Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Indicators Of Simulated Driving Skills In Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sherrilene Classen, Miriam Monahan, Kiah Brown

Miriam Monahan

Adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have an increased risk for committing traffic violations, and they are four times more likely than neurotypical peers to be crash involved, making them a potentially high risk group for driving. We used a two-group design to measure differences in demographics, clinical off-road tests, and fitness to drive abilities in a driving simulator with nine adolescents with ADHD (mean age = 15.00, SD ± 1.00) compared to 22 healthy controls (HC) (mean age = 14.32, SD ±..716), as evaluated by an Occupational Therapist Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist (OT-CDRS). Despite few demographic differences, the …

The Influence Of Psychosocial Factors On Academic Performance Of Adolescents: A Quality Assurance Project, S. A. Gulzar, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Amina Aijaz, Neesha Hussain

Tazeen Ali

Adolescence is a time of rapid psychological and physiological changes and is associated with anxiety and mental distress. This project looks at the potential of school-based programs to reduce these negative effects of academic performance in both the short- and long-term. This study was conducted in a private school in Karachi, Pakistan between October 1998 and December 2006 on 305 students with low academic performance. Results show that students scoring low grades had a mean of 55 + 2.8 and postintervention score of 56 + 2.6. The intervention package significantly created a difference in reducing the number of students receiving …

Health Care Transitions For Adolescents And Young Adults With Special Health Care Needs: Where Are We Now?, Nicole Mubanga, Dennis J. Baumgardner, Jessica J. F. Kram

Dennis J. Baumgardner, MD

Eventually, all adolescents must “graduate” from pediatric-oriented to adult-oriented health care. This transition, most often occurring during young adulthood, is especially important for adolescents with special health care needs and involves not only primary care physicians, but also both pediatric and adult subspecialists. Several studies support the benefit of transitional programs for adolescents and young adults with special health care needs. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics named transitional care as one of its top priorities. However, transitional programs have yet to become an established norm among hospitals and providers, specifically outside of children’s hospitals. This topic synopsis aims to …

Theory-Driven Longitudinal Study Exploring Indoor Tanning Initiation In Teens Using A Person-Centered Approach, Joel J. Hillhouse, Rob Turrisi, Michael J. Cleveland, Nichole M. Scaglione, Katie Baker, L. Carter Florence

Joel Hillhouse

Background Younger indoor tanning initiation leads to greater melanoma risk due to more frequent and persistent behavior. Despite this, there are no published studies exploring the predictors of indoor tanning initiation in teen populations. Purpose This longitudinal study uses latent profile analysis to examine indoor tanning initiation in indoor tanning risk subgroups from a national sample of female adolescents. Methods Latent profile analysis used indoor tanning beliefs and perceptions to identify indoor tanning initiation risk subgroups. The teens in each subgroup were reassessed on indoor tanning initiation after a year. Results Three subgroups were identified: a low risk, anti-tanning subgroup …

Vitamin D Status In Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Benjamin U. Nwosu, Louise Maranda, Ninfa Candela

Benjamin U. Nwosu

IMPORTANCE: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is associated with significant morbidity in children and adolescents, and the therapeutic efficacy of available treatment options is limited. The role of vitamin D supplementation in pediatric IBS is unclear as the vitamin D status of pediatric patients with IBS is unknown. Equally, the relationship of vitamin D status with psychosomatic symptoms in children and adolescents is unclear. AIM: To characterize the vitamin D status of pediatric patients with IBS using a case-control study design. HYPOTHESIS: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration will be similar between patients with IBS and controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective …

Clinical Topic Review 2013 - Behavioral Health Screening Among Masshealth Children And Adolescents, Judith A. Savageau, Georgianna Willis, Kathy Muhr, David M. Keller, Gideon Aweh, Elizabeth O'Connell

Judith A. Savageau

Results from the 2013 evaluation suggest that the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative had a large impact on formal behavioral health screening and treatment utilization among children and adolescents enrolled in MassHealth.

Clinical Topic Review: Behavioral Health Screening For Children With Well Visits, Judith A. Savageau, Linda M. Cabral, Jack Gettens, Elizabeth O'Connell, Lana Miller, Susan Maguire

Judith A. Savageau

The first Clinical Topic Review was conducted in order to better understand how behavioral health screenings were occurring for children and adolescents during well visits prior to the implementation of a requirement that primary care providers perform behavioral health screening using a standardized behavioral health screening tool during every well child visit.

A Mobile, Avatar-Based App For Improving Body Perceptions Among Adolescents: A Pilot Test, Annmarie Lyles, Ashish Amresh, Jennifer Huberty, Michael Todd, Rebecca E. Lee

Ashish Amresh