Obese children and teenagers face a slew of potential health problems as they get older, including an increased risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and certain cancers. As if that weren't enough, obesity may harm young people's long-term college and career prospects, too.
Pat St. Claire tells us that new studies find teens who are obese are already showing signs of heart problems.
As the district director of physical education and health literacy for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Jayne Greenberg's annual budget is $0.
Time magazine's recent cover story featuring Jamie Lynne Grumet breastfeeding her almost four-year-old son raised a firestorm about different styles of parenting. Along with the headline -- "Are you mom enough?" -- the piece makes every mother question whether she should practice attachment parenting and in the process, embrace all things natural. Wear your baby! Make your own baby food! Breastfeed! Sleep with your baby! Give birth at home -- and don't use painkillers!
CNN's Erin Burnett talks to the woman at the center of Time magazine's breast-feeding cover story.
The "mommy war" between stay-at-home and working mothers is in danger of being overshadowed by another maddening contest: the one between mothers in the U.S. and France.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Former Senate Majority leader Dr. Bill Frist on new childhood obesity initiatives.
Fareed Zakaria and Ali Velshi discuss the U.S.'s low health care ranking and health care views from around the world.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court takes on a political, social, economic and medical hot potato: the health care reform law that was signed into law two years ago.
Traveling while breast-feeding is no easy feat in the best of circumstances. When Transportation Security Administration officials don't follow the agency's rules, getting through the airport with the gear -- and a baby -- gets more difficult.
CNN Hero Nancy Zuch and her daughter Morgan are giving young cancer patients a sense of normalcy.
Traveling down New York's Fifth Avenue, 4-year-old Joseph Mezzapesa sees his favorite store, Build-A-Bear Workshop, from the back seat of the family's SUV.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with a high school student who appears in a controversial anti-obesity ad campaign.
Lyn McDonald is doing everything right.
In middle school, Taylor LeBaron struggled to fit into his seat. The desks in class had a ceramic plate attached to the chair.
It started with the denial of a growing health crisis.
If you're like most parents, you take your child to the pediatrician for regular checkups, vaccinations, and height and weight monitoring.
When Jennifer Aaronson, 41, a magazine editor and mom to two in Manhattan, was pregnant with her first child, she did what every baby book tells you to do: she interviewed doctors and found one she thought was a good fit.
Baby Abe won't nurse. Despite the fact that I've successfully breastfed his three siblings, despite the efforts of his pediatrician and two lactation consultants, this baby will not suck. Were he a Stone Age baby, born to a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe, he would have long since been left out for the saber-toothed tigers and prehistoric wolves. He's lucky he was born to a 21st-century mom who refuses to give up.
Wal-Mart recalled a batch of infant formula after a baby died in Missouri. Tests for the cause are in progress.
A fourth infant has been discovered to have been infected with a rare, sometimes fatal form of bacteria that can come from baby formula, but there is no evidence the cases are related, federal health authorities said Friday.
A frustrated mom stages a breast-feeding sit-in at Target. CNN's Isha Sesay has more.
A mother who says she was harassed and humiliated by employees while breastfeeding her baby at a Target store in Texas last month prompted a nationwide "nurse-in" on Wednesday to show support for the public practice.
Health officials will be comparing samples to determine if two newborn infants were infected with the same strain of the bacteria that led to the rare infections that killed one and sickened another in the past month.
Seven-year-old Timmy "Mini" Tyrrell gets a high-five as he steps out of his go-kart at the King George Speedway in King George, Virginia.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday they are assisting in the investigation of a newborn baby who died of a rare bacterial infection that could be linked to powder-based infant formula.
"No, we can't have a snack yet."
When children of American servicemembers who are living with their parents overseas go back to school after the holidays, the Grinch will be waiting for them in the cafeteria.
When it comes to babies being carried to full term, the United States is improving, according to the most recent March of Dimes report card.
