The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or not exercising.
When a classmate commits suicide, teens are more likely to consider or attempt suicide themselves, according to a new study.
Pregnant women with specific alterations in two genes may be at increased risk of suffering depression after giving birth, a small new study suggests.
Although spring arrived late this year in parts of the United States, the summer allergy season will still be strong, according to a sinus expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
New research suggests the dominant side of your brain may make the call on which ear you choose to use while talking on your cellphone.
Film star Angelina Jolie will have her ovaries removed to help lower her odds for ovarian cancer, People magazine reported Wednesday.
Weight gain in men and women is predicted by two different genetic variations -- so-called polymorphisms, according to a new study from the Netherlands.
The notion of wealthy "sugar daddies" with young, pretty wives and well-heeled "cougar" women with handsome, young husbands may be more fiction than fact, new research suggests.
Close to half of U.S high school students text while driving, a habit that dramatically increases their risk of getting into a potentially fatal car crash, a new study shows.
The widening American waistline may be feeding an epidemic of sleep apnea, potentially robbing millions of people of a good night's rest, a new study suggests.
Next time you have a craving for fast food, don't kid yourself that choices today are much healthier, a new study says.
When a health insurer told obese people they could either pay 20 percent more for coverage or start exercising, most of them decided to get active, according to a new study.
Significantly more U.S. children have a neurodevelopmental or mental health disability than did a decade ago, according to new research.
The vast majority of parents admit to being distracted in some way while driving their young child around, a new survey reveals.
Most Americans are falling short when it comes to exercise, a new government report shows.
The Obama administration announced late Wednesday that it would appeal a federal judge's order to eliminate any age restrictions on who can buy morning-after birth control pills without a prescription.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of Plan B One-Step for use as emergency contraception by girls and women aged 15 and older.
More than one-third of people having a stroke don't call 911, even though that's the fastest route to potentially lifesaving treatment, a new study reports.
Danish scientists testing a novel HIV treatment in human trials contend that they're confident their strategy will result in a cure for the AIDS-causing virus, according to news reports.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement on home births that includes a recommendation that there be a caregiver who's present solely to take care of the newborn.
When the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings were identified as two brothers -- one of them a teenager -- many parents wondered, "Who raised these boys?"
Most U.S. adults aren't sweet on the idea of soda and candy taxes, and many doubt the bigger price tags would trim the national waistline.
Although many Americans are now breathing cleaner air, others are living in cities that are more polluted than they were a decade ago, a new report shows.
The United States appears to be in the throes of a prescription drug abuse crisis among teens, with a new survey showing that 24 percent of high school students -- more than 5 million kids -- have abused these medications.
As if parents didn't have enough to worry about, it seems a growing number of kids are taking the "Cinnamon Challenge" -- a stunt that has landed some in the ER.
A hefty chunk of your happiness may depend on whether you believe you're having as much sex as your peers are, new research suggests.
A Mississippi man has been arrested in connection with the sending of letters suspected of being tainted with the deadly toxin ricin to President Obama and a Republican senator, federal agents said Wednesday night.
Less than one-third of the 4,700 annual underage drinking-related deaths in the United States result from road crashes, according to a new study.
Authorities were searching Tuesday for suspects and motives behind the twin bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon that killed three people and injured more than 140 others.
The more sleep teens get, the less likely they are to be overweight, a new study finds.
Experts believe several changes in psychiatry's 'bible' will broaden both the definition and diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder -- ADHD.
As anyone who's lost a job can attest, stress and worry often quickly follow. But the health of your heart after unemployment can also take a tumble.
Drug company salespeople provide family doctors with little or no information about the harmful effects of medicines they are promoting, a new study says.
Cash-strapped Americans often skip doses of pricey prescription drugs or take less than was prescribed by their doctor, new research shows.
A compound found in red meat and added as a supplement to popular energy drinks promotes hardening and clogging of the arteries, otherwise known as atherosclerosis, a new study suggests.
Reducing dietary salt intake and boosting levels of potassium would prevent millions of deaths from heart disease and stroke worldwide each year, according to three new studies.
Heavy consumption of diet soda can damage teeth as badly as methamphetamine or crack cocaine, a new study contends.
Kids who eat fast food at least twice a week are 50 percent less likely to use calorie and nutritional information than kids who eat fast food less often.
In the aftermath of this week's deadly tornado, many people in Oklahoma are not only struggling to care for children and relatives, but also their pets.
