Parental and health visitor perceptions on growth screening in early childhood: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Growth screening in early childhood can help identify children with a range of medical and psychosocial vulnerabilities. In the UK, childhood growth and development up to age 5 years are assessed through the Healthy Child Programme, delivered by health visitors. However, formal criteria to trigger referrals for onward investigation are unclear. There is a lack of qualitative data on the acceptability and feasibility of formal growth screening programmes. This study aimed to build understanding of the perceptions and motivations of caregivers and health visitors in relation to child growth and growth screening. METHODS: This longitudinal observational study was part of a larger study piloting an automated growth screening algorithm in Tower Hamlets, London. We conducted three separate qualitative focus group interviews with health visitors (n=10), English-speaking parents (n=6), and Sylheti-speaking parents (n=5). Participants were purposively sampled, and written informed consent was obtained. A bilingual researcher facilitated each group, using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analysed by two researchers using thematic analysis and assessed for intercoder reliability. The interview guide was translated into Sylheti, and data from the Sylheti group were translated into English by the same bilingual researcher. FINDINGS: Findings suggest that parents desire holistic care in which health visitors are empowered to refer to other health professionals and council services. Parents also want easier access to health visitors, frequent visits with the same health-care provider, and advice on raising their children. Health visitors were seen as well positioned to play an essential role in educating parents on health and developmental milestones and in helping them identify when their child might need additional support. Both parents and health visitors stressed that resources need to be in place not only to assess children but also to provide access to services when problems are identified. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that implementing growth screening through health visitors is feasible and acceptable, provided health visitors are given the resources and capabilities to refer children to appropriate services. Interpretation is limited by the purposive nature of the sampling and possible response bias. FUNDING: Barts Charity.

Short stature and language development in the United Kingdom: a longitudinal analysis of children from the Millennium Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: In low- and middle-income countries, poverty and impaired growth prevent children from meeting their cognitive developmental potential. There are few studies investigating these relationships in high-income settings. METHODS: Participants were 12,536 children born between 2000 and 2002 in the UK and participating in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Short stature was defined as having a height-for-age 2 or more standard deviations below the median (≤ - 2 SDS) at age 3 years. Standardized British Abilities Scales II (BAS II) language measures, used to assess language development at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 years, were the main outcome assessed. RESULTS: Children with short stature at age 3 years (4.1%) had language development scores that were consistently lower from ages 3 to 11 years (- 0.26 standard deviations (SD) (95% CI - 0.37, - 0.15)). This effect was attenuated but remained significant after adjustment for covariates. Trajectory analysis produced four distinct patterns of language development scores (low-declining, low-improving, average and high). Multinomial logistic regression models showed that children with short stature had a higher risk of being in the low-declining group, relative to the average group (relative risk ratio (RRR) = 2.11 (95% CI 1.51, 2.95)). They were also less likely to be in the high-scoring group (RRR = 0.65 (0.52, 0.82)). Children with short stature at age 3 years who had 'caught up' by age 5 years (height-for-age ≥ 2 SDS) did not have significantly different scores from children with persistent short stature, but had a higher probability of being in the high-performing group than children without catch-up growth (RRR = 1.84 (1.11, 3.07)). CONCLUSIONS: Short stature at age 3 years was associated with lower language development scores at ages 3 to 11 years in UK children. These associations remained significant after adjustment for socioeconomic, child and parental factors.

Antibiotic use in ambulatory care for acutely ill children in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate and appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing for acutely ill children in ambulatory care in high-income countries. DESIGN: On 10 February 2021, we systematically searched articles published since 2000 in MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Web Of Science and grey literature databases. We included cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, time-series analyses, randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies of interventions with acutely ill children up to and including 12 years of age in ambulatory care settings in high-income countries. Pooled antibiotic prescribing and appropriateness rates were calculated using random-effects models. Meta-regression was performed to describe the relationship between the antibiotic prescribing rate and study-level covariates. RESULTS: We included 86 studies comprising 11 114 863 children. We found a pooled antibiotic prescribing rate of 45.4% (95% CI 38.2% to 52.8%) for all acutely ill children, and 85.6% (95% CI 73.3% to 92.9%) for acute otitis media, 37.4% (95% CI 30.9% to 44.3%) for respiratory tract infections, and 40.4% (95% CI 29.9% to 51.9%) for other diagnoses. Considerable heterogeneity can only partly be explained by differences in diagnoses. The overall pooled appropriateness rate is 68.5% (95% CI 55.8% to 78.9%, I²=99.8%; 19 studies, 119 995 participants). 38.3% of all prescribed antibiotics were aminopenicillins. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic prescribing rates for acutely ill children in ambulatory care in high-income countries remain high. Large differences in prescription rates between studies can only partly be explained by differences in diagnoses. Better registration and further research are needed to investigate patient-level data on diagnosis and appropriateness.

