In this Article

• Introduction
• Children's growth and development
• Children's illnesses
• Children's injuries
• Children's behavior
• Children's mental illness
• Family health and children
• Community health and children
• Health care for children
• Pictures of Baby Milestones - Slideshow
• Children's Health Glossary
• Children's Health Index

Children's injuries

It may not be possible to prevent a specific birth defect or an illness, but it should be possible to protect a child from an accident and injury, such as from common cuts and burns. Considerable progress has been made in the safety arena, for example, in the rapid recall of dangerous toys. The mandated uses of car seats, safety belts, and bicycle helmets are also examples of advances in child safety.

But other major areas of safety concern remain -- such as the all-too-frequent drownings of children in swimming pools, their accidental swallowing of household cleaning products, their being burned by a hot stove or heater, or being accidentally shot with a firearm. The list is endless. All of us must exercise continued vigilance and make every effort to be sure that a child's environment is made as safe as it possibly can be.

Children's behavior

In addition to a child's physical well-being, there are also concerns about a child's behavior and emotional health. Major challenges include autism, Asperger's syndrome, learning disorders, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder).

But children may also be plagued by nightmares, sleeping difficulties, and irrational fears. Many children have trouble expressing their anger in an appropriate fashion. A major area of study is the effect on children of watching violence on television and playing violent video games.

As children get older and more independent, their chances of developing eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia increase, especially among girls who worry about being overweight. The specter of drug and substance abuse appears. Smoking also often starts in response to peer pressure. And then there are those tattoos and body-piercing.

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Gardasil (HPV Vaccine) - Gardasil HPV vaccine (recombinant human papillomavirus quadrivalent vaccine) drug class, prescription, injection, preparation, storage, dosage, drug interaction, pregnancy and nursing, and side effects information.
• Flu Vaccine - Get the facts about influenza vaccine (flu shot) ingredients, side effects and vaccination effectiveness. Learn who should (children, pregnant women, elderly) and shouldn't get a flu shot.
• Pneumonia - Learn pneumonia symptoms, causes, treatment, signs, diagnosis and types: viral and bacterial (Pneumocystis carinii, Klebsiella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia pneumoniae).

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