10 Kids' Health Issues to Watch in 2008 - Full List

Few issues are closer to our hearts or more crucial to our future than the health of children. As an abundance of children's health issues hit the media spotlight in 2007, it was a challenge for many parents to keep track of them all or determine which matter most. So as we did at the end of 2005 and 2006, the physicians and editors at KidsHealth sifted through developments affecting kids and families to choose 10 important trends to watch in the year ahead.   

Some strike close to home and involve things parents do routinely to keep their kids safe and healthy. Others, for now at least, seem to be in the hands of lawmakers or scientists, far removed from our immediate lives yet no less important to kids' well being. And at least one might seem to be a world away — so tragic it's difficult to fathom amid our everyday lives.

This list isn't meant to be comprehensive, nor does it suggest that other health issues aren't also important. But we think these 10 subjects will have a lasting impact on children's health in 2008. 

Bullying: Not Just Kids' Stuff

Growing recognition of the impact of bullying has prompted new urgency to prevent it in schools and communities.

While bullying is nothing new, school shootings at Virginia Tech and elsewhere highlighted the reach of bullying and how it can escalate far beyond schoolyard scuffles. One new study showed that 90% of elementary school students have been bullied by peers and 60% of kids admitted to being bullies. Other new research points to the long-term effects of bullying. One study found that bullies and their victims are more likely than other kids to be victims of crime outside of school. At least 32 states had passed laws by the end of 2007 that prohibit bullying and set up prevention programs.

What to Watch:

Bullying will continue to move beyond the domain of school discipline and into the realm of public health and safety, with more state and local governments attempting to address the issue through legislation and community programs. Parents will also be called on to take a more active role in broaching the issue with their kids.

Overtraining Little Athletes

With many kids playing and training for organized sports with an intensity once reserved for top-level athletes, doctors are learning more about the lasting impact sports injuries can have on kids' health.

Concussions have become a major concern, particularly in high school football, girls' soccer, and basketball, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a program for coaches, parents, players, and doctors to help them spot signs of concussions. Doctors have also sounded an alarm about overuse injuries like shin splints and Little-League elbow, which have emerged as kids continue to specialize in sports at younger ages. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued prevention guidelines and recommended, among other things, that kids play a variety of sports and take adequate time off between seasons and training sessions.

What To Watch:

With new evidence of how widespread and damaging youth sports injuries can be, many parents might have to examine whether they're allowing kids to push too hard to excel at sports. With this growing awareness, there could be a return to the fundamentals of youth sports — helping kids learn sportsmanship and teamwork; helping them develop a lifelong love of physical activity; and, most important, letting them have fun.