Academic pediatrics
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Academic pediatrics · Nov 2017
ReviewCommercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review.
Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents represent a severe form of child abuse and an important pediatric health concern. Youth who are commercially sexually exploited have a constellation of clinical risk factors and high rates of unmet physical and mental health needs, including conditions that directly result from their victimization. Common physical health needs among commercially sexually exploited children and adolescents include violence-related injuries, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and other acute infections. ⋯ Additionally, medical education that attunes providers to identify and appropriately respond to the unique needs of this highly vulnerable group of children and adolescents is needed. The available research on commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents remains fairly limited, yet is expanding rapidly. Especially relevant to the field of pediatrics, future research to guide health professionals in how best to identify and care for commercially sexually exploited children and adolescents in the clinical setting signifies a key gap in the extant literature and an important opportunity for future study.
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Academic pediatrics · Sep 2017
ReviewPrioritizing Possibilities for Child and Family Health: An Agenda to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences and Foster the Social and Emotional Roots of Well-being in Pediatrics.
A convergence of theoretical and empirical evidence across many scientific disciplines reveals unprecedented possibilities to advance much needed improvements in child and family well-being by addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), promoting resilience, and fostering nurturance and the social and emotional roots of healthy child development and lifelong health. In this article we synthesize recommendations from a structured, multiyear field-building and research, policy, and practice agenda setting process to address these issues in children's health services. ⋯ Efforts to address the high prevalence and negative effects of ACEs on child health are needed, including widespread and concrete understanding and strategies to promote awareness, resilience, and safe, stable, nurturing relationships as foundational to healthy child development and sustainable well-being throughout life. A paradigm-shifting evolution in individual, organizational, and collective mindsets, policies, and practices is required. Shifts will emphasize the centrality of relationships and regulation of emotion and stress to brain development as well as overall health. They will elevate relationship-centered methods to engage individuals, families, and communities in self-care related to ACEs, stress, trauma, and building the resilience and nurturing relationships science has revealed to be at the root of well-being. Findings reflect a palpable hope for prevention, mitigation, and healing of individual, intergenerational, and community trauma associated with ACEs and provide a road map for doing so.
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Academic pediatrics · Mar 2017
ReviewNonpharmacologic Intervention on the Prevention of Pain and Anxiety During Pediatric Dental Care: A Systematic Review.
Nonpharmacologic interventions may be used to reduce fear and anxiety during dental treatment. ⋯ More research is needed to know whether the techniques are effective for improving behavior and reducing children's pain and distress during dental treatment. However, the majority of the techniques improved child's behavior, anxiety, and pain perception.
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Academic pediatrics · Mar 2017
ReviewNonpharmacologic Intervention on the Prevention of Pain and Anxiety During Pediatric Dental Care: A Systematic Review.
Nonpharmacologic interventions may be used to reduce fear and anxiety during dental treatment. ⋯ More research is needed to know whether the techniques are effective for improving behavior and reducing children's pain and distress during dental treatment. However, the majority of the techniques improved child's behavior, anxiety, and pain perception.
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Academic pediatrics · Apr 2016
ReviewNeighborhood-Level Interventions to Improve Childhood Opportunity and Lift Children Out of Poverty.
Population health is associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods. There is considerable scientific and policy interest in community-level interventions to alleviate child poverty. Intergenerational poverty is associated with inequitable access to opportunities. ⋯ We highlight several accessible tools and strategies that health practitioners can engage to improve regional and local systems that influence child opportunity. The Child Opportunity Index is a population-level surveillance tool to describe community-level resources and inequities in US metropolitan areas. The case studies reviewed outline strategies for creating higher opportunity neighborhoods for pediatricians interested in working across sectors to address the impact of neighborhood opportunity on child health and well-being.