Regional differences in short stature in England between 2006 and 2019: A cross-sectional analysis from the National Child Measurement Programme.

BACKGROUND: Short stature, defined as height for age more than 2 standard deviations (SDs) below the population median, is an important indicator of child health. Short stature (often termed stunting) has been widely researched in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but less is known about the extent and burden in high-income settings. We aimed to map the prevalence of short stature in children aged 4-5 years in England between 2006 and 2019. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for the school years 2006-2007 to 2018-2019. All children attending state-maintained primary schools in England are invited to participate in the NCMP, and heights from a total of 7,062,071 children aged 4-5 years were analysed. We assessed short stature, defined as a height-for-age standard deviation score (SDS) below -2 using the United Kingdom WHO references, by sex, index of multiple deprivation (IMD), ethnicity, and region. Geographic clustering of short stature was analysed using spatial analysis in SaTScan. The prevalence of short stature in England was 1.93% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.92-1.94). Ethnicity adjusted spatial analyses showed geographic heterogeneity of short stature, with high prevalence clusters more likely in the North and Midlands, leading to 4-fold variation between local authorities (LAs) with highest and lowest prevalence of short stature. Short stature was linearly associated with IMD, with almost 2-fold higher prevalence in the most compared with least deprived decile (2.56% (2.53-2.59) vs. 1.38% (1.35-1.41)). There was ethnic heterogeneity: Short stature prevalence was lowest in Black children (0.64% (0.61-0.67)) and highest in Indian children (2.52% (2.45-2.60)) and children in other ethnic categories (2.57% (2.51-2.64)). Girls were more likely to have short stature than boys (2.09% (2.07-2.10) vs. 1.77% (1.76-1.78), respectively). Short stature prevalence declined over time, from 2.03% (2.01-2.05) in 2006-2010 to 1.82% (1.80-1.84) in 2016-2019. Short stature declined at all levels of area deprivation, with faster declines in more deprived areas, but disparities by IMD quintile were persistent. This study was conducted cross-sectionally at an area level, and, therefore, we cannot make any inferences about the individual causes of short stature. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed a clear social gradient and striking regional variation in short stature across England, including a North-South divide. These findings provide impetus for further investigation into potential socioeconomic influences on height and the factors underlying regional variation.

Prevention, Management and Risk Factors for Diarrhoeal Disease in under-Fives in Cape Town.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, Cape Town's health facilities are stretched by the volume of cases of diarrhoea during the summer months, particularly with severely dehydrated children, who often require complex inpatient management. The prevalence of severe disease in children living in the settlements around Cape Town is particularly high. METHODS: An observational study of a systematic sample of children under 5 who presented to any primary care facility in Khayelitsha, an informal settlement of Cape Town, with diarrhoea and referred to secondary care between 1 November 2015 and 30 April 2016. We recruited participants from the sub-district office and identified risk factors associated with the index presentation, captured the triage and management of patients in primary care and investigated post-discharge follow-up. RESULTS: We recruited 87 children into the study, out of a total of 115 cases of severe dehydration. There was a significantly higher number of households in this group with no income than in Khayelitsha overall (65% vs. 47.4%; p < 0.001). In the sample, HIV-exposed, uninfected children were younger than unexposed children (median 9.44 months in exposed vs. 17.36 months in unexposed; p = 0.0015) and were more likely to be malnourished (weight-for-age Z-score; WAZ score < -2) [13 cases exposed vs. 8 cases unexposed (p = 0.04)]. Outreach staff were able to trace only 33.3% of children at home following discharge, yet 65% of children attended follow-up appointments in clinics. CONCLUSIONS: This cohort of children with diarrhoeal disease complicated by severe dehydration was a particularly socially deprived group. The results demonstrating zero vertical transmission of HIV in this very socioeconomically deprived area of Cape Town are encouraging. In the HIV-exposed, uninfected group, children were younger and had a higher prevalence of malnutrition, which should be the subject of future research, especially given existing evidence for immunological differences in children exposed to HIV in utero. Locating children with severe diarrhoea post-discharge was challenging and further research is needed on the cost-effectiveness and outcomes of different follow-up approaches.

