Health and Safety
Keeping a child safe and healthy can be a challenge. Many parents scan headlines about phthalates in baby bottles, swine flu and vaccination debates but need balanced information to help make an informed decision for their family.
Latest in Health and Safety
What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood
The fact sheet examines the effectiveness of specific programs aimed at promoting positive development and self-sufficiency for older youth.
The Nation’s Children 2010
A compilation of the latest statistics on the health and welfare of U.S. children, including individual fact sheets on each state.
2009 Parents and Teens Attitude Tracking Study Report
Following a decade of consistent decline, the national study finds marked upswings in teen drug use.
Persistent Fear and Anxiety Can Affect Young Children’s Learning and Development
The report summarizes the effects of and misconceptions about fear-eliciting experiences that occur early in life.
The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children
The report describes the costs of poor dental health, grades the states on dental policies and suggests approaches to ensure dental health and access to care for disadvantaged children.
"Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds"
The amount of time young people spend engaging in entertainment media has increased by an hour and seventeen minutes a day over the past five years. Studies show that the rise of mobile devices being used as multimedia devices, such as cell phones and iPods, has been the primary reason for the increase.
"'Choking Game' Awareness and Participation Among 8th Graders -- Oregon, 2008"
A survey on the "choking game," which led to 82 deaths in 31 states from 1995 to 2007.
“There’s No Place Like Home: Home Visiting Programs Can Support Pregnant Women and New Parents”
The brief reviews the effectiveness of existing home visiting programs for vulnerable families.
“Overlooked and Undercounted 2009: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in California”
The analysis finds that 3 in 10 California households lack adequate income, opposed to the 1 in 10 households reported by the federal poverty measure.
“Maternal Depression Can Undermine the Development of Young Children”
The report explores recent research on the effects of maternal depression on families and children.
“Teens and Sexting”
The report explores the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of teens and young adults.
“Why Are Young Children Missed So Often in the Census?”
The study explores why more than 1 million children under age 10 and more than three-quarters of a million children under age 5 were missed in the 2000 Decennial Census.
“Monitoring the Future 2009”
The federal survey, which tracks drug use among U.S. teens, finds that marijuana use has increased within the past two years, whereas cigarette use has declined.
“Hidden Injustice: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in Juvenile Courts"
The report explores the multiple ways in which LGBT youth experience bias within the juvenile justice system.
"Household Food Security in the United States, 2008"
The USDA's latest survey of U.S. households finds that the prevalence rates of food insecurity and very low food security were the highest recorded since 1995, when the first national food security survey was conducted.
