Family life News
family life
The latest health and wellbeing news for parents, grandparents and children
Home births as safe
as hospital births Scientists who carried out a large international study have discovered that giving birth at home is just as safe as giving birth at hospital for low-risk pregnant women. The study used data from 21 studies on home and hospital birth outcomes in several countries, including England. “More women in well-resourced
countries are choosing birth at home, but concerns have persisted about their safety,” says the study’s lead author Professor Eileen Hutton, founding director of the McMaster Midwifery Research Centre. “This research clearly
demonstrates the risk is no different when the birth is intended to be at home or in hospital.”
Outdoor light may protect children’s vision
Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to be shortsighted (myopic) than those who stay indoors, say experts from the University of Houston College of Optometry who are trying to get to the bottom of why this happens. The experts are aiming to discover why increasing numbers of children need glasses.
Has your child had their eyes tested lately? If they are aged 16 or younger (or under 19 and in full-time education), they’re eligible for free NHS sight tests. Speak to an optician for details.
Fidgeting: not such a bad habit?
If your child often can’t sit still, it could be a good thing, say researchers from Australia and Glasgow. Children who frequently shift their posture while carrying out daily activities burn more calories, says the study published in the journal PLOS One. And all of those small movements, when added up, could help keep their weight in check. The majority of the children in the study were aged between four and five, with
boys and girls found to fidget equally. However the researchers stress that fidgeting should not be considered a substitute for proper exercise.
Figures from NHS Digital show rates of smoking in pregnancy are falling, with 61,399 pregnant women still smoking
fast fact
when they gave birth in 2018 compared with 92,123 a decade earlier. London
mums-to-be are the least likely to smoke, but 20 per cent of pregnant women in Blackpool, Corby, Durham and
Mansfield are still smoking when they go into labour.
36 All About health 01 01
October 18 World
Menopause Day This event is held each year on October 18 to raise awareness of women’s midlife health. It’s run by the UK-based International Menopause Society in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Discover what’s happening at
www.imsociety.org.
November 1 - 31 Cancer Research
UK Veg Pledge Take on the pledge to go vegetarian or vegan for a month this November and raise sponsorship for Cancer Research UK – find details of how to sign up and learn about the benefits of taking part at
www.cancerresearchuk.org (search Veg Pledge).
health diary 2019
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