Health leaders are being urged to make policy changes to safeguard the mental health of unpaid carers as new evidence reveals the negative effects of taking on the role – including those who do so at a young age. The research is featured in a new Parliamentary report which also highlights an ‘urgent need’ for…
Tag: Young people
What do we know about the health of young carers – and is it enough?
Care systems in many countries are underpinned by the efforts of huge armies of informal carers, many of whom are children. And while there is official recognition in some countries that these young carers suffer poorer health than their peers, there have been few studies highlighting the particular effects of caring on this group. Rebecca…
Joining the dots between teenage infections and Multiple Sclerosis
Please note this is an updated version of an earlier post: More than 2.3 million people around the world have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the large majority of those are over the age of 20. MS is not contagious but some inherited genetic characteristics influence risk of developing the disease. There is…
Is it time for all policy to consider the needs of care leavers?
Every policy should take into account the needs of care-leavers, participants at the launch of a major new research report on outcomes from a childhood in care were told. The Nuffield Foundation funded study, which pushes forward the boundaries of knowledge by looking at what happens in mid-life to those who have been in care…
Multiple sclerosis: evidence of causes
More than 2.3 million people around the world have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the large majority of those are over the age of 20. MS is not contagious but some inherited genetic characteristics influence risk of developing the disease. There is evidence that things going on in people’s lives and bodies when…
Heavier social media use: are there links with binge-drinking in young people?
Heavier social media use: are there links with binge-drinking in young people? From Bebo to Facebook and Snapchat to TikTok, the last decade or so has seen a proliferation of social media platforms being used especially by young people. Earlyresearch featured on our blog has investigated some of the potential pitfalls that might be…
Time to stop physical punishment and score equal rights for children
A piece of news that might have slipped under the radar for some in this challenging year is that Scotland became the 60th country in the world to make it illegal to physically punish a child under the age of 16. The law came into force as a result of an evidence review conducted by…
Time to diagnose autism: why earlier diagnosis could be key to children’s wellbeing and happiness
When the Government two years ago launched a review to improve the lives of autistic children, it said it was committed to giving them “the same start in life as any other child”. Key to the review was the development of services that would diagnose autism earlier. A year after it was due to be…
Do sexual minority teenagers have greater health risks?
People who identify as gay or bisexual have long been known to be more likely than others to be at risk from behaviour which can affect their health, such as drug-taking, drinking and not doing enough exercise. But how does this affect today’s teenagers? In an era of greater social liberalism might these differences be…
Time to help our children get a move on
World Health Organisation and United States guidelines say adolescents should do at least an hour’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. But a new global study shows eight out of 10 fail to meet that standard – and there is a widening gender gap. Professor Yvonne Kelly and Fran Abrams outline new research revealing worrying trends which…