Younger Kids’ Recreation-related Concussions Need Care Sooner
CHOP researchers found that children between the ages of 5 and 12 were more likely to experience a concussion from recreation and other non-sport activities, yet those injuries were not seen by specialists until days later compared with sports-related concussions in the same age group.
This study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, suggests that providing more resources and education to providers diagnosing most concussions in this age group, particularly in emergency departments and primary care, could reduce inequities in concussion care regardless of the mechanism of injury by which these patients experience concussions. Kids ages 5 to 12 suffer about 72.7 injuries per 1000 children.
“Patients injured outside of sports experienced a higher burden of symptoms and more changes to daily life, and delays in appropriate care could exacerbate these negative effects,” says senior study author Kristy Arbogast, PhD, director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention and co-director of the Minds Matter Concussion Program at CHOP.
Parental Support Reduces LGBTQ+ Youth’s Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
A new study from CHOP researchers found that LGBTQ+ youth were more likely to experience depression and thoughts and attempts of suicide than non-LGBTQ+ youth, yet the prevalence of these mental health symptoms was significantly reduced when LGBTQ+ youths reported support from their parents.
Prior studies have shown that the prevalence of depression and anxiety in LGBTQ+ adolescents is 58% and 73%, respectively, and nearly half of these youth seriously considered suicide in 2022. Importantly, the higher rates of mental health problems in LGBTQ+ youth are not due to identity itself, but rather caused by the fear, shame, discrimination, and victimization they face.
This study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that LGBTQ+ youth (16.4% of the 60 226 adolescents who completed the Adolescent Health Questionnaire) had higher average depression scores than non-LGBTQ+ youth (5 vs. 1) and a much higher prevalence of suicidal thoughts compared with their peers (15.8% vs 3.4%) and were more likely to have attempted suicide.
LGBTQ+ youth who reported parental support saw lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and significantly reduced rates of attempted suicide.
Binita M. Kamath, MBBChir, Named New GI Division Chair
After spending the last 15 years at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Ontario, Canada, Binita M. Kamath, MBBChir, has returned to CHOP as Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. She completed her residency and fellowship at CHOP before serving as a junior faculty member here.
Kamath’s clinical and research interests lie in pediatric liver disease. She takes a translational approach to research and is focused on both patient-based studies and basic science approaches. One of her key interest areas include Alagille syndrome, a highly complex condition that manifests with cholestatic liver disease and other multi-organ features.
Former Chief David Piccoli, MD, will continue to see patients at CHOP.
Innovation Team Creates, and Successfully Trials 2 New Screens for Primary Care Patients
An innovation team at CHOP called The Possibilities Project (TPP), consisting of pediatricians, technology
experts, and researchers, has recently trialed 2 pre-visit screenings with the aim of improving children’s well-being.
The first project implemented and successfully tested a nutrition screener to improve access to food resources to food resources for families eligible for federally funded food and nutrition benefits programs. The findings were published in Annals of Family Medicine.
Since as many as 50% of patient families do not take advantage of nutrition programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the project’s goal was to help eligible families enroll in the food programs. Families interested in receiving help to apply for WIC or SNAP then receive information about the programs on their after-visit summary and, in some cases, support from a resource navigator to help them get connected with benefits.
“The approach we developed may be one important way to normalize social needs assessment and provide families with additional nutrition support,” says lead study author and attending physician Aditi Vasan, MD.
The second project created a useful and effective adolescent health questionnaire that has been successfully adapted across CHOP’s Primary Care Network. It allows clinical staff to have better discussions with adolescent patients and develop better intervention strategies when needed.
Primary care doctors know the importance of discussing nutrition, physical activity, relationships, school, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, mental health, sexual behavior, and gender identity with adolescents, but find it difficult due to time constraints and patient-family discomfort to discuss these topics. The new screen, completed by more than 20,000 teens in the trial—88.7% of teens who had appointments—provides key information on the patient’s substance abuse, sexual activity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, making more targeted patient-provider discussions possible. The findings were published in Pediatrics.
