Children's Health

Even well-intended comments about weight, weight loss and dieting can actually harm children with overweight and obesity. Instead, experts say one way to help is to model healthy behavior for your kids and don't single out any of your children.

Health & Safety

Praise, Don't Tease, And Other Tips To Help Kids With Their Weight

12:56pm August 25, 2019

by Susie Neilson

Even well-intended comments about weight and dieting can actually harm children. Here's advice for how to set kids up for a healthy life and a positive self-image.

Opinion: We Are Risking Health And Life

8:32am August 24, 2019

by Scott Simon

The government wants to withhold flu shots from migrants in detention centers even though doctors advise vaccinations for all detainees promptly upon arrival.

When children are held for long periods away in detention centers, such as this center for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, they may suffer psychological harm.

Lengthy Detention Of Migrant Children May Create Lasting Trauma, Say Researchers

1:59pm August 23, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

The Trump administration is trying to legalize indefinite detention of migrant families. But detention can be emotionally crushing for kids, leading to long-term mental health problems like PTSD.

Computer illustration of malignant B-cell lymphocytes seen in Burkitt's lymphoma, the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Invisible Children With Cancer

9:36am August 23, 2019

by Marc Silver

A study looks at the toll of cancer on children around the world. Co-author Dr. Lisa Force of St. Jude hospital says: "An important prognostic indicator for survival is where that child is living."

An FDA contract worker collects food and supplies from a food pantry in Baltimore. In the face of a Trump administration proposal that could cause 3 million people to lose federal food assistance, mayors from 70 cities are pushing back.

70 Mayors Reject Trump Food Stamp Proposal, Saying It Puts Kids At Risk

3:22pm August 22, 2019

by Bobby Allyn

Mayors from 70 American cities send a letter to the Trump administration, saying a plan to push millions of people out of the federal food stamp program would punish some of the country's neediest.

A 15-year-old in Cambridge, Mass., shows off her vaping device in 2018. Schools and health officials across the U.S. are struggling to curb what they say is an epidemic of underage vaping.

Cigarettes Can't Be Advertised On TV. Should Juul Ads Be Permitted?

12:16pm August 20, 2019

by Michelle Andrews

Though tobacco ads have been banned from TV for about 50 years, the marketing of electronic cigarettes isn't constrained by the law. Public health advocates consider that a loophole that hurts kids.

Obesity Medicine Specialist Discusses New WW App For Kids

5:52pm August 19, 2019

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, who specializes in obesity medicine, about a new app from WW — formerly Weight Watchers — that targets children.

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A study conducted in six Canadian cities found a link between maternal consumption of fluoride during pregnancy and intelligence of their offspring.

Can Maternal Fluoride Consumption During Pregnancy Lower Children's Intelligence?

5:15pm August 19, 2019

by Richard Harris

A Canadian study suggests that fluoride consumed by pregnant women can affect the IQ of their children. No single study provides definitive answers, but the findings will no doubt stir debate.

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Mahmee CEO Melissa Hanna (right) and her mother Linda Hanna (left) co-founded the company in 2014. Linda's more than 40 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant helped them understand the need, they say.

This App Aims To Save New Moms' Lives

7:55am August 18, 2019

The startup Mahmee hopes to help OB-GYNs, pediatricians and other health providers closely monitor a mother and baby's health so that any red flags can be assessed before they become life-threatening.

Brett Gray (left) as Jamal Turner, and Peggy Blow as Abuela, a lovable, pot-smoking grandma, in the first season of the Netflix teen drama On My Block.

Netflix Curbs Tobacco Use Onscreen, But Not Pot. What's Up With That?

8:00am August 17, 2019

by Neda Ulaby

TV networks have standards that minimize tobacco use on shows, and Netflix now does, too. But streaming companies lack public policies about smoking cannabis onscreen, and doctors say that hurts kids.