https://medicalxpress.com/childrens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Children's Health Among children and adolescents, a higher body roundness index (BRI) is associated with increased odds of current asthma, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Annals of Human Biology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-body-roundness-index-linked-odds.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:00:01 EDT news706859652 Commercial baby foods in spouted pouches—intended to boost nutritional intake from the age of 6 months onward—are often more like sugary drinks and smoothies than nutritious food, finds an analysis of U.K. products, published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-spouted-baby-food-pouches-sugary.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:30:02 EDT news706794347 Rhabdomyosarcomas are a rare form of cancer; however, the disease is responsible for about 60% of all soft-tissue sarcomas in children. Rhabdomyosarcomas are aberrant, malignant forms of muscle tissue. Early detection of bone marrow infiltration by tumor cells is crucial when planning treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-alternative-bone-marrow-sampling-children.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:00:02 EDT news706894681 Clinicians may not agree on physical exam findings for youth with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a study published online Aug. 20 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-physical-exams-reliably-pediatric-pneumonia.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:20:03 EDT news706888801 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that removing the gene for Regnase-1 from engineered immune cells makes them more effective at treating relapsed osteosarcoma. There is a great clinical need for new therapies for childhood osteosarcoma, for which there are very few effective treatments for relapsed disease. The approach improved the cells' ability to control osteosarcoma growth and prevent metastasis to the lungs in preclinical models. The findings support the development of an early-phase clinical trial and were published today in Cell Reports Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immune-car-cell-therapy-pediatric.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news706882441 After a summer of vacations and late nights, it's time to set those back-to-school alarms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-reset-child-school-season.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:00:10 EDT news706880588 Climate change is making droughts more frequent, prolonged and intense in many regions of the world, increasing the need to understand their effects on health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-drought-pregnancy-preterm-birth-impaired.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:40:06 EDT news706876741 Two disorders with big names—trichotillomania (repeated hair-pulling) and excoriation disorder (repeated skin-picking)—were the focus of a recent Yale study looking at potential genetic causes. The two disorders are part of a group called body-focused repetitive behaviors, or BFRBs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-clues-genetic-roots-hair-skin.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:40:04 EDT news706861741 A nationwide quality improvement initiative led by researchers and clinicians from UC Davis Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics and partner organizations resulted in significant increases in screening and follow-up care for adolescent substance use and mental health concerns across pediatric primary care clinics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-adolescent-behavioral-health-screening.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:20:03 EDT news706851601 Prenatal organophosphate pesticide (OP) exposure is not associated with autism-related traits in childhood, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in JAMA Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-prenatal-organophosphate-pesticide-exposure-linked.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:25:44 EDT news706854321 Physical activity in adulthood may depend on exercise during growth, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The study, conducted in birds, is the first to directly demonstrate that experiences during development influence how efficiently adults use energy during movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-bird-bulking-youth-decreases-energy.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:00:02 EDT news706800842 Obesity doesn't look the same at age 15 as it does at age 45, and Duke University School of Medicine researchers are learning why. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation showed teenagers retain a degree of metabolic flexibility that's largely lost in adulthood. The study suggests that the way teenage bodies respond to excess weight is fundamentally different and potentially more reversible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-obesity-adolescence-reversible-previously-thought.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:20:09 EDT news706792201 TikTok's design makes it harder for young people to think critically about the mental health content they see, new University of Birmingham research suggests. With more than 550,000 children and young people in England waiting for mental health treatment, the new study reveals that the platform's design can make it difficult to distinguish trustworthy mental health advice from misleading content. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-uncovers-tiktok-mental-health-advice.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:40:09 EDT news706791661 Prenatal exposure to certain insecticides used in agriculture does not appear to be linked to social communication problems and other traits related to autism, a new study shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pesticide-exposure-social-difficulties-common.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news706535101 A major review of the effects of vaping on children and young people has found clear links between vaping and respiratory health problems, as well as strong evidence that young people who vape are more likely to go on to smoke cigarettes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-major-link-vaping-respiratory-problems.