Barbara L. Frankowski

Active healthy living: Prevention of childhood obesity through increased physical activity

The current epidemic of inactivity and the associated epidemic of obesity are being driven by multiple factors (societal, technologic, industrial, commercial, financial) and must be addressed likewise on several fronts. Foremost among these are the expansion of school physical education, dissuading children from pursuing sedentary activities, providing suitable role models for physical activity, and making activity-promoting changes in the environment. This statement outlines ways that pediatric health care providers and public health officials can encourage, monitor, and advocate for increased physical activity for children and teenagers.

Clinical Report—Head Lice

Head lice infestation is associated with limited morbidity but causes a high level of anxiety among parents of school-aged children. Since the 2002 clinical report on head lice was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, patterns of resistance to products available over-the-counter and by prescription have changed, and additional mechanical means of removing head lice have been explored. This revised clinical report clarifies current diagnosis and treatment protocols and provides guidance for the management of children with head lice in the school setting.

Testing for drugs of abuse in children and adolescents: Addendum - Testing in schools and at home

The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to believe that adolescents should not be drug tested without their knowledge and consent. Recent US Supreme Court decisions and market forces have resulted in recommendations for drug testing of adolescents at school and products for parents to use to test adolescents at home. The American Academy of Pediatrics has strong reservations about testing adolescents at school or at home and believes that more research is needed on both safety and efficacy before school-based testing programs are implemented. The American Academy of Pediatrics also believes that more adolescent-specific substance abuse treatment resources are needed to ensure that testing leads to early rehabilitation rather than to punitive measures only.

Determinants of breast self-examination among women of lower income and lower education

This study investigated breast self-examination (BSE) frequency and quality and determinants of BSE practice in two samples of women: (a) women of childbearing age who were of lower income and lower education and (b) women of childbearing age who were of higher income and higher education. Mothers recruited from a pediatric practice completed a questionnaire addressing BSE frequency and quality and factors derived from the Health Belief Model that might influence performance. Results indicated that there were no differences in mean BSE frequency or quality between the two samples. Regression analyses revealed that the perceived barriers index, consisting of forgetting, exclusive reliance on medical personnel for breast exams, and low confidence in ability to perform BSE, was the single best predictor of BSE frequency, accounting for 67% of the variance in each sample of women. When quality of BSE was examined, knowledge of BSE was the best predictor.

Improvement in Adolescent Screening and Counseling Rates for Risk Behaviors and Developmental Tasks

BACKGROUND: High-quality preventive services for youth aged 11 to 18 include assessment and counseling regarding health behavior risks and developmental tasks/strengths of adolescence. Nationally, primary care health behavior risk screening and counseling rates lag consid-erably behind other preventive health services. The purpose of this project was to assist pediatric and family medicine practices to make office systems–based changes that promote comprehensive screening and counseling for risks and developmental tasks/strengths during adolescent preventive services visits. METHODS: Over a 9-month period, 7 pediatric and 1 family medicine primary care practices (13 physicians and 3 nurse practitioners) participated in a modified Breakthrough Series Collaborative. This project was designed to support primary care practitioner efforts to implement comprehensive screening and counseling for risk behaviors and developmental tasks/strengths for their adolescent patients and increase the rate of brief office intervention and referral. Composite variables were designed to reflect whether screening and counseling were documented for risks and developmental tasks. Statistical comparisons were made by using the nonparametric Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. RESULTS: There were increases in the composite measures of screening and counseling for risk behaviors (all 6 risks: 26%–50%, P = .01) and 3 of 4 developmental tasks/strengths (32%–66%, P = .01). Documentation of office interventions for identified risks and out-of office referral rates did not change. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of an office systems–based approach, screening and counseling for all critical risk behaviors and developmental tasks/strengths during adolescent preventive services visits can be improved in primary care practices.

Asthma Education: Are Pediatricians Ready and Willing to Collaborate With Schools?

It has almost become a cliché to say that significant gaps remain between recommended and actual care for children with asthma despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines since 1991. Let’s focus on the gap in providing asthma education. The Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma,1 published in 2007, highlight “education for a partnership in asthma care” as 1 of the 4 major components of asthma management. The guidelines clearly recommend that providers educate patients and their caregivers about 4 major topics: basic facts about pathophysiology of asthma; correct usage of medications; techniques for monitoring symptoms; and the importance of avoiding triggers. In addition, the guidelines stress the use of multiple sites for asthma education. For children and adolescents, school is a logical place for some of this education to take place. School-based programs can provide education to children in a setting in which they are accustomed to having instruction and emphasize teaching self-management skills. In this issue of Pediatrics, Coffman et al2 have provided us with a careful and thoughtful review of qualifying school asthma education programs. The 24 programs differed considerably in age of the students (elementary through high school), educational target group (all students versus those identified with asthma), person leading the teaching (school nurse, classroom teacher, peer leader, community volunteer), and teaching techniques used (structured program, computer program). The programs were similar in that they stressed the same educational goals that are highlighted in the guidelines and are based on sound theories of health education.

