News 2019

A study has shown that regular weekly gamblers were more likely to be male and had developed habits and patterns of play by age 20. Factors such as the gambling habits of parents and social media use were also found to influence a young person's gambling activity. The in-depth longitudinal study by the University of Bristol's Children of the 90s was commissioned by GambleAware.

Over 30 million Chinese children, aged between seven and 18, are overweight or obese - placing them at greater risk of an early death and this number is set to rise to 50 million by 2030, caused in part by the role grandparents play in childcare. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol worked with Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, enlisting 1,641 six-year-old children across 40 primary schools in Guangzhou to evaluate the effectiveness of the CHIRPY DRAGON programme in tackling childhood obesity.

Educating parents and grandparents - as well as improving physical activity and the food provided at school - could hold the key to solving China's obesity pandemic, according to one of the largest trials of childhood obesity prevention in the world. Over 30 million Chinese children, aged between seven and 18, are overweight or obese - placing them at greater risk of an early death and this number is set to rise to 50 million by 2030, caused in part by the role grandparents play in childcare.

New research examining the effect of being raised by a single mother reveals lower income and resources has the greatest impact on a child's development, not poor parenting skills. The study, published today [20 November] in the journal Child Development , found children who lived with a single mother before age 11 had lower verbal ability than children whose parents stayed together.

Women and men experience a 'large divergence' in their career paths in the years following childbirth, according to a study following more than 3,500 new parents. Only 27.8 per cent of women are in full-time work or self-employed three years after childbirth, compared to 90 per cent of new fathers.

The number of malnourished children in West and Central Africa rose by three million in the space of five years, a study shows. Academics from Cardiff University say the research, the first of its kind in the region, also shows no reduction in the number of children experiencing multiple forms of malnutrition and that this multiple burden is much more prevalent than previously thought.

Research on adoptive family life in Wales has revealed the levels of adversity many children have experienced. Academics from Cardiff University analysed social services records of a cohort of children in Wales who were adopted in the same year. Adoptive parents also completed surveys about the children over a four-year period after the placement began, commenting annually on any difficulties the child was having and their parenting.

A new report highlights the need for better data on migrant deaths and disappearances, particularly those of missing migrant children. This year's Fatal Journeys 4 report , by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and co-edited by University of Bristol academic Ann Singleton , focuses on missing migrant children, giving the growing number embarking on dangerous migrant journeys.

Too little sunlight - and specifically UVB exposure - in pregnancy has been linked with a higher risk of learning disabilities. In a new study looking at more than 422,500 school-age children from across Scotland, researchers found that low UVB exposure during pregnancy was associated with risk of learning disabilities.

As GCSE exam season starts this week, new research has found a positive Ofsted rating can have a surprising negative impact on students. Parents with kids in schools that received a better than expected Ofsted report are much more likely to reduce help with homework and this can have a damaging impact on GCSE results.

Toddlers who are picky about their food are not deficient in essential nutrients compared to their peers when they are teenagers. However, the few children who were persistent picky eaters, those who were less able to change and adapt their eating habits, showed pronounced differences in food intake at the age of 13, including a higher intake of sugar, according to new research published in Nutrition.

A report out today examines the factors that influence 'maths anxiety' among primary and secondary school students, showing that teachers and parents may inadvertently play a role in a child's development of the condition, and that girls tend to be more affected than boys. While every child's maths anxiety may be different, with unique origins and triggers, we found several common issues among both the primary and secondary school students Denes Szucs The report was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, with additional support from the James S McDonnell Foundation.

The first study of the impact of digital mobile devices on different aspects of family time in the UK has found that children are spending more time at home with their parents rather than less - but not in shared activities such as watching TV and eating. The increase is in what is called 'alone-together' time, when children are at home with their parents but say they are alone.

Weaving stories and intriguing names into children's education about the natural world could help to engage them with species' conservation messages, new research shows. A team at the University of Birmingham carried out a study to explore the potential of species' cultural heritage for inspiring the conservationists of the future.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have found out how poor policy communication and societal expectations of parents' roles are contributing to low take-up of shared parental leave (SPL) which is available for fathers. Research completed by Dr Holly Birkett and Dr Sarah Forbes (Co-leads of the Equal Parenting project ) at the University of Birmingham is the most comprehensive academic research ever undertaken to examine why eligible parents do not to use their statutory entitlement to SPL in the first year after the birth or adoption of their child.

A scheme supporting parents who have had children taken into care has been praised by Cardiff University academics in charge of its first independent evaluation. Dr Louise Roberts, from the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), led the assessment of one of the first Reflect schemes, which has been run by Barnado's Cymru in Gwent since 2016.

Your attitude during pregnancy could have an effect on your child's ability in maths and science, according to a new study published by Frontiers in Psychology today. Using data from Bristol's Children of the 90s study the research is one of a series from the University of Bristol , that examines a parental personality attribute known as the 'locus of control'.

Pre-teens who use a mobile phone or watch TV in the dark an hour before bed are at risk of not getting enough sleep, a new study reveals. The risk is comparatively lower for children who use these devices in a lit room or do not use them at all before bedtime. Pre-sleep device use The study by researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Lincoln, Birkbeck University and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel, Swit