NICHD joins other NIH Institutes in supporting a study that will collect brain imaging and other data to better understand teen behavior.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Federal agencies express support for updated safe infant sleep recommendations
Federal agencies concerned with infant health and welfare today announced their support of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated recommendations on safe infant sleep.
Research Roundup: Here’s How NICHD Research Is Improving Patients’ Lives
Read a selection of past Spotlights featuring the stories of kids and adults whose lives have been enhanced by NICHD-supported research through new treatments, improved patient engagement, and new prevention and intervention campaigns.
Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2015
Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.
Study Shows that Many U.S. Middle and High Schools Start Too Early
Sleep plays an important role in memory, attention, emotional well-being, and overall physical health. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised middle and high schools to change their start times to 8:30 a.m. or later to enable students to get the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights.
Taming the Stress of Work vs. Family: A Q&A with Dr. Rosalind King
Juggling child care to fit work schedules, bringing work home to fit around family responsibilities, ensuring neither work nor family gets short-changed—these are a few of the things that can make life stressful. How does managing these responsibilities affect the health of parents and children? Are there ways to adjust life in the workplace to improve family health and to meet the needs of employers at the same time?
Teaching Fathers to Keep Babies Safe
Wale Olukanmi has spent more than two decades as an oncology nurse and physician's assistant at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. As a medical practitioner and father of four, he thought he was well-informed about the health risks and pitfalls of parenting. Then, he completed an all-day training on safe infant sleep practices, where he learned about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death in babies one month to one year of age, and about other sleep-related infant deaths, such as suffocation.
Many new mothers report no physician advice on infant sleep position, breastfeeding
Many new mothers do not receive advice from physicians on aspects of infant care such as sleep position, breastfeeding, immunization and pacifier use, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes
NIH seeks input on a proposed new research program to assess biological, chemical, psychosocial, and other environmental influences on child health outcomes. Join one of NIH’s webinars to learn more.
NIH funded scientists identify key intermediary between protein synthesis, circadian rhythms
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a major pathway that initiates protein synthesis does so by using an enzyme as a go-between to activate the body’s internal clock.
NIH launches new Spanish-language site for child health and human development
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched a Spanish-language website that provides free information on health topics, including maternal and infant care, obesity, HIV/AIDS, fertility/infertility, and pregnancy.
Sleepless in America
This documentary, developed in collaboration with NIH, highlights the health risks associated with insufficient sleep.
Nearly 55 percent of U.S. infants sleep with potentially unsafe bedding
Nearly 55 percent of U.S. infants are placed to sleep with bedding that increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, despite recommendations against the practice, report researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other institutions.
20 Years of Protecting Infants During Sleep
NICHD Director Dr. Alan Guttmacher recently published an article in the Huffington Post about the Institute’s efforts to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and promote safe infant sleep. In the article, he highlighted the NICHD’s research activities related to SIDS and the contributions of the NICHD-led Safe to Sleep® campaign, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. He also talked about how SIDS has affected his own family.
3 Key Ways Dads Can Help Baby Sleep Safe
This infographic has important tips to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other sleep-related causes of infant death.
NICHD and Spelman College: Working Together for Women’s Wellness
The NICHD has joined with Spelman College in support of the Wellness Revolution Summit 2014: Power UP! at the college on Thursday, February 6.
Picture This: NICHD Support for Neuroscience Research
At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience , held in San Diego, California, from November 9–13, more than 30,000 neuroscientists from around the world will share their latest research results and learn about new advances and opportunities in the field.
Let’s Talk About SIDS
SIDS is defined as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year old that doesn’t have a known cause even after a complete investigation, including an autopsy, a review of the death scene, and complete family and medical histories. It is currently the leading cause of death in babies between 1 month and 1 year of age.
Beyond Back Sleeping
In 1994, the NICHD, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other collaborators launched the Back to Sleep campaign to inform parents and caregivers about ways to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), defined as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year of age.
Safe to Sleep® Campaign Launches Website
Reducing infant mortality has been an important part of the NICHD mission since it was founded. Despite decades of research, however, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) remains the leading cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year of age in the United States, causing more than 2,000 infant deaths each year.