Frequency of health-care utilization by adults who use illicit drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: To summarize evidence on the frequency and predictors of health-care utilization among people who use illicit drugs. DESIGN: Systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsychINFO for observational studies reporting health-care utilization published between 1 January 2000 and 3 December 2018. We conducted narrative synthesis and meta-analysis following a registered protocol (identifier: CRD42017076525). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: People who use heroin, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy/3,4-methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA), cannabis, hallucinogens or novel psychoactive substances; have a diagnosis of 'substance use disorder'; or use drug treatment services. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes were the cumulative incidence (risk) and rate of care episodes in three settings: primary care, hospital admissions (in-patient) and emergency department (ED). FINDINGS: Ninety-two studies were included, 84% from North America and Australia. Most studies focused on people using heroin, methamphetamine or crack cocaine, or who had a diagnosis of drug dependence. We were able to conduct a meta-analysis of rates across 25 studies reporting ED episodes and 25 reporting hospital admissions, finding pooled rates of 151 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 114-201] and 41 (95% CI = 30-57) per 100 person-years, respectively; on average 4.8 and 7.1 times more often than the general population. Heterogeneity was very high and was not explained by drugs used, country of study, recruitment setting or demographic characteristics. Predictors of health-care utilization were consistent across studies and included unstable housing, drug injection and mental health problems. Opioid substitution therapy was consistently associated with reduced ED presentation and hospital admission. There was minimal research on health-care utilization by people using ecstasy/MDMA, powder cocaine, hallucinogens or novel psychoactive substances. CONCLUSIONS: People who use illicit drugs are admitted to emergency department or hospital several times more often than the general population.

Schistosomiasis in the first 1000 days.

Infections during the first 1000 days-the period from conception to a child's second birthday-can have lifelong effects on health, because this is a crucial phase of growth and development. There is increasing recognition of the burden and potential effects of schistosomiasis in women of reproductive age and young children. Exposure to schistosomes during pregnancy can modulate infant immune development and schistosomiasis can occur from early infancy, such that the high disease burden found in adolescents is often due to accumulation of infections with long-lived schistosomes from early life. Women of reproductive age and young children are largely neglected in mass drug administration programmes, but early treatment could avert subsequent disease. We evaluate the evidence that early schistosomiasis has adverse effects on birth, growth, and development. We also discuss the case for expanding public health interventions for schistosomiasis in women of reproductive age and preschool-age children, and the need for further research to evaluate the potential of treating women pre-conception to maximise health across the life course.

Impact of Centor scores on determining antibiotic prescribing in children.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the effect of incorporating Centor scoring into antibiotic prescribing in primary care in London, UK, before and after the introduction of an educational package and prescribing software tool. Design/methodology/approach A quality improvement project with analysis of all sore throat presentations in patients aged 3-14 years, in two phases. Phase 1 (retrospective): 1 January-31 December 2013, followed by an intervention (software tool/education package) and Phase 2 (prospective): 1 March 2014-28 February 2015. Findings In the initial analysis, 162 out of 202 (80.2 per cent) patients were prescribed antibiotics. Following the educational/software intervention, 191 out of 231 (82.7 per cent) patients were prescribed antibiotics ( p=0.56, χ2 test). The mean Centor score decreased significantly following the education/software intervention (3.1 vs 2.7, p<0.001, χ2 test). In all, 100 per cent of patients with tonsillar exudate were prescribed antibiotics in both phases. The apparent order of importance for predictive signs/symptoms given by the prescribers in both phases of the study was tonsillar exudate>lymphadenopathy>fever>absence of cough. Originality/value This is the first time a differential importance given by practitioners on individual Centor criteria has been described. With a low probability of bacterial infection, children with exudate or anterior lymphadenopathy almost always received antibiotics. This is interesting, since studies have previously found that the presence of tonsillar exudate had no significant association with culture-confirmed streptococcal tonsillitis.

