Time.com: Why Americans Are Adopting Fewer Kids from China
“Freer is one of a growing number of prospective parents who are unable to adopt from China under new laws Beijing put in place in May 2007. The stricter guidelines, intended to limit the overwhelming number of applicants to China’s well-regarded adoption program, have been effective — adoptions of Chinese children by U.S. citizens have dropped 50%, according to the U.S. State Department. The new regulations require, among other things, that adoptive parents be married, under 50, not classified as clinically obese, not have taken antidepressant medications in the past two years, not have facial deformities and meet certain educational and economic requirements.”
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1894333,00.html?iid=tsmodule
Englishcri.cn: One in Five Children Overweight or Obese in Big Cities
Mao Qun’an, director of the China Health Education Centre that was in charge of the package, says that big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have become the obesity-stricken areas in China, with the number of fat or overweight urban young population rising at an average of 12 to 15 percent every year over the past five years.
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/04/28/2001s479785.htm
BBC.co.uk: Chinese Kids Sold ‘Barbie Dream’
“Mattel recently opened the world’s first store dedicated to Barbie in Shanghai. They hope it will be a hit, but will it? It is spread across six floors, linked by a sweeping staircase bedecked with 875 dolls, each dressed in shocking pink. There is a throne where Chinese Barbie-wannabes can get their picture snapped, a runway where diminutive princesses can strut their stuff, a manicurist on hand to clean up the cuticles of mother or child, and boxes and boxes of dolls – every incarnation of Barbie, including one with the trademark blond hair, but more “Asian-looking” eyes.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8004910.stm
Reuters: Child disease outbreak kills 18 in China’s Henan
“Eighteen children from central China’s Henan province have died in an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease that could claim more victims as its spreads in summer heat, state media reported on Tuesday. The disease is a common childhood illness and rarely fatal, but it can cause fever, mouth sores and rashes with blisters, and severe forms of the virus can be deadly if not properly treated.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK197408
Healthnewsdigest.com: Tips To Help Children Develop Strong Reading Habits
“Getting a child to read can be challenging, but a recent survey found that 96 percent of U.S. and Canadian parents recognize the importance of having strong reading skills for school and as an adult … ‘Spending as little as 15 minutes a day reading together helps children of any age improve literacy, analytical and lifelong learning skills while fostering a love for the English language’ …”
http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Children_s_Health_200/Tips_To_Help_Children_Develop_Strong_Reading_Habits.shtml
Telegraph.co.uk: Too little sleep ‘can make children hyperactive’ “Youngsters aged between seven and eight who got an average of less than eight hours sleep a night had a higher chance of showing symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), researchers found.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5230382/Too-little-sleep-can-make-children-hyperactive.html
