a connection.

"What we found was that there was no (significant) difference in the amount of use," Roosli tells the news service, adding that any risk "would be a really small risk."

Roosli tells Reuters future studies should look at longer-term use of cellphone use among kids.

"(This study) provides quite some evidence that use of less than five years does not increase the chance of a brain tumor, but naturally we don't have a lot of long-term users," he tells the news service.

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Texas Study Shows Majority of Middle, High School Students Suspended or Expelled

Lesley Kennedy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: Getty Images

You don't mess with Texas, and, if you're in school there, you definitely don't wanna mess with the administration.

The New York Times reports a study by the Council of State Governments released earlier this week finds 31 percent of Lone Star State students were expelled or suspended off campus at least once while they were in middle or high school, averaging four times per student.

And, as far as in-school suspensions go? The rate hit nearly 60 percent, with one in seven students facing that punishment at least 11 times, according to the newspaper.

As a result: lower graduation rates and higher crime rates later in life, The Times notes, adding that minority students faced harsher punishments more often than white students.

"In the last 20 to 25 years, there have been dramatic increases in the number of suspensions and expulsions," Michael Thompson, director of the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments, tells the newspaper. "This quantifies how you're in the minority if you have not been removed from the classroom at least once. This is not just being sent to the principal's office, and it's not after-school detention or weekend detention or extra homework. This is in the student's record."

Plano Independent School District Superintendent Doug Otto tells The Times the study data shows "suspensions are a little too easy."

"Once they become automatic, we've really hurt that child's chances to receive a high school diploma," he tells the newspaper. "We've got to find ways to keep those kids in school. Don't get me wrong - we have to provide safe environments for all the other kids. But you have to balance it out and cut down the suspensions and expulsions."

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Binge Drinking More Damaging for Teen Girls Than Boys, Study Says

Lesley Kennedy — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Alcohol & Drugs, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Never mind getting sick, getting busted or getting hurt -- when teenage girls binge drink, they could be damaging their brains.

BBC News reports the brains of teen girls are especially prone to damage from alcohol, as their brains develop at an earlier age than guys, according to a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

In the study of teens ages 16 to 19 at American universities, researchers used MRI scans and found female binge drinkers -- those who drink more than four beers or glasses of wine in one sitting -- had less brain activation in a number of brain areas including memory and spatial awareness than female teens who didn't drink.

This could lead to issues when it comes to driving, playing sports, using maps or remembering how to get places, the BBC reports.

Teen guys who binge drank, however, didn't have the same issues, according to the study.

"Male binge drinkers showed some, but less, abnormality as compared to male non-drinkers," Susan Tapert, professor of psychiatry at the University of California and lead study author, tells the BBC. "This suggests that female teens may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of heavy alcohol use."

Stanford University professor Edith Sullivan tells the network female brains develop one to two years earlier than male brains.

"Hormonal levels and alcohol-induced fluctuations in hormones could also account for the gender differences," she tells BBC News. "Finally, the same amount of alcohol could more negatively affect females since females tend to have slower rates of metabolism, higher body fat ratios and lower body weight."

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TV Tells Kids Fame is the Most Important Thing in Life, Study Finds

Tom Henderson — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Tween Culture, Teen Culture, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: Getty Images

The most important thing in life is to be a good and kind person, to love yourself and others and take an active and inquisitive interest in the world arou ...

Whoa!

Someone is watching reruns of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on Sunday mornings. Change the channel. That's not what television is teaching kids, according to researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The most important thing in life is to be famous. And you don't even have to be famous for being good. You can be famous for being tan.

LiveScience reports researchers looked at the values promoted on television when today's adults were growing up as opposed to what their kids watched. Their conclusion?

Ron Howard can be very proud of himself.

Before he was a film director, he played Opie Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" and Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days." Researchers used both shows -- as well as "The Lucy Show" and "Laverne & Shirley" -- to compare with modern shows like "American Idol" and "Hannah Montana."

They specifically wanted to study the values these shows promoted among 9- to 11-year-olds from 1967 to 2007.

Researchers found the old shows exalted benevolence, self-acceptance, community and tradition, while modern shows stress fame as the No. 1 value.

A sense of community was the No. 1 value back when Fonzie and the gang ruled the airwaves in the 1970s. By 2007, researchers found that value fell to No. 11. The top five values nowadays? Fame, achievement, popularity, image and financial success.