Younger Kids’ Recreation-related Concussions Need Care Sooner
CHOP researchers found that children between the ages of 5 and 12 were more likely to experience a concussion from recreation and other non-sport activities, yet those injuries were not seen by specialists until days later compared with sports-related concussions in the same age group.
This study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, suggests that providing more resources and education to providers diagnosing most concussions in this age group, particularly in emergency departments and primary care, could reduce inequities in concussion care regardless of the mechanism of injury by which these patients experience concussions. Kids ages 5 to 12 suffer about 72.7 injuries per 1000 children.
“Patients injured outside of sports experienced a higher burden of symptoms and more changes to daily life, and delays in appropriate care could exacerbate these negative effects,” says senior study author Kristy Arbogast, PhD, director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention and co-director of the Minds Matter Concussion Program at CHOP.
Parental Support Reduces LGBTQ+ Youth’s Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
A new study from CHOP researchers found that LGBTQ+ youth were more likely to experience depression and thoughts and attempts of suicide than non-LGBTQ+ youth, yet the prevalence of these mental health symptoms was significantly reduced when LGBTQ+ youths reported support from their parents.
Prior studies have shown that the prevalence of depression and anxiety in LGBTQ+ adolescents is 58% and 73%, respectively, and nearly half of these youth seriously considered suicide in 2022. Importantly, the higher rates of mental health problems in LGBTQ+ youth are not due to identity itself, but rather caused by the fear, shame, discrimination, and victimization they face.
This study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that LGBTQ+ youth (16.4% of the 60 226 adolescents who completed the Adolescent Health Questionnaire) had higher average depression scores than non-LGBTQ+ youth (5 vs. 1) and a much higher prevalence of suicidal thoughts compared with their peers (15.8% vs 3.4%) and were more likely to have attempted suicide.
LGBTQ+ youth who reported parental support saw lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and significantly reduced rates of attempted suicide.
Binita M. Kamath, MBBChir, Named New GI Division Chair
After spending the last 15 years at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Ontario, Canada, Binita M. Kamath, MBBChir, has returned to CHOP as Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. She completed her residency and fellowship at CHOP before serving as a junior faculty member here.
Kamath’s clinical and research interests lie in pediatric liver disease. She takes a translational approach to research and is focused on both patient-based studies and basic science approaches. One of her key interest areas include Alagille syndrome, a highly complex condition that manifests with cholestatic liver disease and other multi-organ features.
Former Chief David Piccoli, MD, will continue to see patients at CHOP.
Innovation Team Creates, and Successfully Trials 2 New Screens for Primary Care Patients
An innovation team at CHOP called The Possibilities Project (TPP), consisting of pediatricians, technology
experts, and researchers, has recently trialed 2 pre-visit screenings with the aim of improving children’s well-being.
The first project implemented and successfully tested a nutrition screener to improve access to food resources to food resources for families eligible for federally funded food and nutrition benefits programs. The findings were published in Annals of Family Medicine.
Since as many as 50% of patient families do not take advantage of nutrition programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the project’s goal was to help eligible families enroll in the food programs. Families interested in receiving help to apply for WIC or SNAP then receive information about the programs on their after-visit summary and, in some cases, support from a resource navigator to help them get connected with benefits.
“The approach we developed may be one important way to normalize social needs assessment and provide families with additional nutrition support,” says lead study author and attending physician Aditi Vasan, MD.
The second project created a useful and effective adolescent health questionnaire that has been successfully adapted across CHOP’s Primary Care Network. It allows clinical staff to have better discussions with adolescent patients and develop better intervention strategies when needed.
Primary care doctors know the importance of discussing nutrition, physical activity, relationships, school, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, mental health, sexual behavior, and gender identity with adolescents, but find it difficult due to time constraints and patient-family discomfort to discuss these topics. The new screen, completed by more than 20,000 teens in the trial—88.7% of teens who had appointments—provides key information on the patient’s substance abuse, sexual activity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, making more targeted patient-provider discussions possible. The findings were published in Pediatrics.