Children & Families

As teens age out of pediatric care, there's often a lag that can stretch on for years before they enter the fold of adult primary care. For young adults with chronic illnesses, that gap poses real risks. A recent study outlines the scope of the problem, even as progress on the issue remains stalled.

Poverty and Class

In the wake of Freddie Gray’s death, Baltimore residents took to the streets in protest. The best media coverage showed how years of neglect have crippled West Baltimore economies, fostered distrust and violence, and put a long, healthy life entirely out of reach for many residents, Gray included.

Race and Equity, Poverty and Class, Environmental Health, Community Safety

The privilege that has allowed parents to refuse immunizations for their kids stems not from economic or educational status — it springs from the privilege of not having seen the horrific diseases that ravaged U.S. children just two generations ago, and continue to do so worldwide.

Poverty and Class, Patient Safety and Ethics

When reporter Arielle Levin Becker set out to interview families involved in a home-visiting program, she found unexpectedly difficult. The reservations voiced by potential sources ultimately led her to rethink how she approaches interviews in general.

Mental Health

Children consume a bigger proportion of their daily calories from added sugars than adults, and the concerns go beyond nutrition. New research suggests that fructose can activate the brain's reward regions and generate hunger and cravings for other high-calorie foods.

Chronic Disease, Food and Nutrition

It's easy for the headlines on health stories to go way beyond what the study itself actually supports. That happened this week in coverage of new research on how physically active preschoolers are. It serves as a good reminder to acknowledge any given study's limitations.

Chronic Disease

SF Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday really didn't want to cover an appearance by the discredited scientist Andrew Wakefield, but her editors sent her anyway. Here she shares how she approached the assignment, dodged the topic's potential pitfalls, and ended up with a well-received A1 story.

As a multimedia journalist, I tell stories using video, photography, radio and writing. For a recent series of data-heavy stories on vaccines, I focusing mainly on writing. But as I came to realize, I should have paid more attention to the images. Here's why.

Laura Starecheski's recent NPR series on childhood adversity and trauma is an essential listen for those interested in how childhood events can shape long-term health. Starecheski recently spoke to Reporting on Health about how she reported the stories and what she learned along the way.

Mental Health, Chronic Disease, Community Safety