Parents and Pediatric Weight Management Attrition: Experiences and Recommendations

Background: One of the most frequently cited challenges faced by pediatric weight management programs/clinics is attrition, with many studies reporting rates greater than 50%. Few studies have evaluated parental perspectives on recommendations for weight-management treatment enhancement. The aim of this study was to elicit perspectives on areas for improvement, discussions with staff about discontinuation, and potentially modifiable aspects of attrition from parents who prematurely discontinued stage 3 pediatric weight management treatment. Methods: This study was performed as a semistructured interview as part of a telephone survey assessing reasons for attrition. Results: Interviews were performed with 147 parents of children who attended programs/clinics at 13 children's hospitals participating in the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (now Children's Hospital Association) FOCUS on a Fitter Future II collaborative. The majority of parents (65%) denied talking to staff about their decisions to stop coming. When describing what could have been done to retain families, parents most frequently discussed changing logistics (e.g., hours and locations). Parents described changes in logistics and components (i.e., nutrition education, exercise, and behavior education/support) when asked what would work best for their family for pediatric weight management. Conclusions: Parental responses appeared to express frustration about flexibility with appointment times and treatment locations. The most frequently desired components were those traditionally offered by stage 3 pediatric weight management programs/clinics, and this may suggest a need for treatment delivery of these components to be more individualized. Additional discussion with families about their desire to discontinue treatment may provide a timely opportunity to address this need.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140333/1/chi.2013.0069.pd

Transition experiences and health care utilization among young adults with type 1 diabetes

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of adult diabetes care in young adults with type 1 diabetes and examine associations between health care transition experiences and care utilization. Methods: We developed a survey to assess transition characteristics and current care in young adults with type 1 diabetes. We mailed the survey to the last known address of young adults who had previously received diabetes care at a tertiary pediatric center. Results: Of 291 surveys sent, 83 (29%) were undeliverable and three (1%) were ineligible. Of 205 surveys delivered, 65 were returned (response rate 32%). Respondents (mean age 26.6 ± 3.0 years, 54% male, 91% Caucasian) transitioned to adult diabetes care at a mean age of 19.2 ± 2.8 years. Although 71% felt mostly/completely prepared for transition, only half received recommendations for a specific adult provider. Twenty-six percent reported gaps exceeding six months between pediatric and adult diabetes care. Respondents who made fewer than three diabetes visits in the year prior to transition (odds ratio [OR] 4.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–16.5) or cited moving/relocation as the most important reason for transition (OR 6.3, 95% CI 1.3–31.5) were more likely to report gaps in care exceeding six months. Patients receiving current care from an adult endocrinologist (79%) were more likely to report at least two diabetes visits in the past year (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.5–24.0) compared with those receiving diabetes care from a general internist/adult primary care doctor (17%). Two-thirds (66%) reported receiving all recommended diabetes screening tests in the previous year, with no difference according to provider type. Conclusion: In this sample, transition preparation was variable and one quarter reported gaps in obtaining adult diabetes care. Nevertheless, the majority endorsed currently receiving regular diabetes care, although visit frequency differed by provider type. Because locating patients after transition was incomplete, our findings suggest the need for standardized methods to track transitioning patients

Children's Hospital Association Consensus Statements for Comorbidities of Childhood Obesity

Background: Childhood obesity and overweight affect approximately 30% of US children. Many of these children have obesity-related comorbidities, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, fatty liver disease, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), sleep apnea, psychosocial problems, and others. These children need routine screening and, in many cases, treatment for these conditions. However, because primary care pediatric providers (PCPs) often are underequipped to deal with these comorbidities, they frequently refer these patients to subspecialists. However, as a result of the US pediatric subspecialist shortage and considering that 12.5 million children are obese, access to care by subspecialists is limited. The aim of this article is to provide accessible, user-friendly clinical consensus statements to facilitate the screening, interpretation of results, and early treatment for some of the most common childhood obesity comorbidities. Methods: Members of the Children's Hospital Association (formerly NACHRI) FOCUS on a Fitter Future II (FFFII), a collaboration of 25 US pediatric obesity centers, used a combination of the best available evidence and collective clinical experience to develop consensus statements for pediatric obesity-related comorbidities. FFFII also surveyed the participating pediatric obesity centers regarding their current practices. Results: The work group developed consensus statements for use in the evaluation and treatment of lipids, liver enzymes, and blood pressure abnormalities and PCOS in the child with overweight and obesity. The results of the FFFII survey illustrated the variability in the approach for initial evaluation and treatment as well as pattern of referrals to subspecialists among programs. Conclusions: The consensus statements presented in this article can be a useful tool for PCPs in the management and overall care of children with overweight and obesity.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140335/1/chi.2013.0120.pd

