The new study, reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, estimated the effects of giving hip protectors to elderly adults living on their own.

The researchers based their findings on a "hypothetical" group of men and women age 65 and up, using data from past studies on hip protector effectiveness.

They estimate that hip protectors could prevent fractures and boost life expectancy for older adults of all ages. For women who start using them at age 75 and men who start in their 80s, hip protectors could also translate into lower medical costs.

For the oldest adults, the garments could mean less time in a nursing home, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Lisa A. Honkanen of Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York.

Hip protectors became cost-effective only at older ages because fracture risk generally climbs with age. But if the garments were given to those relatively younger seniors who have a high hip fracture risk, the benefits might become more apparent, the researchers speculate.

For now, they conclude, the current findings might encourage more doctors and older adults to use hip protectors outside of the nursing home, and more insurers to foot the bill.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, November 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Diets may spur unhealthy eating in some obese kids

Last Updated: 2006-12-06 16:54:55 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For some obese children, dieting may set off an unhealthy preoccupation with weight and eating, a small study suggests.

Researchers found that among obese adolescents, some of those who had tried dieting eventually developed a preoccupation with weight loss and a habit of binge-eating.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, suggest that for some heavy children, dieting can backfire.

The study included 80 obese children between the ages of 10 and 16 who were interviewed about their history of dieting and attitudes toward weight loss and eating. Half of the children said they had a habit of overeating or bingeing, which refers to overeating with a feeling of being out of control.

Overall, children with such "disordered eating" problems were no more likely to have tried dieting than their peers were.

However, for those who did have a history of diet attempts, the dieting sometimes led to a preoccupation with weight and eating -- a potential precursor to eating disorders. Indeed, among binge-eaters who had dieted, the dieting typically came before the binge-eating problem.

This suggests that for some children, there's a "problematic pathway" from weight problems to dieting to unhealthy attitudes about food and weight, according to study co-author Dr. Caroline Braet of Ghent University in Belgium.

"Parents can do harmful things by putting their overweight children on a diet," Braet told Reuters Health.

However, that doesn't mean the alternative is to let obese children eat whatever they want, she stressed.

It's better to address children's weight problems with regular, balanced meals, limits on snacking and regular physical activity, according to Braet. Rather than trying to get kids to shed pounds with a restrictive diet, she explained, the goal should be to stabilize their weight with healthy eating.

SOURCE: International Journal of Eating Disorders, December 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.