Developing survey weights to ensure representativeness in a national, matched cohort study: results from the children and young people with Long Covid (CLoCk) study.

BACKGROUND: Findings from studies assessing Long Covid in children and young people (CYP) need to be assessed in light of their methodological limitations. For example, if non-response and/or attrition over time systematically differ by sub-groups of CYP, findings could be biased and any generalisation limited. The present study aimed to (i) construct survey weights for the Children and young people with Long Covid (CLoCk) study, and (ii) apply them to published CLoCk findings showing the prevalence of shortness of breath and tiredness increased over time from baseline to 12-months post-baseline in both SARS-CoV-2 Positive and Negative CYP. METHODS: Logistic regression models were fitted to compute the probability of (i) Responding given envisioned to take part, (ii) Responding timely given responded, and (iii) (Re)infection given timely response. Response, timely response and (re)infection weights were generated as the reciprocal of the corresponding probability, with an overall 'envisioned population' survey weight derived as the product of these weights. Survey weights were trimmed, and an interactive tool developed to re-calibrate target population survey weights to the general population using data from the 2021 UK Census. RESULTS: Flexible survey weights for the CLoCk study were successfully developed. In the illustrative example, re-weighted results (when accounting for selection in response, attrition, and (re)infection) were consistent with published findings. CONCLUSIONS: Flexible survey weights to address potential bias and selection issues were created for and used in the CLoCk study. Previously reported prospective findings from CLoCk are generalisable to the wider population of CYP in England. This study highlights the importance of considering selection into a sample and attrition over time when considering generalisability of findings.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on 397 631 elective dental admissions among the under-25s in England: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 caused widespread disruptions to health services worldwide, including reductions in elective surgery. Tooth extractions are among the most common reasons for elective surgery among children and young people (CYP). It is unclear how COVID-19 affected elective dental surgeries in hospitals over multiple pandemic waves at a national level. METHODS: Elective dental tooth extraction admissions were selected using Hospital Episode Statistics. Admission trends for the first 14 pandemic months were compared with the previous five years and results were stratified by age (under-11s, 11-16s, 17-24s). RESULTS: The most socioeconomically deprived CYP comprised the largest proportion of elective dental tooth extraction admissions. In April 2020, admissions dropped by >95%. In absolute terms, the biggest reduction was in April (11-16s: -1339 admissions, 95% CI -1411 to -1267; 17-24s: -1600, -1678 to -1521) and May 2020 (under-11s: -2857, -2962 to -2752). Admissions differed by socioeconomic deprivation for the under-11s (P < 0.0001), driven by fewer admissions than expected by the most deprived and more by the most affluent during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Elective tooth extractions dropped most in April 2020, remaining below pre-pandemic levels throughout the study. Despite being the most likely to be admitted, the most deprived under-11s had the largest reductions in admissions relative to other groups.

Strategies and interventions for healthy adolescent growth, nutrition, and development.

Adolescence is a pivotal point in the life course, characterised by transformative physical, cognitive, and emotional growth, an openness to change, and a drive to reshape the social environment. It offers unique opportunities to adopt changes in diet and physical activity that can persist into later life. Yet pre-existing nutritional problems, including micronutrient deficiencies, food insecurity, and poor-quality diets, persist at the same time as adolescents face the rapid emergence of an obesity epidemic. Adolescent growth and nutrition has been largely overlooked in intervention and policy research. Most intervention studies have emphasised micronutrient supplementation, with few taking into account the multiple drivers of adolescent diets. This Series paper highlights that effective interventions and policies will need to cut across sectors; be supported by multifaceted and multilevel policy; and extend across education, health, food systems, social protection, and digital media. Better data standardisation and systems will be essential in coordinating and monitoring these responses. In a context of shifts in planetary ecosystems and commercial drivers, resilient food systems will need to both ensure access to healthy and affordable foods and provide the infrastructure and incentives for continuing physical activity. Intergenerational partnerships with young people will be essential in bringing about transformative change and ensuring that food policies reflect their needs and aspirations.

