Communities conquering COVID-19: Black and Latinx community perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 in regions of Michigan hardest hit by the pandemic.

Introduction: In Michigan, the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted Black and Latinx communities. These communities experienced higher rates of exposure, hospitalizations, and deaths compared to Whites. We examine the impact of the pandemic and reasons for the higher burden on communities of color from the perspectives of Black and Latinx community members across four Michigan counties and discuss recommendations to better prepare for future public health emergencies.

Rates of screening for sexually transmitted infections in adolescents with and without disabilities.

Background: Individuals with disabilities experience a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to their counterparts without disabilities; however, there is limited data on whether they are screened for STIs at the same rate. The aim of this study was to determine whether adolescents and young adults with disabilities undergo routine screening for STIs at lower rates than individuals without disabilities.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of female patients aged 16-21 years who were seen between July 2021 and August 2023 by pediatrics, internal medicine/pediatrics, or family medicine at a single institution.

Parental Perspectives on Their Child's Body Image.

Poor body image is a prominent issue affecting youth. In this nationally representative online survey, we explored parents' concerns about their child's appearance, as well as their perceptions of their child's body image concerns and related behaviors and interactions with others. Among the 1653 respondents, weight was parents' most cited body image concern, while more parents perceived that their child was self-conscious about their weight than there were parents concerned about their child's weight.

Motivational Interviewing for the Prevention and Treatment of Pediatric Obesity: A Primer.

Motivational interviewing (MI), which is recommended for prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity, is a patient-centered counseling style used to modify behaviors. When using MI, pediatric providers generally avoid direct attempts to convince or persuade. Instead, they help patients or parents think about and verbalize their reasons for and against change and how their behavior aligns with their values and goals.

Factors That Impact Effective Public Health Communication With Michigan's Latinx Population in the Context of COVID-19.

The far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinx communities is well-documented. This population has higher rates of COVID-19 infection and death compared with non-Latinx White Americans mainly due to long-standing problems related to Social Determinants of Health. Communication about issues such as health threats and safety measures are a vital part of public health, and need to be appropriate to the population of focus.

Youth Perspectives on the Flint Water Crisis and Its Health Effects.

Background: While the youth of Flint are at risk from the effects of the water crisis, little is known about their perspective of the impact of the water on their health.

Objective: To explore adolescents' perceptions of living in Flint during the water crisis, its impact on their health, and ways to address the crisis and rebuild trust.

Methods: In summer 2018, four focus groups were conducted with adolescents in Flint (ages 13 to 17 years).

Use of the socio-ecological model to explore trusted sources of COVID-19 information in Black and Latinx communities in Michigan.

Background: Identifying trusted sources of health information and exploring what makes these sources trustworthy is an important aspect of public health. This exploration requires embracing the cultural differences in minoritized communities, which are often treated as homogeneous. This qualitative study identifies and analyze the sources of trusted COVID-19 information among Black and Latinx communities in Michigan and assesses the rationale underlying this trust.

MICEAL Black and Latinx Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccination: A Mixed-Methods Examination.

Objectives: To describe the differences and similarities in perceptions and attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccination among Black and Latinx Michiganders.

Methods: Utilizing a convergent mixed-methods approach, forty interviews were conducted with 24 Black and 16 Latinx community members between December 2020 and June 2021 across four Michigan counties disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Survey data were collected from a representative sample of 1598 individuals living in Detroit between January and March 2021.

Association of High Normal Body Weight in Youths With Risk of Hypertension.

Importance: Ample evidence links obesity to hypertension in youths. However, the association of high normal body mass index (BMI) with obesity and the interaction with different weight trajectories are not well understood.

Objective: To examine the hypertension risk associated with high normal BMI for age and different weight trajectories in youths.

Disparities in weight changes during the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown in youths.

Objective: This study evaluates whether changes in weight among school-aged youth in California due to the COVID-19 lockdown vary by social constructs of race/ethnicity and associated social factors.

Methods: Including 160,472 youth aged 5 to 17 years enrolled at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, mixed effects models stratified by age group were fitted to estimate changes in distance from the median BMI-for-age from March 2020 to January 2021 (lockdown) compared with the same period before the pandemic.

Results: Excess pandemic weight gain was higher among Black and Hispanic youth aged 5 to 17 years than among White and Asian youth; this difference was most pronounced in those aged 5 to 11 years.

Cost-effectiveness of a motivational interviewing obesity intervention versus usual care in pediatric primary care offices.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of a 2-year motivational interviewing (MI) intervention versus usual primary care.

