Ensuring our youth grow up in healthy supportive environments is an important part of building a strong future for any society. Even here in the United States, there are significant disparities in child well-being. [Read more…]
New data on kids’ well-being
August 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Evidenced-based learning: Play, play, play
August 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment
My two oldest children received letters in the mail this week from their teachers – a sure sign that “back-to-school” is creeping closer. As I start wrapping my head around school supplies and book schedules, I thought back to this post about the importance of play in learning. I’m hoping that my kids’ teachers keep in mind the importance of play in the classroom this year.
Myth-busting evidence: Childhood vaccines
July 29, 2014 By 1 Comment
When my son was born, I spent a lot of time reading and thinking about whether he should have the routine childhood vaccinations. I had heard about the potential link between vaccines and autism and some anecdotal reports from other moms about adverse reactions to vaccines. But I wanted to consider all of the evidence on vaccines. [Read more…]
Kids and food allergies: What we don’t know
June 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment
We had some excitement at our house this past month when my 8-month-old daughter had two systematic allergic reactions to food. [Read more…]
How to measure childhood obesity
June 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Now a new systematic review has found that even more youth may be classified as obese. [Read more…]
The evidence on kangaroo care
May 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment
An estimated 18 million babies worldwide are born each year with low birthweight – the vast majority of them in developing countries where comprehensive neonatal care is not available. So what’s the best way to care for them? [Read more…]
Do girls perform better in school?
May 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
When you think about an elementary school classroom, do any gender stereotypes pop into your mind? Most of us have opinions about how boys and girls perform at school. Maybe you subscribe to some commonly held beliefs that girls are better at reading and writing, or boys are more successful in math. But what does the evidence say?
What we know about indoor tanning and youth
April 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment
For nearly 100 years, Americans have valued tanned skin as a symbol of health and vitality. (Before 1920, Americans and Europeans considered pale skin and indicator of health and success.) The trend began when doctors began to prescribe sunbathing for ailments, including tuberculosis. Soon Hollywood stars and fashion icons started to boast of tanned skin, and the rest of America followed suit. [Read more…]
New evidence on toothpaste for kids
April 3, 2014 By 1 Comment
In the U.S. dental care has long been a priority for young children. Decades ago, I can clearly remember our church giving out toothbrushes and toothpaste every Halloween before it was time to trick-or-treat. But for many reasons, tooth decay is a growing problem among preschool children. [Read more…]
Smoking bans are good for kids
April 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment
It’s a well-established fact that smoking is bad for your health. Thousands of studies and hundreds of systematic reviews have documented health problems related to individuals smoking. But this week, researchers published the first-ever review that found smoking in public places has broader negative consequences for child health.
[Read more…]
Mentoring works for troubled, but how?
March 18, 2014 By 1 Comment
When young people are struggling – with school, addiction, criminal behavior or a number of other problems – help often comes through a mentor. Thousands of organizations across the country pair at-risk young people with a role model to help them get back on track. But does mentoring work?
A new way to help mistreated children
February 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Each year in the U.S., more than 600,000 children suffer abuse or neglect that warrants the intervention of Child Protective Services. Often times, these children need support for emotional and behavioral difficulties. It’s a heart-breaking problem, but there is evidence that some treatments can help. [Read more…]
