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Background In an effort to reduce viral transmission, many schools reduced class sizes during the recent pandemic. Yet the effect of class size on transmission is unknown. Methods We used data from Project STAR, a randomized controlled trial in which 10,816 Tennessee elementary students were assigned at random to smaller classes (13 to 17 students) or larger classes (22 to 26 students) in 1985-89. We merged Project STAR schools with data on local deaths from pneumonia and influenza in the 122 Cities Mortality Report System. Using mixed effects linear, Poisson, and negative binomial regression, we estimated the main effect of smaller classes on absence. We used an interaction to test whether the effect of small classes on absence was larger when and where community pneumonia and influenza prevalence was high. Results Small classes reduced absence by 0.43 days/year (95% CI -0.06 to -0.80, p  < 0.05), but small classes had no significant interaction with community pneumonia and influenza mortality (95% CI -0.27 to + 0.30, p  > 0.90), indicating that the reduction in absence due to small classes was not larger when community disease prevalence was high. Conclusion Small classes reduced absence, but the reduction was not larger when disease prevalence was high, so the reduction in absence was not necessarily achieved by reducing infection. Small classes, by themselves, may not suffice to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses.

Objectives Childhood obesity prevention and treatment depends, in part, on parents acting as agents of change for their children. Our objective was to measure the associations between parenting self-efficacy, parent depressive symptoms, and preschool child behaviors that support healthy growth. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial. Parenting self-efficacy was measured using a 5-item version of the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC-5) scale (α= 0.8). Parent depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CESD) scale. Child outcomes included diet (24 h diet recall), physical activity (accelerometry), sleep (parent-report), and media use during meals (parent-report). We performed separate multiple linear regressions for each outcome controlling for other covariates. Results The sample consisted of 601 parent–child pairs. Median child age was 4.3 (IQR 3.6–5.1) years; median child body mass index (BMI) percentile was 79.1% (IQR 66.8–88.5%); 90% of children were Hispanic/Latino, and 6% of children were non-Hispanic Black. Median parent age was 31.5 (IQR 27.6–36.0) years; 22% of parents met criteria for depression. Parenting self-efficacy (median PSOC-5 25; IQR 24–28) was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (ρ = −0.16; p < 0.001). In adjusted models, higher parenting self-efficacy was associated with duration of child’s sleep and fewer meals eaten in front of a TV (p < 0.001). There was a significant interaction of parenting self-efficacy and parental depressive symptoms on child sleep duration (p < 0.001). Parenting self-efficacy and depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with child physical activity or child diet. Conclusions In this minority population, higher parenting self-efficacy was associated with longer child sleep and fewer meals in front the TV, but parent depressive symptoms mitigated that protective effect for child sleep duration.

Recent studies suggest that the use of preoperative β blockers in cardiac surgery may not provide improved mortality rates and may even contribute to negative clinical outcomes. We therefore assessed the role of β blockers on several outcomes after cardiac surgery (delirium, acute kidney injury [AKI], stroke, atrial fibrillation (AF), mortality, and hospital length of stay) in 4,076 patients who underwent elective coronary artery bypass grafting, coronary artery bypass grafting + valve, or valve cardiac surgery from November 1, 2009, to September 30, 2015, at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Clinical data from 2 prospectively collected datasets at our institution were reviewed: the Cardiac Surgery Perioperative Outcomes Database and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database. Preoperative β-blocker use was defined by Society of Thoracic Surgeons guidelines as patients receiving a β blocker within 24 hours preceding surgery. Of the included patients, 2,648 (65.0%) were administered a β blocker within 24 hours before surgery. Adjusting for possible confounders, preoperative β-blocker use was associated with increased odds of AKI stage 2 (odds ratio 1.96, 95% confidence interval 1.19 to 3.24, p <0.01). There was no evidence that β-blocker use had an independent association with postoperative delirium, AKI stages 1 and 3, stroke, AF, mortality, or prolonged length of stay. A secondary propensity score analysis did not show a marginal association between β-blocker use and any outcome. In conclusion, we did not find significant evidence that preoperative β-blocker use was associated with postoperative delirium, AF, AKI, stroke, or mortality.

