School Health News

Universal testing and contact tracing failed to find evidence that near-capacity school buses were the source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission at a school in Virginia, researchers reported.

The proportion of total energy that children and adolescents consumed from ultra-processed foods rose nearly 6 percentage points during a recent 20-year period, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Roughly 5% of children aged 5 to 17 years experienced COVID-19 symptoms for at least 28 days, and almost 2% were still experiencing them after 56 days, according to the results of a study in the United Kingdom.

The AAP updated guidance on mental health screenings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to recommend that all children be monitored and asked about concerns or changes in mental and behavioral health at every pediatric office visit.

The AAP issued interim guidance on pediatric follow-up care for children who have had COVID-19, including recommendations for children with long COVID, a syndrome that is less common among kids than adults.

The CDC altered its mask guidance Tuesday to say that even vaccinated people should wear them indoors in areas with high coronavirus transmission, and that everyone should wear masks indoors in K-12 schools regardless of vaccination status.

The AAP said Monday that everyone aged 2 years or older should wear a mask in school, regardless COVID-19 vaccination status, because many students are not eligible for vaccination and it is difficult to tell who has been immunized.

More than 2 hours of screen time per day is independently associated with decreased cognitive and executive function among children aged 6 to 7 years who were born at less than 28 gestational weeks, researchers reported in JAMA Pediatrics.

Other than conversations about puberty, less than one-third of adolescents reported discussing sexual and reproductive health topics with their health care provider, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

Male toddlers and adolescent boys are at the greatest risk for drowning, the AAP warned in an updated technical report.