children's health

A concise report on the probability of spontaneous umbilical hernia closure across ages 0 to 5 years. The figure is particularly helpful. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

Free full text

View

This cohort study of children younger than 6 years uses electronic health records to investigate whether a child’s age is associated with the probability of spontaneous umbilical hernia closure and to refine guidelines for surgical repair.

Author/s:

Katherine He, Dionne A Graham, Louis Vernacchio, Jonathan Hatoun, Laura Patane, Shannon L Cramm, Shawn J Rangel

Project nature: promoting outdoor physical activity in children via primary care

Erin Blanchette — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:22:18 +0000

Date Added:

March 12, 2024

Journal/Publication:

BMC Primary Care

Publisher:

Springer Nature

Publication Date:

February 23, 2024

Issue:

Volume:

Pages:

URL:

Project nature: promoting outdoor physical activity in children via primary care

Type:

Clinical Research Results

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1186/s12875-024-02297-5

Keywords

behavior therapy

children

children's health

preschool-age children

PMID (1):

38395776

MeSH

A simple primary care-based intervention to increase the outdoor physical activities of children. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

Free full text

View

Background

Families face a range of barriers in supporting their children’s active play in nature including family circumstances, environmental constraints, and behavioral factors. Evidence-based strategies to address these barriers are needed. We aimed to develop and pilot test a primary care-based family-centered behavioral intervention to promote active outdoor play in 4–10 year-old children.

Methods

Project Nature, a provider-delivered intervention that provides informational resources and an age-appropriate toy for nature play, was initially developed for children ages 0–3. With stakeholder input, we adapted existing materials for 4–10 year-olds and conducted usability testing at an urban clinic serving families from diverse backgrounds. Subsequently, we conducted a mix-methods pilot study to evaluate intervention feasibility and acceptability. Parents of 4–10 year-olds completed pre- and post-surveys (n = 22), and a purposive subset (n = 10) completed qualitative interviews. Post-intervention, pediatric providers (n = 4) were interviewed about their implementation experiences.

Results

The majority (82%) of parents liked the information provided and the remaining (18%) were neutral. Qualitatively, parents reported that: the toy provided a tangible element to help children and parents be active, they did not use the website, and they wished the intervention emphasized strategies for physical activity during cold and wet seasons. Providers felt the materials facilitated discussion about behavior change with families. There were no statistically significant changes in PA and outdoor time pre- and post-intervention.

Conclusions

Project Nature was welcomed by providers and families and may be a practical intervention to promote outdoor active play during well-child visits. Providing an age-appropriate nature toy seemed to be a critical component of the intervention, and may be worth the additional cost, time and storage space required by clinics. Building from these results, Project Nature should be revised to better support active outdoor play during suboptimal weather and evaluated to test its efficacy in a fully-powered trial.

Author/s:

Georgia M Griffin, Carolina Nieto, Kirsten Senturia, Marshall Brown, Kimberly Garrett, Elizabeth Nguyen, Danette Glassy, Emily Kroshus, Pooja Tandon

Immunization Schedules

Erin Blanchette — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:53:02 +0000

Date Added:

January 31, 2024

Journal/Publication:

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

Publisher:

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Publication Date:

November 16, 2023

URL:

Immunization Schedules

Type:

Public Health Announcements

Format:

Web Page

Keywords

Immunization Schedule

MeSH

Immunization Schedule

child

Adult

2024 Immunization guidelines from CDC. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

Free full text

View

Child, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules from the CDC for 2024.

What Parents Should Know About Gun Safety in the Home and Vehicle

Erin Blanchette — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:28:26 +0000

Date Added:

November 14, 2023

Journal/Publication:

JAMA Pediatrics

Publisher:

American Medical Association

Publication Date:

October 30, 2023

URL:

What Parents Should Know About Gun Safety in the Home and Vehicle

Type:

Patient Education Materials

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.4668

Keywords

PMID (1):

37902742

MeSH

Information for parents on safe gun storage in homes and vehicles. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

Free full text

View

This Patient Page describes safety measures parents can take to protect children from gun violence.

Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the US.

Guns are even more lethal than motor vehicle crashes. The reasons for this gun violence increase in children are multiple, including a rapid rise in gun purchases, an increase in depression and anxiety in children and adolescents, and widespread stress from a global pandemic. The causes of these injuries and deaths vary by age. Younger children are more commonly injured unintentionally. Curious toddlers can find guns and fire them quickly. Older children and adolescents are more likely to be harmed by homicide or suicide.

The most important factor for children being injured or killed by guns is having a gun in the home where a child lives or the car where a child rides. Adults must make sure their guns are stored safely to prevent access by a child or adolescent. There are gun locks, safes, and other techniques to promote safer storage. As an additional safety measure, caregivers should strongly consider removing guns entirely from the home or vehicle, especially when children are older than about 11 years. These youths know how to find and access guns, even if they are stored safely. Considering the increase in mood disorders and risk of suicidal behaviors in older children and adolescents, they should not be around guns.

Parents and caregivers should follow the Be SMART framework to improve gun safety:

S: Secure all guns in your home and vehicle.

M: Model responsible behavior around guns.

A: Ask about unsecured guns in other homes.

R: Recognize the role of guns in suicide.

T: Tell others to Be SMART.

Author/s:

Rebecca J. Palmer, Leila H. DeWitt, Lindsay A. Thompson

Screening For Social Needs: What Do Parents Think?

John Bayhi — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 18:11:12 +0000

Date Added:

August 9, 2019

Journal/Publication:

Health Affairs Blog - Grantwatch

Publisher:

Project Hope / Health Affairs

Publication Date:

July 30, 2019

URL:

Screening For Social Needs: What Do Parents Think?

Type:

Practice Management Research Results

Format:

Web Page

DOI (1):

10.1377/hblog20190725.644326

Keywords

children's health

social determinants of health

low income

clinics

health care providers

health philanthropy

well-child visits

Interesting information about how patients feel about being asked about social determinants of health. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

Free full text

View

Public Agenda was commissioned by United Hospital Fund to conduct focus groups on what parents of low-income children in the New York City metro area think about screening for social determinants of health at their pediatrician's office. Although parents had some reservations about discussing sensitive topics, they were still enthusiastic about discussing factors that shape their kids' health and well-being. Three foundations fund this UHF initiative.

Author/s:

Brundage, Suzanne