This needs to be a journey that we're actually on together'-the introduction of integrated care systems for children and young people in England: a qualitative study of the views of local system stakeholders during winter 2021/22.

BACKGROUND: Integrated care has become a central feature of health system reform worldwide. In England, Integrated Care Systems (ICS) are intended to improve integration across public health, the National Health Service (NHS), education and social care. By April 2021, England had been divided into 42 geographical areas, each tasked with developing local ICS provision. However, it was not clear how ICSs would address the specific needs of children and young people (CYP). This study elicited the views of senior professional stakeholders in the first year of the ICS national roll out, to learn how integrated care for CYP was being implemented within the ICSs and future plans for service provision. METHODS: A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, NHS managers and local authority leaders (n = 25) selected from a diverse sample of ICSs (n = 7) across England, conducted during winter 2021/22. Reflexive thematic analysis involving a collaborative coding approach was used to analyse interview transcripts. RESULTS: Four themes were identified, indicating challenges and opportunities for ICSs in relation to the health of CYP: 1) Best start in life (a more holistic approach to health afforded by integrated care); 2) Local and national contexts (tensions between local and national settings and priorities); 3) Funding and planning (instituting innovative, long-term plans using limited existing CYP funding streams); 4) Organisational complexities (integrating the work of diverse organisations). CONCLUSIONS: The views of stakeholders, provided at the beginning of the journey towards developing local ICS CYP provision, revealed a common aspiration to change focus from provision of acute, largely adult-orientated services towards one with a broader, population health remit, including prevention and early intervention. This would be delivered by integration of a range of local services, including health, education, housing and social care, to set CYP on a life-long path towards improved health and wellbeing. Yet there was an awareness that change would take place over time within existing national policy and funding frameworks, and would require overcoming organisational barriers through further developing local collaborations and partnerships. As ICSs mature, the experiences of stakeholders should continue to be canvassed to identify practical lessons for successful CYP integrated care.

Implementation and delivery of group consultations for young people with diabetes in socioeconomically deprived, ethnically diverse settings.

BACKGROUND: Young people with diabetes experience poor clinical and psychosocial outcomes, and consider the health service ill-equipped in meeting their needs. Improvements, including alternative consulting approaches, are required to improve care quality and patient engagement. We examined how group-based, outpatient diabetes consultations might be delivered to support young people (16-25 years old) in socio-economically deprived, ethnically diverse settings. METHODS: This multi-method, comparative study recruited a total of 135 young people with diabetes across two implementation and two comparison sites (2017-2019). Informed by a 'researcher-in-residence' approach and complexity theory, we used a combination of methods: (a) 31 qualitative interviews with young people and staff and ethnographic observation in group and individual clinics, (b) quantitative analysis of sociodemographic, clinical, service use, and patient enablement data, and (c) micro-costing analysis. RESULTS: Implementation sites delivered 29 group consultations in total. Overall mean attendance per session was low, but a core group of young people attended repeatedly. They reported feeling better understood and supported, gaining new learning from peers and clinicians, and being better prepared to normalise diabetes self-care. Yet, there were also instances where peer comparison proved difficult to manage. Group consultations challenged deeply embedded ways of thinking about care provision and required staff to work flexibly to achieve local tailoring, sustain continuity, and safely manage complex interdependencies with other care processes. Set-up and delivery were time-consuming and required in-depth clinical and relational knowledge of patients. Facilitation by an experienced youth worker was instrumental. There was indication that economic value could derive from preventing at least one unscheduled consultation annually. CONCLUSIONS: Group consulting can provide added value when tailored to meet local needs rather than following standardised approaches. This study illustrates the importance of adaptive capability and self-organisation when integrating new models of care, with young people as active partners in shaping service provision. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN reference 27989430.

