Women who breastfeed their babies may lower their own risk of developing endometrial cancer, a new study suggests. Using data from 17 past studies, researchers found that women who had ever breastfed their children were 11 percent less likely (than women who had children but didn't breastfeed) to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Longer breastfeeding seemed to further lower endometrial cancer risk, though there was little extra benefit past 6-9 months of breastfeeding.

About one third of adults don't think that secondhand "vape," the aerosol produced by e-cigarettes, poses a risk to children , even though e-cigarettes contain toxic ingredients  like nicotine and heavy metals. Researchers say that the low number is due to the newness of the products, industry promotion and lack of regulation. The Surgeon General called e-cigarettes "a major health concern" in a December 2016 report , advocating for policies that would protect people from breathing in secondhand aerosol while they're indoors. Last year, the FDA issued a  rule  to begin regulating these products, including a  ban  on the distribution of free samples. It also prohibited e-cigarettes from being sold to minors - including a prohibition on selling e-cigarettes in vending machines accessible to them. The American Lung Association cautioned against allowing children to be exposed to secondhand e-cigarette aerosol.

Prebiotics reduce body fat in overweight children by stimulating the growth of good bacteria already in the gut (different from probiotics, which introduce new bacteria), according to a new study from the American Gastroenterological Association . Participants in the study included children 7 to 12 years old, who were classified as overweight or obese, but otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly assigned to groups given either the prebiotic fiber or a placebo, for 16 weeks. Children in the prebiotic group had an annual projected body weight increase of 6.6 lbs., and those in the placebo group had a projected body weight increase of 17.6 lbs. Larger studies are needed, but prebiotics may be an inexpensive and non-invasive treatment for overweight and obese children.

Since the establishment of the Children's HHS Interagency Leadership on Disasters (CHILD) Working Group in 2010, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made significant progress in integrating the needs of children (birth through age 17) across all disaster and public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities. This report details HHS's advancements in its commitment to the health and well-being of children in disasters from 2014 through 2015 in the following areas: behavioral health; medical countermeasures (MCM); child physical health, emergency medical services (EMS), and pediatric transport; child care, child welfare, and human services; pregnant and breastfeeding women and newborns; and children at heightened risk.

Research has shown that the application process for Paid Family Leave is one of the biggest barriers to eligible individuals using their benefits. In order to increase awareness and usage, California Employment Development Department is hosting a June 20 webinar to help you get more informed about the application process for caregiving claims and answer questions from clients, employees, patients, and/or community members. This webinar will cover the application process for filing a claim electronically or by mail, the documentation needed, and where claimants can go for assistance and more information.