Posts tagged mental health

Secondhand Smoking Linked to Mental-Health Problems in Children — National Journal

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have mental and behavioral issues and are more likely to smoke later in life, according to two new studies in the August edition of the journal Pediatrics.

About 5 million children in the United States live in homes where they are exposed to secondhand smoke, which puts them at greater risk for asthma, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

According to the new studies from Harvard and Washington University in St. Louis, children exposed to secondhand smoke more commonly have behavioral and mental-health problems and are more likely to smoke when they grow up than children from non-smoking homes.

healthcare policy, newsAlthea FungJuly 11, 2011smoking cessation, mental health

A Parent's Military Deployments Take a Major Toll on Children's Mental Health, Study Finds — National Journal

More fallout from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: Children with an active-duty parent deployed there for long periods were more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health problem than children whose parents were not deployed, researchers reported on Monday.

In the 10 years since the two wars began, more than 2 million servicemen and -women have served in wartime duties, with more than half of them being deployed more than once, according to the National Military Family Association, a support organization.

Those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to have families than their counterparts in any wars in U.S. history. A majority of military children -- 75 percent -- are under the age of 11.

healthcare policy, newsAlthea FungJuly 4, 2011mental health, military affairs

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