MEDEX 2015: Heart Rate Variability Predicts Development of Acute Mountain Sickness.

Sutherland, Angus, Joseph Freer, Laura Evans, Alberto Dolci, Matteo Crotti, and Jamie Hugo Macdonald. MEDEX 2015: Heart rate variability predicts development of acute mountain sickness. High Alt Med Biol. 18: 199-208, 2017. AIMS: Acute mountain sickness (AMS) develops when the body fails to acclimatize to atmospheric changes at altitude. Preascent prediction of susceptibility to AMS would be a useful tool to prevent subsequent harm. Changes to peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) on hypoxic exposure have previously been shown to be of poor predictive value. Heart rate variability (HRV) has shown promise in the early prediction of AMS, but its use pre-expedition has not previously been investigated. We aimed to determine whether pre- and intraexpedition HRV assessment could predict susceptibility to AMS at high altitude with better diagnostic accuracy than SpO2. METHODS: Forty-four healthy volunteers undertook an expedition in the Nepali Himalaya to >5000 m. SpO2 and HRV parameters were recorded at rest in normoxia and in a normobaric hypoxic chamber before the expedition. On the expedition HRV parameters and SpO2 were collected again at 3841 m. A daily Lake Louise Score was obtained to assess AMS symptomology. RESULTS: Low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio in normoxia (cutpoint ≤2.28 a.u.) and LF following 15 minutes of exposure to normobaric hypoxia had moderate (area under the curve ≥0.8) diagnostic accuracy. LF/HF ratio in normoxia had the highest sensitivity (85%) and specificity (88%) for predicting AMS on subsequent ascent to altitude. In contrast, pre-expedition SpO2 measurements had poor (area under the curve <0.7) diagnostic accuracy and inferior sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-ascent measurement of HRV in normoxia was found to be of better diagnostic accuracy for AMS prediction than all measures of HRV in hypoxia, and better than peripheral oxygen saturation monitoring.

Sustainable development goals and the human resources crisis.

Achieving universal health coverage by 2030 requires that lessons from the Millennium Development Goals must be heeded. The most important lesson is that the workforce underpins every function of the health system, and is the rate-limiting step. The three dimensions that continue to limit the success of the development agenda are availability, distribution and performance of health workers - and the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without addressing all three. Hence, the traditional response of scaling up supply is inadequate: a paradigm shift is required in the design of systems that can properly identify, train, allocate and retain health workers.

Tailoring HIV testing in a setting of late HIV diagnosis: is the tide turning?

INTRODUCTION: Routine HIV testing in areas of high HIV prevalence has been shown to be both cost effective and to avert downstream morbidity and mortality from 'late' HIV diagnosis (defined as CD4 cell count<350 cells/ml). In the London borough of Waltham Forest in 2010, late HIV diagnoses were resulting in high morbidity with associated lengthy and costly hospital admissions. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all new HIV diagnoses was undertaken within a two-phased quality improvement project 2010-13. Newly diagnosed patients in 2010 were characterized, including immunological state, presence of HIV-related illness and department where they presented. After an intervention to set up an opt-out, walk-in rapid HIV testing service in outpatients, an analysis was conducted of numbers of tests, prevalence and immunological state of newly diagnosed patients in 2013. RESULTS: A total of 91 patients were diagnosed with HIV, January-December 2010, 70% of which were a late diagnosis, including 48% defined as 'very immunosuppressed' (CD4 count<100 cells/ml). Of these, 51 out of 91 patients (56%) had attended hospital services in the 5 years before diagnosis, including 204 outpatient department attendances. After the intervention, rates of late diagnosis in 2013 had reduced to 46%, and rates of those diagnosed 'very immunosuppressed' had reduced from 48% to 8%. CONCLUSIONS: HIV testing in outpatients is feasible and acceptable to patients and can be offered alongside routine outpatient care. The rate of positive HIV tests in this group of patients in the authors' setting has been much higher than the HIV positivity rate of larger scale HIV testing interventions in other hospital settings. This approach also provides a model for more integrated care of HIV-positive patients.