Prevalence of food insecurity and utilization of food assistance program: an exploratory survey of a Vermont middle school.

BACKGROUND Access to sufficient food--in terms of both quality and quantity--is especially critical for children. Undernourishment during childhood and adolescence can have health implications, both short and long term. The prevalence of food insecurity was assessed in a sample of Vermont school children, as well as the relationship between food insecurity, participation in school breakfast or lunch, exercise and body mass index (BMI), all with a goal to identify needs to improve effectiveness of current programs. METHODS A cross-sectional, 23-item self-administered survey of students attending a public middle school in Vermont. RESULTS Twenty percent of the children were residing in a food insecure household. No statistically significant differences were observed in terms of age, sex or BMI percentile and food security status. Food insecure (with or without hunger) participants were less likely to eat breakfast at home compared to food secure participants (67.1% vs 81.4%, p = .007). However, such differences were not observed between eating school breakfast or lunch. Sixty-two percent of food insecure (with or without hunger) participants engaged in daily exercise compared to 75.9% food secure participants (p = .014). CONCLUSION Children in food insecure households were less likely to be physically active and to eat breakfast at home. However, the school breakfast program is negating any difference between the 2 groups in terms of eating breakfast at all. We consider this a success given the short- and long-term implications of food insecurity in children. We believe these findings have important implications for schools, policy makers, and programs to reduce food insecurity.

Increasing Immunization Compliance by Reducing Provisional Admittance

Students in Vermont with incomplete or undocumented immunization status are provisionally admitted to schools and historically had a calendar year to resolve their immunization status. The process of resolving these students’ immunization status was challenging for school nurses. We conducted a school-based quality improvement effort to increase student compliance with Vermont immunization regulations using a collaborative learning approach with public health school liaisons and school nurses from public schools to reduce provisional admittance in 2011–2012. Strategies included using a tracking system, accessing the immunization registry, promoting immunization importance, tracking immunization plans, and working with medical homes to update records. Participating school nurses observed decreases in the number of provisionally admitted students, although this reduction was not significantly different than matched comparison schools. We also found the number of provisionally admitted students fluctuated throughout the year and resolving the immunization status of New Americans and exchange students required special attention. Our approach supports the coordinated school health model and demonstrates the critical role school nurses play in improving population health outcomes.

Exhaled nitric oxide decreases in association with attendance at an asthma summer cAMP.

Attendance at a summer asthma camp has been associated with improved outcomes in children with asthma. We hypothesized that one mechanism involved in improved asthma outcomes is reduction in airway inflammation. To investigate this, we measured the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, FEV1) and asthma control (Juniper Asthma Control Questionnaire, ACQ) from children at the beginning and end of a 1-week asthma summer camp. We also obtained a symptoms-only ACQ at 1 and 6 months after the end of camp. We enrolled 10 girls, 17 boys, mean (± SD) age = 9.6 ± 1.3 years. At baseline, FeNO (ppb), median (25–75 IQR) = 11.4 (7.2–21.3); ACQ = 0.86 (0.43–1.21); FEV1 (%pred, mean ± SD) = 87 ± 10. At the end of camp, FeNO = 6.2 (4.4–8.4), a change of −45%, p < 0.0001; ACQ = 0.71 (0.43–1.14), a fall of 14%, p = 0.72; and mean FEV1% predicted remained unchanged. There were no significant changes in the follow-up symptoms-only ACQ at 1 and 6 months. We conclude that airway inflammation, as measured by FeNO, improved during 1 week of asthma camp, but there were no significant changes in lung function or asthma control. Since no child had a change in anti-inflammatory therapy during camp, these findings suggest that airway inflammation was reduced because of improved adherence to therapy and/or reduced exposure to pro-inflammatory stimuli in the home environment. The finding of reduced inflammation following attendance at an asthma summer camp should motivate the child, the parents and the clinician to focus their efforts on improving adherence to therapy and reducing exposures at home.