| Parents ’unaware children obese’ |
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Parents are often unaware when their children are overweight or obese, a study says.
Researchers surveyed parents of 277 children and found only a quarter of them recognised when their offspring were overweight.
Where children were obese, a third of mothers and 57% of fathers thought they were about right, the team at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth found.
Denial and desensitisation to excess weight were to blame for the lack of parental concern, the team said.
The report comes at a time when child obesity rates are soaring.
Among youngsters aged two to four, obesity almost doubled between 1989 and 1998 from 5% to 9%, according to World Health Organization figures.
Rates
Among those aged six to 15, obesity rates trebled from 5% to 16% between 1990 and 2001.
The study also said parents were less likely to recognise overweight boys than girls.
Only 27% of overweight or obese boys were classed as at least a little overweight compared with 54% of overweight girls.
Overall, 19% of the children, 52% of mothers and 72% of fathers were either overweight or obese.
Parents were also unaware of their own weight problems, with 40% of overweight mothers and 45% of overweight fathers saying their own weight was fine.
Report co-author Alison Jeffrey, a senior research nurse at the hospital’s EarlyBird Research Centre, said acknowledging excess weight was essential to tackling the problem.
The reasons for poor awareness might include denial, reluctance to admit a weight problem, or desensitisation to excess weight because being overweight has become normal.
She also said the study, published on the British Medical Journal website, showed obesity was a problem across all social groups.
Help
Dr Ian Campbell, president of the National Obesity Forum, said he was surprised by the findings.
Previous research had suggested parents were quite good a picking up on the problem.
The pertinent point is that if parents do not identify that there is a problem, then children are less likely to get help.
A separate survey of 319 parents commissioned by Norwich Union Healthcare found more than 80% of parents intend to be more accountable for their child’s weight.
Professor Sarah Stewart-Brown, from Warwick Medical School, added: What happens in the family is extremely important.
It is almost impossible for children to address this issue on their own.
While children are responsible for what they put in their mouths, parents are responsible for what is put on their plates.
She said the traditional assumption that excess weight was just puppy fat was wrong.
However, she said people would become more aware of the dangers of obesity following the Public Health White Paper but it would take time.
The paper, published last week, proposed a range of measures to combat obesity, including a coding system for food and a ban on junk food TV advertising before 9pm.
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| ’Unnecessary fertility test’ risk - Nov 26, 2004 18:52 IST |
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A team of doctors from several UK universities says fertility clinics are increasingly offering tests to measure natural killer (NK) cells in the blood.
Women are then given powerful drugs which may have serious side effects.
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| Spirulina - The Ultimate Natural Nutritional Supplement - Nov 26, 2004 18:35 IST |
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When it comes to natural nutritional supplements there is little doubt that Spirulina is head and shoulders above the rest. A nutrient rich blue green algae that grows naturally in mineral-rich alkaline lakes, Spirulina is the ultimate natural nutritional supplement and a giant leap beyond ordinary supplements. Spirulina contains the most complete source of nutrients found in any single food on the planet.
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| Thousands ’unaware they have HIV’ - Nov 26, 2004 18:36 IST |
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More than a quarter - 27% - do not know they have the infection, which could be as many as 14,300 people.
There were 6,606 new HIV infections diagnosed, the Health Protection Agency said, but that could rise to 7,000 once all the data are collected.
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| NHS dentists ’may get scarcer’ - Nov 26, 2004 18:29 IST |
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A shake-up in NHS dentistry will come into force next October in a bid to move from drill and fill treatments towards more preventative work.
But the National Audit Office (NAO) said dentists may end up cutting their NHS commitments because of scepticism and a lack of detail about the changes.
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| Student Health Plans Thanksgiving Tradition - Nov 26, 2004 18:26 IST |
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MedSave.com is gearing up for a lesser-known Thanksgiving tradition. Thousands of college students change their health insurance plans during their trip home to see parents this week. From the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the following weekend, online and telephone requests from students and their parents have come in at a record pace. This trend has grown each year since the enrollment firm’s launch in 1997. Despite efforts to take more calls and process more applications, the firm still expects a backlog of business on Thanksgiving weekend. Other enrollment firms report similar trends. MedSave.com focuses on low cost health insurance, so it serves a higher percentage of students than some other enrollment firms. In addition, students are more likely than adults to enroll for a health plan online rather than traditional paper methods.
