Wacked Wednesday

Parents fail to recognize their children's burgeoning weight

Despite constant warnings about childhood obesity, too many Australian parents are still oblivious to the fact their children are overweight, according to the findings of the national MBF Healthwatch survey.

The disturbing results showed that only 7.9% of children were considered to be overweight by their parents. However, this is a gross underestimation according to the recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report , which showed almost a quarter of all children (aged two to 12) are overweight or obese.

Bupa Australia* Chief Medical Officer Dr Christine Bennett said, "Parents need to be extremely conscious that their failure to recognise these weight problems can be potentially damaging to their children in the long-term.

"Even taking into account recent suggestions that measures of overweight might be including some children on the border, many parents don't pick up on the risk.

"And once children become overweight, it's often extremely difficult for them to shed these excess kilos, particularly if their diet is incorrect and they are living a sedentary lifestyle.

"Therefore, it's incumbent upon us as parents to help ensure our children embrace healthier lifestyles," she said.

Dr Bennett also expressed dismay that parents' inability to recognise weight issues was markedly more pronounced with their sons.

This was typified by the fact that considerably more parents believe their daughters are overweight (10.3%), compared to their male siblings (5.5%).

Source and More
http://www.physorg.com/news166876046.html
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Senate committee passes health bill, first to act
House Democratic leaders are offering a $1.5 trillion plan

The Senate health committee cast a milestone vote Wednesday to approve legislation expanding insurance coverage to nearly all Americans, becoming the first congressional panel to act on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.

The 13-10 party line vote advanced a $600 billion measure that would require individuals to get health insurance and employers to contribute to the cost. Democratic leaders are driving for floor votes in the House and Senate before Congress goes on its August break.

The health committee bill calls for the government to provide financial assistance with premiums for individuals and families making up to four times the federal poverty level, or about $88,000 for a family of four, a broad cross-section of the middle class. The legislation is but one piece of a broader Senate bill still under development.

Source and More
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31921017/ns/politics-capitol_hill/
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Green Paper Funding Proposals "Disastrous" For People With Mental Health Problems

People with mental health problems could find themselves without adequate help and support under proposals set out in today's green paper on adult social care, warns leading mental health charity Rethink.

Plans to make individuals contribute to the funding of their social care services via co-payment schemes and private insurance policies could leave people with mental illness unable to afford the services they need.

This is because it may be difficult for people with mental health problems to stump up the necessary financial contributions. People with mental health problems tend to live on lower than average incomes, with three quarters surviving on benefits alone. Those who are able to work often face workplace discrimination and can find it hard to stay in employment because of their fluctuating health. Moreover, enforcing a system based on private insurance policies is inherently problematic as many insurance companies impose blanket bans on people with a history of mental illness, preventing them from buying cover.

Paul Corry, Rethink's director of public affairs, says: "With more people living in the community for longer, we know that a social care economic crisis is looming and so we welcome the green paper and its debate on future funding. The postcode lottery currently in operation results in too many people missing out on the essential care and support they need.

Source and More
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157598.php
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Search For an Early ADHD Diagnosis

A new Canadian study of eye movements may aid in understanding childhood brain development and healthy aging.

The tests, developed by Queen’s University researchers, may also help in the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and detecting the early onset of Parkinson’s disease.

“An important aspect of what makes us human is the ability to control our behavior,” says physiology professor Douglas Munoz, who leads the study.

“Our project investigates how the brain provides this control by observing eye movements. Our experiments have been designed to combine high speed eye movement recording with modern brain imaging techniques to identify brain regions that control our behaviour.”

To test this, the team designed a simple yet ingenious experiment. Participants from a wide range of age groups were placed in a magnetic resonance imaging unit that measured their brain activity.

While in the unit, they were shown a series of lights and asked to move their eyes toward or away from the lights. The speed and accuracy of their eye movements were recorded and correlated to the activity being documented in specific areas of their brains.

Source and More
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/07/15/search-for-an-early-adhd-diagnosis/7120.html
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Technique Gives Insight on Psychopathic Disorders

A research group from the University of Granada has developed a method to analyze the personality of people with psychopathologic disorders by means of their drawings.

The method consists of a series of Graphic Projective Tests (TPG) where patients draw what a psychologist says. Each element of the picture has a meaning and it will give information about conscious and unconscious aspects of the individual.

Dr. José María Cid and colleagues developed a methodology that systematically categorizes all elements that appear in the drawing. This system eases evaluation and interpretation of technical specifications used to determine a personality profile.

Also, it is possible to foresee a diagnosis whose therapeutic action guidelines will be indicated for that person.

This study is the first arranged system of variables supported by a psychological theory easy to evaluate and interpret. That is why it can be used by professionals as well as all those who wish to know a little bit more about themselves.

Researchers have described this methodology in a book titled Personalidad y conflictos en el dibujo (personality and conflicts on drawings), which includes the person test, the person under the rain test and the couple test.

Source and More
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/07/15/technique-gives-insight-on-psychopathic-disorders/7125.html
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U.S. Homes Losing Battle of the Germs
Study Shows Housecleaning Habits of Americans Leave Something to Be Desired

Your home is loaded with disease-causing germs, including some that migrate from bathrooms, a new study shows.

The study by the Hygiene Council found that Americans and people in seven other countries are losing the battle of the bugs, mainly because we don't clean up well enough, or we don't wipe down the right stuff.

For example, in the U.S., television remote controls are a lot cleaner than kitchen taps or toilet handles, council member Philip M. Tierno Jr., MD, associate professor of microbiology and pathology at the New York University School of Medicine, tells WebMD.

The council was formed in 2006 as a disease-fighting initiative involving public health experts around the world. Sponsored by an educational grant from Reckitt Benckiser, maker of Lysol brand products, its goals are to formulate easy and practical recommendations for better hygiene.

The council sent teams of germ detectives armed with swabs into houses in the U.S., U.K, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Africa, India, and Malaysia. The teams sent samples from the homes to labs for microscopic analysis.

Source and More
http://www.webmd.com/news/20090714/us-homes-losing-battle-of-the-germs