Incorporating Cardiovascular Risk Assessment into Adolescent Reproductive Health and Primary Care Visits.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the usability and feasibility of incorporating a cardiovascular risk assessment tool into adolescent reproductive health and primary care visits. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We recruited 60 young women ages 13-21 years to complete the HerHeart web-tool in 2 adolescent clinics in Atlanta, GA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants rated the tool's usability via the Website Analysis and Measurement Inventory (WAMMI, range 0-95) and their perceived 10-year and lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on a visual analog scale (range 0-10). Participants' perceived risk, blood pressure, and body mass index were measured at baseline and 3 months after enrollment. Health care providers (HCP, n = 5) completed the WAMMI to determine the usability and feasibility of incorporating the HerHeart tool into clinical practice. RESULTS: Adolescent participants and HCPs rated the tool's usability highly on the WAMMI with a median of 79 (interquartile range [IQR] 65, 84) and 76 (IQR 71, 84). At the baseline visit, participants' median perceived 10-year risk of a heart attack was 1 (IQR 0, 3), and perceived lifetime risk was 2 (IQR 0, 4). Immediately after engaging with the tool, participants' median perceived 10-year risk was 2 (IQR 1, 4.3), and perceived lifetime risk was 3 (IQR 1.8, 6). Thirty-one participants chose to set a behavior change goal, and 12 participants returned for follow-up. Clinical metrics were similar at the baseline and follow-up visits. CONCLUSION: HerHeart is acceptable to young women and demonstrates potential for changing risk perception and improving health habits to reduce risk of CVD. Future research should focus on improving retention in studies to promote cardiovascular health within reproductive health clinics.

Sociodemographic Associations With Blood Pressure in 10-14-Year-Old Adolescents.

PURPOSE: To determine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and blood pressure among a demographically diverse population-based sample of 10-14-year-old US adolescents. METHODS: We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N = 4,466), year two (2018-2020). Logistic and linear regression models were used to determine the association between sociodemographic characteristics (sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, household income, and parental education) with blood pressure among early adolescents. RESULTS: The sample was 49.3% female and 46.7% non-White. Overall, 4.1% had blood pressures in the hypertensive range. Male sex was associated with 48% higher odds of hypertensive-range blood pressures than female sex (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02; 2.14), and Black race was associated with 85% higher odds of hypertensive-range blood pressures compared to White race (95% CI, 1.11; 3.08). Several annual household income categories less than $100,000 were associated with higher odds of hypertensive-range blood pressures compared to an annual household income greater than $200,000. We found effect modification by household income for Black adolescents; Black race (compared to White race) was more strongly associated with higher odds of hypertensive-range blood pressures in households with income greater than $75,000 (odds ratio 3.92; 95% CI, 1.95; 7.88) compared to those with income less than $75,000 (odds ratio 1.53; 95% CI, 0.80; 2.92). DISCUSSION: Sociodemographic characteristics are differentially associated with higher blood pressure in early adolescents. Future research could examine potential mediating factors (e.g., physical activity, nutrition, tobacco) linking sociodemographic characteristics and blood pressure to inform targeted interventions.

Empowerment of Learners through Curriculum Co-Creation: Practical Implications of a Radical Educational Theory.

Framing the Issue: Medical education programs in the U.S. rely on the aphorism that faculty own the curriculum; that is, the specialized knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a physician are the province of the faculty to be delivered to tuition-paying students. From this view, the learner's role is one of passivity and deference. A contrasting approach, termed curriculum co-creation, frames education as a bi-lateral partnership. Co-creation results from learners, in collaboration with instructors, taking an active role in creating the goals and processes of an educational program. Such a partnership requires substantial revision of the expectations for both learners and instructors. In this Observations article, the idea of co-creation is applied to medical education and an aspirational vision for the role and value of faculty-student co-creation is advocated. Description and Explication: Co-creation partnerships of faculty and students occur in many forms, varying in degree of departure from traditional educational practice. Co-creation principles and partnerships can be deployed for almost all aspects of training including selection and organization of content, effective methods of instruction, and assessment of student learning. The outcomes of co-creation occur at three levels. The most specific outcome of co-creation is characterized by increased student engagement and enhanced learning. Broader outcomes include improved efficacy and value in the educational program and institution while, at the farthest-reaching level, a co-creative process can modify the medical profession itself. Although some specific instructional techniques to promote student involvement and input have historically been deployed in medical education, there is little evidence that students have ever been permitted to share in ownership. Implications for Medical Education: When fully embraced, curricular co-creation will be recognizable through improved student engagement and learning along with a revised understanding of how faculty-student relationships can foment reform in medical education and the culture of the profession. Further scholarship and research will be indispensable to examine how co-creative partnerships can flatten hierarchies within medical education and inspire the medical profession to be more inclusive and effective. Following the model of co-creation is expected to inspire learners by empowering them to participate fully as co-owners of their own education and prepare them to lead medical education in a different direction for the future.

