Nancy P. Chin

Parental beliefs about medications and medication adherence among urban children with asthma.

BACKGROUND Although national guidelines recommend controller medications for children with persistent asthma, adherence is poor. Prior studies have begun to explore parental beliefs regarding controller asthma medications and their effect on adherence. OBJECTIVE To describe parental beliefs about controller medications among a community-based sample of urban children with persistent asthma and to examine the relationship between parental beliefs and adherence. DESIGN/METHODS Parents of 150 children with asthma completed a telephone survey as part of a larger asthma intervention. Parents of children using controller asthma medications were included in this study. A previously validated Beliefs About Medications Questionnaire (BMQ) was used, which included two subscales: necessity and concern. The relationship between parental beliefs about medications and medication adherence was assessed using bivariate linear regression and multivariate statistics. RESULTS This study included 67 children with parental report of controller medication (54% male, 61% African American, 69% Medicaid). Overall, 75% of parents strongly believed that their childs medications were necessary for their health and 34% had strong concerns about the medications. Only 22% of parents reported being completely adherent with medications. Parents with greater concern about medications were more likely to have poor adherence (P < .05). In a multivariate analysis, including both BMQ subscales and asthma severity, concern about medications significantly predicted poor medication adherence (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS Parental concerns about controller medications were associated with poor medication adherence for this population of urban children with asthma. These findings highlight the importance of addressing parental concerns at the time of medication prescription.

A Barrier to Exclusive Breastfeeding for WIC Enrollees: Limited Use of Exclusive Breastfeeding Food Package for Mothers

BACKGROUND In the first 2 weeks of life, most breastfeeding mother-infant dyads in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) receive infant formula from WIC, instead of a larger food package designed for exclusively breastfeeding mothers. This study was designed to explore reasons for high rates of formula supplementation of breastfeeding newborns enrolled in WIC and the limited use of the WIC expanded food package. METHODS We conducted in-depth interviews with 29 mothers who either partially or exclusively breastfed for at least 2 months. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, analyzed, coded, and organized into 10 themes. RESULTS Participants view the WIC program in a contradictory manner. They see it as highly supportive of breastfeeding, but also as a promoter of infant formula. The expanded food package for mothers is not valued, but free supplemental formula is highly valued. Misinformation about breastfeeding pervades the healthcare system, and exclusive breastfeeding is not promoted as an important health goal. Lack of access to breast pumps, the unacceptability of pumping in the workplace, and difficulties with nursing in public all contribute to formula supplementation. CONCLUSIONS The healthcare system, the WIC program, and demands of daily life all contribute to low rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the WIC program. The available expanded food package for mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding is both disliked and underutilized, while free supplemental formula is rarely discouraged.

Ambulance Personnel Perceptions of Near Misses and Adverse Events in Pediatric Patients

Abstract Objective. To identify emergency medical services (EMS) provider perceptions of factors that may affect the occurrence, identification, reporting, and reduction of near misses and adverse events in the pediatric EMS patient. Methods. This was a subgroup analysis of a qualitative study examining the nature of near misses and adverse events in EMS as it relates to pediatric prehospital care. Complementary qualitative methods of focus groups, interviews, and anonymous event reporting were used to collect results and emerging themes were identified and assigned to specific analytic domains. Results. Eleven anonymous event reports, 17 semistructured interviews, and two focus groups identified 61 total events, of which 12 were child-related. Eight of those were characterized by participants as having resulted in no injury, two resulted in potential injury, and two involved an ultimate fatality. Three analytic domains were identified, which included the following five themes: reporting is uncommon, blaming errors on others, provider stress/discomfort, errors of omission, and limited training. Among perceived causes of events, participants noted factors relating to management problems specific to pediatrics, problems with procedural skill performance, medication problems/calculation errors, improper equipment size, parental interference, and omission of treatment related to providers’ discomfort with the patients age. Few participants spoke about errors they had committed themselves; most discussions centered on errors participants had observed being made by others. Conclusions. It appears that adverse events and near misses in the pediatric EMS environment may go unreported in a large proportion of cases. Participants attributed the occurrence of errors to the stress and anxiety produced by a lack of familiarity with pediatric patients and to a reluctance to cause pain or potential harm, as well as to inadequate practical training and experience in caring for the pediatric population. Errors of omission, rather than those of commission, were perceived to predominate. This study provides a foundation on which to base additional studies of both a qualitative and quantitative nature that will shed further light on the factors contributing to the occurrence, reporting, and mitigation of adverse events and near misses in the pediatric EMS setting.

“Pizza Is Cheaper Than Salad”: Assessing Workers' Views for an Environmental Food Intervention

Objective: “Images of a Healthy Worksite” aims to provide easy access to healthful foods and to reduce sedentarism at the worksite—to prevent weight gain. Formative research for the nutrition intervention component was aimed at gaining a broad understanding of the sociocultural role of food and eating among workers and worker perspectives on socially feasible and culturally acceptable environmental intervention strategies.

Evaluation of a community-based pediatrics residency rotation using narrative analysis.

Purpose. To evaluate the extent to which a community pediatrics rotation in disadvantaged neighborhoods provided residents with a self-assessed change in knowledge, attitudes, and skills useful for improving the health of children at the community level. Method. All pediatrics and medicine–pediatrics residents at the University of Rochester Medical Center participate in a two-week community-based rotation. At the end of each rotation, residents were asked to write a short essay on what they learned during the experience. An interdisciplinary team conducted a retrospective, qualitative analysis of residents’ essays looking for recurring themes. Essays were also examined for narrative plot elements that would indicate a causal sequence of events indicating some transformation of the learner. Results. Of the 25 essays reviewed, each gave evidence of at least one of three themes: increased knowledge of lives in poverty, renewed enthusiasm for advocacy, and increased skill in making referrals. Although many residents expressed initial skepticism of the value of a community rotation, none noted any negative final impression. The narrative structure of residents’ essays also showed evidence of some transformation of the learner. Conclusions. A community pediatrics rotation can be a successful educational experience for providing residents with knowledge of how pervasive poverty impacts children and families. Reported changes in attitudes and skills require further evaluation to demonstrate that they can be applied in practice.

