Results of a randomized trial, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, suggest that children who were exposed to age-appropriate video were about 20 percent less likely to have a sleep problem than kids whose parents didn’t follow the same advice.
“One of the things that’s exciting for me is that if families want to make these changes, it doesn’t require going to the doctor’s office or going to a person’s home,” said lead author Michelle Garrison, from Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
Previous studies had also suggested a link between the kinds …

Honey has long been believed to have numerous important health benefits; past studies have suggested the beeswax product helps in the healing of burns, aids in digestion and weight loss, and is even a good source of energy. And now, researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel have found that honey may have another important health benefit: the treatment of nighttime coughing in toddlers.
Based on their study, lead author Herman Avner Cohen and colleagues suggest that a spoonful of honey before bedtime could help little kids with a cough sleep …

The real estate crash may be having a surprising effect on the health of some Americans with asthma.
A survey of people with allergic asthma found that renters are less likely than homeowners to make changes to minimize exposures to the allergens that trigger their breathing problems.
Allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen, and mold are common asthma triggers. More than half of people with asthma in the U.S. are allergic to something in their environment.
Taking steps to minimize exposure to these environmental triggers in the home is an important …

Fitter kids do better on school tests, according to new research that echoes previous findings.
The fitter the middle school students were, the better they did on reading and math tests, says researcher Sudhish Srikanth, a University of North Texas student. He presented his research Friday at the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting in Orlando.
The researchers tested 1,211 students from five Texas middle schools. They looked at each student’s academic self-concept — how confident they were in their abilities to do well — and took into account the student’s socioeconomic status.
They …

Changes to the composition of gut microbes that would normally cause health problems such as weight gain and inflammation may actually be beneficial to expectant mothers, according to researchers.
In conducting the study, published in the Aug. 3 issue of the journal Cell, the researchers examined stool samples taken from 91 pregnant women. They found that the composition of the women’s gut microbes changed over time, from the first trimester of their pregnancy to the third trimester.
“This is the first in-depth characterization of the gut microbiota associated with pregnancy,” the study’s …