A Proposed Pediatric Clinical Cardiovascular Health Reference Standard.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical cardiovascular health is a construct that includes 4 health factors-systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, and body mass index-which together provide an evidence-based, more holistic view of cardiovascular health risk in adults than each component separately. Currently, no pediatric version of this construct exists. This study sought to develop sex-specific charts of clinical cardiovascular health for age to describe current patterns of clinical cardiovascular health throughout childhood. METHODS: Data were used from children and adolescents aged 8-19 years in six pooled childhood cohorts (19,261 participants, collected between 1972 and 2010) to create reference standards for fasting glucose and total cholesterol. Using the models for glucose and cholesterol as well as previously published reference standards for body mass index and blood pressure, clinical cardiovascular health charts were developed. All models were estimated using sex-specific random-effects linear regression, and modeling was performed during 2020-2022. RESULTS: Models were created to generate charts with smoothed means, percentiles, and standard deviations of clinical cardiovascular health for each year of childhood. For example, a 10-year-old girl with a body mass index of 16 kg/m2 (30th percentile), blood pressure of 100/60 mm Hg (46th/50th), glucose of 80 mg/dL (31st), and total cholesterol of 160 mg/dL (46th) (lower implies better) would have a clinical cardiovascular health percentile of 62 (higher implies better). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical cardiovascular health charts based on pediatric data offer a standardized approach to express clinical cardiovascular health as an age- and sex-standardized percentile for clinicians to assess cardiovascular health in childhood to consider preventive approaches at early ages and proactively optimize lifetime trajectories of cardiovascular health.

Sexually Transmitted Infection Diagnoses at Children's Hospitals During COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 mitigation strategies resulted in changes in health care access and utilization, which could negatively impact adolescents at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We evaluated changes in STI diagnoses during adolescent visits at children's hospitals during COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System database comparing adolescent (11-18 years) hospital visits with an STI diagnosis by International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, code during COVID-19 (2020) to pre-COVID-19 (2017-2019). Data were divided into spring (March 15-May 31), summer (June 1-August 31), and fall (September 1-December 31). Median weekly visits and patient characteristics were compared using median regression. RESULTS: Of 2 747 135 adolescent encounters, there were 10 941 encounters with an STI diagnosis from 44 children's hospitals in 2020. There was a decrease in overall median weekly visits for STIs in spring during COVID-19 (n = -18.6%, P = .001) and an increase in overall visits in summer (11%, P = .002) during COVID-19. There were significant increases in inpatient median weekly visits for STIs in summer (30%, P = .001) and fall (27%, P = .003) during COVID-19. We found increases in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (50%, P < .001) and other STI diagnoses (defined as other or unspecified STI by International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, code; 38%, P = .040) in fall COVID-19 (2020), and a decrease in pelvic inflammatory disease (-28%, P = .032) in spring COVID-19 (2020). CONCLUSIONS: We found increases in median weekly adolescent inpatient visits with an STI diagnosis in summer and fall COVID-19 (2020). These findings were likely partially driven by changes in behaviors or health care access. Further work is needed to improve STI care and thus potentially improve related health outcomes.

