health.gov Blog

One in 5 children in the United States are obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The good news? Childhood obesity can be prevented. Take action during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month! You can encourage communities, health professionals, and families to work together to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic and show people how to work towards a solution...

Immunizations (also called shots or vaccines) help prevent dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases. Immunization isn’t just for kids. To stay protected against serious illnesses like the flu, measles, and pneumonia, adults need to get vaccinated, too. National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time to promote vaccines and remind family, friends, and coworkers to stay up to date on their shots...

Read this blog post to learn how the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is collecting new nutrition data for children from birth to age 24 months.

Teen substance use can harm brain development and increase the risk of addiction later in life. Nationally, over 14% of U.S. teens use alcohol or drugs. In Washington State, the 2016 Healthy Youth Survey found that 20% of 10th grade students drink alcohol and 17% use marijuana—and these students report lower grades in school than students who don’t use those substances.