Not cool, as the Fonz would say.

"The rise of fame in preteen television may be one influence in the documented rise of narcissism in our culture," researcher Patricia Greenfield, a psychology professor at UCLA, tells LiveScience. "Popular television shows are part of the environment that causes the increased narcissism, but they also reflect the culture."

In 1997, the top five values were community feeling, benevolence (being kind and helping others), image, tradition and self-acceptance. In 2007, benevolence dropped to the 12th spot, while financial success went from 12th place in 1967 and 1997 to fifth in 2007.

The two least emphasized values in 2007 were spiritualism (No. 16) and tradition (No. 15). Tradition had previously ranked No. 4 in 1997.

LiveScience reports researchers analyzed Nielsen demographic data to determine the most popular shows with 9- to 11-year-olds and then conducted a survey of 60 participants, ages 18 to 59, to determine how important each value was in episodes of the various shows.

"The biggest change occurred from 1997 to 2007, when YouTube, Facebook and Twitter exploded in popularity," lead researcher Yalda Uhls tells LiveScience. "Their growth parallels the rise in narcissism and the drop in empathy among college students in the United States, as other research has shown."

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Teen Births Down But Drug Use Up, Stats Say

Tom Henderson — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Research Reveals: Teens

More teens are taking illegal drugs, report shows. Credit: Nelson Antoine, AP

Worried your teenage daughter is having sex? Relax. odds are, she is only taking illegal drugs.

Thank you, Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, for that cheery bit of news.

The forum is a group of 22 members from federal agencies that collects data on children and families and puts together an annual report on America's children. This year, the report says teen births are down, but illegal drug use among the kiddies has increased.

First, the good news: CNN reports the teen birth rate went from 21.7 births per 1,000 girls in 2008 to 20.1 per 1,000 in 2009. More good news: Preterm births among teens declined for the third consecutive year. The number of babies born before 37 weeks dropped 12.3 percent in 2008 to 12.2 percent in 2009.

"It is reassuring to see continued declines in the preterm birth rate and adolescent birth rate," Alan Guttmacher, the director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, tells CNN.

But, although the numbers were promising, he adds that the federal government did not identify reasons for the declines.

Meanwhile on the dark side: The report finds the number of eighth-graders using illegal drugs going up. Statistically, in the last 30 days, 10 percent of eighth-graders used illegal drugs. That's up from 8 percent in 2009.

Also, more children are likely to be poor, and fewer children are likely to live with at least one parent who is working full time.

"This report documents some significant changes in several key areas," Sondik, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, tells CNN. "This annual report is an important tool to monitor the well being of our nation's children. Each area we report on is critical to our youth."

Some other tidbits from the report (titled America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011):

· Injuries among teens dropped from 44 per 100,000 in 2008 to 39 per 100,000 in 2009.

· Binge drinking among 12th graders dropped from 25 percent in 2009 to 23 percent in 2010.

· Fewer children are living in areas of air pollution (69 percent in 2008, 59 percent in 2009).

· Math scores among eighth-graders rose two points from 2007 to 2009.

· Math scores for 12th graders rose three points from 2005 to 2009.

· More children are living in poverty, up from 19 percent in 2008 to 21 percent in 2009.

· More children are living in crowded housing, physically inadequate housing or housing that costs more than 30 percent of household income -- up from 43 percent in 2007 to 45 percent in 2009.

· The percentage of children with asthma remained the same from 2008 to 2009, but steadily increased from 8.8 percent of all children in 2001 to 9.6 percent in 2009. ·

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Soldiers' Children Often Face Long Term Psychological Issues, Study Shows

Tom Henderson — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Ongoing wars taken a psychological toll on children. Credit: Majid Saeedi, Getty Images

They used to call it "battle fatigue" -- the psychological toll taken on soldiers in war.

However, soldiers are not the only casualties. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, Reuters news service reports on the grim psychological price paid by the soldiers' children.

Researchers analyzed medical records of 307,520 children of soldiers on active duty and found 17 percent of them had mental health problems. The study is published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

"Children of parents who spent more time deployed between 2003 and 2006 fared worse than children whose parents were deployed for a shorter duration," researchers wrote.

Lead researcher Alyssa Mansfield, who was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when the study was conducted, tells Reuters children with parents deployed at least once, for an average of 11 months, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan are especially vulnerable.

They are likely to suffer from adjustment, behavioral, depressive or stress disorders. Mansfield adds boys are more likely to have mental health problems than girls.

