mHealth video gaming for human papillomavirus vaccination among college men-qualitative inquiry for development.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Persistent infection with HPV can cause various cancers; however, HPV vaccination can prevent infections associated with high risk, cancerous strains of the virus. As it relates to HPV, college age men have been identified as one of the catch-up vaccination groups.

The influence of selection bias on identifying an association between allergy medication use and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Medications to prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infection are needed to complement emerging vaccinations. Recent in vitro and electronic health record (EHR) studies suggested that certain allergy medications could prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. We sought to carefully examine the potential selection bias associated with utilizing EHRs in these settings.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications and BMI trajectories: The role of medication type, sex and age.

Objectives: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the medications used to treat it are associated with obesity. Stimulants lead to weight loss, while antipsychotics and antidepressants lead to weight gain. Little is known, however, how alpha-2-agonists impact weight, or the independent effect on BMI of these four classes of medications, which are often prescribed concurrently.

Simple tests of cardiorespiratory fitness in a pediatric population.

A progressive, treadmill-based VO2max is the gold standard of cardiorespiratory fitness determination but is rarely used in pediatric clinics due to time requirements and cost. Simpler and shorter fitness tests such as the Squat Test or Step Test may be feasible and clinically useful alternatives. However, performance comparisons of these tests to treadmill VO2max tests are lacking.

Specific adverse childhood experiences and their association with other adverse childhood experiences, asthma and emotional, developmental and behavioral problems in childhood.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have lifelong health consequences, yet screening remains challenging. Particularly in clinical settings, brief screeners that could lead to comprehensive assessments may be more feasible. We explore how two ACEs (economic hardship, parental/caregiver divorce/separation) are associated with other ACEs, asthma, and emotional, developmental, or behavioral (EDB) problems.

Associations Between a Healthy Start Program Prenatal Risk Screening Tool and Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Study Using the Mother/Infant Dyad Screening Cohort.

Florida's Healthy Start Program is a statewide prenatal screening program that aims to identify pregnant women at risk of adverse birth outcomes. However, the effectiveness of this legislatively mandated prenatal risk screening tool in predicting poor birth outcomes is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate associations between risk factors self-reported on this screening tool and adverse birth outcomes.

Identifying adverse childhood experiences in pediatrics to prevent chronic health conditions.

Despite evidence that over 40% of youth in the United States have one or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and that ACEs have cumulative, pernicious effects on lifelong health, few primary care clinicians routinely ask about ACEs. Lack of standardized and accurate clinical assessments for ACEs, combined with no point-of-care biomarkers of the "toxic stress" caused by ACEs, hampers prevention of the health consequences of ACEs. Thus, there is no consensus regarding how to identify, screen, and track ACEs, and whether early identification of toxic stress can prevent disease.

How Health Care Providers Can Use Digital Health Technologies to Inform Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Decision Making and Promote the HPV Vaccine Uptake Among Adolescents and Young Adults.

High-risk stains of human papillomavirus (HPV) is linked to causing cancer, is highly prevalent, and has increased incidence among adolescents and young adults. However, vaccination rates are low. Health care provider recommendation is the biggest influencer toward vaccine uptake.

mHealth Technology Use and Implications in Historically Underserved and Minority Populations in the United States: Systematic Literature Review.

Background: The proportion of people in the United States who are members of at least two ethnic groups is projected to increase to 10% by the year 2050. This makes addressing health disparities and health inequities in minority populations increasingly more difficult. Minority populations, including those who classify themselves as African American and Hispanic, are using mobile phones to access health information via the internet more frequently than those who classify themselves as white, providing unique opportunities for those in public health and health education to reach these traditionally underserved populations using mobile health (mHealth) interventions.

Novel Interventions and Assessments Using Patient Portals in Adolescent Research: Confidential Survey Study.

Background: While adolescents can receive confidential health care without parental or guardian notification, they are rarely asked about their experiences and opinions regarding their care because participation in research often requires parental consent. Anonymous research with adolescents via confidential patient portals may ameliorate this research gap.

Objective: Because use of a confidential online adolescent patient portal is high at our academic institution, we hypothesized that adolescents would also respond to survey-based research via the portal, especially if asked anonymously and without parental consent.

Content Analysis of Anti-Tobacco Videogames: Characteristics, Content, and Qualities.

Objective: Although the prevalence of adolescent smoking has declined over the past two decades, the rate of decline has slowed. Electronic videogames show promise as an effective tool for health behavior change; however, the current state of tobacco prevention and cessation games has not been previously reviewed or evaluated.

Methods And Materials: Currently available tobacco-related videogames were identified through online searches and in smartphone application stores.

Meaningful Use of a Confidential Adolescent Patient Portal.

Purpose: To design and evaluate the usage of an adolescent patient portal specifically adapted for adolescent health care needs that also satisfied institutional meaningful use guidelines regarding electronic health records.

Methods: Key stakeholders at one academic health care center adopted an online portal and opted to designate a patient portal specifically for adolescents to maximize confidentiality in compliance with state privacy laws. This study analyzed aggregate electronic health record data of adolescents' (ages 12-17.

How to Design Tobacco Prevention and Control Games for Youth and Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis of Expert Interviews.

Objective: Games for health, including digital videogames and gaming-based approaches, are increasingly being used in health promotion research and practice. Recently published research has shown that videogames have significant potential to promote healthy behaviors among youth and adolescents. Yet, there is a lack of available evidence-based resources to guide practitioners on the integration of games into tobacco prevention and smoking cessation interventions.

Development of a Coding Instrument to Assess the Quality and Content of Anti-Tobacco Video Games.

Previous research has shown the use of electronic video games as an effective method for increasing content knowledge about the risks of drugs and alcohol use for adolescents. Although best practice suggests that theory, health communication strategies, and game appeal are important characteristics for developing games, no instruments are currently available to examine the quality and content of tobacco prevention and cessation electronic games. This study presents the systematic development of a coding instrument to measure the quality, use of theory, and health communication strategies of tobacco cessation and prevention electronic games.