I recently had my first baby and just learned I have OCD. My doctor put me on a very low dose of antidepressant and my symptoms are much better. I am breast-feeding my son and don't want to use formula but am worried about side effects. What problems should I look for?
They are so new to this world that they do not have names yet.
Julie Perrault shudders when she remembers some of the dumb things she did when her kids were babies.
The Insurance Institute for Higway Safety has a new list of safe car booster seats for kids. CNN's Holly Firfer reports.
Bumper pads should never be used in infants' cribs, according to new guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Babies who are unusually small at birth have a higher-than-average risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder later in life, a new study in the journal Pediatrics suggests.
I had Kawasaki syndrome when I was young. My question is, can you outgrow Kawasaki syndrome? I have always wondered about it, and no one has been able to tell me yes or no.
Women run a lower risk of having babies with certain birth defects if they eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains during their childbearing years, a new study suggests.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a Class I recall for 40,000 pounds of ground beef products intended for Georgia school lunches, due to possible E. coli contamination.
The news is good out of Memphis two weeks after the boys were separated
Steven Galeano was a problem child. He couldn't stay out of fights and was "off the hook," his father Edwin recalls.
We get advice from a pediatrician about when an illness is serious and warrants an immediate call to the doctor.
Nine years after surgery, they endure health problems and live apart, but share a deep emotional bond
Cable and Internet provider Comcast is launching a new program to offer discounted Internet service and computers to low-income families.
Kids who count on free or reduced school lunches eat less during summer - but one group hopes to fix this problem.
Last month, China banned companies from manufacturing, importing or selling baby bottles that contain bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially dangerous chemical routinely added to everyday plastic products.
A Consumer Reports study found lots of BPA in most canned foods. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports on the implications.
The doctor will see you now -- and the clock is ticking. Studies show you get only about 15 minutes of face time with your pediatrician during an average well visit, so you'll want to make every second count.
I'm eight months pregnant and plan to breastfeed. I will go back to work after a few months and am thinking about getting a heavy-duty double breast pump, but the new ones are very expensive. Is it safe to buy or rent a used one? I'm worried about the germs that might be inside the pump but can't really afford a new one.
Conjoined twin girls -- each with a fully developed skull, but sharing one body -- have been born in China, according to their father, who said the babies are suffering from a host of health problems.
Doctors say separation is unlikely for conjoined twin girls who share a single body.
When 12-year-old Mason went to lunch each day last year, he could choose between orange juice and milk, but he couldn't get a cup of water.
"Another day in the office ... Flynn is with me on set!" the model Tweeted of her 3-month-old son
The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday called for an overhaul of the 35-year-old federal law governing toxic chemicals in the environment, saying it fails to safeguard children and pregnant women.
First lady Michelle Obama found herself at the center of an unlikely breast-feeding debate this week when three prominent conservative women criticized her for encouraging the creation of a "nanny state."
CNN's John King holds a discussion on the IRS decision that breast-feeding is a medical expense.
After a year of eating school lunches, Mrs. Q survived to blog about it.
In September 2010, school food activists told the government it was time to help districts serve better, healthier food.
In her small clinic in Nairobi's Mathare slum, Alice Sibour has defied a shortage of medical equipment and come up with an inventive way to care for newborn babies.
A traditional birth attendant in Kenya takes on infant mortality with a homemade incubator.
In December, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new proposed rule Thursday designed to strengthen school breakfast and lunch nutrition standards -- part of the Obama administration's attempt to crack down on an epidemic of childhood obesity.
How do I put my 11-year-old daughter on a diet? She is 50 pounds overweight, though she only looks about 20 pounds over. She has a lot of muscle. She plays sports year-round.
CNN's T.J. Holmes talks to Judith C. Rodriguez about what parents can do to combat childhood obesity.
The United States is getting a "D" grade for its preterm birth rate, even though it is improving in most states, according to the March of Dimes.
