Kids returning to school given head start with fight against diabetes

Following on from new guidance from the National Institute of Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE), the 20,000 children with Type 1 diabetes, who are starting or returning to school this September, could now benefit from a potentially life-changing way to manage their condition

Measles cases rise whilst the MMR debate continues

It appears that Measles is now endemic in certain parts of  South East England.  In the borough of Lewisham alone the Health Protection Agency reports at least 500 confirmed cases already this year.  The suggestion has been made that the increased incidence is due to a low up take of the MMR vaccine within the area. 

Carbon Monoxide alarms prevent holiday tragedy

A third of vacationing Brits ensure that they take a box of teabags with them on holiday, while just a scant 2% pack a potentially life-saving Carbon Monoxide alarm. This lack of foresight regarding holiday safety seems even more sobering when coupled with the fact that 85% of people fail to check on the gas safety of their hotel, apartment or villa prior to departure

Judith Chalmers offers advice on avoiding a holiday from hell

You’ve spent all year saving up and counting down the days to your well-earned summer holiday and then sods law strikes; you end up spending that once-in-a-lifetime trip in bed with the superbug from hell.

Health fears INSPIRE INNOVATIVE PROGRAMME to improve teenage health

In light of escalating concerns over young people's health, national children's charity 4Children and Nestle UK today announce the launch of Make Space for Health, a programme of teenage health advice and activity to be delivered in youth centres

Parents know best…but at the risk of their kids health?

Parents are putting the health of their children at risk by self-diagnosing food allergies. According to an astonishing new report, while a third of parents suspect their children either have had or currently have allergies and intolerances to food, over a third of mums and dads turn to the internet first for information, with a further 15% using their own experience to diagnose any potential food allergy in their child. What happened to visiting the doctor?

CHILDREN LEAD THE WAY ON 5 A DAY

A new report released for the Department of Health's 5 A DAY campaign shows that although parents understand the importance of getting their 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day, many are still confused about what counts towards that target, with one in three admitting that their children know more than they do about 5 A DAY and nutrition.

The Great Grub Club

A website aimed at getting the healthy lifestyle message across to primary school children is celebrating its first birthday. The Great Grub Club website, run by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), was launched a year ago to encourage healthier eating and a more active lifestyle in four to seven-year-olds.

The Perfect Recipe for a Balanced Diet

Almost half of parents admit to feeling under pressure from a fussy child to put certain things in their lunchboxes. Obliging your child might avoid a temper tantrum but almost two thirds admit to including the same foods in their children’s lunchboxes from day to day, raising more worries about healthy eating, just as ‘black market’ tuck shops are popping up in schools all over the country.

Staying Healthy is Child's Play

Parenthood can be highly demanding on the physical front, making taking care of your body even more important.  It’s often the simple things that make a big difference to how much energy you have, but sadly it seems that it’s the little things we’re most likely to ignore.

Department of Health issues reminder to all British holidaymakers

British parents preparing to head off on their annual summer holiday are being warned they could be putting their families at risk. Many families could be heading off to the sun unaware they are no longer covered if they need medical assistance whilst in the EU.

Parents' Nutrition Confusion

Being a parent these days isn’t easy.  Not only do you have to be a chauffeur, a counsellor, a cleaner and an expert chef but now you also have to be a nutritionist as well.  Although getting your child to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg every day is important it’s not the only factor to consider when it comes to your child’s diet. 

Hay Fever Myths

There are almost 13 million people suffering from hay fever each year in the UK and according to new research over 5 million may be confusing their symptoms with a cold or flu and taking inappropriate medication to treat their condition. 

Household products pose health threat

Cleaning your home and doing your washing using conventional household products can greatly increase your risk of cancer and a host of other serious illnesses, according to newly compiled research.

What is the correct Salt Intake?

Being a parent these days isn’t easy.  Not only do you have to be a chauffeur, a counsellor, a cleaner and an expert chef but now you also have to be a nutritionist as well.  Although getting your child to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg every day is important it’s not the only factor to consider when it comes to your child’s diet.

