Computer-related injuries increasing, kids particularly at risk

October 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by researchers at the University of Southampton, UK, has found that sea levels have been rising across the south coast of England over the past century, substantially increasing the risk of flooding during storms. The team has conducted a major data collection exercise, bringing together computer and paper-based records from across the south of England, from the Scilly Isles to Sheerness, to form a single data set of south coast sea levels across the years.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Motorcyclists who get access to lightweight bikes without having taken a prior exam may be more vulnerable to accidents, according to a study. Focussed on Barcelona, the study has shown that there has been an increase in the number of injuries among users of lightweight motorcycles after a law was passed in 2004, allowing the riding of motorbikes with a class B licence (for cars).

August 17th, 2009 LONDON - British children spend ten hours a day glued to TVs, computers, mobiles and games consoles, according to a new survey. The survey by energy firm Npower found that square-eyed youngsters aged seven to 16 spend a shocking four months a year - staring at screens.

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - Children as young as nine are receiving treatment for binge drinking at a clinic in the UK. Andrew Hall, chief executive of Alcohol Support, which runs Albyn House clinic in Aberdeen, revealed the majority of the children involved fell in the age bracket of 11 to 15.

June 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Hazards of long-term computer use such as back pain, blurred vision and mouse-related injuries are well documented. But now, a new study has revealed that the number of acute injuries connected to computers is also the rise.

May 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Excessive drinking and a sensation-seeking attitude among college students are the biggest reasons behind risk of alcohol-related injuries, according to a study. The study examined the "dose-response" effect of quantities and frequencies, and estimated that more than 500,000 college students suffered alcohol-related injuries in 2001.

May 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Furniture and televisions may not be considered dangerous, but kids often get hurt when these items tip over, a new study has found. The study, carried out by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, found that from 1990-2007 an average of nearly 15,000 children younger than 18 years of age visited emergency departments annually for injuries received from furniture tip-overs.

May 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Is your child really safe when he is sitting in front of the TV watching his favourite programme? A recent study found that from 1990 to 2007 an average of nearly 15,000 children, younger than 18 years, received injuries from furniture tip-overs. Despite warnings from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of such injuries involving TV sets and other furniture has increased in the US since the early 1990s.

May 1st, 2009 LONDON - Plans to introduce computers in England's primary school curriculum will ruin kids' handwriting skills, experts have warned. As per a government report by former chief schools inspector Sir Jim Rose, computers should be used in every lesson.

April 1st, 2009 MELBOURNE - It has been made official: Women are not the weaker sex. According to a myth-busting study, boys are more prone to becoming seriously ill or injured than girls.

March 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Men born in India, but living in England and Wales, are twice as likely to die alcohol-related deaths as the rest of the population, according to a new study led by an Indian-origin scientist. Conducted by the University of Edinburgh and the Office for National Statistics, the research also found that an equal number of alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales were reported among people born in Scotland or Ireland.

March 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON -'We can't afford our kids to be mediocre at a time when they're competing against kids in China and kids in India,' US President Barack Obama has said. Interacting with local residents at California's Costa Mesa town hall Wednesday, Obama said, 'It can't just be a single high-stakes standardized test - but we do need to have strong, powerful measures of performance, because schools are like anything else.' 'We can't afford our kids to be mediocre at a time when they're competing against kids in China and kids in India who are actually in school about a month longer than our kids.

March 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher has decided never to move to America, as he doesn't want his kids to pick an American accent. Although Gallagher uttered his love for America, he didn't quite fancy the idea of having his kids grow there.

January 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Boys tend to face three times greater risk of shoulder injuries, especially when they are competing in high school athletics. Although such injuries account for just eight percent of all injuries sustained by high school athletes, shoulder injuries were relatively common in predominately male sports such as baseball (18 percent of all injuries), wrestling (18 percent) and football (12 percent).

January 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Network administrators might soon be able to mount effective, low-cost defences against self-propagating infectious programmes known as worms, thanks to a new strategy devised by an Indian American researcher. Many computers are already equipped with software that can detect when another computer is attempting to attack it.