- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- Using Music and Sports to Improve Kids' Asthma
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Wristbands May Lessen Nausea After Radiation
- Music Therapy For Prehistoric Man?
- Licorice May Block Absorption of Organ Transplant Drug
- ANIMAL CARE
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Hits Women Harder
- In Elderly Women, Hip Fractures Often Follow Arm Breaks
- Sea Worm Inspires Novel Bone Glue
- CANCER
- Quitting Smoking Doubles Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer
- Smoking Exposure Now Linked to Colon, Breast Cancers
- Bitter Melon Extract May Slow, Stop Breast Cancer
- CAREGIVING
- Children's Bath Products Contain Contaminants
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Late-Life Fatherhood May Lower Child's Intelligence
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- COSMETIC
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- Acupuncture May Ease Anxiety Over Dental Work
- DIABETES
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- Fructose-Sweetened Drinks Up Metabolic Syndrome Risk
- Spices, Herbs Boost Health for Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Mediterranean Diet Helps Protect Aging Brain
- Eating Lots Of Vegetables, Olive Oil May Extend Life
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Dementia Underestimated in Developing Countries
- Population-Based Strategy Urged to Cut U.S. Obesity Rate
- Air Pollution Raises Risk of Heart Disease, Death
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
- Decorative Halloween Eye Lenses May Pose Serious Risks
- When Corks Fly, Watch the Eyes
- FITNESS
- Study Shows Exercise Shields Against Osteoporosis
- MRSA Infections Can Bug Fitness Buffs
- Diet, Exercise May Slow Kidney Disease Progression
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Eating Lots Of Vegetables, Olive Oil May Extend Life
- Internet Program Helps Problem Drinkers
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Airport Full Body Scanners Pose No Health Threat: Experts
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Walk Long, Slow and Often to Help the Heart
- Brown Rice Tied to Better Heart Health in Study
- Fondness for Fish Keeps Japanese Hearts Healthy
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- KID'S HEALTH
- Family Medicine Cabinet Top Source Of Kid's Poisonings
- Folic Acid Reduces Infant Heart Defects
- Health Tip: Back Pain in Children
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Eating Fast Until Full Triples Overweight Risk
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Chocolate a Sweet Pick-Me-Up for the Depressed
- Eight Spiritual Universal Principles in the Art of Practice
- The Unmedicated Mind
- PREGNANCY
- Heart Defects in Newborns Linked to Antidepressants
- Music of Mozart Soothes the Preemie Baby
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- SENIORS
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
- Keeping Mentally Active Seems To Keep The Brain Active
Kids Think Glasses Make Others Look Smart, Honest
By eHolistic.com Published: 05/23/2008
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Children think other youngsters who wear glasses look smarter and are more honest than those who don't wear glasses, according to a U.S. study of 80 children.
In addition, the researchers found that children tend not to judge peers who wear glasses in terms of appearance, potential as a playmate, or likely athletic abilities.
These findings may help comfort children as they're fitted for their first pair of glasses, lead author Jeffrey Walline, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State University, suggested in a prepared statement.
"If the impression of looking smarter will appeal to a child, I would use that information and tell the child it is based on research. Most kids getting glasses for the first time are sensitive about how they're going to look. Some kids simply refuse to wear glasses, because they think they'll look ugly," Walline said.
The study included 42 girls and 38 boys, aged 6 to 10. Of those, 30 wore glasses, 34 had at least one sibling with glasses, and almost two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses. The study participants were shown 24 pairs of pictures of children. The children in each pair of pictures differed by gender and ethnicity, and each pair of pictures included one child with glasses and one child without glasses.
The children were asked a series of questions about each pair of photos. About two-thirds said children wearing glasses looked smarter than those without glasses, and 57 percent said children wearing glasses looked more honest.
The results suggest the media portrayals that associate glasses with intelligence may be reinforcing a stereotype that even young children accept, Walline said.
The children's answers to other questions about who they'd rather play with, who looked better at sports, who looked more shy, and who was better looking weren't consistent enough for the researchers to derive any solid conclusions.
What was clear was that the children didn't automatically consider kids with glasses to be unattractive.
"The concern about attractiveness with glasses seems to be more internal to a particular child rather than an indicator of how they'll feel about other people who wear glasses," Walline said.
The study was published in the May issue of Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.
More information
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has more about eyeglasses for children and infants.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, May 2008
Last Updated: May 23, 2008
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