News

New ECHO-funded Research Shows Chronic Illnesses in Children Do Not Necessarily Lead to Dissatisfaction

Posted on by Jodi Snare

The ECHO researchers’ findings suggest that children with chronic illnesses are just as happy as their peers who do not have chronic illnesses.

The May 2019 issue of Pediatrics published findings from a recent study by ECHO researchers Courtney Blackwell, Amy Elliott, Jody Ganiban, Julie Herbstman, Kelly Hunt, Chris Forrest, and Carlos Camargo. The publication, titled “General Health and Life Satisfaction in Children With Chronic Illness,” focuses on children’s general health and life satisfaction in the context of chronic illness.

The study found that while children with chronic illnesses have worse health overall, their life satisfaction was comparable with that of their peers without chronic illnesses, suggesting that children with chronic illnesses may still lead happy lives.

As reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the authors noted, “the current study suggests that having a chronic illness is certainly a health challenge (evidenced by lower parent-reported general health) but does not preclude these children from having happy and satisfying lives that are comparable with those of peers without illness.”

This multi-cohort study evaluated results from questionnaires completed by 1113 caregivers completed on behalf of 1253 children aged 5-9 years with illnesses such as asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and digestive disorders. The study used the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Parent-Proxy measures for Global Health and Life Satisfaction.

Consistent with one of the primary goals of ECHO to leverage existing cohorts through harmonization of extant data and standardization of newly collected data, this study evaluated data from existing cohorts associated with the ECHO Program, with a specific focus on ECHO’s Positive Health outcome area.

“Overall, this work highlights clinical opportunities to broaden the perspective of health beyond the absence of disease to one in which all children, regardless of illness or impairment, can have well-being,” the authors said.

Read the full article to learn more.

Related links:

Link to AAP story

ECHO-funded Study Sheds Light on Second- and Third-hand Smoke Exposure in Kids

Posted on by Jodi Snare

A recent study funded by the ECHO Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and National Institute on Drug Abuse, shows that infants and toddlers in low-income, rural areas may be at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke than previously reported in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Findings were dependent on the detectable presence of cotinine – the byproduct formed when the body breaks down nicotine – in the children’s systems.

Based on an analysis of saliva samples collected from 1,218 children, 15 percent were in the high exposure group when tested for cotinine, demonstrating levels that are comparable to active adult smokers. Forty-eight percent of the children classified as moderate exposure and 37 percent fell in the low exposure group.

Other key findings from the study include lower smoke exposure for children in center-based daycare facilities and higher smoke exposure for infants, compared with toddlers. This is partially attributed to crawling and infants’ tendencies to put objects into their mouths. Additionally, according to the study, “lower income, less education, frequent residential moves and fluctuations in the number of adults within the home were associated with high smoke exposure.”

“Our results, if supported by future studies, can help educate parents and caregivers, as well as improve prevention programs that seek to reduce children’s smoke exposure,” said Clancy Blair, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, and the senior author of the study.

The study was published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research December 5, 2018.

‘Current Opinion in Pediatrics’ Publishes Seven Manuscripts from ECHO Program

Posted on by Jodi Snare

The April 2018 issue of Current Opinion in Pediatrics features seven manuscripts authored by and about the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) research program, supported by the National Institutes of Health. Readers can find each of the manuscripts, one from each active ECHO Program Component, in the journal’s “Therapeutics and Toxicology” section. Together, they offer readers a glimpse into ECHO’s mission and progress from diverse vantage points.

“Current Opinion in Pediatrics gives us a forum to showcase how each of ECHO’s Components is working collectively toward the ECHO mission to enhance the health of children for generations to come,” said Matthew Gillman, ECHO program director, National Institutes of Health. “We developed ECHO on the premise that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That premise applies equally to the ECHO Cohorts and the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network. Their combined intellectual capital, disciplines, innovation, and analyses will bring us closer to our mission than individual cohorts or clinical trial sites could ever reach alone. I am inspired by the work across all ECHO Components to bring this premise to life.”

“Current Opinion in Pediatrics is a great platform for ECHO. As a publication that spans all the subspecialties and primary care, it represents a product that is more than the sum of its parts, just like ECHO,” said Robert Wright, the publication’s editor. “It is critical for the pediatric health care community to learn about ECHO and the exciting work that will one day change the way pediatrics is practiced.”

Readers can access all seven articles electronically in the journal’s April 2018 (volume 30, issue 2) publication or via the links below:

 

NIH-Funded Study to Focus on Newborns Affected by Opioids

Posted on by Jodi Snare

 

Experts plan clinical trial to test treatments for withdrawal syndrome.

The National Institutes of Health is funding a new study to evaluate treatment options for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome, a condition caused by exposure to opioids during pregnancy. Currently, health care providers in the United States lack standard, evidence-based treatments for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, despite states reporting more cases in recent years. The study, called Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (ACT NOW), aims to inform clinical care of these infants.

ACT NOW is funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the NIH Office of the Director’s Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

Opioids are a class of drugs commonly prescribed for pain relief. Prescriptions for these drugs have quadrupled since 1999 in the United States, putting more reproductive-age women at risk of developing opioid use disorder. Use of these drugs during pregnancy can affect the health and well-being of women and lead to withdrawal symptoms in newborns. Symptoms often include tremors, excessive crying, sleep deprivation and swallowing difficulties.

Read the full press release here to learn more about this study.