Children’s health Archives

Puberty in girls tied to adverse childhood experiences

April 4, 2025

Kaiser Permanente study finds a history of ACEs tied to earlier initiation of puberty in girls — but the same is not true for boys.

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Obesity risk higher in preteens born to moms who developed diabetes during pregnancy and fed natural fruit juice or sugary drinks as infants

March 12, 2025

Kaiser Permanente study provides evidence in support of recommendations to avoid feeding infants fruit juice and sugary beverages in their first year of life.

Telemedicine can provide timely pediatric primary care

November 22, 2024

Kaiser Permanente study finds telephone and video visits can be a good option, but they are not always a substitute for seeing a health care provider in person.

Maternal diet during pregnancy linked to healthy infant growth

November 21, 2024

Mothers whose diets aligned with federal nutrition guidelines during pregnancy were more likely to have babies whose birth weight and growth in early childhood also aligned with recommendations.

Higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization in babies too young for vaccine

October 24, 2024

An analysis of unvaccinated children who had COVID-19 found they were more likely to be hospitalized if they were 6 months old or younger, and more likely to be treated in an intensive care unit at ages 12 to 17.

No link found between prenatal cannabis use and early childhood disorders

October 18, 2024

New analyses of maternal cannabis use during early pregnancy find no evidence of increased risk of early developmental delays up to age 5 or of autism spectrum disorder.

Soda tax associated with drop in children’s weight

July 31, 2024

Young people living in 4 Northern California cities that began taxing sugar-sweetened beverages had lower body mass index (BMI) percentiles compared with young people living in cities without the tax.

Timing of puberty varies by up to 14 months among Asian youth

May 13, 2024

New Kaiser Permanente study — the first to analyze pubertal onset by Asian ethnicity — may help explain health disparities seen in Asian adults.

Prenatal detection rates for congenital heart disease can be achieved with fewer fetal echocardiograms

March 15, 2024

Kaiser Permanente study highlights success of its clinical pathway that refers only patients whose obstetrical screening ultrasound shows a fetal cardiac abnormality for a fetal echocardiogram.

Pregnant patients in deprived neighborhoods more likely to develop gestational diabetes

February 1, 2024

Pregnant patients living in a deprived neighborhood are more likely to develop gestational diabetes, and the likelihood increases the more economically and socially deprived a neighborhood is, according to new Kaiser Permanente research.

Risk of developing diabetes in children with overweight or obesity differs from that of adults

January 17, 2024

New Kaiser Permanente study identifies the overweight and obese adolescents at greatest risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Early-career researchers embrace unique opportunity to improve health care

December 11, 2023

The Division of Research is currently hosting one of its largest groups of postdoctoral research fellows.

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research receives $62M in federal funds to study children’s health

September 6, 2023

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research (DOR) investigators received a large infusion of federal funding to support research about environmental factors that influence children’s health.

COVID-19 vaccination was effective in children, adolescents during 2021

April 7, 2023

A large study of U.S. children and teens who received the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine finds that it was effective through much of 2021, but waned over time, especially as the omicron variant became dominant in 2022. Teens who received a booster dose regained some protection.

Neighborhood privilege tied to timing of girls’ puberty

March 8, 2023

New Kaiser Permanente study explores the ties between racial segregation and risk factors for early puberty in Black and Latinx girls.

Children’s pandemic screen time rose nearly 2 hours per day

February 15, 2023

Children increased their screen time by nearly 2 hours per day after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an hour of that increase persisted even after some restrictions had eased, according to a new analysis in JAMA Network Open by Kaiser Permanente researchers.

Seeking the best tests for babies with fever

December 7, 2022

New Kaiser Permanente research suggests a national clinical guideline on evaluating infant fever may not be ideal in all health care settings.

Intervening with at-risk adolescents shows long-term benefits

September 27, 2022

A long-term Kaiser Permanente study following 1,851 adolescents who reported substance use or mood problems at a pediatric clinic found those who had access to a brief intervention and referral to treatment were less likely to have a related diagnosis 7 years later, in their 20s.

Childhood weight tied to timing of puberty

August 23, 2022

New Kaiser Permanente study is the largest and most racially and ethnically diverse to date to show an association between early obesity and puberty onset in boys and girls.

Online quiz can help parents assess if their teen has a substance use problem

February 1, 2022

An analysis by Kaiser Permanente researchers suggests there may be clues in a child’s medical history about their risk for a substance use problem. The investigators used that research and input from parents to develop a free online risk prediction tool that anyone can use.

Diverse new class of postdoctoral fellows adds to research strength

October 19, 2021

The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research postdoctoral research program drew one of its largest-ever classes of fellows this year, building the strength of DOR’s research portfolio. Seven fellows cover fields from diet to dementia, cancer to clinical informatics, to women’s and children’s health, and more.

Cannabis use by pregnant women increased during pandemic

September 27, 2021

A Kaiser Permanente analysis of more than 100,000 pregnancies in Northern California finds a 25% increase in the rate of cannabis use early in pregnancy after the pandemic began in spring 2020.

Raising awareness about early puberty

September 9, 2021

KP Research Radio talks to Ai Kubo, PhD, MPH, about her research into why girls are starting puberty earlier than they have in the past, risks associated with early puberty — and potential interventions.

Teens who stop taking ADHD medication at adulthood more prone to health, social problems

June 1, 2021

Teens diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often don’t take their medication regularly, and new Kaiser Permanente research finds the problem gets worse when they hit adulthood. The study also related non-adherence to ADHD medication with some negative health and social outcomes.

Healthy lifestyle linked to lower risk of preterm birth

April 26, 2021

A combination of 3 healthy lifestyle factors is associated with a 70% lower risk of preterm birth, according to an analysis of data from a Kaiser Permanente study involving nearly 2,500 pregnant women in Northern California.