Have Fun Getting Fit

A day doesn’t go by without some sort of reminder showing us the importance of getting healthy and fit. We see beautifully bronzed, highly toned men and women gracing page upon page of magazines. And this is in stark contrast to how nation appears to be shaping up

NHS Direct Text Number

With mobile phone usage at an all-time high, NHS Direct has launched a text messaging service which allows users to obtain details of local health services at the push of a button!

Give smoking the cold shoulder this winter

The smoking ban, which came into effect earlier this year, leaves the UK's 12 million smokers facing a very bleak winter... So if hanging outside in the bitter cold to indulge in a cigarette doesn't seem like such a good idea any more, there really is no better time to finally kick the habit.

Young People Mismanage Medicine

Young people could be putting themselves at risk with medicines. New Lesson Pack launched in schools to teach kids to ask more about their medicines. As many as 42% of children and young people do not follow medical advice when using medicines, putting themselves seriously at risk of further health problems.

Hidden Disability Strikes Children

Every year a high number of children sustain injuries that could result in a hidden disability. According to The Children's Trust, the number of children sustaining injuries that will result in an Acquired Brain Injury
(ABI) is approximately 5000 (the equivalent of 157 classes of school children).

Threadworm Awareness

The need for children to wash their hands effectively is underlined by NHS Direct which states that: “Threadworm is most common in small children because they are not fully aware of the importance of hygiene, and they easily forget to wash their hands.

Once a Week, Take a Peek

A new campaign is launching this September which is aimed at parents to limit head lice outbreaks in our schools. Fronted by TV presenter and mother-of-three, Philippa Forrester, and supported by the School and Public Health Nurses Association, the Medical Entomology Centre and leading head lice treatment Hedrin the campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of being vigilant .

Children & Medicines

Parents will be all too aware of the struggle they can have getting their child to take their medicines. Whether it is a course of antibiotics for an ear infection, Calpol for a headache or eye drops for pink-eye (conjunctivitis), every parent will have their own tips and tricks for making sure the kids take their medicine when they need it.

Calcium helps Mums & Babys

What women eat during their pregnancy not only has a direct effect on their health, but also on the development and wellbeing of their baby. The nine months before the big arrival is a unique time and it’s vital mums use this period to give their unborn child the best possible start in life.

How to deal with Head Lice

No one expects parents to know everything, but a new survey released today shows that whilst almost half of young mums and dad think kids catch nits from swimming pools, some even think children get lice if they play outside or go to dirty schools

Facts about Omega 3 & EPA

Alex Richardson is internationally known for her research in the effects of food and diet on behaviour, learning and mood, and particularly for her work on omega-3 fatty acids in developmental conditions such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and autism. She is a regular speaker at international research meetings and already has more than 80 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and academic books.

Children's Shoes and how fitting is important

Somehow the shoe was never big enough. And similarly, no matter how much allowance you make for your children's growth spurt, it seems only a matter of days before you're burning your own leather in search of yet another pair of shoes for them. Yes, no sooner than scuffing their new shoes, our children's feet will grow. And yet again we find ourselves searching for well-fitting, comfortable footwear

Keeping Teeth Clean

Chances are your pearly whites are looking pretty good, but last year's National Dental Survey found that half of all people are failing on basic oral health care. So it's no surprise that we're being urged to go back to oral basics in the next few days.

Safe in the Sun

For years Australia has had the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, thanks to mass emigration of white Europeans to a climate that was ill suited to delicate white skins. But the tables have turned. It's now us Brits that are beating all comers, especially in our high rates of malignant melanoma, the most difficult of all skin cancers to treat.

My Child is Overweight!

Between 15-20% of children in the UK are classed as overweight. Maggie Lane, a freelance journalist consults a paediatric dietician, a local doctor and a very switched on school dinner lady.

