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Childhood obesity – personal responsibility or environmental curse?
Dr Rob Noonan, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Children’s Physical Activity. In England there’s a steep social gradient to childhood health including obesity, and this continues into adolescence. The social gradient in health is a strong reminder that inequality effects all children’s health albeit those at the very top. So, we should all care about…
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“We can’t do this”: A mission impossible to meet the NHS performance targets
As we head into 2019, the media coverage has intensified with stories of the ‘mayhem’ due to the coming cold snap and the looming crisis in the NHS and the race to combat the “toughest ever” winter crisis and the pressures on the hospitals to meet their targets. This comes on the back of the…
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The problem with using psychoanalysis on children
Michael Richards, Edge Hill University Children with problems or problem children? That is the question often asked by parents and teachers alike. If a child is naughty in school, are they a “bad” child or are they facing mental ill health? Most analysis focuses on children being the problem – a highly individualistic take which…
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Weight monitoring during pregnancy could help save lives
Hazel Flight, Edge Hill University There are times in a person’s life when specific events can have long-term implications on their future health. Pregnancy is one of those times – when major and dramatic changes occur within a woman’s body composition in a short period of time. A key element of a healthy pregnancy is…
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Child obesity is linked to deprivation, so why do poor parents still cop the blame?
Robert Noonan, Edge Hill University Childhood obesity has risen ten-fold over the past 40 years. In the UK, roughly 30% of children are overweight or obese. Obesity rates are much higher among children living in deprived communities. In England, there is a clear trend: the wealthier a child’s family is, the more likely the child…
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Why you shouldn’t take antibiotics for colds and flu
Carol Kelly, Edge Hill University Winter is well and truly on its way. For many, this conjures up images of log fires, mistletoe and festive feasts. But it can also mean cold, damp mornings, short hours of daylight and the dreaded cold and flu season. Tickly throats, headaches, fevers and generally feeling rotten are the…
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Winter pressures and the NHS Ambulance Services: ‘Doing more with less’ is not an option
Paresh Wankhade, Professor of Leadership and Management and Emergency Services Management Expert discusses the issues the Ambulance Service faces as winter approaches in his latest Comment blog: With each passing year, the winter crisis puts a massive strain on the NHS ambulance resources with huge bottlenecks in the transfer of patients into the hospital Accident…
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Crime and nourishment – the link between food and offending behaviour
Hazel Flight, Edge Hill University; John Marsden, Edge Hill University, and Sean Creaney, Edge Hill University It is well known that eating a balanced diet is of vital importance for maintaining good health and well-being. It is also one of the great social pleasures of life. Yet, far too many young people in prisons are…
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Potatoes are out of favour – but they have strong roots in a healthy lifestyle
Hazel Flight, Edge Hill University Potatoes are apparently far from being flavour of the month. Rejected by young people and “clean eaters”, sales are plummeting. But what has the potato done to deserve being treated so distastefully? Reports claim that millennials prefer rice and noodles, and think that potatoes will make them fat. According to…
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Forcefully holding children for health procedures causes avoidable stress
Lucy Bray, Edge Hill University and Bernie Carter, Edge Hill University When children go to hospital they enter a strange place. It’s an unfamiliar building that sounds and smells unusual, full of strangers and intimidating equipment. This can be overwhelming and can make them feel small and anxious. Children cannot always find a way to…
