News

Children with long QT syndrome need not miss out on the fun and health benefits of recreational and competitive sports, according to a new study that recommends loosening restrictions on participation.

Injected measles vaccine stimulates a significantly stronger immune response than inhaled vaccine, a new study reports.

Personal health records and electronic health records don’t meet the privacy and confidentiality needs of adolescents and their parents and will require significant changes to do so.

More adolescent girls are using long-acting reversible contraception-intrauterine devices and implants-although the rate of use remains low among girls aged 15 to 19 years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fewer than half of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were receiving behavior therapy just before the American Academy of Pediatrics released clinical practice guidelines in 2011, according to the first national study of behavior therapy, medication, and dietary supplements to treat ADHD in children aged 4 to 17 years.

“Insufficient evidence” exists to recommend for or against screening for iron-deficiency anemia in asymptomatic children aged 6 to 24 months, the US Preventive Services Task Force states in a draft recommendation.

A new 9-valent vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) has shown nearly 100% efficacy against 5 additional strains of the virus when compared with quadrivalent HPV vaccine, and it is now recommended for routine vaccination by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Children of minority ethnic groups-Hispanic/Latino, African American, and American Indian-are more prone to gain weight earlier in life than children of European descent, according to research findings presented at the American Heart Association’s March Scientific Sessions in Baltimore, Maryland.

The reduction of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children in the United States over the past 4 decades is a great public health success. There are, however, groups of children who are at higher risk for lead exposure.

A healthy 2-month-old boy presents with a 4-day history of diaper dermatitis unresponsive to barrier creams. The infant has developed “red spots” that started on his cheeks, then spread to his trunk and diaper area. He is a bit fussy but feeding well.

“Perhaps” is the short answer to this question, according to results of a survey of more than 800 parents to determine how various types of menu labeling affect what parents order for their children in fast-food restaurants.

Teenagers who eat at least 1 meal a week with their families are less likely than those who never eat with their families to be overweight or obese when they reach their 20s or 30s, according to a large longitudinal study.

Adolescents who are advised to observe 5 days of complete rest immediately after concussion do not derive any benefit over those who receive usual care, a randomized trial in 88 patients showed.

Sleep coaches are a burgeoning pediatric provider group.

Despite our best efforts, pediatricians have little success in encouraging our patients to eat a healthy diet and get the recommended amount of daily physical exercise.

Although nearly 80% of mothers initiate breastfeeding, only 50% of mothers are still breastfeeding at 6 weeks, and less than 15% are exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months.

New dietary guidelines from 2 federal agencies call for a paradigm shift in healthcare and public health toward prevention and integration with food systems, including incentivizing nutrition professionals, healthcare providers, and others in counseling patients for healthy lifestyles.

Pediatrician Randal C. Christensen, MD, MPH, medical director of Crews’n Healthmobile, says he has the best job in the world. “I literally spend my clinical time taking care of homeless children and teens. I don’t have to ask for insurance cards or wait for them to come and see me. I go and see them,” he says.

In pediatric patients, the relatively rapid progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) requires pediatricians to know whom, when, and how to screen for these conditions and to anticipate the likely development of comorbidities in children who develop T2D.

Among recent research on nonpharmacologic therapies for the often baffling sequelae accompanying autism, some of the most intriguing explores clues to its etiology. A.J. Russo, PhD, recently sat down exclusively with Contemporary Pediatrics to discuss his newly published study of how probiotics impact gut flora and biomarkers such as copper in children with autism-looking for their correlations with GI disease and behavioral symptom severity.

Many mothers who want to but can’t breastfeed their infants buy human breast milk on the Internet, not realizing that the unregulated online market is “dangerous” and can expose babies to health risks, according to an editorial in BMJ.

The American Academy for Sleep Medicine has endorsed new quality measures for identifying and treating obstructive sleep apnea in children.

Physicians and other healthcare providers often fail to identify children who are victims of sex trafficking because of inadequate awareness and training, according to a new study.

Consuming large amounts of fructose during the second trimester of pregnancy and at 2 years of age is associated with a significantly increased risk of asthma in childhood, a new study has found.

Most parents know that soda isn’t good for their children, but many perceive other drinks with a lot of added sugar-fruit drinks, sports drinks, and flavored water, in particular-as healthy, a new study reports.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder affects 7.2% of children worldwide, a new meta-analysis estimates.

Growing concern about the effects of general anesthesia on brain development in infants and young children has prompted a call for more research and a warning to parents and physicians to take into account the potential risks when considering surgery for children aged younger than 3 years.

More than 90% of primary care physicians surveyed in a new study say that in a typical month they encounter parental requests to spread out the recommended vaccination schedule for their children by reducing the number of vaccines given simultaneously or postponing some vaccines until an older age. Most agree to do so at least sometimes despite reservations.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended, for the first time, intrauterine devices as a first-line contraceptive option for adolescent girls. However, few pediatricians have adequate training in placing the devices, which can limit their use.