According to an article published in the March 2006 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, young women with a history of adolescent depression are more likely than their peers to subsequently become victims of abuse by an intimate partner.

A second study in the same publication reported that having a history of depression or anxiety disorders at an early age puts women – but not men – at a greater risk of obesity. Indeed, the earlier that the depression occurs, the greater the weight gain.

Is TV the cause of poor attention spans like many believe? Is Lisa Simpson, who said, "It's not our fault our generation has short attention spans, Dad. We watch an appalling amount of TV" correct? No – at least not specifically regarding ADHD – says an article published in the March issue of Pediatrics. The article, definitively entitled, "There Is No Meaningful Relationship Between Television Exposure and Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder" says that while TV doesn't cause attention problems, it may appear to do so because parents with ADHD kids may let them watch TV more to give themselves a break.

Most kids love dogs, and most dogs love kids, but a study of dog bites in kids under 17 gives two bits of good advice to minimize risk of Fido chomping on Junior: avoid purchasing a dog until kids are of school age, and avoid breeds such as German Shepherds and Dobermans (the study didn't include fighting breeds, such as the infamous pit bulls). The study was published in the March issue of Pediatrics.

Bad news for some coffee drinkers. According to research published in the March 8 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, individuals with a mutation of the CYP1A2 enzyme (which metabolizes caffeine) that makes them "slow caffeine metabolizers" are an increased risk of nonfatal MI. (Hmmm where can I go to get my genes checked?)