School Nurse Practices Related to Blood Pressure Screening, and Identification and Monitoring of High Blood Pressures in Youth.

Despite rising prevalence of high blood pressure among youth, literature on school nurses' practices related to youth blood pressure is limited. We aimed to describe school nurses' current practices related to blood pressure screening and identification and monitoring of high blood pressures. We conducted a web-based national survey of currently practicing school nurses and received 195 responses across 37 states.

Adolescent cancer prevention in rural, pediatric primary care settings in the United States: A scoping review.

Adolescence is a critical period for establishing habits and engaging in health behaviors to prevent future cancers. Rural areas tend to have higher rates of cancer-related morbidity and mortality as well as higher rates of cancer-risk factors among adolescents. Rural primary care clinicians are well-positioned to address these risk factors.

Trends in COVID-19 vaccine administration across visit types in a safety net pediatric practice during the first year of authorization.

We explored patterns of COVID-19 vaccination across pediatric visit types using electronic health record data from 7/1/2021 through 7/25/2022 in a pediatric safety-net clinic. We generated frequencies and descriptive statistics for patient demographic and vaccine administration variables. Analyses were stratified into age subgroups of 5-to-11-year-olds and 12- to-17-year-olds.

Integrating Equity Into Bicycle Infrastructure, Planning, and Programming: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Implementation Among Participants in the Bicycle Friendly Community Program.

Introduction: Integrating equity considerations into bicycle infrastructure, planning, and programming is essential to increase bicycling and reduce physical inactivity-related health disparities. However, little is known about communities' experiences with activities that promote equity considerations in bicycle infrastructure, planning, and programming or about barriers and facilitators to such considerations. The objective of this project was to gain in-depth understanding of the experiences, barriers, and facilitators that communities encounter with integrating equity considerations into bicycle infrastructure, planning, and programming.

Pediatric High Blood Pressure Follow-Up Guideline Adherence in a Massachusetts Health Care System.

Objectives: To describe adherence to the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) 2017 clinical practice guidelines for follow-up after high blood pressure (BP) screening by pediatric and family medicine providers in a Massachusetts health care system and to assess differences in receipt of follow-up according to child- and clinic-level factors.

Methods: Electronic health record data were analyzed for children aged 3 to 17years who had an outpatient primary care visit during 2018 with a high BP screening (according to AAP guidelines). We classified AAP guideline adherent follow-up as BP follow-up within 6months after an elevated finding (+2-week buffer) and within 2weeks after a hypertensive finding (+2-week buffer).

Disparities in Receipt of Guideline-adherent Blood Pressure Screening: An Observational Examination of Electronic Health Record Data from a Massachusetts Healthcare System.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of blood pressure (BP) screening according to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines and differences according to social vulnerability indicators.

Study Design: We extracted electronic health record data from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018, from the largest healthcare system in Central Massachusetts. Outpatient visits for children aged 3-17 years without a prior hypertension diagnosis were included.

Empowering Youth Vaccine Ambassadors to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination in Local Communities: A 7-Step Approach.

Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for youth since 2021, vaccine hesitancy has resulted in suboptimal uptake. Public health campaigns that empower local youth ambassadors as trusted messengers who share their personal narratives related to getting vaccinated hold promise for promoting COVID-19 vaccination. We used a seven-step approach to develop, implement, and evaluate a youth-led ambassador campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake in communities experiencing COVID-19 disparities in Worcester, MA.

Development and Beta-Testing of the CONFIDENCE Intervention to Increase Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination.

Introduction: Innovative strategies are needed to improve pediatric COVID-19 vaccination rates. We describe the process for developing a clinic-based intervention, CONFIDENCE, to improve pediatric COVID-19 vaccine uptake and present results of our beta-test for feasibility and acceptability.

Method: CONFIDENCE included communication training with providers, a poster campaign, and parent-facing educational materials.

Investigating a key structural determinant of health, racism, and related social determinants of health in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A disproportionate burden of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is being shouldered by members of racial and ethnic minorities and socially disadvantaged communities. Structural and social determinants of health have been recognized as key contributors to the inequalities observed. Racism, a major structural determinant of health that patterns related social determinants of health, in the USA, warrants further investigation.

