Asthma is a large and growing health problem for kids. So San Francisco parents are breathing easier now that city school buses are using new air filters to reduce asthma-inducing pollutants. This article by Elisa Gahng from the January-February 2006 issue of the Children's Advocate explains how parents pushed for the change.

Alarming statistics on the growing numbers of overweight and obese children and teens are getting the attention of school boards, parents, and public health officials. This story, reprinted from Youth Communication's New Youth Connections magazine, is by teen writer Natelege Whaley, who looks at programs aimed at helping teens stay healthy.

The more researchers learn about diagnosing and treating developmental delays and disabilities, the clearer the message becomes: the earlier the better. In Los Angeles, dozens of agencies are working together to encourage parents and caregivers to use simple observational tools to screen young children—and get them services when needed. Amy Coutee reports on the L.A. County Early Identification and Intervention Group.

Early detection can be the key to quick and effective treatment of many common eye problems—but often, low-income children don't have vision screening until kindergarten. In Alabama, FocusFirst has organized a statewide corps of volunteer college students to catch vision problems early. Gin Phillips explains how it works.

Teamwork. Friends. Healthy exercise. That's the upside of organized sports and activities for kids. But what about the downside? Loss of family time. Stress. Weekends in the car. Andrea Grazzini Walstrom decided to take action to reclaim at least part of each precious weekend. Walstrom talks about the birth of Balance4Success, the group she started in Minnesota.

Powerful emotions like anger can become a major roadblock to learning. Art therapy is one approach to helping kids manage those feelings and be successful. Letitia Star reports on an art therapy program in Chicago.

Every year, teens in a region of western Illinois and eastern Iowa launch a six-week race to collect as much donated food as they are able. Lee Nelson reports on a 20-year history of friendly competition in the service of fighting hunger.

The federal government’s new 396-page plan for dealing with a threatened avian flu pandemic landed on the public stage with a thud of dread this month. But what does the possible pandemic mean for families and children, and how best can we prepare? Connect for Kids spoke with experts and reviewed the literature to try to get some perspective.

Despite a recent decline in teen pregnancy rates, nearly one million teenage girls will become pregnant in 2005. Public education programs, websites, and ad campaigns have helped reduce the numbers--but too often, the messages are aimed only at girls. Tamekia Reece reports on one program in North Carolina that encourages boys to take some responsibility for preventing teen pregnancy.

In New York City's Harlem neighborhood and in Pinellas County, Florida, young people have been doing a lot of legwork to find barriers to good health care in their communities. Rob Capriccioso reports on how the practice of youth health mapping is helping researchers improve community health services.