Child Health News

RSS

Early childhood habits shape physical activity levels in adolescence

The numbers are sobering: nearly 80 per cent of the world's teenagers don't get enough physical activity, according to the World Health Organization.

9 Apr 2026

Experts call for expanded Medicaid coverage to improve children’s health

As states reassess Medicaid coverage following recent federal policy changes and the end of pandemic-era protections, researchers are advocating for evidence-based health care policy reform and expanded Medicaid coverage for children.

9 Apr 2026

High prenatal PFAS exposure linked to increased childhood asthma risk

PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of synthetic substances that can be found in many products and foods, including firefighting foam.

9 Apr 2026

New 3D organoid model advances pediatric glioma research and treatment

A three-dimensional experimental system has been developed to study the response to drugs in low-grade glioma, a tumor of the central nervous system that often occurs in children.

9 Apr 2026

Study finds gap in school-based dental care participation

Children who don't go to the dentist are less likely to participate in school-based cavity prevention programs, according to research published in JAMA Network Open.

9 Apr 2026

Scientists find new genetic causes for diabetes in babies

Scientists have found new genetic causes for diabetes in babies – in a part of the genome that has historically been overlooked in genetic studies.

9 Apr 2026

Swedish study reveals high societal costs for extremely preterm infants

Children born before 24 weeks of gestation are linked to high societal costs throughout childhood. Costs are highest during the first year of life, but the need for support persists for many years. This is shown in a study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

9 Apr 2026

Farm bureau plans are a less pricey alternative to ACA coverage — with trade-offs

Robin Carlton pays about $650 a month for a plan on the Missouri health insurance exchange that covers him and his two teenage kids.

9 Apr 2026

Smoking during pregnancy raises children’s mental health risk

Smoking during pregnancy may increase children's mental health issues, with implications for internalizing and externalizing symptoms throughout development.

9 Apr 2026

Flu vaccines protect children well across Europe, but H3N2 remains harder to stop

Influenza vaccination provided strong real-world protection for children in European primary care across two seasons, with overall vaccine effectiveness of 68% in 2022–2023 and 71% in 2023–2024. Protection was highest against influenza B and H1N1, while H3N2 showed lower and more variable effectiveness, supporting the need for higher uptake and continued monitoring.

8 Apr 2026

New clinical guidelines address blood clot prevention in pediatric patients

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) released comprehensive clinical practice guidelines on anticoagulant prophylaxis in non-cardiac pediatric patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

8 Apr 2026

New cell atlas reveals biological links to pregnancy complications

The biological connection between a pregnant woman and her developing baby has been mapped in unprecedented detail by UC San Francisco scientists, revealing new cell types and insights into conditions such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, and miscarriage.

8 Apr 2026

Study reveals how hyperdiploidy creates rare pre-leukemic clones in children

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of childhood cancer. In this type of cancer, which affects blood cells, one of the most common abnormalities is the presence of cells with an excess of chromosomes (hyperdiploidy), a condition that leads to chromosomal instability.

8 Apr 2026

Crisis-driven maternal psychological stress can affect fetal development and birth outcomes

Fetal development is a critical stage with effects that can last throughout life. Yet, identifying the effects of maternal psychological stress on the fetus has been difficult, mainly because stressful events often produce psychological and physical consequences that directly affect mothers and their children.

8 Apr 2026

Study reveals racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric e-scooter injuries

As electric scooters (e-scooters) become more available in cities and urban areas, injuries are becoming more common - especially among teenage boys.

7 Apr 2026

Base editing corrects genetic mutation responsible for severe form of inherited epilepsy

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have used a next-generation form of gene editing to fix the underlying cause of a severe form of epilepsy in lab mice.

7 Apr 2026

Integrated motor exercise improves core ADHD symptoms and executive function

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and is marked not only by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, but also by weaknesses in executive functions such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.

7 Apr 2026

Blocking nitric oxide suppresses tumor growth in aggressive pediatric neuroblastoma

The tumor begins before birth. Somewhere in the developing fetus, neural crest cells that should have matured into adrenal tissue or sympathetic ganglia take a wrong turn, and a child is born harboring a malignancy that may not declare itself for months.

7 Apr 2026

Declining booster uptake after vaccine schedule change in England

The change to a 1+1 pneumococcal vaccine schedule in England highlights rising inequalities in booster uptake, threatening protection for at-risk children.

7 Apr 2026

Prenatal smoking linked to broader mental health issues in children

Children exposed to maternal smoking before birth are more likely to experience behavioral and mental health challenges, according to a large study funded by the National Institutes of Health's Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

6 Apr 2026