Children's Health News and Research

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Inverse relationship between mortality rates and performance in the hospital quality alliance measures

A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) shows that patients who go to hospitals ranked higher according to specific quality measures have a lower chance of dying than patients treated at lower-ranked hospitals.

17 Jul 2007

New Tax Foundation study of poverty levels

Almost 60 percent of U.S. children and many childless adults would qualify for government-provided health insurance under an expanded State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) if plans popular on Capitol Hill become law, according to a new Tax Foundation study of poverty levels.

12 Jul 2007

New ulcerative colitis gene found

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh have identified a previously unsuspected gene found to be associated with ulcerative colitis.

9 Jul 2007

Leading-edge treatment for Crohn's disease at Pediatric Infusion Center

Seventeen-year-old Eliot Drieband explains what it's like to have Crohn's disease - a type of inflammatory bowel disease - in the same matter-of-fact way she describes preparing for an advanced placement exam, working on the school newspaper, starting an organ donor awareness club for teens and being a peer counselor for other kids facing chronic, life-altering illnesses.

9 Jul 2007

Irish Smokefree law reduces smoking in the home

Around one in five Irish smokers are lighting up less at home since the introduction of the smoking ban in 2004, new research has revealed.

23 Jun 2007

40 percent of parents willing to have their child's DNA stored in a government biobank

Genetic testing holds great promise for the future. Information generated by genetic testing may provide information that leads to new treatments for common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

23 Jun 2007

Single mothers and fathers have poorer health

Marcus Westin’s study also shows that the social capital that parents have affects both their own and their children’s health, and that society should therefore make it easier for single parents to take part in social activities.

16 Jun 2007

True cost of having a baby

For women insured through large employer private plans, the average cost of having a baby in the United States in 2004 was more than $8,000, according to a study released by the March of Dimes Foundation.

14 Jun 2007

Research aims to improve health of women, children in developing countries

RTI International will continue research efforts to improve and prevent premature disease and death among women and children in developing countries as part of the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research.

1 Jun 2007

U.S. parents not in favor of HPV vaccine mandates

While debate in several state governments continues to grow over school mandates for Gardasil – a vaccine recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for girls ages 11 to 12 that is designed to provide protection against human papillomavirus, or HPV, the virus linked to cervical cancer and genital warts – the majority of U.S. parents have already reached a decision on the issue: They do not want the vaccine to be mandated.

24 May 2007

Children with both autism and ADHD more likely to bully

Children with both autism and attention deficit or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders are four times more likely to bully than children in the general population, according to a study released in the journal, Ambulatory Pediatrics.

18 May 2007

UK Government urged to rethink childhood obesity strategy

The Government’s continued initiative to monitor the weight and height of primary school children could force the debate on childhood health to become too narrow, according to Loughborough University researchers.

16 May 2007

Study looks at traumatic brain injury - leading cause of abusive death in children

Confronted with the same hypothetical scenarios of traumatic brain injuries to children, pediatricians and pathologists were unable to agree half the time whether the deaths should be investigated as potential child abuse, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine found.

16 May 2007

Peanut allergies overstated

Despite hundreds of families being told their children have peanut allergies every year, many of the children may be able to eat peanuts safely, a study by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Sydney Children's Hospital has found.

15 May 2007

Smoking is No. 1 health concern for children and adolescents in the United States

It's only natural to for adults to worry about children's health and well-being at school, on the roads and even online.

4 May 2007

Doctors ill equipped to confront parent smoking

With the growing concerns of children's exposure to secondhand smoke, it has become more critical than ever to involve health care providers such as pediatricians in educating parents about the potential hazardous health consequences.

2 May 2007

A mobile medical care approach targeting underserved populations in post-hurricane Katrina Mississippi

They packed what they needed for a disaster - equipment for trauma treatment and IV fluids - and headed south to Mississippi.

2 May 2007

Oregon children's insurance expansion fails to obtain three-fifths majority in legislature

The Oregon House on Thursday voted 32-24 in favor of a plan to expand health coverage to all children in the state by increasing the state cigarette tax by 84.5 cents per pack, but the proposal failed to win approval because a three-fifths majority is required to pass a tax increase, the Oregonian reports.

1 May 2007

SCHIP has been successful in increasing access to health care for low income children

As the debate over reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) heats up in Washington, a new survey of leaders in health policy and health care finds that large majorities feel the program has been successful in increasing access to health care for low income children (71%) and in reducing the rate of uninsured, low-income children (65%).

24 Apr 2007

Eradicating polio a better option than extended control of the disease

Concerns about the high perceived costs of eradicating the relatively low number of polio cases worldwide have led to recent suggestions that it is time to shift from a goal of eradication to control—abandoning eradication and allowing wild poliovirus to continue to circulate, which proponents of control believe can sustain the low number of cases.

15 Apr 2007