News

It seems that major barriers exist to optimizing adolescents’ sexual health. A new study finds that contrary to recommended guidelines, primary care physicians are not routinely screening teenagers for sexually transmitted diseases.

Babies born to women who received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine lose their initial immunity to measles about 2 months sooner than babies born to women who have been naturally infected with the virus.

In spite of reductions in cigarette smoking, adolescents are as likely to use chewing tobacco and snuff today as they were at the turn of the century.

Low-powder chalk-frequently chosen by educators over older high-powder counterparts to keep hands and classrooms cleaner-can trigger asthma and allergy symptoms in milk-allergic children.

A subdermal once-yearly implant containing the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) histrelin delays puberty in children with central precocious puberty for up to 5 years and perhaps longer.

A very low risk of intussusception exists after rotavirus vaccination, usually 3 to 6 days after the first vaccine dose, but the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.

Nearly half of all teenaged drivers in the United States admit to texting while driving (TWD). What makes that statistic even more alarming is that for the first time a national study links TWD with other high-risk driving behaviors.

Two studies from China and Denmark have associated spending time outdoors in daylight with a reduced risk of myopia, or nearsightedness, in children.

One in 5 children and teenagers at risk for suicide lives in a home where firearms are present, and 15% of these kids at risk know how to access both the guns and bullets, said researchers at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting this week in Washington, DC.

Moms and dads who clean their babies’ pacifiers by sucking on them may be boosting their infants’ immune systems by passing along oral microbes that help deter allergy development.

AHRQ finds knowledge, research are lacking when attempting to find what works or does not work for helping children exposed to trauma.

A federal court ruling makes it possible for teenage girls under age 17 to obtain the morning after pill without a prescription.

Intimate partner violence impacts children today and tomorrow.

Just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise provides significant benefits for kids with ADHD.

A young girl presents with several rings on her extremities.

Fifteen million children are exposed to intimate partner violence in their homes each year, and all pediatricians, whether they are aware of it or not, have cared for families in which there is overt or hidden physical or sexual abuse.

Acne flare-ups in adolescents respond best to treatment when patients and parents understand what acne is, follow their therapy guidelines, and have reasonable expectations about what therapy can achieve.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Plan B One-Step levonorgestrel pill for emergency contraception (EC) without prescription for women aged 15 years and older, although proof of age must be provided at the time of purchase.

Researchers have for the first time identified teenaged pregnancy as a predictor of obesity in women later in life.

The problem of teenaged prescription drug misuse and abuse is growing dramatically. A recent survey paints an alarming picture of medicine abuse among adolescents in the United States.

Recognizing that women have the right to decide to deliver their babies at home, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a policy statement that advocates standards of practice for planned home births that are consistent with standards of practice for infants born in medical care facilities.

A new nationwide poll finds that parents are still giving over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines to their children aged younger than 4 years, a practice that is contrary to advisories from the US Food and Drug Administration.

There’s a new game in town that’s sending adolescents to the emergency department. The “cinnamon challenge” is the latest online dare that tricks teenagers into risky behavior with potential consequences.

Universal newborn screening for critical congenital heart defects using pulse oximetry has been successfully implemented in New Jersey with minimal burden on hospitals staffs, according to the first analysis of process data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infants with colic who cry inconsolably in the first months of life may be suffering from pain associated with migraine headaches, suggests new research that investigated a link between migraines in older children and colic in infancy.

Researchers have found that simple tests for levels of alanine and histidine in newborns’ urine can predict abnormal levels of gut bacteria before the onset of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).