In Brief: Oct. 4, 1999

DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO According to a new study by researchers at Iowa State University at Ames, when parents smoke, drink too much alcohol, eat too much junk food and otherwise neglect their health, their kids often do the same. By the same token, kids whose moms and dads exercise and watch their diet tend to follow that example. In two-parent households, children seem to follow parents closely along gender lines, with boys mimicking Dad's lifestyle and girls copying Mom's.

I'LL TRADE YOU Last week a group of parents sued video-game maker Nintendo Co. and others, claiming...