all children stories

Fijian girls succumb to Western dysmorphia

50443248 — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:55:00 -0400

In 1982, Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Anne E. Becker was still an undergraduate at Radcliffe when she traveled to Fiji for a summer of anthropology fieldwork.

Harvard nutritionists take aim at sugary drinks

50443248 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:19:39 -0400

Comparing the nation’s obesity epidemic to a house on fire, Harvard nutrition experts took aim at sugar-sweetened beverages Monday (April 20), recommending the creation of a new, low-sugar alternative and urging adults and children alike to quench their thirsts the natural way — with water.

Infant weight gain linked to childhood obesity

50443248 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:03:04 -0400

As childhood obesity continues its 30-year advance from occasional curiosity to cultural epidemic, health care providers are struggling to find out why — and the reasons are many. Increasingly sedentary environments for both adults and children, as well as cheap and ubiquitous processed foods no doubt play a role, but researchers are finding more evidence that the first clues for childhood obesity may begin as far back as early infancy.

Glass tables: An overlooked safety threat

50443248 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:30:30 -0400

Many households harbor a threat to young children that safety regulations, surprisingly, have overlooked: glass-topped tables and tables with glass panels. A review by Children’s Hospital Boston, in collaboration with Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, finds that glass-table injuries aren’t as rare as one might think, and that many could have been avoided had tempered glass been used.

First Suzanne Murray Professor named

50443248 — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:37:42 -0400

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study has named Nancy E. Hill, a leader in the study of cultural influences on parenting and adolescent achievement, the first Suzanne Murray Professor. Hill has also been appointed a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), where she has served as a visiting associate professor. Both appointments are effective July 1, 2009.

The Murray professorship allows a newly tenured Harvard faculty member to spend four semesters as a Radcliffe Fellow during her or his first five years at Harvard. In addition, Hill’s research ideally positions her to collaborate with Radcliffe faculty leaders on the institute’s new policy studies initiatives as well as other academic activities.

Spinal tap unnecessary for most babies with uncomplicated febrile seizures

404132862 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:57:16 -0500

When babies develop a fever high or abrupt enough to cause a seizure, frightened parents often rush them to the emergency room, where their workup frequently includes a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to rule out bacterial meningitis. Now, in the largest study to date, Harvard researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston find that this uncomfortable procedure is probably not necessary in well-appearing children who have had a simple febrile seizure.

Center on the Developing Child names Richmond Fellows

404132862 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:57:12 -0400

To support its goal of creating a new generation of leaders who have a broad perspective on the promotion of healthy child development and who recognize the need to bring strong scientific knowledge to bear on policies and programs that support the well-being of children, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University today announced the recipients of its annual Julius B. Richmond Fellowships.

This school year, the Center will award Richmond Fellowships to support the research of four Harvard University doctoral students: David Deming, Deborah Stone, Malavika Subramanyam, and Adrienne Tierney.

Julius B. Richmond, giant in public health and pediatrics

404132862 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:03:02 -0400

Julius B. Richmond, a seminal figure in the history of American public health and pediatrics, and the first national director of the Head Start program, who held professorial positions at three Harvard Schools, died Sunday at his home in Chestnut Hill, MA. He was 91.

As U. S. Surgeon General in the Carter Administration, Dr. Richmond issued the momentous 1979 report Smoking and Health. As Surgeon General he also set targets for the health of the American public with the Healthy People report.

New survey of public attitudes on cold and cough medications for children

404132862 — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:39:13 -0500

A new survey from NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health examines the public’s views of over-the-counter children’s cold and cough medications in the wake of recent concerns raised by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel, the media and the pharmaceutical industry regarding their safety and effectiveness. The poll, Children’s OTC Cold Medicines: The Public, and Parents, Weigh In, was conducted after an FDA advisory panel recommended that children under the age of six not be given these medicines. NPR will report findings fro

From neuroscience to childhood policy

404132862 — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:40:01 -0500

The Center on the Developing Child, founded in July 2006 to promote healthy child development as “the foundation of community development, economic prosperity, and a secure nation,” has been putting its message forth in a powerful series of colloquia across the University.

Improving child survival around the globe is key goal of United Nations

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:35:56 -0400

Reducing child mortality rates for children under 5 — which in 2004 was 6.5 (per 1,000 children annually) in Latin America and the Caribbean, about 20 in South Asia, and 39 in sub-Saharan Africa — is one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals were established at the beginning of this decade to address the problems of global poverty, health, and sustainability. Targets were set related to these issues, to be achieved by 2015. However, there are concerns at the midway point that the targets will not be achieved.

Children forgotten part of AIDS picture

50443248 — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:30:59 -0400

The forgotten faces of the AIDS epidemic belong to children: infected, neglected, and orphaned by a disease that ravages not only their bodies, but also their families and communities, according to a gathering of international AIDS experts Monday (Sept. 24).

Though one out of six AIDS deaths globally is a child, children are less often targeted for intervention than adults. Support for children infected or orphaned by the disease most often comes from extended family members or from organizations within their community.

New science provides compelling framework for early childhood investment

50443248 — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:10:00 -0400

A remarkable convergence of new knowledge about the developing brain, the human genome, and the extent to which early childhood experiences influence later learning, behavior, and health now offers policymakers an exceptional opportunity to change the life prospects of vulnerable young children, says a new report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

The report, "A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy," integrates new research findings in neuroscience with extensive evaluations of early childhood programs, and provides a highly credible, comprehensive guide for evidence-based policymaking. It was released today (Aug. 6) in Boston at a press conference at the Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Youngest girls spirited to brothels show highest HIV rates

50443248 — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:58:17 -0400

Girls forced into the Indian sex trade at age 14 or younger show significantly higher rates of HIV infection than older girls and women similarly forced into prostitution, according to a new study that highlights for the first time the increased HIV risks faced by sex trafficked Nepalese girls and women.

The study showed that 60 percent of girls forced into the Indian sex trade when they were as young as age 7 were infected with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS. That compared with relatively lower rates for older teens aged 15 to 17, 40 percent of whom were infected with HIV, and women, age 18 to 32, 31 percent of whom were infected with HIV.

Researchers look at antidepressants and risk of suicide among kids

50443248 — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:38:16 -0400

Which is more likely to push a depressed child to suicide: not taking antidepressant drugs or taking antidepressant drugs?

Medical experts have struggled with this question at least since 1990 when Harvard researchers reported that six people developed suicidal feelings soon after taking Prozac (fluoxetine). This was the first of the now widely prescribed serotonin drugs to ease depression. Called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such medications ease the problems of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behavior by decreasing the activity of a brain chemical known to affect moods.