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Study shows relation between mothers' income level and children's finger length

Low-income mothers feminize their children in the womb by adjusting their hormones, whereas high-income mothers masculinize their children, a major study based on finger length, led by a Swansea University expert, has found.

9 Feb 2021

Updated spina bifida guidelines cover care across the entire lifespan

Globally, nearly 300,000 babies are born with neural tube defects including spina bifida (SB) each year.

9 Feb 2021

Nitrate in maternal drinking water associated with fetal growth restriction

Women whose household drinking water contained nitrate had babies that weighed, on average, 10 grams less than babies born to mothers where household water had no detectible nitrate, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago and Aarhus University.

9 Feb 2021

Study provides first detailed estimates of peanut allergy among U.S. adults

Peanut allergy affects at least 4.5 million adults in the U.S., many of whom report developing their first allergy symptoms during adulthood, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

9 Feb 2021

Traumatic or stressful events in childhood may lead to changes in key brain structures

A new study from University of Alberta researchers has shown that traumatic or stressful events in childhood may lead to tiny changes in key brain structures that can now be identified decades later.

9 Feb 2021

New study identifies best practices to improve breastfeeding in African American community

An abundance of data underscore the importance of breastfeeding and human milk for the optimal health of infants, children, mothers, and society.

8 Feb 2021

RIT researcher validates popular tool for measuring child feeding practices

A Rochester Institute of Technology researcher has validated a tool measuring adherence to a popular child feeding approach used by pediatricians, nutritionists, social workers and child psychologists to assess parents' feeding practices and prevent feeding problems.

8 Feb 2021

Caffeine exposure in utero can cause structural brain alterations in children

New research finds caffeine consumed during pregnancy can change important brain pathways that could lead to behavioral problems later in life.

8 Feb 2021

Schools walk the tightrope between ideal safety and the reality of Covid

California mom Megan Bacigalupi has had enough. She wants her kindergartner and second grader back in their Oakland classrooms.

8 Feb 2021

Happy and secure childhood does not always guarantee for good mental health

It's well understood that a difficult childhood can increase the likelihood of mental illness, but according to new research from the University of South Australia, a happy and secure childhood does not always protect a child from developing a mental illness later in life.

8 Feb 2021

Physical discipline and cognitive deprivation have distinct associations with developmental delay

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports that in a diverse, cross-national sample of youth, physical discipline and cognitive deprivation had distinct associations with specific domains of developmental delay.

8 Feb 2021

Scientists find link between developmental coordination disorder risk and difficulties with time perception

Neuroscientists at McMaster University have found a link between children who are at risk for developmental coordination disorder (DCD), a common condition that can cause clumsiness, and difficulties with time perception such as interpreting changes in rhythmic beats.

7 Feb 2021

Sleep studies could affect treatment decisions in children with sleep disordered breathing

A new study recommends healthy children with symptoms of sleep disordered breathing, such as snoring or temporary cessation of breathing, should consider undergoing a sleep study (polysomnography) and should discuss the potential benefits of this with their pediatrician or otolaryngologist to possibly manage the child's symptoms medically and before surgery.

6 Feb 2021

AI model aids early detection of severe COVID-19 infection in children

Children have been less impacted by COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SAR-CoV-2) than adults. But some children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 have experienced severe illnesses, including Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) and respiratory failure; nearly 80% of children with MIS-C become critically ill with a 2 to 4% mortality rate.

5 Feb 2021

Seasonal flu shots reduce COVID-19 symptoms in children

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have discovered that children who receive a seasonal flu shot are less likely to suffer symptoms from a COVID-19 infection. The finding comes from a review of more than 900 children diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020.

4 Feb 2021

School gardens may get children to eat more vegetables

Getting children to eat their vegetables can seem like an insurmountable task, but nutrition researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found one way: school gardens and lessons on using what's grown in them.

4 Feb 2021

Race may play an important role in children's food allergies

Black children have significantly higher rates of shellfish and fish allergies than White children, in addition to having higher odds of wheat allergy, suggesting that race may play an important role in how children are affected by food allergies, researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center and two other hospitals have found.

4 Feb 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Covid and kids

Nearly a year into the pandemic, many public schools are still closed to in-person instruction. But while there is increasing evidence that schools are not a major source of infection, teachers and staffers remain concerned about going back to class before they are vaccinated.

4 Feb 2021

Paternal early life stress linked to child's brain development

The FinnBrain research of the University of Turku has demonstrated for the first time that the stress the father has experienced in his childhood is connected to the development of the white matter tracts in the child's brain.

4 Feb 2021

New screening tool can help assess early literacy skills of preschool-age children

A study published in the journal Pediatrics expands validation evidence for a new screening tool that directly engages preschool-age children during clinic visits to assess their early literacy skills.

4 Feb 2021