A cross-sectional study using the Childhood Measurement Programme for Wales to examine population-level risk factors associated with childhood obesity.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between childhood obesity and modifiable population-level risk factors, after accounting for deprivation. DESIGN: A review of the literature identified population-level risk factors including a healthy childcare setting, the local food environment, accessible open space, community safety and crime. Data for these risk factors were then identified and matched by each of the twenty-two local government areas in Wales to each child that had data on height and weight in the Wales Childhood Measurement Programme (CMP) (2012-2017). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify associations with childhood obesity. SETTING: The current study was undertaken in Wales, UK, where approximately one in eight 4-5-year-olds are classified as obese. PARTICIPANTS: All participants were children aged 4 or 5 years who attend school, measured as part of the CMP, between 2012 and 2017 (n 129 893, mean age 5·0 (sd 0·4) years). RESULTS: After adjusting for deprivation, small but statistically significant associations were found between childhood obesity and percentage of land available as accessible open space OR 0·981 (95 % CI: 0·973, 0·989) P < 0·001) and density of fast food outlets OR 1·002 (95 % CI 1·001, 1·004, P = 0·001). No other population-level risk factors were associated with childhood obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The current study indicates that, even after accounting for deprivation, risk factors such as the density of fast food outlets and access to green space should be considered when tackling childhood obesity as a public health issue.

Early-life maternal attachment and risky health behaviours in adolescence: findings from the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Early uptake of multiple risky behaviours during adolescence, such as substance use, antisocial and sexual behaviours, can lead to poor health outcomes without timely interventions. This study investigated how early-life maternal attachment, or emotional bonds between mothers and infants, influenced later risky behaviours in adolescence alongside other potential explanatory pathways using the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study. METHODS: Total maternal attachment scores measured at 9 months using the Condon (1998) Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale compared higher and lower attachment, where mothers in the lowest 10th percentile represented lower attachment. Multiple risky behaviours, defined as two or more risky behaviours (including smoking cigarettes, vaping, alcohol consumption, illegal drug use, antisocial behaviour, criminal engagement, unsafe sex, and gambling), were scored from 0 to 8 at age 17. Five multivariate logistic regression models examined associations between maternal attachment and multiple risky behaviours among Millennium Cohort Study members (n = 7796). Mediation analysis sequentially adjusted for blocks of explanatory mechanisms, including low attachment mechanisms (multiple births, infant prematurity, sex, breastfeeding, unplanned pregnancy and maternal age at birth), maternal depression, and social inequalities (single-parent status, socioeconomic circumstance by maternal education and household income) at 9 months and poor adolescent mental health at 14 years. RESULTS: Children of mothers with lower maternal attachment at 9 months had 23% increased odds of multiple risky behaviours at 17 years (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.00-1.50) in the unadjusted baseline model. All five explanatory blocks attenuated baseline odds. Low attachment mechanisms attenuated 13%, social inequalities 17%, and poor mental health 17%. Maternal depression attenuated the highest proportion (26%) after fully adjusting for all factors (30%). CONCLUSIONS: Lower maternal attachment in early life predicted increased adolescent multiple risky behaviours. Almost a third of the excess risk was attributable to child, maternal and socioeconomic factors, with over a quarter explained by maternal depression. Recognising the influence of early-life risk factors on adolescent health could innovate current policies and interventions addressing multiple risky behaviour uptake affecting health inequalities across the life course.

Mental health and well-being trends among children and young people in the UK, 1995-2014: analysis of repeated cross-sectional national health surveys.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing concern about the mental health of children and young people (CYP) in the UK, with increasing demand for counselling services, admissions for self-harm and referrals to mental health services. We investigated whether there have been similar recent trends in selected mental health outcomes among CYP in national health surveys from England, Scotland and Wales. METHODS: Data were analysed from 140 830 participants (4-24 years, stratified into 4-12, 13-15, 16-24 years) in 36 national surveys in England, Scotland and Wales, 1995-2014. Regression models were used to examine time trends in seven parent/self-reported variables: general health, any long-standing health condition, long-standing mental health condition; Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Score (WEMWBS), above-threshold Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total (SDQT) score, SDQ Emotion (SDQE) score, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score. RESULTS: Across all participants aged 4-24, long-standing mental health conditions increased in England (0.8-4.8% over 19 years), Scotland (2.3-6.0%, 11 years) and Wales (2.6-4.1%, 7 years) (all p < 0.001). Among young children (4-12 years), the proportion reporting high SDQT and SDQE scores decreased significantly among both boys and girls in England [SDQE: odds ratio (OR) 0.97 (0.96-0.98), p < 0.001] and girls in Scotland [SDQE: OR 0.96 (0.93-0.99), p = 0.005]. The proportion with high SDQE scores (13-15 years) decreased in England [OR 0.98 (0.96-0.99), p = 0.006] but increased in Wales [OR 1.07 (1.03-1.10), p < 0.001]. The proportion with high GHQ scores decreased among English women (16-24 years) [OR 0.98 (0.98-0.99), p = 0.002]. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a striking increase in the reported prevalence of long-standing mental health conditions among UK CYP, there was relatively little change in questionnaire scores reflecting psychological distress and emotional well-being.

