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With school days just around the corner, a University of Michigan researcher has some advice for parents who want to increase their children's academic success.

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Many children's behavior problems fade prior to adolescence, while others do not. What differentiates these two groups? Oftentimes, it's the moms' prenatal anxiety.

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More than two-thirds of all emergency department visits for childhood poisoning involve prescription and over-the-counter medications, more than twice the rate of poisonings from consumer products, reports a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Cheerleading has become the leading cause of catastrophic injury in young female athletes, says Amy Miller Bohn, a physician at the UMHS department of family medicine.

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Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

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Physical education (PE) in schools is one of the main tools used to increase physical activity and to prevent childhood obesity, and PE-related injuries are on the rise. Although increasing physical activity may reduce obesity, it may also increase the risk of injury. While recognizing that PE classes and physical activity are important components in combating obesity, parents and school administrators should remain vigilant for injuries. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, found that the number of PE-related injuries to elementary, middle and high school students in the United States increased 150 percent between 1997 and 2007.

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Physicians at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio are turning to a device typically used in adults with heart problems to help children with severe stomach conditions.

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Researchers found that 7 percent of fifth-graders and their families have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives and that the occurrence is even higher "” 11 percent "” for African American children and those from the poorest households. These children were significantly more likely to have an emotional, behavioral or developmental problem; were more likely to have witnessed serious violence with a knife or a gun; and were more likely to have received mental health care.

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It would make sense that teenage mothers have a lot of psychological stress in their lives, but a new study shows that the distress comes before the pregnancy, not because of it.

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Every year more than 1 million children and their parents in the United States face the anxiety and uncertainty of surgery. To help make the experience go as smooth as possible the ASA has released 10 steps parents should take to prepare for a procedure. Additional information is available at LifelinetoModernMedicine.com, the ASA's Web site dedicated to educating and empowering the public about anesthesiology.

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A mother's exposure to urban air pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can adversely affect a child's intelligence quotient or IQ, a study reports. PAHs are chemicals released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco. In urban areas motor vehicles are a major source of PAHs.

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Boot Camp for New Dads reveals the mysteries of a new baby, and offers these five tips any first-time dad should to deal with situations from crying to understanding the new mom's emotions.

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Research has shown that a father's involvement can affect the well-being of his children, but what about the impact of being a father on the man himself? Fatherhood is a central aspect of many men's lives and can have both positive and negative effects on their health.

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USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future Survey says more and more of America's Internet-connected households report erosion of face-to-face family time, increased feelings of being ignored by family members using the Web, and growing concerns that children are spending too much time online.

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A group of self-taught, low-income dads share what fatherhood means to them and how they approach parenting in the absence of a spouse and a role model father.

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A new study finds that U.S. pediatricians have plenty of room for improvement when it comes to using a screening questionnaire to flag developmental delays in premature children.

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Researchers trying to uncover why premature birth is a growing problem in the United States and one that disproportionately affects black women have found that pre-pregnancy depressive mood appears to be a risk factor in preterm birth among both blacks and whites.

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Advertising can be an effective way to encourage parents to talk with their children about sex, according to a new study by researchers at George Washington University and RTI International.

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With children having easier access to media and a wider variety of content, the possible negative influence on health issues such as sex, drugs, obesity and eating disorders is increased, and warrants monitoring usage and limiting access if necessary, according to a commentary in the June 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child and adolescent health.

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Children from high-conflict families are more likely to drop out of school, have poor grades, smoke, binge drink, use marijuana, have early sex, be young and unmarried when they have a child and then experience the breakup of that relationship.

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In a new study, young children and their adult caregivers uttered fewer vocalizations, used fewer words and engaged in fewer conversations when in the presence of audible television.

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Unwed pregnant teens and twenty-somethings who attend or have graduated from private religious schools are more likely to obtain abortions than their peers from public schools, according to sociological research published in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

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In what is believed to be the first U.S. study designed to prevent anxiety disorders in the children of anxious parents, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have found that a family-based program reduced symptoms and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder among these children.

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History professor Moira Maguire, whose research figured in Ryan Commission Report on Irish child abuse says Irish society criminalized poverty, setting up conditions for abuse in Catholic-run institutions.

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Colgate University's director of counseling and psychological services offers advice for parents of new college students.

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Although teen depression poses a widespread problem for which proven treatments exist, few depressed teens receive any care. Why not? The answer depends whether you ask parents or the adolescents themselves.

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Children who grow up with a parent with a drinking problem have been shown to suffer from depression, anxiety, acting out, and academic and social difficulties.

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Transnationalizing Families: Canadian Immigration Policy and the Spatial Fragmentation of Care-giving Among Latin American Newcomers, focuses on Latin American women who have come to Canada in search of better futures for their children, and the immigration policy that keeps them separated.

