Adolescents News and Research

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Sharp rise in pertussis hospitalizations highlights need for timely vaccination

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a vaccine-preventable disease which continues to circulate even in areas where vaccination coverage is high, and outbreaks may still occur. A study published in Eurosurveillance and conducted at Meyer Children's Hospital in Florence, Italy, has found a sharp increase in hospitalisations for pertussis among children and adolescents (patients aged 16 years or under) in 2024.

29 Aug 2025

Healthy gut bacteria capsules show long-term benefits for obese teenagers

Can a capsule of healthy gut bugs change the future of obesity treatment? New findings from the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute suggest it might.

29 Aug 2025

Certain dietary fats found to trigger hard-to-treat asthma in children

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that certain lipids, or fats, in obesity-causing foods also cause asthma-like lung inflammation.

27 Aug 2025

Gene editing therapy exa-cel improves quality of life in sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia

Treatment with exagamglogene autotemcel (exa-cel) led to robust and sustained improvements in quality of life for patients with severe sickle cell disease (SCD) or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, according to two studies published in Blood Advances.

27 Aug 2025

Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation shows promise for gastrointestinal disorders

Imbalanced autonomic function, characterized by reduced vagal activity and sympathetic dominance, is increasingly recognized in various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

27 Aug 2025

Changing school shifts does not improve academic performance in students with ADHD

Several studies have shown that students who attend afternoon classes tend to perform better in school than those who attend morning classes. This is due to greater synchrony between class times and students' biological clocks.

27 Aug 2025

Who eats the most pulses in America, and why it matters for health

Analyzing pulse intake trends in the U.S., this study highlights sociodemographic influences and suggests strategies to enhance consumption for better health.

27 Aug 2025

Polysubstance-involved opioid overdoses found to be prevalent among youth

Most research suggests that opioid overdoses involving multiple substances in the United States typically occur among people ages 25-54.

26 Aug 2025

HIIT increases aerobic capacity even when BMI stays the same

HIIT effectively improves health outcomes in obese teens, enhancing fitness and metabolic health while reducing body fat and improving cholesterol profiles.

26 Aug 2025

Mind wandering may hold key to better ADHD diagnosis in adults

Only a few decades ago, it was believed that ADHD was something one outgrew during adolescence. However, about half of those diagnosed at a young age carry it into adulthood.

25 Aug 2025

Inconsistent state laws undermine sexual education across the United States

While the majority of states require public school students to take at least one sexual education course, a patchwork of state-level provisions that mandate inaccurate, outdated, or politically motivated curricula may inhibit students from receiving essential information for their sexual health and well-being.

22 Aug 2025

How older people are reaping brain benefits from new tech

It started with a high school typing course. Wanda Woods enrolled because her father advised that typing proficiency would lead to jobs. Sure enough, the federal Environmental Protection Agency hired her as an after-school worker while she was still a junior.

21 Aug 2025

Mitochondrial dysfunction in the blood-brain barrier may contribute to neuropsychiatric disease in 22qDS

In a new study led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), researchers found that mitochondrial dysfunction in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may lead to neuropsychiatric disease in some patients with 22qDS.

20 Aug 2025

Less than half of adolescents with major depression receive mental health care

Fewer than half of all adolescents with major depressive episode (MDE) received mental health care in the US in 2022, with the odds of specialist treatment being even lower among marginalized groups, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Su Chen Tan and colleagues at University of Tennessee, USA.

20 Aug 2025

Sleep problems in teenagers predict self-harm risk over time

Self-harm in young people is a major public health concern, rates are rising, and the adolescent years presents a critical period of intervention.

20 Aug 2025

School connectedness protects adolescents from depression linked to bullying

School connectedness buffers against depression symptoms associated with being a victim of peer bullying in adolescence, according to a study published in BMC Public Health.

19 Aug 2025

Ultra-processed foods undermine diet quality in Mediterranean youth, study shows

A large study across five Mediterranean countries found that children and adolescents who consumed more unhealthy ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had significantly poorer diet quality. Daily UPF intake was especially linked to lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and reduced compliance with dietary guidelines.

18 Aug 2025