Children & Families

<p>Getting off an addictive painkiller, antibiotic prescriptions for cows, news on hot flashes and more from our Daily Briefing.</p>

<p>In need of some comic relief amid all the Serious and Important coverage of the Supreme Court's hearings on the Affordable Care Act this week? Check out these health reform parodies.</p>

<p>Arysta LifeScience, the manufacturer of methyl iodide, a toxic fumigant used in soil preparation for strawberries, carrots and other vegetable crops, has just announced that it is suspending all sales of the known carcinogen in the U.S.</p>

<p>The FITNESSGRAM is a yearly test of each child's physical fitness. Body mass index is measure of fat calculated from a person's weight and height.</p>

<p>Children in first through sixth grades in California schools are supposed to do a minimum of 200 minutes of physical education every 10 school days. Sorry, recess doesn't count. This fact will likely surprise many parents of elementary school kids, who know that their children do much less.&nbsp;

<p>When school budgets are cut, what does it take to keep physical education afloat in one Northern California school district? Outsourcing to fitness organizations plus a small army of parent volunteers, educators and foundations.</p>

<p>Why would a physician prescribe the medication knowing that 95 percent of the people don’t need it? It’s an issue that is plaguing the pharmaceutical industry and affecting the way Americans deal with and use prescription medications.</p>

<p>A "road diet" for Southern California communities, hospital overuse of double CT scans, news about food allergies and more from our Daily Briefing.</p>

<p>Diabetic children are in jeopardy of dying in the classroom due to a severe shortage of California registered school nurses. There are 15,000 school districts in California and less than 50 percent of those districts have a registered nurse on campus. Current law in California requires only a reg

This story was produced as part of a larger project led by Suzanne Bohan and Sandy Kleffman, participants in the 
Other stories in this series include: