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Coordinated, community-wide prevention efforts can reduce child sexual abuse rates

The sexual abuse of children affects 15 percent of girls and 8 percent of boys worldwide, incurring high public costs and devastating consequences for its survivors.

3 Mar 2025

Maternal stress may disrupt infant gut health, study highlights long-term risks

Perinatal maternal stress may alter gut microbiota in mothers and infants, potentially increasing inflammatory bacteria linked to health risks. A scoping review highlights the need for better stress measurement and microbiome research.

3 Mar 2025

Research reveals key parental risk factors for child abuse

Child maltreatment has been the focus of two separate studies led by UQ researchers, who examined the main parental risk factors that lead to child abuse, as well as the behavioural impacts later in life.

3 Mar 2025

Ghanaian babies experience rich multilingual input from an early age

Africa is a multilingual continent and many adults speak several languages fluently. An empirical study by a research team led by the Potsdam psycholinguists Prof. Dr. Natalie Boll-Avetisyan and Paul O. Omane now shows that the roots of this multilingualism can be found in infancy: In Ghana, most babies grow up multilingually, with most of them coming into contact with two to six languages and just as many regular speakers of each language.

2 Mar 2025

Portion sizes vary worldwide, but science isn’t the reason—new study explains why

Researchers analyzed 96 national dietary guidelines and found that different methods used to determine portion sizes lead to minimal variation, with regional factors like cost and culture having a greater impact than methodology.

2 Mar 2025

Race-neutral equation improves asthma diagnosis for Black children

Despite ongoing progress, structural racism and health disparities continue to shape healthcare practices in ways healthcare providers may not even realize.

28 Feb 2025

Study demonstrates successful gene therapy for maple syrup urine disease

A study led by UMass Chan researchers demonstrated that a gene therapy to correct a mutation that causes maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) prevented newborn death, normalized growth, restored coordinated expression of the affected genes and stabilized biomarkers in a calf as well as in mice.

28 Feb 2025

Study identifies barriers to sustaining SNAP-Ed programs in schools

New research reveals significant barriers to sustaining policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes in schools through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed)-funded partnerships.

28 Feb 2025

Researchers discover key blood molecules impacting child development

McMaster University researchers have identified small molecules in the blood that may impact early childhood development, showing how dietary exposures, early life experiences, and gut health can influence a child's growth and cognitive milestones.

28 Feb 2025

New discovery sheds light on energy crisis in children with TANGO2 deficiency

Researchers studying a protein linked to a rare, severe disease have made a discovery that sheds light on how cells meet their energy needs during a severe metabolic crisis.

28 Feb 2025

Artificial sweeteners may reduce metformin’s effectiveness in weight and glucose control

Drinking artificially sweetened beverages may reduce metformin’s effectiveness in young patients with obesity and prediabetes, but a larger study is needed to confirm these findings.

27 Feb 2025

Young children rapidly adapt to new social norms during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major and sudden effect on all aspects of life, requiring children and their families to rapidly change their habits and adopt new behaviors to stay healthy.

27 Feb 2025

Preschoolers with better fitness have sharper brains, study finds

A study in Pediatric Research found that preschoolers with higher physical fitness levels perform significantly better in memory, attention, and problem-solving tasks, emphasizing the role of movement in early cognitive development.

26 Feb 2025

Early life growth shapes adult height but has little effect on puberty timing, study finds

Early life growth is strongly associated with pubertal growth and adult height, but it does not significantly influence the timing of puberty, highlighting the complex interplay of genetics and early development.

26 Feb 2025

Drug may offer new hope for preventing migraines in kids and teens

For children and teens living with migraine, there may be a new preventive treatment, according to a preliminary study released today, February 26, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego and online.

26 Feb 2025

Can you trust TikTok for nutrition advice? Study exposes #WhatIEatinaDay

TikTok prioritizes engagement over accuracy, exposing young users to misleading nutrition content. Researchers urge stricter content moderation to curb misinformation.

26 Feb 2025

PFAS exposure via drinking water contamination may play a role in childhood cancer risk

A study led by the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health at the University of California, Irvine has revealed possible links between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water and an increased risk of certain childhood cancers.

26 Feb 2025