Addressing Prediabetes in Childhood Obesity Treatment Programs: Support from Research and Current Practice

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prediabetes have increased in prevalence among overweight and obese children, with significant implications for long-term health. There is little published evidence on the best approaches to care of prediabetes among overweight youth or the current practices used across pediatric weight management programs. Methods: This article reviews the literature and summarizes current practices for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of prediabetes at childhood obesity treatment centers. Findings regarding current practice were based on responses to an online survey from 28 pediatric weight management programs at 25 children's hospitals in 2012. Based on the literature reviewed, and empiric data, consensus support statements on prediabetes care and T2DM prevention were developed among representatives of these 25 children's hospitals' obesity clinics. Results: The evidence reviewed demonstrates that current T2DM and prediabetes diagnostic parameters are derived from adult-based studies with little understanding of clinical outcomes among youth. Very limited evidence exists on preventing progression of prediabetes. Some evidence suggests that a significant proportion of obese youth with prediabetes will revert to normoglycemia without pharmacological management. Evidence supports lifestyle modification for children with prediabetes, but further study of specific lifestyle changes and pharmacological treatments is needed. Conclusion: Evidence to guide management of prediabetes in children is limited. Current practice patterns of pediatric weight management programs show areas of variability in practice, reflecting the limited evidence base. More research is needed to guide clinical care for overweight youth with prediabetes.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140337/1/chi.2013.0158.pd

Oxygen-sensing PHDs regulate bone homeostasis through the modulation of osteoprotegerin

The bone microenvironment is composed of niches that house cells across variable oxygen tensions. However, the contribution of oxygen gradients in regulating bone and blood homeostasis remains unknown. Here, we generated mice with either single or combined genetic inactivation of the critical oxygen-sensing prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) enzymes (PHD1–3) in osteoprogenitors. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activation associated with Phd2 and Phd3 inactivation drove bone accumulation by modulating osteoblastic/osteoclastic cross-talk through the direct regulation of osteoprotegerin (OPG). In contrast, combined inactivation of Phd1, Phd2, and Phd3 resulted in extreme HIF signaling, leading to polycythemia and excessive bone accumulation by overstimulating angiogenic–osteogenic coupling. Wealso demonstrate that genetic ablation of Phd2 and Phd3 was sufficient to protect ovariectomized mice against bone loss without disrupting hematopoietic homeostasis. Importantly,we identify OPG as a HIF target gene capable of directing osteoblast-mediated osteoclastogenesis to regulate bone homeostasis. Here, we show that coordinated activation of specific PHD isoforms fine-tunes the osteoblastic response to hypoxia, thereby directing two important aspects of bone physiology: cross-talk between osteoblasts and osteoclasts and angiogenic–osteogenic coupling