"We used to think about deployment as a single experience: I go, I'm away, it's difficult and then I come back. Well, it's a way of life in the military that deployments continue to occur and families have to manage the consequences," Stephen Cozza, a psychiatry professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, tells Reuters.

"These are consequences that aren't necessarily short-term," he adds.

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Parents Quit Smoking (For Awhile) When Kids Have Surgery

Tom Henderson — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Kicking the habit is hard, even when you're doing it for kids. Credit:Noel Celis, Getty Images

Parents who smoke are more likely to quit if their child goes through surgery, a study shows. They worry about the effect secondhand smoke will have on the child as he or she recovers.

Then they start smoking again.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found a child's surgery may inspire parents to quit smoking, but they have no better chance than anyone else of kicking the habit permanently.

According to US News & World Report, researchers studied 1,112 children who lived with at least one person who smoked. When a child or parent had surgery, the magazine reporters, the smoker was likely to quit. But the attempt was more likely to succeed only if it was the parent having surgery.

About one in seven U.S. children who undergo surgery are chronically exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, the magazine reports.

Secondhand smoke can increase the risk of respiratory complications associated with anesthesia. In adults, smoking after surgery has been shown to increase the risks of lung and cardiac complications and infections to the wound.

"Our current findings suggest that having a child undergo surgery can serve as a teachable moment for quit attempts," lead researcher David Warner tells the magazine.

"The scheduling of children for surgery may present us with an opportunity to provide tobacco interventions to parents, who are apparently more motivated to at least try to quit -- but who need assistance to succeed."

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Report: 90 Percent of Addicts Started Using as Teens

Lesley Kennedy — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Alcohol & Drugs, Research Reveals: Teens

The teen years are a time when addiction is especially possible, because adolescent brains are more sensitive and teens are more apt to experiment. Credit: Getty Images

Sorry, parents, but drug use among many teens is not just a passing phase.

A new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) shows 90 percent of addicts in the U.S. began taking drugs, smoking or drinking alcohol in high school, ABC News reports.

"We now have enough science to show that adolescent substance use is America's no. 1 public health problem," Susan Foster, senior investigator of the study, tells the network. "By recognizing this as a health problem and responding to it, we can actually make the difference by improving the life prospects of teens and saving costs in society."

Experts tell ABC the teen years are a time when addiction is especially possible, because adolescent brains are more sensitive and teens are more apt to experiment.

"The brain is still developing up until age 25, so when you put nicotine and psychoactive substances in the body, it's actually messing with the brain as it's developing," Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the University of California at San Francisco Center for Tobacco and Research and Education, tells the network. "Nicotine tends to be the gateway drug when kids start smoking younger. They're more likely to become addicted and smoke for a longer period of time."

Glantz continued to say that smoking creates permanent changes in the brain. When a person quits, some of those changes reverse, but never completely. Researchers also know that tobacco, alcohol and other drugs act similarly in the brain, so that the use of one substance heightens the risk of dependence on others.

Foster tells ABC teens should be screened for family addiction and mental health histories.

"We need to ... ask questions and intervene and understand what circumstances exist in the family, including mental health conditions, history of addiction and eating disorders," she tells the network.

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More Parents Allowing Teen Sex in the Home, Reports Show

Tom Henderson — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Teens

"If you think for one minute I am going to let you go out tonight just so you can have sex, you have another think coming, young lady! You are going to march straight to your room and have sex where I can hear you! Now get out of those jeans and put on something slinky. Chet will be here any minute."

Whatever happened to the old "not-under-my-roof" when it comes to teenagers having sex? Well, some parents say it just isn't practical.

Patty Skudlarek, who is one of them, tells ABC News that she wants her 18-year-old son to have sex with girls in the privacy of his own room. "I'd rather he do it here than somewhere else," Skudlarek tells the network. "With the kids having sex at home, it's a safer environment because, you know, it's clean. And usually the place they keep the condoms are in their bedroom."

Hey, she says, it's better than some motel.

A growing number of parents share Skudlarek's opinion, according to ABC. Meanwhile, other parents disagree. Strongly.

Letting kids have sex at home is like letting them drink alcohol, Ritchie Steinmann, the father of two teens, tells ABC. "You don't drink in my home. You don't bring home a girl or a boy and close the door and run around in my home. It's the decency and sanctity of what we call home."