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| Protein stops heart attack damage - Nov 26, 2004 18:27 IST |
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University of Texas scientists worked on mice, but hope their findings will eventually lead to new treatment for heart disease.
The protein, Thymosin beta-4, is already used in clinical trials to promote wound healing on the skin.
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| Prevent Adds ErgoSlide to Nationally Acclaimed Get A Lift! Program - Nov 26, 2004 18:22 IST |
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Prevent, Inc. has added the ErgoSlide™, an innovative Slide Tube exclusively designed by ErgoSafe Products. The ErgoSlide™ can be used to move patients up or across a bed and turn them without pulling the patient’s body and without the caregiver having to lift. It is made from a strong nylon material sewn into a long roller band and is wide enough for a patient to lie on. Webbed handles are on both sides of the sheet around the full length, which are used to turn or slide the patient
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| Let Earthen Products Get Your Skin in the Mood to be Renewed! - Nov 26, 2004 15:58 IST |
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Spring is a time of rebirth and growth. It is a time to let the inner you come forth and face the warm sunny days ahead. Time to put your “best face forward” and what a better way to do this then with vibrant healthy looking skin! Earthen Inc. is to introduce three products that will “renew” your skin after the long harsh winter months: InstantPeel, Instant Cellu-Moist, and Peptide Infusion.
InstantPeel is an extraordinarily unique skin exfoliant that is the safe and gentle alternative to chemical peels. What is truly exciting about InstantPeel is that now you can have a facial within seven minutes, while in the comfort of your own shower. Unlike ordinary exfoliants, results are truly immediate and not over time. You’ll see dead skin cells and debris gently peel away as you massage. Unlike anything else, InstantPeel binds only to dead skin and debris, leaving younger-looking, baby soft skin in its place. Chemical peels are painful and produce redness, the acidity level of InstantPeel is close to neutral, and there are no aftereffects. Dermatologist-approved, clinically tested InstantPeel is hypoallergenic and safe for even the most sensitive of skins.
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| Medical Billing Firm Moves Into New Location and Unveils New Website After Growing 200% in the First Year. - Nov 26, 2004 15:49 IST |
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Outsource Management Group is an industry leading medical billing & medical coding outsourcing company providing physicians with complete practice management solutions nationwide.
The release of the new website and medical billing blog are indicative of Outsource Management Group’s commitment to being a leader in the industry by providing the best possible service and latest information and news.
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| Permanent Cosmetic Leader to Network Physicians, Provide Medical Care - Nov 26, 2004 15:48 IST |
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Premier Pigments, which provides the majority of the permanent make-up pigments used throughout the world by physicians, cosmetic technicians, and body artists, announced today an unprecedented offer to arrange medical treatment for anyone who has an allergic reaction to permanent cosmetics. The offer of medical care covers not only their clients, but also the customers of certified technicians who use other pigment suppliers.
Permanent pigments are overwhelmingly safe and successful and we will expend time and money to care for anyone who has an allergic reaction, identify physicians who can treat problems, and greatly enhance our programs to educate both doctors and technicians. Premier Pigments will also direct individuals who are dissatisfied with results to technicians who are skilled in correctional procedures. We are committed to strengthening the confidence the public has in our products and in the entire permanent cosmetics industry, said Sandi Hammons, president and CEO of Premier Pigments.
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| 9 Months until Your Vitamin Supplements Will Be Banned - Nov 26, 2004 14:44 IST |
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In 2002 the European Union passed the directive on dietary supplements. This directive, which is part of a larger form of legislation called codex alimentarius, is a dangerous directive which takes away your rights as An American citizen to control your own health.
This directive is on track to take effect in the United States in less than one year. August 2005 to be exact, and the scenario above will become reality for all of us. These laws will classify proven and safe supplements as “medical drugs”.
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| Cancer-Treatments.org Offers Information on New Cancer Treatment Options - Nov 26, 2004 14:41 IST |
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Did you know there is a doctor in Mexico who has a 98% success rate with curing bone cancer? Did you know clinics exist that can offer a 90-100% success rate with curing 4 and 5 stage cancers? Did you know there is a new form of super supplement that helps people quietly cure themselves of cancer?
Unfortunately, most cancer patients don’t know about this treatment... and they continue to suffer through hours of debilitating chemotherapy. Cancer-Treatments.org hopes to change that.
