Machbarkeitsstudie Datenerhebung Kinder- und Jugendunfälle

Unfälle bei Kindern und Jugendlichen sind relativ häufig und gehen mit individuellem Leid und Kosten für das Gesundheitssystem und die Gesellschaft einher. Das Unfallgeschehen bei Kindern in der Schweiz wird bisher nur unzureichend erfasst. Die aktuelle Datenlage entspricht nicht den Anforderungen der BFU, Beratungsstelle für Unfallverhütung für ein Unfall-Monitoring. Im ersten Teil der Studie wurde eine Übersicht über die in der Schweiz vorhandenen Datenquellen zur Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen erstellt, unabhängig davon, ob diese bereits Informationen zum Unfallgeschehen enthalten oder nicht. Darüber hinaus wurden potenzielle Datenquellen für Unfalldaten von Kindern und Jugendlichen dargestellt, die in der Schweiz noch nicht etabliert sind. Zusätzlich wurden methodische Ansätze in die Auslegeordnung aufgenommen. Dabei wurden auf Basis bestehender Berichte und Unterlagen der BFU, sowie einer internationalen Literaturrecherche Datenquellen und Ansätze zur Erfassung des Unfallgeschehens in der Altersgruppe Kinder- und Jugendliche identifiziert. Zusätzlich wurde mittels Interviews eine Experten-einschätzung zu den Datenquellen zu Kinder- und Jugendunfällen, sowie zentralen Kriterien für ein Unfall-monitoring und spezifische Informationen zu einzelnen Datenquellen erhoben. Der zweite Studienteil stellt eine vertiefte Evaluation von potenziellen Datenquellen und methodischen Ansätzen dar. Dabei wurden Unfallmeldungen, die über Krankenkassen abgewickelt werden (KVG-Unfallmeldungen), das Swiss Paediatric Standard Dataset (SwissPedData), das Swiss Trauma Registry für Kinder und das Nationale Register für Frakturen sowie die Methode «Machine Learning» fokussiert. Schliesslich wurde basierend auf den Ergebnissen der Gesamtauslegeordnung und der vertieften Evaluation eine erste Machbarkeitsprüfung der Methode Machine Learning mit elektronischen Notfall-Patientenakten des Kinderspitals Zürich als Datengrundlage durchgeführt. Es wurde einerseits ein Sample von elektronischen Anamnesen von 100 Kinderunfällen manuell auf die von der BFU gewünschten Variablen gesichtet. Zusätzlich wurden mittels eines Experten-Workshops die daraus abgeleiteten Fragestellungen, die Machbarkeit und der Aufwand der Methode Machine Learning mit den Unfalldaten des Kinderspitals diskutiert

Seeking health in a digital world : exploring immigrant parents’ quest for child health information – a scoping review

During pregnancy and early parenthood, parents’ strong interest in pediatric health information presents a valuable opportunity to positively impact long-term health-seeking behavior and overall child health. In line with the increasing prevalence of digital transformation, a scoping review was conducted to explore two key aspects: (1) information seeking and use of digital health information among immigrant parents, and (2) associated reasons and factors. The literature search covered the period until July 2022, using Web of Science, MEDLINE, and CINAHL Complete databases. Out of 625 articles, 12 were included, comprising six qualitative, five quantitative studies, and one review. The majority of studies focused on immigrants in North America, primarily from Latin America and Asia. The studies varied in topics and methodologies, making it challenging to draw general conclusions. Nevertheless, while most immigrant parents rely on digital information on child health, they often prefer human sources such as family, friends, or healthcare providers. Trustworthiness and accessibility emerged as critical criteria for health resources. Two focus group discussions, derived from the results of the review, confirmed these findings for migrant mothers in Switzerland

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate : this is the question among Swiss university students

This article belongs to the Special Issue "Vaccine Hesitancy and COVID-19"The speed and innovation of the COVID-19 vaccine development has been accompanied by insecurity and skepticism. Young adults’ attitude to vaccination remains under investigation, although herd immunity cannot be reached without them. The HEalth in Students during the Corona pandemic study (HES-C) provided the opportunity to investigate vaccination intention in 1478 students in the sixth survey wave (January 2021), including vaccination intention, psychological antecedents of vaccine hesitancy, trust in government’s vaccination strategy, and vaccination history. Associations with vaccination intention were analyzed with multivariate ordinal regression and predicted margins were calculated adjusting for gender, age, anxiety, health profession, and subjective health status. A third was decided (yes 25.1%, no 7.6%), and 68% were unsure about getting the COVID-19 vaccine when available. Next to demographic characteristics, vaccination history (influenza vaccination OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.06–1.83, travel vaccination OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.04–1.60), trust in vaccination strategy (OR = 2.40; 95% CI: 1.89–3.05), and 5C dimensions were associated with vaccination intention: confidence (OR = 2.52; 95% CI: 2.09–3.03), complacency (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.66–0.96), calculation (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.70–0.89), constraints (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 0.99–1.41), and collective responsibility (OR = 4.47; 95% CI: 3.69–5.40). Addressing psychological antecedents and strengthening trust in official strategies through targeted campaigns and interventions may increase decisiveness and result in higher vaccination rates

Diagnosis and management of ADHD: a pediatric perspective on practice and challenges in Switzerland