Trajectories of change in childhood obesity prevalence across local authorities 2007/08-2015/16: a latent trajectory analysis.

BACKGROUND: We investigated differing trajectories of childhood obesity prevalence amongst English local authorities (LAs). METHODS: Data on prevalence of childhood obesity (BMI ≥ 95th centile) for Reception year and Year 6 for 150 LAs in England from 2006/07 to 2015/16 were obtained from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). Latent class mixture modelling (LCCM) was used to identify classes of change in obesity prevalence. RESULTS: In Reception, most LAs showed little change across the period (Class 1; stable, moderate obesity prevalence;84%), with a smaller group with a high prevalence that fell thereafter (Class 2; high but falling obesity prevalence; 16%). In Year 6 we identified three classes: moderate obesity prevalence (Class 3; 43%); high and rising obesity prevalence (Class 2; 36%); and stable low obesity prevalence (Class 1; 21%). Greater LA deprivation and higher LA proportion of non-white ethnicity increased risk of being in Class 2 (Reception) or Class 2 or 3 (Year 6) compared with Class 1. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of childhood obesity in LAs in England follow a small number of differing trajectories that are influenced by LA deprivation and ethnic composition. LAs following a stable low obesity trajectory for Year 6 are targets for further investigation.

Impact of preventive primary care on children's unplanned hospital admissions: a population-based birth cohort study of UK children 2000-2013.

BACKGROUND: Universal health coverage (UHC) aims to improve child health through preventive primary care and vaccine coverage. Yet, in many developed countries with UHC, unplanned and ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) hospital admissions in childhood continue to rise. We investigated the relation between preventive primary care and risk of unplanned and ACS admission in children in a high-income country with UHC. METHODS: We followed 319,780 children registered from birth with 363 English practices in Clinical Practice Research Datalink linked to Hospital Episodes Statistics, born between January 2000 and March 2013. We used Cox regression estimating adjusted hazard ratios (HR) to examine subsequent risk of unplanned and ACS hospital admissions in children who received preventive primary care (development checks and vaccinations), compared with those who did not. RESULTS: Overall, 98% of children had complete vaccinations and 87% had development checks. Unplanned admission rates were 259, 105 and 42 per 1000 child-years in infants (aged < 1 year), preschool (1-4 years) and primary school (5-9 years) children, respectively. Lack of preventive care was associated with more unplanned admissions. Infants with incomplete vaccination had increased risk for all unplanned admissions (HR 1.89, 1.79-2.00) and vaccine-preventable admissions (HR 4.41, 2.59-7.49). Infants lacking development checks had higher risk for unplanned admission (HR 4.63, 4.55-4.71). These associations persisted across childhood. Children who had higher consulting rates with primary care providers also had higher risk of unplanned admission (preschool children: HR 1.17, 1.17-1.17). One third of all unplanned admissions (62,154/183,530) were for ACS infectious illness. Children with chronic ACS conditions, asthma, diabetes or epilepsy had increased risk of unplanned admission (HR 1.90, 1.77-2.04, HR 11.43, 8.48-15.39, and HR 4.82, 3.93-5.91, respectively). These associations were modified in children who consulted more in primary care. CONCLUSIONS: A high uptake of preventive primary care from birth is associated with fewer unplanned and ACS admissions in children. However, the clustering of poor health, a lack of preventive care uptake, and social deprivation puts some children with comorbid conditions at very high risk of admission. Strengthening immunisation coverage and preventive primary care in countries with poor UHC could potentially significantly reduce the health burden from hospital admission in children.