Feasibility of recruiting adolescents into a prospective cohort study of the effects of social isolation during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Social connection and loneliness in adolescence are increasingly understood as critical influences on adult mental and physical health. The unique impact of the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown on emerging adults is therefore expected to be especially profound. We sought to investigate the feasibility of using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and wearable accelerometers to characterize the effects of social isolation and/or loneliness experienced by adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We recruited 19 participants aged 13-18 from an Adolescent Medicine practice in Atlanta, GA. Participants completed surveys at baseline and throughout a 2-week study period using EMA regarding their degree of social isolation, loneliness, family functioning, school climate, social media use, and COVID-19 experiences surrounding their physical, mental, and social domains. Six participants agreed to wear an activity tracker and heart rate measurement device for 14 days to monitor their emotional state and physical health. Participant feedback was collected via open-ended exit interviews. Feasibility of recruitment/retention, adherence, and outcome measures were investigated. Implementation was also assessed by evaluating the barriers and facilitators to study delivery. Associations between the social isolation and loneliness variables and all other variables were performed with univariate linear regression analysis with significance set at p < 0.05. The progression criteria were a recruitment rate of > 30% and a retention rate of > 80%. RESULTS: Progression criteria were met for recruitment (76%) of participants, but not retention (38%). Adherence to EMA survey completion was highly variable with only 54% completing ≥ 1 survey a day, and accelerometry use was not feasible. Social isolation was significantly correlated with lower school climate, higher COVID-19 experiences, higher depression scores, and lower sleep quality. Loneliness also showed a significant correlation with all these factors except COVID-19 experiences. CONCLUSIONS: EMA and wearable accelerometer use was not feasible in this longitudinal study of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further investigate barriers to conducting long-term research with adolescents and the potential effects of the pandemic on subject recruitment and retention.

An eHealth Prevention Program for Substance Use, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Risk Behaviors for Adolescents in Primary Care: Pilot Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of Teen Well Check.

BACKGROUND: Substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk behaviors are common among adolescents and are interrelated. Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents use substances before sexual encounters, placing these young people at risk for both sexual assault and sexual risk behaviors. Primary care visits present a unique opportunity to address multiple health risk behaviors. OBJECTIVE: Teen Well Check is a web-based integrated prevention program for substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk behaviors with demonstrated usability and acceptability among patients and providers. The aim of this study was to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial to assess feasibility. METHODS: Adolescents (n=123) aged 14 to 18 years from diverse backgrounds were recruited from primarily Medicaid-serving pediatric primary care clinics. Participants completed a baseline survey; were randomized to receive Teen Well Check or an assessment-only control; and completed 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up surveys. Feasibility was assessed in terms of recruitment and retention rates. Preliminary changes from baseline to follow-up periods were examined separately in the Teen Well Check and control conditions. RESULTS: We recruited 123 participants (Teen Well Check: n=61, 49.6%; control: n=62, 50.4%). Of the 61 participants assigned to the Teen Well Check condition, 55 (90%) completed the full program and viewed all intervention content. Of the 123 participants, 105 (85.4%) were retained across at least 1 follow-up period, and there was no difference in follow-up rates between the conditions (χ21=0.6; P=.43). The completion of Teen Well Check took an average of 6.2 (SD 5.8) minutes. Preliminary analyses revealed that there were significant reductions in perceived peer norms (descriptive norms) for substance use before sex across follow-ups among participants in the Teen Well Check condition (P=.001 from baseline to 6 months), whereas there were significant increases among participants in the control condition (P=.003 from baseline to 6 months). In addition, there were nonsignificant reductions in substance misuse risk from baseline to the 6-month follow-up among participants in the Teen Well Check condition (P=.16). CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the feasibility of Teen Well Check delivery within pediatric primary care clinics. A randomized clinical trial is needed to assess efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT3489434; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03489434.

