Early Life-Style Guidance Needed from Parents and Children in Childhood Obesity
Razi Berry Rates of childhood obesity are at historically high levels in the U.S., yet there are few interventions that promote healthy weight gain in children from infancy to age two — a critical period for the development and prevention of childhood obesity. A new study published in Pediatrics found that fewer infants gained excess […]
Pandemic’s Mental Health Effects for Many Vulnerable Individuals
Razi Berry In just a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly and substantially worsened mental health among U.S. hourly service workers and their children — especially those experiencing multiple hardships, according to new research from the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University and Barnard College. COVID-19 pandemic swiftly and substantially worsened mental […]
Engaged Parents Can Prevent the ‘Terrible Twos’
Razi Berry Parents should not feel pressured to make their young children undertake structured learning or achieve specific tasks, particularly during lockdown. A new study of children under the age of two has found that parents who take a more flexible approach to their child’s learning can — for children who were easy babies — […]
Your Kids Can Tell When You’re Stressed
Razi Berry Stress is common in a family setting, especially when people are spending so much time together under stay-at-home measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. New research finds that parents suppressing feelings of stress around their kids can actually transmit those feelings to the children. Parents suppressing stressful feelings around their kids […]
Added Sugar Almost Impossible to Avoid for Toddlers
Razi Berry A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, published by Elsevier, found that nearly two-thirds of infants (61 percent) and almost all toddlers (98 percent) consumed added sugars in their average daily diets, primarily in the form of flavored yogurts (infants) and fruit drinks (toddlers). Infants were 6-11 […]
Two-Thirds of Parents Can’t Tell Mood Swings from Depression in Teens
Razi Berry Telling the difference between a teen’s normal ups and downs and something bigger is among top challenges parents face in identifying youth depression, a new national poll suggests. The difference between a teen’s normal ups and downs and something bigger Though the majority of parents say they are confident they would recognize depression […]
Parents Blame Themselves as Barrier to Teen Independence
Razi Berry Something most parents don’t want to hear from their teenager: I am not prepared to be an adult, and it’s your fault. I am not prepared to be an adult, and it’s your fault Nearly all parents (97%) in a new national poll say they are helping their teen become more independent by […]
Young Men Struggle With Body Image Issues, Too
Razi Berry A recent study has looked at how young men struggle with body image issues. There may be a general idea that young women are the only ones affected by unrealistic and impractical media expectations on body image, but young men are also affected. A growing awareness of how body image struggles affect young […]
The Fatherhood Rx: How Dad’s Presence or Absence Affects Our Mind and Body
Razi Berry This is my third fatherless Father’s Day Though gone, my father still impacts who I am every day. The example he set, the way he moved through the world wanting everyone he met to feel welcome and important, his sense of humor, the way he was always focusing on the possibilities………. and of […]