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:40:08 EDT news706784086 Findings from the 2025 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) released by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) suggest that Ontario middle and high school students have rebounded from the heightened mental health challenges seen during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-student-mental-health-rebounds-pandemic.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:40:03 EDT news706769762 As families reset their back-to-school routines, getting children out the door isn't the only challenge. Making sure they eat a healthy breakfast can be a struggle, too. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-poll-reveals-parents-kids-healthy.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:20:01 EDT news706526042 Type 2 diabetes has traditionally been a disease that has affected mostly middle-aged and older adults. But new research from the U.S. to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept. 28–Oct. 2) shows a sharp increase in the rate of new cases of type 2 diabetes since the turn of the century, which has continued to accelerate in recent years. The study is by Dr. Tessa Crume of the Colorado School of Public Health in Aurora, Colorado, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-youth-diabetes-cases-colorado-risen.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 18:10:01 EDT news706534501 Teenagers who are subjected to online bullying are at greater risk of later emotional and behavioral difficulties, research suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cyberbullying-fuel-teen-mental-health.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news706455718 A daily 20-milligram dose of zinc reduced infections by nearly 40% among Ugandan children younger than 5 with sickle cell anemia, according to new research led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine and their study partners in Uganda. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), point to an affordable, well-tolerated strategy to decrease hospitalizations and save the lives of more children living with the genetic blood disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-daily-mg-zinc-infections-children.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:20:06 EDT news706525682 The World Health Organization estimates that in 2026 nearly 11 million people will contract the virus that causes measles. Most of these cases will occur in Africa and Asia, but many countries in the Americas and Europe are reporting outbreaks affecting hundreds or thousands of people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-millions-people-world-measles.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 10:20:04 EDT news706522562 Almost 40% of mothers with moderate or severe anemia gave birth to babies who were born prematurely, had low birth weight or were smaller than expected for their gestational age, according to new research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-maternal-anemia-linked-birth-small.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:40:07 EDT news706521482 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in communication, social interactions, learning and sensory processing. Past studies have found that when some autistic children have a fever (i.e., when their body temperature rises above 38°C or 100.4°F), their communication, hyperactivity, repetitive behaviors and some of their mental functions can temporarily improve. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fever-body-cognitive-differences-preclinical.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:40:01 EDT news706437955 Digital media, including videogames, are a central part of leisure activities for many adolescents and adults. For more than a decade, the industry has increasingly relied on highly profitable financing models in which games can be played free of charge ("free-to-play" games), while additional purchases are offered through so-called microtransactions. As the industry repeatedly emphasizes, these purchases are voluntary. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-hidden-high-free-play-video.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news706363321 Iron deficiency is one of the world's most common nutritional disorders, affecting millions of women and children globally. Yet diagnosing it remains difficult in many low-resource settings, where access to laboratories and trained health care workers is limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-rapid-iron-treatment-worldwide.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news706445076 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) have identified key social and environmental factors that influence how climate change affects childhood diarrheal diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-climate-reshape-childhood-diarrheal-disease.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:40:05 EDT news706456501 An internet-based treatment supported by a therapist led to a greater reduction in depressive symptoms among adolescents with depression than standard care, at a lower treatment cost. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal BMJ Mental Health. At the same time, the results suggest that a self-guided internet-based treatment may be a cost-effective alternative where access to therapists is limited, although the clinical effect is more uncertain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-internet-based-treatment-young-people.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:00:07 EDT news706455680 Guinea-Bissau is facing its first outbreak of mpox, UN children's agency UNICEF said Thursday, voicing concern that half of suspected cases were affecting children and that the country is ill-prepared. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-guinea-bissau-mpox-outbreak-unicef.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 15:20:03 EDT news706455310 Tetanus is often considered a disease of the past, remembered mainly through childhood vaccinations and warnings about rusty nails. Yet despite being preventable with an effective vaccine, it continues to cause tens of thousands of deaths worldwide each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-tetanus-global-health-problem.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:40:07 EDT news706444562 An Australian research collaboration has identified several existing TGA-approved medicines that could help slow brain damage in children with a rare form of dementia—offering hope for faster treatment options. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-screening-drugs-childhood-dementia.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news706443002