Background Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), shown to be associated with health benefits, is not well-characterized in preschool-aged children. MVPA is commonly described as a threshold amount to achieve. We examined a novel way to characterize MVPA patterns in preschool-aged children by gender and age. Methods Preschool-aged children from Nashville, TN and Minneapolis, MN wore triaxial accelerometers. Four distinct MVPA patterns were identified: isolated spurt (IS), isolated sustained activity (ISA), clustered spurt (CS), and clustered sustained activity (CSA). Multivariable linear regression models were used to test associations of gender and age with each pattern. Results One thousand one hundred thirty-one children (3.9 years old, 51% girls, 30% overweight, 11% obese, and 76% Hispanic) wore accelerometers for 12.9 ( SD  = 1.4) hours/day for 6.7 ( SD  = 0.7) days. Children spent 53% of wear time in sedentary behavior and 13% in MVPA. On average, boys and girls achieved > 90 min/day of MVPA (98.2 min, SD  = 32.3). Most MVPA (80%) was obtained in spurt-like (IS and CS) MVPA; however, girls spent a higher proportion of MVPA in IS and CS, and lower proportion of time in CSA (all p  < 0.001). Controlling for gender, an increase of 1-year in age corresponded to a 1.5% increase in CSA ( p <  0.05 ). Conclusions How MVPA was obtained varied depending on the gender and age of the child. On average, boys spent more time in sustained MVPA than girls and MVPA was more sustained in older children. Utilizing these patterns could inform PA practice and policy guidelines. Trial registration NCT01316653 , date of registration: March 3, 2011; NCT01606891, date of registration: May 23, 2012.

Background Tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the US. A hospital admission provides smokers with a unique opportunity to stop smoking because it requires temporary tobacco abstinence while illness may enhance motivation to quit. Hospital interventions must continue post-discharge to increase tobacco abstinence long-term, but how best to accomplish this remains unclear. Building on two previous randomized controlled trials, each of which tested smoking cessation interventions that began in hospital and continued after discharge, this trial compares two interventions that provide sustained smoking cessation treatment after hospital discharge with the goal of improving long-term smoking cessation rates among hospitalized smokers. Methods/design Helping HAND 4 is a three-site randomized controlled trial that compares the effectiveness of two active interventions for producing validated past 7-day tobacco abstinence 6 months after hospital discharge. Smokers who are admitted to three hospitals receive a standard in-hospital smoking intervention, and those who plan to quit smoking after discharge are recruited and randomly assigned to two interventions that begin at discharge, Personalized Tobacco Care Management (PTCM) or Quitline eReferral. Each lasts 3 months. At discharge, PTCM provides 8 weeks of free nicotine replacement (NRT; a participant’s choice of patch, gum, lozenge, or a combination) and then proactive smoking cessation support using an automated communication platform and live contact with a tobacco treatment specialist who is based in the health care system. In the eReferral condition, a direct referral is made from the hospital electronic health record to a community-based resource, the state’s telephone quitline. The quitline provides up to 8 weeks of free NRT and offers behavioral support via a series of phone calls from a trained coach. Outcomes are assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge. The study hypothesis is that PTCM will produce higher quit rates than eReferral. Discussion Helping HAND 4 is a pragmatic trial that aims to evaluate interventions in real-world conditions. This project will give hospital systems critical evidence-based tools for meeting National Hospital Quality Measures for tobacco treatment and maximizing their ability to improve cessation rates and overall health for the millions of smokers hospitalized annually in the US. Trial registration Prospectively registered prior to start of enrollment at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03603496 (July 27, 2018). https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/SelectProtocol?sid=S00084MJ&selectaction=Edit&uid=U00002G7&ts=2&cx=ff0oxn

OBJECTIVE:This innovative study examines for the first time the relationship between occupational factors (eg, job strain) and medication adherence. METHODS:An analysis of secondary data collected from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) implemented in 34 drugstores of a national pharmacy chain in Tennessee. Medication adherence, health care utilization, psychosocial assessment, chronic disease status, and occupational health history data were obtained from study participants. RESULTS:The study found that most job strains are less adherent to their medication regimen as measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) than those in a low strain job category. However, statistically significant differences are observed only for renin angiotensin system antagonists (RASA), statins, and when PDC is combined across all medication classes. CONCLUSIONS:Examining occupational factors may prove beneficial in developing interventions that improve medication adherence.

