After-school activities help develop social skills and talent, but a new report finds that many kids are priced out of participating. In fact, for 1 in 6 middle and high school students, costs are the prime reason for not taking part in these activities. And the poorest students are two times less likely to participate,…  read on >

Thinking about a TV for your young child? Based on new evidence, you might want to reconsider that. Preschoolers who had a TV in their bedroom were at increased risk for poor eating habits, overweight/obesity and social/emotional struggles in their teens, Canadian researchers say. “The early years are a critical period in a child’s development,”…  read on >

Rowing is often called the best aerobic exercise because it offers a total body workout and is low-impact. Rowing involves performing a continuous motion with focused coordination between the arms and the legs. If you’ve never rowed a boat or paddled a canoe before, it may take some time to get the hang of it,…  read on >

For women who need relief from bladder control problems, behavioral therapies are a better bet than medication, a new research review finds. In an analysis of 84 clinical trials, researchers found that overall, women were better off with behavioral approaches to easing urinary incontinence than relying on medication. Study patients were over five times more…  read on >

Though they often dread social events, many introverts find they’re not as bad as feared and some have learned to fake an outgoing personality to get through the experience. In the business world, socializing is a key to success, said Erik Helzer, who led a team that examined the psychological implications for both introverts and…  read on >

Tucking a pacemaker inside an antibiotic-soaked mesh envelope before implanting it inside your body can drastically reduce your risk of a dangerous infection, a new study shows. About 1.7 million patients receive cardiac implants like pacemakers or defibrillators every year worldwide, and doctors use preoperative antibiotics to lower the chances of infection. Nonetheless, about 1.2…  read on >

Women scientists get less early-career research funding from the U.S. government than men, which can put them at a disadvantage for the rest of their careers, a new study says. Researchers analyzed grants given by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to 53,000 first-time principal investigators (57 percent men and 43 percent women) between…  read on >

A groundbreaking new study holds heartening news for older Americans. Since the mid-1990s, the number of seniors who suffered a heart attack or died from one dropped dramatically — evidence that campaigns to prevent heart attacks and improve patient care are paying off, Yale University researchers said. The study of more than 4 million Medicare…  read on >

Think exercise has to be high-intensity to make a difference to your health? Think again. New research shows that even routine housework and gardening can help older women’s hearts. “For older women, any and all movement counts towards better cardiovascular health,” said Dr. David Goff. He’s director of the division of cardiovascular sciences at the…  read on >