Background: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in childhood. In Switzerland, the complex diagnosis and treatment are being carried out by adolescent-/child psychiatrists, and pediatricians. Guidelines recommend a multimodal therapy for patients with ADHD. However, it has been questioned whether health professionals follow this approach or favor drug therapy. This study aims to provide insights into the practice of pediatricians in Switzerland regarding diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and their perceptions of these processes. Method: An online survey (self-report) about current practices of diagnosis and management as well as challenges regarding ADHD was distributed to office-based pediatricians in Switzerland. One hundred fifty-one pediatricians participated. Results show that therapy options were almost always discussed with parents and older children. Exchange with parents (81%) and level of child's suffering (97%) were central when selecting therapy options. Results: Therapies about which pediatricians informed most often were: pharmacological therapy, psychotherapy, and multimodal therapy. Challenges voiced were the subjectivity of diagnostic criteria and dependence on third parties, low availability of psychotherapy, and a rather negative public attitude towards ADHD. Needs that were expressed were further education for all professionals, support for coordination with specialists and schools as well as improvement of information on ADHD. Conclusions: Pediatricians do consider a multimodal approach when treating ADHD and take the families` and children's opinions into account. Improvements of the availability of child and youth psychotherapy, the strengthening of the interprofessional cooperation with therapists and schools, and efforts to increase public knowledge about ADHD are proposed

Change in alcohol consumption and binge drinking in university students during the early COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: Young adults have been overly affected by the containment measures against COVID-19 and, consequently, worsening in mental health and change in health behavior have been reported. Because the life phase of emerging adulthood is crucial for developing health behaviors, this study aims to examine increase in alcohol consumption, single and multiple binge drinking, and associated factors in students during lockdown and post-lockdown periods. Methods: A prospective open cohort study design with nine survey time points between April 2020 and June 2021 was conducted. The present study uses pooled data from the first survey T0 (3 April to 14 April) and follow-ups at T1 (30 April to 11 May 2020) and T2 (28 May to 8 June 2020). Students from all faculties of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) (N = 12’431) were invited. Of the 1,300 students who participated at baseline and in at least one follow-up, 1,278 (98.3%) completed the questionnaires, final net sample size was 947. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models were used to investigate the factors associated with increases in alcohol consumption based on number of occasions/last 30 days; drinks/week, and binge drinking at T0, and respective changes at T1 and T2 (increases, decreases, no change). Results: Overall, 20% of Swiss university students reported an increased alcohol consumption and 26% engaged in binge drinking. Number of drinks at baseline was associated with a higher probability of increased alcohol consumption, as well as engaging in single and multiple binge drinking events. Higher anxiety scores were associated with a higher probability to increase the alcohol consumption and engaging at least once in binge drinking. Additional factors associated with any binge drinking were male gender, younger age and not living with parents. Higher perceived social support was only associated with engaging in heavy binge drinking. Conclusions: A substantial number of students developed a more risky health behavior regarding alcohol consumption. It is important to identify at risk students and design target prevention including factors such as age, gender and social norms. Further, health behavior and determinants of health behaviors of students should be carefully monitored during the further course of the pandemic

A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic and government measures implemented to counter the spread of the infection may be a major stressor affecting the psychological health of university students. This study aimed to explore how anxiety symptoms changed during the pandemic. Methods: 676 students (76% females) at Zurich University of Applied Sciences participated in the first (T0) and second (T1) survey waves. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-Scale-7 (GAD-7). Risk and protective factors (e.g., COVID-19-related variables) were examined. Results: GAD-7 scores decreased significantly from T0 to T1 (mean change: -0.446,SE = 0.132, 95% CI: -0.706,-0.186, t =-3.371, df = 659, p = 0.001). Participants with moderate-to-severe anxiety score were 20.2 and 15.6% at T0 and T1, respectively. The following positively predicted anxiety: older age, female gender, non-Swiss nationality, loneliness, participants’ concern about their own health, and interaction between time and participants’ concern about their own health. Resilience and social support negatively predicted anxiety. Conclusions: Our findings provide information for public health measures and psychological interventions supporting the mental health of university students during the COVID-19 emergency

Swiss university students’ risk perception and general anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic

University students were confronted with abrupt changes to their daily lives by the COVID-19 lock-down. We investigated Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) and anxiety levels, and the association between perceived impact on well-being, studies, and daily lives and anxiety levels, adjusted for gender, age, social class and affiliation. Early in the lock-down all students of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (N = 12,429) were invited to a voluntary longitudinal health survey. Participation rate was 20% (n = 2437): 70% females, median age 25 yrs. (IQR 23–28). A total of 10% reported a deterioration of well-being compared to pre-Corona. LCA yielded three classes varying in perceived COVID-19 impact: 1 (low, n = 675), 2 (moderate, n = 1098), and 3 (strong, n = 656). Adjusted proportion of moderate to severe anxiety by class were 45% (95% CI: 28.0–62.0), 15.5% (95% CI: 13.1–17.9), and 5.1% (95% CI: 4.7–5.6), respectively. Multivariate regression analyses yielded an OR for moderate to severe anxiety of 3.88 (95% CI: 2.5–6.0, class 2) and 22.43 (95% CI: 14.5–34.6, class 3) compared to class-1. The investigated association implies that containment measures have a selective effect on anxiety in students. The diversity of students’ perception and associated anxiety should be monitored and considered in future response to pandemics