About 48 % of US women gain more weight during pregnancy than recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Excessive gestational weight gain is a major risk factor for obesity in both women and offspring over their lifetimes, and should be avoided. This study was designed to test the feasibility and initial efficacy of a prenatal behavioral intervention in a sample of low-income, predominantly Latina women. The intervention was delivered in groups of 8–10 women in a community recreation center, and structured to reduce the proportion of women who gained weight in excess of IOM guidelines. Recruitment targets were met in 3 months: 135 pregnant women (>10 and <28 weeks) were randomly assigned to receive a 12-week intervention (n = 68) or usual care (n = 67). Retention rate was 81 %. On average, women attended 4 of 12 group sessions, and each session had 4 of the 8–10 assigned participants in attendance. Initial efficacy analyses were based on 87 women. Compared to usual care, fewer normal-weight women in the intervention exceeded IOM recommendations (47.1 % usual care vs. 6.7 % intervention; absolute difference 40.4 %; p  = .036). Recommendations for recruitment, retention, and delivery are discussed. A community-based cognitive-behavioral lifestyle intervention during pregnancy was feasible in a hard-to-reach, high-risk population of low-income Latina women, and showed efficacy in preventing excessive gestational weight gain. Due to frequently changing work schedules, strategies are needed to either increase attendance at group sessions (e.g., within a group prenatal care format) or to build core skills necessary for behavior change through other modalities.

Pneumonia is a major cause of severe illness in children. In a study of community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization among U.S. children, those younger than 2 years of age were most affected, and viruses were most commonly found. Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization among children in the United States, 1 – 3 with medical costs estimated at almost $1 billion in 2009. 4 Despite this large burden of disease, critical gaps remain in our knowledge about pneumonia in children. 5 Contemporary estimates of the incidence and microbiologic causes of hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia among children in the United States would be of value. 5 Most recent published estimates of the incidence of pneumonia have used administrative data, which are limited because a strict clinical and radiographic definition of community-acquired pneumonia is difficult to apply to such data and because diagnostic testing . . .

The etiology of community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization in adults is evolving, in light of vaccine deployment and new diagnostic tests. This article defines pathogens potentially causing pneumonia. In a majority of cases, no pathogen was identified. Pneumonia is a leading infectious cause of hospitalization and death among adults in the United States, 1 , 2 with medical costs exceeding $10 billion in 2011. 3 Routine administration of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children has resulted in an overall reduction in the rate of invasive disease and pneumonia among adults, owing to herd immunity. 4 – 8 The last U.S. population–based incidence estimates of hospitalization due to community-acquired pneumonia were made in the 1990s, 9 before the availability of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and more sensitive molecular and antigen-based laboratory diagnostic tests. Thus, contemporary population-based etiologic studies involving U.S. adults with pneumonia are . . .

Context:Long-term follow-up data on premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in childhood cancer survivors are limited.Objective:To describe the prevalence of POI, its risk factors, and associated long-term adverse health outcomes.Design:Cross-sectional.Setting:The St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study, an established cohort in a tertiary care center.Patients:Nine hundred twenty-one participants (median age, 31.7 years) were evaluated at a median of 24.0 years after cancer diagnosis.Main Outcome Measure:POI was defined by persistent amenorrhea combined with a follicle-stimulating hormone level >30 IU/L before age 40. Multivariable Cox regression was used to study associations between demographic or treatment-related risk factors and POI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to study associations between POI and markers for cardiovascular disease, bone mineral density (BMD), and frailty. Exposure to alkylating agents was quantified using the validated cyclophosphamide equivalent dose (CED).Results:The prevalence of POI was 10.9%. Independent risk factors for POI included ovarian radiotherapy at any dose and CED ≥8000 mg/m2. Patients with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 at the time of the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort assessment were less likely to have a diagnosis of POI. Low BMD and frailty were independently associated with POI.Conclusion:High-dose alkylating agents and ovarian radiotherapy at any dose are associated with POI. Patients at the highest risk should be offered fertility preservation whenever feasible. POI contributes to poor general health outcomes in childhood cancer survivors; further studies are needed to investigate the role of sex hormone replacement in improving such outcomes.We report on the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences on general health of premature ovarian insufficiency in a cohort of 921 long-term survivors of childhood cancers.