Behind the Headlines

Sperm count link to exercise still uncertain

Tuesday Feb 5 2013

Lazy men who spend hours watching TV could be halving their sperm count, according to a number of newspapers. While the reports are based on proper medical...

Sharp decline in UK child epilepsy rates

Monday Feb 4 2013

'The number of children being diagnosed with epilepsy has dropped dramatically in the UK over the past decade' BBC News reveals. Less children being wrongly misdiagnosed, and the meningitis vaccine are thought to be partly responsible…

Claims whistling can potty train babies 'far-fetched'

Tuesday Jan 29 2013

'Potty training? Try whistling!' is the headline in the Daily Mail, as 'Vietnamese families credit it with getting their babies out of nappies by nine months.' The news is based on research...

New meningitis B vaccine approved for UK use

Wednesday Jan 23 2013

Many of the newspapers and news websites are reporting the announcement that a new meningitis B vaccine has been licensed for use in the UK. It is currently uncertain whether the vaccine will be provided free-of-charge by the NHS…

Can children 'grow out' of autism?

Thursday Jan 17 2013

"Children can 'grow out of' autism, psychologists say, challenging the established view that autism is a permanent, incurable condition," The Independent has reported. The story is based on a study that documented a group ...

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IVF pregnancies 'increase blood clot risk' in mothers

Wednesday Jan 16 2013

'A new study has found that women who undergo IVF have a higher risk of experiencing blood clots and pulmonary embolism while they are pregnant' ITV News explains. But women should be reassured that the increase in risk is small in absolute terms…

Fast-food 'link' to child asthma and eczema

Tuesday Jan 15 2013

'Teenagers more likely to have severe asthma and eczema if they eat fast food more than three times a week,' The Guardian reports. The claim is based on wide-ranging research looking at the dietary patterns of children across the world…

Wrong fat in pregnancy diet 'may make kids fatter'

Friday Jan 11 2013

Pregnant women who eat too much of the ‘wrong’ type of fat are likely to have fatter children' the Daily Mail advises. The advice is based on a UK study that found a link between maternal consumption of omega 6 fatty acids and the child’s weight…

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Jabs 'more upsetting' for babies of first-time mums

Wednesday Jan 9 2013

"Babies with anxious mothers 'feel more pain' during jabs," was today's headline in The Daily Telegraph. The story comes from a study looking at whether a baby's "pain behaviours"...

Is children's asthma made worse by inhalers?

Tuesday Jan 8 2013

Genetic tests could pave way to 'personalised' asthma drugs The Guardian reports while warning that current treatments may make symptoms worse. They report on a study which found that children with certain genes responded better to specific treatments…