News in 2013
- Two in three 13-year-old girls afraid of gaining weight 17 December 2013 Six in ten 13-year-old girls, compared to four in 10 boys the same age, are afraid of gaining weight or getting fat according to new research on eating disorders that uses data on over 7,000 participants in Children of the 90s.
- Autistic traits may be more common in girls than previously thought 14 November 2013 Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but new research suggests that more girls may have the condition than previously thought but may have not been diagnosed because they are better than boys at covering up some of the signs.
- One in three premature babies fare less well at school 17 October 2013 New research from Children of the 90s shows that almost one in three children born prematurely (before 37 weeks) have lower Key Stage 1 (KS1) test results than children who are born at full term (37-42 weeks) and more than a third have special educational needs (SEN).
- Professor Jean Golding OBE honoured in book to mark Ada Lovelace Day 15 October 2013 A Passion for Science, published today to mark Ada Lovelace Day, celebrates many great women scientists, including Children of the 90s founder, Professor Jean Golding OBE, who overcame much adversity in childhood, including TB and polio, and went on to study maths at Oxford University at a time when men outnumbered women 10 to one.
- Concerns over mercury levels in fish may be unfounded 1 October 2013 New research from Children of the 90s suggests that fish accounts for only seven per cent of mercury levels in the human body. In an analysis of 103 food and drink items consumed by 4,484 women during pregnancy, researchers found that the 103 items together accounted for less than 17 per cent of total mercury levels in the body.
- Children with autism have poorer sleep quality than their peers 30 September 2013 Children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) have poorer sleep quality than their peers right up to their teens according to new research from Children of the 90s, published online today in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
- Stay healthy during pregnancy to keep lead levels low 6 September 2013 New research from Children of the 90s shows that mothers who drank alcohol and coffee, smoked and had a coal fire in their home during pregnancy were likely to have higher levels of lead in their blood than women who didn’t. Dietary calcium and iron seemed to have a protective effect.
- Children with behavioural problems more at risk of ill health 5 September 2013 Children with behavioural problems may be at risk of many chronic diseases in adulthood including heart disease and diabetes, illnesses that result in part from chronic inflammation.
- Behaviour problems at age three can affect GCSE grades 22 August 2013 Children who display hyperactivity, inattention and conduct problems at the age of three are at risk of worse academic outcomes at age 16, according to new research that uses data from Children of the 90s and which is published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
- Children as young as seven affected by parents smoking 24 July 2013 A new study out today from Children of the 90s shows that children as young as seven had elevated levels of cotinine (a by-product of nicotine) in their blood if their mother smoked, particularly children whose mothers smoked 10 cigarettes a day or more.
- Lack of fish in diet linked to anxiety in pregnancy 13 July 2013 Children of the 90s researchers and colleagues in Brazil, have found a link between the types of diet eaten, particularly whether this includes fish, and anxiety in pregnancy. They suggest that eating fish during pregnancy could help reduce stress levels.
- Sixteen new genetic regions for allergies discovered 30 June 2013 In two of the largest genetic studies ever conducted on common allergies, including pollen, dust-mite and cat allergies, 16 new genetic regions related to the condition have been discovered. Together they are responsible for at least 25 per cent of allergy in the population.
- Hope for migraine sufferers? 23 June 2013 In the largest study of migraine ever undertaken, researchers from the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe have found five new genetic regions that, for the first time, have been linked to the onset of migraine.
- Iodine deficiency during pregnancy adversely affects children’s mental development 22 May 2013 A study of around 1,000 UK mothers and children in Children of the 90s, published in The Lancet, has revealed that iodine deficiency in pregnancy may have an adverse effect on children’s mental development.
- Father absence in early childhood linked to depression in adolescent girls 15 May 2013 New research from Children of the 90s shows that girls whose fathers were absent during the first five years of life were more likely to develop depressive symptoms in adolescence than girls whose fathers left when they were aged five to ten years or than boys in both age groups (0-5 and 5-10).
- Children’s brain processing speed indicates risk of psychosis 1 May 2013 New research shows that children whose brains process information more slowly than their peers are at greater risk of psychotic experiences.
- Maternal vitamin D levels in pregnancy do not affect children’s bone health 19 March 2013 A study of nearly 4,000 pairs of mothers and their children in Children of the 90s has shown that maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy are not associated with the child’s bone health in later life.
- Children of the 90s welcomes 2,000th dad 28 February 2013 Today [Thursday 28 February 2013], Children of the 90s welcomed the 2,000th father through their doors.
- Being double-jointed can cause musculoskeletal pain in teenagers 28 February 2013 Young people who have joint hypermobility (better known as being double-jointed) are at increased risk of developing musculoskeletal pain in their teenage years, according to new research from Children of the 90s.
- Most babies slow to grow catch up by early teens 25 February 2013 New research from Children of the 90s shows that most babies who are slow to put on weight in the first nine months of life have caught up to within the normal range by the age of 13, but remain lighter and shorter than many of their peers. There are significant differences in the pattern of ‘catchup’, depending on the infant’s age when the slow weight gain occurs.
- Deodorants: do we really need them? 17 January 2013 New research from Children of the 90s shows that more than 75 per cent of people with a particular version of a gene don’t produce under-arm odour but use deodorant anyway.