Myocardial Tissue Remodeling in Adolescent Obesity

Background: Childhood obesity is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Although ventricular remodeling has been reported in obese youth, early tissue‐level markers within the myocardium that precede organ‐level alterations have not been described. Methods and Results: We studied 21 obese adolescents (mean age, 17.7±2.6 years; mean body mass index [BMI], 41.9±9.5 kg/m2, including 11 patients with type 2 diabetes [T2D]) and 12 healthy volunteers (age, 15.1±4.5 years; BMI, 20.1±3.5 kg/m2) using biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to phenotype cardiac structure, function, and interstitial matrix remodeling by standard techniques. Although left ventricular ejection fraction and left atrial volumes were similar in healthy volunteers and obese patients (and within normal body size‐adjusted limits), interstitial matrix expansion by CMR extracellular volume fraction (ECV) was significantly different between healthy volunteers (median, 0.264; interquartile range [IQR], 0.253 to 0.271), obese adolescents without T2D (median, 0.328; IQR, 0.278 to 0.345), and obese adolescents with T2D (median, 0.376; IQR, 0.336 to 0.407; P=0.0001). ECV was associated with BMI for the entire population (r=0.58, P<0.001) and with high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (r=0.47, P<0.05), serum triglycerides (r=0.51, P<0.05), and hemoglobin A1c (r=0.76, P<0.0001) in the obese stratum. Conclusions: Obese adolescents (particularly those with T2D) have subclinical alterations in myocardial tissue architecture associated with inflammation and insulin resistance. These alterations precede significant left ventricular hypertrophy or decreased cardiac function

Training in childhood obesity management in the United States: a survey of pediatric, internal medicine-pediatrics and family medicine residency program directors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Information about the availability and effectiveness of childhood obesity training during residency is limited.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We surveyed residency program directors from pediatric, internal medicine-pediatrics (IM-Peds), and family medicine residency programs between September 2007 and January 2008 about childhood obesity training offered in their programs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The response rate was 42.2% (299/709) and ranged by specialty from 40.1% to 45.4%. Overall, 52.5% of respondents felt that childhood obesity training in residency was extremely important, and the majority of programs offered training in aspects of childhood obesity management including prevention (N = 240, 80.3%), diagnosis (N = 282, 94.3%), diagnosis of complications (N = 249, 83.3%), and treatment (N = 242, 80.9%). However, only 18.1% (N = 54) of programs had a formal childhood obesity curriculum with variability across specialties. Specifically, 35.5% of IM-Peds programs had a formal curriculum compared to only 22.6% of pediatric and 13.9% of family medicine programs (p < 0.01). Didactic instruction was the most commonly used training method but was rated as only somewhat effective by 67.9% of respondents using this method. The most frequently cited significant barrier to implementing childhood obesity training was competing curricular demands (58.5%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While most residents receive training in aspects of childhood obesity management, deficits may exist in training quality with a minority of programs offering a formal childhood obesity curriculum. Given the high prevalence of childhood obesity, a greater emphasis should be placed on development and use of effective training strategies suitable for all specialties training physicians to care for children.</p

Distinguishing Type 2 Diabetes from Type 1 Diabetes in African American and Hispanic American Pediatric Patients

To test the hypothesis that clinical observations made at patient presentation can distinguish type 2 diabetes (T2D) from type 1 diabetes (T1D) in pediatric patients aged 2 to 18.Medical records of 227 African American and 112 Hispanic American pediatric patients diagnosed as T1D or T2D were examined to compare parameters in the two diseases. Age at presentation, BMI z-score, and gender were the variables used in logistic regression analysis to create models for T2D prediction.The regression-based model created from African American data had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 89%; testing of a replication cohort showed 91% sensitivity and 93% specificity. A model based on the Hispanic American data showed 92% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Similarities between African American and Hispanic American patients include: (1) age at onset for both T1D and T2D decreased from the 1980s to the 2000s; (2) risk of T2D increased markedly with obesity. Racial/ethnic-specific observations included: (1) in African American patients, the proportion of females was significantly higher than that of males for T2D compared to T1D (p<0.0001); (2) in Hispanic Americans, the level of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was significantly higher in T1D than in T2D (p<0.002) at presentation; (3) the strongest contributor to T2D risk was female gender in African Americans, while the strongest contributor to T2D risk was BMI z-score in Hispanic Americans.Distinction of T2D from T1D at patient presentation was possible with good sensitivity and specificity using only three easily-assessed variables: age, gender, and BMI z-score. In African American pediatric diabetes patients, gender was the strongest predictor of T2D, while in Hispanic patients, BMI z-score was the strongest predictor. This suggests that race/ethnic specific models may be useful to optimize distinction of T1D from T2D at presentation