HIV in youth prevention in the emergency department initiative: A survey of pediatric emergency medicine providers.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of HIV among adolescents remains high, and adolescents are known to participate in sexual behaviors that increase their risk for HIV, such as unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to be effective at preventing HIV when taken daily and is approved by the FDA for use in adolescents. Efforts to screen patients in adult emergency departments and connect them with PrEP services have been validated. We surveyed pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) providers to determine their knowledge of PrEP, prescribing practices, willingness to prescribe, and barriers to a screening protocol in the pediatric emergency department (PED). METHODS: We administered a survey to a multidisciplinary group of PEM providers to measure knowledge, use, willingness, and implementation barriers to PrEP as well as elements needed for a successful referral system. RESULTS: A total of 87 responses were included for analysis. While 79.1% of all providers had heard of PrEP, only 14.8% of prescribing providers had ever discussed PrEP with a patient, and none had ever prescribed PrEP. Overall, 76.3% of all providers were knowledgeable about PrEP based on answers to true/false questions, with prescribing providers significantly more likely to be knowledgeable compared to nurses (p = 0.005). Knowledgeable providers had higher willingness scores to refer for PrEP compared to providers who were not knowledgeable. Ninety-two percent of providers felt a PrEP referral process from the PED would be feasible. Creation of an eligibility algorithm and educational materials were the most common efforts providers preferred to make them more likely to refer for PrEP. The most notable barriers perceived by providers included patient noncompliance with therapy (20.9%), acceptance of PrEP discussion among patients and parents (19.8%), and cost of therapy (15.1%). CONCLUSION: PEM providers are knowledgeable about PrEP but have little experience with discussing or prescribing PrEP. Their willingness to refer for PrEP and anticipated feasibility of a PrEP referral system is encouraging. These results support the need for future educational efforts among PEM providers and creation of referral systems for PrEP services from the PED.

Adolescent individual, school, and neighborhood influences on young adult diabetes risk.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study examines the association between adolescent school and neighborhood contexts and the likelihood of diabetes in young adulthood. We apply cross-classified multi-level modeling (CCMM) techniques to examine the simultaneous influence of non-nested school and neighborhood contexts as well as individual, school, and neighborhood-level factors (N = 14,041 participants from 128 schools, 1933 neighborhoods). Our findings suggest that individual-level factors are most associated with young adult diabetes, with small contributions from school and neighborhood factors and a small proportion of the variation explained by school and neighborhood contexts.

Using instructor-developed study resources to increase evidence-based learning strategies among medical students: A mixed-methods study.

PURPOSE: Applying effective learning strategies to address knowledge gaps is a critical skill for lifelong learning, yet prior studies demonstrate that medical students use ineffective study habits. METHODS: To address this issue, the authors created and integrated study resources aligned with evidence-based learning strategies into a medical school course. Pre-/post-course surveys measured changes in students' knowledge and use of evidence-based learning strategies. Eleven in-depth interviews subsequently explored the impact of the learning resources on students' study habits. RESULTS: Of 139 students, 43 and 66 completed the pre- and post-course surveys, respectively. Students' knowledge of evidence-based learning strategies was unchanged; however, median time spent using flashcards (15% to 50%, p < .001) and questions (10% to 20%, p = .0067) increased while time spent creating lecture notes (20% to 0%, p = .003) and re-reading notes (10% to 0%, p = .009) decreased. In interviews, students described four ways their habits changed: increased use of active learning techniques, decreased time spent creating learning resources, reviewing content multiple times throughout the course, and increased use of study techniques synthesizing course content. CONCLUSION: Incorporating evidence-based study resources into the course increased students' use of effective learning techniques, suggesting this may be more effective than simply teaching about evidence-based learning.

Teen Well Check: an e-health prevention program for substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk behaviors for adolescents in primary care.

Objective: Adolescents are at risk for substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk behaviours; however, to date no integrated prevention programmes address all three risk behaviours. The goal of this study was to evaluate the usability and acceptability of Teen Well Check, an e-health prevention programme targeting substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk among adolescents in primary care settings.Methods: The current study included content analysis of interviews with adolescents in primary care (aged 14-18; n = 25) in the intervention development process, followed by usability and acceptability testing with qualitative interviews among adolescents in primary care (aged 14-18; n = 10) and pediatric primary care providers (n = 11) in the intervention refinement process. All data were collected in the Southeastern U.S.Results: Feedback on Teen Well Check addressed content, engagement and interaction, language and tone, aesthetics, logistics, inclusivity, parent/guardian-related topics, and the application of personal stories. Overall, providers reported they would be likely to use this intervention (5.1 out of 7.0) and recommend it to adolescents (5.4 out of 7.0).Conclusions: These findings suggest preliminary usability and acceptability of Teen Well Check. A randomized clinical trial is needed to assess efficacy.