Tobacco use in the Dominican Republic: understanding the culture first

Objective: To conduct formative research on the landscape of tobacco use to guide survey and subsequent intervention development in the Dominican Republic (DR). Design: Rapid Assessment Procedures, systematic qualitative methods (participant-observations, in-depth interviewing, focus groups) using bilingual mixed age and gendered teams from the United States and DR. Subjects: Over 160 adults (men and women), ages 18 to 90 years, current, former and never smokers, community members and leaders from six underserved, economically disadvantaged DR communities. Main outcome measures: Key domains: tobacco use patterns and attitudes; factors affecting smoking initiation, continuation, quitting; perceived risks/benefits/effects of smoking; and awareness/effects of advertising/regulations. Results: Perceptions of prevalence varied widely. While “everybody” smokes, smokers or ex-smokers were sometimes difficult to find. Knowledge of health risks was limited to the newly mandated statement “Fumar es prejudicial para la salud” [Smoking is harmful to your health]. Smokers started due to parents, peers, learned lifestyle, fashion or as something to do. Smoking served as an escape, relaxation or diversion. Quit attempts relied on personal will, primarily for religious or medical reasons. Social smoking (custom or habit) (< 10 cigarettes per day) was viewed as a lifestyle choice rather than a vice or addiction. Out of respect, smokers selected where they smoked and around whom. Health care providers typically were reactive relative to tobacco cessation, focusing on individuals with smoking related conditions. Tobacco advertising was virtually ubiquitous. Anti-tobacco messages were effectively absent. Cultures of smoking and not smoking coexisted absent a culture of quitting. Conclusions: Systematic qualitative methods provided pertinent information about tobacco attitudes and use to guide subsequent project steps. Integrating qualitative then quantitative research can be replicated in similar countries that lack empirical data on the cultural dimensions of tobacco use.

What Fresh Hell Is This? Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Describe Their Experiences of Abuse, Pain, and Depression

Traditionally, professionals working with intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors view a victim through a disciplinary lens, examining health and safety in isolation. Using focus groups with survivors, this study explored the need to address IPV consequences with an integrated model and begin to understand the interconnectedness between violence, health, and safety. Focus group findings revealed that the inscription of pain on the body serves as a reminder of abuse, in turn triggering emotional and psychological pain and disrupting social relationships. In many cases, the physical abuse had stopped but the abuser was relentless by reminding and retraumatizing the victim repeatedly through shared parenting, prolonged court cases, etc. This increased participants’ exhaustion and frustration, making the act of daily living overwhelming.

Bacteremia in children with sickle hemoglobinopathies.

Background: Bacteremia is one of the most feared infectious complications of sickle cell disease, and it is associated with a high mortality rate in children. The objective of our study was to investigate the proportion of bacteremia among febrile children with sickle hemoglobinopathies and the clinical factors associated with bacteremia. Methods: Clinical and microbiological data from children with sickle hemoglobinopathies being followed up at the Pediatric Hematology Clinic at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, were retrospectively analyzed. The data were collected from medical records covering the time period of June 1997 to December 2006, which included the periods before and after the introduction of routine heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine usage. Proportions of positive blood cultures among febrile children, the types of organisms causing bacteremia, and clinical and sociodemographic factors were analyzed by &khgr;2 and t tests as appropriate. Results: The overall proportion of positive blood cultures was 3.8%; 1% was considered to yield true pathogens. Pneumococcal bacteremia decreased from 0.7% in the pre–pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-7 era to 0.2% in the post–pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-7 era; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Pathogens other than pneumococcus were responsible for most bacteremic episodes. No clinical or social factors were found to have statistically significant associations with positive blood cultures. Conclusions: Approximately 1% of children with sickle hemoglobinopathies with fever have bacteremia despite current penicillin prophylaxis and pneumococcal immunization, although most episodes are due to nonpneumococcal pathogens. Prompt evaluation of such febrile children with sickle hemoglobinopathies remains warranted.

Barriers to Reducing ETS in the Homes of Inner-City Children with Asthma

This study assessed knowledge regarding the harm of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and barriers to reducing ETS from the point-of-view of urban parents of asthmatic children. We conducted in-depth interviews with 15 mothers of children with asthma. All parents had good knowledge regarding the harmful effects of ETS. While all children of smoking parents were exposed to ETS, parents described using various strategies to keep ETS away from children. Many parents experienced significant stress in their lives and used smoking to relieve their stress. Barriers to a smoke-free home included stress, addiction, and the use of ineffective strategies to reduce ETS exposure.

The Impact of Congenital and Childhood Myotonic Dystrophy on Quality of Life A Qualitative Study of Associated Symptoms

This study systematically evaluated the symptoms associated with congenital and childhood myotonic dystrophy, and how these symptoms affect health related quality of life. We conducted interviews with patients affected by congenital or childhood myotonic dystrophy and their affected parent to identify which symptoms have the greatest effect on their lives. Each interview was recorded, coded, and analyzed using a qualitative framework technique. In 34 interviews with 13 parents and 21 patients, we identified 189 symptoms, representing 22 themes in physical, emotional, social, and disease-specific quality of life. Communication difficulties, cognitive impairment, and social role limitations were the most frequently identified themes. These interviews identified multiple themes and symptoms, some previously under-recognized, which play a key role in the disease burden associated with congenital and childhood myotonic dystrophy.