Children should feel safe at school, but learning of a mass shooting — like this week’s tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville — can threaten their sense of security. For parents, it can be challenging to know what to tell them. Two children’s mental health experts from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas offer some… read on > read on >
Despite a longstanding assumption that babies’ gut microbiome development could be affected by whether they were born vaginally or through cesarean section, scientists report this doesn’t appear to be the case. A team of Canadian researchers looked to infant stool microbiome composition in the first weeks and months of life to evaluate the theory. “We… read on > read on >
Early morning college classes can be a prescription for poor attendance and lower grades, a new study suggests. But starting classes later boosted both, as students got more sleep, were more likely to attend and were less likely to be groggy, which leads to better grades, researchers reported. “Early morning classes likely impair learning due… read on > read on >
While research has shown that having pets can lower the chances of respiratory allergies in children, a new study finds it might also reduce the risk of food allergies. Japanese investigators found that young children exposed to dogs in the home were less likely to experience egg, milk and nut allergies, while those exposed to… read on > read on >
New advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) says healthy children and teens may not need additional COVID-19 shots, though they may need to catch up on other routine vaccines. “The public health impact of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents is comparatively much lower than the established benefits of traditional essential vaccines for children –… read on > read on >
The consequences of COVID-19 during pregnancy are still unfolding, but a new study delivers sobering news: Prenatal exposure to the virus may be linked to childhood obesity. Looking at nearly 280 infants, researchers found those whose mothers had COVID while pregnant had lower birth weight compared to babies whose moms did not have a COVID… read on > read on >
Children’s screen use could be altering their developing brains as they enter adolescence and increasing their risk for mood disorders, a major new study finds. Children ages 9 and 10 who spend more time on smartphones, tablets, video games and TV exhibited higher levels of depression and anxiety by the time they were 11 and… read on > read on >
Following a mass shooting that killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Tennessee on Monday, public officials are again talking about how to stop the never-ending cycle of gun violence in the United States. Recent research offers both bad and good news on the issue. Two separate studies from the… read on > read on >
Children with mental health problems are flooding America’s hospitals. A new study of 4.8 million pediatric hospitalizations between 2009 and 2019 found that the number of acute care hospitalizations for kids with mental health problems increased significantly. In 2019, most were due to attempted suicides, suicidal thoughts or self-injury, researchers said. “What we’re seeing are… read on > read on >
When a child is hospitalized, cost may not be the greatest worry but the out-of-pocket expense can be substantial in the United States, even for those with insurance. A Michigan Medicine study found that U.S. families covered by private insurance spend an average of $1,300 out of pocket for a child’s hospital stay. And about… read on > read on >
