Your Health: Analysis finds violence begets violence

Viewing violence

The verdict is in, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics: media violence helps cause real-life violence.

Analysis of more than 2,000 research reports shows the association between media violence and aggressive behavior is stronger than that between calcium and bone mass and lead ingestion and lower IQ.

Violent video games had an even stronger correlation with physical aggression than did TV or movies.

Still, the AAP could not explain why violent crime rates decreased more than 50 percent from 1994 to 2004.

The academy recommends parents not let children younger than 2 watch any television or screen media. It recommends removing televisions, Internet connections and video games from children's bedrooms, monitoring what your child watches or plays, limiting total screen time to one to two hours a day, and discussing what is appropriate.

The academy also recommends using the v-chip in TVs to keep children from watching violent shows and not allowing children to play violent video games.

In general, the academy advocates for a simpler, universal, content-based media rating system for movies, videos, music and other media.

Baby bonus

A Chicago-area fertility center promises a baby, or your money back.

In vitro fertilization patients might only have a 30 percent chance of success. So most need more than one treatment, and many patients drop out because of financial concerns without becoming pregnant.

Though Illinois law requires insurance to cover fertility treatment, the costs are still too much for many families. One forecast predicts a 5 percent drop in the number of procedures this year because of the recession.

So Fertility Centers of Illinois is offering multiple treatments for one fee - and 70 percent refunds to those who don't have a baby with their treatment.

Dodging diabetes

Anyone worried they might be developing diabetes can learn ways to help ward it off at a seminar, "Diabetes: Are You at Risk?"

Registered dietitian Isa Carani will present the facts in English and Spanish from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Lake County Health Department's North Shore Health Center, 1840 Green Bay Road in Highland Park.

For information, call the department at (847) 984-5341.

Car seats till age 8

Child booster seats may be a pain, but they save lives.

A new study finds children who ride in belt-positioning booster seats - with or without backs - were 45 percent less likely to sustain injuries than children in standard seat belts.

The research is further justification for an Illinois law that requires child safety seats until age 8.

- Robert McCoppin