A round-up of today's other health stories in brief
Kids with few pals at greater health risk
Children who are not very popular at school have worse health as adults than those who are likeable, new research suggests.
Those with fewer friends and less social status are far more likely to suffer conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. They are also more likely to take their own lives and harm themselves than more popular youngsters.
The findings from Swedish researchers, and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, held true even when a child's social class was taken into account.
The researchers analysed data from a project on more than 14,000 people, spanning almost 30 years.
Gout patients getting younger
There has been a “very definite” increase in the number of younger patients presenting with the very painful condition of gout and much of the rise in cases is driven by lifestyle factors such as obesity and alcohol consumption.
That’s according to the president of the Irish Society for Rheumatology, Dr Ronan Kavanagh, who says a lack of awareness of the condition can lead to many of those affected going without treatment. This can cause irreversible joint damage, kidney damage and even heart disease. Patients who get regular attacks should seek medical help.
Children in NI not exercising enough
Over half of Northern Ireland’s young people are not getting enough exercise, a new survey has found.
Instead they spend more time on their computers and mobile phones, the study for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) discovered.
Visiting social networking sites and chatting to friends took up an hour each day.
Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention at the BHF, said: “We have a generation of kids growing up who have a shockingly blase attitude towards exercise and being active.”
Recent research predicts that if trends continue, two thirds of children will be overweight or obese by 2050.