New parents taking advantage of parenting course

A number of councils are now offering intensive parenting courses to all new families, something that proponents say could save society billions of kroner in the long run. The offer has until now been exclusively for weaker groups such as single mothers and addicts, but the new initiative caters to all new families, both mother and father, who can take part in the 16-step course. Holstebro Council in Jutland was the first to implement the course and 90 percent of new parents have accepted the offer, leading other councils to offer the service. The programme costs the state an estimated 5,000 kroner per family. – Jyllands-Posten

Doctors in conflict of interest

An investigation by Politiken newspaper has revealed that several members of the health authority Sundhedsstyrelsen’s vaccination committee, which advises the authority on vaccination programmes, are also employed by vaccine producers as consultants or researchers. Furthermore, Sundhedsstyrelsen's failure to disclose the potential conflict of interest is in violation of the law. The conflict of interest has been lambasted by experts and now the health minister, Astrid Krag (Socialistisk Folkeparti), wants “full transparency” on doctors and health authorities' co-operation with the medicine industry. – Politiken

'Lazy' unemployed face stiffer punishment

According to a new proposal to the forthcoming unemployment benefit reform, kontanthjælpsreform, which was obtained by Berlingske newspaper, a majority of parliament is ready to toughen sanctions that would mean that ‘lazy’ unemployed individuals would lose their benefits for three months. Venstre’s employment spokesperson, Ulla Tørnæs, confirmed that unemployed people who repeatedly fail to be available for job or educational programmes will be subject to future sanctions. The negotiations over the unemployment benefit reform have entered a critical phase, Berlingske wrote. – Berlingske

High CO2 levels in Danish schools

CO2 levels in about 20 percent of Danish schools measure around 2,500 parts per million (ppm). New American research recently published in the health periodical Environmental Health Perspectives, reveals that those levels of CO2 reduce the ability to make rational decisions to a ‘dysfunctional level’. In 2009, 742 school rooms in Denmark were measured for CO2 concentration and 14 percent of them had between 2,001 and 3,000 ppm, while six percent had concentrations between 3,001 and 4,000 ppm. – Ingeniøren