THURSDAY, Aug. 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- American kids who are poor or members of ethnic minority groups are missing out on the youth sports that have long been touted for building strong bodies and strong character, a new study reports.The researchers found that youngsters who are poor, or from Black or Hispanic households, are less likely to take part in organized sports than their white peers.Across the United States, 54% of 6- to 17-year-olds took part in sports in 2020. That included 42% of Black children, 47% of Hispanic youngsters, 51% of Asian children and 60% of white kids, researchers from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found."These disparities may place some children at risk for poor health during key periods of growth and development," said lead...

THURSDAY, Aug. 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Teachers play a critical role in the early detection and reporting of child abuse, according to a new study that found school closures during the height of the pandemic may have meant that up to 8,000 reports of endangered children were missed."Child maltreatment is a vexing problem in the U.S.," said study author Maria Fitzpatrick, a professor of economics and public policy in Cornell University's Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. "To protect children, we need to better understand why so many are maltreated -- 13% according to one study and 4 in 10 according to another," she said in a university news release. "Maltreatment has significant costs for society. Early detection is crucial because it leads to quicker intervention and that can...

THURSDAY, Aug. 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnancy significantly increases the odds of devastating outcomes from COVID-19, a new study confirms.Complications from the virus to pregnant women can include heart attack, arrhythmias, heart failure and long-haul symptoms, which may be hard to tell from other heart complications during pregnancy. Heart attacks are estimated to occur in up to 12% of patients."Pregnant people need to know that they are at increased risk of a severe COVID-19 infection, including ICU admissions, cardiac complications, need for critical care and death for the patient or fetus," said researcher Dr. Joan Briller, a cardiologist and professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Most older U.S. adults are prepared to roll up their sleeves to get an updated COVID-19 booster shot once one becomes available, a new poll shows.About 3 in 5 (61%) people over 50 who have gotten at least one dose of COVID vaccine say they would get an updated booster that offers protection against the new variants that have emerged, the University of Michigan poll found.And even more might get the booster if their doctors specifically recommend it, the National Poll on Healthy Aging suggests.Groups especially hard hit by COVID -- people older than 65, Black adults over 50, people with low incomes -- in particular are interested in the booster. About 68% of people in each of those groups said they're likely to get a booster.How you feel...