Pediatricians at Kaiser Permanente find advantages to video visits with children, families

November 2, 2020

Parents, children, and pediatricians with Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) have found advantages to home-based video medical visits, which have increased markedly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Girls who do not live with both parents more likely to start puberty early

October 28, 2020

New study by research scientist Ai Kubo, MPH, PhD, adds to the evidence suggesting a link between early life family structure and onset of puberty.

Clinicians need to build bridges to transition care for young adults with autism

July 15, 2020

Young people with autism use more health care services and need assistance transitioning from pediatric to adult medical care, according to 2 new studies by researchers with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

Emergency physicians can use clinical experience to accurately predict whether a child has appendicitis

April 2, 2020

A new study shows high success rates for experienced emergency physicians who use the sum of their clinical expertise to make an initial prediction about whether a child has appendicitis — especially in low-risk cases.

Study finds no evidence of harm to infant development after mothers get flu vaccine while pregnant

February 5, 2020

A Kaiser Permanente study of women who were given inactivated influenza vaccine while pregnant found no indication of developmental problems for their babies at 6 months old.

Study in pregnant women suggests maternal infection, not antibiotics, associated with childhood obesity

December 5, 2019

Women who had an untreated infection during pregnancy were more likely to have a child who later went on to be obese than pregnant women who never had an infection, new research from Kaiser Permanente finds.

More families are seeking care for gender-questioning children and teens

October 15, 2019

Kaiser Permanente Northern California pediatric transgender clinic sees a sharp rise in referrals from families with children and teens with questions about their gender.

Use of CT scans during pregnancy increased in U.S. and Canada over 2 decades

July 24, 2019

A large, multicenter study of advanced medical imaging in pregnancy, published in JAMA Network Open and co-led by Marilyn Kwan, PhD, found that CT scans were performed in 0.8% of pregnancies in the United States and 0.4% in Ontario in 2016; these rates increased nearly fourfold in the United States and doubled in Ontario over the 21 years.

Clinical tool accurately predicts children’s appendicitis risk in Kaiser Permanente emergency rooms

June 19, 2019

Erring on the side of caution, emergency physicians tend to order CT scans to evaluate appendicitis in children, “but research shows that we weren’t necessarily catching more appendicitis,” Dr. Cotton said. “CT scans are costly and expose children to ionizing radiation that can increase the risk of cancer. At the same time, emergency physicians do not want to miss an important diagnosis like appendicitis.”

Waning potency of pertussis vaccine a significant contributor to recent whooping cough outbreaks

June 9, 2019

Children who were up to date on their pertussis vaccine schedule were far less likely to develop the disease than those unvaccinated. The risk of vaccinated children becoming ill increased with time since vaccination, suggesting waning effectiveness.

Temperament of Babies Born to Mothers with Diabetes During Pregnancy Linked to Childhood Obesity

March 11, 2019

Kaiser Permanente prospective study finds that easier-to-soothe babies were more likely to be obese by age 5, and more likely to have started drinking sugared beverages during the first 6 months of life.

Women with Pregnancy-related Nausea and Vomiting Use Marijuana More

August 20, 2018

New Kaiser Permanente study adds evidence to body of research suggesting pregnant women are using marijuana to self-medicate morning sickness.

“Catch-up” HPV Vaccination Works for Females up to Age 20 Years at First Dose, Not Older Ages

August 7, 2018

Kaiser Permanente study confirms recommendations for catch-up HPV vaccination with 3 doses in females aged 15 to 20, but not when started at or after age 21.

Obesity, High Blood Pressure and Glucose Intolerance Associated with Higher Risk of C-sections

July 3, 2018

Kaiser Permanente study provides detailed information on links between cardiometabolic conditions and cesarean sections.

Maternal weight and hyperglycemia linked to early puberty onset in girls

April 16, 2018

In a study of more than 15,000 girls and their mothers — all Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California — maternal overweight and hyperglycemia were linked to the earlier onset of puberty in girls 6 to 11 years old.

Why Parents Should Continue to Vaccinate Their Kids

August 10, 2017

As a research scientist for the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and director of KP’s Vaccine Study Center, it’s Nicola Klein’s job to study the safety and effectiveness of both new and older vaccines.

Sepsis Risk Prediction Model Decreases Use of Antibiotics in Newborns

February 20, 2017

Kaiser Permanente, the largest integrated health system in the nation, led the development of a neonatal sepsis risk calculator that...

Kaiser Permanente to Examine Role of Environmental Factors in Childhood Obesity and Developmental Disorders

November 15, 2016

Kaiser Permanente researchers have received a major new grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how exposures to...

Big Data Improves Care for Kaiser Permanente’s Smallest Members

June 9, 2014

Doctors in Kaiser Permanente’s neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) can use an innovative online calculator to determine whether preterm and...

Study Results Aid Understanding of Gestational Diabetes

October 10, 2013

A Division of Research study may lead toward less gestational diabetes. Interview by Lynn Mundell, editor, Inside KP Northern California...

Vaccine Study Center Research Yields Valuable Knowledge on Vaccines for Children and Adolescents

November 13, 2012

The Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center (VSC), which conducts research to advance scientific understanding of vaccines at all levels of...

Autism registry is first Division project funded by new national mental health research network

April 28, 2011

A registry to advance research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) will be the first Division of Research project supported by...

Blue Sky: Kaiser Permanente holds first symposium exploring future of autism research

April 28, 2011

Researchers from around the country gathered in San Francisco in early March to share information on the current state of...

Newly funded: $10.5M grant kickstarts national network to speed mental health research

April 18, 2011

A three-year $10.5 million federal grant awarded in December to help speed up mental health research will rely heavily on...

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