Back in the day, when kids were kids, all they used to care about was playing games and eating as little veg as possible. And while the food industry may have done very little to encourage more healthy eating, according to the BBC, children are no longer interested in Pokémon cards or Cartoon Network.

Instead kids try to adopt as many traits of adulthood as possible – if you've seen pictures of child beauty pageants in the US then you'll know what I mean. And, as the BBC reports that children as young as 10 are more familiar with alcohol brands such as Carlsberg than they are Mr Kipling, this trend is highlighted even more.  

Children's alcohol awareness isn't the only thing parents have to worry about these days, as the BBC also reports that rucksacks rammed full of books can cause kids back pain.

And if that isn't enough for parents to worry about then they might want to look away now as evidence has linked the environment in the womb with a higher BMI in later life, the BBC reports. Scientists found that a mother's diet or exposure to pollution or stress may result in changes around a baby's DNA at birth, causing increased weight gain later in life.

But with an economic downturn and employment rates at their highest for 17 years it's no surprise that expectant mothers are stressed. But the trouble with anxious women having babies that could wind up obese is that, as the Telegraph reports, ministers are failing to act on the national obesity crisis and the industry is not doing enough to label calorie content on menus.

It seems the only good thing for kids is raising them in the countryside. The Telegraph reports that young children in inner cities are three times more likely to be taken to A&E than those in rural areas.

Moving now to some pharmacy-related news: The Telegraph reports that the anti-stroke drug pradaxa, which has the potential to prevent up to 5,000 strokes a year, has been approved by Nice.

Norfolk LPC helped spread the message of No Smoking Day yesterday by handing out information on how to quit smoking and even offered smokers the chance to see how their habit is ageing them.

In Wales, Cambrian Alliance chairman Mark Griffiths has welcomed the news that the Welsh government is to introduce a minor ailments service over the next 12 months.

And in Scotland, SNP MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Adam Ingram recently paid a visit to Lloydspharmacy in Cumnock to see first hand how the positive impact community pharmacy is having on the local community.