Winter 2012 | Volume 110 | Number 662

Live, Give, Grow: Family

Photo Credit: Blend/Glow Images; Alexander Walter/Getty Images; Picsfive/Veer

Protect Your Health

Are you getting your regular checkups? Researchers have found that many baby boomers are not getting the preventative care and screenings they need to stay in good health. Just 53% of Americans ages 50 to 64 have been screened for colon cancer, yet it is the third-most-common cancer in men and women. Other skipped health care typically includes mammograms, screenings for diabetes and osteoporosis, and shots for influenza and pneumonia.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Cleanup Crew

What's the worst time to clean your home? Right before bed, according to researchers, who found that night-time housecleaning makes it hard for many of us to get to sleep; our bodies are still too revved up to relax into snoozing. It's best to tidy up earlier in the evening. If that's not doable, make sure everyone in the family shares the workload, which diminishes the stress for everyone.

Source: Journal of Family Psychology

Preschool's Pluses

It may look to parents like preschool is all about playing, but researchers have found some long-lasting educational benefits. While parental involvement and education is often the main influence on a child's school performance, Harvard researchers say early childhood education matters, too. After following 1,400 children in Chicago for almost 30 years, they found preschool graduates typically have stronger language, math and socialization skills when they enter kindergarten compared with classmates who did not attend preschool. As they became adults, they also completed more years of schooling and landed better-paying jobs.

Source: Science magazine