The monstrous tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., on Monday, killing dozens of adults and children, is a stunning example of violent weather that can affect a child's mental well-being.
Racial disparities exist in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer among hospitals in the United States, according to a large new study.
Boys who are diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are twice as likely to become obese adults as those who didn't have the disorder when they were young, a new 30-year study shows.
There are apps that turn your smartphone into a metal detector, a musical instrument and a GPS system, and now there's an app that may help doctors save your life if you're having a heart attack.
Scientists report that they were able to improve the math-calculation skills of college students by buzzing their brains with doses of random high-frequency noise.
As many as one in five American children under the age of 17 has a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to a new federal report.
Eye experts warn that the adhesives used to apply eyelash extensions can cause allergies and infections.
New labeling laws for sunscreen will help American consumers choose the product that provides the best sun protection, experts say.
Drop by for a visit or share the drive -- but please, no smoking.
Men who are physically fit in middle age have a lower risk of developing and dying from certain cancers, new research indicates.
If you're a man, the pain-killing medications known as opioids may do more than relieve pain -- they may also put a damper on your sex life.
Hollywood film star Angelina Jolie announced Tuesday that she has undergone a double mastectomy because she carries a genetic mutation that greatly increases her risk of potentially fatal breast cancer.
Giving small amounts of infant formula to newborns who experience significant weight loss can increase the length of time that they are breast-fed, according to a new study.
About 13 percent of Americans 60 and older say they have increasing problems with thinking and memory and that they suffer growing confusion, a new report released Thursday shows.
Teenage boys who play violent video games for hours on end may become desensitized to the brutality, a small new study finds.
The fees that hospitals charge consumers or insurance providers for services vary widely across the United States, and can even vary within geographic regions and cities, federal officials reported Wednesday.
Chemicals found in gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid and some insecticides and cleaning supplies are among the top 10 causes of pediatric poisoning deaths in the United States.
Adding omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients to standard antioxidant vitamins doesn't give older people any added protection against a leading cause of blindness, a new study finds.
parents who want to protect their infants from developing allergies should try a simple approach to introducing their children to the wide world of microbes: Just pop their pacifiers into their own mouths before giving them back to their babies.
Lipsticks and lip glosses apparently give you more than colorful kissers, according to a new study by California scientists that contends the products contain lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other toxic metals.
Using a kid-friendly robot during behavioral therapy sessions may help some children with autism gain better social skills, a preliminary study suggests.
More than 4,000 American children are injured on amusement rides each year, according to a new study that calls for standardized safety regulations.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of emergency-room visits related to sleep medications such as Ambien, according to a new U.S. study.
Just days after one Mississippi man was cleared of charges that he sent ricin-laced letters to government officials, federal agents have arrested a second Mississippi man in connection with the crime.
Nearly half of all working-age U.S. adults, or 84 million people, faced the prospect of crippling medical bills in 2012 because they had little or no health insurance.
More than 40 percent of American parents give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to kids under age 4 even though they're too young for such products, a new survey finds.
A pill may work as well as a puff when it comes to using marijuana to treat pain, according to a small but carefully controlled new study.
New research suggests that up to two-thirds of parents still encourage teenagers to finish all the food on their plates, even if the teen is overweight.
Media use is a serious distraction for college freshmen, with a new study finding young women devote up to 12 hours daily on pursuits such as texting, posting status updates and surfing the web.
Hospitals are required to routinely plan and prepare for a wide range of disasters, conducting practice drills and developing partnerships within the local health-care community.
In what may seem a surprising finding, kids in a new study who ate more often over the course of a day were less likely to be overweight than their peers who ate the traditional three squares.
Many more American women are living with their partners rather than tying the knot, a new government survey finds.
New research out of Japan shows a potential link between male baldness and an increased risk for coronary heart disease.
Although some parents worry about the sheer number of vaccines babies typically receive, a new U.S. government study finds no evidence that more vaccinations increase the risk of autism.
Critical clues to understanding who is at the greatest risk for particular types of cancer may be found in "spelling mistakes" contained in a person's DNA.
Having regular family suppers is good for teens' mental health, according to a new study.
Child development experts advise parents not to introduce solid foods, such as baby cereal, into an infant's diet until the infant is at least 4 to 6 months old.
Stress in mothers before and during pregnancy may boost the risk of congenital heart defects in their children, more new evidence suggests.
Cliff swallows in Nebraska with shorter wingspans that help them take off more quickly and pivot away from passing cars have a reduced risk of becoming roadkill, a new study reports.