Children's Health

Duke Researchers: Wounds From Bullying Stick Around For Years

Will Michaels — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:42:02 +0000

A study from Duke University says adults who were bullied as children are much more likely to have anxiety or depression.

Pew Report Gives NC an "F" in Child Dental Care

Eric Hodge — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 02:54:00 +0000

North Carolina could be doing a better job of preventing tooth decay in children. A new Pew Center report gives the state an "F" for taking care of kids teeth. Doctor Bill Maas is a public health dentist and a policy advisor for the Pew Children's Dental Campaign. He says painting a clear plastic sealant coating on the permanent molars of second graders is an efficient way to prevent cavities.

Salty Diet Affects Childhood Obseity

Jeff Tiberii — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:28:00 +0000

A connection between childhood obesity and daily salt intake has been discovered.

Researchers in Australia tracked more than 4-thousand children and found that kids who consume the most salt are more likely to drink sugary beverages. That puts them at risk of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Dr. Joseph Skelton is director of the Brenner FIT program at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He believes most excess salt is coming from fast food, and snack foods:

Poverty Having Impact On Child Health

Brent Wolfe — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Children's advocates say poverty continues to be a problem when it comes to kids' health.

Duke Study Calls For More Children's Drug Trials

Gurnal Scott — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Duke University doctors say clinical trials on how drugs affect children are few and far between. Gurnal Scott reports.

Doctors looked at research conducted from 2005 to 2010 -- about 60-thousand trials. They found that adult medical trials far outnumber ones on kids under 18.

"By about 10 to one," says one of the study's writers, Alex Kemper, a pediatrics professor at Duke. "For those of us who provide care to children, we know that clinical trials are the best way to know how to treat conditions.

Praise For "The Walking Classroom"

Leoneda Inge — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:10:00 +0000

A Chapel Hill non-profit has been recognized nationally for developing a program that targets childhood obesity while helping students learn. The program is called “The Walking Classroom.”

Leoneda Inge: The Walking Classroom Institute is about one year old and was started by former 5th grade teacher Laura Fenn.

Laura Fenn: What I did is one day, when I was home after school, I went out for a walk and I was listening to a podcast while I was walking and I thought to myself, my students can do this.

Hagan Pushes Bill To Accelerate Drug Approval

Isaac-Davy Aronson — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:05:00 +0000

Senator Kay Hagan toured UNC Children's Hospital yesterday as part of a push for her bill that would streamline approval of treatments for serious and rare diseases.

Hagan says the Food and Drug Administration needs to find faster ways to get treatments to patients suffering from rare diseases.

N.C. Children's Hospital Opens New Unit

WUNC News — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:10:00 +0000

Two Pint-sized former patients cut the ribbon on a new unit in the Newborn Critical Care Center at The North Carolina Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill today. A crowd of parents, children and staff were present for the opening of 'Pod G.' It adds 10 beds and brings the center's capacity to 58 beds. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Chapel Hill admits premature and ill babies from other hospitals in the state which are not equipped to deal with them. Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Alan Stiles says the addition will take pressure off the unit.

WakeMed Encouraging Breast Feeding

WUNC News — Mon, 09 May 2011 09:10:00 +0000

WakeMed celebrated Mother's Day by kicking off a campaign to promote breast feeding. The hospital no longer gives out formula or pacifiers to new mothers. WakeMed Women and Children's Services Director Elizabeth Rice says breast feeding is healthier for both infants and mothers. But she says the hospital isn't taking away anyone's right to choose how they feed their baby.

Kids Don't Use Asthma Medications Correctly

Rose Hoban — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:54:00 +0000

Ninety percent of kids using inhalers to control their asthma are NOT using them correctly - according to a new study from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Study leader Betsy Sleath says kids who use inhalers have to use the proper technique in order to deliver a useful dose of the drug directly to the lungs. She says without proper use, the inhalers don't work as well as they could: