Bullying can be physical, verbal or through virtual spaces including the internet and social media, says KidsHealth. Regardless of the medium, bullying can make young people afraid, stressed, depressed and anxious. KidsHealth advises what your child can do about bullying: Tell a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher or coach. Ignore the bully and…  read on >

Can television teach kids how to eat healthy? Maybe, suggests new research. Watching cooking shows that featured healthy recipes seemed to encourage healthy eating in children, the study showed. “The findings from this study indicate cooking programs can be a promising tool for promoting positive changes in children’s food-related preferences, attitudes and behaviors,” said lead…  read on >

Regardless of their family’s insurance status, many children get medical care they don’t need, a new study suggests. One in 11 publicly insured and 1 in 9 privately insured children in the United States were given what the researchers called unnecessary, “low-value” care in 2014, the researchers report. “While we found that publicly insured children…  read on >

If your child is going to be home alone, it’s a good idea to have the child check in periodically, says the American Red Cross. For older children, ground rules about having friends over and cooking should also be established. The Red Cross mentions other steps parents should take: Post an emergency phone list where…  read on >

After months of delay, the Trump Administration is expected to announce this week that it will ban mint-, fruit- and dessert-flavored e-cigarette cartridges, while allowing the continued sale of menthol- and tobacco-flavored vapes. The White House originally proposed a ban on flavored e-cigarettes — thought to be especially enticing to teens — back in September.…  read on >

Obesity can increase your child’s risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and prediabetes, says Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. With minor changes, you can help your child maintain a healthy weight. To help your child safely shed pounds, the hospital encourages parents to: Reduce or eliminate sweetened beverages, including soda. Add more vegetables…  read on >

Having dense breast tissue raises a woman’s odds for breast cancer, so many states require providers to notify women if a mammogram finds they have dense breast tissue. But a new study suggests that the notifications may be having little impact in alerting women to their added breast cancer risk. The goal of dense breast…  read on >

Childhood obesity is such a crisis in America that officials have been updating recommendations for how early intervention should begin. Obesity now affects as many as 20% of the nation’s children. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed the literature on kids between 2 and 18 years of age and now recommends that kids over…  read on >

Breast cancer screenings are important tools to find cancer before symptoms are noticeable, says the American Cancer Society. The society provides these screening guidelines for women: Women aged 40-to-44 should consider screenings and mammograms. Women aged 45-to-54 should get yearly mammograms. Women age 55 and older should get bi-yearly mammograms. Some women, due to family…  read on >

Air pollution from vehicles increases the risk of dangerously high blood pressure in pregnant women, U.S. government researchers report. Scientists from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ (NIEHS) National Toxicology Program analyzed published studies on the links between traffic-related air pollution and preeclampsia. The analysis was reviewed by experts from academia and industry,…  read on >