A round-up of this week's other health stories in brief
EPIDEMIC LEVELS OF INACTIVITY:A study of South Asian and white inner-city schoolchildren in Britain has found "epidemic" levels of physical inactivity.
The survey, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), found most children do not take enough exercise.
It encompassed more than 3,500 pupils from five inner-city secondary schools in Leicester.
Only half the children surveyed walked to school, with South Asian children particularly less likely to do so.
And half of the pupils spent four hours or more a day watching television or videos or playing computer games.
Family history of diabetes or heart disease in parents is a risk factor for development of the conditions in their children.
But the researchers found that children with such a family history were just as likely to have sedentary behaviours as those without.
The study was carried out by academics at the University of Leicester.
FAT NOT GOOD FOR BONES:New research does not support the belief that obesity increases bone mass and is, therefore, good for bone health. A study, in which investigators corrected for the mechanical loading effect of increasing body weight, suggests the opposite.
"Our study found that increasing body fat mass decreases bone mass, for people of similar weight," Dr Hong-Wen Deng from University of Missouri-Kansas City said. "Therefore, increasing obesity [fat mass] is not good for bone health." The finding is "important", according to Dr Deng and colleagues, because it suggests that interventions or treatments aimed at reducing obesity may increase bone mass and thus protect against osteoporosis.
Past studies on the relationship between obesity and osteoporosis did not control for the "mechanical loading effects" of a person's body weight on bone mass.
HYPNOTHERAPY FOR IBS:Hypnotherapy may hold the key to tackling irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to new research.
The condition, which affects about one in five people in Britain during the course of their lives, is not well treated by conventional treatment, according to a new study.
Small-scale pilot tests of treatments have found hypnotherapy was successful as a means of managing symptoms.
Sufferers of IBS endure abdominal pain, bloating and irregular bowel habits. Doctors have found symptoms can be relieved with anti-depressants and psychological care, according to the study published in the British Medical Journal(BMJ).
The investigation found patients with IBS are more likely to suffer from depression and "abnormal" behaviour patterns including anxiety.
LESS INVASIVE SURGERY:Women with cervical cancer have an alternative to undergoing a radical hysterectomy through an abdominal incision, according to researchers.
They say that a laparoscopically assisted procedure in which the uterus is removed through the vagina appears to be as safe as the conventional operation, and to offer other advantages.
"The implications of this study are that women with cervical cancer can benefit from the use of minimal-access surgery without compromising safety or cure rates," lead investigator Dr David J Morgan in Belfast said.
BACK PAIN TREATMENT TO SAVE MILLIONS:Hundreds of millions of pounds could be saved for the NHS if patients with back pain treated themselves instead of making unnecessary visits to the doctor, according to experts.
Back pain accounts for 8-10 per cent of GP consultations, yet 80 per cent of cases resolve on their own in less than six weeks with over-the-counter pain killers and gentle exercise, it is claimed.
A panel of experts in Britain who met to discuss the problem of back pain agreed that more patients should be encouraged to manage themselves. They believe up to 10 million GP visits could be avoided this way, saving the NHS at least £200 million a year.
Dr Moheb Shalaby, a pain management specialist and GP based in Birmingham, said: "We see a lot of patients with back pain, but in many instances it may only be mild pain or it could be a recurring problem that could be self-managed."