Adolescents are at risk for substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk behaviours.The goal of this study was to evaluate the usability and acceptability of Teen Well Check, an e-health prevention programme targeting substance use, sexual assault, and sexual risk among adolescents in primary care settings.Providers and adolescents rated Teen Well Check as usable and acceptable, and providers indicated that they would recommend it to their adolescent patients.

Screen Time from Adolescence to Adulthood and Cardiometabolic Disease: a Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have analyzed the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic disease risk factors among adolescents, but few have examined the longitudinal effects of screen time on cardiometabolic health into adulthood using nationally representative data. OBJECTIVE: To determine prospective associations between screen time and later cardiometabolic disease over a 24-year period using a nationally representative adolescent cohort. DESIGN: Longitudinal prospective cohort data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) collected from 1994 to 2018. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescents aged 11-18 years old at baseline (1994-1995) followed for 24 years. MAIN MEASURES: Predictors: screen time (five repeated measures of self-reported television and video watching from adolescence to adulthood). OUTCOMES: Five repeated measures of body mass index (BMI); two repeated measures of waist circumference, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes collected at 15- and 24-year follow-up exams. KEY RESULTS: For the 7105 adolescents in the sample (49.7% female, 35.0% non-white), the baseline adolescent average screen time per day was 2.86 ± 0.08 hours per day, which generally declined through 24-year follow-up. Average BMI at baseline was 22.57 ± 0.13 kg/m2, which increased to 30.27 ± 0.18 kg/m2 through follow-up. By 24-year follow-up, 43.4% of participants had obesity, 8.4% had diabetes, 31.8% had hypertension, and 14.9% had hyperlipidemia. In mixed-effects generalized linear models, each additional hour of screen time per day was associated with 0.06 (95% CI 0.04-0.09) within-person increase in BMI. Each additional hour of screen time per day was associated with higher within-person odds of high waist circumference (AOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.09-1.26), obesity (AOR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.15), and diabetes (AOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.28). Screen time was not significantly associated with hypertension or hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective cohort study, higher screen time in adolescence was associated with higher odds of select indicators of cardiometabolic disease in adulthood.

A Case Study of Curriculum Co-creation During a Seminar-Style Course for Senior Medical Students.

Introduction: Opportunities to learn about education theory underpinning medical education are limited in both undergraduate and graduate medical education and predominantly focus on "student as teacher." Key components of education theory relevant to medical education, including learning theory, curricular design, and assessment design, are rarely included in student-as-teacher training. Opportunities for medical students to co-create curricula with faculty are scarce. Methods: We present the case study of a month-long, seminar-style course titled, Applications and Foundations of Education in Medical Education. We describe the course, report student feedback, and identify the value of curriculum co-creation expressed in student reflections. The course was designed by a faculty member with formal medical education training; students co-created their own learning outcomes through self-selected articles and personal reflections on the topics: How do people learn; what is the best way to teach; what is a curriculum; and how should students be assessed? Results: Forty-seven post-clinical students completed the course; 28 completed course evaluations. They strongly agreed that the class met its stated goals (4.89/5) and that faculty teaching (4.93/5) and supervision (4.93/5) were appropriate. Themes from student reflections expressed that the co-creation process was insightful about the profession itself, from the perspective of their own participation in learning how to become a member of the profession. Discussion: This course offered a unique opportunity for medical students to learn medical education beyond the skill of teaching. The course allowed deep immersion into current literature and offered the chance to plan and execute one's own learning.

Depression and Anxiety Are Associated With Cardiovascular Health in Young Adults.