One mom, Chloe Foreht tells the network she allowed her 17-year-old daughter to have sex with a longtime boyfriend at home. "I was OK with her having sex in my home because of the relationship she was in, because of the teenager that she is," she says. "Her boyfriend would sleep over probably once a week. And I was comfortable with that."

Hidden sex, she adds, would be more risky.

"If they're having it outside the home, who knows who they're having it with?" she tells ABC. "There's a bigger chance, I think, of less safe sex, maybe more different partners."

All other arguments aside, what about the icky factor?

Few people like to hear other people having sex. Kids don't like it when it's their parents. And parents definitely don't like it when it's their kids.

"I'm not sure that I personally would feel comfortable being at home knowing that my teenager is having sex in the next room," Carolyn Meyer-Wartels, a mother of two teens, tells ABC. "And I think that parents do need to create boundaries in the home and say things like, 'I don't think you're ready to be doing this. I don't think you're ready to be doing this here or anywhere, for that matter. '"

What's your policy on sex in the home? Join the discussion on Facebook!

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Concussion Dangers to Young Athletes Affirmed by Study

Associated Press — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: Corbis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A new study highlights the heightened danger to young athletes who suffer concussions and sustain new head blows before they've fully recovered.

The study, published Monday in Pediatrics, dug into the National Registry of Sudden Death in Young Athletes, a database maintained by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, to focus on deaths from blunt trauma among players 21 and younger. Previous studies from the data focused on deaths from cardiovascular problems.

A key finding, author Dr. Barry Maron said in an interview, was a worrisome number of prep football players who died of head and neck blows after they had already sustained concussions a few days to four weeks beforehand. Maron said it comes at a time of growing awareness about concussions, including the dangers of "second-impact syndrome."

The registry listed 1,827 sudden deaths among young athletes from 1980-2009. Fourteen percent of them, or 261, were caused by trauma-related injuries. Trauma fatalities were most frequent in football at 148, including 17 high school players who died of head or neck injuries after they had already sustained concussions a few days to four weeks beforehand.

In general, the authors wrote, trauma deaths among young athletes are relatively uncommon, and they're four times less common than cardiovascular deaths. The average has remained relatively constant around nine per year. "Nevertheless, these catastrophic events remain an important public health issue with a devastating effect on families, communities, and physicians," the study said.

The study said most of the deaths were preventable and showed the importance of better equipment, better protocols for when injured athletes should return to action, and possible changes in blocking and tackling rules.

Dr. Joel Brenner, incoming chairman of the Council on Sports, Medicine and Fitness of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the study contains important new information.

"It gives credence to everything we've been trying to do to make it safer for young athletes out there with proper treatment of concussions," said Brenner, medical director of the sports medicine program at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Va.

Given recent moves across the country to bar athletes with concussions from playing until they've fully recovered, the study also hit home for Jon Almquist, head of the athletic training program for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. He said the 17 deaths were probably preventable.

"Maybe that catastrophic number can take a dip because of the changing awareness and changing concussion protocols," said Almquist, who chairs the secondary school athletic trainers committee of the National Athletic Trainers Association.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. This article was written by Steve Karnowski, Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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Rising Number of Tween Boys Vomiting to Stay Thin

Tom Henderson — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Nutrition: Tweens, Research Reveals: Tweens, Nutrition: Teens, Research Reveals: Teens

16 percent of boys made themselves sick, compared with only 10 percent of girls. Credit: Getty Images

Kids as young as 10 are vomiting to lose weight.

What is their problem? It's like someone told them childhood obesity is a major social problem that makes kids unattractive and threatens to send them to early graves with diabetes and low test scores.

Regardless of its mysterious origin, this obsession with weight apparently has dangerous consequences -- at least in Taiwan. That's where researchers studied children's vomiting habits. They surveyed 16,000 kids and found that roughly 15 percent of kids ages 10 to 15 have vomited to lose weight.

Here's an interesting little factoid: It's more boys than girls. Researchers at National Yang-Ming University found that 16 percent of boys made themselves sick, compared with only 10 percent of girls.

And apparently sitting in front of a computer is enough to make you vomit. Lead researcher Yiing Mei Liou tells CBS kids who use a computer for more than two hours a day are 55 percent more likely to vomit than other kids.

Other risk factors included fried foods, late-night snacks, skipped breakfast and sleeping less than eight hours a day.

