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World Cup could fuel domestic violence
The month-long World Cup offers
a chance for victims of domestic violence to escape while
their partners are distracted, but could also lead to an
overall rise in violence, says a British charity called
Refuge. It claims victims will often try to leave the house
while their partners were watching a game. “They use
the hours of the match to get away,” a spokeswoman
said. But the link between alcohol and violence means the
number of violent domestic incidents could rise during the
tournament. It added that there is no research to suggest
a link between domestic violence and watching soccer itself,
which has often been suggested in the past. Refuge provides
emergency accommodation and safe houses for women and children
who are subject to domestic violence.
TV disturbs children’s sleep
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| For adults only |
A recent population-based study
in Finland shows that TV-viewing markedly increases the
risk of sleeping difficulties in five to six year olds.
The risk is particularly heightened when the children are
exposed to adult-targeted programmes, such as current affairs
programmes, TV serials, police series and movies, according
to the study published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
Quality sleep is essential for children’s well-being
and health. Therefore limiting children’s opportunities
to watch adult-targeted programmes might reduce children’s
sleeping problems, which could lead to beneficial changes
in their daytime behaviour.
Alcohol helps older women
A study involving more than 7,000
older women found that those who drink a moderate amount
of alcohol have slightly higher levels of mental function
than non-drinkers, according to a team of US researchers.
The research finds that compared to non-drinkers, women
who reported drinking up to two or three drinks per day
performed better on measure of global cognitive function,
which includes concentration, language, memory and abstract
reasoning. Understanding whether alcohol affects specific
areas of cognition may shed light on the mechanisms that
make it protective, according to the study is published
in the journal Neuroepidemiology.
Comforting crying babies
Researchers say that responding
and comforting crying babies is better than leaving them
to cry during the first weeks of their lives. A team of
scientists from the US, UK and Denmark found that babies
who were comforted when they cried tended to end up crying
less than those who were left to settle down on their own,
according to the journal Pediatrics.
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