Women who take fish-oil supplements during pregnancy are just as likely to experience postpartum depression as those who don't, and their babies' minds don't appear to develop more quickly, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Your kids deserve better. Because Congress failed to pass the Child Nutrition Bill last week, bad school lunches will remain bad.
TED Prize-winning chef leads bid to educate Americans about healthy eating.
CNN's Nadia Bilchik talks to T.J. Holmes about a law in Spain that allows men the same breast-feeding time off as women.
The European Union Court of Justice has ruled that working fathers in Spain have the same right to breastfeeding leave as do moms.
Children in Grades 3 through 6 who are obese are more likely to be bullied than their normal-weight peers, a new study has found.
Dana Woldow issues a challenge to every member of Congress: "Try school cafeteria food in your district. Then see if you continue to make the same decisions about how you fund the program."
Megan's hair was the first clue.
Rima Maktabi meets a woman with the vision to give education to kids with cancer and the children whose lives she hopes to improve.
Jasan Zimmerman remembers running into his room, burying his head under a pillow and saying he didn't want to die. His mother chased after him and told him, "I'm not going to let you die."
Mia Procida, 14, will be starting her eighth summer at Camp Pocono Trails in Reeders, Pennsylvania, at about the same time a new television show, called "Huge" rolls out on the ABC Family network.
Despite diet rumors, she jokes to PEOPLE, "I've been on solids for about 40 years now"
Desani Marshall was never really overweight, but she was always a little big for her age. During a checkup at age 4, her doctor pointed out to her mother that Desani was gaining weight more rapidly than he thought was normal. Six months later, she was still putting on pounds at a rapid pace -- a strong predictor of future obesity.
Fortifiers in her mother's milk led to problems and fluctuating vital signs
Spring in California's San Joaquin Valley is seemingly idyllic, with rolling hills and miles of fruit orchards. But what's happening in the small town of Kettleman City has people scared.
Mothers in a California town fear that toxic waste may have contributed to their children's birth defects.
A kid with a fractured leg highlights the problems Dr. Jaquelin Gotlieb's pediatric practice is having with Georgia's Medicaid system.
It's a silent, often overlooked danger that kills dozens of children every year, and it's easily preventable: choking to death on food.
Redesign the hot dog? And now the pizza pie is being updated by pizza in a cone. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.
Michelle Obama says her call for the country to fight childhood obesity isn't about physical appearances, but rather quality of life.
Michelle Obama answers a question about the importance of improving food at schools submitted by iReporter Amie Hamlin.
The convenience store near my house is where I first became aware of the problem.
Worried about your child's weight? You can do more than just nag him or her about eating too much junk food. Implementing three healthy family habits--eating dinner together, making sure they get enough sleep, and limiting TV--may help.
Babies who died from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, show lower amounts of the brain chemical serotonin, says a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A new study finds babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome have low serotonin levels. Elizabeth Cohen reports.
Viewers across the country offer prayers and best wishes for the family's premature 19th baby
The arrival of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's 19th baby hasn't been easy -- and the future is still not certain for preemie Josie Brooklyn, born three months early on December 10 and weighing only 1 lb., 6 oz.
As if traveling with the kids over the holidays weren't tough enough, this year we must contend with airline surcharges and swine flu, as well as all the usual annoyances and delays that go along with traveling -- especially with children -- during the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Russell Pate was driving through a neighborhood one late afternoon when he noticed something odd.
Three years ago, Anne Willis mentioned to the man she was dating that she didn't know about her fertility, since she had undergone cancer treatment as a teenager. His response --"Oh, so you don't know if you're going be able to have kids?" -- was off-putting.
More than 1 million babies born prematurely die each year before they are a month old, the March of Dimes said Sunday in the first comprehensive global report on premature births.
Parents can check out growth charts -- a nifty graph that tells them where their child falls in relation to peers in terms of height and weight -- just about everywhere, from a child's vaccination records to the doctor's office.
The number of birth defects in China are on the rise and the rate has nearly doubled in the past decade in Beijing and several provinces, a state-run newspaper reported Tuesday.
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