News

Although low-income families gained greater access to private insurance since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, a new study urges caution for policymakers looking to replace public programs that outshine private insurance for children’s healthcare.

In the article, Talking to Teens about Marijuana, Ms Nierengarten reported national statistics that reveal the number of teenagers who self report using marijuana: the statistics are STAGGERING!

February’s Special Report focuses on the troubling trend to legalize and decriminalize recreational and medical marijuana and the risks to children and adolescents from the marketing and media hype surrounding “weed.”

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has updated the federal immunization guidelines, including more nuances of the guidelines visually represented on the schedule to enhance clarity.

Children no older than 4 years in an urban, low-income, minority population almost universally use various mobile media devices, a survey of their parents showed.

Surveys of 226 parents/caregivers of infants in the newborn nursery (NBN) and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a New York hospital who were smokers and whom practitioners referred to a smoking quitline made the surprising finding that parents of healthy newborns are more receptive to these referrals than parents of infants admitted to the NICU.

The new 391-page Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; S.1177), the first major rewrite of federal education law in 14 years, has lists of provisions to impact children in myriad ways, including efforts on safe and healthy schools, many different behavioral issues, early childhood education, and homeless children.

As of December 2015, medical marijuana is legalized in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and in 4 of those states along with in the District of Columbia, marijuana is legalized for recreational use.

The expanding number of states legalizing marijuana for medical and/or recreational use reflects a growing acceptance of the drug in the United States as an alternative therapy for specific medical conditions as well as a perceived legitimate drug for recreational use more akin to alcohol or cigarettes than heroin or cocaine.

To continue our ongoing theme of “taking back” the practice of pediatrics for ourselves and our patients, I’d like to discuss utilizing behavior portals to facilitate the diagnosis of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delay, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as depression and anxiety.

It’s a delicate and potentially volatile topic: testing for pediatric drug abuse. So, how is a physician to walk this high wire, assessing patients and providing care while respecting and protecting those patients’ rights, especially when those patients are minors?

“Dabbing” is a way of inhaling a highly concentrated preparation of cannabis comprised of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found in the marijuana plant.

Sharon Levy, MD, MPH, FAAP discusses the clinical report "Testing for drugs of abuse in children and adolescents" with Contemporary Pediatrics.

Cases of early childhood dental caries are greater than they were in the 1990s, and few children visit a dentist before age 3, leaving pediatricians in a position to offer possibly the only dental care to young children. Find out more about how pediatricians can help head off tooth decay and why early dental care matters.

Imagine living in a world where you cannot hear anything: your mother’s loving voice, your siblings’ laughter, normal environmental sounds and music, someone standing behind you and calling your name.

New statistics from the CDC show that teen drinking and driving rates are declining, but that driving under the influence of marijuana is on the rise. Additionally, the report notes that while, drinking and driving rates may be dropping, the statistic does not signal an overall drop in drug and alcohol use.

Pediatricians are now being asked to add depression, HIV, and dyslipidemia screening to preventive care visits, but guideline authors say the changes will help improve efficiency.

Myopia prevalence across the age spectrum is increasing, nearly doubling over the last 40 years in adolescents, but there are many theories as to why this is occurring. Learn about you can help your patients stave off nearsightedness.