Background Cardiovascular health (CVH) declines in young adulthood, and mood disorders commonly emerge during this life stage. This study examined the association between depression, anxiety, and CVH metrics among young adults. Methods and Results We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of participants aged 18 to 34 years who completed the Emory Healthy Aging Study Health History Questionnaire (n=875). We classified participants as having poor, intermediate, or ideal levels of the 8 CVH metrics using definitions set forth by the American Heart Association with adaptions when necessary. We defined depression and anxiety as absent, mild, or moderate to severe using standard cutoffs for Patient Health Questionnaire and General Anxiety Disorder scales. We used multivariable regression to examine the association between depression and anxiety and CVH, adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, and education. The mean participant age was 28.3 years, and the majority identified as women (724; 82.7%); 129 (14.7%) participants had moderate to severe anxiety, and 128 (14.6%) participants had moderate to severe depression. Compared with those without anxiety, participants with moderate to severe anxiety were less likely to meet ideal levels of physical activity (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 0.60 [95% CI, 0.44-0.82]), smoking (aPR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.82-0.99]), and body mass index (aPR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.66-0.95]). Participants with moderate to severe depression were less likely than those without depression to meet ideal levels of physical activity (aPR, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.34-0.69]), body mass index (aPR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.61-0.91]), sleep (aPR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.66-0.94]), and blood pressure (aPR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.86-0.99]). Conclusions Anxiety and depression are associated with less ideal CVH in young adults. Interventions targeting CVH behaviors such as physical activity, diet, and sleep may improve both mood and CVH.

Assessing and Promoting Cardiovascular Health for Adolescent Women: User-Centered Design Approach.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States. A considerable number of young women already have risk factors for CVD. Awareness of CVD and its risk factors is critical to preventing CVD, yet younger women are less aware of CVD prevalence, its risk factors, and preventative behaviors compared to older women. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess CVD awareness among adolescent and young adult women and develop a lifestyle-based cardiovascular risk assessment tool for the promotion of CVD awareness among this population. METHODS: This study used a 3-phase iterative design process with young women and health care practitioners from primary care and reproductive care clinics in Atlanta, Georgia. In phase 1, we administered a modified version of the American Heart Association Women's Health Survey to young women, aged 15-24 years (n=67), to assess their general CVD awareness. In phase 2, we interviewed young women, aged 13-21 years (n=10), and their health care practitioners (n=10), to solicit suggestions for adapting the Healthy Heart Score, an existing adult cardiovascular risk assessment tool, for use with this age group. We also aimed to learn more about the barriers and challenges to health behavior change within this population and the clinical practices that serve them. In phase 3, we used the findings from the first 2 phases to create a prototype of a new online cardiovascular risk assessment tool designed specifically for young women. We then used an iterative user-centered design process to collect feedback from approximately 105 young women, aged 13-21 years, as we adapted the tool. RESULTS: Only 10.5% (7/67) of the young women surveyed correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death among women in the United States. Few respondents reported having discussed their personal risk (4/67, 6%) or family history of CVD (8/67, 11.9%) with a health care provider. During the interviews, young women reported better CVD awareness and knowledge after completing the adult risk assessment tool and suggested making the tool more teen-friendly by incorporating relevant foods and activity options. Health care practitioners emphasized shortening the assessment for easier use within practice and discussed other barriers adolescents may face in adopting heart-healthy behaviors. The result of the iterative design process was a youth-friendly prototype of a cardiovascular risk assessment tool. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent and young adult women demonstrate low awareness of CVD. This study illustrates the potential value of a cardiovascular risk assessment tool adapted for use with young women and showcases the importance of user-centered design when creating digital health interventions.