"Self-induced vomiting was most prevalent in adolescents who had a sedentary lifestyle, slept less and ate unhealthily," Liou tells the network.

CBS News reports self-induced vomiting isn't just a problem among Taiwanese kids. At least 4 percent of American students reported vomiting or taking laxatives in the last 30 days to lose or stop gaining weight, according to a 2010 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And, vomiting is not good thing, CBS reports. It can lead to health problems including tooth decay, gum problems, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances as well as broken blood vessels in the eyes (from the strain of vomiting) and cuts and calluses on the tops of the fingers (from sticking the fingers into the mouth to elicit the gag reflex).

And the clincher? It can make you fat. That's right, kids. CBS reports researchers say throwing up increases your risk for eating disorders and (Aiiieeee!) obesity.

So remember, first lady Michelle Obama wants you to lose weight. But the name of her program is "Let's Move," not "Let's Puke Our Lunch."

Related:

Does Obesity Plus Diabetes Equal Learning Disability?

Childhood Obesity May Lead to Early Death

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It's a Soda a Day for 1 in 4 Teens, CDC Survey Finds

Lesley Kennedy — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: George Doyle, Getty Images

"Mom, I'm so thirsty! Can you please pass the milk?"

Not a request most parents of teens expect to hear, but, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the most favored drinks among American teens are water, fruit juices and even milk, according to CBS News.

And, surprise, surprise, they're drinking less soda.

One-fourth of U.S. teens slurp down soda each day, according to the network, and while that still may sound like a lot, it's actually an improvement over 10 years ago when three-quarters of teens were drinking the sugary stuff.

Of course, you factor in other sugary drinks such as Gatorade with the soda stats and the number is back up to where it was a decade ago, CBS News adds.

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Your Teenager's (Probably) Been Out in the Sun Too Long, Study Shows

Tom Henderson — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Survey shows British teens are ignorant about sun safety. Credit: Corbis

"That kid has been out in the sun too long."

You probably thought that about your teenage son or daughter before, but now there is science to back you up.

Researchers found that even teenagers in Great Britain, not generally known for their California tans, stay out in the sun 12 times longer than the recommended limit without using sunscreen.

Britain's Teenage Cancer Trust surveyed kids as part of its annual sun safety campaign, The London Daily Mail reports. The survey reveals that British teens spend up to two hours tanning without protection. But, it is recommended not to go over 15 minutes without sunscreen.

The survey included 600 young people ages 13 to 24 and found that more than a third of them don't wear sunscreen, and 1 in 10 thought fake tans caused cancer. The Daily Mail reports that more than half do not know how to apply sunscreen correctly. (They rub it in completely when it should be patted gently on to the skin, leaving a visible film.)

"It's the sun damage done to skin when young that can lead to skin cancer in later life, which is why these findings are incredibly worrying," Simon Davies, the chief executive of the Teenage Cancer Trust, tells the Daily Mail. "We all love the sun but we have to respect our skin."

Sally Davies, the chief medical officer at the Department of Health, also finds the survey troubling. "It is disappointing that some teenagers are still unaware of the health risks and dangers from the use of sunbeds and excessive exposure to the sun," she tells the Daily Mail.

"Overexposure to UV radiation can cause damage to your skin and increase your risk of getting skin cancer, one of the most common cancers in the UK."

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Poor Body Image Means Sleep-Deprivation, Carb Cravings for Teen Girls, Study Finds

Lesley Kennedy — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Teens

Study finds correlation between sleep and body image. Credit: Getty Images

Teen girls have struggled with their appearances for decades, but new research shows it's not just peer pressure that's contributing to their body image battles.

Sleep -- or lack of it -- is not helping things, according to two new studies presented at this week's meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, "Good Morning America" reports.

One study showed teenage girls who felt they had to lose weight had more trouble falling asleep than others, while another study reports sleep-deprived teens are more apt to reach for carbs, according to the morning news show.

"If you're not satisfied with how you look, I think you might feel anxious about how you think you look to other people," Katherine Marczyk, lead author of the body image study, tells "GMA." "And when you're trying to fall asleep, you might be ruminating about that."

Researchers from the second study tell the news show a craving for carbs increases the less you sleep, according to the news show.

"Carbs are great, but you need to have them with some protein," Dr. Keith Ayoob, director of the Rose R. Kennedy Center Nutrition Clinic and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, tells "GMA." "Protein is especially important in the mornings. It can be as simple as eating a bit of last night's dinner in addition to that bowl of cereal, or a hard-boiled egg."

