The annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics was held this year from Oct. 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C., and attracted participants from around the world, including primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical specialists, and other health care professionals. The conference featured scientific sessions that focused on the latest advances in the care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
In one study, Amanda Burnside, M.D., of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues found that a significant percentage of youth indicate suicide risk during routine universal suicide screening in the emergency department.
The authors implemented a universal suicide screening program, which involved asking all youth about suicide risk, regardless of presenting concern, in the emergency department at a children’s hospital. The researchers found that in 23 percent of encounters, youth screened positive for suicide risk. For encounters by transgender and gender-diverse youth, specifically, suicide risk was identified in nearly 80 percent of encounters during the 3.5-year study period. Compared with cisgender youth, transgender youth were greater than five times more likely to screen positive for suicide risk.
“It is important to work to ensure that all youth are routinely screened for suicide risk across health care settings,” Burnside said. “We need to develop robust systems to connect youth who screen positive with mental health services, particularly transgender and gender-diverse youth.”
In another study, Cassidy M. Foley Davelaar, D.O., of Nemours Children’s Health and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando, and colleagues found that more than 50 percent of participants who drop out of a sport because they feel they do not “look right” for the sport say they compared their ability to play sports to images seen in television, movies, and social media.
The authors surveyed 70 current or past athletes, ages 8 to 18 years, in local athletic organizations or from sports medicine clinics. The researchers found that the top reasons for quitting sports were still lack of interest, sport specialization, and injury, followed by coaching, competitiveness, and body image. Girls dropped out of sports at a higher rate than their male counterparts, and girls did not fare as well as boys with regards to body image. In addition, girls consistently ranked themselves at a less-than-ideal body type for their sport. Female respondents were less confident in their appearance while playing sports, and in general, they felt that they had more unattractive features, making them nervous while playing sports. Additionally, they compared themselves more to social media images.
“Social media is not going anywhere, so knowing the influence it can have on our young athletes, it’s appropriate to try to steer them in a direction of more inclusive, diverse, and imperfect images,” Foley said. “Parents can help their young athletes by making sure they play for certified coaches. The research showed those who play for certified coaches are five times less likely to drop out. At home, parents/guardians can also help by using more body-positive language that is supportive of all body types, sizes, and colors in physical activity.”
Radhika Gupta, a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues found that the national burden of injuries associated with riding electric scooters in the pediatric population increased significantly between 2020 and 2021.
The authors evaluated children presenting to U.S. emergency departments with e-scooter-related injuries and observed a 71 percent increase in injuries from 2020 to 2021 alone. The most common diagnosis was a fracture, and the most commonly injured body parts were the head and face. In cases where helmet use was reported, only 32.4 percent reported helmet use during the injury. In addition, among those with head injuries who reported on helmet use, 66.8 percent were not wearing a helmet at the time of injury. The researchers also found that nearly 15 percent of cases mentioned motor vehicle involvement and 10 percent mentioned hitting obstacles such as uneven pavement or potholes.
“Limited helmet usage and finding that head is the most injured body part provides an opportunity to develop and publicize safe riding practices for e-scooters among the pediatric population,” Gupta said. “Motor vehicle and obstacle involvement in injuries highlights the importance of implementing public safety measures such as creating bicycle and scooter lanes, ensuring even pavement in riding areas, and educating motor vehicle drivers on how to maintain safe distances from e-scooter riders.”
CPT Brandon L. Rozanski, M.D., of the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, and colleagues found that children have the greatest propensity to present to emergency departments with burn injuries sustained from hair-styling tools.
The authors aimed to characterize the epidemiology of burn injuries from hair-styling tools across the entire product spectrum. The investigator’s results were most notable for burn injuries in children younger than 10 years of age and occurring predominantly in the home. Of the products investigated, curling/flat irons were the overwhelming culprits of many burn injuries and align with widespread use across households in the United States.
“Taking these two notable results, our study highlights and reconfirms the importance of addressing products in the home that offer the greatest opportunity for severe injury when left unattended or inappropriate age use,” Rozanski said. “This study highlights the need for public safety awareness in the form of targeted anticipatory guidance with families in the clinic or hospital setting when appropriate. Discussing product hazards in the home and the injuries associated with specific products can better inform clinicians and their patients in taking the necessary steps to create a safe home environment.”
AAP: High-Powered Magnet Ingestion Still Sending Children to Hospital
THURSDAY, Nov. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Children continue to present to be hospitalized for high-powered magnet ingestion, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Oct. 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C.
AAP: Children Most Likely to Present to ED With Burns From Hair-Styling Tools
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Children younger than 10 are most likely to present to the emergency department with burn injuries sustained from hair-styling tools, especially hair curlers and curling irons, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Oct. 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C.
AAP: Teens OK Being Asked About Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity
TUESDAY, Oct. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Most adolescents and young adults are comfortable being asked about their sexual orientation and gender identity in a health care setting, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Oct. 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C.
AAP Issues Recommendations for Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Children
MONDAY, Oct. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Recommendations relating to the prevention of excessive noise exposure in infants, children, and adolescents are presented in a policy statement and accompanying technical report published online Oct. 21 in Pediatrics. The recommendations were published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Oct. 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C.
Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