High Prevalence and Lack of Parental Awareness of Pediatric Hypertension Among a Low-income Sample in Worcester, MA.

Objectives: To identify frequency and correlates of hypertension in a low income, ethnically diverse, sample of children as well as to assess parental awareness of hypertension.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included parent-child dyads (n = 228), from which physical measurements of the child, and parent reported survey measures were collected. Child's blood pressure percentile was determined via 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical practice guidelines and categorized as normal (< 90th percentile), elevated (≥ 90th percentile to < 95th percentile), or hypertensive (≥ 95th percentile).

Parental perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-old children: Focus group findings from Worcester Massachusetts.

Vaccine hesitancy is a long-standing public health issue. The present work describes parental perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination for 5- to 11-year-old children, to aid in vaccination efforts. Parents of 5- to 11-year-old children residing in Worcester, Massachusetts, were recruited through community partner outreach to participate in semi-structured focus groups.

Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts.

We explored perspectives of clinicians in central and western Massachusetts about efforts to vaccinate pediatric patients against COVID-19 as well as best practices and challenges for vaccine delivery. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 16) with family practice and pediatric clinicians between late October and early December 2021. Our interviews addressed: process for vaccination and vaccine promotion, parental receptivity to COVID-19 vaccination, receptivity to other pediatric vaccines, resources needed to support vaccine promotion, and best practices developed to encourage hesitant parents.

Caregiver-perceived neighborhood safety and pediatric asthma severity: 2017-2018 National Survey of Children's Health.

Objective: To examine the association between caregiver-perceived neighborhood safety and pediatric asthma severity using a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample.

Study Design: Using data from the 2017-2018 National Survey of Children's Health, children aged 6-17 years with primary caregiver report of a current asthma diagnosis were included (unweighted N = 3209; weighted N = 3,909,178). Perceived neighborhood safety, asthma severity (mild vs.

Differences in Blood Pressure Levels Among Children by Sociodemographic Status.

Introduction: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its blood pressure (BP) screening guidelines in 2017 to emphasize body weight as a risk factor. We provide contemporary, nationally representative estimates of prevalence of elevated and hypertensive BP among US children and examine sociodemographic prevalence differences, accounting for the influence of weight.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from children aged 8 to 17 years (N = 5,971; weighted N = 36,612,323) collected from 2011 through 2018 in 4 biennial cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Aging and COVID-19 in Minority Populations: a Perfect Storm.

Purpose Of Review: COVID-19 is a major concern for the health and wellbeing of individuals worldwide. As COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to increase in the USA, aging Black and Hispanic populations have emerged as especially at-risk for increased exposure to COVID-19 and susceptibility to severe health outcomes. The current review discusses the weathering hypothesis and the influence of social inequality on the identified health disparities.

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies: A Content Analysis of Community Health Improvement Plans.

Policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approaches can sustainably improve healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA) but are challenging to implement. Community health improvement plans (CHIPs) represent a strategic opportunity to advance PSEs but have not been adequately researched. The objective of this study was to describe types of HE and PA strategies included in CHIPs and assess strategies designed to facilitate successful PSE-change using an established framework that identifies six key activities to catalyze change.

Reduction of Inappropriate Antibiotic Use and Improved Outcomes by Implementation of an Algorithm-Based Clinical Guideline for Nonpurulent Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

Study Objective: Clinicians currently do not reliably adhere to antibiotic treatment guidelines, resulting in unnecessary patient exposure to broad-spectrum antimicrobials. Our objective is to determine whether a treatment intervention for the management of nonpurulent skin and soft tissue infections increases clinician adherence and improves patient outcomes.

Methods: Between January 1 and December 31, 2017, patients presenting to 2 emergency departments (EDs) and who had received a diagnosis of a nonpurulent skin and soft tissue infection were enrolled and assigned to a pre- or postintervention cohort with a treatment intervention implemented on June 1.