Teens having trouble sleeping should be taken seriously by their parents, researchers tell the show, as they can be an indicator of anxiety, depression or other mood disorders.

"Parents should look out for their kids skipping meals," Ayoob tells "GMA." "If they can't seem to go to sleep at night for extended period of time, you want to make sure that a doctor is involved. And if you suspect an eating disorder, that's a sign they need help."

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New Sticker Price on Raising a Child: $226,920

Tom Henderson — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Research Reveals: Babies, Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty Images

Do you really want to have a baby? Take another look at the sticker price.

You could buy a top-of-the-line Mercedes Benz SLS for the same amount of money -- and have a few bucks left over gas. You could also buy a near-mint condition copy of Superman No. 1. Or how about a two-bedroom, 580-square foot condo in Boston?

But if you still want a baby, go ahead. It's your $226,920.

That's how much the United States Department of Agriculture says having a kid cost these days. Of course, the cost is spread out over 18 years. Sometimes much longer.

USDA officials release figures on how much it costs to raise a child every year as part of a federal program. We think it's just to seriously depress parents.

And wait. It gets more depressing. Bloomberg News reports the price has shot up 2.1 percent in just one year. That includes the price of child care, education, transportation and health services.

The typical two-parent family spent from $11,880 to $13,830 on each child in 2010, according to the USDA -- give or take. A family earning less than $57,600 a year was likely to spend $163,440 in 2010 dollars to rear a child, the USDA reports, while parents earning more than $99,730 may spend $377,040.

"Child-rearing expenses vary considerably by household income level," according to the report. "Annual expenses generally increased with a child's age, a circumstance true in both two-parent and single-parent families."

If the study itself is insufficient depressing, the report includes an online calculator so parents can calculate their own costs and bum themselves out for an entire weekend. Try not to think of that Mercedes.

You'll really start moping if you live in the urban Northeast. Parents raising children in the West and Midwest might be slightly less traumatized. The least expensive places to raise a child, by the way, are the urban South and rural areas.

Housing accounts for the biggest portion of expenses, averaging 31 percent over 17 years, the USDA reports. Child care and education average 17 percent, with food costs at 16 percent. The estimates don't include college expenses.

The USDA has been bumming parents with these numbers every year since 1960. Your parents probably thought they had it rough, too. Tell them to stop their whining.

If you're 50 years old, health care was only 4 percent of the cost of raising a child -- half of what it is now. Education and child care accounted for 2 percent.

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Bullies Grow up to be Abusive Husbands and Boyfriends, Study Finds

Tom Henderson — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Bullying, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Teens

Guys who were bullies when they were kids are dramatically more likely to abuse their wives and girlfriends as adults. Credit: Getty Images

Your dinner date laughs as he reminisces about the time he stuffed the president of the chess club in his locker or made some fat kid cry.

"Good times, good times," he says as he wipes a nostalgic tear from his eye.

Careful. He may not be a nice guy.

ABC News reports guys who were bullies when they were kids are dramatically more likely to abuse their wives and girlfriends as adults.

A study, published this week in the journal Pediatrics, surveyed more than 1,400 men between that ages of 18 and 35 at an urban community center in Boston. ABC News reports researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found former bullies were four times more likely to physically abuse their partners.

"Individuals who are likely to perpetrate abusive behaviors against others may do so across childhood into adulthood," the report concludes.

This is the latest study to find that many bullies do not outgrow their problems. ABC News reports past research shows bullies are more likely to bully their own kids, lose a job and get involved in the criminal justice system.

"We really need to look at the timing and duration on the type of bullying that occurs," the study's co-author Kathryn Falb, a research assistant and doctoral candidate at Harvard School of Public Health, tells ABC.

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One in Four Children in US Raised By a Single Parent

Associated Press — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Divorce & Custody, In The News, Research Reveals: Babies, Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: Getty Images

MIAMI (AP) - One in four children in the United States is being raised by a single parent - a percentage that has been on the rise and is higher than other developed countries, according to a report released Wednesday.

Of the 27 industrialized countries studied by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. had 25.8 percent of children being raised by a single parent, compared with an average of 14.9 percent across the other countries.

Ireland was second (24.3 percent), followed by New Zealand (23.7 percent). Greece, Spain, Italy and Luxemborg had among the lowest percentages of children in single-parent homes.

