The White House on Wednesday unveiled a national plan to roll out coronavirus vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds that is designed to make getting shots as easy and comfortable as possible for both kids and their parents. Rather than mass vaccination sites, the Biden administration plans to have pediatric COVID shots delivered in settings that…  read on >  read on >

As COVID-19 has surged throughout the United States for the past year and a half, some may have picked up an old bad habit or started a new one. How do researchers know this? They discovered that cigarette sales jumped during the first 15 months of the pandemic, exceeding their own estimates by 14%. It’s…  read on >  read on >

Dust mites and smoke are known triggers of asthma in children. Now, scientists have identified previously unknown combinations of air pollutants that appear tied to the respiratory disorder. “Asthma is one the most prevalent diseases affecting children in the United States. In this study, we developed a list of air pollutants a young child may…  read on >  read on >

The number of Americans seeking treatment for anxiety and depression has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating what a leading medical association terms a “mental health tsunami.” That’s the key takeaway from a nationwide survey of psychologists by the American Psychological Association (APA). “[The findings] highlight what we have been saying since the early days…  read on >  read on >

Preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rarely receive the gold-standard treatment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for their condition, a new study reports. The AAP recommends a behavioral therapy technique called “parent training in behavior management,” or PTBM, as first-line treatment for ADHD kids ages 4 and 5. But only 1…  read on >  read on >

Affordable over-the-counter hearing aids could soon bring relief to millions of Americans suffering from hearing loss, under a landmark proposal announced Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The proposal would create a category of hearing aids that could be sold directly to consumers, without either a medical exam or a fitting by an…  read on >  read on >

Fear, grief, uncertainty and isolation during the pandemic have triggered a national state of emergency in the mental health of America’s youth, leading child health care groups warned Tuesday. Youngsters already faced significant mental health challenges, and the pandemic has made them worse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to announce Wednesday that people can mix and match their COVID vaccines and booster shots, a move that would give health officials more flexibility as they try to immunize as many Americans as possible. The FDA wouldn’t recommend one vaccine over another but might say it’s preferable to…  read on >  read on >

Laser-based vaginal “rejuvenation” is all the rage among women concerned about vaginal dryness and other “down there” symptoms of menopause, but it’s buyer beware when it comes to these procedures, new research warns. It turns out that laser-based vaginal rejuvenation may not be any better than placebo (dummy) treatment when it comes to relieving vaginal…  read on >  read on >