Evaluation of a one-hour asynchronous video training for eating disorder screening and referral in U.S. Pediatric Primary Care: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and pilot-test the efficacy of an online training in improving comfort, knowledge, and behaviors related to eating disorders (EDs) screening among U.S.-based pediatric primary care providers (PCPs). METHODS: PCPs (N = 84) completed a baseline survey assessing comfort, knowledge, and behaviors regarding ED screening and referral, then watched a 1-h training video followed by a post-video survey. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to complete spaced-education questions in the following 2 months. All participants completed a 2-month follow-up survey. We used McNemar's and McNemar-Bowker tests to assess differences from baseline to post-video and post-video to follow-up, and logistic models to assess differences by spaced-education condition. RESULTS: From baseline to post-video, there were significant improvements in PCPs' knowledge about and comfort in screening and making referrals for EDs (p < .05). There were no differences between spaced-education conditions in knowledge and behaviors from baseline or post-video to follow-up, but spaced-education participants reported significantly greater comfort in screening for BN (p < .01) and BED (p < .01) compared to non-spaced-education participants. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that a 1-h asynchronous training can improve PCP comfort, knowledge, and behavior in screening for EDs; spaced-education may provide slight additional benefits in PCP comfort. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: The delivery of an 1-h asynchronous online video training helped to improve PCPs' comfort, knowledge, and behavior in screening and referral for EDs among pediatric populations. This has implications for future evaluations of brief trainings among this provider population, which could ultimately help to improve early identification of EDs and referrals to appropriate treatment.

Knowledge and perception of cardiovascular disease risk in women of reproductive age.

Objective: Women who experience adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, their knowledge of CVD risk is not well characterized. We aimed to evaluate knowledge and perception of CVD risk in young women and to determine whether these factors differ based on experience of an APO. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among women with a recent live birth at an urban medical center. Knowledge and perception of CVD risk were assessed through a self-administered online survey adapted from the American Heart Association Survey of Women's CVD Awareness. Results: Of 5612 individuals contacted between 3/1/21 and 4/18/21, 714 completed the survey; the mean (SD) age was 34 (4) years and 25% reported an APO. While 62% of respondents identified CVD as the leading cause of death in women, there was no significant difference in CVD knowledge scores between participants who reported experiencing an APO and those who did not (6.9 vs 6.8 out of 10; p = 0.51). Participants who reported experiencing an APO had higher perception of personal risk for CVD (adjusted odds ratio, 2.64 [95% CI 1.83-3.80]) compared with participants who did not. Half of participants who experienced an APO reported perceiving average, or below average, risk for CVD and only 41 (22.5%) reported speaking with a healthcare professional about CVD within the past year. Conclusions: Gaps remain in knowledge of CVD risk among young women, particularly after an APO. The peripartum period may represent a unique opportunity for targeted education when healthcare engagement is high.

Adolescent individual, school, and neighborhood influences on young adult hypertension risk.

BACKGROUND: Geographic and contextual socioeconomic risk factors in adolescence may be more strongly associated with young adult hypertension than individual-level risk factors. This study examines the association between individual, neighborhood, and school-level influences during adolescence on young adult blood pressure. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1994-1995 aged 11-18 and 2007-2008 aged 24-32). We categorized hypertension as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg. Secondary outcomes included continuous systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We fit a series of cross-classified multilevel models to estimate the associations between young adulthood hypertension with individual-level, school-level, and neighborhood-level factors during adolescence (i.e., fixed effects) and variance attributable to each level (i.e., random effects). Models were fit using Bayesian estimation procedures. For linear models, intra-class correlations (ICC) are reported for random effects. RESULTS: The final sample included 13,911 participants in 128 schools and 1,917 neighborhoods. Approximately 51% (7,111) young adults were hypertensive. Individual-level characteristics-particularly older ages, Non-Hispanic Black race, Asian race, male sex, BMI, and current smoking-were associated with increased hypertension. Non-Hispanic Black (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.03-1.42) and Asian (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.02-1.62) students had higher odds of hypertension compared to non-Hispanic White students. At the school level, hypertension was associated with the percentage of non-Hispanic White students (OR for 10% higher = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01-1.09). Adjusting for individual, school, and neighborhood predictors attenuated the ICC for both the school (from 1.4 null to 0.9 fully-adjusted) and neighborhood (from 0.4 to 0.3). CONCLUSION: We find that adolescents' schools and individual-level factors influence young adult hypertension, more than neighborhoods. Unequal conditions in school environments for adolescents may increase the risk of hypertension later in life. Our findings merit further research to better understand the mechanisms through which adolescents' school environments contribute to adult hypertension and disparities in hypertension outcomes later in life.