School Health News

Language and literacy outcomes in children are greatly impacted by the inclusion of shared reading in early infancy and toddlerhood, with effects sustained for up to 4 years, according to research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting.

Analyzing saliva for changes in the micro-ribonucleic acid levels served as a prognostic indicator of symptom duration among children following a concussion, according to research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting.

Officials from the Elverta Joint Elementary School District in Sacramento County, California have closed three schools this week due to 38 cases of norovirus among students and faculty.

A community-based intervention using parent advocacy was successful in promoting vaccine-positive attitudes over the course of 3 years in Washington state childcare centers, preschools and schools.

Communities should implement start times of 8:30 a.m. or later for middle school and high schools to optimize daytime alertness, reduce tardiness and support peak academic performance, according to a position paper by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, published in Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Inadequate access to food in early childhood was correlated with negative social-emotional and cognitive outcomes among children in kindergarten, according to a study published in Child Development.

Teenage synthetic cannabinoid users exhibited a higher prevalence of health risk behaviors, including those detrimental to sexual health, than teenagers who only have ever used marijuana, according to research published in Pediatrics.

Sexual violence and other forms of interpersonal violence perpetration were drastically reduced among Kentucky high schools following the implementation of a modified ‘bystander program’ initially developed for college students, according to a recent study.

Five health care organizations have urged the FDA to prohibit all candy- and fruit-flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah tobacco, asserting that these products are undermining national efforts to reduce youth tobacco use and placing children at health risks from tobacco use and nicotine addiction.

Approximately 26% of high school teenagers who use e-cigarettes also use the practice of “dripping” nicotine liquids onto the heating coils rather than inhaling through the mouthpiece, which could increase their exposure to nicotine and toxins.