ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Education, culture affect children's understanding of human body
• Stirring the simmering 'designer baby' pot
• You should be ashamed -- or maybe not
• One out of two parents do not see their child's weight problem
• Can women choose where to give birth? New research reveals how perceptions of risk influence decisions
• No one likes a copycat, no matter where you live
• Surprising results about kids' capacity for scientific literacy
• The business of fear: Can our favorite products provide emotional support?
• No greater injury risk on artificial playing surfaces, study shows
• Obesity associated with lower academic attainment in teenage girls, says new study
• Healthy food is good for you -- and can sell, too

Education, culture affect children's understanding of human body Posted: 13 Mar 2014 06:27 PM PDT Experiences of life and death can help children's understanding of the human body and its function, according to research by psychologists. The study found that children as young as four and five can understand that the human body works to keep us alive. The researchers call this a 'life theory' and say it is important because it enables children to understand other related biological facts, such as what the vital organs do to keep us alive and what happens when people die. The results also have implications for teaching about the human body in schools.

Stirring the simmering 'designer baby' pot Posted: 13 Mar 2014 11:27 AM PDT From genetic and genomic testing to new techniques in human assisted reproduction, various technologies are providing parents with more of a say about the children they have and 'stirring the pot of 'designer baby' concerns.

You should be ashamed -- or maybe not Posted: 13 Mar 2014 10:43 AM PDT Shame on you. These three simple words can temporarily -- or, when used too often, permanently -- destroy an individual's sense of value and self-worth.

One out of two parents do not see their child's weight problem Posted: 13 Mar 2014 07:17 AM PDT One out of two parents of children with overweight feel that their child's weight is normal. Four out of ten parents of children with overweight or obesity are even worried that their child will get too thin. These are the findings of a European study of parents of more than 16,000 children.

Can women choose where to give birth? New research reveals how perceptions of risk influence decisions Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:47 AM PDT Perceptions of risk around pregnancy, and how this influences decisions about where to give birth, were the focus of a new study. Despite childbirth in the UK being increasingly considered safe, the article shows that childbirth is still seen as 'risky'. This is reflected in decisions about where to give birth, with hospital obstetric unit (OU) births remaining the choice for the majority. Proportions of home-births over the past two decades remaining virtually static at 2.5% and a further 5% take place in Freestanding Midwifery Units or Alongside Midwifery Unit.

No one likes a copycat, no matter where you live Posted: 11 Mar 2014 01:28 PM PDT Even very young children understand what it means to steal a physical object, yet it appears to take them another couple of years to understand what it means to steal an idea. Psychologists discovered that preschoolers often don't view a copycat negatively, but they do by the age of 5 or 6. And that holds true even across cultures that typically view intellectual property rights in different ways.

Surprising results about kids' capacity for scientific literacy Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:38 AM PDT An innovative approach introduces five-to-eight year-olds to the concept of natural selection using a story book in a new research study. The children show remarkable comprehension; it turns out kids can understand complex scientific concepts -- like natural selection -- far beyond what anyone would have expected.

The business of fear: Can our favorite products provide emotional support? Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:59 AM PDT Worried that you could be in a car accident? Insurance company X can protect you and your family. Afraid you will lose your children to drunk driving? MADD can help you educate them to avoid drinking and driving. According to a new study, when a person-to-person support system is not available in a fearful situation, brands can act as a replacement source of emotional attachment.

No greater injury risk on artificial playing surfaces, study shows Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT No greater injury risk for athletes playing on artificial playing surfaces was found, according to a new study. The use of artificial playing surfaces at sport venues has increased significantly in recent years, primarily due to the advantages of artificial turf over natural grass: longer playing hours, lower maintenance costs and greater resilience to harsh weather conditions. Despite these advantages, many elite professional soccer teams are reluctant to install artificial turf because of a perception that injuries occur more often on these types of surfaces. The study authors concluded that there are no major differences between the nature and causes of injuries sustained on artificial turf and those that occur on natural grass surfaces.

Obesity associated with lower academic attainment in teenage girls, says new study Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Obesity in adolescent girls is associated with lower academic attainment levels throughout their teenage years, a new study has shown. The results showed that girls who were obese, as measured by BMI (body mass index) at age 11 had lower academic attainment at 11, 13 and 16 years when compared to those of a healthy weight. The study took into account possible mediating factors but found that these did not affect the overall results. Attainment in the core subjects of English, Math and Science for obese girls was lower by an amount equivalent to a D instead of a C, which was the average in the sample.

Healthy food is good for you -- and can sell, too Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:04 AM PDT You don't just need to rely on hot dogs and pizza to make a buck at concession stands. A study examined sales, revenues and profits at a booster-run concession stand in Iowa that offered healthy food items, from apples to string cheese, over two fall seasons. The club registered stable sales and revenue, while profits remained intact.

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