Fifteen-minute consultation: public health for paediatricians-adolescent public health.

Paediatricians have a key role to play in ensuring a holistic, integrated approach is taken to meeting adolescent health needs. There is increasing evidence that failure to do so can lead to poor healthcare experience, avoidable ill health and increased need for healthcare services, both in the short term and in adult life. This article aims to guide paediatricians in answering the questions 'How well are the public health and clinical needs of the adolescent population in my area being met? And how can we improve?'

Deaths in young people aged 0-24 years in the UK compared with the EU15+ countries, 1970-2008: analysis of the WHO Mortality Database.

BACKGROUND: Concern is growing that mortality and health in children and young people in the UK lags behind that of similar countries. METHODS: We analysed death registry data provided to the WHO Mortality Database to compare UK mortality for children and young people aged 0-24 years with that of European Union member states (before May, 2004, excluding the UK, plus Australia, Canada, and Norway [the EU15+ countries]) from 1970 to 2008 using the WHO World Mortality Database. We grouped causes of death by Global Burden of Disease classification: communicable, nutritional, or maternal causes; non-communicable disorders; and injury. UK mortality trends were compared with quartiles of mortality in EU15+ countries. We used quasi-likelihood Poisson models to explore differences between intercepts and slopes between the UK and the EU15+ countries. FINDINGS: In 1970, UK total mortality was in the best EU15+ quartile (<25th centile) for children and young people aged 1-24 years, with UK infant mortality similar to the EU15+ median. Subsequent mortality reductions in the UK were smaller than were those in the EU15+ countries in all age groups. By 2008, total mortality for neonates, infants, and children aged 1-4 years in the UK was in the worst EU15+ quartile (>75th centile). In 2008, UK annual excess mortality compared with the EU15+ median was 1035 deaths for infants and 134 for children aged 1-9 years. Mortality from non-communicable diseases in the UK fell from being roughly equivalent to the EU15+ median in 1970 to the worst quartile in all age groups by 2008, with 446 annual excess deaths from non-communicable diseases in the UK (280 for young people aged 10-24 years) in 2008. UK mortality from injury remained in the best EU15+ quartile for the study period in all age groups. INTERPRETATION: The UK has not matched the gains made in child, adolescent, and young adult mortality by other comparable countries in the 40 years since 1970, particularly for infant deaths and mortality from non-communicable diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders. The UK needs to identify and address amenable social determinants and health system factors that lead to poor health outcomes for infants and for children and young people with chronic disorders. FUNDING: None.

School-level variation in health outcomes in adolescence: analysis of three longitudinal studies in England.

School factors are associated with many health outcomes in adolescence. However, previous studies report inconsistent findings regarding the degree of school-level variation for health outcomes, particularly for risk behaviours. This study uses data from three large longitudinal studies in England to investigate school-level variation in a range of health indicators. Participants were drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, the Me and My School Study and the Research with East London Adolescent Community Health Survey. Outcome variables included risk behaviours (smoking, alcohol/cannabis use, sexual behaviour), behavioural difficulties and victimisation, obesity and physical activity, mental and emotional health, and educational attainment. Multi-level models were used to calculate the proportion of variance in outcomes explained at school level, expressed as intraclass correlations (ICCs) adjusted for gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status of the participants. ICCs for health outcomes ranged from nearly nil to .28 and were almost uniformly lower than for attainment (.17-.23). Most adjusted ICCs were smaller than unadjusted values, suggesting that school-level variation partly reflects differences in pupil demographics. School-level variation was highest for risk behaviours. ICCs were largely comparable across datasets, as well as across years within datasets, suggesting that school-level variation in health remains fairly constant across adolescence. School-level variation in health outcomes remains significant after adjustment for individual demographic differences between schools, confirming likely effects for school environment. Variance is highest for risk behaviours, supporting the utility of school environment interventions for these outcomes.