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Most parents who have lost a premature baby still hold the baby in a central place in their lives. How they share this grief and suffering depends on the emotional exchange and communication between the partners.

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Mary Muscari, associate professor in the Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University and author of "Let Kids be Kids: Rescuing Childhood," offers tips for managing materialism in your kids.

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It is estimated that one out of five children in the United States is suffering from a treatable mental condition. However, with only eight child and adolescent psychiatrics for every 100,000 children in the country, there is growing concern that kids suffering from mental health conditions are not receiving the good care they deserve. To address this problem, doctors at Nationwide Children's Hospital are partnering with pediatricians and family doctors to make sure kids suffering from anxiety, depression and other mental disorders are receiving the care they need "“ and quickly.

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The "are you driving yet?" talk should become part of every pediatrician's regular physical exam for teenagers, Hopkins Children's experts say.

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Women tend to choose non-math-intensive fields for their careers -- not because they lack mathematical ability, but because they want flexibility to raise children or prefer less math-intensive fields of science, reports a new Cornell study.

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Catering to a child who is a picky-eater is like being a short-order cook: chaotic. Dinnertime becomes a war zone, with hopeless battles fought over vegetables and macaroni and cheese. Picky-eating is as normal as potty-training, a right of passage in childhood development. But if eating behavior inhibits normal developmental and physical growth processes, it could be something much more severe a pediatric feeding disorder.

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A new Washington state program designed to help victims of domestic violence increase their knowledge of how to use technology safely and help minimize the risks that technology can pose when one is in an abusive relationship has been evaluated as highly successful. It can be easily adopted for use in other states or nationally.

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New research by Vanderbilt professor of law and economics Joni Hersch found that housework not only reduces the salaries of women, but also affects some men's wages. She also found that women's salaries are negatively impacted by housework regardless of profession.

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Children often personalize information and believe a natural disaster will affect their immediate family, even if is taking place miles away. Parents should be open and honest with their children in discussing unseen consequences of the disaster.

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Spending time with a grandparent is linked with better social skills and fewer behavior problems among adolescents, especially those living in single-parent or stepfamily households, according to a new study.

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The fact that human mothers have support from family while they're breast-feeding may be a key strategy that enables humans to reproduce more rapidly than other primates, new research suggests.

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Mellowtron, a melancholy plush robot who was returned to the factory after proving unfit for normal robot duties, will spend Valentine's Day looking for love at the Toy Fair in New York City. His creators, Jessie Vogel and Bill Smith, are young entrepreneurs who launched their company, StuffedRobot.com, as Wake Forest University students.

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Youth programs that include boring or difficult tasks are more likely to develop responsibility in teenagers than those that are all fun and games, according to a study of youth programs and responsibility by a Wake Forest University psychologist.

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While studies have shown that the home can be one of the most dangerous places for young children, a new study finds that it can also be hazardous for teenagers.

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A University of South Carolina study, led by researcher Dr. Ron Prinz and funded by the CDC, shows that key indicators of child maltreatment, such as abuse injuries and foster placements, drop when parents community-wide are offered access to proven parenting interventions. Called the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, this system of strategies and tools provides parents with multiple levels of parenting support of increasing intensity to match each family's needs.

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A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center found a high desire for additional genetic testing among consumers for life altering and threatening medical conditions including mental retardation, blindness, deafness, cancer, heart disease, dwarfism and shortened lifespan from death by 5 years of age. Consumers, however, are less interested in prenatal genetic testing for traits including tall stature, superior athletic ability and superior intelligence.

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It's cold and flu season again, causing misery for the little people in your household. New guidelines warn parents that over-the-counter cold medications should not be used in children under 6 years of age. But what should parents do to help their children through the runny nose, cough and aches?

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Your 8-year-old child wants a cell phone for Christmas, but is he or she really ready for the responsibility? University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric psychologist David Schwebel, Ph.D., says that whether a child is ready for a cell phone depends on the child and the family.

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The best chance of "reeling-in" an unmarried father and building foundations for a stable family life are the critical months of pregnancy, says new research from the University of Maryland. "Unmarried dads are less likely to drift away if they are involved with their partner during this vital period when a family can begin to bond," says researcher Natasha Cabrera.

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People who have a sibling with mental illness more likely to be depressed during their lifetimes.

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"Time poor" single mothers come surprisingly close in the time they spend caring for their children compared to married mothers, and the difference is explained by working hours, say University of Maryland sociologists. The study, the first to detail the time single mothers give their children, concludes that public policy focuses too heavily on marital status.

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David Riley's work has reached thousands of children and parents across Wisconsin and the country, but for him, a chance conversation at a pizza parlor was a powerful reminder of what his efforts really mean.