Parenting/Kids News Headlines

Researchers at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., may have hit upon a way to dramatically speed up how fast an infant can be tested for genetic disorders, according to reports by the Associated Press and other media outlets. The hospital announced on Wednesday that it had discovered a way to use a combination …

Too often, newborns die of genetic diseases before doctors even know what's to blame. Now scientists have found a way to decode those babies' DNA in just days instead of weeks, moving gene-mapping closer to routine medical care.

Speedy, 50-Hour Decoding of Genomes Helps Families with Sick Infants

Children and television watching aren’t always a great mix, especially when talking about health consequences. But parents have to worry about more than kids plopped down in front of the TV—now they have to think about how much background TV they’re exposed to.

Delicate Balance Between Infertility Treatment and Multiple Fetuses

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids may spend too much time in front of the TV, but "active" video games are getting some of them on their feet and moving, according to a study out Monday. Of more than 1,200 Canadian high schoolers researchers surveyed, one-quarter said they played "exergames." And on average, that translated …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - That clamor in the background? It's probably the TV, and it might be taking a toll on your toddler's development, researchers say. According to the first national estimate of background television exposure, children in the U.S. spend nearly as much time around a switched-on television as they …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Though assisted-reproduction techniques (ART) are known to come with a higher risk for birth defects, a new review of defect rates in Western Australia shows major birth defects becoming less common over the course of a decade among babies born through ART. It's unclear why there have been fewer …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kindergartners who were given "good bacteria" supplements as infants were no less likely to suffer from allergies than other kids in a new study from Australia. The findings, reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, add to a mixed bag of results from research into whether probiotics …

Time to get your flu vaccine — and a surprising new report shows babies and toddlers seem to be getting protected better than the rest of us.

The idea seems like a no-brainer: Create ways for kids to be active, and they’ll lose weight and be healthier. So why aren’t programs designed to get kids moving working?

Obese kids have higher cardiovascular risks as adults, and sugary beverages are stoking that obesity epidemic. Katherine Harmon reports

Kids May Watch More Aggressive Media Than Parents Realize

Obesity-Linked Heart Problems May Start Earlier Than Many Parents Realize, Study Says

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids burned more calories while playing dance and boxing video games than they did during a sedentary car racing game, in a new UK study. Researchers said it's not surprising children would get their body working harder while playing a game on Kinect for the Xbox 360 that requires being off the …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A large share of medication prescriptions to children on Medicaid may go unfilled, a new study suggests. Researchers found that of nearly 17,000 prescriptions made to kids at two urban clinics, 22 percent were never filled. That's similar to what's been seen in studies of adults - among whom …

(This story corrected the final paragraph in a story posted on September 17, 2012. Reuters Health was informed by another researcher that this was not the first case of a gel ball causing obstruction in a child, as was incorrectly reported by the senior author.) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - After surgically removing a large …

When you’re a parent you’re bound to have those days when it seems like nothing is going right. When you’re a parent of a child with cystic fibrosis, those days probably come a little (maybe a lot) more often.

Prescriptions for Antibiotics Usually Filled; Vitamins Often Skipped

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mirroring the results of research in adults, a new study shows that white children are at a higher risk of breaking a bone than children of other races. The researchers say that genetics might have something to do with the differences, but it's also possible that environmental factors - such …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - White, black and Hispanic children who got seriously injured were equally likely to survive their hospital stay in a new study - despite past evidence of racial disparities for injured adults and sometimes children as well. The findings, from David Chang and colleagues at the University of California, …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heavy kids who took part in a program hosted at community YMCAs were able keep off some extra weight and improved their quality of life, including relationships with peers and functioning at school. The six-month program - covering diet, physical activity and "screen time" - was a scaled-down …

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's Bright Dairy & Food Co Ltd has been ordered by the Shanghai government to recall a cheese product for babies as it includes an additive banned for years, a Shanghai government newspaper said on Thursday. This is Bright Dairy's second scandal in a fortnight after it had to recall batches of sour …