Rising Unscheduled Healthcare Utilisation of Children and Young People: How Does the Rise Vary Across Deprivation Quintiles in UK Nations?

This retrospective population-based analysis assessed variations in urgent healthcare use by children and young people (CYP) across UK nations (England, Scotland and Wales) between 2007 and 2017. The study focused on urgent hospital admissions, short stay urgent admissions (SSUA) and Emergency Department (ED) attendances among CYP aged <25 years, stratified by age groups and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile groups. A linear mixed model was used to assess trends in healthcare activity over time and across deprivation quintiles. Urgent admissions, SSUA and ED attendances increased across all deprivation quintiles in all studied nations. Increasing deprivation was consistently associated with higher urgent healthcare utilisation. In England, the rise in urgent admissions and SSUA for CYP was slower for CYP from the quintile of greatest deprivation compared those from the least deprived quintile (respective mean differences 0.69/1000/y [95% CI 0.53, 0.85] and 0.25/1000/y [0.07, 0.42]), leading to a narrowing in health inequality. Conversely, in Scotland, urgent admissions and SSUA increased more rapidly for CYP from all deprivation quintiles, widening health inequality. Understanding the differences we describe here could inform changes to NHS pathways of care across the UK which slow the rise in urgent healthcare use for CYP.

Mental health clinical pathways for children and young people with long-term health conditions: A systematic review.

RATIONALE: Clinical pathways (CPWs) are structured care plans that set out essential steps in the care of patients with a specific clinical problem. Amidst calls for the prioritisation of integrated mental and physical health care for young people, multidisciplinary CPWs have been proposed as a step towards closer integration. There is very limited evidence around CPWs for young people with mental and physical health needs, necessitating a review of the literature. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review is to understand how clinical pathways have been used to deliver mental health support to children and young people with long-term physical health conditions and their effectiveness across a range of outcomes. METHODS: The databases MEDLINE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched from inception to 6 September 2023. Keywords linked to children and young people, mental health, long-term physical health conditions and CPWs were used. Studies using either quantitative or qualitative research designs were included. All studies must have evaluated a CPW to provide mental health support to children and young people (up to 25 years old) with long-term health physical conditions. Both mental and physical health outcomes were considered. Pathways were grouped by integration 'model' as described in the wider literature. RESULTS: The initial search returned 4082 studies after deduplication. A total of eight studies detailing six distinct care pathways (232 participants [170 children and young people; 50 caregivers; 12 healthcare professionals]) met eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. Four pathways were conducted within an 'integrated model'; two were a combination of 'integrated' and 'colocated'; and none within a 'co-ordinated model'. Only pathways within an integrated model reported quantitative health outcomes, with improvements across a range of mental health measures. One negative physical health outcome was reported from an integrated diabetes pathway, but this should be interpreted with caution. CONCLUSION: This review identified a range of CPW designs but most fell under an integrated model. The results suggest that calls for integrated mental health pathways in this population may be appropriate; however, conclusions are limited by a paucity of evidence.