Experts point to a variety of factors to explain the high U.S. figure, including a cultural shift toward greater acceptance of single-parent child rearing. The U.S. also lacks policies to help support families, including childcare at work and national paid maternity leave, which are commonplace in other countries.

"When our parents married, there was a sense that you were marrying for life," said Edward Zigler, founder and director of Yale's Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. "That sense is not as prevalent."

Single parents in the U.S. were more likely to be employed - 35.8 percent compared to a 21.3 percent average - but they also had higher rates of poverty, the report found.

"The in-work poverty is higher in the U.S. than other OECD countries, because at the bottom end of the labor market, earnings are very low," said Willem Adema, a senior economist in the group's social policy division. "For parents, the risk is higher because they have to make expenditures on childcare costs."

The Paris-based organization looked at a broad sector of indicators that affected families and children, including childhood poverty, early education and amount of time spent on parental care.

Across the nations examined, preschool enrollment has grown from 30 to 50 percent between 1998 and 2007. The average enrollment was 58.2 percent, while in the U.S. it was lower.

The report noted that public spending on child welfare and education is higher in the U.S. than in other countries - $160,000 per child compared to $149,000. However, the authors say most of that money is spent after the crucial early childhood years.

"This means early investment - including childcare and support for families around the time of birth - could be strengthened," the authors wrote in a separate paper examining the United States.

The study pointed out that the U.S. is the only OECD country that does not have a national paid parental leave policy. Some states have started to adopt such policies, but most parents are offered 12 weeks of unpaid leave. This is particularly difficult for unwed mothers, who may not be able to afford to take time off, Zigler said.

"We have not built in the kind of national support systems for families and children that other countries have," he said.

Childhood poverty rates in the U.S. are also expected to climb - 23.5 percent from 20 percent. Adema said the rise is a direct result of the financial crisis and higher unemployment rates.

"The financial strain causes all sorts of other strain, so ultimately it might contribute to family dissolution," Adema said. "At the same time, it might bring some families together. I suspect that the response differs across families."

The single parent phenomenon has been occurring over recent decades. The study noted the U.S. and England have higher teenage birthrates than other countries, partially contributing to the higher single-parent numbers, though the proportion of children born outside marriage was not significantly higher than the other countries.

Christina Gibson Davis, a professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Police, said changing gender roles, the rise of contraception, high incarceration rates in some communities and an acceptance of having children out of wedlock have all contributed to the growing number.

Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, added it isn't being a single parent in itself that raises difficulties.

"Single moms do a brilliant and amazing job raising their children," said Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. "It is also true that single moms in this country are systemically underpaid, and systematically under-resourced and systemically unrespected. It's not the fact they are single moms that makes things difficult."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. This article was written by Christine Armario, AP Writer. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Rare in Teens, but When it Hits, it Hits Hard, Study Shows

Mary Beth Sammons — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Teens, Sleep

Watch a video related to chronic fatigue.

Only a small fraction of teens end up with chronic fatigue syndrome. Credit: Getty Images

With the late-night hours they keep, it's hard to believe more teens aren't chronically knocked off their feet with exhaustion.

But a new study confirms that only a small fraction of teens end up with chronic fatigue syndrome. But when it hits, it hits hard. It also uncovers what parents who struggle to stay awake in the wee hours of the morning to enforce curfews for this nocturnal breed have intuitively known: A lack of sleep wipes out the parents, Reuters Health reports.

A survey of Dutch adolescents suggests only one in 900 teens suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), defined by the Centers for Disease Control as "a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity."

Sounds just like what they say strikes the parents of teens, especially those who have to miss work to care for their teen offspring afflicted with chronic fatigue, Reuters says the researchers suggest.

Among those teens diagnosed with CFS, more than 90 percent had at least missed "considerable" school in the last six months; with some saying they had not attended school at all during that time. The study was published recently in the journal Pediatrics.

The researchers say the findings are significant because CFS has "severe implications for school participation, etc., necessitating adequate diagnosis and treatment," Sanne Nijhof of the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands tells Reuters.

The impact is felt by many more people than the patient, Katharine Rimes of King's College in London, tells the news service.

"Missing substantial amounts of school can potentially have profound effects on their educational, social and emotional development," Rimes tells Reuters. "It also has potentially serious impact on the family. If the child is off school, one parent -- usually the mother -- usually has to stay at home to care for them, and often give up their job altogether. This can obviously have adverse financial and psychological effects."