Methods: A national trial was implemented in the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) network of the American Academy of Pediatrics to evaluate MI versus usual care for children (2-8 years old; baseline BMI 85th-97th percentiles). Health care use, food costs, provider fees, and training costs were assessed, and sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Employing Smartphone Health Apps in Weight Management for Adolescents: Analysis on Experiences and Perspectives From Pediatric Providers.

The rising popularity of smartphone health applications (apps) offers great potential for facilitating pediatric weight management. Pediatric providers can determine health interventions for young patients with excess weight. We surveyed 51 pediatric providers at a Midwest academic medical institution and found that 78% thought currently available resources were not sufficient for pediatric weight management.

Parental Perspectives Regarding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Children.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought profound changes to the health of families worldwide. Yet, there is limited research regarding its impact on children. The pandemic may exacerbate factors associated with excess weight, which is particularly concerning due to the potential association between excess weight and severity of COVID-19 infection.

Reimagining a summer research program during COVID: Strategies for enhancing research workforce diversity.

Well-designed, accessible short-term research training programs are needed to recruit and retain underrepresented persons into clinical and translational research training programs and diversify the workforce. The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research developed a summer research program, training over 270 students in 15 years. In response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, we pivoted swiftly from an in-person format to a fully remote format.

Changes in Body Mass Index Among Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study compares body mass index (BMI) of youths during the COVID-19 pandemic with BMI during the same period in 2019 to determine whether they experienced pandemic-related weight gain.

Enhanced Myeloid Leukocytes in Obese Children and Adolescents at Risk for Metabolic Impairment.

We aimed to examine if myeloid leukocyte profiles are associated with metabolic impairment in children and adolescents with obesity, and if sex, age, or race influence this relationship. 282 children ages 8-17 were evaluated. Predictor measures were absolute neutrophil counts (ANC), absolute monocyte count, monocyte subtypes and C reactive protein (CRP).

Community Healthcare and Technology to Enhance Communication in Pediatric Obesity Care.

Childhood obesity continues to be a critical healthcare issue and a paradigm of a pervasive chronic disease affecting even our youngest children. When considered within the context of the socioecological model, the factors that influence weight status, including the social determinants of health, limit the impact of multidisciplinary care that occurs solely within the medical setting. Coordinated care that incorporates communication between the healthcare and community sectors is necessary to more effectively prevent and treat obesity.

Lessons for Physicians from Flint's Water Crisis.

Physicians form a vital front in recognizing unusual clinical presentations that could herald a health threat. In the Flint water crisis, physicians can be credited with playing critical roles in both uncovering the crisis and providing leadership when government failed to respond effectively. Yet most physicians in Flint were not formally trained in advocacy or leadership and might have recognized the health implications of the crisis more quickly had they received formal environmental health training.

An Evaluation of a Smartphone-Assisted Behavioral Weight Control Intervention for Adolescents: Pilot Study.

Background: The efficacy of adolescent weight control treatments is modest, and effective treatments are costly and are not widely available. Smartphones may be an effective method for delivering critical components of behavioral weight control treatment including behavioral self-monitoring.

Objective: To examine the efficacy and acceptability of a smartphone assisted adolescent behavioral weight control intervention.

No sweat: African American adolescent girls' opinions of hairstyle choices and physical activity.

Background: Obesity prevalence is higher among African American adolescent (AAA) girls than among non-black girls. Lower levels of physical activity (PA) likely contribute to this disparity; this may be impacted by hairstyle concerns.

Methods: In 2011, focus groups were conducted with AAA girls 14-17 years old (n = 36) in Michigan (n = 9), California (n = 11), and Georgia (n = 16).

Predictors of medication adherence and persistence in Medicaid enrollees with developmental disabilities and type 2 diabetes.

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is high among patients with developmental disabilities (cerebral palsy, autism, Down's syndrome and cognitive disabilities).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the racial health disparities in medication adherence and medication persistence in developmentally disabled adults with type 2 diabetes enrolled in Medicaid.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using the MarketScan(®) Multi-State Medicaid Database.

Characteristics of Youth Presenting for Weight Management: Retrospective National Data from the POWER Study Group.

Background: There are no existing multisite national data on obese youth presenting for pediatric weight management. The primary aim was to describe BMI status and comorbidities among youth with obesity presenting for pediatric weight management (PWM) at programs within the Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation Registry (POWER).

Methods: Data were collected from 2009-2010 among 6737 obese patients ages 2-17.

Social/Electronic Media Use of Children and Adolescents Who Attend the Pediatric Weight Management Programs of the COMPASS Network.

Background: Obesity is a major healthcare problem in youth and their social/electronic media (SEM) use has been described as a risk factor. Though much is known about the newer technologies youth use to communicate, little is known about what is used by those in weight management programs. The aim of this study was to determine what types of SEM, including sedentary and active video games, youth in weight management programs use and which they prefer for communicating with healthcare providers.