Place of birth and postnatal transfers in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia in England and Wales: a descriptive observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical pathways for infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and short-term outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study using the UK National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD). PATIENTS: Babies with a diagnosis of CDH admitted to a neonatal unit in England and Wales between 2012 and 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical pathways defined by place of birth (with or without colocated neonatal and surgical facilities), transfers, clinical interventions, length of hospital stay and discharge outcome. RESULTS: There were 1319 babies with a diagnosis of CDH cared for in four clinical pathways: born in maternity units with (1) colocated tertiary neonatal and surgical units ('neonatal surgical units'), 50% (660/1319); (2) designated tertiary neonatal unit and transfer to stand-alone surgical centre ('tertiary designated'), 25% (337/1319); (3) non-designated tertiary neonatal unit ('tertiary non-designated'), 7% (89/1319); or (4) non-tertiary unit ('non-tertiary'), 18% (233/1319)-the latter three needing postnatal transfers. Infant characteristics were similar for infants born in neonatal surgical and tertiary designated units. Excluding 149 infants with minimal data due to early transfer (median (IQR) 2.2 (0.4-4.5) days) to other settings, survival to neonatal discharge was 73% (851/1170), with a median (IQR) stay of 26 (16-44) days. CONCLUSIONS: We found that half of the babies with CDH were born in hospitals that did not have on-site surgical services and required postnatal transfer. Similar characteristics between infants born in neonatal surgical units and tertiary designated units suggest that organisation rather than infant factors influence place of birth. Future work linking the NNRD to other datasets will enable comparisons between care pathways.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical management trends for acute appendicitis among the under-25s: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on acute appendicitis management on children and young people (CYP). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: All English National Health Service hospitals. PATIENTS: Acute appendicitis admissions (all, simple, complex) by CYP (under-5s, 5-9s, 10-24s). EXPOSURE: Study pandemic period: February 2020-March 2021. Comparator pre-pandemic period: February 2015-January 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Monthly appendicectomy and laparoscopic appendicectomy rate trends and absolute differences between pandemic month and the pre-pandemic average. Proportions of appendicitis admissions comprising complex appendicitis by hospital with or without specialist paediatric centres were compared. RESULTS: 101 462 acute appendicitis admissions were analysed. Appendicectomy rates fell most in April 2020 for the 5-9s (-18.4% (95% CI -26.8% to -10.0%)) and 10-24s (-28.4% (-38.9% to -18.0%)), driven by reductions in appendicectomies for simple appendicitis. This was equivalent to -54 procedures (-68.4 to -39.6) and -512 (-555.9 to -467.3) for the 5-9s and 10-24s, respectively. Laparoscopic appendicectomies fell in April 2020 for the 5-9s (-15.5% (-23.2% to -7.8%)) and 10-24s (-44.8% (-57.9% to -31.6%) across all types, which was equivalent to -43 (-56.1 to 30.3) and -643 (-692.5 to -593.1) procedures for the 5-9s and 10-24s, respectively. A larger proportion of complex appendicitis admissions were treated within trusts with specialist paediatric centres during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: For CYP across English hospitals, a sharp recovery followed a steep reduction in appendicectomy rates in April 2020, due to concerns with COVID-19 transmission. This builds on smaller-sized studies reporting the immediate short-term impacts.

The role of dieting, happiness with appearance, self-esteem, and bullying in the relationship between mental health and body-mass index among UK adolescents: a longitudinal analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study.

Background: Mental illness and obesity are among the biggest challenges to population health, they are linked, and may be modifiable during adolescence. We aimed to determine intervening pathways between mental health and BMI z-score symptoms across adolescence. Methods: In this longitudinal cohort study, we used path models to examine self-reported dieting, happiness with appearance, self-esteem and bullying at 14 years as potential mediators of the cross-lagged relationship between mental health (via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score at 11 and 17 years by sex in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a prospective cohort study of 18,818 children born in the UK between September 1st, 2000, and January 31st, 2002. Full, incomplete data on all singleton children still participating in the study by age 11 years were analysed in GSEM via maximum likelihood estimation (N = 12,450). Findings: We found happiness with appearance and self-esteem, but not dieting or bullying, mediated the relationship between BMI age 11 and mental health age 17. Each increase in BMI z-score at 11 years was associated with 0.12 increase for boys and a 0.19 increase for girls in scores of unhappiness with appearance (boys: b 0.12, 95% C.I.; girls b 0.19, C.I. 0.14 to 0.23) and a 16% increase for boys and a 22% increase for girls in odds of low self-esteem (boys OR 1.16, 95% C.I. 1.07 to 1.26; girls: OR 1.22, 95% C.I. 1.15 to 1.30) at 14 years. In turn, for both boys and girls, being unhappy with appearance and low self-esteem at 14 years were associated with a greater likelihood of emotional and externalizing symptoms at 17 years. Interpretation: Early prevention strategies to encourage healthy physical and mental development of children need to focus on the promotion of positive body-mage and self-esteem. Funding: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR).