News & Updates

The cold, fall weather is bringing out the heavy clothes and blankets -- and also a warning to parents of infants from Tipper Gore, national spokesperson for the "Back to Sleep" campaign, a public-private initiative to raise awareness that placing babies on their backs to sleep can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Initial results from the largest, most comprehensive survey of adolescents to date indicate that a feeling of personal connection to home, family, and school is crucial for protecting young people from a vast array of risky behaviors.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) is a survey designed to measure the effects of family, peer group, school, neighborhood, religious institution, and community influences on behaviors that promote good health, such as seat belt use, exercise, and nutrition, as well as on health risks such as tobacco use, sexual activity, sun exposure, and drug and alcohol use.

This sheet provides answers to common questions about the Adolescent Health Study and additional background about the study.

The Clinton Administration announced today that Tipper Gore will lead an expanded public education effort designed to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

A team of investigators has discovered that preeclampsia--a life threatening complication of pregnancy--results from a failure of the placenta to invade the wall of the uterus and to appropriately mimic the tissue which lines blood vessels. The finding has important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of this sudden, mysterious, and potentially fatal disorder of pregnancy.

Saying that more than 50 percent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) mortality may be preventable if babies are placed to sleep on their sides or backs, HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced that deaths due to SIDS fell 30 percent between 1992 and 1995. She said the reduction in SIDS deaths has contributed significantly to an historic low infant mortality rate in the United States.

Saying that more than 50 percent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) mortality may be preventable if babies are placed to sleep on their sides or backs, HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced that deaths due to SIDS fell 30 percent between 1992 and 1995.