Child Health News

RSS

New study shows unstructured time drives teenage delinquent behavior

A study involving more than 58,000 adolescents from 21 countries found that "unstructured free time" – defined as periods without adult supervision or activities guided by educational, cultural, or athletic goals – is strongly associated with delinquent behavior and exposure to violence among young people.

11 Aug 2026

New machine learning model improves accuracy of prenatal genetic testing

Advances in genome sequencing are giving more families access to prenatal genetic testing and new information about an unborn baby's health, including whether genetic changes may link to a neurodevelopmental condition.

11 Aug 2026

Shared cellular pathway drives neurodegeneration in rare childhood dementia and Alzheimer’s

Researchers at University of California San Diego and their colleagues have identified a key cellular pathway that drives brain degeneration in both a rare childhood disorder and the far more common Alzheimer's disease.

11 Aug 2026

SwRI researchers design better inhalers for young children

A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) project is developing techniques to improve inhalers for young children and other people who can't inhale deeply.

11 Aug 2026

New lab-grown heart valves advance treatments for childhood heart diseases

Melbourne researchers have created human heart valve tissues from stem cells, providing a powerful new platform to advance treatments for childhood heart diseases.

11 Aug 2026

Folic acid relies on vitamin A pathway to prevent birth defects

For decades, we've known that folic acid can help prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, but we haven't fully understood how it does it.

11 Aug 2026

Adolescents using nicotine face higher risks of mental health problems

Adolescents who use nicotine are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems than their peers who do not use nicotine.

11 Aug 2026

What 38,000 trauma and incident records reveal about e-scooter safety

E-scooter riders admitted with moderate-to-severe trauma showed a distinct injury profile, with proportionally more traumatic brain, vascular, and internal organ injuries than motorcyclists and fewer fractures. Rental-scooter data also linked greater reported injury severity with younger age and female sex, while collision rates varied with area-level deprivation.

10 Aug 2026

Kids who prefer solitude may be perfectly content, study shows

The child who plays alone during recess may be perfectly content doing so, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

10 Aug 2026

Antiviral treatment lowers ICU risk for children with influenza

A new nationwide study finds antiviral treatment is linked to fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and shorter hospital stays for children hospitalized with influenza.

10 Aug 2026

New combination therapy could permanently clear HIV in newborns

Every year, more than 120,000 newborns worldwide contract HIV, a global health burden that requires lifelong treatment for millions of people - assuming they have access and can afford it.

10 Aug 2026

Why pulses could play a bigger role in healthy and sustainable diets

A narrative review finds that pulses may support gut and metabolic health through their fiber, protein, phytochemicals, and interactions with the gut microbiota, while offering a lower environmental footprint than many animal protein sources. Human evidence is strongest for selected cardiometabolic outcomes, while many microbiome and fermentation-related benefits remain supported mainly by animal and laboratory studies.

9 Aug 2026

Study identifies barriers to equitable pediatric cancer trial participation

While Black and Hispanic families are enthusiastic about research participation, other provider- and systems-focused factors may influence their involvement in pediatric oncology clinical trials, a UT Southwestern Medical Center-led study has found.

9 Aug 2026

Growth hormone therapy improves height after childhood stem cell transplants

Growth impairment is a common late effect of childhood stem cell transplantation. A Japan-wide study found that growth hormone therapy improves adult height, but prior radiation therapy and transplant-related complications negatively affect how much children benefit.

7 Aug 2026

Air pollution in pregnancy raises birth risks differently across trimesters

A population-based study of 26,582 live singleton births in Madrid found that associations between NO₂ exposure and adverse birth outcomes varied by pregnancy stage, with key patterns emerging in the first and third trimesters.

6 Aug 2026

Parenting stress influences children's screen habits, study finds

Researchers at FIU have a message for parents: If screen time is part of getting through a stressful day, find a way to make it count. The goal should be to focus less on quantity and more on quality.

6 Aug 2026

Risk-adapted frameworks reshape pediatric neuroblastoma care

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor outside the brain in children younger than five years old and accounts for about 15% of pediatric cancer deaths.

6 Aug 2026

First-trimester protein intake linked to lower odds of small-for-gestational-age birth

A secondary analysis of 7,067 nulliparous participants found that first-trimester protein intake of 0.8 to less than 1.1 g/kg/day was associated with 22% lower adjusted odds of delivering an SGA infant than intake of at least 1.1 g/kg/day. The association was exploratory, with no dose-response pattern and no confirmation in sensitivity analyses.

6 Aug 2026

Telemedicine expands access to pediatric primary care for endocrine or behavioral health issues

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that telemedicine is becoming increasingly common for problem-based primary care, particularly for children with endocrine or behavioral health issues where chronic needs are significant.

5 Aug 2026

Biofortified millet improves toddler gut health without adverse effects

Toddlers who ate iron- and zinc-biofortified pearl millet for nine months did not experience adverse effects typically associated with increased iron intake and developed gut microbiomes with distinct and potentially beneficial changes, according to a new study led by researchers at Cornell University's Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health.

5 Aug 2026