Having a child in the hospital is distressing for families, and not knowing what that stay might cost can add to that stress, researchers say. A new study has found that three-quarters of U.S. families want to have conversations about the costs of care. Yet only 7% of families actually have had this financial counseling… read on > read on >
Antibodies from current COVID-19 vaccines don’t bind well to the new variants of the virus, a study finds. Researchers collected data from previously published papers about the sequence of antibodies produced by the vaccines. They focused on antibodies against the spike protein, a part of the virus that binds to receptors on human cells to… read on > read on >
Infants may show early signs of autism, but a diagnosis usually isn’t made until age 3. Now, a new study suggests that jumpstarting therapy might stave off that diagnosis altogether. Researchers say their preemptive, parent-led intervention could have a significant impact on children’s social development and longer-term disabilities. “What we found is that the babies… read on > read on >
Older children and kids with chronic diseases are those most likely to wind up in the hospital with COVID-19, researchers have found. Conditions such as obesity, diabetes and neurologic problems, among others, put kids at risk for severe COVID-19, according to a new U.S. study. “There’s a myth circulating out there that children don’t get… read on > read on >
As the highly contagious Delta variant has swept across the United States, the country has reached a tragic milestone. COVID-19 has now killed more Americans than the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic did, when roughly 675,000 people died. It didn’t have to be that way. “Big pockets of American society — and worse, their leaders —… read on > read on >
Over the past year and a half, the coronavirus pandemic has remade so much of everyday life, including the foods families eat. In many families, that’s been a good thing, with half cooking at home more often and two-thirds making healthier food choices, according to a nationwide poll of U.S. parents. For about 20% of… read on > read on >
Living within a few blocks of a shooting increases the risk that a child will end up visiting the emergency department for mental health-related problems, researchers say. The new study found significant increases in mental health-related ER visits in the two weeks after a neighborhood shooting, especially among kids who lived closest to it and… read on > read on >
Potentially dangerous symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are not always immediately recognized by primary care providers, new research suggests. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar used for energy by cells. Between 5% and 10% of cases of diabetes are type 1,… read on > read on >
After more than a year at home, children are heading back to classrooms across the country. But they’re also toting heavy bags on their backs again. A backpack that fits properly — and is not overloaded with binders and books — will help prevent injury. “With a focus on getting back in the classroom and… read on > read on >
Pregnant women infected with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may have a heightened risk of preterm birth, a new study suggests. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts. Most of the time, the immune system clears the infection. But some strains of HPV become persistent in a minority of people… read on > read on >