Schools to milk it under EU scheme

Yoghurt and cheese are to be made available to schools under the EU School Milk Scheme. The European Commission today announced that the scheme, which was set up about 30 years ago to subsidise the distribution of milk to schools, will now be updated to include a wider range of dairy products and will also be extended to secondary schools.

ALMOST ONE THIRD OF IRISH ADULTS FAIL TO MEET GOVERNMENT DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS ON DAIRY

According to TNS mrbi research nearly one third of Irish adults (29%) do not consume the basic “three servings of dairy a day” recommended by the Irish Department of Health & Children. As dairy products provide a high proportion of calcium and essential nutrients, these findings suggest a large number of Irish adults may be at risk of reducing their general well being in the short term - and exposing themselves to serious long term health risks.

HSE, Safefood and the NI Health Promotion Agency call for a reality check on obesity

Earlier today, Monday, 16th June, the Health Service Executive and safefood in collaboration with the Health Promotion Agency, Northern Ireland launched a major campaign aimed at tackling the serious problem of obesity across the island of Ireland. The campaign, launched by Minister Mary Wallace, TD, Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety, has been informed by new research into children's eating habits and physical activity levels. The research also looked at parents' attitudes towards eating and physical activity.

HSE Proposals

Local pharmacists have launched a poster and leaflet campaign to inform patients that pharmacy services are at risk as a result of HSE proposals, which are due to come into effect on March 1st, The HSE is seeking to reduce the payments it makes to pharmacists on the community drugs schemes. Pharmacists fear that these reductions, if implemented, could make it financially unviable for many pharmacists to continue to participate in the Medical Card Scheme.

Phenomenal success of Hypnosis in the South East

Following the phenomenal response to our last article in Primary Times, we realised that parents all over the country are struggling to find help for their children for a variety of different issues, such as bed wetting, stammering, irrational fears, confidence, to name but a few.

Eye q Back to School Survey

The Eye Q ‘Back to School’ Survey has revealed that parents are genuinely concerned about how diet affects their children’s performance at school with 40% of parents now supplementing their children’s diets with omega-3 and omega-6 oils which contain essential fatty acids proven to play an important role in the development of learning ability, memory and concentration

New Book launched for Young Children with Asthma

To coincide with the return to school of thousands of children from all over Ireland, an educational book about asthma entitled 'The Wheezing Wolf and The Three little Pigs' was launched today in Dublin. An adaptation of the original fairytale, it tells the story of a young wolf named Wilbur who has asthma.

New Sea Safety Centre in Waterford

The CEO of IWS John Leech and Mrs. Ann Whelan officially opened the Boatstrand Sea Safety Centre at 1200, Noon on Saturday 11th August. This new facility is situated 11 miles south west of Waterford city. It attracts thousands of people each year and is used mainly as a fishing and marine leisure centre.

Kids Just Want to Have Fun

These words from Safe Harbour's hypnotherapist Richard Burke (MBA, PIIE, MICHP) ring true, but some kids are having no fun at all. He says "Did you know that 20% of 5 year olds wet the bed and 7% of 10 year olds, but no-one talks about it let alone know what to do about it?"

REACH YOUR SPORTING PEAK WITH ASTHMA

"Asthma shouldn't be a hurdle in sport and exercise" was the message to parents and children today (Monday, 30th April) from the Asthma Society of Ireland (ASI), at the launch of the "Reach Your Peak with Asthma" campaign.

NATIONAL ROLL-OUT OF “FOOD DUDES” PROGRAMME TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Speaking at the national roll-out of the Food Dudes Programme to primary schools countrywide, Mary Coughlan T.D., Minister for Agriculture and Food said she was delighted that as a result of the success of the pilot project more primary school children and their parents will now benefit from this innovative programme.

Food Poverty amongst Irish Children

A study published recently by The Centre for Health Promotion Studies, NUI Galway has found that one sixth of Irish children report that they go to school or to bed hungry, because there is not enough food at home.