There is no cure for CFS and scientists don't know what causes it, the researchers tell Reuters.

Of potential concern, the authors note, is that the condition appears to be "under-recognized" by primary care physicians. Only half of all general practitioners who agreed to participate in the study said they accepted CFS as a distinct diagnosis, versus 96 percent of the pediatricians consulted during the study.

And nearly 75 percent of teens with CFS were not diagnosed by their general practitioners. This lack of awareness probably stems from the condition's infrequency, Nijhof tells the news service.

"Adolescents with severe and long-lasting fatigue should be referred to a pediatrician," Rimes tells Reuters.

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Gay Teen Suicide Rate Lower in Supportive Communities, Study Finds

Tom Henderson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Teen Culture, Research Reveals: Teens

Watch a video on the importance of supporting gay youth.

Gay teens have it easier in some areas than in others. Credit: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Being a gay or lesbian teenager is always hard, but where you live and the kind of support you get makes a difference that researchers are now able to express in numbers.

The Los Angeles Times reports researchers from Columbia University surveyed 31,852 Oregon high school juniors, asking them about their sexual orientation, drinking habits and history (if any) of suicide attempts.

Researchers then scored 34 of the state's 36 counties on the number of same-sex couples in the community and number of registered Democrats. They also looked at whether or not schools have gay-straight alliance groups and anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies.

In terms of hard numbers, 25 percent of homosexual students tried -- at least once -- to commit suicide in negative environments. That number dipped to 20 percent in more positive environments.

By the way, only 4 percent of straight kids try to kill themselves, regardless of their surroundings.

The Times reports researchers made their conclusions after adjusting for suicide risks not associated with sexual orientation such as depression, alcohol use and physical abuse.

"The social environment appears to confer risk for suicide attempts over and above individual-level risk factors," researchers wrote in their conclusion. "These results have important implications for the development of policies and interventions to reduce sexual orientation-related disparities in suicide attempts."

So, does this mean schools' anti-bullying measures are working? Researchers don't go that far. The percentages may be the result of other factors, they tell the Times.

"I think there are many reasons schools should provide better environments for any kid, not just LGBT kids," Brett Thombs, a researcher in psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal, tells the Times. He wasn't involved in the research, but has studied suicide risk in homosexual kids.

"Whether or not they would change suicide risk is a different question," he adds. "The schools may be reflecting the community around them."

Positive environments for homosexual kids also seem to help their heterosexual peers. The Times reports researchers found straight kids were 9 percent more likely to try to kill themselves in negative environments.

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Teenage Driving Study Reveals Why Teens Cause Accidents

Tom Henderson — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Teen Culture, Health & Safety: Teens, Research Reveals: Teens

Watch a video on safety tips for teenage driving.

Surprise, surprise! Why more teens get into accidents. Credit: Getty Images

Pop quiz: Most automobile accidents involving teenage drivers are the result of:

A. That stupid lamppost that totally, like, shouldn't even be there.
B. Lame old people in their 40s. Why do they even let those people drive?
C. Inexperienced, immature drivers.

If you guessed "C," you're right, according to a new study from the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but according to US News & World Report, researchers wanted to make sure immaturity and inexperience were really the overriding factors in crashes involving teenagers. Reckless driving, alcohol and cell phone use were other suspects.

Researchers studied some 800 serious crashes involving teenage drivers and analyzed the cause of the accidents. Around 65 percent of them were caused by kids being complete nimrods. Put more charitably, they made critical errors more experienced drivers probably would have avoided.

"This study shows the vast majority of crashes occur not because the teen drivers are behaving badly, but because they have not yet developed the crucial skills they need," Allison Curry, director of epidemiology and biostatistics at the center, tells US News & World Report.

A big mistake young drivers make is not scanning the environment around them for all possible hazards, the study found. They also tend to drive too fast for the road conditions and are easily distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle.

Nationally, according to US News, more than 600,000 teens were injured in vehicle crashes in 2008. More than 4,000 teenagers died. Automobile collisions are a leading cause of death among teens ages 13 to 19, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.

"The study really points to specific skills that parents can work on with their teens when teaching them how to drive," Curry tells US News. For instance, parents should teach teens how to keep their eyes on the road while still constantly surveying the environment for hazards. They should also emphasize basing speed on what's appropriate for the weather and road conditions, not the posted speed limit.

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