Parent Awareness of and Attitudes Toward Gender-Affirming Pediatric Health Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

PURPOSE: We aimed to characterize parent attitudes toward gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, from a general parent sample in a diverse urban setting. METHODS: We surveyed Chicago parents through the Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey via web and phone in English and Spanish from May-July 2022. We used both probability-based and nonprobability-based sampling, with calibration weights for the nonprobability sample. Parents responded about their awareness of a debate about and support for autonomy in gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth and provided demographic information. We used descriptive analyses and logistic regression to examine predictors of awareness and support. Data were weighted to be representative of Chicago's parent population. RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 1,059 parents. The survey completion rate for the probability sample was 43.1% (a completion rate was not available for the nonprobability sample from online, opt-in surveys). Most parents were unaware of the debate about gender-affirming healthcare (56.0%). More than two-thirds of parents (68.9%) support decisions about gender-affirming healthcare being left to children, their parents, and their doctor. Parents who were aware of the debate were more likely to support gender-affirming healthcare (83.7%) than parents who were not aware (57.2%, p < .0001). Parents who were aware of the debate had higher odds of supporting gender-affirming care for youth (adjusted odds ratio = 3.00, 95% confidence interval: 1.93-4.66) in a multivariable logistic regression model. DISCUSSION: Broad parent support for gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth is an important perspective to consider in policy discussions at state and federal levels.

Adverse childhood experiences, child behavioral health needs, and family characteristics associated with the presence of a firearm in the home: a survey of parents in Chicago.

BACKGROUND: Firearm violence is the leading cause of pediatric mortality in the USA. The presence of a firearm in the home poses an immense risk to children with increased rates of suicide and unintentional injury by firearm. Recent literature has not explored child ACEs and child behavioral health needs with the presence of a firearm in the home. The objective of this study was to explore an association between these factors, parent health, family experience with firearm violence, and demographics, and the presence of a firearm in the home. RESULTS: Overall, 382 of 1,436 (weighted to 22.0%) responding parents reported the presence of a firearm in the home. In an adjusted model, the odds ratio of firearm presence increased incrementally with a child's increasing exposure to ACEs. Compared to a child in the household exposed to no ACEs, a child in the household exposed to two or more ACEs was associated with a 5.16 times higher odds of firearm presence in the home (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.92-9.10). Similarly, a child in the household who had used behavioral health services was associated with a 2.10 times higher odds of firearm presence in the home (95% CI 1.35-3.26), compared to a child in the household who had not. Presence of firearm in the home was also associated with higher household income, younger parent age (under 35 years), and male parent gender. CONCLUSIONS: Chicago parents have higher odds of reporting the presence of a firearm in the home when living in a household with a child exposed to ACEs and with behavioral health needs. These findings could inform future public health interventions and targeted safe storage messaging to prevent pediatric firearm injury in the home.

Targeted Vaccine Messaging to Promote COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Youth.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of distinct message types in promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination intentions for parents of children and adolescents. METHODS: We collected data through the Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey from October to November 2021. Parents were randomly assigned to read 1 of 4 vaccine message types and then report their intentions to vaccinate each COVID-19-unvaccinated child (0-17 years) in their household (n = 1453). RESULTS: The sample included 898 parents. Compared with a control group (37.5%), the proportion of parents who were very likely to vaccinate their children was higher when messages highlighted that other trusted parents have vaccinated their children (53.3%) or that the vaccine is safe and thoroughly tested (48.9%) but not when messages highlighted that the vaccine is well-tolerated (41.5%). After adjusting for parent and child characteristics, the odds of being very likely to vaccinate remained higher in the trusted parents group but not in the safe/thoroughly tested group. Unlike the control and well-tolerated groups, there were no racial/ethnic disparities in the unadjusted proportion of parents who were very likely to vaccinate in the trusted parents and safe/thoroughly tested groups. Message types affected the unadjusted proportion of COVID-19-unvaccinated parents who were very likely to vaccinate their children. CONCLUSIONS: Messages that focus on trusted parents choosing to vaccinate their children were more effective at promoting parents' COVID-19 vaccination intentions for their children than alternative messages. These findings have implications for public health messaging and pediatric providers' communications with parents.

Parental Concerns About Climate Change in a Major United States City.

OBJECTIVE: To examine climate change concerns among parents in Chicago, a large and diverse urban setting that experiences climate change-related weather events and rising water levels which have the potential to affect more than 1 million children living in the city. METHODS: We collected data through the Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey from May to July 2021. Parents indicated their personal level of worry about climate change, concern about the impact of climate change on themselves and their families, and how well they understood the issue of climate change. Parents also provided demographic information. RESULTS: Parents reported high levels of concern about climate change in general and specifically about the impact on their families. Logistic regression indicated that parents who were Latine/Hispanic (vs White) and those who felt they understood climate change well (vs less well) had higher odds of reporting high levels of concern. Parents with some college (vs high school education or below) had lower odds of high concern. CONCLUSIONS: Parents indicated high levels of concern about climate change and its potential impact on their families. These results can help inform pediatricians' discussions with families about child health in the context of a changing climate.

The enduring legacy of Marie Curie: impacts of radium in 21st century radiological and medical sciences.

PURPOSE: This review is focused on radium and radionuclides in its decay chain in honor of Marie Curie, who discovered this element. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conglomerated current knowledge regarding radium and its history predating our present understanding of this radionuclide. RESULTS: An overview of the properties of radium and its dose assessment is shown followed by discussions about both the negative detrimental and positive therapeutic applications of radium with this history and its evolution reflecting current innovations in medical science. CONCLUSIONS: We hope to remind all those who are interested in the progress of science about the vagaries of the process of scientific discovery. In addition, we raise the interesting question of whether Marie Curie's initial success was in part possible due to her tight alignment with her husband Pierre Curie who pushed the work along.