Screening and social prescribing in healthcare and social services to address housing issues among children and families: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Housing is a social determinant of health that impacts the health and well-being of children and families. Screening and referral to address social determinants of health in clinical and social service settings has been proposed to support families with housing problems. This study aims to identify housing screening questions asked of families in healthcare and social services, determine validated screening tools and extract information about recommendations for action after screening for housing issues. METHODS: The electronic databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Ovid Emcare, Scopus and CINAHL were searched from 2009 to 2021. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed literature that included questions about housing being asked of children or young people aged 0-18 years and their families accessing any healthcare or social service. We extracted data on the housing questions asked, source of housing questions, validity and descriptions of actions to address housing issues. RESULTS: Forty-nine peer-reviewed papers met the inclusion criteria. The housing questions in social screening tools vary widely. There are no standard housing-related questions that clinical and social service providers ask families. Fourteen screening tools were validated. An action was embedded as part of social screening activities in 27 of 42 studies. Actions for identified housing problems included provision of a community-based or clinic-based resource guide, and social prescribing included referral to a social worker, care coordinator or care navigation service, community health worker, social service agency, referral to a housing and child welfare demonstration project or provided intensive case management and wraparound services. CONCLUSION: This review provides a catalogue of housing questions that can be asked of families in the clinical and/or social service setting, and potential subsequent actions.

Tuberculosis infection in under-2-year-old refugees: Should we be screening? A systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

AIM: Refugees are at increased risk of tuberculosis infection due to time spent in crowded camps, decreased nutrition and originating from countries whose own tuberculosis control systems may have been disturbed. In Australia, tuberculosis is screened for in for all refugees aged 11-34 years old and in those aged 2-10 years arriving from high-incidence countries. Our aims were to determine if refugee children aged under 2 years of age should also be screened. METHODS: A systematic literature review and meta-regression was carried out on studies in refugee children under 18 years old, involving screening for tuberculosis (active or latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI)). Studies were extracted from the last 10 years from a range of bibliographic databases using the search terms 'tuberculosis', 'children', 'screening' and 'refugee', which tested for tuberculosis using the tuberculin skin test (TST) or QuantiFERON-Gold (Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA)). RESULTS: Of the 15 included studies, prevalence of LTBI in < 2-year-olds was 5% using IGRA and 15% using TST (P < 0.05). Prevalence increased with age (odds ratio 1.12; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-1.17) cumulatively and decreased where IGRA was used for screening compared to TST (odds ratio 0.38; 95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.58). Prevalence of LTBI did not differ between general versus clinic refugee cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Refugees are a particularly vulnerable group in their susceptibility to tuberculosis, and LTBI management is a critical part of tuberculosis disease control due to the lifetime risk of developing active tuberculosis. A prevalence of 5-15% for LTBI in the under 2 years age group would support them being included in screening programmes.

Prevalence and determinants of cessation of exclusive breastfeeding in the early postnatal period in Sydney, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Optimal breastfeeding has benefits for the mother-infant dyads. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of cessation of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the early postnatal period in a culturally and linguistically diverse population in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. METHODS: The study used routinely collected perinatal data on all live births in 2014 (N = 17,564) in public health facilities in two Local Health Districts in Sydney, Australia. The prevalence of mother's breastfeeding intention, skin-to-skin contact, EBF at birth, discharge and early postnatal period (1-4 weeks postnatal) were estimated. Multivariate logistic regression models that adjusted for confounders were conducted to determine association between cessation of EBF in the early postnatal period and socio-demographic, psychosocial and health service factors. RESULTS: Most mothers intended to breastfeed (92%), practiced skin-to-skin contact (81%), exclusively breastfed  at delivery (90%) and discharge (89%). However, the prevalence of EBF declined (by 27%) at the early postnatal period (62%). Younger mothers (<20 years) and mothers who smoked cigarettes in pregnancy were more likely to cease EBF in the early postnatal period compared to older mothers (20-39 years) and those who reported not smoking cigarettes, respectively [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) =2.7, 95%CI 1.9-3.8, P <0.001 and AOR = 2.5, 95%CI 2.1-3.0, P <0.001, respectively]. Intimate partner violence, assisted delivery, low socio-economic status, pre-existing maternal health problems and a lack of partner support were also associated with early cessation of EBF in the postnatal period. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that while most mothers intend to breastfeed, and commence EBF at delivery and at discharge, the maintenance of EBF in the early postnatal period is sub-optimal. This highlights the need for efforts to promote breastfeeding in the wider community along with targeted actions for disadvantaged groups and those identified to be at risk of early cessation of EBF to maximise impact.

Matching health needs of refugee children with services: how big is the gap?

OBJECTIVES: To document the health needs of refugee children accessing comprehensive refugee health services in New South Wales (NSW), to match needs with available services and establish gaps in services. METHODS: We collated clinical data on all children aged under 14 years attending the three refugee specific clinics seeing children in NSW in 2005. We compared these data to the number of refugee children settling in NSW in 2005. RESULTS: NSW received 1,557 refugee children (<14 years) in 2005. Around one in five (n=331) was seen in a refugee specific clinic. Most were asymptomatic. Of those tested, 25% had anaemia, 27% were serology positive for schistosomiasis, 16% had evidence of current or recent malaria, 25% were tuberculin skin test positive, 69% were hepatitis B non-immune and 20% had low vitamin D levels. Most children needed catch up immunisation. Other problems included chronic health, developmental and behavioural problems. Screening tests varied across sites. Follow up was problematic for most. CONCLUSIONS: A small proportion of refugee children arriving in NSW have access to comprehensive screening and assessment, in spite of significant health needs. There is variation in screening practices, and follow up is poor. There is a high pick up rate for diseases of personal and public health significance. IMPLICATIONS: There is a strong moral and public health imperative to provide appropriately resourced, culturally competent and comprehensive health care to optimise refugee children's wellbeing.