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| Callisto Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CEO to Present at the 15th Annual Wall Street Analyst Forum Conference - Nov 26, 2004 13:51 IST |
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Callisto Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX: KAL), a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of drugs to treat cancer and osteolytic bone disease, announced today that Dr. Gary S. Jacob, Callisto Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 15th Annual Wall Street Analyst Forum Conference on December 1, 2004, at 11:40 a.m. Eastern time. The conference will be held at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York.
Dr. Jacob will present an update on Callisto’s strategy and business development efforts, followed by an overview of its Annamycin and Atiprimod drug candidates. Annamycin, a drug from the anthracycline family, recently completed a Phase I/IIa trial in refractory leukemia patients. Callisto plans to initiate a Phase IIb trial in relapsed leukemia patients in the first half of 2005. Callisto’s second drug, Atiprimod, a small-molecule, orally-available drug with antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activity, began an open-label Phase I/IIa clinical trial in relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) patients on May 25, 2004.
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| Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb Study Results Mis-Reported: Study Revelaed the Real Enemy is Junk Food - Nov 26, 2004 13:51 IST |
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Recent headlines suggesting low-carb dieters were more likely to re-gain weight than low-fat dieters resulted from misinterpretation of a study presented earlier this month at a major conference on obesity. In fact, the study showed no difference between the two groups of dieters. The real “enemy” revealed by the study was junk food consumed after subjects had lost weight.
According to Catherine LaCroix, editor in chief of LowCarb Living magazine, the study presented earlier this month at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity was widely misreported. “A review of the data showed there was absolutely no difference in weight re-gain between the ‘low-carb’ and ‘low-fat’ groups,” said LaCroix. “So we talked to Suzanne Phelan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Human Behavior at Brown University, who presented the study. She admits that those headlines proclaiming ‘low fat beats low carb’ were ‘somewhat misleading.’”
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| Consumers Buy Klonopin, Clonazepam And Rivotril From Online Pharmacies In Increasing Numbers. - Nov 26, 2004 13:45 IST |
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Back by popular demand - the frequently prescribed anxiety medications Klonopin and it’s generic counterparts Clonazepam and Rivotril at US-Meds.com.
Consumers are now going to online pharmacies in increasing numbers in order to protect their privacy and to get immediate service - which is usually not available with traditional face to face doctor visits.
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| AIDS Walk Founder Available for Comment: The Significance - Nov 26, 2004 13:34 IST |
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While many cite declining numbers in fundraising for AIDS organizations as evidence of waning public interest in HIV/AIDS, the ever-successful AIDS Walks in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, demonstrate that public support for domestic HIV/AIDS services remains strong.
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| Dispelling the myth. The reality behind human organ trafficking. Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes in interview - Nov 26, 2004 13:28 IST |
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Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, an anthropologist of international renown, first studied the phenomena of organ trafficking from the perspective of an urban myth. Her years of research however uncovered a system that is all too real.
In a rare interview with Three Monkeys Online Magazine, Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes talks about the international system of trafficking in human organs, where people from impoverished countries sell kidneys, eyes, and any other body part that can be transplanted, to international brokers.
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| Obesity? New Career? Forget the New Year Resolutions - Nov 26, 2004 13:18 IST |
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On January 1, 2005, 97% of Americans will have made their New Year resolutions. By the end of January 2005, 95% of Americans will have discarded them as useless and unworkable. Is there a solution that will change lives or are such thoughts only for foolish dreamers?
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| Good Samaritan Hospital To Provide Advanced Dialysis Therapy Vital In The Treatment Of Unstable Patients - Nov 26, 2004 12:48 IST |
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Following the installation of new equipment and several months of staff training, the Frank and Fannie Weiss Renal Dialysis Center at Good Samaritan Hospital is now capable of performing continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH), an advanced and alternative dialysis therapy.
CVVH is a more gentle and gradual dialysis therapy most commonly used in intensive care units for critically ill and unstable patients with acute renal failure. The Weiss Center is the only hospital-based facility in the county offering the procedure.
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| The Myth About Illegal Drugs...Are They Cast - Off Psychiatric Drugs? - Nov 26, 2004 12:35 IST |
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The founders of Label Me Sane, a California based company announced a nationwide lecture series to educate the public about both illegal and prescription drugs, specifically the psychiatric medication mass marketed today for all types of psychiatric disorders.
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